So much for public safety – city of Chico doesn’t take Americans with Disabilities Act too seriously

13 May

Bureaucracy gets a deserved bad name because it sucks up a lot of money and resources without producing anything.  Here in Chico we spend 10’s of millions – I’ve lost track of our total budget – on salaries, health benefits and pensions, but our streets are broken to pieces, our park is in disgrace, and public buildings all over town are in disrepair. Former public works manager Ruben Martinez reported a few years ago that instead of having a regular schedule of maintenance for city fixtures and facilities, the department just waited  for things to break.  This he called, “Failure Maintenance.”

Think about that. Say it a few times, and think about it good.  It sounds like the City of Chico is maintaining failure.

 I was telling my friend Jim how the city of Chico has bottomed out the gas tax fund – a cash register rings Downtown every time you gas your car in the city limits – paying salaries and benefits of people who have nothing to do with fixing our streets. Jim reminded me that the gas tax is supposed to go toward repairing streets, so I was telling him about “cost allocation.” This is the legal process by which they move money from one fund to another, “allocating” funds to pay for salaries. Here’s a simple example – if they have a meeting about the sewer facility, every body at the meeting gets their salary for that hour or two out of the sewer fund, everybody from the clerk to the city manager.  They even “allocate” an amount appropriate to pay for the PG&E  in that room for the duration of the meeting.

I first heard this many years ago – remember Jennifer Hennessy? She delivered the news to the Finance Committee, which included Mayor Mark Sorensen at that time, very casually and matter of factly, as if it was okay. Since she left in a hail of insults, her replacement, Chris Constantin, and his replacement, Frank Fields, have made it administrative policy. Moving peas under walnut shells is now the official finance policy of the City of Chico, CA.  Before he was mayor, Mark Sorensen complained they’d bottomed out the Sewer and Development funds the same way. Now you don’t hear him saying much about the red ink all over the city books, cause they juggle them so fast nowadays it’s just a blur of pink.

The other official policy Downtown is, they only fix stuff if they can get grants for it. In fact, as we have seen with the plans they made up for Esplanade, they will fix stuff that doesn’t need fixing just to get the money. And here’s the real sticker – they have to match that grant money with city funds. So, as in the case of the Downtown remodel undertaken over the last five years, with all the bulbing of the sidewalks and the traffic circles, ended up costing about 4 times as much as if they’d just fixed the sidewalks and put the ADA compliant access points at the intersections like the feds told them to do.  But, oh boy! We can get all this extra money to pay down our pension deficit if we put traffic circles and switch parking from parallel to angle parking!

The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed about 1990. Intended to make our streets and public building more accessible to people with “mobility issues” like wheelchairs, the ADA is pretty simple – if a competent wheelchair jockey can’t navigate a section of sidewalk, it’s not ADA compliant. Cracks, buckling around trees, potholes in sidewalks or streets – these don’t just prove challenging for people with disabilities – try getting a stroller out there, you find out quick, there’s whole parts of town that aren’t doable.  

And then there’s the liability. There’s a section of sidewalk across the street from my house with a buckle in it. It’s not much, it’s hard to see, but when I occasionally kick that buckle with my foot, it hurts all the way up my spine to the back of my head. Think I should talk to a lawyer about that?

I don’t remember how many years ago the city was told the Esplanade was not ADA compliant, but they’ve taken that and turned it into a gazillion dollar remodel, with over sized traffic circles and other changes necessitating the removal of many huge trees.  In the drawing I saw, the traffic  circle in front of Bidwell Mansion looks as if it will send cars right through the front doors of Northern Star Mills.

Protest led council to shelve the traffic circle plans, but only until 2017, just after the upcoming election. Wow, that’s not obvious. You’ve got Cheryl King whooping up a war dance, she’s got a basket to put your head in, so you postpone your decision until after the election. Gotta hand it to Sorensen, he knows how to handle the liberals. He won the Farmer’s Market battle, and he’ll win this one, just watch. 

