Politics Archives - Page 16 of 19

Huber, 141 votes ahead, confident of Council win Expects to take office in December for 5-2 liberal majority

by Dave Waddell

Newly elected Chico City Council members will be sworn in Dec. 4, and Scott Huber expects to be there, raising his hand and reciting the oath of office.

According to the latest vote tallies, the liberal Huber holds a 141-vote lead over incumbent Andrew Coolidge for the third and final Council seat contested in the Nov. 6 election. With nine candidates vying, conservative Kasey Reynolds finished on top with 12,758 votes, while progressive Alexandria “Alex” Brown was second with 12,128. Huber currently is in third with 11,521 votes, while the conservative Coolidge is fourth with 11,380. read more

Conservative candidates take an election-day campaign to campus Free ice cream a bonus for students who pause near BMU polls

Conservative Kasey Reynolds, running for Chico City Council and co-owner of a legendary downtown ice cream shop, provided free ice cream to Chico State students on Tuesday across the walkway from the campus polling place at the Bell Memorial Union.

By state law, election-day campaigning — “electioneering” — can be conducted if it’s 100 feet or more from a polling-place entrance.

About six students protested the last-minute campaigning with signs that noted that Reynolds was endorsed by the police union and contending that she doesn’t support “queer people,” “people of color,” “homeless people.” Reynolds and fellow conservative Matt Gallaway, also a Council candidate, were both present. read more

Gallaway gave $250 to Judge Roy Moore PAC Committee backed Alabama Senate candidate who lost amid sex allegations

by Dave Waddell

Chico City Council candidate Matt Gallaway donated $250 last year to a political action committee (PAC) backing Judge Roy Moore, a controversial Alabama senatorial candidate, federal election records show.

The contribution was first referenced in a campaign flier put out by Chico Democrats as Chicoans mailboxes continue to be flooded with mailers in the lead-up to the Nov. 6 election. In what will probably become the highest-spending campaign in city history — and with partisan control of the Council at stake — more than $300,000 and counting has been contributed to candidates and PACs involved in the race. read more

PAC backing Chico conservatives banking big bucks Police union, businessman help bring total funds to $43,000

by Dave Waddell

Chico’s police union and a longtime businessman have supplied big bucks to bolster a political action committee (PAC) trying to keep conservatives in control of Chico city government.

A $5,000 donation from the Chico Police Officers’ Association, as well as Tom Dauterman’s unusually large $10,000 contribution, were booked in recent days by the PAC, called Chico Citizens for Accountable Government (CCAG).

CCAG reported raising $22,000 during the first half of October, more than doubling its 2018 fund-raising to a total of $43,000 through Oct. 16. CCAG is working to elect incumbent Andrew Coolidge and newcomers Kasey Reynolds and Matt Gallaway to the Chico City Council. Even before the October infusion of fresh money, the three conservatives and CCAG together had raised more than $200,000. read more

Council passes new Sit and Lie Ordinance Ordinance opponents stage quiet protest; one detention

photo by Karen Laslo

Audience members turn their backs on the Council in protest.

by Leslie Layton

About 20 opponents of a law that bans sidewalk lounging near businesses turned their backs on Chico City Council Tuesday night as it voted 4-3 to reinstate the so-called Sit and Lie Ordinance.

The protest was quiet and emphatic and different in character from the orchestrated disruptions at the Sept. 4 City Council meeting when Mayor Sean Morgan ordered the chamber cleared and the panel proceeded to advance the ordinance in an almost empty auditorium. (ChicoSol journalists were barred from that meeting.) read more

Chico police didn’t ask for return of Sit and Lie law Councilman Coolidge resurrected contentious ordinance

photo by Karen Laslo

Councilman Andrew Coolidge

news analysis by Dave Waddell

Contrary to Chico’s latest urban legend – one sparked and fanned by certain news media and politicians in the midst of a City Council election campaign — Chico police did not “ask” for the highly controversial Sit and Lie Ordinance to be resurrected.

The distinction of raising Sit and Lie from the dead belongs to a single individual: City Councilman Andrew Coolidge, who’s seeking re-election in the Nov. 6 balloting.

The current Council, controlled by a 4-3 conservative majority, is expected to restore the Sit and Lie Ordinance to city law at its meeting tonight – three weeks before the election, and as voters are receiving their mail-in ballots. The ordinance outlaws sitting or lying on sidewalks next to businesses during certain hours. read more