Border-crossing journalism from the Sacramento Valley
A Chico woman who believes she was groomed for on-duty sex by a “sex-obsessed” police sergeant says she was “treated like a whore” when questioned about the relationship by a Chico Police Department investigator.
The woman, 38, asked that her name not be disclosed. The sergeant, Michael Williams, was fired early this year after five women reported sexual relations with him while he was on duty in 2023. (See four-year timeline that led to Williams’s firing here.)
(This story is part of an occasional series on the impact of the immigration crackdown on North State families.)
Picture this: It’s a hot day in the North State in early July, and after a 3 p.m. meeting with an attorney, a Glenn County personal trainer stops at a gas station to fill his tank. Suddenly, several vehicles including a Ford Explorer pull up around him. Eight men surround him and tell him he’s under arrest.
That’s roughly how the terrible odyssey back to Mexico began for a Chico-area man who opted for deportation after an interview at Redding’s Immigration, Customs & Enforcement (ICE) sub-field office. ICE gave him a couple of options, neither of which sounded good: Spend what might be years in an overcrowded detention cell or deport.
For abuse survivors like Juana Padilla, nonprofit organizations can be a lifeline amid heightened threats of federal enforcement actions which sometimes lead to deportation.
Padilla, a woman who suffered domestic abuse in Southern California, told a recent American Community Media (ACoM) panel that the Survivor Justice Center in Los Angeles helped her get protection for herself and her Mexican-born children. The children are now here legally and getting the treatment they needed, she said.
For the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico, California Native American Day on September 26th is more than a date on the calendar. It is a celebration of who we are, where we have come from, and where we are going. It is a reminder that the Mechoopda people have always been here, stewarding the land and passing on our traditions for countless generations. Our Tribe’s ancestral homelands stretch across the Sacramento Valley, with deep roots along Little Butte Creek and what is now known as Chico.
Changemaker is an occasional series that highlights community members contributing interesting work. Submit ideas for the series to chicosolnews@gmail.com.
Chico attorney Ron Reed’s life falls into two distinct chapters: One of getting, and one of giving.
Before turning 47, he was a land developer in Wyoming, trying to earn enough money so he could do nothing after retirement. After 47, he retired, sold out everything in Wyoming, and moved to Chico, but then attended McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, beginning a busy second half of his life.
The City Council voted unanimously Sept. 17 to identify location and service options for the Cohasset and Eaton Roads camping site where unhoused people have lived for several years, sheltered only by tents. The Council’s motion directs staff to look at alternative locations, whether the camp could be split among smaller sites and possible collaboration with service providers.
The discussion was initiated by Councilmember Mike O’Brien after a resident living in the neighborhood brought up safety concerns at a recent meeting.
