Having a say about future of Chico

Want to make Chico a better place to live? Ask the City Council to reconsider its decision about Valley’s Edge because it is out of alignment with our own policies, the Chico Housing Element and the Climate Action Plan.

California Attorney General Guidelines declare that we should not build developments in Wildland Interface Areas. Cal Fire’s recent maps show Valley’s Edge is “high risk.” What will it cost to try to protect this development in defiance of all that we know about wildfires? How many wildfires do we need to learn that lesson?

In 2014, the California Sustainable Groundwater Management Act passed. Let’s ask our council to take the time necessary to analyze this project to be sure we are in compliance and that we do not jeopardize future water needs in our county.

Times have changed and we need to be current with policies, regulations, realities, and have a commitment to honor these changes.

How many budget draining lawsuits do we need to learn that lesson? Remember the Chico Scrap Yard? Consider the waste of time and money that resulted when our city council decided they did not need to follow the laws protecting people with no homes with nowhere to go.

Chico can do better. Support the lawsuits protecting the environment, sign the petitions so you can have a say about the future of our town, and ask the City Council to adhere to established city policies and state regulations regarding housing needs, fire safety, water conservation, and climate.

— Brooks Thorlaksson, Chico