The latest North State and California news on our airwaves for Friday, March 11.
Solidarity with Ukrainians reaches Paradise Town Council
This week’s Town Council meeting in Paradise began with a statement delivered by Mayor Steve Crowder, who said the town stands with the Ukrainian people and condemns Russia’s invasion of the country.
“Although not the same circumstances, Paradise can relate to having to flee our town and watch it be destroyed,” Crowder said.
The 2018 Camp Fire brought extraordinary loss to the town.
The mayor’s statement comes as communities nationwidehave expressed their support for Ukraine and while others are questioning theirsister-city relationships with communities in Russia.
— Andre Byik, NSPR
Chico mayor tells city’s critics to stop complaining and ‘get to work’ during State of the City address
The annual State of the City address was held virtually in Chico on Thursday. As the city celebrates 150 years of operation, government officials gave updates about the city’s future.
In his speech, Chico Mayor Andrew Coolidge said Chico’s future will be “both bright and clean.” He also pushed back against people who’ve criticized the city, saying they should help change Chico rather than “complain.”
“You have the choice to be a critic and complain about the issues we face, or roll up your sleeves, get to work and help make Chico a better place to live," he said, adding, “Progress was never made by complaining.”
Other city officials highlighted the imminent opening of the city-run Pallet shelter for unhoused residents, saying it would be “very safe” and “well run." The non-congregate housing site was constructed following a legal complaint lodged against the city by a group of unhoused people.
Also discussed was a proposed 1% sales tax that would appear on the general election ballot in November. The tax would be used for road maintenance and repairs and to hire more fire and public works personnel.
— Alec Stutson, NSPR
Pandemic brought on dramatic drop in Black-owned small businesses, research shows
Research from UC Santa Cruz shows a dramatic drop in small businesses early in the pandemic. That’s especially true for businesses owned by people of color.
As just one example, there was a loss of some 450,000 Black-owned businesses — a drop of 41%.
The Inclusivity Project is working to raise $100 million dollars to help 1,000 Black entrepreneurs in California. Jay King is the president and CEO of the California Black Chamber of Commerce, which is involved in the effort.
“My hope is that what it does is it starts to build those micro and mini-micro businesses into a small business that can house two to four employees and then scale it up,” he said.
King said the Inclusivity Project plans to provide mentorship and business development expertise.
— CapRadio Staff
California bill would address twice-yearly clock change
In 2018, Prop. 7 passed allowing California lawmakers to vote to permanently keep the state in daylight saving time — the spring-forward change.
There’s just one problem: federal law doesn’t allow states to switch to year-round daylight saving time. It only allows permanent standard time, which is the fall back, sun-sets-earlier time.
Arizona and Hawaii are always on standard time. Assembly member Steven Choi authored a bill that would have California join them. The Irvine Republican argues the century-old time change is outdated.
“To my understanding, it was to save energy, but research has shown that was not the case,” he said. “So, I see a lot more benefits by keeping one time.”
Choi’s bill will be amended to put the decision before voters. That means just like the autumn clock change, Californians could again be voting on this issue in early November.
— CapRadio Staff
Stories from NPR partner stations are edited by NSPR Staff for digital presentation and credited as requested.
In other news
- New evaluation ordered for woman suspected of starting Fawn Fire: “The Bay Area woman who’s charged with starting the Fawn Fire north of Redding last fall was back in Shasta County Superior Court on Thursday morning.” — Redding Record Searchlight
- 'Painful consequences' for Latinas linger after Papini's 'kidnapping': “Back in 2016, Redding resident Sherri Papini, who is white, drew global attention after disappearing and resurfacing three weeks later, saying she’d been abducted at gunpoint and held captive by 'two Hispanic women.'" — Redding Record Searchlight
- Plumas chambers unite and seek funding to promote county: “Once upon a time there was a Plumas County Chamber of Commerce. There was also a Plumas County Visitors Center. Over the years, those entities disappeared and four individual chambers took on the responsibilities of marketing this county — at first with financial support from the Board of Supervisors, but then that vanished also.” — Plumas News
- LaMalfa opposes $1.5 trillion spending package — supports defense and Ukraine aid package: “Last night, Congressman Doug LaMalfa voted against the proposed $1.5 trillion Omnibus spending package. The text of the 2,741-page bill was only sent to members in the early hours of the day before.” — Lassen County Times
- Chico sued over records request: “Investigative reporter and former Chico State professor Dave Waddell has filed a lawsuit against the city of Chico over public records requests related to the Chico Police Department. The information requested pertained to the officer-involved shootings of Chico residents Desmond Philips, Tyler Rushing, Eddie Sanchez and Stephen Vest.” — Chico Enterprise-Record
- Tehama County Employer Advisory Council offers active shooter training: ”Whether at work, school or shopping, it's important to always be prepared for an active shooter situation.” — Red Bluff Daily News
- Hybrid 'deltacron’ COVID virus is a biological curiosity. Is it a cause for alarm?: “A handful of COVID cases caused by an omicron-delta hybrid have been identified in the United States — including at least one in California reported by health officials this week — but scientists say the so-called deltacron variant looks unlikely to supplant either of its parents and fuel another coronavirus surge.” — San Francisco Chronicle
- With no respite from drought, officials call upon Californians to conserve water: “‘We’re asking all Californians to step up,’ said Wade Crowfoot, secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency. That means reducing water usage immediately and also taking steps that will help conserve in the long run, he said, such as replacing grass with drought-tolerant plants, or switching to water-saving appliances.” — Los Angeles Times
- Woman whose rape DNA led to her arrest to sue San Francisco: " The woman whose DNA from a sexual assault case was used by San Francisco police to arrest her in an unrelated property crime plans to sue the city, her attorney said Thursday." — The Associated Press
In case you missed it
- Oroville bus shooting suspect to have mental health examined — NSPR (Headlines, March 10)
- Butte County trimming down COVID-19 response — NSPR (Headlines, March 10)
- Garamendi says oil companies are price gouging, calls for hearings — CapRadio (Headlines, March 10)
- Hwy. 299 to fully open soon — The Trinity Journal
- The masks can come off at local schools beginning Monday — Plumas News
- Minority community members allege racism at [Lassen High School] — Lassen County Times
- Butte County to crack down on Table Mountain road parking — Chico Enterprise-Record
- PATH draws up designs for Red Bluff Navigation Center — Red Bluff Daily News
- Fire worries rise after Klamath Basin snow levels drop — Siskiyou Daily News
- Glenn, Colusa counties to to benefit from Caltrans investment — Colusa Sun-Herald
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