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January 31, 2008
Vulnerable
While Supervisor Bill Connelly cast the deciding vote on the proposed M&T gravel mine, it’s Supervisor Curt Josiassen who should be worried.
Josiassen’s vote in favor of the project placed him squarely against many citizens in the Chico and Durham area, who represent a decent sized chunk of voters.
A group of citizens have already been discussing the possibility of supporting a candidate to oppose Josiassen during this year’s re-election.
It’s speculated that some of these people are considering paying for a poll of voters in Josiassen’s district to determine whether his gravel mine vote is salient enough to run against.
I think a strong, independent moderate candidate with farming ties who was against the gravel mine could pose a serious threat to Josiassen – with or without a poll to back up a decision.
It’s always tough to run against an incumbent, but the gravel mine vote might be enough to persuade voters to back a challenger.
Apologies for inflicting this horrible Roxette song and video on you, but when you listen you'll know why I'm dedicating the song to Josiassen.
Enjoy the extended fluffy cat shots.
Today's Scrabble word is ai, a type of sloth.
Posted by dan_nt at 12:00 AM | Comments (4)
January 30, 2008
Bye Bye
John Edwards and Rudy Giuliani say bye bye to the campaign.
February 5 Super Tuesday will be a head-to-head matchup between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side and John McCain and Mitt Romney on the Republican side.
Mike Huckabee stays in the race to undermine Romney's social conservative base. Huckabee will position himself nicely for a McCain/Huckabee ticket, which I believe is the strongest combination among the leading Republicans.
Under a McCain/Huckabee administration, Chuck Norris will be announced as Secretary of Defense-in-waiting.
I don't expect Feb. 5 to settle the Democratic competition unless some momentous issues appear between now and the big primary day.
And you know what's going to be the big difference in our local elections in 2008? It's going to be voter turnout from the Presidential election - not any particular local candidate or controversial local issue.
That's one big reason I'm behind Obama. Clinton activates Republican voters as much as any of the remaining Republican candidates.
Obama is appealing to moderate Republicans and independents in ways that Clinton, for many reasons, can't do.
Today's Scrabble word is fease, or to faze.
Posted by dan_nt at 05:31 PM | Comments (6)
January 29, 2008
Blue Screen
I've been having technical difficulities with my PC. All you Macintosh users can rub it in now.
Technical difficulities is a polite way of saying "holy %$@#, when did I last backup my data?"
Today's Scrabble word is illy, or badly.
Posted by dan_nt at 11:54 PM | Comments (4)
January 28, 2008
News
This article "Might Google Buy the New York Times?" by John Ellis is a fascinating read.
Print news is a tough business model right now. The SF Chronicle has been bleeding. And so have many other newspaper and publishing businesses.
The best media outlets have figured out a way to monetize its online platform or cross-purpose information for other uses. Google is mastering this effort, which is why it's so freaking profitable.
Chico is lucky to have multiple news outlets offering different takes on local issues.
One of these days someone will organize enough competent, local observers for a 100% online publication to cover Chico State, Butte County, Enloe Hospital, and City Councils, to provide in-depth local news coverage and analysis.
This effort would be a labor of love.
Today's Scrabble word is foison, or strength.
Posted by dan_nt at 05:38 PM | Comments (1)
January 27, 2008
Change
Even the leading Republican candidates are attempting to position themselves as candidates for change.
The appropriation of change as an overarching theme by the party's leading candidates says a lot about the standing of the George W. Bush administration right now in the eyes of most Americans, including many Republicans.
Most of my Republican friends feel Bush is simply irrelevant now and disappointing due to his mismanagement of Iraq, Katrina response, deteriorating American standing in the world, and a litany of other failures or unfulfilled efforts.
David Bowie is more relevant than Bush now, at least in song.
Bush's positive legacy, at least from the perspective of his supporters, will be his Supreme Court appointments - and that he happened to be President during a time of tremendous uncertainty about how to handle terrorism in the wake of 9/11.
Most people don't even realize or don't care that Bush will deliver his final State of the Union speech on Monday. He is the lamest of lame ducks right now.
By the way, if you haven't made up your mind about the Feb. 5 primary vote, don't rely on websites like VoteMatch or Glassbooth.
These websites are horribly reductive - attempting to take complex issues and boiling them down into oversimplified statements. Although they are mildly amusing to try out.
All I can say is when I used VoteMatch, my similarity with Duncan Hunter was zero, while my percentage alignment with Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney were 10%. Thompson and Hunter, thankfully, are no longer running.
But were they ever running anyhow?
Today's Scrabble word is hyte, or insane.
Posted by dan_nt at 12:05 PM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2008
We're #3!
The E-R reported: "The state says Chico's air is the third dirtiest in California when it comes to a certain kind of pollution, and the steps that will be required to clean it up are likely to include limitations on fireplaces and older woodstoves."
It's thousands of people like John in the above video who are making our air quality poorer.
At least Chico didn't get mentioned in Forbes list of America's Drunkest Cities, especially given the Chico Police Department's busy efforts.
In light of Chico's #3 designation for bad air quality, I offer a musical tribute by Air Supply, a band whose members clearly didn't have too many small particulate pollution lodged in their lungs to hit their notes.
Although I bet there are a lot of PM2.5 pollution in the lead singer's hair.
