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Vol. 46, Issue 4 • October 6–November 2, 2022

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Endorsements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Editor’s Note. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 This Modern World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Second & Flume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Streetalk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

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Downstroke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 CUSD board election dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

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A guide to election 2022

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ARTS & CULTURE

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October Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Chow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Reel World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Arts DEVO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Brezsny’s Astrology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 ON THE COVER: DESIGN BY TINA FLYNN

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EDITORIAL

EDITOR’S NOTE

The CN&R recommends ...

Fwe’ve Review has weighed in on races for which been able to question candidates directly

or this year’s endorsements, the Chico News &

via in-person interviews and the City Council Q&A (see “Vying for majority,” page 18). For measures and propositions, we’ve made recommendations on a couple local ones only; for analysis of the state measures, see “State of direct democracy” on page 12.

As always, we encourage voters do their own research. A good starting point is the Butte County League of Women Voters (my.lwv.org/california/ butte-county) and its forum videos as well as Voter’s Edge (votersedge.org/ca).

Get informed. Vote. Our lives depend on it.

U.S. Representative, District 1: Max Steiner While we don’t like everything about this moderate Democrat’s platform (e.g., building more dams), we do like that he supports women’s right to choose, acknowledges Joe Biden won the 2020 election and supports the Voting Rights Act—all things his opponent, entrenched Republican Doug LaMalfa, does not. Steiner also supports increasing funding for a broad-based approach to wildfire fighting and forest management, and he promises to try to bring a measure of sanity back to Congress.

Chico City Council: Morgan Kennedy (District 2); Monica McDaniel (District 3); Addison Winslow (District 4); Jesica Gianola (District 6) It’s often said that elections have consequences. Job performance has consequences, as well, and while Chico has faced great challenges the past two years, the City Council deserves a reckoning for how it’s handled the homelessness crisis in particular—encampment sweeps, the Warren v. Chico lawsuit, the dreadful resting site at the airport.

Incumbents Kasey Reynolds and Dale Bennett, as well as fellow conservative candidates Nichole Nava and Tom van Overbeek, are all justifiably concerned about the health and safety impact of unhoused Chicoans living in public spaces. So are folks from the progressive camp. The difference, of course, is in choice of solutions.

Two candidates with high level of civic engagement and on-the-ground experience working with the unhoused (Kennedy, Gianola); a planning wonk with creative ideas on development and raising funds for it (Winslow), and a longtime Arts Commissioner with years of experience working with city staff and the council (McDaniel) would

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provide a contrast to the conservatives remaining on council and bring welcome approaches to the spectrum of city issues.

Chico Unified School District board: Scott Thompson (Trustee Area 1); Thomas Lando (Trustee Area 4); Eileen Robinson (Trustee Area 5) Let’s get one thing out of the way: All candidates vying for the three Trustee Area seats on the school board have children who attend, or have graduated from, schools in the district. All six are parents.

For Area 1, either Rebecca Konkin or Thompson would be a newcomer learning on the job if elected, but Thompson presented more concrete plans during interviews (on improving special needs assessments, working on the facilities master plan).

In Area 4, incumbent Matt Tennis is obviously a passionate advocate for parents and students, but his education-outsider posture turned difficult public health decisions during the pandemic into a wedge issue that persists. Fellow incumbent Lando’s reasoned approach, combined with his education/ board experience, make him our choice.

For Area 5, Robinson is a passionate board member with decades of experience in education and a proven track record in cultivating consensus and advocating for the most vulnerable students.

Logan Wilson brings real-world financial experience, none in education.

Measure H: City of Chico Sales and Use Tax Measure: Yes It might not be ideal to raise taxes during a time of inflation, but Chico needs money, and this 1 percent local sales tax would add $24 million annually to the general fund. The city has grown by nearly 20 percent since the Camp Fire, yet per capita our budget is way below other cities of our size (e.g., Redding, which nearly doubles Chico’s general fund spending per resident). Food, medicine and rent won’t be taxed. Investing in roads and parks is part of the promise; if council members don’t make good, we have the power to hold them accountable at the next election.

Measure L: City of Chico Public Nuisance Measure: No This is the end product of the “Quality of Life” measure brought to the City Council by Vice Mayor Reynolds. Basically, it would make public nuisance codes that currently apply to privately owned properties applicable to city-owned property as well— and allow “any resident specially injured by a public nuisance” to demand that the city abate the alleged nuisance. This no doubt would be used to attempt to roust unhoused people from public spaces. It seems ripe for abuse, and it very well could lead to more lawsuits for the city. Ω

by Jason Cassidy j a s o n c @ n e w s r e v i e w. c o m

Coffee and candidates In preparation for this Election Issue, CN&R Contributing Editor Evan Tuchinsky and I sat down and talked face-to-face with 12 of the people running for local office in the upcoming election. Over the course of one week in September, we met on neutral turf—in public places, either Daycamp Coffee or the Upper Crust Bakery & Cafe—and had very pleasant, but frank, discussions with all of the Chico Unified School District board candidates and most of the folks vying for seats on the Chico City Council.

The purpose, of course, was to get to know the candidates in advance of making decisions on our endorsements (see “The CN&R recommends” on this page). Campaign slogans and social-media hot takes might be entertaining, but we learn a lot more about how someone might operate in public office by having an in-person discussion.

We also are able to clarify candidates’ similarities and differences on local issues, and there was one in particular on each person’s mind.

Without exception, every candidate at one point during these sit-downs expressed frustration with how communication in politics has deteriorated in recent years—and, in the case of the school board, the fact that things had become political at all.

“Polarized” and “nasty” were a couple of the words that came up.

This issue has stuck with me the most because, for one thing, everyone is apparently in agreement that things have worsened in this regard during the Trump/post-Trump years. Secondly, if the candidates—and the rest of our elected officials—decided to act on this issue by committing to empathetic communication (with each other and with their constituents), they very likely would increase their effectiveness in addressing all the other issues. Imagine how much they could get done!

So, I put it to you local public servants: Do it already!

Would your base desert you for listening graciously, debating respectfully and resisting demonizing those with differing beliefs? This is the easiest decision in world, right?

Opinions on solutions to problems and how to better our community will, of course, vary from person to person, often due to fundamental differences. Very few people will change their political ideology by being challenged by someone with an opposing view (in fact disagreement on issues is often healthy for democracy), and few will ever back down from their core beliefs.

I’m not saying folks shouldn’t fight for what they believe is right.

Just know that the groups, sides, teams, whatever you want to call them, are likely set and not going away anytime soon. No matter how strongly we disagree with folks from the other side, if we want to solve problems and improve together, we have no choice but to work together. There’s a difference between saying, “Your ideas are terrible,” and saying “You are terrible,” and maybe making that distinction and committing to hearing out others (even if your side is in power) is enough to move us forward.

It’s worth a try.

Jason Cassidy is editor of the Chico News & Review

LETTERS Reader endorsements With inflation at a 40-year high, with 22.4 percent of Chicoans living in poverty and in a state among the highest in expenses in the country, the City Council wants you to pass their Measure H sales tax increase. With no sunset, this tax increase is permanent.

Worse, there is no guarantee how the money will be spent. In 2019, when the council contemplated an increase, it was said it would cost a family of four $800 a year, low now considering inflation. What family wants to pay over $800 a year in extra tax with no guarantee where that money goes?

Money for vital programs has been siphoned off for skyrocketing, unsustainable employee costs, especially unfunded pension liabilities. Even with record revenue including gas tax money and the city’s garbage tax that is supposed to go toward street repairs, the city’s infrastructure has never been worse, especially the streets. This is so city bureaucrats and other city employees can have multi-million-dollar pensions.

Instead of reforming these costs, the City Council intends to maintain this unconscionable status quo on the backs of poor people.

Don’t let them. Vote no on H. Dave Howell Chico

Want better roads? Better parks? Better public safety? Better housing solutions? A vote for Measure H is a vote for a better Chico.

Rapid population growth, the Camp Fire, COVID-19 and increased community needs have stretched our finances. Maintaining roads, preserving Bidwell Park, keeping neighborhoods safe and creating durable housing solutions takes resources the city simply does not have.

Chico is only one of eight California cities over 50,000 residents without a local sales tax. Of those eight cities, Chico’s general fund budget is the lowest per capita.

The sales tax will add $1 to every $100 spent (groceries, rent and prescription medications aren’t taxed) and will generate $24 million a year to invest in our community.

Measure H spending decisions will be made locally. We’ll be able to will make improvements to Chico that not only will enhance our daily lives but also create jobs. Chico would be able to support local social service agencies and provide housing assistance.

Measure H has support from across the

LETTERS C O N T I N U E D

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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

Machiavelli’s tax Local conservative politicians and their cronies sure know how to spin things. I’ve watched them do it repeatedly over the years, perhaps most notably amid the fallout from the Great Recession—and perhaps nobody as adeptly as now-City Manager Mark Sorensen, starting shortly after he was elected to the City Council in 2010.

He’d been a two-time loser during previous election cycles, so you have to give credit to Chico’s own Machiavelli. The guy was immune to humiliation, and he’s let nothing deter him—not even the unceremonious exit of his wellliked predecessor Mark Orme.

Indeed, his efforts have paid off to the tune of $207,000 a year, not including a car allowance and generous bennies. That’s double what he made for the last decade, as he quietly raked in six figures a year as the administer of Biggs, a municipality with the same population as Chico High School. Bravo to the least-qualified, highest-paid city manager in Chico’s history. (Technically, he’s tied for highest salary with Orme.) He’s come a long way.

During Sorensen’s first term in office a dozen years ago, I watched him and the rest of the council, the then-liberal majority, try to mitigate the effects of the recession. The panel did things like cut overtime, eliminate vacant positions and incentivize early retirements (aka “golden handshakes”).

The budget was practically the subject of every council meeting, because it was projected to go millions into the red.

That prospect was largely unavoidable due mostly to the economy, but in part because the city offered some of the most generous salary and benefits packages in the state, compensation that had been approved by both conservative and liberal councils. Eventually, in 2013, the liberal-led panel cut loose dozens of employees, the city’s greatest expense.

I was the CN&R’s news editor back then and watched Sorensen go from quietly observing newbie to overtly partisan know-it-all. He was the loudest critic of his ideologically divergent colleagues, his favorite target being former Mayor Ann Schwab. He once snidely contended that the city’s budget deficit was attributable to her not being able to “read a spreadsheet.”

What a load of horse apples. Virtually every municipality in the nation was on the verge of bankruptcy. The global economic collapse ended up being the worst since the Great Depression, though, from what Sorensen was saying, you’d have thought only Chico was having money problems.

To their detriment, the liberals did little to counter the rhetoric. The conservatives swept all three open seats in 2014, ushering in an era of conspicuous community degradation wherein the only efforts to address blight included criminalizing homelessness and demonizing the indigent. Sorensen was instrumental in helping craft the policies that got the city sued for civil rights violations, but the current majority is responsible for enforcing them despite repeated warnings as to their illegality.

Yet, taking a play from Sorensen’s handbook, they now want you to believe that they are the ones who’ve cleaned up the city, as though they weren’t forced by a federal judge to provide homeless services. These are the same people who didn’t defend the Chico Housing Action Team’s planned tiny house community, an effort that would’ve been privately funded.

And now, despite a predicted recession next year, these typically taxaverse politicians want you to voluntarily increase local sales tax, with no strings attached. That is, the money wouldn’t be dedicated to, say, roads and parks—something most Chicoans would get behind—but rather could be used any way the powers-that-be see fit. That could include being spent on the massive debt accruing from Chico’s pensions, like the one Sorensen will earn for the rest of his life, based on a salary that’s four times the annual household income of the average Chicoan.

Melissa Daugherty is editor-at-large for the Chico News & Review

STREETALK

Do you feel safe in Chico?

Asked in downtown Chico

Lauren nurse

It’s multifactorial. It depends on where I am, the time of day, if I’m with my husband, by myself, if I have my pepper spray. I had transients living in my garage for days and I was unaware of it, so that put a bad taste in my mouth. Overall, I feel safe most of the time.

Patrizia county employee

No, I do not, because of the police. Being part of the BIPOC community I feel— especially in rural places like Chico—targeted for just existing. I feel like the police presence here is very heavy and it’s very well funded, and that scares me.

Chris engineer

I feel safe anywhere.

I think [Chico is] maybe a little more dangerous than the average city for this size, but it is a college town, so …

Deborah

LETTERS

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 5

political spectrum. Seven former Chico mayors endorse Measure H, as do seven of the eight council candidates.

We strongly encourage you to vote for Eileen Robinson for the Chico Unified School District board. Her experience and expertise has served our community for over four decades, first as a member of the PTA, then as a full-time employee.

She represented district classified employees as a representative both locally and statewide.

With years now on the district board, she has sat on both sides of the negotiation table. Her children and grandchildren have attended school in the district. She is intimately familiar with the history, budgets and personnel development and enhancement opportunities of CUSD and has a real 21st century vision and sensitivity to the needs and contributions of educators, service personnel, students and families of our unique diverse community.

Chico is fortunate to have had her on the board and luckier still to have her again place her name on your ballot.

Please do our community the favor of voting for Eileen Robinson for Chico Unified School District board.

Richard Roth Spring Toms Chico

Dear City Council District 3 voters.

We have a wonderful choice this election to be represented by an experienced, level-headed, ethical, local educator by voting for Monica McDaniel. She has been voluntarily serving for 13 years on the Chico Arts Commission and understands budgets, respects the law, supports city firefighters, genuinely cares for our safety and wants to bring civility back into the Council Chambers. She has been successful in bringing polarized factions together and wants to move our community forward with solutions.

Let’s stop the finger pointing, the hate speech, and move toward the community we will all be proud to live in.

retired

I, personally, would be OK walking down the street in Chico.

I’m not even from here and I’d feel safe here. Folks who are houseless, they can cause concern. I think, locally, stick to the busy areas and you’re fine.

LICENSE #0F89850

Ann Schwab Chico

Lynn Haskell Chico

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NEWSLINES DOWNSTROKE MECHOOPDA LAND RESTORED Chico State has returned 93 acres of the Butte Creek Ecological Reserve to the land’s former Native American inhabitants.

Chico State Enterprises and the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria completed the transfer Sept. 26. According to the zero-dollar agreement, no buildings can be built there, and it must continue to be used for conservation and educational purposes.

“The Tribe can now begin to steward the land through traditional ecological knowledge,” Mechoopda Tribal Chairman Dennis Ramirez said during a gathering to celebrate the transfer, according to the university. “It’s our hope,” he added, “the land will continue to give back to Chico State students and the community.”

The transfer was made possible by AB379, a bill sponsored by state Assemblyman James Gallagher that became law in January and expands rules allowing the state’s Wildlife Conservation Board to partner with native tribes for conservation efforts. The tribe has similar agreements for other sites and manages a total of 626 acres of wilderness and 40 acres of agricultural land throughout Butte County.

FREE SHOTS With flu season approaching and updated COVID-19 boosters available, local health providers are rolling out vaccination clinics.

