Month: August 2023

After canal failure, Butte Creek Canyon residents ask for accountability Canyon residents want long-term plan for salmon survival

photo by Karen Laslo
Mechoopda Indian Tribe Environmental Director He-Lo Ramirez said a “primary goal” is the restoration of wild salmon on Butte Creek.

by Leslie Layton
posted Aug. 29

How to hold Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. accountable was a top concern at an Aug. 24 community meeting in Butte Creek Canyon following the canal failure that created a landslide earlier this month.

Butte Creek Canyon residents, still worried about the welfare of this year’s relatively small spring run of wild Chinook salmon, also want to know how future accidents can be prevented and whether steps to conserve the fragile ecosystem will be taken. The canal failure washed out a hillside, for a short time damming the creek and for a couple of days turning it sludgy orange.

“This is a sacred, sacred part of California and deserves more loving care because we have the last salmon run,” said Phaedra LaRocca Morrill, one of the organizers of a meeting attended by some 100 people that crowded into the historic Centerville School House on a warm summer evening. read more

Gridley cop’s alleged abuse detailed Accused of using police holds to hurt pregnant officer

Devin Pasley mug shot

by Dave Waddell
posted Aug. 25

Aug. 14, 2023: This story’s third paragraph has been edited to note that Pasley was fired by Gridley PD in February 2023.

In disturbing detail, a woman who is herself a law enforcement officer alleges 13 months of domestic abuse from Gridley policeman Devin Pasley, according to court records.

The woman, who was pregnant with Pasley’s son for much of that time, claims she was restrained in a variety of police holds, including the “twist-lock,” “c-clamp” and “carotid control position,” among numerous other abusive actions.

Butte County Superior Court records show Pasley’s trial date is set for November on felony charges of domestic violence and animal cruelty. Court records detail 15 alleged incidents from April 2021 into May 2022, when he was arrested and put on paid administrative leave until his firing by Gridley PD in February 2023. read more

The checkered history of police Sgt. Mark Bass Latest lawsuit filed against City and Chico PD alleges excessive force

In June, Kona Rush of Chico filed a lawsuit alleging excessive force during the arrest of her 17-year-old daughter on suspicion of drunken driving. The suit accuses Chico Police Sgt. Mark Bass of unnecessarily rough treatment of Lilly Rush, whose arm was healing from surgery at the March incident. Bass is now a defendant in two lawsuits. This video, produced by Julian Mendoza and Dave Waddell, tells the story of the sergeant’s checkered history.

PG&E canal failure under investigation Were state officials notified in a timely manner?

This photo was taken by an observer of the devastation caused by the canal breach.

by Leslie Layton
posted Aug. 15

The failure of the PG&E-operated Butte Canal that caused a landslide into Butte Creek last week, turning the water a sludgy-orange, is under investigation by the law enforcement arm of the state’s Department of Fish & Wildlife.

“We’re very aware of the situation there,” said Peter Tira, an information officer for the department. “Butte Creek has the largest spring run of wild Chinook salmon in California, and that’s the reason we monitor it so closely.”

Tira said today that game wardens have so far found one carcass, but that doesn’t mean that more of the Chinook haven’t perished. The water began clearing after one and a half days, with the orange-ish sediment settling along the creek sides, but the creek middle is still murky, making the search for salmon challenging. read more

PG&E canal failure a threat to salmon, wildlife Harthorn: "This event is an underwater Camp Fire"

photo courtesy of Friends of Butte Creek

by Leslie Layton
posted Aug. 12
This story was updated at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 12 with an additional response from Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. (PG&E).

The breach in PG&E-operated Butte Canal that has turned Butte Creek into orange sludge will turn out to be the death knell for many salmon and some members of other species, says fisheries expert Allen Harthorn.

Harthorn, founder of the advocacy organization Friends of Butte Creek, warns the environmental disaster triggered by the Aug. 10 breach is a threat to what was the state’s best chance to save spring-run Chinook salmon. Butte Creek, a 93-mile tributary of the Sacramento River, is considered critical to the spring run’s survival.

“This was the best run of spring-run salmon in the entire state,” Harthorn said today, “although it was in need of a lot of restoration. This event is essentially an underwater Camp Fire — there’s no fire, but it’s killing everything in its path.” read more