Smart
Keep Chico Affordable
As the cost of living continues to rise and Chico continues to grow, we need to plan for neighborhoods that encourage more diverse and affordable housing options. The good news? The Land Use Element in Chico’s 2030 General Plan outlines how our City can grow and stay affordable long-term!
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Here’s the 2030 vision for Chico, as described in the General Plan:
“In 2030, Chico maintains its small-town character through sound planning and orderly growth. The urban form is compact, with a clear distinction between the City and its surrounding lands. The community enjoys a sustainable building pattern with green development, efficient use of land, mixed-use developments, and a circulation system supporting all modes of transportation. New neighborhoods have blended into and strengthened the existing fabric of the community.” -General Plan Land Use Element
It describes a community that is economically strong, socially integrated, and environmentally sound, a version of Chico we can all get behind. However, the City has fallen behind on meeting the housing and sustainability goals outlined in the General Plan. In District 2, many neighborhoods were never updated with sidewalks and storm drains after annexation, and the roads are especially in need of resurfacing. Our roads are crumbling, our sewers are aging, and it has become fiscally irresponsible to continue expanding city services. Smart growth refers to a set of planning principles that prioritize infill development as a strategy to reduce the financial burden on the City of maintaining new infrastructure. By reinvesting in existing neighborhoods and legalizing a wider range of housing types, Chico can increase diverse and affordable housing options, without increasing costs to taxpayers.
I support adopting pro-housing and smart growth policies, like:
Update and expand existing housing options (i.e. townhomes, garden apartments) by removing permitting barriers, and legalize a wider range of new housing options, like cottage courts, by re-zoning key opportunity sites
Require new neighborhoods be able to pay for new services and infrastructure
Invest in updating infrastructure Downtown to support diverse housing options, like apartments above local businesses
Plan for all residents to have safe transportation access by car, transit, walking, and biking
Protect Renters
Alongside building more housing, we need to keep people in their current homes. We must pass pro-housing measures that protect seniors, renters, and neighbors on a fixed income.
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The City of Chico currently has zero protections for renters. District 2 has a significant number of mobilehome parks, where residents own their home but rent the space underneath it. Despite the name, the homes are not mobile so if the owners of the park decide to raise rents, homeowners are at risk of being priced out of their homes. To prevent people from becoming homeless, the City can pass measures that protect renters and neighbors on a fixed-income so no one is priced out or illegally evicted from their home.
I support passing rent stabilization measures that help keep people in their homes, such as:
Pass a mobile home rent stabilization ordinance to protect seniors
Enforce existing tenant rights
Expand tenant rights, like Just Cause eviction protections
Support Local Businesses, Keep Chicoans Employed
Keeping people housed also means keeping people employed. Last year alone 12 businesses closed Downtown. If we want a vibrant local economy that supports small businesses and a thriving job market, we must change course.
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What if we could support small businesses, invest in our City’s existing infrastructure, and build new affordable housing, and all in one-fell swoop? Former Deputy City Manager Jennifer McCarthy said it best while discussing the ‘Get It in Chico’ campaign to shop local:
“...when you’re spending your dollars locally, you’re helping out your neighbor who might own a hardware store, they might have a car dealership, they might have an appliance store. These people in turn are hiring local people, so they’re hiring your students, they are hiring your neighbors. In addition to that, these businesses are creating sales tax revenue, and those revenues go back into the city to fund things like infrastructure…"
Mixed-use developments encourage community spaces where people can gather, shop, and live. Imagine, apartments above businesses and within walking distance to small grocers, more housing near parks and transit corridors, and more affordable housing options for a range of incomes all in one place. We can design neighborhoods to bring people closer to resources and local businesses, strengthening our local economy and enriching our community life. Instead of building further out into Chico’s surrounding green spaces, the City can rezone key areas, like North Valley Plaza, for mixed-use development, solving two problems at once. This kind of city planning creates more housing and saves taxpayers money by using existing sewer and road infrastructure. North Valley Plaza is listed as a designated opportunity site in the 2030 General Plan because it has the potential to become a midtown core neighborhood in District 2. We cannot afford to let these opportunity sites sit under-utilized. By utilizing smart growth principles, we can plan for a city where local business thrives.