Enloe Medical Center’s walk-in clinics will take place Oct. 19, 7-11 a.m. and 2-6 p.m., at Chico Elks Lodge (1705 Manzanita Ave.); and Nov. 5, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., during the Community Wellness Expo at Enloe Park, W. Fifth and Magnolia avenues. For more details, visit enloe.org/flu or call (530) 332-6444.

Butte County Public Health will hold a COVID-19 clinic Oct. 11, 3-6 p.m., at Stonewall Alliance Chico (358 E. Sixth St.); check buttecounty.net/ph for other vaccination locations. Oroville Hospital will host drivethrough flu clinics Oct. 17, 25, 31 and Nov. 7, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Dove’s Landing parking lot (2450 Oro Dam Blvd); check orovillehos pital.com for the consent form.

PHOTO BY STEVEN CORNFIELD

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Public trustees Candidates navigate politics in head-to-head school board contests ileen Robinson has seen a lot change in the

E30 Chico Unified School District. She worked years in Chico schools, starting as an instructional aide at Chapman Elementary and finishing in the attendance office at Pleasant Valley High. She got elected to the school board in story and 2010; she’s serving her third photos by Evan Tuchinsky term, seeking a fourth under CUSD’s first trustee-area eva nt @ elections (see infobox). n ew sr ev i ew. c o m The greater Chico area has Trustee Area grown considerably over that elections: time. While the district has Chico Unified School experienced its share of growDistrict shifted board ing pains, Robinson points to seats from at-large to trustee areas. improvements in facilities and (See page 10 for map, labor relations as significant or visit tinyurl.com/ progress. CUSD continues to cusdtrusteemap for an upgrade school sites under its interactive version.)

Areas 1, 4 and 5 are up facilities master plan, funded this election; Areas 2 by bonds approved by the comand 3 are up in 2024. munity; employee groups have come together with the board Caitlin Dalby and Matt Tennis, elected in and administrators in “interest2020, remain at-large based bargaining” for contracts. trustees through Since the pandemic, though, 2024. Should Tennis Robinson has seen a new shift defeat fellow incumbent Thomas Lando in Area with the school board: politi4, the board would cization. The dynamic isn’t appoint a replacement unique to Chico—from debates for the remainder of on Critical Race Theory (CRT) Tennis’ at-large term. to bans on books in libraries and transgender students in sports, initiated by religious conservatives, school boards nationwide are diving into charged issues.

Here, COVID-19 policies sparked division, with vocal citizens rallying around first-term trustee Matt Tennis’ opposition to campus closures.

“Four members of the [five-member] board felt our responsibility was, if there was a mandate about what we were supposed to do, sent down by the state through the health department, we had

Eileen Robinson, Area 5

an obligation to our students and our families and our teachers to follow it,” Robinson said. “The parents, on incomplete information, that came screaming to board meetings didn’t know a lot of the behind the scenes stuff [such as liability insurance issues]….

“Even though we were inundated, email after email, with ‘This study says’ or ‘Haven’t you heard that England does this,’ my job is to trust the structure that exists.”

The split has carried over to the upcoming election.

Logan Wilson, Robinson’s challenger in Trustee Area 5, is one of the three candidates endorsed and promoted by Chico Parents for In-Person Learning, a coalition that advocated for on-site classes—and against athome or hybrid instruction—during pandemic periods. The group also supports Rebecca Konkin, seeking the open seat in Area 1, and Tennis, one of two at-large incumbents facing off in Area 4.

Despite the common endorsement

Logan Wilson, Area 5

and their joint appearance at a Sept. 18 event for Chico Parents, the three candidates told the CN&R in interviews that they are running independently, not as a slate. Whether coordinated or not, their campaigns fit a broader statewide pattern

Small School,

Thomas Lando, Area 4

public and make the best-informed decisions we can,” he added. “The fact that it’s gotten political, that’s reflective of something that’s going on nationwide.”

Chico Parents’ endorsees put themselves forward as parents and champions for parents.

Robinson noted a video of Wilson’s in which he said, while putting up signs, that he was running because he wanted to get parent representation on the board.

“I texted him and I said, ‘Logan, as far as I know in the history of Chico Unified, there’s never been a board member who wasn’t also a parent,’” Robinson continued. “It’s a buzzword. Yes, you’re on the board, and you may have kids, but you’re on the board because of everybody else’s kids, not yours.

“That’s not what being a board member is about; being a board member is about being a parent to 12,000 kids.”

Issues

Matt Tennis, Area 4

of conservatives taking a greater interest in school boards. A California Republican Party effort, Parent Revolt, is (per its website—cagop.org/s/parentrevolt) “focused on recruiting and supporting strong Republican candidates to run for local education offices” because “[p]arents matter, and providing a quality education that’s supportive of children is more important than supporting left-wing groups, special interests and teachers unions.”

Konkin, Tennis and Wilson are also endorsed by the Chico Police Officers’ Association, Sheriff Kory Honea and the Butte County Republican Party. Robinson, incumbent Thomas Lando in Area 4 and Scott Thompson in Area 1 have joint backing, as well, notably from the Chico Unified Teachers Association and the Butte County Democratic Party.

“The politics of this election are so weird,” Lando said. “Like City Council, this is supposed to be nonpartisan, and it’s so frustrating that it isn’t.

“I just want the board to have the skills to talk to the administration and the district office, communicate what we’re doing to the

Tennis, for one, described himself to the CN&R as “an outsider.” He was the dissenting voice and vote on the board during the pandemic; also—as a farmer, business owner and former Sacramento lobbyist—he’s the lone trustee without a background in education. (Lando is a charter school educator; Caitlin Dalby taught middle school science; Kathy Kaiser, not seeking reelection, is a retired Chico State professor.)

“My lead line is always talking about what has happened over the last two years,” Tennis said, “the disastrous COVID shutdown that has materially harmed the children of this community.”

Learning loss weighs heavily on all the candidates’ minds and priorities. Each spoke to how students have fallen behind academically during the pandemic, along with social and emotional impacts. They shared other points of commonality: increasing mental health services, boosting special education and career education programs, continuing with the facilities master plan, supporting charter schools.

But the factions have fundamental differences in other areas.

“I think school needs to become a less politically charged environment,” Tennis said.

“It should be a place where children go for the mashed potatoes and gravy, if you will, learning the fundamental communication and problem-solving skills that they’re going to need to compete in an increasingly complex and potentially difficult world.

“There’s a lot of troubled waters out there.

People are talking about nuclear war. We’re coming off the Trump era, which was a turbulent, in my opinion, time—not necessarily in NEWSLINES C O N T I N U E D

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NEWSLINES

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TRUSTEE AREAS Chico Unified School District

5

1 2 3 4

Rebecca Konkin, Area 1

Scott Thompson, Area 1

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a good way. So we should give kids the tools they need to be an informed citizen in the 21st century.”

The “mashed potatoes and gravy” paradigm has yielded, elsewhere, parental protests over CRT, a college-level curriculum not taught at the K-12 level but nonetheless debated by school boards. Robinson, Lando and Thompson (a facilities construction manager for Butte County) relayed concerns about socio-political issues polarizing CUSD along similar lines as COVID policy.

“I thought that the school board was running well for years, up until the pandemic came along,” Thompson said. “We’re seeing the radicalization of school boards ... I’m worried about someone coming onto the board who isn’t somebody like me, who has more extreme views, who is going to make policy and inform the learning experience that my five kids are all going to go through.

“I don’t have an agenda to push,” he added. “I have an agenda of things that I want to see continue or happen, but really be pragmatic and look at information, take it in and make informed decisions.”

Fellow newcomers Konkin, a pediatric nurse practitioner, and Wilson, an agricultural broker, echoed that sentiment.

“When I considered even running for school board, much of my comfort level was, ‘Oh, it’s nonpartisan, this will be fine,’ but I quickly realized it doesn’t seem that way,” Konkin said. “I have never been a particularly politically charged person…. [If elected,] I would uphold the nonpartisan idea; I would not make my decision based upon how another board member makes a decision.”

Said Wilson: “I hate it for a school board to be politicized. It’s a disservice to the kids Ω and to the parents.”

Elect Monica McDaniel for Chico City Council, District 3 ‘I advocate for a healthy community in all of the ways that contribute to public safety.

Smart planning for housing that is inclusive and affordable, clean parks, drivable roads, economic development and yes, even the arts, are all components of a safe and vibrant town.‘

Please vote for me on November 8.

‘Bring common sense back to our City Council’

Business Owner, Educator, City Commissioner, Community Builder Parks & Public Safety Advocate

Paid for by McDaniel for Chico City Council 2022 FPPC# 1452388 OCTOBER 6, 2022

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State of direct democracy Californians face another round of ballot measures by

Ben Christopher, Sameea Kamal and CalMatters staff

A

fter months of signature gathering, fundraising and legislative

wrangling, we have details on the ballot measures that you can vote on this election.

Proposition 1, putting abortion safeguards in the California constitution: After the news leaked in early May that the U.S. Supreme Court was planning to rule that the federal constitution doesn’t guarantee the right to an abortion—and it did reverse the five-decade-old precedent on June 24—California’s top Democrats, vowing to “fight like hell,” proposed adding the protection to the state constitution.

The proposed constitutional amendment was introduced in the Legislature in early June and was passed with the overwhelming support of both chambers by the end of the month. If approved by the voters, it would bar the state from denying or interfering with a person’s right to choose an abortion and contraceptives.

California has long been a safe haven for abortion access. In 1969, the state Supreme Court ruled that the California constitution’s right to privacy implies the right to an abortion. Reproductive access is also protected by statute.

Supporters hope this About this feature: amendment will It was excerpted from election articles produced by reiterate that policy CalMatters, an independent more explicitly and public journalism venture covrender it harder to ering California state politics reverse in the future, and government. For more though some legal info, visit calmatters.org.

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scholars say the language is still too ambiguous.

Propositions 26 and 27, legalizing sports gambling (two ways): After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal law banning stateregulated sports betting, two bigspending interests stepped up with California legalization proposals.

Prop. 27 would allow Californians to bet on sports and other competitions online, but only through certified gaming tribes and large, well-established online betting companies. The measure, funded by industry giants FanDuel and DraftKings, would potentially direct hundreds of millions of dollars in fee revenue to housing and services for homeless Californians.

Prop. 26, supported by some of the state’s tribal governments, would only legalize sports betting in-person at tribal casinos and designated horse tracks. The measure, which also would allow tribes to offer roulette and other dice games, would raise potentially tens of millions of dollars for the state budget, most of which would be spent at the discretion of the governor and Legislature.

Proposition 28, set aside school funding for arts and music: Sponsored by former Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner, this measure would require the state to set aside a share of its revenue—likely between $800 million to $1 billion per year—for arts and education classes. The new money would be disproportionately reserved for schools with many low-income students to hire new arts staff.

Proposition 29, Kidney clinic rules (third time a charm?): This measure slaps dialysis clinics with a host of new restrictions, including a requirement that a doctor, nurse practitioner or a physician assistant be on site during all treatment hours.

Centers also would be required to get state approval before PHOTO BY PABLO UNZUETA FOR CALMATTERS

Prop. 26 and 27: Sports gambling PHOTO BY FREDERICK LEE

shuttering or reducing services and to publicly list any doctors who have at least a 5 percent ownership stake in a clinic. Sound familiar? That’s because the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, the union supporting this measure, has tried and failed to persuade voters to support new dialysis center regulations twice before, in 2018 and 2020, over vehement and very costly industry opposition.

Proposition 30, millionaires paying for electric cars: This measure would impose a new 1.75 percent tax on any individual’s income of more than $2 million per year to raise between $3 billion to $4.5 billion each year to fund a collection of greenhouse gas reducing initiatives.

Most of the money would go toward new incentives for Californians to buy zero-emission vehicles and to build new electric charging or hydrogen fueling stations. (Lyft, which is required to move toward ZEVs, is a major funder). A quarter of the new money would go toward wildfire fighting and prevention efforts.

Proposition 31, reconsidering a flavored tobacco ban: In 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill banning the sale of all flavored tobacco products, whether smoked, chewed or vaped. The tobacco industry gathered enough signatures to ask voters to overturn the law with this referendum. (A reminder: Voting “yes” is to keep the law; voting “no” is to get rid of it.)

The arguments Prop. 1 For: Supporters argue that Proposition 1 will prevent California from going backwards on reproductive rights. By putting the right to abortion and contraception directly into the California Constitution, they say that reproductive health care always will be a medical decision, not a political one, no matter what party controls state government.

Against: Opponents say that Prop.

1 is unnecessary to protect reproductive rights in California but is written so broadly that it could face years of protracted court battles to clear up language, costing the state millions of dollars in legal fees. They raise particular concern that the measure would override state regulations that now limit abortions after the point when a fetus is viable on its own outside of the womb, at about 24 weeks of pregnancy. These late-term abortions are currently only legal if the health or life of the mother is threatened. Supporters say the measure does nothing to change that.

Prop 26 For: Supporters argue it will increase tribal self-sufficiency by bringing more business to tribal casinos. Tribal casinos create jobs, and help tribes pay for services like health care and education.

Supporters also say it will protect against underage gambling by requiring people to be physically present to make bets and by prohib-

PHOTO BY TIFFANY TERTIPES

iting advertising to people under 21.

They also say it will also generate money for the state of California.

Against: Opponents argue the new gaming law enforcement mechanism will be used by tribal casinos to sue competing card rooms and drive card rooms out of business. If that happens, they argue, it will lead to lost jobs and tax revenue, often in communities of color. Some casinos allow 18-year-olds to gamble, so opponents argue the initiative could lead young people to develop gambling addictions. They also argue it will revive the shrinking horse racing industry, which they say endangers horses.

Prop 27 For: Supporters say Prop. 27 would create a permanent source of funding to reduce homelessness and will allow every tribe to benefit— including tribes that decide not to offer sports betting. It would protect against underage gambling with fines for violators and would prohibit betting on youth sporting events.

Against: Opponents say that Prop.

27 would turn every cellphone and computer into a gambling device.

They say it would escalate the risks of underage and problem gambling.

They also say it would drive business away from tribal casinos and threaten tribal sovereignty because tribes would have to give up some of their rights in order to offer sports betting. And they argue that most of the money would go to companies in other states.

Prop. 1: Abortion rights PHOTO BY GAYATRI MALHOTRA

Prop 28 For: Beutner, the former L.A. Unified superintendent who donated more than $4 million to the campaign, and other supporters say that arts and music instruction could help address the mental health crisis facing California’s youth as they recover from the pandemic. Along with Beutner, supporters include Sylvester Stallone and other Hollywood stars and musicians such as Anderson.Paak and Barbara Streisand.

Prop. 28 also has strong support from teachers unions, as the arts funding is expected to generate jobs for educators.

Fender Musical Instruments donated more than $1 million to the campaign; Fender CEO Andy Mooney said the company has donated more than 10,000 guitars to L.A. Unified and hopes Prop.

28 will allow Fender to donate instruments to other districts.

Against: No official opposition filed.

