Mike Johnson
Bio: Mike Johnson grew up in Sacramento. A NorCal business owner for over 20 years, his lifetime of community and military service includes 26 years as a Navy Reserve officer, and school board experience in Red Bluff. Educated at American River College and Chico State in computer information science, political science, and international relations, he is married, with five adult children. Learn more at www.mikeforchico.org.
1.) How can the city of Chico mitigate existing homelessness in a way that is humane, preserves private and public property, and makes lasting change?
With nearly 1,000 chronically homeless in Chico, the council has failed—they don’t understand homelessness itself, which remains rampant. Whack-a-mole police “enforcement” and “accountability” shuffles homeless around, wasting $7 million to $14 million since 2018; solves nothing; helps few; and we’re no safer in our homes, businesses, or public spaces.
Homelessness itself is a societal cancer—let’s treat it! Large, unmanaged sites like at Eaton/Cohasset get it all wrong. Research shows managed shelter sites of 20-30—fenced, with low-barrier entry, and the basics (proper roofs, temperature protection, clean water, food, pets, sanitation, police, social services, rehab, mental health)—are most effective. Groups like CHAT, True North, Safe Space, and the Jesus Center have the expertise (Everhart Village, Torres, Genesis (Pallet)—the City Council should get out of their way. Even a 20 percent reduction gets almost 200 people back into society, $500,000 net gain yearly via sales, payroll, income taxes. And: Enclosed sites, fewer people on the streets makes us all safer!
2.) Chico widely lacks starter homes targeted toward the young families who make up a large part of the local workforce. Do you think the city should subsidize construction by lowering permitting fees for small dwellings, or do you have other ideas to make such housing economically viable for local developers?
As a business owner myself, I understand developers wanting to maximize profits. As a father of five young adults (including a special needs daughter), I understand the need for market rate, medium/high-density rentals and starter homes we can afford. Our large college population needs housing; we can’t keep graduates in Chico if they can’t afford to live here as young adults. We don’t want sprawl or super-commuting like Sacramento, either.
The council has failed us—think Valley’s Edge, Bell Muir—and they continue to push for low-density, larger lots that enrich a few but leave the rest of us with few/no options. The Camp Fire devastated availability; the council devastated the recovery. Encouraging smart growth is the way forward—subsidizing, re-zoning, better central planning for both sides’ needs and balancing them so that developers still profit while the people can live and work here.
3.) The majority of Chico’s roadways are objectively in extremely poor condition. Being able to fix them was one of the main selling points of the voter-approved sales tax increase. The question is, has enough revenue been allocated toward that cause and is the city’s timeline of roadway repairs adequate? If not, how do you propose the city finance an accelerated effort?
Measure H funds have obviously helped, but the City Council’s spending priorities are all wrong. They’re certainly dragging their feet, and wasting funds on impotent “public safety” actions like ongoing, endless “enforcement” and “accountability” on our homeless population. We’re improving roads on the periphery and on a few larger projects, helping developers—but this comes at the expense of major thoroughfares left in extreme disrepair, damaging cars and slowing emergency service response times.
Reducing wasteful spending on misguided homelessness approaches (and endless legal fights over it) will free up funds for better uses like roads, Fire Station #6, and improving the downtown. I don’t favor unchecked tax increases. With so much closed-door activity on the council in recent years, we need an immediate, top-down, public review of all spending priorities and commitments—we can find more dollars already in hand, and pursue even more from county, state, and federal levels.
4.) The council has been chided by voters across the political spectrum for taking steps that reduce transparency in governance. Our question: Are you committed to running the city transparently, and, if so, what steps would you take to ensure the council keeps the public informed and engaged?
The City Council serves the public—or at least, it’s supposed to. Instead, ongoing closed session work reduces the public’s trust in the council’s leadership and causes us all to lose faith in them. Closed session work should be the extreme exception, with more detailed reporting out on what happens in those sessions, within the presence of oversight, to ensure the discussions and decisions being made are transparent and in keeping with Chico’s needs—and council members’ oaths of office.