Watching this video makes me nostalgic for the bygone days when music videos told a story full of complexity, tension, awkward staring, and cheesy lasers and lighting.
And it makes me nostalgic for those bygone days when our air quality was better.
Today's Scrabble word is potage, or thick soup.
Posted by dan_nt at 12:00 AM | Comments (5)
January 25, 2008
Dylan Tellesen
Dylan Tellesen is one of my favorite local artists. His solo exhibit, "Please Don't Feed The Animals," is showing at UC Davis Memorial Union Gallery.
The show runs from January 7 to February 7.
Tellesen put together the above time-lapse video which gives viewers a good sense of the creativity and work involved in painting a mural.
If you don't have 5 minutes to kill to watch the video, just skip to the later half of the video to watch the more interesting parts. At the very least, skip the first 35 second drive to Davis until you get to the painting section.
I think it's a very cool video.
Below is an image from Tellesen's blog:
Today's Scrabble word is duddie, or ragged.
Posted by dan_nt at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
January 24, 2008
UVaCide
Local company UVaCide was mentioned in a recent Sacramento Bee column.
The company is led by John Strisower, a serial entrepreneur with experience in a broad range of industries from gambling to newspapers.
The company's slogan is "Healing at the Speed of Light." I prefer the slogan "Healing at 299,792,458 metres per second."
Today's Scrabble word is gunny, a coarse fabric.
Posted by dan_nt at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
January 23, 2008
Murphy Commons
Last week Jarvis Gardens hosted its official dedication.
This Friday CHIP's 86-unit apartment housing development Murphy Commons will hold its dedication at 1 pm at 1290 Notre Dame Blvd.
According to CHIP's website:
"Murphy Commons is named after William A. “Bill” Murphy (1939-2003), who was one of the founders of Community Housing Improvement Program, CHIP, and a former City of Chico staff and City Council member...Bill Murphy served on the CHIP Board of Directors, 1979-1984 and was an associate member of CHIP throughout his life. He was honored for his many contributions to community, university, and government service."
In anticipation for Friday's event, Mayor Andy Holcombe is spending this week sharpening his over-sized scissors for the expected ribbon cutting.
Today's Scrabble word is serry, to crowd together.
Posted by dan_nt at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)
Battle-Mart
It’s surprising to me that community members in Chico, Oroville, and other parts of Butte County have not organized as strongly in opposition to the proposed Mechoopda casino as much as Chico-area residents have organized against the two proposed Wal-Mart Supercenters.
The E-R editors are clearly ambivalent about the proposed Mechoopda casino by taking no strong position for or against the project.
I wonder if this apathy is a sign that residents feel that the project, in many respects, is out of local control and largely the domain of the State and Federal government decision-makers.
Perhaps the proposed casino is simply too conceptual or far removed at this time for people to get agitated over. Or maybe most people don't care.
The proposed Wal-Mart Supercenters in Chico have provoked an entirely different response. Chico Advocates for a Responsible Economy (C.A.R.E.) have been organizing against the two proposed Wal-Mart Supercenters for several years. The group clearly recognizes that the upcoming land-use battles are local battles.
C.A.R.E has taken its some of its cues from Wal-Mart Watch, which has developed a substantive online resource of information on how to defeat Wal-Mart locally.
I believe that the proposed north Wal-Mart will likely do go down in defeat. The big question, is whether the existing south Wal-Mart will be allowed to expand into a Supercenter, and if so, what conditions will be placed as part of the approval process.
Members of C.A.R.E believe that both Supercenter proposals should be rejected and organizers have planned an "afternoon of action" this Saturday, January 26th from 2-2:30 pm at the Pageant Theatre on 6th and Flume.
The Saturday event will provide a status report on both projects, expected timeline regarding public hearings, and information on ways to get involved and organized.
Today's Scrabble word is gemma, an asexual reproductive structure.
Posted by dan_nt at 12:00 AM | Comments (16)
January 22, 2008
Nevada
Thank goodness The Daily Show is back in action.
Today's Scrabble word is civet, a catlike mammal.
Posted by dan_nt at 06:40 PM | Comments (0)
Gravel Claims
The E-R’s Roger Aylworth wrote a good summary of the M&T gravel mine controversy in his article “Lengthy debate over gravel mine nearly over.”
In his article, Aylworth summarizes key arguments for and against the project. The article also lists several claims and counterclaims, including:
“It would flood the area with mammoth, dangerous trucks, spewing pollution and endangering the lives of all citizens, but particularly children. It will cut truck traffic on the roads, and reduce pollution. It is an evil scheme spawned by an out-of-state corporation. It is an idea kicked around by a pair of hunting buddies that will be carried out by 150 loyal, hardworking local citizens. It will exacerbate flooding and contaminate the groundwater. It will create a glorious wildlife habitat that will bless the region long after the mine itself is closed.
If approved, I might add the following claims about the proposed gravel mine:
It will lead to Hillary Clinton becoming President.
It will reverse the effects of global warming.
It will make you lose weight without exercise.
It will cook better meat than the George Foreman grill.
It will cause accelerated hair loss among men living in or near Durham.
We've heard many hyperbolic claims on both sides of the gravel mine issue. I've added the above list to the debate to better inform Supervisors who will make the tough decision later this month.
Today’s Scrabble word is dal, a dish of lentils and spices from India.