Meanwhile, what about the ADA? Are they going to fix Esplanade at all? There’s miles of busted up sidewalk, and other liabilities that just need to be fixed. What about complaints about speeding? The  cops have made a big deal of patrolling it – as if it’s a big effort on their part to do their jobs, we’ll see how long it lasts.

Jim sent me a picture of ADA compliance in his neighborhood.  

Speaking of ADA, they put in these handicapped access a few years ago in my neighborhood. Nobody uses them, cars block them off, and they are full of dirt and water.

Jim says, “Speaking of ADA, they put in these handicapped access a few years ago in my neighborhood. Nobody uses them, cars block them off, and they are full of dirt and water.”         

Aquatic center proponents form non-profit, hire consultant, plan “Megacility”

11 May

Has CARD dropped plans to put a bond on the November ballot to pay for a new aquatic center?

Monday I was forwarded an invitation to a presentation at CARD’s new headquarters, Lakeside Pavilion.

You’ve been invited to participate in an event on May 10th which could be a milestone for Chico, involving large scale recreational facilities as a major community amenity and economic driver.   

 

It’s far from a new topic.  The adequacy of Chico’s facilities, the strain and economic drain travelling someplace else for events and tournaments, limited programing, limited funding, limited facilities and limited opportunities for people of all ages, etc.  All far below what could be accomplished if local talent, leadership and resources were tapped and channeled to accomplish what has been accomplished in other communities, many of which lack the talent, leadership and resources which already exist in Chico.

 

What is new is that out of this long running and seemingly endless conversation, a  catalyst non-profit has been formed to move the ball downfield.   Doing that requires community involvement and support.  Partnership and collaboration is essential!!!

 
DATE: Tuesday, May 10th
TIME: 6:30 PM

LOCATION: Lakeside Pavilion.  2565 California Park Dr, Chico, CA 95928

 

It’ll be an informative and enjoyable event on the Lake in Cal Park.  

 

Looking forward to seeing you there,

Brad Geise
EVERYBODY, Healthy Body
Collaboration and Partnerships for Athletics Facilities and Programming

530-715-0035 

Of course this invitation was not intended for me, but addressed to a local elected official who forwarded it along to me, knowing I’ve been trying to follow the aquatic center conversation.  This invitation confirms what I’ve suspected – as the public, and even the local daily newspaper, has failed to support CARD’s bids for public funding for this venture, the tiny but well-heeled group of aquatic center supporters has turned to a consultant, and formed a “non-profit” group. Ostensibly they are looking for private funding, but a quick look at their website shows a pattern of private ventures that quickly turn to the public for major funding. 

Under “FAQ’s” you will find this link:

http://sportsplanningguide.com/rise-of-the-megacilities

Here’s the bait …

Spooky Nook Sports was funded privately by its owner, Sam Beiler, for approximately $11.25 million. After traveling for his daughter’s various sports tournaments across the country, the family decided to create an indoor facility that offers quality customer service, ideal playing and spectator conditions and additional activities during downtime.

the usual sales pitch about how these facilities are a benefit to the entire community  … 

There’s no denying the impressive impact of sports tourism these days; destinations are taking their sports inventories to the next level. These herculean sports venues, or what we like to call megacilities, have generated an estimated combined economic impact of more than $200 million to date. They open their doors to competitions of all calibers where players, coaches and spectators alike will have to pick up their jaws from the state-of-the-art floors and fields.

 and here’s the switch – from the 2015 Pennsylvania Urban Land Institute report …

Although by all accounts the Nook has been deemed a success, that success has not been quantified in terms of fiscal or economic impact. 

The report goes on to detail the major traffic problems brought about during tournaments at this facility in Pennsylvania, finally recommending “The Nook” apply for public road funds to fix their inadequate private parking lot. The report describes the development of the site as “haphazard,” and recommends that the governing authorities take a harder look at the actual benefits of this development and ways to curb the problems it is causing.

Read on about a facility in Georgia – 

LakePoint Sporting Community was privately funded until it received a $32-million bond to support the next development phase: the indoor facility.

