OPINION
Send guest comments, 340 words maximum, to gc@newsreview.com or to 353 e. Second St., chico, cA 95928. Please include photo & short bio.
EDITORIAL
New council off to a good start The Chico City Council’s liberal majority isn’t wasting
time when it comes to addressing homelessness. On Tuesday evening (Dec. 18), during the panel’s regular meeting, its members moved forward on two significant efforts to provide shelter for our community’s most marginalized residents. First is the longtime plan of a local nonprofit to launch its proposed tiny house project, Simplicity Village. The plan got a final green light—on its location, a private property in south Chico adjacent to a commercial corridor. As volunteers from the organization noted, they’ve been attempting for many years to secure a site. The hold-up: neighbors’ concerns. In the end, conservative Kasey Reynolds joined the majority in its approval (only Councilman Sean Morgan voted nay). The freshman councilwoman’s approval may have raised eyebrows on both sides of the political spectrum, but we get why the affirmative votes transcended partisan lines. It has everything to do with the Chico Housing Action Team’s professionalism and success in the community (see Ashiah Scharaga’s report on page 9). Additional good news at the meeting: The panel voted in favor of directing city staff to work with three reputable local homeless service providers—the
Jesus Center, Torres Community Shelter and Safe Space Winter Shelter—on a collective effort to open a year-round, low-barrier shelter. The project is looking feasible with a cash infusion from the Walmart Foundation in the wake of the Camp Fire—a $1 million commitment earmarked specifically for local organizations working to address the needs of the homeless community, both the existing population and the increase due to the disaster. The facility will provide a much-needed safety net in the community. Since the fire, we’ve learned that many chronically homeless individuals have been living among displaced Camp Fire evacuees—in local parking lots, including Walmart’s, and at Red Cross shelters organized in response to the fire. As you’ll read in Meredith J. Cooper’s story (page 8), the Red Cross has been working to “transition” them out. Frankly, the timing stinks. Due to the Camp Fire, several of the churches that typically serve as locations for Safe Space are unavailable—pushing back its opening date. That means our local homeless population is indirectly affected by the disaster. Why the county and Red Cross couldn’t wait for the seasonal shelter to open before “kicking them out”—the appropriate phrase—is beyond us. Ω
GUEST COMMENT
celebrating together amid our post-fire war Tandexperienced here in Butte County. The Camp Fire its aftermath have redefined our lives. his will be a holiday season unlike any other ever
Together, we have experienced an unimaginable hardship and a terrible loss of life and property. As a community, many of us were not directly affected. All of us have been indirectly affected. Who does not know personally of someone who experienced direct loss? Recovery will come someday. The damaged towns and neighborhoods will arise, but it never will be the same. What shall we do? by I am an old man. I personally Ronald Angle remember World War II. I was The author has been a toddler during that war, but a chico resident toddlers have memories. I lived since 1980. in another small college town, Claremont, in Southern California. My father was on active duty; he was not a part of my early childhood. My neighborhood became my family. I would pedal my tricycle up and down
4
CN&R
December 20, 2018
sidewalks, unaware of the number of older neighbors—men and women—who looked out for me. That is how it was during The War. Butte County has now experienced its own war. Paradise is mostly destroyed. We must now look after our friends and neighbors who have come out on the other side of this tragedy. No matter what your faith or belief system may be, most of us celebrate in late December. However we celebrate, this season we must reach out and touch and include others. Celebrate together. There are myriad ways to help survivors; just find an effort comfortable for you and your family. The North Valley Community Foundation is an effective channel for financial support. Community organizations like the Salvation Army and the Red Cross will have a need for volunteers. Places of worship and service clubs are doing good things for the “lost community.” No effort is greater than one individual reaching out to another. So many times already I have overheard people ask others, “How are you doing? How can I help?” Just reach out. Others need you. Ω
SECOND & FLUME by Melissa Daugherty m e l i s s a d @ n e w s r e v i e w. c o m
David and Steve Chico Enterprise-Record Editor David Little is a class act. Seriously. I know what you’re thinking—how I dinged him for his flippant take on climate change and that time he wrote about Doug LaMalfa being a swell guy. OK, maybe dinged isn’t quite accurate. Looking back, I was harsh on occasion. But that was years ago—and David is not holding a grudge these days. In fact, he was exceedingly gracious when I wrote to him last week after reading a report in the E-R announcing his forthcoming departure and the promotion of his successor, Mike Wolcott, an Orland resident who’s held an under-the-radar newspaper position locally for several years. Though I didn’t know how my note would be received, I felt compelled to tell David a couple of things. For starters, I wanted to wish him well and let him know that I’ve always looked back fondly at the time I spent working for him. The E-R was a great place for a young reporter to launch her career—it’s where I cut my teeth, perhaps a little too sharply after four years in that newsroom. David gave me that opportunity—he hired me full time after what was supposed to be a summer internship. The experience cemented my love of and dedication to newspapers. I’m grateful. Make no mistake, David leaving the E-R is a big deal. Personally, I’m concerned. He has been an important voice in the community dialogue. As you’ll read in Ashiah Scharaga’s report this week (see “Stepping down,” Newslines), he was cautious when discussing his exit. But one doesn’t have to work hard to read between the lines. He’s only 55 years old and cares deeply about journalism and his employees. Note that he resigned; he’s not retiring. Were the E-R not owned by a vampiric hedge fund, I highly doubt he’d be leaving. I’m sorry to see him go. Forty years in the news business is a hell of an accomplishment, and spending 20 of them at the top spot at the E-R is most impressive. Being in charge of a newsroom is difficult and stressful. The rewards come from knowing that you’ve informed readers—engaging and bettering the community, at least that’s the goal—and working with great people. Last weekend, in his column, David wrote about his longtime right-hand man, Steve Schoonover, who’s retiring after 38 years at the E-R, nearly half of them in the role of city editor. I worked directly under Steve during my stint at the daily, and he was instrumental in helping me develop my skills. I have a soft spot for him, too, and was glad to see David had written a fitting tribute. The same can’t be said for David—the unbylined E-R piece focuses on his successor and reads like a press release. Knowing David, a humble guy, that’s probably because he didn’t want to make a fuss about himself. Our story isn’t a fluff piece—it illustrates the troubling state of print journalism, but I think it also celebrates the long career of a darn good newspaperman. As for Wolcott, I’ll wait and see where he takes the E-R. If he reads this newspaper, he knows I’ll be keeping a close watch on things. My keyboard is at the ready, believe me.
Melissa Daugherty is editor of the CN&R