ChicoSol

Big money plays big role in effort to seat conservative Council candidates Grassroots campaigning helps build Goldstein's campaign fund

photo by Yucheng Tang

Mike O’Brien speaks at a candidates’ forum.

by Natalie Hanson
posted Oct. 21

Chico’s City Council races have become clearly divided between grassroots campaigns that rely on small donors and campaigns funded by wealthy outside interests.

Liberal-leaning candidates rely heavily on door-to-door canvassing and fundraising events. But meanwhile, the hefty financial advantage enjoyed by conservative-leaning candidates has helped drive a strong presence for them throughout the city, from campaign signs to advertising. Conservative-leaning and Republican candidates have long held access to some of the bigger wallets in the region, including in the last City Council race which brought about a 6-1 conservative majority. read more

City Council District 5: What does a diverse neighborhood need?

photo by Yucheng Tang

Candidates Katie Hawley (left) and Melissa Lopez-Mora at the Chamber of Commerce forum.

by Yucheng Tang
posted Oct. 18

This is the third in ChicoSol’s City Council election series. Read our District 3 story here and our District 1 story here.

Renter rights. Pedestrian safety. The unhoused. These are the issues people living in District 5 care most about.

Kaylee Hudson, 29, a Chico State MBA student, worries most about pedestrian safety in the district. She came to Chico only five months ago, but has already been hit by a car while crossing the street downtown during the daytime. Hudson said the driver didn’t stop after hitting her.

Bryce Ingersoll, a Chico State undergraduate, told ChicoSol that he cares most about renter protection. There are many old buildings in District 5, Ingersoll said, and one place he rented had mold infestations growing in the walls. He, like many renters, didn’t want to deal with the landlords, leaving those problems unsolved. read more

Rushings lose federal civil rights lawsuit Jury finds tasing of motionless Tyler Rushing not excessive force

photo courtesy of Rushing family

Tyler Rushing

by Dave Waddell
posted Oct. 17

SACRAMENTO – An eight-person jury decided today that the tasing seven years ago of the thrice-shot, motionless Tyler Rushing by a Chico police officer was not excessive force.

Jurors did find negligence in the incident by police, but attached no monetary award to that judgment, said Mark Merin, attorney for Tyler’s parents, Scott and Paula Rushing.

The decision was a victory for the City of Chico and defendant officers Alex Fliehr, Jeremy Gagnebin and Cedric Schwyzer in a civil rights lawsuit brought by the Rushings.

The family is “pretty devastated, as you might imagine,” Scott Rushing said shortly after the verdict. “My anger level is pretty much off the charts.” read more

Expert: Police fear in tasing ‘imaginary’ Rushing’s parents testify emotionally at civil rights trial

by Dave Waddell
posted Oct. 11

SACRAMENTO — A veteran police practices expert told a jury Thursday (Oct. 10) that it was “imaginary fear” that led Chico police to tase a seemingly incapacitated Tyler Rushing.

That consultant, Roger A. Clark of Santee, testified in federal court that Rushing “was no longer a credible threat” when officer Alex Fliehr jolted his body with a taser shot as Rushing lay semi-prone on the bloody floor of a downtown Chico business on July 23, 2017.

Tyler’s parents, Paula and Scott Rushing of Ventura, also testified emotionally Thursday. Jurors heard too from disagreeing experts about whether the burst of electricity from Fliehr’s taser could have contributed to Tyler’s death. read more

District 3: The incumbent and the challenger Councilmember Bennett ducks interview opportunity with ChicoSol

Northeast Chico’s District 3 stretches from a piece of Lower Bidwell Park to the northern border of the City and westward to Cohasset Road.

by Yucheng Tang
posted Oct. 11

The District 3 City Council race feels like deja vu to many Chico voters.

Two years ago, Monica McDaniel and Dale Bennett both ran for the District 3 council seat, with McDaniel narrowly losing by about 200 votes. This year, the two are once again competing for the same position.

McDaniel remembers feeling incredibly nervous while waiting for the results and frustrated upon learning she had lost. McDaniel believes this year there could be a different outcome.

ChicoSol interviewed and photographed McDaniel on Oct. 3. Bennett did not respond to requests for an interview that were delivered in emails and phone calls. read more

Officers defend use of taser on fallen Rushing Civil rights trial continues with more testimony in federal court

by Dave Waddell
posted Oct. 10

SACRAMENTO – Jurors on Wednesday (Oct. 9) viewed video clips from Chico police officers’ body-worn cameras that captured the last instants of Tyler Rushing’s life.

A dominant color in the scene was the bright red of Rushing’s blood framing his semi-prone body. After bleeding out for the better part of an hour following a serious gunshot wound to his chest from a private security guard, Rushing was shot twice more by a Chico police sergeant and lay on the floor of a title company’s women’s restroom.

Rushing’s buttocks were exposed, his shorts apparently having been pulled down by a biting police dog during a slippery, chaotic struggle with several officers. read more