According to the Rome News-Tribune, “Bartow County Commissioner Steve Taylor said the Bartow County Development Authority issued $37 million in bonds to finance construction of the pavilion.”

According to wikipedia, Bartow County is, well, kind of poor.   The median income is only about $44,000 a year – much like Butte County. How in the hell will they pay those bonds? 

Read on about one facility after another in one state after another – entirely funded with taxpayer money.  Revenue bonds, city self-financing and hotel occupancy taxes, just to name a few sources of revenue that have been tapped to pay for facilities that have so far failed to prove any sustainable economic benefit for the surrounding area. They all create traffic problems that are addressed with more public money.

I expect the aquatic center group to follow the same tack.  They will try to impress us with their ability to attract “stakeholders,” but in the end they will try to get into our purses with this thing.

Meanwhile, CARD must also find some way to fund itself. Now they’ve privatized the backside of the CARD center and will charge money for weddings and other events. This is a conflict of their mission.  CARD was formed to facilitate recreational opportunities for taxpayers, not to compete with private enterprise to pay their own salaries, pensions and benefits. But, I will be keeping my ear to the railroad tracks, waiting for CARD to roll out another tax campaign of some sort. 

So, the aquatic center is not off the table, it’s turned into a “Megacility”.  A consultant and a group of local proponents has formed a covert group aimed at using private money to attract public money, just like a lot of other scams. It’s up to us to remain vigilant against this kind of misappropriation of public money.

The system is only as good as the taxpayers who support it.

County public works director complains our streets “are falling apart in front of our eyes” – but he still gets his $168,000/year plus benefits

8 May

What now for the Esplanade? Council has laid that decision over for after the election – cute, eh?

The real issue on Esplanade is the collapsing infrastructure – buckling, incomplete sidewalks, lack of crosswalks, high curbs that force wheel chairs out into the street.  It’s an outrage that a city the size of Chico, with a payroll of over $28 million dollars, another $12 million on pensions and health benefits, would look like this.

 

 

pothole

Cycling through my neighborhood I encountered a sink hole. Notice it’s already been patched at least once, quite recently.

 

A few years ago, former Mayor Ann Schwab make a big deal over the new “Hwy 99 Bike Trail” through town. You can see part of it from the freeway. The purple light poles and other “art treatments” – stuff like, thousands of dollars for boulders shipped in from the Eastern US – ran almost a million dollars.

What you can’t see is the section that runs through my neighborhood. Cal Trans wouldn’t grant access on the freeway overpass, so the trail leads back into the neighborhood, winding down one street and up the other, using a series of stenciled white bicycles to lead the eager traveler to and from Bidwell Park.  The actual trail was resurfaced, but, as you can see in the picture above, the surrounding streets were left to rot. 

I wonder what the purple signs cost.

As you can see, the resurfacing job follows the purple signs. I wonder what each sign cost.

Every now and then a citizen complains and a city works truck comes out to patch holes with “slobbers” left over from other road jobs.  Those patches only seem to exacerbate the pothole – within a week it’s back, even bigger.

I remember sitting in a meeting at which then-Finance Director Jennifer Hennessey explained that the gas tax fund – money that is supposed to be dedicated to fixing streets – was routinely bottomed out paying salaries Downtown. That seemed sketchy to Mark Sorensen before he was mayor – now he has sat by as city staff has manufactured ordinances allowing “cost allocation” – meaning, if a staffer attends a meeting in which the gas tax is mentioned, their salary for that meeting comes out of the gas tax fund. As well as the PG&E bill for that meeting, etc. 

You see the streets sit and rot, but City of Chico employees continue to collect their paychecks, as well as pension and benefits payments.

It’s no better in the county, according to county Public Works Director Mike Crump (Enterprise Record, Letters, 5/4/16)

It was great news reading about all the road work Caltrans is doing locally, including the resurfacing of Highway 99 in Chico and constructing passing lanes on Highway 70 south of Oroville that are all important, but what about our local roads? We can all see (and feel) our local streets falling apart in front of our eyes.