Posted by dan_nt at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
January 21, 2008
One Voice
It's Martin Luther King Jr. Day so watch again the above inspiring speech.
And then watch another generation's inspirational public figure Barrack Obama:
The sun rising tied to the Obama logo at the end is brilliant graphical messaging.
And if you think Obama just gives great speeches, check out his substantive recent conversation with the editorial board of the SF Chronicle:
Today's Scrabble word is hora, an Israeli dance.
Posted by dan_nt at 12:00 AM | Comments (2)
January 20, 2008
Budget
When the City budget debate intensified over the past year, I’ve wondered what former City Manager Tom Lando thought about all the fuss.
During the 2006 election when it seemed like some groups were trying to unfairly blame one group of City Councilors for all the budget challenges, I asked:
”What does former City Manager Tom Lando and former Assistant City Manager Trish Dunlap think since they were responsible for managing the City's budget during most of the last decade?
Tom Gascoyne’s feature, “City Headed to Poor House!” attempted to answer this question better than most previous media reports, but Lando’s quotes demonstrated his adeptness at sending multiple messages, like this quote from Lando:
"I think there is a budget problem, maybe even a crisis, but I don't think it is unusual. I don't think it is worthy of the attention it's received," he said. A 10-year projection in a volatile economy is asking for trouble, he said. "When I came in and saw the $24 million hole in the budget [in 1992], I thought it was real. I said in a budget message we are in a precarious financial position and I heard that for the next three to five years. [Former City Councilman] Dan Herbert ran on that platform. "I said, ‘Why are we doing this? It is meaningless.' If we can look one fiscal year out and say we are in positive position, then we are in good financial shape; we are doing well."
It’s hard to parse this quote.
One the one hand, Lando says the budget problem is “maybe even a crisis” yet he also says that if the City can balance its budget each year and plan one year out, which it does every year, then the City is likely is “in good financial shape.”
And curiously, while Lando thinks there may be a “crisis,” it’s not “unusual.” In other words, it appears Lando feels like the City is always facing a budget crunch, which is true if you read almost every City Manager budget message Lando wrote warning City Councils to be wary of spending more than he recommends and cautionary that the State might take more local government money.
And it seems like even though Lando feels like the budget is always a source of concern, he feels that the local media and some community groups have been over-hyping the problem, like former City Councilor Dan Herbert did when he ran for office the first time.
The only definitive statement Lando made was that he clearly feels the 10-year budget forecast proposed by former City Manager Greg Jones was not a wise decision. Lando was quoted saying:
"I among other people said, ‘We are not Concord. We're not Redding. Our politics are brutal. A 10-year budget will simply raise political issues. It won't raise focus.'
We’ll see how the budget challenges this year play out as a political issue in 2008, while the entire City Council grapples to “raise focus” on the important steps to first deal with controlling spending.
Today's Scrabble word is rev, or to speed up.
Posted by dan_nt at 10:19 AM | Comments (2)
January 19, 2008
Federal Clearance
As the E-R reported, the Mechoopda tribe received federal clearance by the U.S Department of Interior on its proposed casino in between Chico and Oroville.
According to the E-R, the Mechoopda economic development liaison Sandra Knight “…said the tribe would ‘welcome discussions’ with Butte County about providing government services for the casino.
Rather than a “welcome discussion,” my prediction is that the tribe will receive an unwelcome lawsuit filed by Butte County. County officials from elected officials to senior staff are strongly against the proposed site.
In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were several lawsuits filed against the proposed casino – one by Butte County and another by an environmental organization like Butte Environmental Council.
County Supervisors are unanimously opposed to the proposed casino.
It's unclear how individual City Councilors in Chico and Oroville feel about the proposed site, even though the decision to move forward largely rests with state agencies now.
I'm surprised not as many citizens have organized to try to pressure various agencies to block this proposed casino.
Today’s Scrabble word is spinor, a type of mathematical vector.
Posted by dan_nt at 05:32 AM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2008
Election Time
You know we're already into local election season when the E-R editorials become increasingly critical of the "liberals" on the City Council, yet effusive with praise about the "conservatives."
This week the E-R managed to do both in one week. Earlier this week the E-R published an editorial that could have been written by Councilor Larry Wahl himself.
Despite Wahl being "a little over the top" - but of course not uncivil, just brutally honest - the E-R apparently wishes to prop up Wahl as a fiscal truth-teller despite Wahl's own culpability in the budget challenges he decries.
And a few days later the E-R editorialized in "Council won't let some issues die":
"Over the years, the artificial issues include how the conservatives don't care about sustainability, how the conservatives want to demolish the green line, how the conservatives are trying to dismantle Halloween and how the conservatives want to build homes on top of the burn dump."
Those darn liberals. They're always making up issues. Too bad they can't be honest like conservative-leaning groups and the E-R who obviously also won't let issues die. For example:
"Over the years, the artificial issues include how the liberals don't care about business, how the liberals want to keep everyone out of Bidwell Park, how the liberals are trying to dismantle the planning process and development, and how the liberals are solely to blame for the City's fiscal challenges."
I guess there's a lot of artificial issues floating around in this town.
Today's Scrabble word is lamina, a thin plate.
