Paradise leaders support Teeter-endorsed maps
The Butte County Board of Supervisors is expected to vote Monday on whether to accept map 69836 or as it was submitted to the county on Oct. 29 or to accept the consultant’s map, named A6.
Butte County District 5 Supervisor Doug Teeter introduced the map to the board Nov. 9, more than a week after it was submitted to the county.
The map, which was created by Republican strategist Josh Cook, has angered both Chico-based supervisors, Debra Lucero and Tammy Ritter.
The redistricting in the county is expected to see massive changes after the 2018 Camp Fire with Paradise being at the center of the controversy due to the fact it now holds just about 7,000 residents post-fire.
Paradise Mayor Steve Crowder and Councilor Steve “Woody” Culleton have both expressed support for the protect Paradise voices map.
“Teeter has done a great job for us,” Culleton said. “We are happy with our representation as it is.”
He said he also took issue with the characterization that the map was a surprise.
Crowder said that if he had his way, the map would remain close to how it is today, but with the massive loss of population on the ridge after the fire he knows that’s not going to happen.
So he supports the map Teeter introduced in early November.
“Although not perfect, I support map 69836 as it does not make us lost in Chico with no voice,” he said. “It does give us more of Chico than we have now, but our voice will still be represented.”
Crowder also said Paradise’s ability to rebuild itself into the second-largest city in the county will be frustrated by the map favored by Lucero and Ritter.
“Map A6 will cause us to get buried in Chico and our voices will not be heard for 10 years until the next census, “he said. “I believe it will also slow down and rebuild efforts which we cannot afford.”
Culleton for his part doesn’t believe that the residents of District 5 have been adequately considered in the consultant’s process.
He wonders how many people in District 5 were part of the public outreach done by the consultants hired by the county.
He said many people within the burn scar who live within District 5 are dealing with a lot of other more important issues like making sure that their property is cleared, their living conditions are safe and dry as they enter into the winter season.
Many of them still don’t have Internet access, Culleton asserted, and aren’t likely aware of this redistricting process.
Both of them asserted that Lucero’s support of the consultant’s map was more about her political aspirations than what was best for Butte County.
“I believe the main reason that Supervisor Lucero is supporting map A6 is it draws Peter Durfee, who is going to challenge her for her seat, out of her district and he would not be able to run against her.”
Durfee’s campaign said on Friday night that map A6 takes him out of Lucero’s district.
However, Culleton also says that there’s another concern for him.
“We have more in common with Forest Ranch, Butte Valley, Concow, and the lower Clark Road and Skyway areas than the areas of Chico and Cohasset the map she is pushing,” he said in a letter sent to the board last week,. “It has been apparent to many of us in Paradise that Supervisor Lucero has not been kind or caring to our town of Paradise.”