Cities and counties have been measuring the condition of our roads and bridges and the news is not good. With the existing California gas tax funding formulas, there is a clear downward trend in our local road conditions projected over the next 10 years unless our state legislators begin to address this issue.

Here in Butte County, where I am public works director, on a scale of 1-100 with 100 being excellent, our local road pavement condition index (PCI) is an “at risk” 66. We (cities and county) need more than $65 million per year over the next 10 years if we are to bring our roads up to a good condition with a PCI over 70 and this does not include the needs of our bridges, traffic signals or sidewalks. Last year, unincorporated Butte County could only afford to spend $2.5 million to resurface 25 miles of our 1,000 miles of paved roads we need to maintain. If future funding to maintain our local roads is not addressed soon, we can expect many more of our roads to fail. Please log onto savecaliforniastreets.org for more information and cool maps.

— Mike Crump, Oroville

Mike, or “John” Crump as he is listed on the county payroll, made $168,000 in 2014, and took a $28,000 benefits package. The county spent over $118 million on wages in 2014, with another $35 million going out to retirement and health benefits. All that money spent on wages and benefits – what do we have to show for that? A bunch of fat employees driving to work in their new vehicles – a lot of them provided by the tax payers (who also pay the gas tax to fill them up) – over shredded roads. 

Is Crump looking for us to tax ourselves further to pay more in wages – his wages have creeped up over $20,000/year in the last 10 years, while, as he admits, our roads “are falling apart in front of our eyes.” 

This is what keeps employers out of the North State – our backwards, corrupt, over-fed public workers and our sagging, neglected infrastructure. 

 

Kamala Harris is corrupt, but I guess that’s nothing new in politics

3 May

I was talking to my supervisor Maureen Kirk about the Cal Water rate increase case, and she asked me about former CPUC President Michael Peevey. I had written some e-mails to Peevey, not only protesting the rate hike as I was instructed by the ratepayers advocate’s office, but I sent him a picture I’d got from some folks in Lucerne, CA – a shining brand new bass boat hooked up to a Cal Water truck. People in the Clear Lake area were getting hit really hard with rate increases, they were pissed off enough to form a tar and feathers party. 

Of course Peevey never got back to me, he was way too busy.

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/How-dinner-for-ex-PUC-head-Peevey-hit-nerve-at-UC-6166762.php

Peevey is a bad man, and deserves to go to jail.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-watchdog-peevey-20151230-story.html

but Kamala Harris is a shill, and blew the investigation.  On purpose? Because her buddy Jerry Brown and his sister Kathy are in up to their necks? 

Kamala’s got big plans, it would be a poor time for her to rock the boat.

http://www.ebony.com/news-views/kamala-harris-senate-run-could-set-her-up-for-bigger-things#axzz47ayvaQ58

Wow, I’ll ask this question out loud – how did Kamala Harris get on the cover of Ebony magazine? Is this her game plan? Be the first “black” (ha ha) woman to be governor of California? 

This election is going to be a disaster no matter how you cut it up.

 

 

 

When will the enablers see the link between transients and crime?

30 Apr

I think the biggest problem we have with the homeless here in Chico are the agencies and individuals who provide for them. That would include our local media. Read these excerpts from the Enterprise Record Hits and Misses column for today:

HIT >> There were two very impressive aspects to an extensive effort Wednesday to help homeless and low- income people in Butte County. One is that 675 people received help. The other is the dozens of people, organizations and agencies that chipped in to make it happen.

Project Homeless Connect managed to get the word out to hundreds of people who took advantage of the opportunity to get things most people take for granted — a shower, food, a haircut, a bicycle repair, a health screening, pet care and much more.

It took a lot of goodhearted people to organize the event and volunteer at it. We applaud them for doing what they can to help.

Well, isn’t that nice?  “Hundreds of people who took advantage…” Great choice of words.  This kind of enabling is what’s bringing the homeless flocking to Chico. Of course, Dave Little doesn’t live anywhere near the areas most heavily affected by this problem, Downtown, Bidwell Park, and the neighborhoods directly surrounding the creeks – that would include the campus neighborhoods.