Prop 29 For: Supporters argue that dialysis companies do not invest enough in patient care and safety despite being highly profitable. The hours-long process of removing blood, filtering it and returning it to the body is a physically draining process that leaves patients vulnerable to medical complications. Having a physician or nurse practitioner, in addition to current staff, available at all times could help reduce hospitalizations, proponents say.

Meanwhile, adding reporting requirements would increase transparency in the dialysis business.

Against: Opponents say that this measure is unnecessary as clinics already provide quality care and have the needed staff to treat and monitor people. Patients also may reach their nephrologists via telemedicine if needed. Plus, opponents say, clinics already report infection data to the federal government. The opposition warns that these new requirements could result in dangerous consequences—adding physicians would increase costs for clinics, pushing some to potentially reduce hours or close.

Prop 30 For: Supporters say Prop. 30 would generate much-needed funding to address the state’s two leading causes of air pollution: gasoline-powered vehicles and wildfires. They say the money would help accelerate the

transition to electric vehicles, beef up the state’s charging infrastructure and provide more resources to firefighters, who must work year-round to fight and prevent deadly wildfires. They argue that these investments will better put the state on track to meet its ambitious climate goals.

Against: Opponents say that Prop.

30 is an unnecessary tax hike that Californians don’t need because everyone is feeling the effects of high inflation and surging gas prices. They say Californians continue to grapple with exorbitant cost of living expenses and already pay some of the nation’s highest personal income taxes. They argue that the tax would drive many residents out of the state to benefit a special interest: ride-share companies. In his opposition, Gov. Gavin Newsom also calls the measure a “cynical scheme” by Lyft. In addition, many opponents say Newsom’s recent $10 billion climate investment and a $97.5 billion surplus in this year’s budget makes the state well-equipped to pay for the transition to electric vehicles and additional wildfire prevention efforts. If the state should need more money, opponents argue that it could tap into budget surplus funds to pay for these programs.

Prop 31 For: Supporters of Prop. 31 say the law prohibiting the sale of flavored tobacco products will protect youth because 80 percent of kids who use tobacco start with a flavored product.

This law would prevent companies from targeting kids and teens with advertising for flavored products.

Advocates of the law also say it will help lower smoking rates, especially among people of color, who experience higher rates of smoking-related illnesses. Some African-American groups say the tobacco industry has targeted their community for decades.

Against: Opponents say the flavored tobacco ban is unnecessary because there are already laws on the books prohibiting the sale of all tobacco products to minors. They argue that banning flavored tobacco products infringes on the rights of adults who use the products and say a prohibition would increase underground markets and lead to more crime. They also say this law is discriminatory against adults who use flavored tobacco to help them quit smoking, and especially against African-Americans who favor menthol cigarettes. Ω

HOW DO I VOTE? B

allots for the 2022 General Election are mailed out Oct. 10-Nov. 1 for those already registered to vote. If you don’t receive—or lose or destroy— your vote-by-mail ballot, apply for a replacement at the Butte County Elections Office. Call (530) 552-3400 for info. To check the status of your ballot (when it was mailed, received and counted), visit california.ballottrax.net/voter.

Below is a refresher on the different ways local voters can turn in their ballots. Returned vote-bymail ballot envelope must be completed, signed and sealed by the voter. The signature on the return envelope will be compared to the signature on the voter registration record.

Three ways: Mail it back

● No postage necessary. ● Ballot must be postmarked by Election Day— Tuesday, Nov. 8—and received by the Elections Office by Nov. 15.

Deposit in a secure drop box

● Drop boxes open Oct. 10-Nov. 8. ● Ballot must be turned in before 8 p.m. on Nov. 8. ● Refer to your Voter Information Guide (available online at buttevotes.net) for a list of drop box locations and hours (most are available 24 hours a day).

Hand deliver to a voting assistance center (VAC)

● VACs open Oct. 29-Nov. 10. ● Ballot must be turned in before 8 p.m. on Nov. 8. ● Refer to your Voter Information Guide for a list of VAC locations and hours of operation.

Wait, am I registered? ● Check your registration status at voterstatus. sos.ca.gov. ● Deadline to register by mail or online (at registertovote.ca.gov) is Oct. 24. ● Miss the deadline? There’s still a way: Conditional Voter Registration is available, and you can fill out a provisional ballot at the Butte County ClerkRecorder Elections Division office (155 Nelson Ave. Oroville; buttevotes.net) or at a VAC between Oct. 25 and Nov. 8.

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It has to be Shasta Meet the moderate with sights on LaMalfa and his most conservative county

by

Ken Smith kens@ n ew sr ev i ew. com

DDougstrategy to unseat long-time incumbent LaMalfa for his seat in California’s emocratic challenger Max Steiner’s

First Congressional District is focused on appealing to an unlikely subset of voters: Republicans.

“The Republican Party is running off the rails,” Steiner said during a recent interview at Daycamp Coffee in the Meriam Park neighborhood. He cited as evidence fringe-gone-mainstream Republican beliefs that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and other issues that have transformed the GOP—and American politics as a whole—during the topsy-turvy Trump era.

“We’re racing together towards a cliff and they’re on a track, so I’m just saying, ‘Hop off the crazy train, there’s room in the ‘big-tent’ party,’” he continued. “I tell them, ‘I know you’d normally never vote for a Democrat, but the truth is that moderate Republicans and Democrats are a lot closer politically now than moderate and MAGA Republicans.’”

Steiner is a pro-gun, Iraq War combat

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veteran and current Army Reservist, and some of his talking points—on developing water infrastructure, military spending and more—are downright conservative by progressive standards. He wasn’t even a registered Democrat, but an independent who says he voted for John McCain over Barack Obama in 2008, until the Jan. 6, 2020, insurrection convinced him that the right has gone irrevocably wrong.

He is also a self-described pro-choice “principled centrist” who leans left on social issues, considers himself a pragmatist rather than an ideologue and believes Trumpism is a legitimate threat to democracy. He hopes this political dichotomy will appeal to enough moderate voters from both parties to carry him to victory in November, a big task in the predominantly red District 1.

Shasta-centered strategy The far North State has consistently elected Republicans to the House of Representatives for decades, with only two people filling the seat for the last 25 years. LaMalfa took office in 2013, replacing Wally Herger, who represented the area (then District 2) since 1987.

The most successful challenger against

LaMalfa has been Audrey Denney, who ran against him the last two elections and had her best showing in 2018 (receiving 45.1 percent of the vote). Of the three most populationdense counties in the district, Denney won in both Butte and Nevada during both of her attempts but only received roughly half as many votes as LaMalfa each time in Shasta County, which is one of several reasons why Steiner is focusing his campaign efforts there.

“Audrey built a really good campaign here,” he said. “I need to prioritize resources and time, and I’m hoping I don’t have to rebuild the infrastructure she built. People in

Max Steiner speaks at a Chico rally protesting the Supreme Court overruling the Roe v. Wade decision.

PHOTO BY CHARLES FINLAY

Butte know Doug LaMalfa sucks. They voted against him before and will vote against him again.” (As of this year’s congressional redistricting, Nevada County is no longer part of District 1.)

Another reason Steiner is focused on Shasta County is it is a prime example of the current state of Republican politics. A recent article in the New York Times headlined “The California County Where MAGA Took Control” recounts how “an alliance of

SHASTA

BUTTE

MAGA activists, secessionists, vaccine resisters and self-described militia members ousted a longtime board member and won a 3-2 majority on Shasta County’s all-Republican—but officially nonpartisan—main governing body.”

That panel has since issued a declaration against state vaccine mandates and refused to accept a proclamation recognizing the local LGBTQ community during Pride Month. There have been documented threats against voters and politicians not aligned with far-right politics since Trump first ran for office. In Redding, in 2020, peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters were met by Proud Boys and armed militiamen who claimed the county’s then-sheriff personally asked

★★★★★★★★★★★★

[Some Republicans in District 1] can’t ignore how radical their party has become, they have to live with it, and they feel a little personal animus towards Doug [LaMalfa].

–Max Steiner

When it comes to courting voters, Butte and Shasta are the most populous counties in District 1.

them to be present.

“There are a lot of Republicans there who are thinking, ‘Oh my God, my party has left me, the radicals have taken control, and Doug LaMalfa has definitely thrown in with these radicals,’” Steiner said.

He’s met—and says he’s made ground reaching out to—people who previously backed LaMalfa.

“Even if he wasn’t their first choice, he was the Republican, so they hosted fundraisers and voted for him, and now they feel betrayed. They can’t ignore how radical their party has become, they have to live with it, and they feel a little personal animus towards Doug.”

Steiner talks a lot about reaching out to non-MAGA Republicans, but just how does he find them? County fairs are one place (he said he’s campaigned at nearly all of them), but he said he has better results at gun shows.

“I’ve gone to every gun show in the district, because I don’t think Democrats ever go to gun shows and talk to people,” he said. “They’re fun, and honestly, I have way less negative interactions at a gun show than at a county fair.

“At fairs, you say you’re a Democrat, and you often get, ‘I hate Democrats, you guys stole the election and kill babies and you all work for Nancy Pelosi!’ But at a gun show, they say, ‘I hate Democrats …

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gun show, they say, ‘I hate Democrats … wait, why are you even here?’ And then we can have a conversation.

“We don’t agree on every aspect of gun policy, because I’m a big fan of background checks, red flag laws and recording transactions, while they usually have a more laissez-faire approach. But they have a lot of respect for veterans, understand that I believe in gun control the way it’s handled in the military, and we can start from a place that we both believe in gun ownership.”

Fire and water Steiner said the two main planks in his platform (“other than democracy,” he interjected) are fire suppression and North State water issues. He agrees with the incumbent on expanding water infrastructure, namely building Sites Reservoir and raising Shasta Dam. Also like LaMalfa, he calls for better forest management.

“The core concept I want to get across is we as Californians have hugged our forests to death,” he said. “The pendulum has swung from clear-cutting to no cutting.

We need to find more balance through sustainable forest management. That’s going to mean cutting down a lot of trees.

We want to get as much value as we can from that, and we want fire to stay low to the ground and out of canopy.”

Steiner also believes that firefighters should be organized more like the military, in that they should be paid good salaries with benefits and on a 20- to 25-year

Steiner, a moderate Democrat and Iraq War vet, is hoping to flip conservatives who might be dissatisfied with Republican Congressman Doug LaMalfa.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MAX STEINER

retirement track, as opposed to hourly wages and income dependent on the severity of the fire season. Time not spent battling blazes would be devoted to other management efforts.

Though he and LaMalfa may share some goals, Steiner said the differences are clear. For one, Steiner believes both of these issues are rooted in climate change.

“I think it’s crazy my opponent doesn’t believe it’s caused by man,” he said.

“Well, I’m sorry Doug, maybe you should drag your head out of the ground. I think it’s an embarrassment for the district and really detrimental to our interests.

“He’s unnecessarily antagonistic,” Steiner added. “No matter who you are, to be effective, you have to build bridges.”

For all his talk of building bridges and earnest efforts to find solid, middle ground, Steiner said some people are just too far out of reach.

“The roughest part of running for Congress is realizing there really are 30 to 40 percent of Americans who believe some things that just aren’t true, who are very vulnerable to propaganda and who are willing to accept things based on what they want to believe is real rather than search out facts that are real.

“It’s impossible, honestly, to debate with someone who refuses to accept reality in the same way you do.” Ω

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DISTRICT 2 CANDIDATES

DISTRICT 3 CANDID

Vying for majority Q&A with the eight City Council candidates in head-to-head match-ups for four district seats The questions: 1. What are your qualifications for serving?

2. What are your top priorities?

3. How would you grade the current council?

4. Is Chico in a housing crisis? Where do you see the needs?

5. How should the city address homelessness? What will you advocate?

6. How will, or can, the city fix our streets?

Notes on this feature: Candidates’ answers have been minimally edited, mainly for grammar and punctuation. The question list is abridged for print. Go to chico.newsreview. com to read the feature in its entirety.

Seats for Chico Cty Council Districts 2, 3, 4 and 6 are on the 2022 ballot. For this election, Districts 2, 4 and 6 comprise newly redistricted areas for four-year terms, and 3 is based on the district map that was in place during the 2020 campaign for the two-year balance of the term of former Councilwoman Kami Denlay, who resigned in 2021 and was replaced by City Council appointment. Find your district on the interactive map at tinyurl.com/ chicodistrictmap.

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Morgan Kennedy 1. I have a career history in social services and reproductive health as well as a long tenure in community organizing as a volunteer. I am currently one of the owners of a local family business that involves industrial real estate, which makes me have a deep investment in the betterment of our community.

2. My top priorities are infrastructure repair and maintenance, fire preparedness, public safety through proven resources and affordable housing.

3. D-. Six out of seven current council members have repeatedly shown that they have no interest in hearing community member concerns. They’ve gutted public programs that benefit our community and spent millions in court for ignoring the United States Constitution and blatantly violating civil rights. They continue to act as if they are above the law, and it puts our city in a horrible position.

4. We are in a housing crisis. Our current council repeatedly prioritizes “luxury” development that is not affordable for the average Chicoan and creates negative environmental impacts that put us all at risk. We need to be focusing on affordable options for all—no matter your income. We should really be working on infill projects that create a more walkable city. These types of projects safeguard our fragile resources and create safer neighborhoods.

5. Sanctioned campgrounds and affordable housing. I know from working with the homeless that a lot of them are seniors on very fixed, very low incomes. This problem is only going to become more abundant as our local population ages. We have residents languishing in our parks and streets who want help but can’t get into the Pallet shelter. We need accessible places for our homeless residents to go and receive resources immediately.

6. Our city is bleeding money in terms of lawsuits, bloated pay and pensions for higher ups and unconstitutional punitive punishments for our most vulnerable residents. We need a drastic change in our city budget, one that improves our community in several ways, including road improvement.

Kasey Reynolds

Dale Bennett

Incumbent

Appointed incumbent

1. I have served on the Chico City Council for

1. Knowledge, experience, common sense and

four years, and I am the current Vice Mayor. I have spent my time on the council working with city staff and community partners to meet the needs in our community related to business, housing and homelessness.

2. My top priority is cleaning up our city’s public spaces and greenways and restoring them to mitigate fire risk and address public safety concerns. I will continue restoring and enhancing the community’s quality of life by supporting businesses and fixing the roads that are in dire need of repairs.

3. I would give the current council a good grade as we are delivering on the promise to address the illegal camping in public spaces, enhance public safety and keep a balanced city budget. Even through the adversity of COVID and the delay from a lawsuit, the current council is succeeding.

4. Chico is in a housing crisis just as the state is in a housing crisis. We need to build all types of housing to address our community growth needs, especially in the aftermath of the devastating fires that impacted our region.

5. The homeless cannot be allowed camp in public spaces, and the city has adequate shelter beds to address the issue. Getting individuals into shelter beds and connected with services is the only way to address the issues at their root cause.

