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A fair process Historically, members of the Chico City Council have known
Govern our city ‘the Chico way’ Chigh-quality, healthful food for the table; extraordinary nourishment for the mind and soul; a breathtaking environ-
hico is a special place. Our town offers so much:
ment; a place to thrive as an individual, raise a family and live in the golden years. This exceptional “hometown” has been carefully managed by balancing the needs of our citizens, local businesses and the environment. This is “the Chico way.” When the 2008 recession hit, the tax base that supports our public safety, education, recreation and commerce fell dramatically. Then the state, with devastating consequences, took nearly $20 million by more. These were funds allocated for Paul housing, roads and neighborhood Friedlander improvement. We experienced what City Manager Brian Nakamura called “whackPaul Friedlander, a a-mole” while in Hemet: You pass one retired music budget and then the state takes more. professor, is the The city cut spending, successfully author of Rock and negotiated reductions with employee Roll: A Social History unions and reduced staff by 70. They and a new blog called For the People drew from stable funds, because this was (4thefolks.blog an emergency. As the economy turned spot.com). He raised around, they planned for increased revhis son in Chico. enues to rebuild the “rainy day” accounts. Now, the economy is improving. Tax revenues are up. Houses are being built, magnet stores are opening at the mall, and downtown is holding its own. Yet, 4 CN&R June 13, 2013
the local newspaper is filled with scare tactics: “The liberals ran the city into the ground. We have a $20 million deficit.” The doomsayers want to slash city services, redefine our culture and reimburse the depleted funds immediately! They cry “deficits of mass destruction.” Our new (at a $160,000 annual salary) administrative-services director (aka finance director) from San Diego says cut jobs and services to pay back the funds. What does that mean? We’d eliminate 19 police positions. In Bidwell Park, we’d lose lifeguards who protect swimmers, a park ranger who protects citizens and the environment, and the volunteer coordinator for hundreds doing great work at no cost. If we buy this “austerity plan,” all citizens will feel it. Departments may barely function with their skeleton staffs. Some will suggest privatizing city services and selling city resources. Under administrators Nakamura and Assistant City Manager Mark Orme, Hemet franchised out city services and brought in consultants to run public safety. Citizens, having no accountability, finally said no. We are being offered a Southern California solution to a Chico challenge. Chicoans should not be fooled by the rhetoric around these radical cuts. Let’s urge our City Council to adopt a more moderate, patient approach, and restore our economy and community the Chico way. Ω
that the power of eminent domain, which allows the forced purchase of citizens’ property, should be used cautiously and only when the public interest and necessity mandate purchase of the property and efforts to negotiate a sale have failed. At this point, both of those criteria have been met in the case of the property at 1377 Humboldt Ave. owned by Jerry and Laura Douglas. That’s why the council, at its June 4 meeting, voted, 5-2, to initiate the eminent-domain process. The city seeks to buy an easement through a corner of the Douglases’ property—a triplex located where Humboldt runs into Highway 99—for construction of a bike-and-pedestrian bridge over Little Chico Creek that connects with 20th Street Park. The bridge will provide students at four schools, and residents north of the creek and east of the freeway—tens of thousands of people—with bicycle access to the park. Alternative routes are either prohibitively expensive or unfeasible. Two years ago, the city had the property appraised and subsequently made a “best and final” offer to the Douglases, which they refused as being too low. The city then told them they had the option of hiring their own appraiser, to be reimbursed by the city up to $5,000. In October 2012, eight months ago, they hired an appraiser, but they still haven’t seen an appraisal. The city naturally wants to move forward with the project, which is part of Bikeway 99, the north-south bike corridor funded by a federal grant. Initiation of the eminent-domain process doesn’t put an end to negotiations, but it certainly should get the attention of the Douglases’ appraiser. All parties have an interest in seeing his figures. Soon. Eminent domain is a powerful tool. In this case, the council is using it with appropriate caution and wisdom. Ω
Much ado about nursing Breast milk is the most healthful, nutrient-rich source of food
a mother can give to her baby. We hope that message isn’t lost in the recent flap about the young mother who was asked if she would cover her bare breast while feeding her baby at a local restaurant (See “Baby-food fight,” Newslines, page 9). That woman, as California civil code stipulates, had every right to nurse her infant while eating at the restaurant. But the reality of doing so with an exposed breast is that some people may feel very uncomfortable. In this particular case, at the Pour House restaurant, several people complained. That put the restaurant manager in a predicament. Understandably, he asked the woman if she wouldn’t mind covering her breast. Also understandably, the nursing mom chose instead to leave the eatery. The legalities of asking someone to cover themselves is a gray area, because the civil code has never been tested in a court of law. What’s clear is that breastfeeding in public remains somewhat taboo, particularly in cases where a woman chooses to bare her breast rather than nurse more discreetly. Americans have a hard time remembering that breasts have a function. They are seen largely as sexual objects, even when they are being used to nourish a child. A demonstration at the Pour House by nursing mothers is admirable, and we hope it does encourage women to nurse. Medical experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, note the many benefits breastfeeding, both for mother and infant. Women who breastfeed have a lower risk of developing breast cancer and high blood pressure, among other benefits. More important, for children, breast milk has been linked to a reduction in respiratory illnesses and allergies, ear infections, and a number of other childhood ailments. Ω