MISS >> The statistics on crime in neighborhoods near Chico State University are alarming, even if they’re not surprising.

Most residents know that’s where most crime happens in Chico. But it was quantified at a public meeting last week. Chico Police Department statistics show that in a three- year period ending last Dec. 31, 636 homes and 482 cars were broken into in neighborhoods near the university, and 437 cars were stolen.

There’s hope, however. Increased attention and a new cooperative agreement between Chico police and university police will help. Students and non- students who live in the area can do their part by locking up items, not being so trusting and watching out for criminal activity.

Crime will never disappear in student neighborhoods, but the number is unacceptably high and can be reduced with attention to the issue.

First of all, I see the same old pattern here – blame the victim. That’s good, I hope plenty of parents read this and send their kids somewhere else for college. I know, a lot of people blame the students for everything, but imagine getting a call from your kid, describing the kind of stuff that’s been going on in Chico the last couple of years. 

They sure as hell wouldn’t be reporting any events where college students get free showers, food, a haircut, a bicycle repair, a health screening, or pet care.

How many blogs have I written about repeat offenders? You check, I’m busy. The pattern is hard to miss, but apparently the Editor does not read the police reports or follow them up on the county superior court index. I don’t know how many stories I’ve read in his paper about somebody waking up in the middle of the night to find a stranger in their bedroom, hands/arms full of stolen stuff. Less than a week ago a man over at Amanda Place came home to find a guy in his apartment in the middle of the day, and was stabbed by the creep.

 I’ve looked up the names on the court index, including the man involved in that break-in and stabbing, and found these people have been arrested and released – “OR”, “own recognizance” – again and again, for increasingly violent crimes. 

The pattern also shows most of them are listed without any permanent address – “homeless,” “transient,” whatever you want to call it. That last man was  “ward” of the county, “ a person or thing under guard, protection, or surveillance…” .   Oh really? Where exactly was Batman when his ward was breaking into another man’s apartment?  

Most of these people are able to disappear as soon as they are out of custody, and neither the county nor the city are doing anything to keep track of them. That is, until they are caught in another crime. 

County District Attorney Mike Ramsey excuses himself from prosecuting these people, blaming various legislative bills. I think the real problem is, he doesn’t see any money in it. He only seems to go after high-profile cases. 

Chico PD makes a lot of fuss – all these meetings they’ve been having lately – maybe  they need to form a circle and levitate the police station, shake out the dead beats, make them pay their own pensions, shower and shave at home before they come to work, etc.

Meanwhile, our mayor is busy revamping The Esplanade. 

And the media is congratulating the enablers. Good Job!

Next time you see a Cal Water truck driving by give them your middle finger

27 Apr

I’m listening to the Reverend Horton Heat. He says, “I’m mad, I’m mad out to here! I’m mad!” 

Think he attended the water rate hearing last night? 

I didn’t – I’m done with those stupid hearings. Like I told Judge Jeanne McKinney – they aren’t “hearings,” she wasn’t there to hear what we thought. She was there to provide the legal notice required before her utility company friends raise the rates. 

I was glad to see that Third District supervisor Maureen Kirk attended and spoke against the rate increase. She spoke very firmly, like your mom, my mom – she had that “I’m just about fed up” tone. 

But I didn’t hear much mention of the really important issue in this rate increase – they want to consolidate us with Willows, Marysville and Oroville – towns with major infrastructure repair needs. When Cal Water tried to raise rates a couple of years ago to cover their needs, the CPUC said the increase was way to onerous. So, they want to spread it over Chico too, and make us pay for improvements in those towns.

Not that I don’t feel for those towns, but I’d rather see them pick up torches and pitchforks and take care of their problems themselves. I’d like to see some folks riding out of Marysville on rails, covered in tar and feathers. 

Cal Water has not been taking care of infrastructure because they’ve been using ratepayer money to feather their retirement nests.  The ratepayers need to rise up. Next time you see a Cal Water employee, rise up your middle finger, wave it at them cheerfully and holler, “Pay your own pension, Leech!“. 

 

Do we really want to build more low-income housing?

