HIT — No matter how the final figures turn out, we welcome the news that millions of additional dollars have been earmarked for road repairs in the City of Chico.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the Chico City Council agreed to spend $14 million per year (including $10 million from Measure H money) to fund Public Works – Engineering Director Brendan Ottoboni’s 10-year plan for roadway improvements.
And that amount figures to be on the low end. Mayor Andrew Coolidge deemed $18 million more indicative of the Measure H revenue available for roads based on funding ratios the council set, and made a motion to approve the plan but also have Ottoboni return in March with adjustments based on the larger amount. It passed 5-2.
Either way, it’s great news on any number of fronts. For one, advocates of Measure H (including the conservative majority on the council) promised much of the money would be used to repair Chico’s rapidly decaying streets, and it’s vital to see revenue from ballot measures used as promised.
There’s a reason Ed Booth’s weekly “The Mean Streets of Chico” column has quickly become one of the most well-read features in our newspaper. Every person who drives in Chico encounters the “mean streets” at some point, and everybody has a favorite story about a street they love to hate the most.
This plan won’t repair everything. But consider the alternative.
MISS — “Wasting time at our nation’s Capitol” has become such a mundane topic, we generally don’t waste our time mentioning it in this forum.
Sometimes, though, the actions (or inactions) of our elected officials are such a national embarrassment, we feel the need to chime in.
The ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy because of a revolt by a small number of far-right representatives — and the failure of the House to re-elect a new speaker in the 18 days that have followed — would be enough to make everyone involved a laughingstock if it wasn’t all just so pathetic.
Look. There’s a lot going on in our country (and world) right now. In case Matt Gaetz and Company haven’t noticed, President Biden was on TV just Thursday night discussing the powder keg in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine. That’s in addition to issues closer to home like the economy, and crime, and housing, and homelessness, and the budget deficit, just to mention a few big ones that are impacting the lives of millions of Americans every day.
But, don’t bother telling any of our elected officials that. They’re too busy playing political games on the taxpayers’ dime.
Our congressman, Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale), got it right when he called the removal of McCarthy “a debacle” and added “the infighting is just really destructive … I don’t blame you for being disgusted by what’s going on here.”
How bad has it gotten? Some Republicans, unable to find anyone in their party able to receive the required number of votes (Jim Jordan, who got LaMalfa’s vote the past two rounds, is now 0-for-3), have openly suggested putting Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries in the speaker role on a temporary basis just to get the people’s business underway again.
Removing your own party’s speaker in a hissy fit, only to turn the gavel over to a member of the opposing party?
That’s dumb even by typically dumb politician standards.
HIT — The 52nd Almond Bowl was another splendid reminder of all that’s great about our community.
The game itself wasn’t as competitive as usual — Chico’s Dion Coleman ran wild in a 35-0 victory for the Panthers — but everything else about the evening was sheer perfection, from the spirit of the student rooting sections to the musical performances by the bands.
Of course, no Almond Bowl is complete without the halftime car-giveaway ceremony. The winner of this year’s car, donated again by Chico Nissan, was Teresa Pierce — and, in keeping with the theme of the evening, she’s a Chico High graduate.
More importantly, the raffle raised nearly $300,000 that will be used to benefit the athletic programs at Chico and PV. According to Chico Nissan’s webpage, approximately $3.5 million has been raised by the car giveaway since it began 15 years ago.
That’s a score almost as impressive as any of the five touchdowns Coleman scored last Friday.
MISS — While people in Chico and all over the country bemoan the need for more “affordable housing” — whatever that is, and a precise definition isn’t bandied about that often — the recent trend with mortgage rates continues to render such a discussion moot.
Home mortgage rates have reached the 8% mark for the first time in 23 years. The mark was last reached in 2000, just a couple of years after the housing market bottomed out.
The ever-increasing cost of utilities, such as gas and electric, and the difficulty in finding things like fire insurance are already making things too tough on home buyers. An 8% mortgage rate will price many first-time buyers out of the market and make others wonder if it’s even worth the effort.
And that’s for the people who found a home “affordable” in the first place.
Hits and misses are compiled by the editorial board.
