July 2023 - ChicoSol News

New groundwater fee approved for Chico property owners

State today approves groundwater sustainability plans for region

by Leslie Layton | Posted July 28, 2023

A groundwater management board charged with managing a large portion of Butte County’s water supply met a tide of resistance July 26 to a new fee that will be levied on Chico property owners.

The fee was approved by the Vina Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) Board in a 5-0 vote and set at $1.54 per acre for the 2023-24 property tax year. It will thus be almost unnoticeable for small-parcel owners, but ranchers who spoke at the public hearing, held in the Chico City Council chamber, objected that it was inherently unfair to large landowners who aren’t extracting water.

Ranch owner Billie Roney said she and her husband were “shocked” to learn the new fee was in the pipeline. “We’re not irrigating,” she told the Vina GSA board. “The fee structure is not fair. We just keep getting pummeled.” read more

Is Tyler Rushing case finally headed to trial?

Judge denies Chico’s latest moves to thwart police-violence lawsuit

by Dave Waddell | Posted July 26, 2023

photo courtesy of Rushing family

Tyler Rushing

Editor’s note: An emailed statement from Police Chief Billy Aldridge was added to this story the morning of July 28. Because of an email glitch, his statement was unfortunately missed at the time of the story’s posting.

The City of Chico’s efforts to avoid a civil trial over the tasering of an incapacitated Tyler Rushing -– legal moves Rushing’s father calls “bullying” -– seem now at an end with a recent ruling by a federal judge.

“It looks like we’re going to get our day in court now -– or week, or whatever it takes,” said Scott Rushing, speaking by phone while visiting Sunday, with his wife Paula, the Ventura cemetery where their only son’s ashes are interred. July 23 was the sixth anniversary of Tyler’s slaying by a private security guard and Chico police. Tyler, who operated a window-washing business, would be 40 years old had he not been killed. read more

Cities advised to prepare for extreme heat, climate crisis

With no plan in place, heat waves become another threat to Chico's homeless

by Natalie Hanson | Posted July 24, 2023

photo by Karen Laslo

On a recent 100-degree day, residents of the City-sanctioned encampment were sweating it out.

With no city-wide plan for extreme heat in place, Chicoans have few resources to fall back on during dangerous heat waves like the one last week. Like much of California, the City now often faces stretches of days with high temperatures topping 100 or even 110 degrees.

Extreme heat threatens vulnerable residents across the state — including thousands of farm workers toiling in the heat, low-income residents in poor-quality housing and thousands of unhoused people with few options for safe shelter. But Chico does not have a long term plan for managing extreme temperatures.

Panel experts at a recent Ethnic Media Services briefing said that cities need to be prepared to face extreme heat, both in city planning and with emergency public health measures. read more

School counselor speaks out on gender identity case

Guest commentary: "The hatred has been astounding ..."

by Mandi Robertson | Posted July 22, 2023

Robertson said she often incorporates art in her work with children as well as as for her own processing and expression.

My name is Mandi Robertson, and I am the school counselor and wellness center coordinator at Sierra View Elementary School.

I am white, heterosexual, neurotypical, cisgendered, and able-bodied. Though I grew up below the poverty line and experienced several ACEs, I was a first-generation college student and have an advanced degree, a professional license, and financial security. In short, I have privilege tempered by adversity. For the past 20+ years, I have honored my privilege by serving others. I have worked with thousands of children and hundreds of families as a counselor, psychotherapist, and consultant in schools and community-based nonprofits. I am an accomplished, innovative, and well-respected leader, advocate, and mentor in my field and, until January, had received only positive recognition for my work. read more

Lawsuit over gender identity dismissed by federal judge

Schools can't be forced to out trans children, Mendez says

by Natalie Hanson | Posted July 15, 2023

U.S. Senior Eastern District Judge John Mendez

A federal judge has dismissed a Chico parent’s claim against Chico Unified School District (CUSD) over maintaining confidentiality rights for students.

Chico mother Aurora Regino’s lawsuit, which claims that the district must out students who are trans or exploring their gender identity, has been tossed out of federal court. CUSD had argued that it follows state law in protecting the confidentiality of students seeking counseling.

Filed Jan. 6 in federal court in the Eastern District of California, Regino’s case alleges that a school counselor at Sierra View Elementary coaxed a student into adopting a male identity after the fifth-grader confided that they “felt like a boy.” Regino claims her child was encouraged to “socially transition” by adopting a new name and male pronouns. The school did not inform her, and the child later reverted to identifying as female. read more

Groundwater management tax faces protest election

Chico-area residents have only a few weeks if they wish to reject controversial fee

by Natalie Hanson and Leslie Layton | Posted July 1, 2023

Vina subbasin stretches from Durham to the northern Butte County border and includes Chico.

Chico-area property owners have through July 26 to reject a proposed new fee for groundwater management that will otherwise appear on their December tax bills.

The annual per-acre fee would fund and implement a new groundwater management plan for the area known as the Vina Subbasin. That subbasin, which holds a significant portion of Butte County’s water, stretches from the Durham area northward to the Butte County line and includes Chico.

The fee will appear on property tax bills if it’s not rejected in what’s called a “protest election” underway now. Property owners who are opposed can send a written protest by July 26 to Vina Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (see address at end of story) or voice their objection at a public hearing that day. read more