The council is supposed to represent the people, not lord over them. That can’t happen in an environment where there is regular, ongoing, closed session business on major issues that directly impact the city’s budget, the General Plan, and the overall health and growth potential of Chico for us all. Going closed session should require greater public input, with full disclosure of why the council feels it’s needed.
5.) Downtown appears to be suffering from an identity crisis of sorts. Some council members want to enhance and promote its historic significance. Meanwhile, the city installed modern parking kiosks and there’s talk of major changes to transportation and parking in the region. What is your vision for downtown in terms of identity and infrastructure?
There’s no reason we can’t have a thriving, modern downtown that doesn’t also pay homage to Chico’s rich heritage and history. It’s not an “either-or” choice—smart government would have us leveraging developers and the community in tandem with each other to preserve while modernizing.
We need market-rate, medium-/high-density housing downtown, designed and zoned for mixed use—housing units upstairs, shops and restaurants down below, all of which designed to look and feel classy, elegant, and most of all affordable to students and workers downtown. Studies show young adults want smaller places, faster/easier commutes, mobility—let’s give them exactly that! When they’re ready to (cough) graduate into the suburbs, then we can provide options for low-/medium-density housing and lots at higher prices—but for now, the priority is the masses. A vibrant downtown that reduces need for more cars/parking, improves quality of life…making downtown Chico a life and recreation destination for both the locals and across NorCal.
6.) The climate crisis is an existential threat to life as we know it, and perhaps Chicoans—living in the wildfire epicenter of the West—are more intimately familiar with this concept than any other community in the nation. Question is: Should the city prioritize investing further in sustainable infrastructure that also makes fiscal sense? Why or why not?
District 1 still has no Fire Station #6, even with Chico Fire and the community practically begging for nearly 15 years. District 1’s emergency services come all the way from Station 2, next to Enloe Hospital—response times are more than double the national average. Unacceptable! Station #6 costs have ballooned to $21 million—with hardly anything funded for it—while the council keeps expanding and annexing and failing to follow its own 2010 Strategic Plan that required the new station years ago. Instead, they waste money on nonsense like “accountability” for the crime of being homeless.
The council has failed to pursue controlled burns—the recent Park Fire destroyed 700 structures, making another 150-plus people homeless, risking the lives of 7,000 firefighters, and wasting millions more dollars. Unacceptable! We should proactively seek more county/state/federal funds, and prioritize sustainable construction and roadway improvements for improved emergency response times—smart government reduces fuel buildup and fire risk!
7.) We’ve focused on some of the big issues, but we’d like you to tell us about some lesser-known problems facing your district, as well as how you would address them?
Public safety, in the form of Fire Station #6, seems to be the most “lesser-known” issue in my district. Everyone I inform about it is stunned that we don’t already have our own station. The council has utterly failed us here. We need to reduce extended emergency response times!
We see massive law enforcement costs resulting from the council’s impotent “accountability” and “enforcement” approach, which does nothing to actually make us safer in our homes and public spaces. By better managing and reducing homelessness itself with thoughtful, deliberate action, we can repurpose saved funds toward Fire Station #6, badly needed road improvements, and smart downtown redevelopment (rather than throwing more cops and ever-increasing slices of the city budget down the rabbit hole).
8.) We hear a lot about how life here has degraded over the past 50 years, but the fact is that Chico is no longer the small town it was in 1974. Back then, the population was under 20,000—today it clocks in at an estimated 107,000, making it the 73rd largest municipality in the state. As such, today, Chico faces “big city” issues. Our question: What is your response to the negativity? Is it founded, unfounded, or somewhere in between? And since there’s always room for improvement, what would you do to make life here better?
Chico is an amazing place to live, work, become educated, raise a family… build a life. We need smarter government to grow properly.