26 Apr

I’m certainly glad Chico will not play host to a “sexually violent predator,” but I wonder how many other violent criminals we have in Chico. How about the story in this morning’s paper – a resident caught a burglar in his Amanda Way apartment, and while he was calling the cops the guy attacked and stabbed him with a knife. 

The attacker was identified as Darin J. Petty. According to Butte Superior Court index, this man is supposed to be under conservatorship, granted by the county of Butte. What is he doing robbing somebody’s apartment? 

According to our county administrator Paul Hahn, the county of Butte spend “over half the budget” on services for the mentally ill, indigent, and drug addicted. A new 15 unit low-income apartment facility to be located near the Torres Shelter will cost about $6 million, over a million of it coming out of the Behavioral Health budget, and more from the city of Chico and other public agencies. More of our taxes spent to bring in more of these people. How many will end up standing over a homeowner with a knife in the middle of the night? 

 

Jim Matthews: Esplanade needs a simpler fix

24 Apr

I’ve been so busy lately I have “blog stop” – aka, “writer’s block”.  I saw this letter from Jim Matthews in the paper this morning and it got me thinking.

On April 14, the Chico City Council voted for sweeping changes to The Esplanade. While roundabouts may reduce vehicle accidents, they are actually more dangerous to pedestrians and bicyclists. Drivers often just don’t yield to pedestrians. This could open the city up to lawsuits when a child is injured there. Some European cities have removed roundabouts due to this safety issue. Other U.S. cities have been sued because roundabouts are very difficult for handicapped users. Signal lights really do work better.

The proposed bike path is well meaning, however cyclists will still need to deal with motor vehicle traffic at every block, just like they do now. That bike path will only give bike riders a false sense of security and may actually lead to more accidents. This could also expose the city to lawsuits.

These changes will also require the removal of many of the lovely trees that currently line our beautiful boulevard. We should preserve the attractiveness of Chico and save these trees.

The crosswalks work well on The Esplanade. The current light timing gives people plenty of time to cross. The problem at the high school is that too many kids are jaywalking. Why not try crossing guards?

Instead of such radical alterations, let’s go for simple incremental improvements first.

— Jim Matthews, Chico

Jim makes great points – this thing will be a tree slaughter. He also reminds me – the real issue with the Esplanade is the ADA – Adults with Disabilities Act. This act requiring that public infrastructure be safe for use by handicapped individuals was passed in 1990, but the City of Chico remains out of compliance all over town.  I don’t think the city is under any sort of order to fix Esplanade,  but they’ve been offered a bunch of grant money if they’ll do it. The more expensive they make the remodel, the more grant money they get.  

Yes we need safe sidewalks and crosswalks. As a cyclist and pedestrian, I’ve seen it all. A couple of weeks ago I watched a woman employee walk out of Wells Fargo Bank at Mangrove and Vallombrosa, trip over a large, many times repaired crack in the pavement, and fall to the ground. The sound of her head hitting the pavement was so sickening I wretched (don’t even get me going with the gagging, I can get everybody in the room going).  She got up and said she was okay, got in her car – but wow, she was walking funny. I told her she should call the city, but I don’t know what she did. 

Former Chico City Planning Commissioner Jonathan Studebaker died from bed sores at Enloe Hospital after a fall from his wheelchair on a Chico sidewalk. Described as an “advocate for the disabled,” Studebaker complained loudly about the lack of continuous, safe sidewalks in Chico. When the city remodeled Downtown with faux brick sidewalks, Studebaker lobbied for the introduction of what is now called “The Studebaker Strip” – a smooth strip down the middle of the sidewalk suitable for use by wheelchairs and easier for everybody from toddlers to centenarians. 

