Memo: `Please disabuse yourself of the notion'

A long time ago, at a newspaper far, far away, I read a memo that has stuck with me through the years.

It came after a reporter unleashed a profane tirade on a copy editor who'd asked about changing a single word in an article. Our boss wrote a reprimand — directed to the individual, shared with the group — consisting of one sentence:

“Please disabuse yourself of the notion that your copy is so superbly crafted that it wouldn't benefit from judicious editing.”

That's what now is called a mic drop. Bang!

It's also a mantra. We're fallible. We can be questioned. We have notions of which we need to be disabused.

Journalists. Citizens. Public officials. No one is an island, unless they live alone on one.

This message popped to mind as I parked downtown this week. Chico has a new metering system; it's causing consternation.

For those who haven't used it, a quick primer. The city is transitioning from traditional meters to centralized payment — either at kiosks positioned each block or via the Passport Parking app. Signs abound.

Change rarely comes easily, and I've heard grumbles, ranging from confusion to conspiracy. “It's a hassle.” “It's a money grab.” Those sorts of things.

I'll admit, I have my concerns. I'd prefer the city not patrol downtown with a license plate reader and send my location into cyberspace. I'd prefer one place fewer holding credit card information.

But I don't live on a desert island. I walk around with a portable GPS tracker, aka a smartphone. I don't always have coins for the meter. I'm tired of parking tickets from underestimating the time I'll need.

I also understand the point of metering. Yes, the city gets revenue, but if that's the sole purpose, why aren't meters elsewhere?

The goal downtown is circulation. Without time limits, drivers can turn streets into parking lots and parking lots into storage. With time limits, vehicles come and go. Meters work better than chalk marks on tires.

I didn't want to pay $1.00 — plus a 35-cent convenience fee — to park on Fourth Street that evening, in the final hour of enforcement. I didn't want to risk a citation, either, so I activated the app. It took me a few minutes to set up; now I'm set for the next trips. I can't vouch for the kiosks, but the app is easy, and I'm no tech pioneer.

Another disabuse-able notion reemerged recently: the idea that not talking about something makes it go away.

I've written at length lately (including in this column last week) about several items quashed by city councilors without full discussion. Those include regulatory relief for benefit projects such as the Chico Community Fridge and the formation of a “quality of life” panel under the city Internal Affairs Committee.

I'm not a fan of the subcommittee. Contrary to the notion it's part of Measure L, voters did not mandate a forum to bandy issues; the measure focuses exclusively on public-nuisance complaints. In addition, “quality of life” is a nebulous term, no matter how specifically defined, because it means different things to different people. It's open to anything — or, more likely, only what the group wants to hear.

That said, the council did call for it. Internal Affairs got the assignment to formulate a committee. Two of the three members declined, blocking any recommendation procedurally, so now it's council business Tuesday night. The full council would have had to approve a proposal anyway; now, there's drafting on the dais.

The fridge outcome might have been inevitable as well. Would four councilors vote to waive a fee? We'll never know. But issues mentioned, sans substantive discussion, remain inconclusive.

My old boss was a gentleman. (No aspersions on my current boss.) He smoked a pipe, spoke with a mild Southern lilt, rarely raised his voice unless in righteous indignation.

“Please disabuse yourself of the notion…” — yes, indeed.