6. The city will continue to make road repairs a top priority through the city budget and aggressively pursuing state and federal grants to match funds or finance projects. A great example is the $20 million state funding the city acquired to widen Bruce Road to four lanes.

wisdom: I have been an asset manager for over 45 years, which includes direct responsibility for finances and budgeting, operations and personnel.

Civic experience includes current council member, planning commissioner, Architectural Review & Historic Preservation Board chair, Chamber board, DCBA board, Chico History Museum board and Chico Noon Rotary.

2. Homelessness and harnessing inappropriate behavior by certain individuals: The top priority is to continue managing the homeless issues in a compassionate, collaborative and responsible manner along with fellow council members and city staff. The managing activities also includes holding the unhoused accountable. Additional priorities are conservative fiscal management, supporting city staff and responding to local city issues.

3. A+: The current council is one of the best in the last 20 years. It should be mentioned that with the hiring of the new city manager, the council and the city secured a great and talented mind, leader and person at the helm of the city administration.

4. Housing challenged: The need is for available land at an affordable price and supporting the home-building community. Building homes is a privilege and a choice by home builders, and without them, who else will step forward to provide the additional inventory of all housing types, including affordable housing, which Chico desperately needs?

5. In progress: The City Council, staff, advocates and service providers are currently addressing homelessness as best we can. As a council member, I advocate for the continuation of our efforts with perseverance and commitment.

6. Measure H: The 1 percent sales tax measure will provide approximately $24 million per year.

This influx of additional funds would be instrumental in the initiation of corrective pavement maintenance and repair actions. The city currently spends approximately $3 million per year on pavement work, needs $9 million per year to maintain current conditions and needs $16 [million] to $24 million for a rehabilitation effort. H is the only way we can move forward.

Monica McDa

1. I am a citizen who

governance for the la public appointed offic become astute with c brokered effective bi successful city policie how to be a good me

2. Public safety, infr development. Citizens a community where t own safety and wellplanning and policy to necessary.

3. I would give them

to be a nonpartisan g zens and follows the several mistakes by that have cost city ta have involved the city

4. Everyone in the c home ownership, and personal economics. consider this option. of smart growth in C utilized areas in town and policy change to more housing develop

5. Advocacy for mult the county and alrea CHAT, is essential to of homelessness in C refuge in areas near high fire danger can public resources. To camp sites that offer and substance-abuse

6. It takes revenue t A bond measure wou So would raising the $9 million on a year Chico only has $3 mi change if we want ou

DATES

DISTRICT 4 CANDIDATES

DISTRICT 6 CANDIDATES

aniel

Nichole Nava

Addison Winslow

Jesica Giannola

Tom van Overbeek

o has been involved in city ast 13 years, serving as a cial. During that time, I have city budgets and funding, ipartisan initiatives, developed es and plans, and have learned ember of a governing board

1. I have a 24-year career in social services, six years in property management, self-employment, a business management degree and five years of community advocacy. I lobbied the Capitol with others to successfully secure millions in post-Camp Fire funding and proposed legislation to mandate and fund addiction and mental health facilities.

2. Infrastructure: fixing roads/sidewalks and maintaining trees. Public safety: maintaining parks, waterways and bike paths for use by all; strengthening traffic safety, and collaborating in treatment partnerships. Affordable housing: bolstering First Time Homebuyer Program, sustainable infill and cooperation with housing providers like CHAT and CHIP. Increase revenue: boost Chico scene (i.e., arts, culture, music, sports) to increase tourism and explore pension solutions.

3. Average. Their platform of a clean and safe Chico was hamstrung. Council started strong but didn’t revise ordinances via minor tweaks to avoid lawsuits, hence lower grades in fulfilling promises, fiscal responsibility, quality assurance and public transparency. However, absent interference, their grade/public satisfaction would have been higher.

4. Hundreds of affordable units will soon be available. However, Chico has an inadequately resourced mental-health and substance-abuse crisis; Butte [County]’s overdoses are 2.5 times higher than the state average. We absorbed 18,000 people overnight in 2018; capacity planning didn’t factor that growth for another 15 years. We need additional affordable housing given multiple disasters and inflation; mental health/addiction treatment, and supportive housing.

5. Respond at every point of contact to bring people into assessment, safety and shelter. The county could incentivize staff to work non-traditional hours to better serve the unhoused and hold “no pressure” open houses at shelters to meet staff, guests and encourage accepting shelter services. A 100-bed [Jesus Center] Renewal Center opens summer 2023, which is progress!

6. If Measure H passes, $24 million per year would be generated. Our PCI [pavement conditions index] is 46, “poor,” and it costs $500 million for total replacement of our roads. We [must] allocate $24 million per year over 10 years to reach a PCI of 80, “very good,” and/or generate new revenue, or reduce pension liability payments, likely not advisable, and eliminate waste/redundancies.

1. In my hometown, I’ve been involved in policy

1. I earned my degree in public health educa-

1. Chico is a special place, and I am determined to

since 2019. I have a background in nonprofit housing and shelter, environmental planning and land use, including work for CHAT, Safe Space and Butte Environmental Council. As a volunteer, I’ve coordinated projects in tenant advocacy, mutual aid and homeless outreach.

tion, minor in community health and wellness.

I regularly attend City Council meetings. I have worked in collaboration with many of our housing partners and outreach providers, and volunteered with many outreach services that connect with the community members of our wonderful city.

2. More housing, less sprawl and better neighborhoods: Promote more diverse housing at lower cost to residents and the city. Resist automobiledependent sprawl threatening our natural surroundings for the sake of luxury housing. More efficient, walkable community design to bring us toward financial sustainability—the bottom line for better neighborhoods.

2. Ensuring that our city has affordable housing units to house the people of Chico. I am committed to working with our fire department to ensure that they are well prepared to defend Chico from fire.

Making more informed decisions for the city while remaining fiscally responsible.

help restore the gentle and kind quality of smalltown life, which has degraded in recent years. With 30 years’ experience as an executive in the technology industry and a deep background in team building, managing large budgets and difficult negotiations, I have the skills necessary to help solve our problems.

As a local business and property owner, I have been deeply involved with community and downtown.

rastructure and economic s of Chico deserve to live in they feel included in their -being. Strategic community o afford those programs are

m a C. City Council is supposed group that represents the citilaw. Current council has made making unilateral decisions axpayers tons of money and y in a string of lawsuits.

community benefits from d ownership creates positive Many citizens in Chico cannot There is a need for advocacy Chico: development of undern to create mixed-use housing free up these spaces for pment.

ti-agency collaboration with ady-existing agencies, such as support the ongoing challenge Chico. People who have sought waterways and in areas of not be allowed to threaten this end, city-sanctioned r basic hygiene, mental-health e services are still needed.

to support city infrastructure. uld help significantly with this. city’s sales tax. Roads cost to maintain current quality. illion to spend. This needs to ur roads to improve.

3. Neither intelligent nor humane. The airport “shelter” was just the most public blunder.

The council also put $50,000 into a “Homeless Strategic Plan.” It was never published because its conclusion, “there is no shortage of housing, shelter and services to assist individuals and households in Chico,” is patently absurd.

4. The housing crisis is undermining the economic and social foundation of our city. We need more housing of all sorts, but primarily for poor and working-class people. We should not, however, allow for more income-segregated subdivisions.

Neighborhoods should be diverse, with people of all classes sharing economic centers and public spaces.

5. The city needs to take responsibility for where people go. Ultimately, the solution to homelessness is housing. It should never have taken years and a lawsuit to get a managed campground. We still have unregulated camping, so we still have work to do. Fortunately, we have community organizations offering to take lead.

6. Seventy years of developments that don’t pay for themselves have left us with a city that is fiscally insolvent. To restore and improve all of Chico’s public infrastructure, we need more taxrich development, especially in and around downtown, and incremental growth toward all neighborhoods being more efficient and sustainable.

3. Failing. The majority [members] are neglectful of citizen needs and disconnected from their reality. There is bipartisan demand for better actions.

The council majority [members] continue to vote opposite of public asks. They continue wasteful spending, form illegal ordinances that violate constitutional rights of citizens and prove their inability to govern effectively and responsibly.

4. We need low-income, income-based and smaller units that can help house single adults, couples, people with children and people with disabilities safely. Development should be considered near major transportation routes and close to schools and parks so that people without reliable transportation can still access employment, nutrition, public transportation and their children’s schools.

5. Homelessness is complicated and challenging to overcome. Case management may be needed to assist with obtaining housing vouchers, deposit and first month’s rent, improving credit scores, budgeting, employment, etc. [The] city should be prepared to offer resolutions in some form that will meet the housing needs of the people who live here.

6. I can’t imagine going much longer with the state that our streets are in. They need repair immediately. The city needs to make our streets a priority, before serious accidents occur and citizens end up with damaged cars or seriously hurt.

They can be fixed.

2. Improving the quality of civic life in Chico.

[Firstly,] reclaim our public spaces for the public.

That means that homeless people must use the shelters, which have empty beds. Camping in public spaces cannot be tolerated. Secondly, we need more firefighters and police officers. Chico has only two thirds the number of firefighters we had 15 years ago, and our population has increased by 20,000.

3. The current council has made huge progress on two major issues. First, no previous council has seen a greater increase in the number of affordable housing units. On its watch, 937 units in 10 projects are currently under construction. Second, we finally have a solution to the homeless problem that works for the city as well as the homeless. This council built the Pallet shelter, the largest in California.

4. All of California, including Chico, has a housing crisis. A shortage of housing supply has been caused by a burdensome entitlement process, overly restrictive zoning and environmental regulations.

These need to been streamlined so that well-planned housing projects can be built. We need more of all types of housing but especially affordable (subsidized housing) as well as middle-market housing. Our priority must be putting a roof over people’s heads.

5. Chico has a solution to the homeless problem, which is currently being implemented. With the Pallet shelter, the homeless have a place to go, and they must go there. It has become obvious that camping in public spaces is a disaster for the city and a disaster for the homeless. The unhoused homeless die at five times the rate of the general population.

6. Fixing our streets is a matter of available resources—money. Chico is currently spending $3 million on roads but needs to spend $9 million just to keep our roads in their current state of repair. If the sales tax measure is passed, I would advocate increasing the budget for repairing and maintaining our roads to $9 million.

OCTOBER 6, 2022

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Arts &Culture Center (Sundays, 10am). Paradise: Alliance Church (Tuesdays, 7:30am-2pm); “Farmers Market Mobile” in Paradise, 1397 South Park Drive (Thursdays, 2pm).

Open Mics & Karaoke CASINO COMEDY NIGHT: Live comedy every other Thursday at the Spirits Lounge in the casino. Thursdays, 8pm. Gold Country Casino & Hotel, 4020 Olive Highway, Oroville. goldcountrycasino.com

COMEDY THURSDAY: Weekly comedy show and open mic hosted by Dillon Collins. Thursdays, 8pm. Free. Bellas Sports Pub, 231 Main St. 530-520-0119.

GNARAOKE: Karaoke hosted by Donna & Mike. Thursdays, 7pm. Free. Gnarly Deli, 243 W. Second St.

OPEN MIC AT THE DOWNLO: Hosted by Jeff Pershing. Sign up to perform 2 songs. All ages until 10pm. Fridays, 6:30pm. Free. The DownLo, 319 Main St.

OPEN MIC COMEDY: Open mic comedy night hosted by Dillon Collins. Sign ups 8pm, showtime 9pm. Wednesdays, 9pm. Free.

The Studio Inn Lounge, 2582 Esplanade.

530-520-0119.

SECRET TRAIL OPEN MIC: Weekly open mic at the brewery. Wednesdays, 6pm. Secret Trail Brewing Company, 132 Meyers St., Ste. 120.

Theater BEST OF BROADWAY: The Paradise Symphony Orchestra players team up with vocalists/ actors from California Regional Theatre for a night of Broadway classics. Two shows: Sat, 10/22, 7:30pm & Sun, 10/23, 2pm. $12$20. Paradise Performing Arts Center, 777 Nunneley Road, Paradise. 800-722-4522. crtshows.com; paradisesymphony.org

OPEN STUDIOS ART TOUR Oct. 15-16 & 22-23 Multiple locations (see Ongoing: Galleries & Museums)

EVIL DEAD – THE MUSICAL: What could be added to the funny violence of the campy horror franchise to make it even better? Let the demons sing! Shows Oct. 27-Nov. 5. Thu-Sat, 7pm; Sun., 1:30pm. $20-$21. Birdcage Theatre, 1740 Bird St., Oroville. birdcagetheatre.org

OCTOBER ONGOING Galleries & Museums 1078 GALLERY: Biopoiesis, Biopoiesis is a variety of objects in 2D and 3D that together form their own idiosyncratic environment while pointing to the nature of its ordinary and terminal origin.

Installation by Northern California artist Zen Du. Artist’s reception: Oct. 8, 5-8pm. Through 10/30.

Free. 1710 Park Ave.. 1078gallery.org

GATEWAY SCIENCE MUSEUM: From Earthquakes to Epidemics, an exploration of the impact of natural and manmade disasters and pandemics in California, using the humanities as a lens to give context to recent and historic disasters in the Golden State. Through 12/17. $5-$7. 625 Esplanade. csuchico.edu

MUSEUM OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ART: Works from Beginning and Beyond, This exhibition will feature art from the museum’s permanent collection, including works donated by the late Reed Applegate. There will be a tribute to and

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celebration of Applegate at the reception, Oct. 14, 6-8pm. Through 10/23. 900 Esplanade. monca.org

OPEN STUDIOS ART TOUR: Chico Art Center’s annual celebration of artists in Butte County features two weekends of art studio tours (Oct. 15-16 & 22-23) and a three-week preview exhibit at the gallery. Purchase a $15 studio guidebook at Chico Art Center, Chico Paper Co., Art Etc., Ellis Art Supply or Vagabond Rose. Through 10/23. $15. chicoosat.com

THE TURNER: First Impressions, the new curator’s choice show. Through 10/15. Free. Chico State. csuchico.edu

Markets FARMERS MARKETS: Butte County’s markets are open and selling fresh produce and more.

Chico: Downtown (Saturdays, 7:30am-1pm); North Valley Plaza (Wednesdays, 8am-1pm); Chico State University Farm (Thursdays, noon-4 p.m.). Magalia: Magalia Community

RENT: California Regional Theatre presents the rock musical that tells the story—loosely based on the opera La Bohème—of a group of struggling musicians living in New York City. It will be at least five hundred, twentyfive thousand, six hundred minutes until you get that song out of your head. Shows Oct. 27-Nov. 11. Thu-Sat, 7:30pm. $30-$35. First Street Theater, 139 W. First St. crtshows.com

SOMETHING ROTTEN: A comedic mash-up of 16th century Shakespeare and 21st century Broadway. Shows through Oct. 9.