The job that’s proposed for The Esplanade is nothing but a pitch for grants to pay down the salaries, benefits and pensions Downtown. The city is in more trouble than they are admitting, at their next meeting they’re taking more money out of the General Fund to cover deficits in other funds. Again.  Why would the sewer fund be in deficit? My God, look at sewer rates, look at what they charge to hook up. But like Mark Sorensen reported in his now taken down blog – $taff looted the sewer fund to pay down the pension deficit, to pay salaries in other departments that don’t take in any revenue, etc. Now that Sorensen is mayor, he’s pretty mum about all that looting, but it goes on at every meeting – they call it “cost allocation.” Put some fancy words on “stealing” and it’s okay? I call it embezzlement, but I’m no lawyer.

So now this scheme to trash Esplanade. Like Jim Matthews says, roundabouts are not safe for pedestrians, I hate cycling through them. Mark Sorensen told me he loves them, and wants them all over Chico. After the Esplanade, he’s headed for Mangrove Avenue. He told me he wants a roundabout at Mangrove and Vallombrosa. 

Sorensen is the one you need to contact about this, he’s pushed roundabouts for every major intersection in town. He’s after the  grants. He’ll tell you, he uses them – yeah, I had him on his bike right in front of the F-150 one day in the Manzanita roundabout. He needs to see video of his worthless ass on a bike from the driver’s perspective, I don’t think he’d pull that stunt again.  He’ll tell you just because he can do it, your 8 year old should be able to do it.  Tell him you are sick of his machinations to pay down the pension monster.

This is not about the ADA, it’s about money for CalPERS. Remember, Sorensen is an employee in Biggs, where he makes almost $100,000 as their city manager. He needs CalPERS to stay afloat so he will get his pension. I think that colors alot of his thinking Downtown.

 

Chico is a mushroom patch

20 Apr

Of course we are all a-titter over the Esplanade. I’ll tell you what – it amazes me what gets people’s attention around here. Yeah, I  care about the Esplanade – I also care about the millions in tax dollars that would be squandered on such a project, and furthermore – I know they’re just doing it to get federal grants to help them feed their pension monster. I’m not hearing that in the conversation, I’m just hearing a bunch of idiots, many of whom moved here within the last 10 years, whining and crying about the city’s history. 

I’d be interested in hearing their versions  of Chico history.  I mean, I’ve lived here all my life, I know people who’ve been born and raised here in town, and I bet you wouldn’t get the same story twice. 

Can anybody tell me about the big head stone in the cemetery, marked “Moak”? Now there’s a story about a nice family, and they continue to be a real nice family around here today. Nuff said?

History. Sometimes it’s better not to turn that rock  over.

I’m more concerned with the present day, and I wish more people would be. I’m sorry to make fun, I won’t include the name, but I got a comment yesterday that illustrates how out of touch this little band of terrorists actually are. This person found an old post about Measure J,

https://chicotaxpayers.com/2012/08/07/thankyou-city-council-candidate-andrew-coolidge-for-taking-on-ann-schwabs-phone-tax-plan/

and posted two comments:

First – Stop the turn around on the esplande. Stop change things. You ruined the city park with cement took the tree and the homey fill our little town had. Now you you build to many house to close together on to narrow streets. You ruined our pioneer days now there is nothing about pioneer week. It sucks you allowed the students actions to effect us. In our wonderful little town. But you don’t listen to the tax paying adults who live here. Stop speeding on art project s that are ugle and bring back our comfortable small town feeling where everyone had fun and was proud of where we live.

And here’s where she starts channeling Miss Emily Latella:

Is that women crazy? Phone tax so if you have a $350.00. Phone bill what pray tell more does she want us to pay. Family of four soon to be five. We can’t afford any dime for phone let alone what ever project she want to fund. I want to fight this all the way. This is Very upset citizen who can’t afford any tax or otherwise increases.

I won’t blame this person for being confused. I also tried to find contact information for the group who was threatening a referendum regarding the decision made last week, but all they have is Facebook. I don’t do Facebook – it’s exclusive to other people who do Facebook. When you want to get your message out there, how does it pay to be exclusive? 

So, I contacted Andrew Coolidge, because he was all over the local news, trying to put his name on this referendum. Same tactic he tried to use with Measure J, and even I fell for it. He calls the media and tells them he’s jumping on some popular movement. Then does nothing. He did nothing to oppose Measure J, he didn’t even take a sign for his front yard, or offer to distribute signs. Looks like he’s pulled the same thing with this Esplanade referendum thing – he never answered my inquiry, and I’m not expecting any response.  Coolidge is all yak, and no substance.

