Watch the ballots in Oroville District F

At a February city council meeting, we learned there are thirty SLEs (Sober Living Environments, also known as DAX-IT houses) in Oroville, mostly downtown. Sober Living houses are a good thing, and they are a big help for those trying to get back on their feet. But are the SLEs following the law?

DAX-IT director, Calli Edington, stated in a FB group recently that DAX-IT houses are following the law: “We have a five client per bathroom clause that the sober living environments in California are subject to.”

However, in an E-R article, city planner Wes Ervin said, “Six beds are allowed in residential zones.” Note the difference between “six beds per house” and “five clients per bathroom.”

When Edington was asked about a specific DAX-IT house, she said, “…there are four bathrooms at 1184 Montgomery Street. So technically, 20 residents could potentially be housed there; legally, that is.” When pressed for specific numbers in the houses, Edington refused to give an estimate.

Edington said in that same FB group about the upcoming election: “All of the houses that Dax-It Recovery Services is in, in the downtown area, will be voting for Shawn (Webber)!”

With so many DAX-IT homes that could have more residents than the public realizes, this arrangement could bring in a lot of votes for Webber, and by extension, his mentor, Chuck Reynolds, this should be cause for concern.

Let’s hope the Butte County Clerk counts the number of ballots from EACH ADDRESS in District F.

— Kirk N. Draper, Oroville