March 2019 - ChicoSol News

Governor shares his views on death penalty, race bias

Gavin Newsom explains why he imposed a moratorium on capital punishment

by Leslie Layton | Posted March 20, 2019

photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The San Quentin death chamber has been shut down, as well as the state’s lethal injection program.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, in a passionate defense of his moratorium on use of the death penalty in California, pointed Tuesday to well-documented inequities in the criminal justice system that helped lead him to his decision.

The process that places convicts on Death Row is “error prone,” Newsom said in a telebriefing with members of the ethnic media. “I think it’s a racist system that disproportionally affects black and brown people.”

Newsom told journalists belonging to the Ethnic Media Services network that economic and geographic inequities in the criminal justice system also played a role in his decision, as well as practical and moral considerations. read more

Justice for Desmond group marks second anniversary of killing

Families again gather to demand reform

by ChicoSol staff | Posted March 18, 2019

photo by Karen Laslo

David Phillips, father of Desmond Phillips.

Community members gathered Sunday to mark the second anniversary of the killing of 25-year-old Desmond Phillips, shot multiple times by Chico police officers in his father’s living room. Other parents frustrated with Butte County’s criminal justice system again joined the Phillips family for a march, potluck dinner and a program that included speakers and performances.

Scott Rushing, father of Tyler Rushing who was killed in a shooting that involved Chico police and an armed security guard in July 2017, traveled from Ventura to attend the Sunday gathering.

Rain Scher from the Justice for Desmond Phillips team said in an email, “We believe that the community at large should be reminded of who Desmond is and what happened to him and all the things that we fight for in his name: accountability for the officers who killed him and the chief of police, better mental health care access in Butte County, better training for police officers including anti-bias training.” read more

Chicoans take part in a national action against U.S. intervention in Venezuela

At the Saturday Chico Peace Vigil, protesters demand a halt to U.S. meddling

by ChicoSol staff | Posted March 17, 2019

About 30 people showed up this morning in downtown Chico to demand a halt to U.S. intervention in Venezuela and in solidarity with the #HandsoffVenezuela March in Washington, D.C. The United States has imposed tough sanctions on Venezuela and recognized Juan Guaido, who represents a right-wing political party, as president. The Trump Administration has also indicated it would like to see U.S. oil companies actively engaged in Venezuela’s oil production.

“Instead of starving the Venezuelans into submission, we should be engaging with them,” writes the Rev. Jesse Jackson in a letter distributed by A.N.S.W.E.R., the organization that sponsored today’s Capitol march. “Instead of seeking to control their oil, we should recognize their national sovereignty. Instead of fanning coup attempts, we should be leading international negotiations to seek a diplomatic settlement that might lead to new elections.” read more

Butte County slow to ID recent deputy shooters

ChicoSol request results in the naming of nine officers

by Dave Waddell | Posted March 14, 2019

photo by Dave Waddell

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey

At a time when California has made certain law enforcement officers’ records more available for public inspection, Butte County officials have been slow to even identify the sheriff’s deputies involved in two recent shootings.

In fact, the names of the officers who shot wanted parolee GD Hendrix of Berry Creek on Nov. 15 are still not known to the public – several months after District Attorney Mike Ramsey quickly issued “preliminary findings” justifying the killing.

Conversely, after receiving a written request from ChicoSol, Butte County this week did release the names of the nine Sheriff’s Department deputies who fired their guns in a later killing – that of armed suspect Richard Moulton on Jan. 28. read more

28 Valley oaks removed from Bidwell Park

Fire suppression may have gone awry

by ChicoSol staff | Posted March 10, 2019

photo by Karen Laslo

Tree removal created a muddy mess last week.

Last week, if you were anywhere near the Chico Creek Nature Center in Bidwell Park, you probably heard the whine and scream of chainsaws and the roar of a big backhoe.

A CDF prison crew was hard at work cutting down several non-native and invasive Catalpa trees to reduce the risk of fire in the coming months.

But, unfortunately, it appears that 28 healthy, native, valley oak trees were also mistakenly cut down, according to local tree advocates. And because the ground was sopping wet from several recent storms, the heavy equipment made deep ruts in the soil. It’s still not clear who authorized the project and who was in charge of overseeing it. read more

Camp Fire survivor reflects on “levels of loss”

"We are all refugees from this fire"

by Jessica Lewis | Posted March 10, 2019

At about 8:30 a.m. Nov. 8, former Paradise resident Paula Edgar received a call from a friend on the other side of town, warning her that a fire had broken out.

“We didn’t even think we were in danger at first, but we thought we would start packing — just in case,” Edgar said.

When Edgar took her first load of items to her vehicle, she saw the flames making their way up the street toward her house. She realized then that this was something unlike anything the town had gone through before.

“I told my husband, we have to leave now, but he wouldn’t leave until he found the cats,” Edgar recalled. “If I went out one side of my driveway, there was fire, so I turned onto Skyway. There were already towers of flames on both sides of the road. I didn’t know if me or my husband were going to make it out alive, but we both did, thankfully. read more