The Chico City Council Tuesday will consider formally disbanding a city commission that focuses on climate change.
The council will consider approving an ordinance that disbands the Climate Action Commission, which works on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to global warming.
The move follows a 5-to-2 vote on Sept. 21 to revert the commission to an ad hoc committee that would serve at the pleasure of city staff.
City staff said an ad hoc committee could meet less frequently than the monthly meetings required of the commission, saving staff time and potential building costs.
Chico State geography professor Mark Stemen is vice chair of the climate commission and has held a position on the advisory body since its creation in 2019. He said the move is shortsighted.
“They don’t think climate change is the emergency that it is. They don’t think acting on these things is as important as, say, an ice rink, or some of these other things that they’re talking about. You know, I could go along with all of these other things, and that is a lack of leadership,” Stemen said.
An ad hoc committee would meet less frequently than the once-a-month commission meetings if history is a guide, Stemen said.
“I think it's pretty clear that, you know, the fires of this summer, the droughts that we're experiencing. Our efforts to combat climate change cannot be an ad hoc effort,” Stemen said. “It really needs to get to the fundamental transformations that we need to make in our society.”
Last month’s vote moving forward with disbanding the climate commission was supported by council members Andrew Coolidge, Kasey Reynolds, Mike O’Brien, Deepika Tandon and Sean Morgan. Councilors Alex Brown and Dale Bennett were against the move.
Shelter crisis also back on the agenda
The council will consider declaring a shelter crisis as the number of unhoused people in Chico continues to outpace shelter space.
The council will consider re-declaring a shelter crisis after it allowed the last declaration to expire at the end of June.
The potential about-face comes as the city is embroiled in a federal lawsuit that’s led to a temporary ban on sweeps of homeless encampments.
City attorneys tell the council that declaring a shelter crisis may allow city-owned property and other facilities to be designated for emergency sheltering. It would also shield the city from liability for some forms of negligence in providing emergency housing.
The city has been pursuing a settlement agreement with the group of unhoused people that filed suit against the city in April. The people allege the city’s anticamping laws violate their constitutional rights.
A settlement conference is scheduled Oct. 27 in U.S. District Court in Sacramento.