He’s a liar too. When he was running for office, he came to speak to a little group of us at the library, and one story he told was about him and a group of local candidates getting together to try to tell other candidates (like Dave Donnan and Joe Montes?) that they should drop  out of the race because they would be “stealing” votes from Coolidge and the other conservatives. Later he denied telling me that, and made lawyer-sounding threats, telling me I had to take that out of the blog. Well, I did, but I’m putting it back, lying bitch.  Montes told a story later that indicated he’d been one of the candidates, but when I pressed Montes, he wouldn’t tell me who it was who told him to drop out. They all stick together, like a big turd.

And the comments above illustrate the kind of voter we have in Chico – a regular mushroom, kept in the dark and fed regular doses of bullshit.

 

 

What ever happened to “our drinking problem” ?

17 Apr

After my last post, complaining about serial criminals in our town, Police Chief Mike O’Brien released his crime report – nothing surprising. What was weird was how it was viewed by the media.

http://www.chicoer.com/general-news/20160414/chico-crime-rate-up-4-percent-in-2015-positive-signs-ahead-police-say

http://www.krcrtv.com/news/local/chico-crime-rate-drops-9-percent-in-first-quarter-of-2016/39028878

I  think it’s just funny how these two different media sources look at the story, one “glass half empty” and the other “glass half full.” I think the local editor paints a scarier picture because he’s stumping for a public safety tax, while the story out of Redding seems too optimistic. Somewhere between lies the truth.

The chief seems to be saying two things at once. While he says crime is down in the first quarter of 2016, he admits, “ I think if you were to ask anyone in the community whether crime was increasing or decreasing — or increased or decreased in 2015 — everyone would have said yes, it has increased…”

I have to wonder about these reports  – for example, according to Jerry Olenyn, “The report does not include an uptick in other types of crimes. For example, honey butane oil lab activity is on the rise.   ‘Not only is it a problem, it’s a public safety concern, because houses and apartment are being blown up,’ said O’Brien.”

Why aren’t all crimes included?

According to this week’s News and Review

https://www.newsreview.com/chico/losing-our-buzz/content?oid=20614263

Chico PD reports arrests are down on the infamous party days, like Halloween and Cesar Chavez Day, but Enloe reports alcohol related ER visits for the 18 – 23 age group are increasing every year. Just since January, there have already been 94 visits in that category. The 18 to 20 year olds, and whoever furnished them with the alcohol, are committing a crime, a very dangerous crime, and I have to wonder why this isn’t included in O’Brien’s report.

There have been a couple of high profile, very tragic alcohol related deaths every semester for the last couple of years. Endless staff time has been poured into symposiums about “our drinking problem” since Ann Schwab was mayor. What track did that little choo-choo train run off on? 

The party article mentions that many Downtown restaurants are changing their atmosphere – no more drink or pitcher specials. A more adult atmosphere, pricey drinks, pricey foods. They have priced out the party crowd Downtown. But at the same time, the city has permitted Bev Mo! and other discount liquor merchants around town. So what’s happened, I’m guessing, is the parties are moving underground, and I’m guessing there will be a lot more underage drinking, and more tragedy to come. 

And the 21 – 23 crowd will continue to patronize the bars, which sit right off campus like some kind  of Pleasure Island. Not just college students, but young people from all over the area are attracted to the alcohol scene Downtown every  weekend. These people are not only the perpetrators but the victims of crime – they drive drunk, they injure or kill themselves or others, they lose their wallets, get mugged, get sexually assaulted.  They go back to their apartments, leave their cars unlocked, their doors unlocked, their valuables laying around untended. 

Alcohol is  a crime problem in Chico.

Meanwhile, they had a symposium about it. This what these people do. 

http://www.orovillemr.com/general-news/20160415/butte-county-officials-community-groups-gather-for-summit-on-homelessness

 

 

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