Governor Newsome says the state will impose a 100-percent tax on payments from President Trump's so-called anti-weaponization fund. Last week the Trump administration announced a one-point-eight-billion-dollar fund for victims of alleged political "weaponization," including possibly for those who were charged for the January 6th Capitol riot. On Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom called it a "slush fund," and said "anyone from California who receives any of those funds, we want to tax 100-percent of those proceeds." He added, "it's an action we look forward to taking." Meanwhile, New York Assemblyman Alex Bores wants to see the same tax requirement in his state.

Butte County Ag officials are putting out an urgent call to people who bought citrus or grape trees from Costco. Ag Commissioner Katherine Quist says the glassy-winged sharp shooter and it's eggs have been found in trees shipped from Southern California. The trees were specifically shipped to Costco stores in Chico and surrounding areas. Quist says people should notify the Ag Department.... Quist says there is no cure for Pierce's disease so it can be devastating to crops. She says if you did buy a tree from Costco since April 21st you should call the Butte County Ag department so they can inspect the tree. She says people should double-bag the tree preventing eggs are larvae from moving to another tree

One person was killed and others were transported to the hospital with injuries after a major traffic accident resulted in the shutdown of a portion of the Esplanade. The Chico Police Department says that at around 1 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, officers were dispatched to the intersection of E. Lassen Avenue and the Esplanade in Chico after receiving reports of a multiple vehicle collision. Officers have determined the driver of a vehicle run a red light at a high rate of speed and slammed into the rear of a vehicle stopped at the light. The intersection of the Esplanade and E. Lassen Avenue was closed to traffic by the crash for more than seven hours, reopening at around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday night.

The Redding Civic Auditorium is closing its doors after the Redding City Council voted to begin the search for a new operator. Council members said the city is not in a financial position to subsidize the venue at this time. there are 17 shows booked at the Civic Auditorium between now and the end of the year, but as of now, it's unclear which of those will be cancelled.

A 21 year-old Chico woman was sentenced to 14 years in state prison for the sex trafficking of a 15 year-old runaway... The Butte County D.A.'s office says Destini Ferrini made contact with a 15 year-old girl and introduced her to a pimp. Authorities say the girl was then subjected to repeated sexual assaults by three men over a period to two days. Investigators found pictures and videos of the girl being assaulted on Ferrini's phone and police say she took the pictures. Kyle Grinnell and Tycoryean James have pled no contest to the charges and await their sentences. Zachary Johnson will have a trial date set on May 27th. He is charged with forcible rape, possession of cocaine and giving drugs to a minor.

The Chico City Council approved a proposed $198.5 million budget for the upcoming 2026–2027 fiscal year. Department heads presented their funding requests citing rising service and training costs across municipal services. The budget must return to the council one more time for final approval in June before taking effect when the new fiscal year begins on July 1

California State Parks has released The draft structural assessment for the fire-damaged Bidwell Mansion that outlines four rebuilding outcomes: historical restoration, exterior-only historical rebuilding, preservation of the remaining structure, or partial reconstruction. The wood framing is a total loss, and extensive seismic stabilization and hazardous material management as Lead from historical paint has leached into the surrounding soil, requiring protective measures around the landscape. California State Parks has filed a civil lawsuit seeking approximately $38 million in damages against the alarm system contractors for the failure of the fire alarm systems during the incident.

Butte County Public Health (BCPH) announced Friday that water and sediment samples collected May 4 from several locations along Big Chico Creek did not detect E. coli O157 following laboratory testing by the State Water Board's laboratory. The testing was conducted as part of BCPH's ongoing investigation into an outbreak of E. coli O157 illness linked to recreational water exposure in the creek during summer 2025. Officials say they will continue consulting with the State Water Board in the coming weeks to determine whether additional sampling and testing for E. coli O157 will be conducted.

Chico Mayor Kasey Reynolds has retained legal counsel to fight a lawsuit led by former Mayor Ann Schwab with the Fair Political Practices Commision saying she didnt recuse herself on votes for the Donwtown Revitilazation Project with her Ownership in Shuberts Ice Cream. Reynolds argues her business isn't directly affected and plans to let the process play out legally. Her attorneys argue that Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) advice letters support this. She has stated that if the FPPC or court ultimately concludes she must recuse herself, she will comply with the decision.

