Katie Hawley
Bio: Katie Hawley is an environmental educator. She has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Chico State and is working on earning her master’s in political science. She canvassed for the Stop Valley’s Edge campaign, and has experience in the nonprofit sector. She is running “to be the first District 5 council member who rents and works in Chico’s core neighborhoods.” Learn more at www.katiehawley.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?
Long-term prevention, such as rent stabilization for mobile home parks and encouraging infill projects, reduces homelessness for years to come. Organizations that provide transitional housing, cooling centers, domestic violence resources, food sovereignty, and behavioral health resources must be partnered with and advocated for when those entities are seeking grants. Educational programs regarding tenants’ rights for both property managers and renters can be expanded upon to widen the scope of reach to further prevent homelessness.
For immediate solutions, multiple small-scale city-managed campgrounds that offer clean water, access to showers, a short walk to food, and shade structures ensure that people who are homeless feel safe and dignified. Reasons for declining offers for shelter need to be tracked and meticulously responded to, including population size, mobility barriers, location, pets, and environmental design. Exhausting law enforcement’s time and resources by playing “whack-a-mole” without a shelter that meets people’s basic needs is not a solution.
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?
Multiple barriers serve to disincentivize developers from creating affordable housing options, including but not limited to parking minimum requirements, front lot minimums, lot ratio requirements, allowable density in R1 zones, owner occupancy requirements for certain builds, and impact fees for infill development. For example, a residential project proposed above the new Momona restaurant was rejected due to a parking lot requirement that downtown Chico does not have space for.
Missing out on residential development like this prevents people who don’t own cars from living in the most walkable neighborhood in the city. Sprawling, cul-de-sac style neighborhoods containing only single-family homes are already subsidized by the city because the long-term costs of infrastructure maintenance exceed the tax returns of those developments. In short, the walkable infill neighborhoods are subsidizing the wealthy expensive neighborhoods, and it is financially unsound.
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?
The allocation of Measure H funds should be a collaborative effort between the city commissions, community, and finalized draft of the Active Transportation Plan. Many city commissions have gone “ad hoc,” leaving commission meetings canceled and little opportunity for community involvement in road improvement projects. Funding should prioritize infrastructure used most to promote equity in our financial decisions. The Measure H 10-Year Roadway List Approval presented by Public Works displays favor toward sprawl projects, such as slurry sealing California Park, Amber Grove, Jasper Drive, and Parkhurst Street. It is impossible to finance new infrastructure without adequate tax return on that acreage, yet the city continues to approve these projects instead of fixing our most-used crumbling roads.
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?
Yes. I want to return power and autonomy to our commissions immediately, prioritize community and expert collaboration of our plans (past examples: 2030 General Plan, Fuels Management Plan, Urban Forest Master Plan, etc.), reduce council hostility toward public speakers, and never attempt to exit projects that have a tangible benefit to the community without community input or knowledge (such as the city’s attempt to exit the Settlement Agreement on the basis of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Grants Pass v Johnson).
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?
Although historic preservation is important, our downtown is failing and sales are falling despite population growth. This is an indicator that change is vital to revive it.
Firstly, a micro-oligopoly of commercial landlords has made it near impossible for local businesses to survive because of unsustainable tax hikes and gross negligence of building maintenance. Alterations to our downtown commercial vacancy policy, rent policy, and small businesses revenue tax policy should be considered but not implemented without community, property management, business owner, and entrepreneur involvement.
Secondly, our downtown is designed to prioritize high-flow car traffic in the most heavily pedestrianized area of our city, resulting in high rates of cars hitting people. Prioritizing people going to downtown, not through downtown, would make it ideal and safe for shoppers and tourists. The Downtown Complete Streets Project was a spectacular proposal, but was delayed over car traffic concerns, despite Alternative 2 maintaining the existing parking space count. Parking minimums for our urban core need to be eliminated immediately, as affordable apartment projects are continuously shot-down due to parking minimum requirements. Although parking meters have their place in political discourse, it is extremely frustrating that they consume a mass amount of media attention and discourse when other, more pressing issues face our historic downtown.
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?
Although I am a proud environmentalist, I have an intersectional perspective that prioritizes residents’ basic needs over “green” measures in certain cases. Lessening impact fees, advocating for the softening of certain Title 24 requirements for small homes, and other barriers identified by infill developers will prioritize getting our residents housed above all else. The Green Line protects agricultural land and encroachment into vital wildlife habitat, but there could be flexibility in future considerations on a case-by-case basis. Partnering with organizations that keep people alive during extreme heat is necessary for the future of the climate crisis. Fire breaks and goats are a great start to fuel mitigation, but heeding the advice of forestry experts in the 2020 Fuels Mitigation Plan by enforcing the “no cars on severe risk fire days” rule and funding a star-thistle burn would have decreased the severity and likelihood of the Park Fire.
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?
PG&E control of our energy system has been catastrophic for our residents financially and environmentally, and disproportionately harms our low-income residents. Hiking rates while PG&E make record profits is unacceptable, and solutions surrounding community-owned energy systems should be a top priority. Community Choice Aggregation could allow PG&E-owned structures for other locally-controlled entities to purchase and supply energy. Quoting directly from the county’s CCA Feasibility Study, “this Plan concludes that the formation of a CCA in Butte County is financially feasible and would yield considerable benefits for all participating County residents and businesses. … At full build-out, a 2 percent rate reduction will add 42 jobs, generate over $3.6 million in additional GDP, and give the [residents] greater control over their power supply, economic development and energy efficiency programs.”
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?
The disappointment portrayed by our residents is absolutely founded. Growth is never a bad thing, but the car-dependent and isolated acreage sprawl that Chico has experienced is absolutely a bad thing. Instead of harmonizing competing priorities, the city is focused on a small set of objectives. The history of Chico dating back to the 1860s represents generations of incrementally built wealth, mixed-use zones, and walkable communities that are among the most financially-sound portions of our city. These neighborhoods have been abandoned in favor of rapid growth with short-term development tax revenues that do not account for long-term maintenance. The blight that these historic neighborhoods experience is preventable, and I plan to restructure city priorities to address that.
Melissa Lopez-Mora
Bio: Melissa Lopez-Mora is lifelong Chico resident. She attended Chico High School, and is currently a senior at Chico State. Lopez-Mora and her husband, Preston, “are excited about the opportunity to build our careers and, one day, raise our children in the vibrant community we call home. I am running because I believe we all deserve a better Chico, and I’m confident I have the experience and passion to make that happen.” Learn more at www.melissaforchico.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?
Prioritize local shelters and enforce public property laws. Encourage community partnerships.
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?
Lower fees and reduce regulations to encourage private developers to build affordable homes.
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?
Focus spending on core infrastructure and public safety, ensuring tax dollars are used effectively.
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?
I support transparency and believe that as elected officials, we need to keep the public informed.
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?
We need to preserve historical charm while allowing modern conveniences. Balance development with tradition. New additions should complement the look of the city, not clash with it.
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?
Investment in sustainability should be driven by the private sector, and green practices within the city (public and private sector) should be highlighted.
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 should be the top priority. Our ability to attract new businesses, student life, new homeowners, etc… depends on our ability to ensure a safe community.
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?
I believe that Chico has so much to offer, but yes, we face challenges. I am running to confront those challenges head on. As I said before, public safety should always be the top priority.
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