Lawmakers eager for public return after year of limited interactions
OROVILLE >> In November 2018 following the Camp Fire, the city of Oroville saw its population increase by nearly 4,000 people overnight. Since then Oroville city councilors have attempted to find ways to house the incomers.
Councilor David Pittman said there are 400-500 new housing units becoming available in the next 18 months to two years.
Just over a year after the Camp Fire, the council was hit with another challenge — how to keep a stable economy alive despite businesses around the city being forced to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Pittman is serving his third term on the council and was previously an Oroville Fire Department chief. He said the most challenging part of the last year has been how to adapt and to amend to all the different procedures, particularly coming from a public safety world.
“From that world the only reason you can actually move someone out or close businesses is either it’s a crime scene or their house is burning down and you pull them out of a building,” Pittman said. “Those are the two methods that I’ve ever used to control people.”
Councilor Janet Goodson complimented city staff for being in compliance with state mandated guidelines and safety measures enforced at city hall, as well as the welfare and well being of all employees, citizens and visitors. She said that she sympathizes for business owners who took the biggest hit from COVID-19, also adding the challenges students faced as well as landlords who rent properties to tenants who are no longer employed.
Pittman said he feels with his background it was troubling that the government went beyond that to close businesses. He thinks people should have been allowed to have their own choice on their actions. He does not like how the government has chosen which businesses may stay open and which are forced to close. Pittman called the destruction of the local economy “appalling.”
“If they want to wear a mask, if they want to not go somewhere, that’s their choice — that’s perfectly correct. But I felt myself from a councilman point of view it was going too far to tell us how to have people conduct their normal business,” Pittman said.
Mayor Chuck Reynolds said he believes the most challenging part of the last year was not being able to interact with the public like the council traditionally does. He did not like the idea of having meetings closed to just councilors.
“Not only public input, but to have the public come and get a full understanding of what’s going on,” Reynolds said. “A lot of people aren’t going to go to virtual meetings, so it would be much better for us if they could come down and get first hand information and then discern for themselves.”
Reynolds said he believes the economy must open up so people can return to “a normal life,” saying “its ridiculous to ruin peoples’ lives over a less than 1 percent mortality rate.”
Reynolds said the city is now allowing trailers in front of peoples’ homes, while Pittman said Oroville is working on expanding its broadband and WiFi, particularly in its business district.
Pittman said that the key thing is that the people of Oroville have responded well.
“If you really think about it and you add the Oroville Dam issue, the fire issue, the COVID issue, this is a tough little town,” Pittman said. “And when you think about it all, the things that have happened, its not a question of whether to do something or not its a question of how do we get it done.”
In the meantime, from a councilor perspective, Pittman said the most rewarding part has been the city support of the Measure U utility tax.
“On the street it’s rewarding to see so many help out so many people. I think that’s probably the most rewarding feature to see on the street is that people really care,” Pittman said.
Contact reporter Justin Couchot at 530-896-7720.