Tonight Chico City Council will most likely approve more salary increases for Chico PD and Fire. Trying to follow up on suggestions of outsourcing other positions to pay for these raises, I just happened to find a November article in the Chico News and Review. The author paraphrased a blog I posted regarding the effect these raises are having on the deficit, of which CouncilmemberTom Van Overbeek only recently seems to have become aware of.
From Chico CN&R, 11/20/25, https://chico.newsreview.com/2025/11/20/underfunded-chico-city-worker-pensions-addressed/
“The Chico Taxpayer Association maintains that contracts with city workers should have obligated them to pay for more of their own retirement costs, and that Van Overbeek’s motion is irresponsible from a conservative point of view. On its website it asks the councilmember: “You have signed onto contracts offering guaranteed raises and abysmally low shares of benefits costs without wondering where the money would come from to pay for these raises, or what effect the raises and underpayments would do to our CalPERS obligation. Why didn’t you ask these questions during the Measure H campaign?”
Wow, he included a response from VOB, but it’s not exactly an answer.
Van Overbeek answered that 2022’s Measure H sales tax increase primarily funded a police force “that was literally melting down,” and not intended for the UAL. “We said we were going to spend the money on cops and roads,” he said.
In this response, he does not engage the question about making employees pay more, he doesn’t even touch it. He refuses to engage the question about more employees and more raises without requiring higher shares is increasing the deficit. He also insinuates that the measure promised Measure A revenues would be used to fund “cops and roads” – it’s not legal to list specific uses for a “simple” 50+1 ballot measure. He also insists that Measure A funds are not being used to pay down the deficit – how can he promise that? Simple measures go into the General Fund.
Sacramento CN&R Author Ken Magri misstates the deficit payments at $7 million a year. That is way off, I’m pretty sure he got that figure from Artificial Intelligence. The city paid $18 million in 2023, I haven’t checked lately, but I know they go up every year. By millions. I get my figures from staffer Barbara Martin’s reports, available in the minutes from the Finance Committee Meetings.
Yes Mr. VOB, the cops are still melting down. The over-generous salaries are not getting “better” people, as evidenced in the recent revelations about police department inappropriate behavior. These salaries are tanking our town. When will they learn? When they get their ass handed to them at election time, that’s when.
Chico Taxpayers Association 
Hi Juanita It is appalling that Overbeek doesn’t respect his younger council colleagues who lack his wealth to invest successfully in the stock market and are therefore unable to make sound fiscal decisions. He seems determined to protect his colleagues in the CPD, past and present, at any cost to taxpayers and ignores the UAL as it applies to police and fire “good ole boys.” A few years ago, the Chico council, police, and administrators decided to outsource some police-like services to private armed guard companies. DA staff members told me these private guards are “thinly trained” compared to police officers. Despite warnings from council members that private guards might misuse their lethal force, the leaders went through with their cost-saving plan, and my son paid the price. My son’s violent death is just one example of the folly of outsourcing.
Overbeek says the police department was “melting down” in 2022. Was he referring to the CPD sex scandals and the council’s failure to oversee the police department and monitor accountability or was he referring to the pressure on the city councils, present and past, to raise police salaries and benefits at the expense of public works and other needed services?
Good article. Juanita Scott Rushing
The outsourcing conversation comes up every time the city is in financial trouble. They talk out of both sides of their mouth Scott – one minute we’re in so much trouble we need a tax measure, the next minute we’re flush and handing out raises!
I also was really disgusted with VOB’s remarks about the younger council members. Yeah, he’s OLD! That’s what OLD people do, they tell young people to “sit down and shut-up”, “do what you’re told”. That’s why young people are so pissed off. But, to tell the truth, I haven’t heard anything out of the younger ones about cutting the benefits. I’ll keep my ear to the railroad tracks.
I did hear from a anonymous trash talker – “Chico Public Worker”. He says the raises are deserved, for our “hard working” employees. He says, ” hard working pubic servants need to be paid fairly. And the City Council certainly knows that but if they forget they will definitely be reminded.”
Will be reminded? What the hell does he mean by that? We’ll have to explore this conversation, maybe we can get this freak to explain itself.