Posted by dan_nt at 12:00 AM | Comments (5)
January 17, 2008
Victoria Falls
This is the caption by photographer Annie Griffiths Belt from “Visions of Earth,” National Geographic, February 2008:
"Zambia: The 355-foot drop of Victoria Falls just inches away, a swimmer stands at the lip of a hidden pool—an eight-foot-deep divot in the riverbed — accessible only when the Zambezi river runs low."
If he ever visits Chico, this guy should avoid Bear Hole.
Today's Scrabble word is nary, or not one.
Posted by dan_nt at 09:37 AM | Comments (0)
Jarvis Garden
This afternoon at 1 pm Jarvis Gardens will be officially dedicated.
Jarvis Garden, a senior housing project by Northern Valley Catholic Social Service, has 50 affordable apartment units located on Notre Dame Blvd.
The photo above was taken during the "ground breaking" in late 2006.
Jarvis Garden is a appropriately named in honor of former City Councilor Coleen Jarvis.
Jarvis' husband Michael Stauffer and mother Bobbe are expected to attend the dedication today.
The E-R's Jenn Klein wrote a good article on Jarvis Garden.
Today's Scrabble word is band, to throw to and fro.
Posted by dan_nt at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
January 16, 2008
Forecast
Tomorrow morning is the 8th Annual Tri County Economic Forecast Conference at the BMU on the Chico State campus.
The 7:30 am-12:30 pm program will feature Jack Schultz, author of Boomtown USA: The 7 1/2 Keys to Big Success in Small Towns.
Several economists will offer insights, which will likely include the obvious generalizations about the housing market slowdown, lower sales projections, and rising health care costs.
Today's Scrabble word is twa, or two.
Posted by dan_nt at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
January 15, 2008
Nonviolence
Mark your calendar for April 5, 2008.
On that date, you will be leaving the Season of Nonviolence and entering back into the Season of Violence, otherwise known as the Season of Non-Nonviolence.
Tonight the Chico City Council will join other communities by proclaiming January 30, 2008 to April 4, 2008 as a Season for Nonviolence.
According to the following website, the Season of Nonviolence is:
"...a national 64-day educational, media, and grassroots campaign dedicated to demonstrating that nonviolence is a powerful way to heal, transform, and empower our lives and our communities. Inspired by the 50th and 30th memorial anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this international event honors their vision for an empowered, nonviolent world."
I'm going to do my part by venting all my pent up anger and resentment until January 30, then chilling out and relaxing for 64 days, then kicking some serious butt by springtime.
I think our City Council should go above and beyond the rest and simply declare the entire year - January 1, 2008-December 31, 2008 - as the Seasons of Nonviolence.
If 2008 goes well, just keep extending the proclamation into 2009 and beyond.
In addition to making heavy proclamations, the City Council will decide at tonight's meeting:
1. Whether to consider any modifications to the rather disorderly Disorderly Events ordinance, despite the failure of opponents to gather sufficient signatures to qualify for a referendum vote.
2. Whether to conduct an analysis of the effectiveness and safety of bollards.
3. Whether to accept a recommendation to form a Downtown Ad-Hoc Committee to help shape and inform the downtown element of the General Plan.
Today's Scrabble word is occlude, or obstruct.
Posted by dan_nt at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
January 14, 2008
Virgin Megastore
Here's another favorite Improv Everywhere mission at the Virgin Megastore in NYC.
As you'll read in the online description, individuals waited patiently for each listening station to open up until the group had an entire line of listeners waiting to unleash their dance to the surprise of store employees and customers. For example:
Today's Scrabble word is trellis, or lattice.
Posted by dan_nt at 11:47 PM | Comments (0)
January 13, 2008
Bad News
The E-R editorial, “Truth about city problems painful,” demonstrates the double-standard its editors apply to more conservative elected officials like Larry Wahl compared to more liberal elected officials, like former Councilors Coleen Jarvis or David Guzzetti.
Jarvis and Guzzetti, when they both served on the City Council, developed a reputation as occasionally blunt yet effective elected officials.
Yet here’s what the E-R wrote about Wahl after his latest State of the City address:
”Some of his comments were a little over the top, but we admire Wahl for having the audacity to speak his mind. It's sad if speaking honestly may hurt Wahl come re-election time in November, but the sad fact is, voters don't want to hear bad news. As proof, in the 2006 election, any council candidates who dared to talk about confronting the city's budget problems lost. Now the problem has grown. If the worst anybody can say about Wahl is that he's brutally honest, that's not such a bad thing.”
It seems that if you're someone like Wahl, you're allowed to be "brutally honest" and "a little over the top" and have "the audacity to speak [your] mind." In fact, you get applauded in the E-R.
If you're someone like Guzzetti or Jarvis, you're painted as "uncivil."
The E-R reported that Wahl criticized “…even the planning director.”
Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like it’s demoralizing and inappropriate for City Councilors to criticize individual staff members in a public forum, especially when staff members have no opportunity to immediately respond to allegations.
If Councilors have a problem with individual staff, the State of the City forum is not the venue to direct such criticism.
From my perspective, the appropriate protocol for any City Councilor is to let the City Manager, who is ultimately responsible for hiring, managing, and firing City employees, know about your issues. The City Manager can assess the situation and intervene accordingly with the individual staff person.
The E-R continues to harp on the State of the City forum as an event short on substance.
