Highlights, lowlights from the week’s news
HIT » We’ve often wondered why anyone in their right mind would want to run for political office these days, especially in an area where partisan politics is such an ugly business. For most positions in local government, the pay isn’t great, the hours are worse and the everrising level of abuse from some segments of the public is off the charts. You’re lampooned daily by people who are convinced their side is in the right, everybody else is wrong and there’s no point in even listening to opposing points of view, much less considering them.
If you’re a liberal running for office in Chico, you’re pretty much labeled a “Needle-loving homeless-enabling socialist who hates the police, supports massive tax hikes and government giveaways, and is a hypocrite because the homeless people are ruining the parks.”
And if you’re a conservative running for office in Chico, you’re automatically labeled a “Heartless, capitalist Karen who supports greedy developers, doesn’t care about the rights of the oppressed, is a MAGA-loving hate-filled Trump supporter and enjoys letting homeless people freeze to death.”
(We didn’t have to make any of that up. Picking and choosing from campaign ads and social media commentary made it pretty easy. And in fairness, none of this partisan bickering is new around here.)
The truth is, the E-R editorial board just finished interviewing all five candidates for the two Butte County Board of Supervisors positions and the three candidates for county assessor. Right down the line, we were impressed with the candidates’ energy, knowledge and desire to tackle any number of issues; the one common thread being they love their community and are eager to serve. As always, choosing which candidates to endorse won’t be easy, but we’ll be announcing our picks next week.
So, our “hit” is this: In these days, anyone brave enough to step onto the public podium and offer to serve deserves our thanks. Let’s always remember these people are human beings too.
MISS » We could fill this page every day with examples of false narratives or pointless attacks that refuse to die on social media. This week, there was one we can’t let go unnoticed.
On a local Facebook crime page, there was a report of a man threatening to harm other people at a local shelter. Police were called and the man, who had a non-extraditable warrant out of Oregon for failing to appear on a weapons charge, was arrested for assault and vandalism.
From there, several posters just assumed the incident happened at the new Pallet shelter. After all, this was exactly the sort of awful crime many people had been predicting would happen there. So, the post quickly led to comments like “that didn’t take long” and “gotta love how well the shelter is working” and “Please tell me this happened at the new Palletville condos?”
Only one problem: That’s not where it happened.
In fact, as of this writing, there has yet to be a single police call at the new shelter site. Someday it’ll happen, just as crime unfortunately happens elsewhere … and once again, people will leap at the chance to say “I told you so!”
How about instead of jumping to conclusions, more people pause and give the folks running the Pallet site credit for getting the place off to a good start?
HIT » It was a beautiful thing to see downtown Chico alive with so many reasons to celebrate Thursday night. On one hand, it was Cinco de Mayo. On another, it was the return of the Thursday Night Market. And, finally, it was the kickoff event for Chico’s 150th birthday celebration.
That all adds up to one magnificent night for our town’s history — and, for as much as people complain about some things in Chico, isn’t it also worth remembering all of the things we love about the town?
We applaud the city for stretching this celebration out for (you guessed it) 150 days. There is a full calendar of events and we invite everyone to check it out and keep the celebration going all summer long.
MISS » We often hear about times when athletes and celebrities disappoint their fans — be it with a rude interaction, or legal problems, or whatever.
So when one of the truly good guys forms a local connection with a small community, it’s a pretty special deal.
That’s why we’re sad to see Buster Posey selling his Butte County hunting-and-fishing getaway.
Stories of Posey’s visits to Safeway in Gridley — and, those awe-inspiring chance encounters when drivers on Lower Honcut Road would spot Posey and some of his Giants buddies on a hunting trip — had already become legion in the area. But, now that he’s retired and moving back to his native Georgia, he doesn’t need a California hunting hideaway anymore, so he’s listed it for a cool $3.9 million.
We didn’t get to see enough of him in Butte County, but we’ll miss him anyway. (The Giants seem to be missing him pretty badly, too.)