Two candidates vie for the Chico City Council's District 1 seat
By Yucheng Tang | Posted October 1, 2024
District 1 is an L-shaped area located west of the Esplanade and extending north to Fannie Drive and south to West 8th Avenue.
Editor: ChicoSol will cover the races for four City Council seats that voters will decide in the Nov. 5 General Election. The first in our series is District 1, where candidate Michael O’Brien has outspent opponent Michael Johnson by almost nine times. (See graphic below.)
Candidate Mike O’Brien is the head of Butte County Interagency Narcotics Task Force and a former Chico police chief; his opponent, Mike Johnson, is a businessman running an IT consulting business and a U.S. Navy officer.
ChicoSol interviewed and photographed Johnson on Sept. 17. O’Brien did not respond to requests for an interview that were delivered in texts, emails and phone calls. The two Mikes have both focused on homelessness, public safety and infrastructure improvements in their campaigns. But ChicoSol found their approaches quite different.read more
Voters pack the Women's Club to question candidates
By ChicoSol staff | Posted January 29, 2018
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Several hundred people filled the Chico Women’s Club on Jan. 27 for The People’s Candidate Town Hall, where four candidates running for the seat of Rep. Doug LaMalfa participated in a forum. Ali Meders-Knight, a member of the Mechoopda tribe, opened the forum, calling for “ethical treatment of the environment” and reminding the audience that indigenous tribes maintained the region’s ecosystem successfully for thousands of years.
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Lewis Elbinger, a Green Party candidate, said we should combine "indigenous wisdom" with the best modern technology. Protecting the Dreamers, he said, is a "no-brainer" and Trump supporters who feel threatened should be engaged in dialogue. Check out his Facebook page here.
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Audrey Denney, a Democrat, said police violence is a “problem of impunity" and officers should be prosecuted in cases of fatal shootings. She also said she would eliminate federal crop subsidies and work for a “farm policy that makes sense for all farmers.” Check out her website here.
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Marty Walters, a Democrat, responded to a question about police violence by noting that the federal government doesn’t regulate local law enforcement agencies. But she added that through training programs the “culture of policing can be changed.” Her website can be viewed here.
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Jessica Holcombe, a Democrat, said she’s a “huge advocate of Medicare for all,” adding, “We’re the only developed nation that doesn’t provide some form of universal health care for its citizens.” Eliminating the role of private insurance companies could lead to substantial savings, she said. Her website is here. Slideshow photos by Karen Laslo, reporting by Leslie Layton.