It’s clear that the forum is not structured appropriately and effectively to draw out substantive debate. I wrote about this topic last year.
I think it would be great to have Mayor Andy Holcombe and Councilor Wahl engage in Lincoln-Douglas type debates in 2008 over various City issues. Maybe the 2008 election will provide this opportunity.
The back and forth between the two of them would be engaging.
The E-R wrote about Wahl: "He also criticized the business climate in Chico. He mentioned local businesses that wanted to expand but can't because of what he says are obstacles thrown up by the city.”
It would be interesting to challenge Wahl to cite specific local businesses that haven’t been able to expand because of inappropriate City actions.
It’s easy to blame “government” with wide-sweeping generalizations, but a substantive debate involves specifics, not generalizations.
The E-R editorial ends with the following statement, which reveals its editors’ sentiments that voters are clearly too stupid or care to ignore important fiscal matters:
”It's sad if speaking honestly may hurt Wahl come re-election time in November, but the sad fact is, voters don't want to hear bad news. As proof, in the 2006 election, any council candidates who dared to talk about confronting the city's budget problems lost. Now the problem has grown”.
Proof, really?
If you polled a random sample of voters in the last local election who didn’t support the slate of Dan Herbert, Mark Sorensen, and Michael Dailey, I doubt they would have said it’s because they didn’t like to hear bad news.
Perhaps they lost, to some degree, because they took bad positions on a few key issues and ran badly executed campaigns, not because voters don't like hearing bad news.
Today's Scrabble word is indwell, to live within.
Posted by dan_nt at 03:32 PM | Comments (5)
January 12, 2008
Poker Table
This is the Final Poker Table in the inaugural World Series of City Council Poker.
Several Councilors were bluffing about a possible sales tax increase, but Councilor Larry Wahl showed his cards right away.
Vice-Mayor Ann Schwab wows the crowd with her sleight of hand card tricks. All Councilor Mary Flynn could do was laugh at Schwab's card tricks.
In between shuffling card decks, Councilor Tom Nickell proposed a fine for every card dropped on the floor.
Today's Scrabble word is napa, a soft leather.
Posted by dan_nt at 12:00 AM | Comments (1)
January 11, 2008
Fried
This is the sound in Supervisor Curt Josiassen’s head during and after this week’s Board of Supervisor hearing on the proposed M&T gravel mine.
In supporting a delay in making a decision, newly elected Board chair Josiassen said: "I've got to digest all of this information. My brain is fried.”
According to The News & Review:
“After 11 years, hours upon hours of public hearings and hundreds of letters and e-mails, a decision has yet to be made on the proposed M&T gravel mine. Tuesday (Jan. 8) was supposed to be the final chapter in the drawn-out process. Nevertheless, after listening to public testimony for seven hours, the Butte County Board of Supervisors delayed making a decision once more.”
” Dozens of individuals spoke passionately about the pros and cons of the proposed gravel mine, which would be located on roughly 200 acres of land east of River Road and north of Ord Ferry Road….More than 200 people, some of them standing two or three deep along the walls of the Supervisors' Chambers, attended the meeting that had been described as the final chapter in the 12-year history of the project."
The proposed M&T gravel mine, which has been in the works for 11 and half years (somewhere between 11 years, as the N&R reported, and 12 years, as the E-R reported), according to my refined sense of history, is a big whopper – or sizzling hamburger. Or veggie burger.
There’s a chance this issue could be a 5-0 vote against the gravel mine. Or the vote could be 3-2 against, or even 3-2 in favor. It's a toss-up. All I predict is that there are at least two votes against it.
Supervisors Jane Dolan and Maureen Kirk are likely against the gravel mine. Josiassen is likely feeling the most pressure given the proposed gravel mine’s proximity to Durham, which is part of his district.
If Josiassen supports the proposed gravel mine, I expect at least one person will step up and challenge him in his re-election bid, even if it’s a token challenge. And definitely someone will sue if the M&T gravel mine is approved.
Most of the citizens speaking in favor of M&T gravel mind were representatives of Baldwin Contracting Company, their employees, and representatives from the Chico Chamber of Commerce and CEPCO.
Not surprisingly, neighbors, agriculture-interests, and Chico-area residents concerned about traffic and environmental impacts were overwhelmingly against the project.
Several people noted the irony of hearing CEPCO representatives argue in favor of the project by highlighting the high-paying jobs the gravel mine would create. The irony is that those jobs are high-paying because they’re union jobs with the type of prevailing wages CEPCO has been known to argue against in the past.
By the end of this month, the Supervisors’ brains will have cooled off enough to make a definitive decision on this controversial project. Between now and then, expect a lot of behind-the-scenes lobbying taking place from both sides of this issue.
Today’s Scrabble word is mot, a witty saying.
Posted by dan_nt at 05:51 PM | Comments (4)
January 10, 2008
Benefit
Much attention has been paid to Chico Velo’s Ed McLaughlin’s unfortunate bicycle accident.
Another community member, Laurie Niles, was in her own accident last month. Niles is a KZFR programmer, Red Tavern waitress, and active in the local Slow Food movement.
Friends of Niles have organized a “Love for Laurie” event at 4 pm this Sunday, January 13 at the ARC.
There will be plenty of wonderful food, beer, wine, and live music at this event. Food and drinks provided by David Guzzetti, Marianne Brenner, Bacio Catering, Red Tavern, Weezie, Massolettis, Raw Bar, Monks, Café Sandino, and others.
