Answer #1
Answer #2
Answer #3
DISTRICT 1 (OROVILLE AREA)
Three head-to-head contests A Q&A with the folks seeking a Board of Supervisors seat
Climate change generally isn’t in the supervisor’s purview. This is being addressed or a least reacted to on a state level. New construction is under new codes to slow climate change. Many codes are helping cut A/C costs. That’s good, but sometimes in frivolous ways. Example: putting tin foil on the bottom of roofing plywood will cut down cooling bills a tiny amount while reflecting heat through your roof, ruining the felt and shingles.
The Greenline is fine as it is. Boundaries for development are necessary. Growing food needs to be considered just as important as housing, and there are lots of other areas in Butte County that aren’t as agriculturally rich.
Tiny houses seem to be the homelessness panacea of the past few years. Whenever the homeless question pops up, just say the magic words and people think that the candidate has a solid plan. Tiny houses are good and all, but they aren’t addressing the issues that cause homelessness. We need longterm behavioral health facilities, low-cost/affordable housing and living-wage jobs that provide health care in this county.
We need to follow in the footsteps of the counties that are successfully addressing climate change. One-hundred percent renewable electricity at all county facilities is an attainable goal. Santa Clara County is almost there and they’ve made $3 million in renewable energy credits while getting to that point.
Ian Greene
DISTRICT 4 (SOUTH BUTTE COUNTY)
2. According to the biennial point-in-time survey, homelessness countywide has increased 16 percent. What should the county do to better address this issue? 3. In terms of policy, what should the Board of Supervisors do to address climate change?
the county allow further development in Butte County’s eastern foothills where open space currently exists? If not, why? If so, what kind of development?
Homelessness is on the rise for many reasons, from losing a job to self-induced through drug use. The best use of funding would be to get the mentally ill off the street and into supervision. This may be impossible until the courts understand our personal and public safety is best served by forcing the mentally ill to take prescribed drugs and rehabilitate. Laura’s Law is a start. Veterans with issues should be given priority.
Bill Connelly
1. Do you view the Greenline as a firm demarcation or flexible boundary—and why?
4. Given what happened during the Camp Fire, should
The Greenline was meant to be a demarcation to protect ag from development. It will continually be challenged as there is no perfect fix when great soil is being built over. So, in most cases, it will stay in place with my support.
Sue Hilderbrand
5. In terms of rebuilding on the Ridge, given the lack of evacuation routes, should the county incentivize a smaller population? If so, how could this be accomplished? If not, why?
The Greenline is and should remain a firm demarcation between development and farmlands. The development that is coming to Butte County must be well-planned so it doesn’t result in sprawl, costing the taxpayers more money to provide the services for these developments. There are many places in the county that would be more appropriate areas for development than our precious ag lands. We must protect the county’s small town feel and beautiful ag land.
The cities generally have the problem of homelessness, but the county provides mental health services, drug/alcohol addiction services, and low-income housing options. These services are overwhelmed since the Camp Fire. The county must collaborate more effectively with cities and neighboring counties to create more low-barrier shelters, and ultimately a regional mental health facility for the severely mentally ill. Collaboration creates opportunities and lightens the burden on each local government, while offering better solutions and funding.
While updating the county’s outdated general plan, we must incorporate strategies to address climate change. For example, housing development and community centers should include walkable, bikeable and public transportation options to reduce traffic and emissions, and incorporate energy efficiency into the planning such as solar and water-reducing landscapes. The county should also take advantage of all state and federal grant funding to upgrade equipment, including old heating systems, and install solar energy.
The Greenline is a firm demarcation. We must protect our agricultural lands and promote smart growth. I am honored to be endorsed by retired county Supervisor Jane Dolan, the biggest champion of the Greenline.
I believe the county should work more collaboratively with our cities in order to address the increase in homelessness. We need to ensure that state and federal dollars coming into the county are being appropriately allocated to housing and service programs that produce results.
The Board of Supervisors must continue to support agriculture. Why? Because local agriculture helps sequester carbon and improve the overall air quality in the region. Research proves that Butte County agriculture has been affected by climate change, but also that it can be part of the solution.
6. In the wake of the fire, California’s auditor criticized
Butte County (and other counties) for inadequate disaster planning and preparedness. Considering that the potential for disaster on the Ridge had long been feared (see the 1993 CN&R cover story “Inferno in Paradise,” reprinted on Jan. 10, 2019), what must be accomplished to avoid a similar scenario in the future?
Tod Kimmelshue
DISTRICT 5 (PARADISE RIDGE)
7. There is a proposal for water conveyance between
Paradise Irrigation District and Cal Water Co. in Chico. The idea is that PID could sell surface water to Cal Water, and thus help sustain valley groundwater supplies. Do you support such a plan? Why or why not?
8. The state of California recently granted a harm reduction group the authority to operate a needleaccess program in Chico. Among other things, the group gives away and collects needles and sharps containers. Butte County’s Department of Public Health has come out in support of the program and presented the science to back up that stance. Do you support or oppose such programs—and why?
Doug Teeter CN&R
FEBRUARY 13, 2020
It’s time to grow. This county cannot afford to drag its feet into the future any longer. But we must grow smart, and that can be done with a general plan that prioritizes urban growth, transportation efficiency, and housing for students, workers and those trying to get a fresh start. The other key piece is mental health. We have to figure out a way to create options to meet the diverse needs on the streets.
Reducing sprawl and the total number of miles traveled will always be critical, even if we widely adopt vehicle energy alternatives to fossil fuels. To this end, we must densify our cities, reduce housing costs there, reduce commute miles, and of course encourage mass transit, and bicycles and other humanpowered alternatives. I’d also like to see Highway 99 replace stoplights with proper interchanges, from Neal Road all the way to Esplanade.
I consider the Greenline a firm boundary. We should not build on prime ag lands. I have also supported the 300-foot setback of new developments to protect ag operations. Protecting ag land, farming and ranching has been a priority of mine and is why I am endorsed by the Butte County Farm Bureau and Butte County Cattlemen’s Association.
I support building accessory dwelling units (granny units), which would facilitate more affordable and smaller housing options. Plans could be preapproved, especially those able to use slab construction. New home construction should encourage a separate rentable unit. For those homeless with severe addictions and challenging mental health issues, we need state hospitals built to rehabilitate or house them. Meth and heroin dealers should be held strictly accountable for causing the destruction of lives.
The county is updating the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Action Plan; we will need to create attainable action items addressing the assessment’s findings in areas such as temperature change and shifting precipitation patterns. Continue investing in a county Water Department, providing scientific research in how our aquifers need to be sustainably managed. Support the creation of a local power purchasing agency with green energy choice, so folks can directly choose how their electricity is generated.
Henry Schleiger
Go to newsreview.com/chico for additional questions and answers. 18
Where exactly the limit lies is flexible, but we need to have a long-term plan for any further development into unincorporated land. Using the incentive of developing large lot, high-end housing in the periphery—to leverage partnerships to help create urban renewal and low/middle income appropriate housing, within the city limits—has the potential to shape a future county that fills the needs of a growing economy, and is affordable for its workers.
