Voters have until Tuesday, Nov. 5 to make their decisions for the general election. NSPR has been interviewing candidates vying for seats on the Chico City Council. In District 3, Monica McDaniel is challenging incumbent Dale Bennett. She spoke with NSPR’s Ava Norgrove about her background and how she would address some of the issues facing the city if elected.
*Editor's note: NSPR made multiple requests for an interview with District 3 incumbent Dale Bennett through email, social media and phone and received no response.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Tell us more about your background and why you are running for this position?
I've lived in Chico for 30 years. I'm one of those people who gets involved with just about everything I can.
In 2009, I was a parent. After college I settled down and had a couple of kids, and as a parent I first joined the Chico Arts Commission back in 2009, and I've been doing that ever since. I’ve chaired the commission three different times, and I learned a lot about city governance during that process in that 15 years of service.
I've served under five different councils and I've seen good choices and bad choices and that's what makes me want to step up and run myself.
What do you see as the most pressing issues facing Chico?
The biggest issue that's on everybody's mind is public safety, and it's many facets. One of them is the unhoused population. The current administration has been doing lots of things to work with the unhoused population, but yet we still continue to see people camping in the park. I've heard a lot of blame. I've heard a lot of things … a lot of lack of taking responsibility for the performance, and a lot of criminalizing people because they're poor, and that's not making the people who are unhoused feel safe. It's not making the citizens feel safe. That's a big problem and I think that we can do better as a community.
We just had the Park Fire. Fire is a huge challenge for Chico. We want to feel safe when we're out recreating, when in our homes, we want to feel like we're not under threat of fire.
Flood is a big challenge now, especially in the wake of fires. Chico, on its easternmost border has a stormwater district. The stormwater equipment is in good condition, but it's been there for 50 years, and there's a lot of sediment there. Now, after the Park Fire, we're going to see a lot of that sediment coming down from the hills, and they could just simply overflow, and that could cause a flood and that is a huge danger for our public.
Moreover, I think that Chico's lost its sense of taking care of one another. We have the “Our Hands” sculpture in front of the city hall. That really means something. That means that people in Chico care about each other. We know each other by first name. We know each other by recognition at the farmers market or the grocery store, and we care about what happens with our neighbors. I think we've lost that sense of community and continuity and caring about each other. So public safety is ultimately my biggest concern. I think it's on a lot of people's minds.
What sets you apart from the other candidates?
I work hard. I work tirelessly to support the community. But what sets me apart from my opponent, in particular, is that I look deeper into the solutions of problems and try to find a meaningful outcome, in a way, differently than my opponent does. We've been serving on the PCAB [Police Community Advisory Board] together, and what I've been working on in that same capacity is developing a strategic plan. There's been so much distrust from the police department to the community in the last few years, and not just Chico's, but this is a national problem.
How are we going to fix that? Well, I could sit here and think of ideas. You could sit there and think of ideas, other people can, but unless we find out what the community really needs and find out ways that the community can really get involved and participate with those solutions … that's what sets me apart, because I've done this work in schools, I've done this work in nonprofit organizations, And I want to do this work for the community of Chico.
Anything else you’d like to share with our listeners?
I just would like to share with listeners that I have a passion for our community. I love to give back. Chico has put its arms around me when I've gone through difficult times, and I want to give back to my community and help them through difficult times.
I was just at a dinner event before I came here, and I met people who felt we were familiar with one another, and that's what I think is great about Chico. We call it the Chico way and it's kind of this unspoken thing that we sort of look out for each other. And I want to help foster that as a community leader. So I would like people to vote for me if they live in District 3. Monica McDaniel because I believe in the Chico way, and I believe in the goodness of my fellow citizens, and that's why I stepped into doing this.
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Read/ listen to NSPR’s other Chico City Council candidate interviews
Editor’s note: District 3 candidate Dale Bennett, District 5 candidate Melissa Lopez-Mora, and District 7 candidate Deepika Tandon did not respond to multiple requests from NSPR for an interview.
Further media coverage of the candidates
District 1 - (Mike Johnson/ Michael O’Brien)
- In their words – District 1 (Mike Johnson and Michael O’Brien) – Chico News & Review
- Know Your Candidates: Chico City Council (District 1) – KRCR
- The race between two Mikes – Chico News & Review
Mike Johnson
- Mike Johnson thinks ‘a smarter way’ can be found for homelessness | Chico City Council District 1 – Chico Enterprise-Record
- Mike Johnson: Chico City Council District 1 – Action News Now
Michael O’Brien
- Michael O’Brien sees city through public safety lens | Chico City Council District 1 – Chico Enterprise-Record
- Michael O'Brien: Chico City Council District 1 – Action News Now
District 3 - (Monica McDaniel/ Dale Bennett)
- In their words – District 3 (Dale Bennett and Monica McDaniel) – Chico News & Review
- Know Your Candidates: Chico City Council (District 3) – KRCR
Monica McDaniel
- Monica McDaniel finds room for improvement in homeless policies, police staffing | Chico City Council District 3 – Chico Enterprise-Record
- Monica McDaniel: Chico City Council District 3 – Action News Now
Dale Bennett
- Dale Bennett sees city ‘moving forward’ with public safety and homelessness | Chico City Council District 3 – Chico Enterprise-Record
- Dale Bennett: Chico City Council District 3 – Action News Now
District 5 - (Melissa Lopez-Mora/ Katie Hawley)
- In their words – District 5 (Katie Hawley and Melissa Lopez-Mora) – Chico News & Review
- Know Your Candidates: Chico City Council (District 5) – KRCR
Melissa Lopez-Mora
- Melissa Lopez-Mora hopes to revitalize downtown | Chico City Council District 5 – Chico Enterprise-Record
- Melissa Lopez-Mora: Chico City Council District 5 – Action News Now Katie Hawley
- Katie Hawley believes climate resilience needs to be addressed | Chico City Council District 5 – Chico Enterprise-Record
- Katie Hawley: Chico City Council District 5 – Action News Now
District 7 - (Deepika Tandon/ Bryce Goldstein)
- In their words – District 7 (Bryce Goldstein and incumbent Deepika Tandon) – Chico News & Review
- Know Your Candidates: Chico City Council (District 7) – KRCR
Deepika Tandon
- Deepika Tandon wants to see downtown, businesses grow | Chico City Council District 7 – Chico Enterprise-Record
Bryce Goldstein
- Bryce Goldstein thinks the city can look for more housing solutions | Chico City Council District 7 – Chico Enterprise-Record
- Bryce Goldstein: Chico City Council District 7 – Action News Now