A Chico Council Member is criticizing the city's response to a settlement agreement that dictates its homelessness policies.
The Warren v. Chico Settlement Agreement stipulates that the city must offer shelter options before sweeping encampments, and must keep an alternative campsite open for those that aren’t eligible for shelters, among other things. The city is currently trying to exit that agreement, saying it’s unworkable. Their arguments are currently being reviewed by a federal judge.
But Council Member Addison Winslow said the city is making the agreement sound far more difficult than it is.
"The fact that the city has control over what they make public allows them to manipulate the narrative in order to support their interests," Winslow said. "So I wanted to push back on that."
In a statement released yesterday, Winslow said the city mischaracterized Legal Services of Northern California, the law firm representing unhoused people in the Warren v. Chico settlement agreement. He said the city refused to negotiate in good faith, while publicly blaming stalled negotiations on the firm.
"I think it's important to see the extent to which the city's claim that the Settlement Agreement is unworkable is a result of the city … refusing to work with Legal Services to make it better," Winslow said.
One example Winslow pointed to is the management of the Genesis Pallet Shelter. The shelter consists of 177 micro homes, but currently 37 are sitting empty. Winslow said a phone line unhoused residents can call to voluntarily enter the shelter has over 1,000 calls in its backlog. But he said the city has resisted efforts to admit more residents from the hotline.
He also noted that the city resisted occupancy percentage requirements that would aim to fill more vacant units at the Pallet Shelter, despite the demand among people looking to enter voluntarily.
Not everyone in the city agrees with Winslow's view. Fellow council member Tom van Overbeek criticized Winslow's assertions because he was not present at the negotiations, while other city staff were.
"You've got these people that all have the same account, and they have first hand knowledge. And on the other hand, you have somebody who was not in the room. So they have second hand knowledge," van Overbeek said. "Who are you going to believe?"
In an email to NSPR, city manager Mark Sorensen also dismissed Winslow's claims on similar grounds.
"In the more than two years that I’ve been at the City of Chico, I attended 100% of [negotiations with Legal Services of Northern California.] Mr. Winslow attended 0%," he wrote.
Sorensen reiterated that the city's previous statements on the situation correctly stated the facts.
Click "listen" at the top or bottom of this story to hear an interview with Addison Winslow about his statement.
