๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ' ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅโข ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง
Last night's city council meeting looked almost...rational. The council rolled back their previous action to disband the climate commission, declining to disband it, and they renewed the Emergency Shelter Crisis Declaration (ECSD).
The Climate Action Commission vote was in direct response to the Cease and Desist letter we were forced to send on September 22nd, after the council again broke the law and violated the Brown Act.
While publicly denying the city was guilty of wrongdoing, what the city attorney told the council in private was a very different matter. They (finally) understand they don't need additional lawsuits and it's time to rein in their behavior.
We also informed the council back in June what staff and the city attorney finally confirmed last night: renewing the ECSD offered important protections to the city, including protecting them from liability when using city owned/leased property for sheltering, something they are going to be forced to do after violating the civil rights of citizens. Despite having promised the PAC that got them elected they would get rid of the ESCD, the council was finally forced to take action to protect the city.
Have no doubt: these things are the result of our actions - and of yours. While we sent the letters to council and educated the pubic about the issues, you were in the trenches too. You sent emails, spoke out at council meetings, talked to your friends about what was happening.
Weโd be remiss if we didnโt include a big shout out to Butte Environmental Council as well; their outreach was critical.
Together, we can and did make Chico better. Let's enjoy a day to reflect on the important work we accomplished, and then get back to it tomorrow, because there is so much more to do.
