Our Values
Fostering a sense of community.
After a natural disaster and a global pandemic, we desperately need community and connection. Our work is grounded in building and honoring identity, culture, and a strong sense of community in the City of Chico.
Celebrating successes.
It’s easy to focus on what’s not going right. But when these narratives take control of our psyche and airspace, we forget the amazing work, heroic people, and powerful movements born in our City. Together, we will celebrate successes, both big and small, because that is how we create a vision for our future.
Supporting the local economy.
When people perpetuate false and negative narratives about our community, it creates hardships for businesses, tourism, and community culture. In our work, we will center local businesses and organizations as a critical part of what makes Chico an amazing place to live, work, and play.
Focusing on solutions.
We’re dedicated to addressing the complex challenges Chico is facing. We will do so by presenting and supporting data-driven solutions. And, we will thoughtfully call out misinformation and fear-mongering when we see them.
The City of Chico is a beautiful place. It deserves better than fear-mongering and divisiveness.
We love the City of Chico and wish to see it thrive and grow. Over the past two years, we have watched online community groups take advantage of difficult circumstances to scapegoat the previous City Council and blame individual Councilmembers for the City’s problems. The fact is, many of the challenges we face are statewide, national, and even global challenges with complex and multifaceted solutions. Not to mention, Chico has faced unprecedented struggle, from the impacts of a tragic wildfire to a global pandemic. Still, we have watched escalating bullying tactics, abusive behavior, obstructionism and fear-mongering take precedence over solutions-driven dialogue, new ideas, and data.
Frankly, we’re tired of the negativity.
We believe in a healthy and respectful exchange of views that leads to problem-solving and solutions. It’s okay to disagree, and it’s okay if we don’t come to the same conclusions. The act of exchange is a valuable process in itself, and we will show up for it.
We will also call out fear-mongering and moral panic for what they are: Make no mistake, the story we were told is not only full of misinformation and misdirection — it was crafted by paid Southern California political strategists, for the sole purpose of furthering a far-right agenda. They’ve done this despite the fact these are problems they have either been complicit in creating over the years, or that are bigger than any City’s capacity to take on. We will continue to call out this back-handed and manipulative approach to Chico’s problems, which has significant repercussions on our community’s economy, tourism, well-being, culture, and workforce.
Complaining and blaming is easy. Understanding, researching, and presenting viable solutions is hard.
We respect your intelligence, and believe you have the right to hear the facts, not just soundbites and slogans. We will take the time to do research and present a deep dive into the issues where it’s needed.
We also recognize the complex issues facing our City, and will actively work to address them — but obstructionism, gaslighting, fear-mongering, scapegoating, and lying are not productive means by which to care for our the place we call home. We all deserve better, and Chico deserves better.
We will stand together. We still stand against efforts to divide and distract. We will celebrate the good work being done. We will stand up for Chico.
