Month: August 2024

Ex-cop’s domestic violence charges dropped Former Gridley officer convicted of animal cruelty for abusing dachshund

by Dave Waddell
posted Aug. 19

Felony domestic violence charges resulting from disturbing allegations against a former Gridley police officer were dropped because the alleged victim, herself a police officer, refused to testify.

However, the defendant, 31-year-old Devin Pasley, was convicted Aug. 7 of misdemeanor animal cruelty after a three-day trial in Butte County Superior Court. He is scheduled to be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 29. Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said the judge is expected to put Pasley on probation for three years. read more

Policy critics: Chico’s Climate Action Plan neglected Given weather-related disasters, does the City focus enough on climate change?

photo by Leslie Layton
The City’s updated Climate Action Plan.

by Natalie Hanson
posted Aug. 13

Butte County, facing the Camp Fire, the Dixie Fire, the Park Fire and extreme heat, has been on the frontlines of climate change in recent years. But the City of Chico has not made policies reflecting the urgency of these crises, some say.

Chico’s Climate Action Commission’s role has over time been cut dramatically, and the plans staff put together over years to help plan for a future of climate change have not been properly implemented, say some Chico residents. In their view, a lack of planning for climate change is symptomatic of the City’s unwillingness to make climate change the focus of policy or even fund the work to do so. read more

Back to court: City wants relief from Settlement Agreement Chico leaders reject plaintiffs' proposed revisions

photo by Dave Waddell

by Leslie Layton
posted Aug. 8

The City of Chico plans to file a court motion next week asking for “relief” from the Warren v. Chico Settlement Agreement, an effort to give City leaders the latitude they seek to enforce anti-camping ordinances, conduct evictions and generally address homelessness.

As negotiations between the City and Legal Services of Northern California (LSNC) came to a crashing halt, the City today issued a press release that says “… with regard to the Warren Settlement Agreement itself, the City expects to file a motion to seek judicial relief” next week. read more

Chico’s ordinances criminalize homelessness, critics say Winslow: "This is a formula for fire and trash"

photo by Karen Laslo
Chico’s ordinances have long been used to carry out eviction sweeps, like this one at Bidwell Park.

by Natalie Hanson
posted Aug. 8

Civil rights advocates have often accused the City of Chico of creating a “web of ordinances” that target unhoused people.

These advocates say the enforcement of anti-camping ordinances restrict the actions of homeless people by threatening fines, misdemeanor charges or jail time. Unhoused people in Chico have few options for where they may sit or sleep during the day or night or where they may place their property. They may face citations for violations, including for having a vehicle in which they sleep or for pushing a cart of belongings. read more

Plaintiffs respond to City as it tries to extricate itself from Warren Councilmember Winslow calls for more transparency

photo by Manuel Ortiz, EMS
A resident of the Alternate Site, which the City was required to set up under the Settlement Agreement.

by Leslie Layton
posted Aug. 7

The legal aid agency representing plaintiffs in the Warren v. Chico lawsuit has indicated it will re-negotiate the Settlement Agreement that dictates how the City must approach homelessness.

But Legal Services of Northern California (LSNC) does not seem ready to give up one requirement: That the City show there are shelter beds available prior to evicting the unhoused from public spaces.

The City Council has discussed re-negotiations in closed sessions that were held July 9 and 16 and Aug. 6, releasing information when and as it chooses. The LSNC response letter was released today by dissenting Councilmember Addison Winslow, who noted that it’s a public document that may soon be released by the City. read more