CHICO — A half-block from the new site for Safe Space Chico’s winter shelter intake center, the Chico City Council met Saturday afternoon in a packed chambers to discuss further options.
The result — after nearly two hours on a weekend, announced before a sliver of the original capacity crowd — is the organization must cease operations on city property and, should the sides not find a resolution when they meet Tuesday, the city will proceed with litigation.
Events the previous day precipitated the council’s unusually timed meeting. Safe Space relocated from 101 Main St. to the municipal center Friday night after the city fined the owner of the downtown building the organization had used since opening for the season Dec. 17.
Saturday morning, Safe Space announced Trinity Methodist Church at Fifth and Flume streets would host the intake center in its parking lot Saturday and Sunday night. Board president Rick Narad told the council that the organization and church will see about this becoming its location moving forward but that an agreement beyond the weekend hadn’t been reached.
Narad was one of 43 speakers who addressed the council, granted a minute apiece for their comments. Emotions hit a peak several times, most sharply an hour into the meeting, when Mayor Andrew Coolidge labeled the city’s approach to homelessness as “compassionate” given the millions spent on the Pallet shelter. He called a recess to quell outcries from the audience.
Safe Space operations manager Quin Troester asked if any place in Chico had the correct zoning for the use, noting that “what we do is unprecedented” by shuttling unhoused people to churches that open their facilities on a rotating basis.
All told, 37 citizens advocated on behalf of Safe Space. Several, including Bill Monroe and Rob Davidson, urged the council not to withdraw funding from the group. Catherine Riley said Chico was turning into “the Alabama of California” with its policies. Eric Chrisler said he couldn’t address the council in good faith “because I don’t have faith in any of you.”
One speaker concerned about the operation, attorney Rob Berry, called the meeting “political theater” and asked councilors to “follow the law.” (On the latter, Mike Trolinder cautioned the council to ensure the city is “following good legal advance” in the wake of the Warren v. Chico lawsuit.) Downtown business owner Josh Marks said he was a supporter of Safe Space “but I don’t think it belongs downtown” — a sentiment echoed by two other downtown business owners, David Halimi and Leanne Powell.
Falling somewhere in the middle, restaurateur Will Brady recommended a pause the allow for a solution beneficial to all.
Council discussion
Coolidge called the meeting, scheduled for noon as an emergency session. He, Vice Mayor Kasey Reynolds, Dale Bennett, Sean Morgan and Addison Winslow attended; Deepika Tandon and Tom van Overbeek were absent. Members of the public filled the seats and lined the walls.
Winslow inquired about what constituted the emergency; City Manager Mark Sorensen responded that “the disruption of activities at city hall last night and potential recurrent disruptions at city hall” with uncertainty of its location justified the determination.
Undeterred, Winslow sought to postpone the discussion to a regularly scheduled meeting — but his colleagues, on a motion by Morgan seconded by Reynolds, voted to authorize the emergency session over his dissent. Pressed by Winslow to explain the scope of the discussion, Coolidge listed the location and contract; “beyond that,” he added, “the will of the council.”
Reynolds asked when the city first heard Safe Space had an issue finding a site. Sorensen said Executive Director Hilary Crosby contacted staff Nov. 20, at which point he reviewed the inventory of city properties but found none compatible.
In response to a question from Reynolds, Narad explained challenges with previous sites, mentioning two churches with accessibility issues, a building that changed hands and another building slated to be demolished.
Winslow inquired about the city offering a municipal parking lot; Sorensen answered, “They were asking for a building, not a parking lot. Staff and Safe Space will continue talking.”
After the recess, during which only a fraction of the audience departed, Morgan picked up where Coolidge left off and referred to the services the city provides.
“Projection of vilification on this council is just that,” Morgan said, turning a critical lens on Safe Space for its organizational acumen and its messaging. Winslow countered, “There was nothing political about Safe Space until the city came to shut it down.”
Calling for a pause in the vein of Brady, Winslow moved to adjourn the meeting but failed to get a second. Councilors left the dais moments later anyway, adjourning to closed session, after Morgan pointed out that city staff and Safe Space would meet Tuesday — giving no definitive direction at that point.
During a half-hour of closed session deliberations, the council voted unanimously on the cease-and-desist order, to choose two councilors to join Tuesday’s meeting and authorize litigation if necessary. Councilors appointed Morgan and Winslow.
