April 2025 - ChicoSol News

‘Signs of Resistance’ protesters line the Esplanade

photo by Leslie Layton

Charles Barnes of Forest Ranch said he showed up today because “it’s an emergency.”

by Leslie Layton
posted April 19

About 850 protesters turned out for the “Signs of Resistance – No Kings!” protest today in Chico, lining the Esplanade with anti-Trump Administration signage almost as far north as Chico Nut Company. The Esplanade sometimes became raucous with passing vehicles honking their support.

Some demonstrators hoisted signs encouraging supportive honking, and in general signs protested the administration’s radical approach to government reform and its movement to concentrate power in the executive branch. Signs were waved in support of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the immigrant who was shipped to an El Salvador prison because of an administrative error, and in opposition to cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

The protest was organized by a group of local organizations and coincided with a national day of protest. Reuters reports that thousands of people rallied against the Trump agenda across the country, and protests were held in places outside the country, such as Merida, Mexico. read more

Carlson serving time for Bidwell Mansion arson Would a functioning alarm system have saved the building?

photo courtesy of district attorney

Kevin Alexander Carlson

by Leslie Layton
posted April 18

This is the second story in a three-part series on the fire that destroyed Bidwell Mansion and the role the Mansion played in our community. Read the first story here.

The report issued by Butte County Probation in the Bidwell Mansion arson case begins to answer this troubling question: Why did a 30-year-old man with no criminal record set fire to the iconic Victorian?

But though it begins, it doesn’t entirely answer the big “why”: Why Kevin Alexander Carlson shattered a window with a hammer and doused the interior with a gallon of gasoline in a series of maneuvers that began the day before the early Dec. 11 fire. Or how the building became engulfed in flames before Chico Fire Department had a chance to respond.

Carlson is serving an 11-year prison sentence — the maximum possible for his conviction — at North Kern State Prison in connection with the fire that destroyed the 146-year-old former home of John and Annie Bidwell, the couple who are considered Chico’s founders. The medium-custody prison’s website says his earliest possible parole date — which is subject to change — is July 2030. read more

City Council gives the nod to more military equipment Council remains divided on purchases by Chico PD

photo by Yucheng Tang

Chico’s Margaret Swick spoke at the April 15 City Council meeting, suggesting that the money allocated for military equipment could go elsewhere.

by Yucheng Tang
posted April 16

The City Council voted 4–3 to approve the Chico Police Department’s proposed purchase of more than half a million dollars in additional military equipment.

The acquisitions will include three drones, four remote-controlled cars, a launcher that can fire projectiles, two sniper rifles to replace two old ones, 15 police patrol rifles, and three incident command vehicles that can provide a mobile on-site platform for command, control and communications during major incidents.

The total estimated cost is $562,955, not including maintenance fees, according to Chico PD’s military equipment policy.

“Your continued approval will ensure that the community’s police department stands ready to protect them while also keeping your police officers safe,” Police Chief Billy Aldridge told councilmembers prior to the vote. read more

License to kill Why dangerous drivers are on our roadways

photo illustration by Gabe Hongsdusit, CalMatters; Larry Valenzuela CalMatters/CatchLight Local

The California DMV routinely allows dangerous drivers with horrifying histories to continue to operate on our roadways. Too often they go on to kill. Many keep driving even after they kill. Some go on to kill again.

by Robert Lewis, CalMatters
posted April 14

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

Court research by Robert Lewis, Lauren Hepler, Anat Rubin, Sergio Olmos, Cayla Mihalovich, Ese Olumhense, Ko Bragg, Andrew Donohue and Jenna Peterson

Ivan Dimov was convicted of reckless driving in 2013, after fleeing police in Washington state while his passenger allegedly dumped heroin out the window. Before that, he got six DUIs in California over a six-year period. None of that would keep him off the road.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles reissued him a driver’s license in 2017. The next year, on Christmas Eve, he drove drunk again, running stop signs and a traffic light in midtown Sacramento, going more than 80 mph, court records show. He T-boned another car, killing a 28-year-old man who was going home to feed the cat before heading to his mom’s for the holiday. read more

In the fire aftermath, Bidwell Mansion’s future still unclear Long neglected Mechoopda history could play a bigger part in next project

photo by Yucheng Tang

Browning Neddeau in front of the ruins of Bidwell Mansion

by Yucheng Tang
posted April 13

Chico State Associate Professor Browning Neddeau made his first and only visit to Bidwell Mansion, a local landmark from the 1800s associated with the founding of Chico, in 2019.

During the tour, Neddeau and his father, who belong to the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, asked their tour guide some hard questions about the Native American experience during the era of John Bidwell — who is known as the founder of the city – but they felt that their questions were ignored.

Neddeau was frustrated with the “settler-centered mindset” reflected in the stories told during a tour of the Mansion, where Bidwell lived with his wife, Annie. He remembers that the only items related to the Mechoopda Tribe, an indigenous people of California who lived in this area long before John Bidwell’s arrival – was a collection of baskets made by tribal members. read more

Race is on to protect legal immigrants living in the United States In the Northern Sacramento Valley, immigration attorneys are hard to find

by Natalie Hanson
posted April 9

Immigrant advocacy organizations are racing to block the Trump Administration’s attempts to enforce the campaign promise of “mass deportations” that could potentially affect millions of people.

But in the North State, many people live far away from immigration attorneys who could help them with their existing cases or new threats from ICE, said Chico attorney Sergio Garcia, who practices personal injury law, and in 2014, became the nation’s first undocumented person to obtain a law license. Garcia is now an American citizen.

Garcia regularly directs immigrants needing legal help to attorneys practicing in Sacramento.

In recent weeks, the federal government has revoked green cards and student visas — sometimes because of political views — and is pressuring the IRS to provide tax information that will help detain and deport people. read more