Thu-Sat, 7:30pm & Sun, 2pm. $22-$25. Chico Theater Company, 166 Eaton Road, Ste. F. chicotheater.com

WEST SIDE STORY: California Regional Theatre presents one the most-loved musicals/love stories of all time, featuring score by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Arthur Laurents. Shows through Oct. 9. Fri-Sat, 7:30pm & Sun, 2pm. $20-$35. Center for the Arts, 1475 East Ave. 800-722-4522. crtshows.com

THU6 Music BLACK FONG: Live local funk on the patio. Thu, 10/6, 6pm. Free. La Salles, 229 Broadway. lasalleschico.com

CALVIN BLACK, SCOUT, PETS, GREYLOOM: Nor-Cal indie night with locals Scout and Greyloom joined by Calivin Black (Redding) and Pets (Sac.). Thu, 10/6, 8:30pm. Duffy’s Tavern, 337 Main St.

HIPPY HAPPY HOUR: Live music during happy hour by Doug Stein, Bryan Gravy and a rotating cast of local musicians. Thu, 10/6, 4pm. Free. Om on the Range, 301 Main St.

FRI7 Special Events ART & WINE WALK: Stroll through downtown Chico businesses to enjoy works by local artists ... and wine! Plus, live music & more. Fri, 10/7, 5pm. Downtown Chico. downtownchico.com

THE PRINCESS BRIDE - AN INCONCEIVABLE EVENING WITH CARY ELWES: Chico Performances presents the iconic film on the big screen, followed by a moderated conversation with the actor who played Westley. He’ll discuss favorite scenes, reveal secrets and tell tales of on-set antics. Fri, 10/7, 7:30pm. $32-$48.

Laxson Auditorium, Chico State, (530) 8986333. chicoperformances.com

Music BRITTANY & THE BLISSTONES: Live music on the patio. Fri, 10/7, 5pm. Free. The Allies Pub, 426 Broadway, Ste. 130.

DUFFY’S HAPPY HOUR: The Pub Scouts bring traditional Irish music weekly to Duffy’s. Fri, 10/7, 5pm. Free. Duffy’s Tavern, 337 Main Street. 530-343-7718.

FRIDAY NIGHT CONCERT: Finale of the outdoor concert series, featuring local faves the Jeff Pershing Band. Fri, 10/7, 7pm. City Plaza, downtown Chico. downtownchico.com

GHASTLY: EDM/bass DJ takes on Ghengar persona for a night of dubstep fun. Fri, 10/7, 8pm. $25 - $30. El Rey Theater, 230 W. Second St. elreychico.com

LIVE MUSIC BY NATALIA: Live local music. Fri, 10/7, 8pm. Chico Taproom, 2201 Pillsbury Road, Ste. 114.

Restaurant, 2053 Montgomery St., Oroville. unionfork.com

MYSTIC ROOTS BAND: Chico-born reggae crew parties at The Barn. Fri, 10/7, 6pm. $16 - $30.

The Barn at Meriam Park, 1930 Market Place. meriampark.com

NOCHE LATINA: Live Latin music. Fri, 10/7, 9pm. $20. Tackle Box, 379 E. Park Ave. tackleboxchico.com

PAT HULL CD RELEASE SHOW: Two sets, with a solo set by Pat Hull and a full band set to follow. Fri, 10/7, 7pm. $20. Chico Women’s Club, 592 E. Third St.. pathullcdrelease. brownpapertickets.com

TYLER DEVOLL: Live music for happy hour. Fri, 10/7, 5pm. Free. La Salles, 229 Broadway. lasalleschico.com

SAT8 Special Events FLUME STREET FAIR: Art, crafts, jewelry, stained glass, ceramics, live music and more. Sat, 10/8, 12pm. Free. Chico Art Studio, corner of 8th & Flume Sstreets.

KING OF THE CAGE – BATTLE TESTED 2: MMA fight night in Oroville. Sat, 10/8, 7pm. Gold Country Casino & Hotel, 4020 Olive Highway, Oroville.

(800) 334-9400. goldcountrycasino.com

SCIENCE ROCKS: A museum gala filled with science demos, a starlit garden, STEM soundscapes, fossilizations, hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer. Sat, 10/8, 7pm. $95. Gateway Science Museum, 625 Esplanade. (530) 8984636. www.csuchico.edu/gateway

WORKING GODS: A gallery exhibition by Greg Shafer. Oct. 8, 2-5pm. Free. Idea Fab Labs, 603 Orange St. chico.ideafablabs.com

Music BASSMINT: Dance to bass music every second Saturday night. Sat, 10/8, 9pm. Om on the Range, 301 Main St.

BRAVO THE BAGCHASER: LA rapper visits Chico on his Born2Win tour. Sat, 10/8, 7pm. $25-$30. El

MAX MINARDI: Popular local vocalist charms another crowd. Fri, 10/7, 6:30pm. Free. Union

HOT BUTTERED RUM Oct. 14 Chico Women’s Club

IS YOUR EVENT LIVE?

Submit events for the online calendar as well as the monthly print edition at chico.newsreview.com/calendar

EDITOR’S PICK Rey Theater, 230 W. Second St. elreychico.com

COSMIC FROG & KYLE LEDSON: A night of music, brews and pizza. Sat, 10/8, 8:30pm. Free. Mulberry Station Brewing Company, 175 E. 20th Street.

DOUG STEIN & FRIENDS AT THE BARN: Local rocker brings the jam to the Barn. Sat, 10/8, 4:30pm. Free. The Barn at Meriam Park, 1930 Market Place. meriampark.com

ESP - EDDIE SADLER PROJECT: Redding singer/songwriter and band. Sat, 10/8, 9pm. $5. Tackle Box, 379 E. Park Ave. tackleboxchico.com

MAKER’S MILE: Local blue-collar rock, funk, hip-hop crew. Sat, 10/8, 8pm. Jen’s Place, 7126 Skyway, Paradise. jensplacebar.com

RATTLESNAKES: Live rock and country hits. Sat, 10/8, 6:30pm. Free. Union Restaurant, 2053 Montgomery St., Oroville. unionfork.com

RIVVERS: Live music for brunch. Sat, 10/8, 11pm. Free. La Salles, 229 Broadway. lasalleschico. com

SHREK RAVE: Shrek-themed rave! Sat, 10/8, 9pm. $15-$25. Senator Theater, 517 Main St. jmaxproductions.net

SUN9 Music SOUL POSSE: Live music at the Oroville winery. Sun, 10/9, 6:30pm. Purple Line Urban Winery, 760 Safford St., Oroville.

SUNDAYS AT 5TH STREET STEAKHOUSE: Live music in the lounge every Sunday evening. Sun, 10/9, 5pm. 5th Street Steakhouse, 345 W. Fifth Street. 5thstreet steakhouse.com

SURF NOIR KINGS: Live, original spaghetti western, shimmering psychedelic, pristine surf music. Sun, 10/9, 3pm. Secret Trail Brewing Company, 132 Meyers St., Ste. 120,

MON10 Special Events WORD CHURCH: A spoken word poetry open mic. Signups at 6pm. Mon, 10/10, 6:30pm. Free. 1078 Gallery, 1710 Park Ave.

THU13 Special Events NIGHTMARE ON MULBERRY STREET: Hypnotique Productions is back with Halloween-themed cabaret and burlesque “spooktacular”! Seven shows: Oct. 13-15 & 19-22. Thu, 10/13, 8pm. $35. Mulberry Station Brewing Company, 175 E. 20th Street. (530) 809-5616. hypnotique-productions.ticketleap.com

Music HIPPY HAPPY HOUR: See Oct. 6. Thu, 10/13, 4pm. Free.

Om on the Range, 301 Main St.

ROCKHOUNDS: Live music and dancing on the patio. Thu, 10/13, 6pm. Free. La Salles, 229 Broadway. lasalleschico.com

FRI14 Special Events NIGHTMARE ON MULBERRY STREET: See Oct. 13. Fri, 10/14, 8pm. $35. Mulberry Station Brewing

Company, 175 E. 20th Street. (530) 809-5616. hypnotique-productions.ticketleap.com

Music

’TIS THE SEASON FOR WITCHES, CHAINSAWS & THE RAMONES

CALIFORNIA DREAMER: Live music at the Oroville winery. Fri, 10/14, 6:30pm. Purple Line Urban Winery, 760 Safford St., Oroville.

CHICO LATIN ORQUESTA: Live Latin music. Fri, 10/14, 8pm. Unwined Kitchen & Bar, 980 Mangrove Ave. CROPTOBER FEST: DJ Dan and crew keep things chill for a harvest-themed dance party. Fri, 10/14, 8pm. $20. El Rey Theater, 230 W. Second St. elreychico.com

DRIVER: Classic rock from Paradise. Fri, 10/14, 9pm. $5. Tackle Box, 379 E. Park Ave. tackle boxchico.com

DUFFY’S HAPPY HOUR: See Oct. 7. Fri, 10/14, 5pm. Free. Duffy’s Tavern, 337 Main Street.

530-343-7718.

HOT BUTTERED RUM: The souped-up, left-coast string band brings its blend of bluegrass, folk, jazz and soul back to Chico. Fri, 10/14, 7:30pm. $25. Chico Women’s Club, 592 E. Third St. eventbrite.com

JARROD MULLAN: Live music for happy hour. Fri, 10/14, 5pm. Free. La Salles, 229 Broadway. lasalleschico.com

SOUL POSSE: Popular covers to fill the dance floor. Fri, 10/14, 6:30pm. Free. Union Restaurant, 2053 Montgomery St., Oroville. unionfork.com

STRUNG NUGGET GANG AT THE BARN: Local bluegrass/ string band at the Barn. Fri, 10/14, 4:30pm. Free.

The Barn at Meriam Park, 1930 Market Place. meriampark.com

SAT15

This time of year, there are two types of very excited people: pumpkin spice lovers and Halloween lovers.

Both types obsess over the weather forecast and the leaves on the trees, anticipating dropping temperatures and the signal to switch over to their preferred spicy or spooky state. The October calendar of fun tips towards the latter autumnal kink, and this year, there’s a ton of mischief for y’all to get into: the Witch’s Market (pictured), with witch-made goods and

homegrown magick at 1078 Gallery Oct. 15; the campy, bloody Evil Dead: The Musical (beware the splatter zone!) opening at Birdcage Theatre Oct. 27; and several Halloween bashes at local bars and nightclubs, including traditional Pinhead party at Duffy’s Tavern Oct. 27, with three bands dressing up as and covering three other bands: Pinhead (The Ramones), The Fed-Ups (early Green Day) and Bone Marrow (Cocteau Twins).

Special Events ANIMATION CHICO FESTIVAL: Emerging and established animators to showcase independent short films at the 8th annual festival. Sat, 10/15, 11am. $5. Chico Theater Company, 166 Eaton Road, Ste. F. animationchico.com

FLUME STREET FAIR: See Oct. 8. Sat, 10/15, 12pm. Free. Chico Art Studio, corner of 8th & Flume streets.

NIGHTMARE ON MULBERRY STREET: See Oct. 13. Sat, 10/15, 8pm. $35. Mulberry Station Brewing Company, 175 E. 20th Street. (530) 809-5616. hypnotique-productions.ticketleap.com

OKTOBERFEST AT THE BARN: Sacramento’s Grand Isle Fire Brigade Band brings the oom-pah party music to Oktoberfest celebration. Sat, 10/15, 5pm. $25-$35. The Barn at Meriam Park, 1930 Market Place. meriampark.com

WITCH’S MARKET: The wares includes farm-fresh goods & herbal makings from Turkey Tail Farm, Moon Medicinals, Faewise Botanicals & Gems, Moonwise Herbals, Mel of Burns Blossom Farm, Sienna Ceramics, Equilateral Coffee, plant starts from Harvest & Habitats, tarot readings with Le Feys Bazaar and Samhain adornment by Claire Fong. Sat, 10/15, 10am. Free. 1078 Gallery, 1710 Park Ave. 530-965-3090.

Music COHASSET MOUNTAIN MUSIC: Music in the mountains!

Every third Saturday. Sat, 10/15, 6pm. Free.

Cohasset Community Association, 11 Maple Creek Ranch Road, Cohasset.

THE FABULOUS MONTANES: Live hits from the ’50s, ’60s, & ’70s. Sat, 10/15, 6:30pm. Free. Union Restaurant, 2053 Montgomery St., Oroville. unionfork.com

POP ROCS: Redding band puts on a live classic-rock party. Sat, 10/15, 9pm. $5. Tackle Box, 379 E. Park Ave. tackleboxchico.com

RADIO RELAPSE: Fun local crew plays the high-energy hits of the ’90s. Sat, 10/15, 9pm. Jen’s Place, 7126 Skyway, Paradise. jensplacebar.com

SAMARIA GRACE: Live music for brunch. Sat, 10/15, 11am. Free. La Salles, 229 Broadway. lasalleschico.com

SOUL POSSE: Live music on the patio. Sat, 10/15, 1pm. Free. The Allies Pub, 426 Broadway, Ste. 130.

SUN16 Music SUNDAYS AT 5TH STREET STEAKHOUSE: See Oct. 9. Sun, 10/16, 5pm. 5th Street Steakhouse, 345 W. Fifth Street. 5thstreetsteakhouse. com

WEBSTER MOORE: Local singer/songwriter. Sun, 10/16, 3pm. Secret Trail Brewing Company, 132 Meyers St., Ste. 120.

WEBSTER MOORE, ELISE THE DESTROYER, MELLI FARIAS: A power-packed all-local bill, with Elise the Destroyer, R&B/hip-hop artist Melli Farias and band, and singer/ songwriter Webster Moore with his full band. Sun, 10/16, 8pm. $10. Om on the Range, 301 Main St.

MON17

THU20

Music

Special Events

STAY OUT!: Far From Normal Productions

NIGHTMARE ON MULBERRY STREET: See Oct. 13. Thu, 10/20, 8pm. $35. Mulberry Station Brewing

brings East Bay ska punks Stay Out! to play with local openers Elysium (shoe-gaze), Liquid Eyeliner (emo-punk) and H.U.S.T. (grunge/punk). Mon, 10/17, 7pm. $15. Naked Lounge, 118 W. Second St.

TUE18 Music STRUGGLE JENNINGS, CAITLYNNE CURTIS, BRIANNA HARNESS: JMax Productions brings Nashville rapper Stuggle Jennings to the Box. Caitlynne Curtis, Brianna Harness open. Tue, 10/18, 7pm. $20.

Tackle Box, 379 E. Park Ave. jmax productions.net

Company, 175 E. 20th Street. (530) 809-5616. hypnotique-productions.ticketleap.com

Music CARVIN JONES BAND: Phoenix blues guitarist is considered by many to be one of the best players in the world. Thu, 10/20, 8pm. $25-$75.

Paradise Performing Arts Center, 777 Nunneley Road, Paradise. carvinjones.com

FIREFLY: Live local music on the patio. Thu, 10/20, 6pm. Free. La Salles, 229 Broadway St.. lasalleschico.com

HIPPY HAPPY HOUR: See Oct. 6. Thu, 10/20, 4pm. Free. Om on the Range, 301 Main St.

FRI21

WED19

Special Events

Special Events

NIGHTMARE ON MULBERRY STREET: See Oct. 13. Fri, 10/21, 8pm. $35. Mulberry Station Brewing

NIGHTMARE ON MULBERRY STREET: See Oct. 13. Wed, 10/19, 8pm. $35. Mulberry Station Brewing Company, 175 E. 20th Street.