CAL FIRE announced up to $70 million in new funding is available to help California communities strengthen wildfire resilience and reduce fire risk. The grants support locally led projects that reduce wildfire risk, strengthen preparedness and help protect lives, property and critical infrastructure. Grant applications are now open and must be submitted by 3 p.m. on July 8. FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK BELOW 

https://www.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/grants

The former Dean of the College of Agriculture has filed a federal suit against the CSU Board of Trustees and Chico State President Steve Perez for wrongful termination..... Dr. Patricia Stock was fired in June of 2023 and in her suit she alleges that Perez fired her after local ag interests and members of the Butte County Farm Bureau coordinated a campaign to have her dismissed. Perez denies those claims Stock and her lawyers have subpoenaed the text messages from Butte County Farm Bureau Executive Director Colleen Cecil alleging a coordinated effort to influence Chico State Administration. Stock says in the 173 page complaint obtained by KPAY that local ag interests did not approve of her selection of Ricardo Orellana to lead the University Farm. She includes text messages where local ag interests speak in derogatory tones about the latin heritage of herself and Orellana. The suit claims that Perez told Stock she was being fired because she was "antagonizing community partners." Stock's suit also claims local ag leaders were getting preferential treatment when it came to no-bid contracts and financial payouts under the previous Dean of Agriculture.

A group of Chico citizens is suiting Chico Mayor Kasey Reynolds for not recusing herself from voting on the Downtown Chico Revitalization Plan.... A group of eight Chico citizens including former Chico Mayor Ann Schwab is suing Reynolds claiming she is violating the Political Reform Act. Reynolds voted against a downtown revitalization plan on April 21st. The group says that Reynolds should not have voted on the project because she owns Schubert's Ice Cream and Candy and receives a salary from the business. The Act forbids elected officials from making governmental decisions when they have a personal financial interest in the outcome. Councilman Tom Van Overbeck recused himself during the vote because he owns property in the downtown corridor. As reported in the Chico ER....According to Fair Political Practice Committee forms Reynolds is co-owner and receives a salary from Schubert's Ice Cream and Candy. Local attorney Peter Washington says they tried to resolve the matter without filing the suit but they came up empty.

Enloe Medical Center is walking back statements that may have changed the course of a downtown Chico revitalization plan... Three weeks ago Enloe officials told city leaders that the proposed plan may slow emergency response times. This week Enloe C.E.O. Mike Wiltermood said despite the changes to traffic corridors with the proposal, the hospital doesn't believe those changes would result in slower response times. Three Chico City Council members (Kasey Reynolds, Mike O'Brien and Dale Bennett) all voted against the plan with all three saying Enloe's statements regarding slower response times influenced their decision. Wiltermood went on to apologize to the City of Chico and its residents for what he calls a misunderstanding at the April 21st meeting.

Owning a home is 48 percent more likely after a person leaves California. That's according to a new study from the California Policy Lab at UC Berkeley. It says Californians who left the state between 2016 and 2025 moved to areas where the median home price was 396-thousand dollars. That's an average cost decrease of 48 percent compared to their previous neighborhoods. Monthly housing expenses like taxes and insurance also fell from an average of nearly 24-hundred dollars in California to about 17-hundred dollars in other states. Renters who left the state saw their monthly payments drop by about 30 percent.

CREWS ARE STARTING WORK ALONG FOREST AVE THE PAVEMENT PRESERVATION PROJECT THEY ARE RESEALING THE PAVEMENT ALONG FOREST AVE FROM 20TH STREET TO MOUNTAIN CIRCLE DRIVE WITH TRAFFIC CONTROLS DURING PHASES OF THE WORK . OFFICALS SAY TO EXPECT DELAYS DURING TEH WORK WITH 1 LANE CONTROLS IN PLACE..THEY SUGGEST USING ALTERNATE ROUTES

An outside investigation released on Friday, May 1, found sustained allegations of inappropriate and unprofessional conduct by Shasta County Clerk and Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis, including demeaning comments to employees that referenced violence, minimizing staff work and making appearance-and gender-related comments. The report said there is evidence of campaign-related activity during work hours, a verified pattern of unprofessional conduct and a dysfunctional workplace environment. It concluded that Curtis' leadership has led to a toxic and polarized work environment. Curtis has denied the allegations.