Corrupt actions by Chico city council

The current Chico City Council has been an unmitigated disaster.

In January they began evicting homeless people from camps, in the winter when no shelter was accepting new clients, and in defiance of CDC guidelines. Many lost their from the elements, and other possessions. These actions were inhumane and illegal.

Those civil rights violations landed the city in court. Then their failure to respond appropriately to the judge’s requests resulted in a temporary injunction that prevents the city of Chico from enforcing their laws for the foreseeable future.

They failed to renew the Shelter Crisis Declaration (which had important liability protections for city-property based shelter options), with the mayor and vice mayor going so far as to hold a press conference to announce there was “no shelter crisis,” denying the evidence before our eyes.

Two councilmembers resigned; Scott Huber was harassed and forced to quit his job and the council, and Kami Denlay appears to have lived in Red Bluff since December. No one except Alex Brown condemned those actions or asked for an investigation.

The council then refused to let us vote, appointing two yesmen to those positions. One of the appointees donated the maximum amount to the vice mayor’s campaign and substantial amounts to all the other conservative members. The other is a former police chief who said we should enforce the very laws that landed us in court.

Incompetent. Inhumane. Fiscally Irresponsible. Cronyism. Corruption. Time to talk about alternatives.

— Angela McLaughlin, Chico