(530) 809-5616. hypnotique-productions. ticketleap.com

Company, 175 E. 20th Street. (530) 809-5616. hypnotique-productions.ticketleap.com

WOMXN’S CONFERENCE: The 24th annual

EVENTS C O N T I N U E D OCTOBER 6, 2022

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conference features workshops about reproductive justice, financial empowerment, the power of voting and more. Keynote speaker: Abre’ Conner. Register for two-day conference (and purchase tickets for dinner celebrating 50th anniversary of Chico State’s Gender & Sexuality Equity Coalition) at gsec50thanniversary. weebly.com. Fri, 10/21, 10am. BMU Auditorium, Chico State. csuchico.edu

Music CHARLES WESLEY GODWIN, RICHARD SIMEONOFF: JMax Productions brings West Virginia country-folk singer/ songwriter Charles Wesley Godwin to the Box. Richard Simeonoff opens. Fri, 10/21, 8pm. $10-$15. Tackle Box, 379 E. Park Ave. jmaxproductions.net

DRIVER: High-octane rock hits from popular local cover band. Fri, 10/21, 6:30pm. Free. Union Restaurant, 2053 Montgomery St., Oroville. unionfork.com

DUFFY’S HAPPY HOUR: See Oct. 7. Fri, 10/21, 5pm. Free.

Duffy’s Tavern, 337 Main Street. 530-343-7718.

IVY FLATS: Live music at the Oroville winery. Fri, 10/21, 6:30pm. Purple Line Urban Winery, 760 Safford St., Oroville. purplelinewinery.com

LCM LIVE: Classic/soft/pop rock covers and originals. Fri, 10/21, 9pm. Jen’s Place, 7126 Skyway, Paradise. jensplacebar.com SWING SET AT THE BARN: Live Western swing and country music. Fri, 10/21, 4:30pm. Free. The Barn at Meriam

QUARETO NUEVO

Park, 1930 Market Place. meriampark.com

Oct. 23

TODD SNIDER & RAY WYLIE HUBBARD: KZFR presents two of America’s most respected, road-seasoned troubadours on one bill. Fri, 10/21, 6:30pm. $40. Paradise Performing Arts Center, 777 Nunneley Road, Paradise. kzfr.org

TYLER DEVOLL: Live music for happy hour. Fri, 10/21, 5pm. Free. La Salles, 229 Broadway. lasalleschico.com WHISKEY RIVER: Live country music. Fri, 10/21, 8pm.

Unwined Kitchen & Bar, 980 Mangrove Ave.

SAT22 Special Events

Fraud Alert

FLUME STREET FAIR: See Oct. 8. Sat, 10/22, 12pm. Free. Chico Art Studio, corner of 8th & Flume streets.

NIGHTMARE ON MULBERRY STREET: See Oct. 13. Sat, 10/22, 8pm. $35. Mulberry Station Brewing Company, 175 E. 20th Street. (530) 809-5616. hypnotique-productions. ticketleap.com

WOMXN’S CONFERENCE: See Oct. 21. Sat, 10/22, 10am. BMU

Important message to all area businesses, CN&R advertisers and any of the winners in CN&R’s 2022 Best of Chico competition: CN&R will never contact a person or business with intentions to sell a Best of Chico winner’s plaque. Any company attempting to do so is NOT associated with the Chico News & Review or the Best of Chico contest.

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Auditorium, Chico State. csuchico.edu

Music 3RD FROM NORMAL: Rock and blues classics from multiple decades. Sat, 10/22, 6:30pm. Free. Union Restaurant, 2053 Montgomery St., Oroville. unionfork.com

CALIFORNIA COUNTRY: Country covers with Nor Cal country band. Sat, 10/22, 9pm. $5. Tackle Box, 379 E. Park Ave. tackleboxchico.com

CHUCK EPPERSON BAND: Live music on the patio. Sat, 10/22, 1pm. Free. The Allies Pub, 426 Broadway, Ste. 130.

FALL PIANO CONCERT: Thorsteinn Gunter will perform live compositions on piano at the museum. Sat, 10/22, 6:30pm. $20. Museum of Northern California Art, 900 Esplanade. monca.org

JOLON STATION BAND: Roots rock and outlaw country from the Central Coast. Sat, 10/22, 6pm. $10. Secret Trail Brewing Company, 132 Meyers St., Ste. 120.

KRISTEN FORD: Indie musician from Nashville. Sat, 10/22, 11am. Free. La Salles, 229 Broadway. lasalleschico.com

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OCTOBER 6, 2022

percussion—merges western classical, Eastern European folk, Latin and jazz with an organic feel that packs a wallop. Sun, 10/23, 2pm. $15-$42. ARTS Recital Hall, Chico State (ARTS 279). (530) 898-6333. chicoper formances.com

STEVE JOHNSON: Live music for brunch. Sun, 10/23, 11am. Free. La Salles, 229 Broadway. lasalleschico.com SUNDAYS AT 5TH STREET: See Oct. 9. Sun, 10/23, 5pm. 5th Street Steakhouse, 345 W. Fifth Street.

THU27 Special Events BOOK IN COMMON – THE BEST ‘WE’ COULD DO: “Memory, Genocide, and the Ethics of Identity,” a Book in Common talk by Dr. Jonathan H. X. Lee. Thu, 10/27, 5:30pm. Free. ARTS 150, Chico State. (530) 898-4636. csuchico.edu

Music HIPPY HAPPY HOUR: See Oct. 6. Thu, 10/27, 4pm. Free. Om on the Range, 301 Main St.

MATEAS AVALOS & FAMILY: Live music on the patio. Thu, 10/27, 6pm. Free. La Salles, 229 Broadway St. lasalleschico.com

PINHEAD & PALS – DUFFY’S HALLOWEEN: Three bands, three tribute sets: Pinhead (Ramones), The Fed-Ups (early Green Day) and Bone Marrow (Cocteau Twins). Thu, 10/27, 9pm. Duffy’s Tavern, 337 Main St. facebook.com/ duffschico

SIRSY: Pop-rock duo from upstate New York. Thu, 10/27, 6pm. Secret Trail Brewing Company, 132 Meyers St., Ste. 120.

WEBSTER MOORE: Acoustic music, beer and pizza. Thu, 10/27, 6pm. Free. Mulberry Station Brewing Company, 175 E. 20th St.

SUN23

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Music

Music

MIKE COYKENDALL: The Portland singer/songwriter who has

DUFFY’S HAPPY HOUR: See Oct. 7. Fri, 10/28, 5pm. Free.

worked with the likes of M. Ward, Blitzen Trapper and She & Him returns to town. Sun, 10/23, 3pm. Secret Trail Brewing Company, 132 Meyers St., Ste. 120.

QUARTETO NUEVO: Quarteto Nuevo—sax, cello, guitar,

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ARTS Recital Hall, Chico State

Duffy’s Tavern, 337 Main Street. 530-343-7718.

EVENTS C O N T I N U E D

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Events

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 2

WALK WOOF WAG Oct. 29 Sycamore Field, Bidwell Park

GRAVYBRAIN: Brain-melting funk-fusion music alongside your favorite beer and pizza. Fri, 10/28, 9pm. $5.

Mulberry Station Brewing Company, 175 E. 20th St.

IVY FLATS AT THE BARN: Live covers. Fri, 10/28, 4:30pm. Free.

The Barn at Meriam Park, 1930 Market Place. meriam park.com

LIFE OF THE PARTY FEST: DJ dance fest with Lil Pete and more. Fri, 10/28, 7pm. $28-$35. El Rey Theater, 230 W. Second St. elreychico.com

MAX MINARDI: Live music for happy hour. Fri, 10/28, 5pm. Free. La Salles, 229 Broadway. lasalleschico.com OFF THE RECORD: Local crew plays ’80s covers live. Fri, 10/28, 8pm. Unwined Kitchen & Bar, 980 Mangrove Ave. OLD SKOOL: Oroville crew plays high-energy classic rock. Fri, 10/28, 6:30pm. Free. Union Restaurant, 2053 Montgomery St., Oroville. unionfork.com

SPECIAL GUEST!: Live funky music. Fri, 10/28, 9pm. Jen’s Place, 7126 Skyway, Paradise. jensplacebar.com

VINCENT NEIL EMERSON: East Texas songwriter and La Honda Records recording artist. Fri, 10/28, 9pm. $20. Tackle Box, 379 E. Park Ave. tackleboxchico.com

SAT29 Special Events FLUME STREET FAIR: See Oct. 8. Sat, 10/29, 12pm. Free.

Chico Art Studio, corner of 8th & Flume streets.

WALK WOOF WAG 2022: The annual dog fest fundraiser for the Chico Animal Shelter’s medical fund, with dog walk, dog tricks, agility course, carnival games, crafts and costume contest. Visit site for more info. Sat, 10/29, 9am. $20-$35. Sycamore Field, Bidwell Park. (530) 5219012. walkwoofwag.com

with local jam-rockers Swamp Zen, reggae powerhouse Dylan’s Dharma w/King Hopeton and newcomer Roni Jean. Sat, 10/29, 7pm. $15-$20. El Rey Theater, 230 W. Second St. elreychico.com

HALLOWEEN PARTY AT THE BOX: The Old Spice band plays good-time covers for Halloween party. Sat, 10/29, 8pm. $5. Tackle Box, 379 E. Park Ave. tackleboxchico.com MTN STATE OF MIND: Live music at the Oroville winery. Sat, 10/29, 6:30pm. Purple Line Urban Winery, 760 Safford St., Oroville. purplelinewinery.com

OVERDRIVE: Halloween party with ’70s/’80s cover band. Sat, 10/29, 6:30pm. Free. Union Restaurant, 2053 Montgomery St., Oroville. unionfork.com

SECRET TRAIL HALLOWEEN BASH: Hot Flash plays classic dance-party tunes for the night. Sat, 10/29, 6pm. Secret Trail Brewing Co., 132 Meyers St., Ste. 120.

STEVE JOHNSON: Live music for brunch. Sat, 10/29. Free. La Salles, 229 Broadway. lasalleschico.com

SUN30 Special Events HALLOWEEN NIGHT HIKE: Family night hike in the park with CARD. Pre-register. Sun, 10/30, 6pm. Chico Creek Nature Center, 1968 E. Eigth St. chicorec.com

Music

DRIVER: Halloween weekend party with Paradise classicrock crew. Sat, 10/29, 9pm. Jen’s Place, 7126 Skyway,

SUNDAYS AT 5TH STREET: See Oct. 9. Sun, 10/30, 5pm. 5th

EMO NIGHT TOUR: DJs will be spinning all the angst your teenage dirtbag heart desires all night long, and a special guest band will make you feel like you’re at Warped Tour 2008 minus all the dust and melting in the

OCTOBER 6, 2022

Salles, 229 Broadway. lasalleschico.com

HALLOWEEN JAMBOREE 2022: KZFR presents a blowout party

CHANNEL 66: Live classic covers from local crew. Sun, 10/30, 3pm. Secret Trail Brewing Company, 132 Meyers

Paradise. jensplacebar.com

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HALLOWEEN BASH AT LA SALLES: A dance party with groovy Chico crew Jeff Pershing & Friends. Sat, 10/29, 6pm. La

Music

EMMA & WILL: Live music on the patio. Sat, 10/29, 1pm. Free. The Allies Pub, 426 Broadway, Ste. 130.

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sun! Sat, 10/29, 8pm. $17. Senator Theater, 517 Main St. jmaxproductions.net

St., Ste. 120.

Street Steakhouse, 345 W. Fifth Street.

SUNDAYS AT TWO - THE MUSIC OF TOMORROW: This installment features Flounder, combining the freewheeling groove and grit of mid-century blues and jazz with the intimacy and instrumental interplay of chamber music. Sun, 10/30, 2pm. Free. ARTS Recital Hall, Chico State. 530898-3300. csuchico.edu

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MUSIC Left: Acie Schiff, also known as The Human Twitch, says their goal with music is to connect with people emotionally, to share personal struggles “so people can listen to it and not feel alone.”

PHOTO BY ASHIAH SCHARAGA

Below: The Human Twitch (far left) performs with Dumpster Fire Orchestra at the What the Folk Fest, staged in August by Far From Normal Productions under the Highway 99 bridge in Bidwell Park.

PHOTO BY ASHIAH SCHARAGA

Musical healing

that played “really loud, really bad” music, they said. Schiff continued playing in bands throughout high school, but it wasn’t until age 18 that they started taking music more seriously as they learned how to write songs and improved their playing ability. At Chico State, where they studied theater, they also picked up the guitar.

One of Schiff’s favorite bands is Against Me! The Florida-born punk group has been influential to them both for its use of acoustic instruments and because of the band’s frontwoman, Laura Jane Grace, a trans woman. Schiff said they have been inspired by Grace’s strength and how she has used music to cope with challenges in her life and be true to who she is.

“It’s definitely a goal of mine to get to a point in my life where I can feel so comfortable with myself that the music is just part of that,” Schiff said. “I’m just being myself, and in that way, being myself changes the world.”

While attending Chico State, Schiff lived with

Folk-punk troubadour/promoter processes trauma through song by

Ashiah Scharaga as hi ahs @ n ew sr ev i ew. com

Preview: Far From Normal Productions presents East Bay ska punks Stay Out! plus local acts Liquid Eyeliner, Elysium and H.U.S.T. Monday Oct. 17, 7 p.m.

Cost: $15 Naked Lounge 118 W. Second St.

Twitch links: Find The Human Twitch at facebook.com/ thehumantwitch and their recordings at the humantwitch. bandcamp.com Find Far From Normal Productions at facebook.com/ farfromnormal productions and Instagram @farfromnormal productions

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W living in their car and working at a ski resort in Tahoe, using all the money hen Acie Schiff was 21, they were

they earned to pay off a DUI fine and attend drug and alcohol classes. A few years later, they went through a traumatic breakup. Struggling with depression and bipolar disorder, Schiff attempted to take their own life.

Through this painful part of their life, Schiff turned to music to cope—writing raw, emotional folk-punk songs reflecting on these experiences, trauma and grief, which they’d later release under the moniker The Human Twitch.

“That was a really really hard part of my life. I’m really glad that I got though it. Sometimes looking back, I’m just amazed that I did,” they said. “That is where my lyrics come from—it comes from the pain and shit that I’ve been put through. … If I didn’t play music, I don’t OCTOBER 6, 2022

think I’d be alive.”

Now, seven months alcohol-free and in a loving relationship, Schiff is back in Chico (where they attended college) and creating and playing music and putting on shows around town. They are focused on learning to fully love themselves and live their life authentically—as a transgender, gender queer, nonbinary musician and actor—while creating safe performance spaces for other artists to do the same.

In April, Schiff officially launched Far From Normal Productions and has been producing and promoting punk and folk-punk bills at house shows, venues like the Naked Lounge and even at nontraditional outdoor public spaces. In a short amount of time, Far From Normal has made a mark on the community, bringing a fun and youthful energy to the local music scene.