I support measures that encourage a thriving local economy.
Enforce and expand commercial tenant protections to hold negligent landlords accountable
Endorse a Commercial Vacancy Tax to support better deals for tenants
CVT Link to Description Page
A Commercial Vacancy Tax incentivizes commercial landlords to fill vacancies, or pay the City for keeping properties empty. If landlords lower the rent to avoid the tax and bring in new business, it also opens room for existing businesses to negotiate more affordable leases in the future. In the long run, a vacancy tax can lower operating expenses for small businesses and reduce blight. The tax can also be tiered by square-footage so that large commercial spaces, like the empty K-Mart in District 2, don't stay empty for another 6 years. While the Council itself does not have the power to pass this policy on its own, it can host information sessions and encourage voters to put a Vacancy Tax on the ballot.
Re-zone to encourage mixed-use developments and pursue grants to re-envision key opportunity sites, like the NVP
Let’s work smarter to make Chico affordable.
‘Chico 2030 General Plan’ Button
‘Learn More’ Button to Smart Growth (SGA/of America)
Safe
Clean The Creeks
Chico’s bike paths and green spaces are for everyone! By improving shelter and service options, we can prevent camping in public spaces and better maintain the health of our parks and waterways so they can continue to be safely enjoyed by all.
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Everyone should be able to enjoy walking, biking, through their neighborhoods, and spending time near the creek. The Rio Lindo Channel in District 2 is a hotspot for litter and encampments, but Mayor Kasey Reynolds has been open about her belief that cities should not be responsible for providing shelter services. Under her leadership, Chico treated homelessness like a criminal issue, and was sued for it. However, sending more law enforcement doesn’t solve the problem of lack of shelter space and inaccessible services. The Warren v. Chico settlement declared that the ruthless enforcement of anti-camping laws was inhumane, and required the City to provide shelter options for individuals and ensure there were spaces available. This lawsuit is what forced the creation of the Pallet Shelter. Now that the lawsuit’s settlement period is coming to a close, the Pallet Shelter is losing its lawful protection. We cannot allow shelter options to be slow-closed. If Chico doesn’t elect new leadership, the current Council majority intends to return to the same illegal actions that brought the Warren v. Chico lawsuit in the first place.
I will work with service providers to improve shelter and service options, and keep our creeks and green spaces clean and safe for all Chicoans.
Maintain responsibility for providing a low-barrier, emergency housing site including toilets, bathing facilities, common areas, and security personnel (i.e. Pallet Shelter)
Mandate that before relocation and enforcement, homeless individuals must be offered voluntary case management with Outreach & Engagement staff
Approve infill developments that meet the demand for low-income housing, prioritizing access for individuals working with social workers to acquire long-term housing
Focused Enforcement
Warren v. Chico made it clear that it is illegal for the City to criminalize homelessness. By maintaining shelter options and utilizing a more focused approach to anti-camping enforcement, the City can reduce the burden of policing homelessness on law enforcement agencies, while still taking proactive strides to improve the impacts of homelessness in our community.
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The current Council majority has stated that they cannot solve homelessness within the parameters of the settlement agreement. In other words, the only solution they see to solving homelessness is criminalization. In the last two years, the Council majority has approved an unchecked number of new hires and salary increases for law enforcement; coupled with the expiration of the Warren v. Chico settlement agreement in early 2027, and Mayor Reynolds’ interest in closing the Pallet Shelter, the current Council majority is setting the stage for another disastrous handling of Chico’s homelessness crisis, and potentially another lawsuit. We cannot afford to return to the same inhumane enforcement strategies that got the City in trouble in the first place. By deploying a more focused approach to dealing with the most disruptive individuals, involving law enforcement where appropriate, we can address safety concerns while prioritizing long-term strategies to address homelessness in our community.