Most of the council keeps on pursuing “accountability” (including my opponent’s extremely law-enforcement-heavy focus). Meanwhile, the rest of us remain miserable. These people inspire nothing—they don’t understand basic, good governance. They’ve failed. It’s time for new vision, and new leadership.
My life has a good story, even inspirational—once a teenage father, now a business owner, military officer, school board member, a recent Chico State graduate, five adult kids (including my daughter’s lifetime connection to social services and homelessness). I want Chicoans fired up about public life, service, a sense of community. If I can inspire folks to greatness, even a little bit, let’s do it—I sure as hell want to give it my all.
Let’s polish up this jewel in California’s crown!
Michael O’Brien
Bio: Michael O’Brien holds a bachelor’s from Chico State and a master’s from Gonzaga University. With over 35 years in law enforcement, including serving as Chico Police chief and City Council member, he has also taught policing at three colleges. He chaired the Jesus Center Board for eight years and served on the California Police Chiefs Association Board, focusing on community safety and well-being. Learn more at www.obrienforcouncil.com.
1.) How can the city of Chico mitigate existing homelessness in a way that is humane, preserves private and public property, and makes lasting change?
A balanced approach is what I have always supported, and believe the vast majority of our community supports as well. A balanced approach includes both compassion and accountability. Having been both the police chief and board chair of the Jesus Center, I fully understand the need for both.
Providing opportunity for the unhoused in the form of shelter accompanied with addiction and mental health services are critically necessary, and has been the Chico model for several years. In addition, those that choose not to avail themselves of services and choose instead to commit crimes and destroy the environment, should not be allowed to do so simply because of housing status. That is not compassion.
The varied shelter and housing programs in our city represent the complexity of our homeless population. While never perfect, it has been extremely successful for the compassion side of the equation. However, the interpretation of our settlement agreement that says the city must repeatedly notice and assess previously cleared parks and public spaces has made keeping them clean unnecessarily difficult. Meaning the accountability side is lagging because of that interpretation. While the city has done a tremendous job despite their hands being tied, I am hopeful that this unnecessary impediment to keeping our parks and public spaces clean will be eliminated, thus bringing further balance to this complex issue.
2.) Chico widely lacks starter homes targeted toward the young families who make up a large part of the local workforce. Do you think the city should subsidize construction by lowering permitting fees for small dwellings, or do you have other ideas to make such housing economically viable for local developers?
The American dream of owning your own home is a wonderful concept enjoyed by many, but not by all. Whatever we can do to increase all housing inventory, including inventory for first-time home buyers, is a positive step as it will typically lower costs and increase the opportunity for more home buyers. I also believe removing unnecessary red tape at all levels can streamline processes and lower costs for developers, and ultimately buyers.
We also need to be realistic that available land for development is limited in our city, and that remains of primary concern for developers wanting to build housing in Chico.
3.) The majority of Chico’s roadways are objectively in extremely poor condition. Being able to fix them was one of the main selling points of the voter-approved sales tax increase. The question is, has enough revenue been allocated toward that cause and is the city’s timeline of roadway repairs adequate? If not, how do you propose the city finance an accelerated effort?
Our roadways did not deteriorate overnight, nor can they all be fixed immediately. However, there has been important progress that can be seen visually in our community, and will continue to be seen in the coming years. That would not be possible without the voter-approved sales tax increase. It is providing a path forward on roadway replacement and repairs that would not have existed otherwise, and puts us on a positive trajectory regarding our roadways.
4.) The council has been chided by voters across the political spectrum for taking steps that reduce transparency in governance. Our question: Are you committed to running the city transparently, and, if so, what steps would you take to ensure the council keeps the public informed and engaged?
One of the responsibilities for all levels of government is transparency. It is important to have a public that is informed, so they can become engaged in our governmental processes. I support that concept. It can be challenging at times given there are legal restrictions to certain disclosures. Our default, however, should always be to keep our community informed at all times and on every issue.