Music, writing and acting have been an

important part of Schiff’s life since they were about 10 years old.

In eighth grade, Schiff started playing the electric bass and, just before high school, got together with friends and formed a band

other theater students and started hosting house concerts in 2015. After the first show was shut

down by police, Schiff moved the concerts indoors and saw a lot of interest from local acts who reached out to them to join the lineup.

Shortly after that, Schiff was not doing well, partying and drinking a lot. They dropped out of school and moved to Tahoe But it wasn’t long before they returned to Chico and began producing house shows again.

With Far From Normal Productions Schiff has organized shows featuring multiple local and touring bands at a variety of all-age locales, including downtown spots Naked Lounge and Om on the Range, and a free festival under the Highway 99 bridge in Bidwell Park.

“I pride myself on [producing] eclectic shows. I really like having different kinds of music so that it is a variety, that it’s entertaining throughout the entire time, that it has a change up, it has a build,” they said.

Their main goal with Far From Normal is to cultivate a community and shows prioritizing safety and respect, they said. They’ve already noticed regular showgoers, including an increasing number of queer attendees.

“I want things to be fair. I want people to get paid. I want people to be represented,” they said.

In addition to their solo work, Schiff has played in a variety of groups (Babblefish, Fool Of A Took, Sid’s A Dick) and is currently part of grunge punk band H.U.S.T.— with bandmates Bryce Goldstein and Jeff Womack—that will be playing in a Far From Normal show on Oct. 17 at Naked Lounge (see infobox).

As The Human Twitch sings in “Remiss,” the titular track of their Dec. 2021 album recorded and produced in Chico: “The pain

Schiff plays a mischevious musical fairy in Legacy Stage’s 2022 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

PHOTO BY MARTIN SVEC/BLACK POINT STUDIO

We need your support A flier for the Aug. 13 under-the-bridge What the Folk Fest.

and the struggle that I suffer gives me a reason to make more art.”

And that art is shifting in a new direction for Schiff, who has been writing more hopeful lyrics lately, they said, which also has been helping their mental health. They are currently working on their next album, Just Enough..., with plans to release it in December with other local musicians under the name Spacey Acie & the Space Cadets.

The album will chronicle their life, starting with childhood. On the song “Just Enough...” they sing, “Every battle’s gotta lose/ Every body’s got a bruise/ You gotta break some bones to heal.”

“Music is medicine, it really is,” Schiff said. “I want to make people cry. I want to make people feel things. I try really hard for my personal music to be really deep, to be really personal so that people can listen to it and not feel alone.” Ω

Help us continue reporting on important issues The Chico News & Review wants to ensure that our team of dedicated journalists can continue working through one of the worst economic and health crises of the past century. With your recurring or one-time contribution, the CN&R can continue our award-winning coverage on the topics that impact the residents of Butte County, including COVID-19, the arts, homelessness, the fight for equality, and wildfire recovery and prevention.

You can make a donation Online at: chico.newsreview.com/support Or mail a check to: Chico News & Review P.O. Box 56 Chico, CA 95927 (Please include return address, email address, and do not send cash.)

Thank you from your local, alternative newsroom.

Independent local journalism, since 1977.

Now more than ever.

OCTOBER 6, 2022

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27

CHOW

The Empire dives back

via an interior doorway, making it possible to enjoy a nice lunch without abandoning your bar stool.

Durham Deli offers a full array of sandwiches and sides, including buildyour-owns, classics like The Italian (Italian meats, veggies, provolone cheese and garlic aioli) and some house specialties (The Jerky Time Brat, for example, features locally made cheese-stuffed bratwurst with kraut, mustard, onions and horseradish aioli). The most popular selection, according to Dave, is The Hot Beef—a French dip-style roast beef sammie served with au jus for dunking. All sandwiches are $7.95 (small) and $10.95 (large).

Sides include the usual deli fare (macaroni, potato, pasta and green salads, chips, cookies) or a bag of jerky. Beer, wine, soda and iced tea are served in the deli, plus the Empire’s full bar is just a few dozen feet away.

During a recent visit, I enjoyed a large ham-and-swiss sandwich and side of pasta salad while sitting at the bar, and washed it down with a “tug” of beer (they offer drafts in 16-ounce pints, 26-ounce tugs and 34-ounce schooners; prices are $5, $7.50, $9 for domestics and $6, $8.50, $10 for craft beers and imports).

The bar was mostly empty when I arrived that afternoon but started filled up quickly beginning around 4 p.m. Neighborly conversation and laughter filled the air, and patrons started games of pool and shuffleboard (both free!) as the jukebox played classic rock. I enjoyed the tasty sandwich, cold beer, friendly faces and that indescribable, familiar-but-foreign feeling one only finds in someone else’s neighborhood bar.

As a long-time fan of the Empire Club, I was perfectly happy with both the old and the new. It’s well worth the short trip. Ω

Durham’s townie bar gets an overhaul and a new deli next door

Tmoderate-length Chico and Durham is a scenic short drive—or bike ride—at any time of the year. In he roughly six-mile stretch of The Midway between

spring, the surrounding almond orchards bloom with pink-tinged white blossoms, and the ancient walnut and oak trees lining story and the roadway provide a cooling canopy photos by during the valley’s scorching summers.

Ken Smith Soon, the landscape transforms into a kens@ newsrev iew.c om kaleidoscope of autumn hues, making way for the stark beauty of winter.

Change is good, and inevitable, even Empire Club 9391 Midway in places that seem like they’ve been the Durham same—and will remain so—forever.

(530) 343-1301 Take, for example, Durham’s venerable Empire Club, which for years stood Durham Deli 9387 Midway as a classic small-town dive bar—downDurham home, dimly lit, a bit gritty and seem(530) 636-4629 ingly unchanged for decades. In other facebook.com/ words, marvelous, if you enjoy that type durhamdeli of atmosphere.

In 2018, the Empire’s long-time owner, Richard Wood, passed away, leaving the town without a dive bar for two years until it reopened under the ownership of Dave Day and his wife, Cricket. From the get-go, Dave aspired to keep the bar’s small-town, salt-of-the-earth appeal, but it also needed a serious overhaul. He’s accomplished just that.

“It’s still a dive bar, just a clean dive bar,” he said during a recent visit to the Empire Club.

Dave shared some horror stories about how badly the building had deteriorated before his stewardship. The bathrooms were notoriously grungy, with a makeshift drainage system made of rain gutters dumping water from a leaking ceiling in the ladies’ room out of a window. Refrigerator systems behind the bar, he said, were dirty, rusted and sitting on bare earth, with the concrete flooring apparently poured around them.

Now, the large, open barroom is clean, Clockwise from left: Owner Dave Day inside the remodeled Empire Club, the dive bar in the small community of Durham.

A ham-and-swiss sammie from the Durham Deli and “tug” of beer from the Empire Club.

Day hangs with customers sitting on a bench outside the Empire Club.

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airy and well-lit. The walls are freshly sheet-rocked and painted a calming light gray in areas where not covered with shiny corrugated metal; a new, concrete bar dominates the large north side in front of blue-lit shelves stocked with liquor; and the bathrooms are downright pleasant. But the soul of the place—which Dave said has been a bar for approximately 100 years—remains the same.

“I wanted it to be a good fit for the community,” he said, “a place where everyone—farmers, ranchers, locals, visitors—can all feel comfortable and welcome.”

While the revamped bar has been going strong since 2020, the Days more recently opened the Durham Deli next door. The deli stands alone though is also connected to the Empire Club

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REEL WORLD Bosch: Legacy

Earthly delights Bosch series continues to blur line between TV and cinema

A the 21st Century, so far, are mostly TV series—The Sopranos,

question: The very best movies of

Deadwood, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Top of the Lake, Longmire, by Better Call Saul, Juan-Carlos Bosch, 1883, etc.

Selznick Yes, no, maybe?

Maybe yes.

Here at the Stream & Dream Lounge, we’ve been bingeing on the Bosch series (seven seasons, 2014-21, followed by this year’s sequel, Bosch: Legacy, on Amazon Prime). Like Longmire and the other series I’ve mentioned in these pages, the Bosch series comes across as both top flight TV and superb cinema. It’s zesty storytelling with a brashly contemporary bite to it.

The title character is

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Harry Bosch (given name— “Hieronymous”!), a plain clothes homicide officer in the Hollywood branch of the LAPD. He’s a smart, hard-nosed investigator with a grim backstory, a passion for controversy and a gift for solving difficult cases—all of which keeps him valued by colleagues and superiors in spite of bouts of insolence and dubious conduct.

Bosch is of course at the center of things here, but the series (based on Michael Connelly’s Bosch novels) is a multi-character affair in which Hollywood and the diverse cultures of urban Los Angeles also play starring roles. The cases Bosch and company investigate bring a wealth of themes and issues with them—broken families, gangs and cartels, racism and sexism (inside the department as well as out),

immigration, legal and jurisdictional conflicts, political corruption, generation gaps, police misconduct and more.

Overall, the series is a mixture of police procedural and sly-sleuth escapade, with an intensely felt side of domestic drama. It’s a hero story in which mortal agonies haunt nearly every episode, and most of the central characters have close encounters, and worse, with mortal danger. Even as individual episodes reach satisfactory resolution, an air of tragedy hovers near the heroes of the moment, sunny urban L.A. settings notwithstanding.

As played by doughty Titus Welliver, the onscreen Harry Bosch is a

Jean-Luc Godard on the set of Goodbye to Language.

PHOTO BY ALAIN SARDE (WILD BUNCH)

physically competent but not particularly imposing figure. Much of the portrayal’s authority resides in the intensity and wariness of Welliver’s gaze—this guy Bosch is shrewd, sensitive and obsessed.

In some moments of righteous fury, he flashes a hint of superhero strength, but by and large he’s the series’ prime example of divided souls in precarious positions of power and authority.

The range of such folk includes Bosch’s partner “J. Edgar” (Jamie Hector), division chief Irvin Irving (Lance Reddick), command Lt. Grace Billets (Amy Aquino), Bosch’s daughter (Madison Lintz) and ex-wife (Sarah Clarke), and Honey Chandler (Mimi Rogers), a controversy-hungry defense attorney who is both nemesis and ally to Bosch. Prominent characters in the Hollywood office include the desk sergeant and voluble sage “Mank” (Scott Klace) and the veteran partners “Crate” and “Barrell” (Troy Evans and Gregory Scott Cummins)—all of whom are major contributors to the series’ witty, allusive streak of on- the-job humor.

Secondary characters of real consequence include the CRT officer who becomes Chief Irving’s second wife (Linda Park), a federal agent (Matthew Lillard), the patrolman son of Chief Irving (Robbie Jones), a boldly forthright judge (Bess Armstrong) and culturally diverse detectives played by Paul Calderon, Jacqueline Obradors,

Cynthia Kaye McWilliams, DaJuan Johnson, Daya Vaidja, Anne Wersching and Deji LaRay. Jean-Luc Godard, the French New

Wave filmmaker who died last month at age 91, was a radical and prolific auteur whose long-range influence extends well beyond the dozens of provocative and innovative films he made in a career of 60-plus years.

No single Godard film provides a definitive “key” to the work of this writer, director, critic and film historian. Maybe the best starting place for absolute beginners would be a book—Richard Brody’s wonderful, jam-packed biography of the man and his work, Everything Is Cinema.

As a lifelong devotee of Godard and the French New Wave, my postmortem viewing choice was one of his last films, Goodbye to Language, a not-easily categorized 67-minute film/poem/essay/collage that is visually brilliant, delightfully unpredictable and full of intriguing questions and insights.

But, to all practical purposes, the heart of the Godardian matter is likeliest to be found in the gallery (and galleries) of his idiosyncratic breakthrough feature films of the 1960s—Breathless, A Woman Is a Woman, My Life to Live, Contempt, A Married Woman, Band of Outsiders, Pierrot le Fou, Alphaville, Masculin Féminin.

View (or re-view) any four or five of those, and you just might have a good start at figuring out what Godard is all about. Ω

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ARTS DEVO

by JASON CASSIDY • jasonc@newsreview.com

Open Daily Noon - 9pm We appreciate the support of our community!

Enjoy our scrumptious food menu as you experience an ever changing collection of artisan beers. Come check out our new expansion!

2070 E 20th STE 160 Chico, CA 95928 PHONE: 530-894-BEER (2337)

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JOIN US ON

‘CHICO’S DRUMMER’ Bone Gruel, Mummified Mice, The Grassy Knoll, Living Karaoke Band, You Poor Devil, Stickmen, Booze, Verves, Sin Twister, Danny Cohen’s Near Death Experience, Lonesome Cowboys, Incredible Diamonds, John LaPado Band, The Trousers, Vibrio, Sexotics, Resistors, Rosie & the Moonshiners, Midnight Rage, IGC & the Green Things, Skiffle, Folkenstein, The Lovely Amanitas, Biggs Roller, The Time Beings, Walter Ego, Starting Today, The Party, Lisa Langley & the LPs, Bobby Weir Band, Third Rail, Tequila Mockingbird, Mutated Funk, Secret Service, Technical Difficulties, Forlorn Hope, Wounded Pickup, The Stuff That Leaks Out, Bender, Poser, Peanich Stoolidge, Tim McKee Band, Carey Wilson’s FryBaby, Tom Blodgett Band, Shakespeare in the Park Green Show Band, Unnamed Barn Band (with Dan McLaughlin, Tim Kemper, John LaPado, et al), Rev. Jim’s Birthday Band, Kentucky Derby Party Band (with Doug Stein and Saul Henson).

That is the (very likely incomplete) list of bands (in no particular order) for which Carey Wilson sat on the throne during his decades spent playing drums in this music-crazy town. Sept. 27, following a diagnosis of stage 4 lymphoma and a summer of treatment, cancer caught up to Chico’s Drummer. Carey died at Glenn Medical Center. He was 68.

This is where Arts DEVO normally writes about his connection with the deceased artist/musician/friend, using this newspaper column to mourn and amplify a person’s impact for readers. It’s a trick I learned from RIP Carey Wilson PHOTO BY KEN PORDES Carey, actually—or should I say from Culture Vulture? Really, it’s C. Owsley Rain, Carey’s nom de plume for the Culture Vulture column that ran every week in the CN&R for four years (2003-07).

My hiring as the paper’s arts editor coincided with his first column, and even though we already knew each other from the local music scene, it was through reading/editing Carey’s words (and collaborating as his coworker—he being the designer of the pages I edited) that I began to understand, and be inspired by, his openhearted approach to devouring life and sharing the adventure with others.

His notes on friends, departed or otherwise, were my favorites and were where he loosed his writer chops to illuminate the character of the characters he ran with (one of my faves being the unforgettable “We’re the only ones who know” piece on legendary musician-abouttown John LaPado). The memorials weren’t obituaries. They were opportunities to think deeply, consider meaning and offer proof that making memories is why we’re all here.