If you’re interested in attending for a suggested $50 donation, call 532-8870 to RSVP. Or send a check to PO Box 3582, Chico 95927.
Unfortunately, Niles has significant uninsured medical bills to pay so any contribution will help.
As for McLaughlin, you can send donations to “Chico Velo Cyclist Care Fund” to PO Box 2285, Chico 95927.
To send a positive message to Ed, Alan Rellaford reprinted his limited edition Chico Bicycle City USA poster for people to sign. You can sign the poster for Ed at the following places:
North Rim Adventure Sports -- Jan. 11th
Campus Bicycles -- Jan. 12th
Pullin's Cyclery -- Jan. 14th
Malvina's Cafe (opens 11:30am) -- Jan. 15th
Black Crow (opens 11:30am) -- Jan. 16th
Cyclesport -- Jan. 17th
Naked Lounge -- Jan. 18th
Nantucket (opens 10:00am) Jan 19th
Today's Scrabble word is ere, or previous to.
Posted by dan_nt at 07:02 PM | Comments (0)
January 09, 2008
City of Chico
This is a painting of the old town square in the City of Chico.
If the town square doesn’t look familiar, it’s because you’re looking at a painting of City of Chico, Texas – population about 947 according to the 2000 census.
Has anyone ever been to City of Chico, Texas? If you have, let me know if it's worth a visit. Or not.
I think the Chico (CA) City Council should establish a formal sister city relationship with City of Chico, TX.
Forget about the other possible sister cities from around the country and world. It’s quite obvious to me that the City of Chico, CA should establish formal relations with City of Chico, TX.
According to the City of Chico, TX website:
“The area we now call Chico grew primarily as a trade center for surrounding farms. It originated with a deed for 44 acres filed by RC Mount on October 27, 1876. Mount reserved two acres for a school and a church. Around 1875 Colonel Brown arrived and became a merchant and first postmaster of the village serving the needs of the pioneer families. He paid $1.26 per acre for the townsite and plotted the area designing a public square, a business section and residential lots. Brown wanted to call this new town after his hometown of Chico in California. Other name suggestions were Brownstone and Mountville. Four of the seven men voting in the election officially named the town Chico. There are still descendants of the original pioneers living in and around the city of Chico and there are streets bearing their names throughout the city.”
I think a delegation, possibly led by Councilors Tom Nickell and Larry Wahl since they’re both retired, should visit City of Chico, TX during its annual ChicoFest, which is supposedly held on the third Saturday in October.
They can meet and greet with Coke Poe, the President of the Chico (TX) Chamber of Commerce. Who wouldn't want to meet Coke?
There’s bingo and craft booths at ChicoFest. That’s got to be more fun than bowling. I bet those ChicoBags would sell well in City of Chico, TX.
I noticed that the Chico City Council – the one in Texas, I mean – had a much more succinct Council agenda last night compared to most Chico (CA) City Council agendas. That's what happens when you're serving a population less than 1,000.
As a budget saving measure, I might even recommend that both cities, their respective Chambers of Commerce, and even Chico High School partner to bulk order t-shirts and other promotional materials emblazoned with the words "City of Chico, "Chico Chamber of Commerce," or "Chico High."
UPDATE: As Bob Speer noted below in the comment section, roughly 12 miles away from Chico, TX is, in fact, a place called Paradise, TX.
Today's Scrabble word is incise, or carve.
Posted by dan_nt at 12:00 AM | Comments (4)
January 08, 2008
Bank of Chico
This is a photo of Bank of Chico circa 1905. According to this historical write-up in Financial California: A Historical Review, Bank of Chico operated from 1872-1915 until it became part of Butte County National Bank.
Look at all those bicycles parked in front. And plenty of street parking available.
Image Courtesy of Gladys Pelletier and Special Collections Dept. Meriam Library, CSU, Chico.
Today's Scrabble word is mimetic, or imitative.
Posted by dan_nt at 11:46 PM | Comments (3)
January 07, 2008
Not Running
Looks like one of Wally Herger's best friends, Congressman John Doolittle, may finally announce he's not running for re-election. Doolittle currently represents a district that includes Oroville.
Doolittle may be running away, but without much love from anyone but his family and his dwindling die-hard supporters. This a big sigh of relief for Republicans since Doolittle is a political albatross.
Lt. Col. Charlie Brown has been actively campaigning and raising money. Almost all polls showed Brown defeating Doolittle in a head-to-head match up in 2008.
If former State Senator Rico Oller enters the race, he'll run a scorched earth campaign against his primary opponents. That's the type of campaign he's known to run in the past.
Today's Scrabble word is naos, an ancient temple.
Posted by dan_nt at 01:17 PM | Comments (2)
January 06, 2008
Rurbia
In The News & Review, new Butte County Chief Administrative Officer Brian Haddix was quoted saying:
"The population in Butte County is growing because people are moving here," he said, noting that some other areas grow only when babies are born. "The trick is to not make this L.A. or San Jose, but to keep that flavor."
Haddix is right. The “trick” is to preserve the best qualities of the region without growing our way into a future patchwork of communities less desirable than now.
