Highlights, lowlights from the week’s news
HIT >> As we approach the fourth anniversary of the Nov. 8, 2018 Camp Fire, we pause to appreciate two remarkable facts — the Town of Paradise continues to recover at an impressive rate, and as far as fire seasons go, this one hasn’t been all that bad.
At least, comparatively. According to CalFire, in 2022 there have been 7,095 incidents resulting in 363,232 burned acres and 876 structures lost. That’s a lot, but it’s still barely a drop in the bucket compared with the past two horrific fire seasons, which saw 2.5 million acres burned in 2021 and a record 4.3 million in 2020.
Of course, no one should need reminding that the Camp Fire didn’t start until Nov. 8. That fire destroyed more than 18,000 shelters and led to the deaths of 85 people.
We’ll have more about the fourth anniversary of the Camp Fire in our Tuesday edition. For now, let’s give thanks that all things considered, this fire season has — to date — been a refreshing turn in the right direction for our area and all of California. Well done, firefighters, and thanks to all who take fire safety and preparation seriously.
MISS >> The fact that hate crimes and antisemitism are in the news so much in the year 2022 isn’t just disgusting. Or sad. It seems practically implausible; this is where we’ve ended up as a society, after all that so many people have endured throughout history?
Chico isn’t immune from this sickening behavior, and we got two ugly reminders this week.
First, someone wrote swastikas and burned a sign at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue. A day later, police reported a second possible hate crime which involved someone painting swastikas and attempting to burn a mural dedicated to missing and murdered Indigenous women.
It seems like there isn’t a lot everyone in Chico can agree on, but this is (or should be) an exception. There can be no tolerance for this sort of behavior.
Kudos to Chico Police for quickly making an arrest in connection with the case. Thomas David Bona, who has been arrested and convicted of similar crimes in the past, was arrested Friday on suspicion of hate crimes, vandalism and arson.
HIT >> Speaking of Paradise, “rebuilding” is taking on many forms. This week, there was cause to celebrate a great one — The construction of the first single-family home in Paradise from the Community Housing Improvement Program.
The non-profit has started several projects in Paradise since the 2018 Camp Fire, including a 36-unit apartment complex. Recently, four families began construction on their soon-to-be homes with the non-profit.
“We wanted to figure out how to bring back rental housing quickly and cheaply,” said CHIP President and CEO Seana O’Shaughnessy. “Obviously, nearly four years after the fire is not that quick, but we used this time to work through the obstacles and challenges so that those who follow us can rebuild immediately — and we now know that this program really can work.”
The home is the first of six that CHIP is preparing to finish as part of its pilot program. Our thanks to Paradise, CHIP and all of the hands-on participants for doing their part to make “more housing” a reality.
MISS >> A billion dollars equals only a 2 percent drop in homelessness?
We can’t help but wonder what $2 billion would bring. Maybe a 4 percent drop?
In any case, it doesn’t sound like the shiploads of money being thrown at the homeless situation has had the desired effect thus far, and we don’t blame Gov. Gavin Newsom for pausing funding in hopes of finding more efficiency. If nothing else, we’re glad he’s living up to his promise of holding agencies’ feet to the fire on this topic.
On the other hand, we can’t help but wonder how pausing the funding is going to help anything. As League of California Cities CEO Carolyn Coleman said, “Now is not the time to play politics when people’s lives are at stake. … If the state is looking for a real solution to this crisis, we need a statewide plan and sustainable state funding that supports long-term planning.”
We agree. The burden of “solving homelessness” in California is beyond anything any one city can handle. It’ll take a coordinated approach on a statewide level, where people set aside political bickering (and disproven narratives) to learn from best practices that have been effective in some areas.
For the record, Butte County’s drop in homelessness was reported at 6 percent — fully three times the state average. The county had been allocated $1.89 million for part three of four rounds of the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention grants before the funding pause by Newsom.
That’s documented proof that, regardless of what some will continue to say, we’re on a positive path forward here in terms of managing the problem — especially compared with the rest of the state.