To look at that list of his groups—many for which Carey was the catalyst and consider for one minute the number of people to whom he was connected in the bands and in the audiences, the mind reels at the number of memories/connections he created. Add Carey’s documentation of the local music/arts/social scene, both in his column and as a reviewer for the CN&R on and off for 20-plus years, plus the fact that the energy he put into all of this was actually surpassed by his gentle and kind nature, and it’s no wonder a wave of Chicoans flooded the interwebs with cherished memories of a man who had a gift for creating them.

Even though he was prone to hyperbole himself, Carey would probably poo poo such grand assessments, so I’ll wrap things up with this: One of the qualities I admire most in a person is openness to new ideas, and the people I’ve looked up to as examples for how to live this life are those who’ve sustained this mindset as they age. In this, my friend Carey was the paragon. He may have been disproportionately obsessed with one band—his all-time favorite, Hawkwind—but his fixation did not cloud his fresh-eyed approach to all the world’s offerings. Thanks for sharing the ways of the seeker, Carey. I try to remember to keep my eyes open every single day.

From the entire News & Review family, Rest in Power.

And the beat goes on.

After the Paradise Camp Fire CHIP gives survivors the chance to rebuild their lives

BY ANNE STOKES

C

Chris Howard (l), Cherylynn Richmond (r) and their two children lost everything in the Camp Fire, but are building a new CHIP home in Biggs.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY LAAGER

herylynn Richmond remembers waking up the morning of November 8 to a bright orange hue in her bedroom, something that didn’t concern her at first.

“I thought it was beautiful,” she remembers. “But then I got on social media and saw that people were afraid and trying to evacuate. I got a call from my mom … saying we should leave and that the fire was right down the street.

That’s when we left.”

When she and her partner Chris Howard evacuated their Paradise home, they didn’t take much—just a grocery bag full of clothes for their two young sons and a laptop to watch movies on.

“We thought we’d be back that night,” she remembers. “And then we ended up not being able to come back for a while.”

Richmond and Howard lost nearly everything in the Camp Fire. Gone were irreplaceable family photos as well as everyday necessities like clothes, furniture and the tools Howard earns a living with as a mechanic.

Chris Howard One of the deadliest wildfires in CHIP client the nation’s history, it destroyed 18,804 structures, burned 153,336 acres, and took 85 lives in 17 days before being contained.

Fortunately, they were able to stay with family for a few weeks before finding a place to rent in Chico, where they’ve lived for the past several years. Even though it wasn’t their first pick of neighborhoods to raise their family in, they were lucky to find a place to rent at all. After the Camp Fire, the lack of available housing—not just affordable housing—was a serious issue in the areas surrounding Paradise.

“This was a crisis in our community,” says Seana O’Shaughnessy, president and CEO of Community Housing Improvement Program, also known as CHIP. “Housing development is so slow, … Every single home we build, every single home ownership opportunity, every single safe housing opportunity we give to people, particularly for the Camp Fire survivors, it means so much.”

Even with the support of several aid organizations, Howard says that getting back on their feet was difficult; while there was a lot of help to go around, there was also a lot of need. When Richmond heard CHIP was giving first priority to Camp Fire victims, they jumped at the chance to build and own their home. While the application and approval process took some time, they both say it’s an opportunity of a lifetime.

“The work that went in to get approved was nowhere near what you get out of it. When we look back, it was so worth it. I couldn’t imagine living in a house that I’m paying way too much for,” Howard says. “It was perfect, especially for a family.”

For the past several months, Richmond and Howard have been rebuilding their lives one weekend at a time, alongside their future neighbors, in Biggs, California. With the support of experienced construction crews and supervisors, CHIP clients build their own homes and the homes of their neighbors. CHIP also helps clients with financing through USDA home loans.

“You don’t just get a really good interest rate and a house where you get to raise your family, but you also learn a new trade [and] you meet people you’re going to be surrounded by for the rest of your life. … We’ve actually found some of our best friends through this process of rebuilding,” Howard says. “It’s been amazing to meet people doing the same thing as you are and it seems like they all have the same idea: We’re all trying to be good parents, we’re all trying to build our home.”

According to Howard, their home is slated to be completed around the end of the year, a feat he says wouldn’t be possible without CHIP’s help. The family also expects to see a much lower housing payment than their current rent.

“We’re paying $1300 a month [in rent], but I know people who have gone through the CHIP program, who have built their house and they’re paying $700 a month, living in a great neighborhood and they own their home,” he says. “[They] would have never had the opportunity to own their own home, and I can say that for myself as well. … To own my house at 27 years old, [CHIP] made it happen.”

We’ve actually found some of our best friends through this process of rebuilding.”

For more information on CHIP’s Self-Help Housing program, visit chiphousing.org or call 888-912-4663.

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TELL YOUR STORY Do you need a credible way to get information out there?

Do you have a complex story that needs to be told?

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY FOR THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 6, 2022 ARIES (March 21-April 19): When you Aries folks are at your best, you are drawn to people who tell you exactly what they think who aren’t intimidated by your high energy, and who dare to be as vigorous as you. I hope you have an array of allies like that in your sphere right now. In my astrological opinion, you especially need their kind of stimulation.

It’s an excellent time to invite influences that will nudge you out of your status quo and help you glide into a new groove. Are you willing to be challenged and changed?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Author Toni Morrison thought that beauty was “an absolute necessity” and not “a privilege or an indulgence.” She said that “finding, incorporating and then representing beauty is what humans do.” In her view, we can’t live without beauty “any more than we can do without dreams or oxygen.” All she said is even truer for Tauruses and Libras than the other signs.

And you Bulls have an extra wrinkle: It’s optimal if at least some of the beauty in your life is useful. Your mandate is summed up well by author Anne Michaels: “Find a way to make beauty necessary; find a way to make necessity beautiful.” I hope you’ll do a lot of that in the coming weeks.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Philosopher Alfred North Whitehead said, “It requires a very unusual mind to make an analysis of the obvious.” I nominate you to perform that service in the coming days, both for yourself and your allies. No one will be better able than you to discern the complexities of seemingly simple situations. You will also have extraordinary power to help people appreciate and even embrace paradox. So be a crafty master of candor and transparency, Gemini. Demonstrate the benefits of being loyal to the objective evidence rather than to the easy and popular delusions. Tell the interesting truths.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian poet Lucille Clifton sent us all an invitation: “Won’t you celebrate with me what i have shaped into a kind of life? i had no model. i made it up here on this bridge between starshine and clay, my one hand holding tight my other hand.” During October, fellow Cancerian, I propose you draw inspiration from her heroic efforts to create herself. The coming weeks will be a time when you can achieve small miracles as you bolster your roots, nourish your soulful confidence and ripen your uniqueness.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “Dear Rob the

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OCTOBER 6, 2022

Astrologer: This morning I put extra mousse on my hair and blow-dried the hell out of it, so now it is huge and curly and impossibly irresistible. I’m wearing bright orange shoes so everyone will stare at my feet and a blue silk blouse that is much too high-fashion to wear to work. It has princess seams and matches my eyes. I look fantastic. How could anyone of any gender resist drinking in my magnificence? I realize you’re a spiritual type and may not approve of my showmanship, but I wanted you to know that what I’m doing is a totally valid way to be a Leo. —Your Leo teacher Brooke.” Dear Brooke: Thank you for your helpful instruction! It’s true that I periodically need to loosen my tight grip on my high principles. I must be more open to appreciating life’s raw feed. I hope you will perform a similar service for everyone you encounter in the coming weeks.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): How to be the best Virgo you can be during the coming weeks: 1. You must relish, not apologize for, your precise obsessions. 2. Be as nosy as you need to be to discover the core truths hidden beneath the surface. Risk asking almost too many questions in your subtle drive to know everything. 3. Help loved ones and allies shrink and heal their insecurities. 4. Generate beauty and truth through your skill at knowing what needs to be purged and shed.

5. Always have your Bullshit Detector with you. Use it liberally. 6. Keep in close touch with the conversations between your mind and body.

BY ROB BREZSNY LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The Libran approach to fighting for what’s right shouldn’t involve getting into loud arguments or trying to manipulate people into seeing things your way. If you’re doing what you were born to do, you rely on gentler styles of persuasion. Are you doing what you were born to do? Have you become skilled at using clear, elegant language to say what you mean? Do you work in behalf of the best outcome rather than merely serving your ego? Do you try to understand why others feel the way they do, even if you disagree with their conclusions?

I hope you call on these superpowers in the coming weeks. We all need you to be at the height of your potency.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “One bad apple spoils the rest” is an idiom in the English language. It refers to the idea that if one apple rots as it rests in a pile of apples, the rest will quickly rot, too. It’s based on a scientific fact. As an apple decays, it emanates the gas ethylene, which speeds up decay in nearby apples. A variant of this idiom has recently evolved in relation to police misconduct, however. When law enforcement officials respond to such allegations, they say that a few “bad apples” in the police force aren’t representative of all the other cops. So I’m wondering which side of the metaphor is at work for you right now, Scorpio. Should you immediately expunge the bad apple in your life? Or should you critique and tolerate it? Should you worry about the possibility of contamination, or can you successfully enforce damage control?

Only you know the correct answer.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Of all the signs in the zodiac, you Sagittarians know best how to have fun even when life sucks. Your daily rhythm may temporarily become a tangle of boring or annoying tasks, yet you can still summon a knack for enjoying yourself. But let me ask you this: How are your instincts for drumming up amusement when life doesn’t suck? Are you as talented at whipping up glee and inspiration when the daily rhythm is smooth and groovy? I suspect we will gather evidence to answer those questions in the coming weeks. Here’s my prediction: The good times will spur you to new heights of creating even more good times.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): More than you might realize, people look to you for leadership and regard you as a role model.

This will be extra true in the coming weeks.

Your statements and actions will have an even bigger impact than usual. Your influence will ripple out far beyond your sphere. In light of these developments, which may sometimes be subtle, I encourage you to upgrade your sense of responsibility. Make sure your integrity is impeccable. Another piece of advice, too: Be an inspiring example to people without making them feel like they owe you anything.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Rappersongwriter Nicki Minaj says, “You should never feel afraid to become a piece of art.

It’s exhilarating.” I will go further, Aquarius: I invite you to summon ingenuity and joy in your efforts to be a work of art. The coming weeks will be an ideal time for you to tease out more of your inner beauty so that more people can benefit from it. I hope you will be dramatic and expressive about showing the world the full array of your interesting qualities. PS: Please call on the entertainment value of surprise and unpredictability.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Author Robertson Davies declared, “One learns one’s mystery at the price of one’s innocence.” It sounds poetic, but it doesn’t apply to most of you Pisceans—especially now. Here’s what I’ve concluded: The more you learn your mystery, the more innocent you become.

Please note I’m using the word “innocence” in the sense defined by author Clarissa Pinkola Estés. She wrote: “Ignorance is not knowing anything and being attracted to the good. Innocence is knowing everything and still being attracted to the good.”

www.RealAstrology.com for Rob Brezsny’s EXPANDED WEEKLY AUDIO HOROSCOPES and DAILY TEXT MESSAGE HOROSCOPES. The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888.

Developing a circular economy depends on markets for materials.

STOCK PHOTO

What gets recycled?

Neal Road facility sees sharp spike in e-waste and lots of cardboard

DROP OFF THESE ITEMS

TO BE RECYCLED NRRWF operates a self-service recycling drop-off area. Several items are accepted at no charge:

BY DEBBIE ARRINGTON

W

recycled. “Cardboard sent to recycling is approximately 68% of what hat we recycle keeps evolving. Loads brought to Butte is collected, and of that only 60% is reused to create new products.”

County’s Neal Road Recycling and Waste Facility are By weight, tires represent a huge chunk of stuff not going into constant reminders. the landfill. “(In 2021), 234.96 tons of tires were recycled at the Take electronic waste, for example. All those old computers and NRRWF,” Meza says. televisions really add up.

That’s a service that’s already paid for, she adds, and the “Prior to COVID, NRRWF received about 12,000 units per consumer doesn’t have to haul the tires to the landfill. “(On year,” explains Valerie Meza, Butte County’s Recycling tire purchase), customers pay a $1.50 recycling fee for Coordinator. “In 2020, NRRWF received 32,000 the tire retailer to recycle the used tires. All the units as our local labor force worked from home. consumer needs to do is allow the retailer to In doing so, many consumers bought new remove the used tire upon changing them.” computers and TVs.” Mattress recycling also is paid for at And the old ones had to go somewhere. purchase. Annually, NRRWF accepts about Fortunately, e-waste is on the list of 18,000 mattresses as part of the Mattress household items the facility can accept for Recycling Council’s Bye-Bye Mattress recycling. program.

Along with purchases of new Recycling used carpet has been a electronics, the pandemic also brought a popular addition to NRRWF’s services. It surge in online shopping—and shipping. recycled 24.40 tons in 2021.

That trend already was on the upswing “The carpet recycling program is new to before people had to stay at home.

VALERIE MEZA Recycling Coordinator, the NRRWF,” Meza says. “Carpet is recycled “More than 90% of products in the United Butte County into insulation and plastic resin.”

States are shipped in corrugated cardboard Scrap metal is baled and exported to overseas boxes,” notes Meza. “This type of cardboard can buyers in China or Turkey, where the market and demand actually be recycled up to seven times, making it an fluctuates. ideal reusable choice for a variety of uses.”

“End of life product management is essential to develop a circular Recycled cardboard often becomes more packaging, but it also can economy,” Meza says. “The success of NRRWF’s mattress and be turned into furniture and a variety of paper products such as paper e-waste recycling programs is evidence that product stewardship towels, tissues, writing paper and newsprint. works. But to truly develop a circular economy, it will take Federal In 2021, the NRRWF recycled 85.75 tons of cardboard, Meza and State leadership so that we’re not reliant on foreign countries.” says. But there’s a lot more cardboard out there that’s not getting

“(Corrugated) cardboard can actually be recycled up to seven times, making it an ideal reusable choice for a variety of uses.”

Learn more at www.buttecounty.net/recyclebutte/

• Mattresses and box springs.

• Electronic waste such as computers, TVs, microwaves, stereos and VCRs. Anything with a cord, such as vacuum cleaners, is trash.

• Cardboard. Must be flattened. No Styrofoam.

• Scrap metal. NRRWF cannot accept car or boat motors. Lawnmowers are acceptable if all fluids (including fuel and oil) are drained.

• Auto batteries.

• Bicycles. Bikes in good condition are collected by non-profit benevolent organizations that refurbish the bikes and distribute them to needy children.

Lower-quality bikes are sent to the scrap metal pile.

Some items are accepted for a small fee: • Freon units (refrigerators, freezers, etc.), $15 each. Food and doors must be removed.

• Washing machines, $6 each.

• Hot water heaters, $6 each.

• Carpet, $6 per roll. No padding, no tack strips, no area rugs.

ADDRESS: Neal Road Recycling and Waste Facility 1023 Neal Road, Paradise, CA 95969 HOURS: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

Closed New Year’s Day, Easter, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

PHONE: (530) 345-4917 WEBSITE: https://www.buttecounty.net/ publicworks

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