With Chico, Butte County, and other communities in the region embarking on new General Plans to guide its future growth, the next few years will be paramount to chart policies that, in many respects, minimize the likelihood that we’ll follow the negative aspects of L.A. or San Jose growth.
Recently I read an essay by Don Snow, who has written several interesting articles on the concept of rurbia, which he describes as a “seldom-used neologism…a contraction of ‘rural’, ‘urban,’ and ‘suburbia.’
I think many of the characteristics of rurbia, as Snow describes, is apt for Butte County and our region. Snow writes:
“Rurbia is a regional phenomenon. It affects large, broad areas, not just a single growing town. The rurban explosion is directly related to and dependent upon the surrounding countryside. Rurbia can’t happen just anywhere; it happens in places with peculiar attributes that attach to shifting American values about landscape, the sense of personal well-being and fitness, recreation, and the sense of place.In order for rurbia to take root, the deliberate maintenance of undeveloped land is crucial. Ironically, in the rapid economic transformation that comes with rurbia, it is the absence of obvious development that feeds development. What land developers call “build out” is not in the best interests of rurbia.
Commercial businesses transform rapidly. In the ruurban archipelagoes, the commercial zones fill with an amalgam of high-end retailers and services that appeal to ruurban sensibilities and tastes: specialty bicycle shops, Callaway golf club outlets, Orvis fly-fishing franchisees, designer outdoor-wear shops, wine boutiques, microbreweries, sophisticated restaurants. The “old” businesses standing alongside them suddenly seem quaint by comparison.
Rurban growth, while effecting a thorough economic and social transformation in communities where it occurs, also tends to value selective elements of the natural resource economy it replaces. Local agriculture, for example, may continue to exist, but often as a hobby rather than a vocation.
What’s driving rurbubia?...Boomers are likely to retire in record numbers to the nation’s beauty spots, many in rural areas. Moreover, the richest members of this generation are lately showing a remarkable desire to own more than one residence, often to conduct a kind of town-and-country life. If the demographic hallmark of post-World War II America was the suburb, the hallmark of the postmodern Information Age may be rurbia….”
The sense of place and the centrality of conservation, agriculture, and open space is critically important for our region, if we are to prevent, as Haddix noted, our region from mimicking the growth patterns of L.A and San Jose.
Today's Scrabble word is nevus, a birthmark.
Posted by dan_nt at 04:25 PM | Comments (6)
January 05, 2008
Rain Comes
Here comes the rain again. And again. And again.
A few predictions for 2008:
Mayor Andy Holcombe and Vice-Mayor Ann Schwab will be re-elected, despite relentless criticism from the E-R.
Councilor Steve Bertagna will finish his last term in office. He'll finish his last year with humor and grace, rather than any hint of bitterness derived from past political battles.
Two newcomers will join Holcombe and Schwab as newly elected City Councilors, resulting in Councilor Larry Wahl not getting re-elected by a slim margin.
There won't be any local tax increase on a ballot.
All incumbent Board of Supervisors whose terms are up this year will be re-elected.
Councilor Tom Nickell will propose even more new policies or initiatives than his first year.
No rainbow-colored images will be used in any of this year's local political mailers.
The Butte County General Plan process will turn into an even messier affair than the Bidwell Park Master Management Plan.
The raccoon will be named the official City animal. Okay, not really.
Today's Scrabble word is lave, or wash.
Posted by dan_nt at 06:00 AM | Comments (1)
January 04, 2008
Storm
Halle Berry must have been upset today and unleashed her terrible superhero acting, along with relentless wind and rain.
Businesses and individuals who are skilled at fixing fences will be very busy this week.
And this is the day when all young television field reporters in the region can add their requisite "reporting live outside a torrential storm" video clip to their portfolio.
It's almost like a rite of passage to report "in" a storm to show people that you can tell a story under difficult conditions.
With news that the Disorderly Events ordinance referendum effort failed, as predicted, we'll see if that political storm dies down or whether the issue remains on the front pages.
At least we know the M&T Ranch gravel mine storm will be brewing next week. The proposed gravel mine should be rejected.
Enjoy this old The Daily Show clip before Stephen Colbert became Bill O'Reilly on steroids.
Today's Scrabble word is mazer, a large drinking bowl.
Posted by dan_nt at 05:46 PM | Comments (0)
January 03, 2008
Iowa Caucus
If anyone thinks Hillary Clinton doesn't have a sense of humor, then she wouldn't have approved this hilarious Iowa Caucus video.
Today is not a day to celebrate democracy in action.
It's a shame that an unrepresentative group of citizens from unrepresentative states (Iowa and New Hampshire) get to winnow the field of Presidential candidates before many other citizens have an opportunity to weigh in.
I know a Californian who is now attending graduate school in Iowa. She says if more people knew how archaic and undemocratic the Iowa Caucus process is, they'd be up in arms.
Unfortunately, the Democratic voting process is the worst. Candidates who don't receive above 15% of the vote of caucus attendees don't get tallied.
Their voters must then decide whether to cast a vote for one of the candidates who did receive more than 15% of the caucus votes. Real rank-choice voting would register first place votes, followed by second and third ranked choice votes.
Just read this critique and another one to better understand the problems with the Iowa Caucus.
By the way, Barack Obama campaign's latest video is definitely an attempt to appeal to new and independent voters. I think it's an inspiring piece of images and rhetoric.