5.) Downtown appears to be suffering from an identity crisis of sorts. Some council members want to enhance and promote its historic significance. Meanwhile, the city installed modern parking kiosks and there’s talk of major changes to transportation and parking in the region. What is your vision for downtown in terms of identity and infrastructure?
First, I have always believed that our downtown helps to shape the identity of Chico. I have worked downtown and have always valued downtown and want to see the best for it.
My vision for downtown is first a safe downtown. I have heard from many people who said they have stopped coming downtown because they felt unsafe. That is unacceptable. Camping in our downtown parks has contributed to that perspective. The city’s limited ability to remove encampments due to interpretations of the settlement agreement must be altered for any downtown plan to have success.
As far as an identity, I want a downtown that is vibrant and supportive of our business community…meaning people want to visit. While I appreciate the historic elements of our downtown, I am open to infrastructure changes that may benefit both businesses and visitors alike. That can prove to be a delicate balance, but having substantive conversations on how that can be achieved are important ones to have, and ones we must have.
6.) The climate crisis is an existential threat to life as we know it, and perhaps Chicoans—living in the wildfire epicenter of the West—are more intimately familiar with this concept than any other community in the nation. Question is: Should the city prioritize investing further in sustainable infrastructure that also makes fiscal sense? Why or why not?
I am not opposed to investing in sustainable infrastructure when it makes sense financially. Pursuing sustainability is an admirable goal. However, it must be tempered with fiscal realities and not pursued to simply make a political point. Sustainable infrastructure when done right can be a worthy pursuit.
7.) We’ve focused on some of the big issues, but we’d like you to tell us about some lesser known problems facing your district, as well as how you would address them?
During my conversations with my fellow District 1 community members, the dominant concern expressed to me revolves around public safety. And it is not unique to our district. I recently spoke with constituents who experienced a fire in a waterway that could have been devastating to their neighborhood if wind conditions were different, and we did not have an excellent fire department.
The fire appears to have been started in an encampment. The safety issues surrounding encampments present a daily concern to many who live along our creeks, waterways and parks, and the neighborhoods that surround them.
My position is that encampments are dangerous, degrade the environment and must be removed. To do so effectively, the interpretation of the settlement agreement must be altered or eliminated. Long-term public safety depends on it.
8.) We hear a lot about how life here has degraded over the past 50 years, but the fact is that Chico is no longer the small town it was in 1974. Back then, the population was under 20,000—today it clocks in at an estimated 107,000, making it the 73rd largest municipality in the state. As such, today, Chico faces “big city” issues. Our question: What is your response to the negativity? Is it founded, unfounded, or somewhere in between? And since there’s always room for improvement, what would you do to make life here better?
Our community (and region) has experienced several catastrophic events in the past few years, some of the most significant events in the history of our city. I have had the privilege of helping us navigate many of them, always in a thoughtful and effective manner.
Despite those events and their impacts, I remain optimistic about Chico. If I wasn’t, I would not continue to serve our community as I have done for over 30 years. However, while I am an optimist, I am also a realist, and do understand uniquely the challenges we face.
I remain optimistic because we have an excellent city team, starting with our current City Council and city manager, which includes every department, especially police and fire. We have outstanding nonprofits who do amazing work every day making our community better. We have an excellent university that is ingrained into the fabric of our community. Our schools are great, our parks incredible (when we are allowed to remove encampments) and our businesses innovative and resourceful. Our partnerships with the county and other government entities are the best they have ever been. We have a strong faith community that impacts us in significant ways, not always realized. And that is not an exhaustive list.
We have much to celebrate and be thankful for. Remembering those things can be difficult in these challenging times.
As for city government, our job is to create the environment that allows our community to thrive. It begins with safety, leadership and sound policy. When we do our job, when we create a safe community, provide true leadership and enact sound policy, opportunity will follow. It always does…especially in Chico.
Be the first to comment