In late June two city councilmembers for the city of Chico, CA have resigned. Prior to these resignations, the council was comprised of five GOP and two Democrats. Now it is down to four GOP (including the mayor) and one Dem.
The first council member to resign was Scott Huber (Dem), who quit after being cyberbullied for taking a summer job. Because of the harassment, he quit before actually starting. He had received permission from the city clerk beforehand to take the short-term job. Huber has been one of the strongest advocates for the homeless in this city. And the council has been consumed for the past several years on how to deal with homeless who can not find room in local official shelters. (The homeless situation was exacerbated by the Camp Fire in Nov., 2018. Some fire victims are still among the homeless.) So the summer job was an excuse by homeless haters to push him off the city council.
In the name of city “safety” and “beautification”, *ist MAGA types have been pushing the city council to drive the homeless out of town, or at least to the edge of town, where they are less likely to be seen (particularly in the downtown area of restaurants and boutique shops.) After the city was sued for violating civil rights of the homeless, this was the best “solution” it could come up with recently, an awning on barren land out near the muni airport where few amenities (such as bus service) are available.
www.actionnewsnow.com/...
www.actionnewsnow.com/...
As noted by the editor of a local newspaper —
It is, quite frankly, an unmitigated failure. In a word, shameful.
I wouldn’t walk my dog at that site, let alone let him live there for any length of time. In my mind, the set-up closely resembles criminal negligence. Seriously. Were people to actually use it in this triple-digit heat—few have, for obvious reasons—I expect some would die. At best, we’re talking massive liability. It doesn’t matter that the site is temporary.
Mind you, the only reason any type of respite space has been attempted is because a federal judge blocked the city from further evicting people from public parks until such time that a suitable alternative location is established. I can’t imagine this is what he envisioned. chico.newsreview.com/...
GOP council members actually expected homeless to pack up their tents from treed areas in other parts of town and move to this piece of dry clay during the middle of summer when daytime temps often exceed 100 degrees. Burning Man has better amenities than this spot.
Then on June 26 councilwoman Kami Denlay resigned. She was outed as not only NOT living within city limits, but NOT living in the same county. She and her family (allegedly) moved to Red Bluff, CA (which is in Tehama, the next county to the north) shortly after being sworn into office last December.
Despite voter registration for the city being comprised of only 27% GOP (44% Dem), the heavy GOP “super” majority resulted this past election from the city equivalent of gerrymandering, which split the progressive vote in at least 4 districts. (Prior to the resignations, one GOP and the two Dems were still serving their terms from the previous election. Those 3 city wide seats will be elected by district in the next election. 2020 was the first election that city council members were voted on by district rather than city-wide.) Such district representation may be more fair to residents in certain areas of large cities such as Los Angeles, but not for a city of 100,000 or so.
The past couple of weeks the GOP majority on the council “debated” whether to appoint replacements or hold a special election to fill the vacant spots (possibly to be held at same time as the governor recall election in Sept.) Now they’ve voted (4-1) to appoint the replacements.
www.actionnewsnow.com/...
Let voters decide —
Open Letter to the Chico City Council
June 21, 2021
The Butte County Democratic Party is outraged by the agitators who, in the pursuit of political advantage, cost Chico City Councilor Scott Huber his employment.
Members of the political action committee Citizens for a Safe Chico and other conservative groups targeted a public official’s employer, threatening not only his livelihood, but the viability of the employer’s business itself. Council member Huber resigned from his position as a result.
The tactics employed by his detractors are vile and unacceptable. This repulsive and insulting behavior must stop. Butte County is better than that.
Every citizen has the right to disagree with and criticize elected representatives, but redress comes on Election Day. To prevent a local official—a neighbor—from making a living simply due to political differences crosses the line of free speech and has no place in the democratic process.
Citizens for a Safe Chico receives the bulk of its substantial funding from conservative business owners, even our Republican assemblyman. We call on these contributors to reflect on their own difficulties, and the difficulties of friends and loved ones, staying afloat during the pandemic and join us in condemning those who would weaponize the job market.
For the other Chico City Council members, regardless of political affiliation, we call on each of you to strenuously—and on the public record—denounce, condemn, state your objection to these tactics, and demand a more civil political discourse.
Respectfully,
James Aram
Butte County Democratic Party Chairperson
For the legal eagles, this is the schedule of when the appointments will be made —
Chico residents who are registered to vote who would like to apply for a vacant seat can begin submitting applications Wednesday, with a deadline for submissions of July 15.
The city council will interview selected applicants on July 20, and then, in a special meeting scheduled for July 27, will make the two appointments.
The two seats were vacated by the resignation of Scott Huber on June 21, followed less than one week later by Kami Denlay’s resignation.
The successful applicants will complete Huber and Denlay’s terms in office which conclude at the end of 2022. www.actionnewsnow.com/...
City Municipal Code —
A. Any vacancy in the office of councilmember shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term by special election called by the council to elect a successor and to be held as soon as practicable. However, a special election need not be called if (1) the term of the vacant office ends less than six months from the date the vacancy occurred or, when a declaration of vacancy by the council is necessary to establish the vacancy, the effective date of the vacancy so declared, and (2) the election cannot be held earlier than the 42nd day before the next general municipal election for election of council members.
B. Notwithstanding subsection A, during the first 30 days of any vacancy, the council may, in lieu of calling a special election, fill the vacancy by appointment of a person qualified to be a candidate for city councilmember. The appointee shall hold office until the first Tuesday in December following the next general municipal election and until the appointee's successor qualifies. At the next general municipal election following any such appointment, a successor shall be elected to serve for the remainder of any unexpired term.
By my calculation, July 27 is NOT “during the first 30 days of any vacancy” following both resignations.