I'm hoping Mike Huckabee wins in Iowa just to make the Republican race more interesting with Mitt Romney, John McCain, and Rudy Giuliani all still competitive in other states.
Today's Scrabble word is boyla, a witch doctor.
Posted by dan_nt at 01:55 PM | Comments (0)
Eager Beaver
The E-R recently weighed in on the stories its editors would like to see in 2008. I’ll weigh in on a few of these E-R wishes.
”The city of Chico stops hiring consultants to develop plans that the city cannot afford to implement anyway.”
I think this is an excellent idea. If the City implements this idea, it will either start paying its employees more for overtime (likely costing the city even more money) to accomplish the same work these consultants get paid, or simply delay planning or implementing projects that staff cannot handle on their own given demands on their time.
There’s a part of me that would like to experiment with this idea of not hiring consultants just to see how much work doesn’t get done or gets done much more slowly.
”The city of Chico finishes the upper Bidwell Park master management plan. (We also hoped that would be a top story of 2007. And 2006.)”
The Park Commission members should open a bottle of champagne after the City Council adopts the plan.
”The city of Chico removes the no-trespassing signs from Bidwell Ranch, public property that the public can't visit without permission from the mysterious Oz. (That dream should look familiar as well.)”
Would you let people walk on 750 acres of open space with environmentally sensitive areas that had no clear signage or trails to designate appropriate places to walk? I guess this is what the E-R advocates.
Let me remind readers that River Partners was hired last year to develop a management plan for the property, which includes a public access component. If River Partners was not hired (i.e. no consultant, as the E-R would prefer), I suspect the no-trespassing sign would remain longer given the amount of other work that City park and planning staff have on their plate.
”No public agency hires an executive who states how wonderful it is to plant roots in Chico, only to leave a few months later for a more lucrative job elsewhere.”
This would be nice, if it was even practical, but this assumes that the latest string of public executive departures was a result of leaving “for a more lucrative job elsewhere.”
Former City Manager Greg Jones actually took a pay cut when you adjust his new job salary for cost of living. Former Butte County Supervisor Paul McIntosh likely didn’t take a big pay increase. And former school superintendent Chet Francisco didn’t take a higher paying job. He just quit rather abruptly without another job lined up.
Every elected body asks candidates how long they anticipate staying in a job. You look at a candidate's track record of staying in previous jobs. But in the end, you're just hoping for longevity based on the best intentions.
”The city finds a way to deal with homeless people in City Plaza, and a way to reassure residents that the $4 million plaza is a safe and inviting place for families.”
Chico is not alone in grappling with homelessness issues. Thankfully, we’ve got a strong local system of homeless services for a variety of individuals dealing with different situations in their lives. Of course, there are some who choose not to seek services.
“The Chico City Council listens to reason and abandons the idea of any tax increase until after it takes action controlling employee wages.”
I couldn’t agree more. No tax increase until everyone feels the pain of cut services or less efficient services. Until voters feel the pain, they’re not going to support a tax increase.
”The Chico City Council and Chico Unified School District realize how damaging it is to have "interim" chief administrators in place.”
The City Council will start interviewing a short list of City manager candidates early this year, with interim City Manager Dave Burkland in the mix. An executive search process usually take a minimum of six months, even in the private sector.
”The Chico Planning Commission and City Council hold hearings on two proposed Wal-Mart supercenters that are respectful, reasoned and completely lacking hysteria.”
Hysteria? All I know is if the City Council approves the two proposed Wal-Mart Supercenters, darkness will descend upon the city, followed by black hole explosions, gradual loss of human fertility, and eventually intelligent robots will crush humanity.
”People critical of the war and the president learn how to express that without denigrating the members of the military, and their families, who are serving our country.”
Most reasonable people I know who criticize the President for either going to war or implementing a horrible strategy to win the peace aren’t denigrating the military. In fact, I’d argue the opposite. There are more people who denigrate people critical of the war as “unpatriotic” than the very few protestors who denigrate the military.
”The beaver is named the official city animal.”
I’m not even sure how to respond to this statement. All I know is the beaver is already the state animal of Oregon and New York, and a national symbol for Canada. You can make your own beaver jokes. I’m not making them.
Today's Scrabble word is glacis, or slope.
Posted by dan_nt at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
January 02, 2008
ZIPskinny
ZipSkinny is an interesting website that allows you to compare demographic data between different zip codes.
ZipSkinny presents the data in various tables and charts.
But the interesting tool is comparing zip codes. For example, you might compare zip codes within the same community, or perhaps compare with a zip code in another community that you formerly lived in.
For example, I compared the 95926, 95928 and 95973 zip codes in Chico.
The median income in 95926 zip code was $28,831, $30,536 in zip code 95928, and $41,111 in zip code 95973. There are significantly more unmarried people in the 95926 zip code, but more divorced individuals in 95973.
You can also see the top 100 list of zip codes based on median income, college education rate, or poverty level.
Today's Scrabble word is dale, or valley.
Posted by dan_nt at 11:32 PM | Comments (0)
January 01, 2008
New Years Day
Happy New Year.
Most New Years resolutions are perhaps a little less ambitious than those articulated by some of these Presidential candidates.
Today's Scrabble word is scrim, a cotton fabric.
Posted by dan_nt at 10:50 AM | Comments (0)