I support a focused approach to enforcement of anti-camping ordinances.
Coordinate across multiple service providers and agencies to develop targeted intervention strategies, improve accountability, reduce repeat offenders, with an overall goal to clean and sustain Chico’s public spaces
Establish a High-Utilizer or Service-Resistant Outreach Team to address ongoing issues with specific individuals, and utilizing law enforcement to address the most disruptive individuals
Zero-hour notification to remove personal property during high fire danger times of year in high fire danger areas
Prioritize enforcement in right-of-ways, like bike paths, and green spaces
Strong
Fund Our Roads
Chico City Council has shown that infrastructure maintenance is easy to defer in the short-term, but has long-term impacts on Chico’s affordability. We must respect the direction given to Council by Chico voters, and fund our roads!
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As road conditions decline, the cost to repair will only increase. The 2023 Pavement Management Program Update found that 45% of Chico’s roads are in poor or very poor condition. Additionally, some City sewer lines have not been updated since their installation 100 years ago. Now, the City is considering debt-financing sewer repairs, which would cost taxpayers $20-40 million in interest alone over the next decade. We cannot afford to continue deferring maintenance of our sewers and roads. Strong Towns is an organization committed to helping small cities stay fiscally-solvent, and their model emphasizes the importance of consistently investing in infrastructure to keep costs low long-term. And yet, instead of funding roads with the Measure H sales tax initiative that Chico voters passed in 2023, the current Council majority has routinely approved the use of Measure H funds to pay for the expansion of law enforcement. Funding law enforcement cannot come at the expense of maintaining critical infrastructure. In District 2’s single-family neighborhoods some roads have never been resurfaced, and many are still without sidewalks and storm drains. The shuffling of Measure H funds away from infrastructure means these neighborhoods are not scheduled to have their roads resurfaced until the 2040’s.
I support using Measure H funds for infrastructure repairs as voters intended.
Approve Councilor Winslow’s request to lock-off 51% of Measure H funds for streets and roads
Prioritize updating roads in high-traffic corridors and low-income neighborhoods
‘Learn More’ Link to Strong Towns
Defend Local Democracy
I love Chico’s vibrant and close-knit community, and we deserve proactive leadership that we can trust to deliver on the issues that matter to us.
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‘Fund Our Roads’ isn’t just a statement on maintaining existing infrastructure, it's a demand that the City Council listens to the will of voters and the voices of their constituents. The use of Measure H funds is not just an infrastructure and budget issue, it's a transparency issue.
Mayor Kasey Reynolds supported Measure H during her 2022 campaign with the express intent of using the tax to fund our roads, but since then she has voted to approve every funding request by Chico PD to take monies out of the fund for new hires and salary increases. On the issue of Downtown revitalization, in the 2026 State of Chico address Mayor Reynolds said she was working on a long-term plan where, “streets are going to be designed to increase foot traffic, we’re going to have larger sidewalks, which will foster the entertainment zone and culture and shopping.” According to North State News, she ultimately voted against applying for the grant funding “due to a lack of information.” Chico voters should be able to rely on their representatives to follow through on their promises. Beyond Council, We can expand democracy locally by restoring the role of City Commissions. In March 2023, the current City Council majority eliminated all Commissioners’ ability to agendize their own items, leaving them without an avenue to escalate issues they were appointed to represent. Currently, the Climate Action Commission only meets twice a year, and has no authority to hold Council accountable to meeting the goals outlined in the 2030 General Plan. Additionally, the Planning Commission can approve developments, but cannot direct discussion about them to Council. Our City Commissions are essential groups of educated and experienced community members seeking to serve the best interest of Chico, and axing their authority only weakens the function of our local government.
I support pro-democracy policies that increase transparent decision-making and public input opportunities.
Restore the agendizing power of City Commissions
Invite more public participation and extend public comment periods