February 2018 - ChicoSol News

Literary journal holds launch party Califragile.org provides poetry relevant to the "modern world"

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Sergeant in assault case logged massive overtime District attorney: Chokehold incident caught on body camera

by Dave Waddell

Scott Ruppel, a former police sergeant involved in two fatal shootings and facing an assault charge for an alleged on-duty choking incident, worked many thousands of hours of overtime during his nearly 20 years at Chico PD.

One year, Ruppel logged more than 700 overtime hours, becoming not only the highest-compensated employee in the city’s largest department but among the top five employees in total compensation in all of Chico municipal government. read more

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Saturday Peace Vigil targets gun violence After Parkland school shooting, vigil participants protest NRA

photo by Karen Laslo

Members of the Feb. 17 Chico Peace Vigil held every Saturday downtown hold protest signs in the wake of the latest mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla. Former student Nikolas Cruz used a semiautomatic rifle to kill 17 people on Feb. 14.

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Rushing’s parents file claim in cop shooting Desmond Phillips’ family sues city in federal court

photo courtesy of Rushing family

Tyler Rushing

by Dave Waddell

The parents of Tyler Rushing, who died after being shot by a private security guard and a Chico police sergeant last summer, have filed a claim against the city for damages in excess of $25,000.

The claim, received by the city Jan. 17, was obtained by ChicoSol through a state Public Records Act request. As of last week, the city had not responded to the claim, said Dani Rogers, deputy city clerk. read more

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Chico PD sergeants to wear body cameras Activist wants to see community oversight of videos

by Dave Waddell

Police Chief Mike O’Brien — lauding the use of body-worn cameras by his patrol officers — says cameras will also soon be attached to the blue uniforms of Chico PD’s 13 sergeants.

As first reported here by ChicoSol, Chico Police Department patrol officers began sporting the body cameras last April, a couple of weeks after two policemen shot and killed Desmond Phillips, a young black man in mental crisis. read more

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DA sues DWR over Oroville Dam crisis Ramsey's office seeks damages over Feather River pollution

photo by Karen Laslo

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey

by Dave Waddell

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey announced today that he has filed a civil lawsuit against the state Department of Water Resources (DWR) over last year’s Oroville Dam calamity that forced the evacuation of 180,000 residents downstream.

Ramsey’s complaint against DWR was filed in Butte County Superior Court. It seeks damages of between $34 billion and $51 billion, or $10 for each of the between 3.4 billion and 5.1 billion pounds of material that the suit says were discharged into the Feather River during the crisis. read more

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Officer-involved fatal shootings in Butte County, 2017-19, and agency involved

March 17, 2017 Desmond Phillips, 25 (Chico PD)

July 23, 2017 Tyler Rushing, 34 (Chico PD)

Aug. 17, 2017 Mark Jensen, 56 (Butte County Sheriff's Office)

April 7, 2018 Larry Siordia, 33 (Butte County Sheriff's Office)

April 26, 2018 Myra Micalizio, 56 (Butte County Sheriff's Office)

Nov. 15, 2018 GD Hendrix, 48 (Butte County Sheriff's Office)

Jan. 28, 2019 Richard Moulton, 52 (Butte County Sheriff's Office)

Letter to the Editor: Activists Rebuffed by Current Representation

A disingenuous debate tactic is where one overwhelms their opponent with a rapid fire of different arguments, without regard to accuracy, such that the opponent cannot address any of the points in real time. It’s what the Sunrise Movement, a youth-led organization demanding bold climate action, received when they met with Rep. Doug LaMalfa’s chief of staff, Mark Spannagel, seeking clarification of the congressman’s negative stance on the Green New Deal (GND).

Read more from Sisarie Sherry here.

First Muslim invocation warns against polarization

photo by Karen Laslo

Chico's Ali Sarsour became the first Muslim to deliver the invocation at the April 16, 2019, City Council meeting. Sarsour, a Palestinian-American who is a member and former president of the Interfaith Council, warned Tuesday of the dangers of polarization but also said "...conflicts or differences of opinion do not lead to polarization."

"It is our spiritual responsibility to respond to those who seem professional polarizers, even if they are on our side of the conflict," Sarsour said.

Calendario ChicoSol

District-based Elections Planning Begins!

At a community meeting today, the city says Chicoans will have the opportunity to learn about the transition to district-based elections, ask questions and provide input about the criteria for determining district boundaries.

The Dec. 4 meeting will be held at 1 p.m. at Grace Community Church, Student Center, 2346 Floral Ave., Chico.

A press release says comments can be mailed to City Clerk, P.O. Box 3420, Chico, CA 95927, or dropped off in person at Office of the City Clerk, 411 Main Street, 3rd Floor, Chico CA 95928, Attn: District Elections.

Comments and questions can be emailed city staff at DistrictElections@chicoca.gov. Visit the city’s website here.

Chicosol members are invited to post event announcements that fit with our civic mission. Send your request to chicosolnews@gmail.com and type “calendar submission” in the subject line.