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CHICO, Calif. — The developer behind the Valley's Edge housing project has filed a lawsuit against the city of Chico, claiming the city violated the California Housing Crisis Act by allowing a referendum that led to the project's cancellation.

"Believe in Chico LLC" filed the lawsuit, arguing that the referendum, which took place in March of last year, unlawfully blocked the development of over 2,700 homes, parks, and retail spaces southeast of Chico. The lawsuit contends that the voter rejection of the project was in violation of Senate Bill 330, which prevents cities from imposing restrictions that limit housing production.

The developer is seeking a court ruling to overturn the referendum results and reinstate the project's approvals, which had previously been granted by the city's planning commission and council.

The city of Chico now has 30 days to respond to the lawsuit in Butte County Superior Court.

Believe in Chico LLC released a statement surrounding the lawsuit on Wednesday, April 2, saying:

"Our filing today addresses the conflict between state housing law designed to help the housing crisis and the public's right to vote on local development projects.

Believe in Chico, LLC respects the City’s planning process. This lawsuit aims at securing the rights afforded under SB330. In 2018, California ranked 49 out of 50 states in housing units per capita, and Governor Newsom called for 3.5 million homes to be built. This lawsuit aims to ensure the City of Chico works within the framework of SB 330 to serve the community’s housing and job needs while complying with state law."

The City of Chico also responded to the lawsuit on Thursday, April 3, saying:

"On April 2, 2025, the City of Chico was served with a summons in the matter of Believe in Chico v. City of Chico. The legal action seeks to reinstate the City’s project approvals related to the Valley’s Edge development project, which were subsequently reversed by referendum.

The lawsuit alleges that the actions taken by the referendums violate California Housing Crisis Act Government Code 66300 and are therefore null and void, and that the project approvals remain in place. However, there are legal questions that will need to be resolved by a court of law."

Chico said that their city council will be meeting with its legal team during its closed session meeting on April 15, 2025, to review and discuss the lawsuit and how the city will respond appropriately through the legal process.

BELIEVE IN CHICO LLC V. CITY OF CHICO

US Senator Adam Schiff’s (D-California) trip this week to Chico State was likely the first non-campaign visit to campus by a seated US senator in nearly 30 years, offering the University an opportunity to showcase its leadership in agricultural innovation and academic excellence.

As the first senator from California to sit on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry since the 1980s, Schiff was on a listening tour of the state, the nation’s top agricultural producer.

So, it was fitting his first stop here was a tour of the University Farm, a living laboratory where students roll up their sleeves and put classroom concepts into action. That includes developing and demonstrating regenerative agricultural practices designed to restore ecosystems and strengthen the resilience of communities.

The tour was led by Ag Ambassador students. Stops included the Organic Dairy Unit—the first University-run organic dairy in the Western United States, where he also saw a demo on soil health; the Organic Vegetable Project to learn about its role in providing produce to the public and to students through the Hungry Wildcat Food Pantry; and the new Agricultural Teaching Center and Farm Store, which will open in fall 2025 to sell a wealth of homegrown products and host the agricultural leaders of tomorrow in learning, competition, and events.

Schiff quipped about the pronunciation of “almonds,” and quizzed Ag Ambassador Hailey Knief about why some pronounce it “ammonds.”

“You shake the ‘L’ out of it from the tree,” Knief answered, in reference to an often repeated joke in the region about the tree shaker-machines that harvest the nuts.

Sophia Benitez, Ag Ambassador and a third-year animal science major who offered opening remarks at the Farm, was aglow following the tour.

“I thought the visit was another incredible opportunity to showcase our student-run farm to an individual who has the potential to advocate for our industry,” she said. “I’ve been having a lot of conversations about the importance of educating politicians and the public about the true impact of agriculture in California.”

“Visits with politicians like Schiff bring awareness to the realities of our industry and push forward advocacy for the farmers, ranchers, and students who work tirelessly to help feed the world,” she added.

Returning to campus, Schiff was welcomed into the Behavioral and Social Sciences Building, where he addressed a standing-room-only crowd of “Introduction to American Government” students and political-science minded members of the campus community.

Schiff shared details of his rise into politics and some of his opinions and ideas on what changes are needed in the country.

He told students it was up to their generation to fix the suffering planet—a message that resonated with a campus community devoted to sustainability. He urged students to remain engaged politically, and to address wealth inequities as well as divisions largely driven by social media.

Lecturer Katy Sylvia had primed her students for this perhaps once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ask direct questions of the senator. There were more than enough to fill the question-and-answer portion of his visit.

Topics ranged from questions about the 2024 election, recent headlines about the case of a Maryland sheet metal worker deported to an El Salvador prison, partisan conflict impacting the nation, and media delivery and consumption.

“Your generation gets most of your news through your (smart) phone,” Schiff said, noting “algorithms show you what they want you to see, or show you things that make you angry so you want to see more.”

He added, today’s challenge for students and all Americans is, “how we get our information from subsequent places.”

Schiff said he was impressed with the quality of questions and discussion from Chico State students, and later engaged with those who approached him after his remarks.

One of Sylvia’s students, Jordan McKenzie, said she enjoyed the conversational tone of the class’s conversation with Schiff.

“I noticed how easy going he was as a speaker and how you could tell he really knew what he was doing,” McKenzie said. “I was inspired to be passionate about whatever it is I am going to do in life.”

Sylvia said she intends to incorporate the visit into her curriculum, and hoped the engagement with Schiff “normalized talking to a politician.”

“I hope that it gave students the confidence to reach out and talk to their elected officials,” she said. “In class, we talk about the importance of varied forms of political participation besides voting, including contacting elected officials. I hope my students realize it was empowering to ask an elected official questions, and I hope they continue to do so throughout their lifetime.”

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Michael Drummond is Chico State’s media relations coordinator. He is a Pulitzer Prize finalist, a former war correspondent, author of “Renegades of the Empire,” and enjoys surfing and fishing.

CHICO, Calif. — The California State Yo-Yo Contest made a triumphant return to Downtown Chico on Saturday, marking its first competition since 2019. The contest, held at Chico's City Plaza, attracted yo-yo enthusiasts from across the nation, competing in various divisions from novice to professional levels.

Participants showcased their skills through freestyle routines judged on risk, musicality, and presentation. Winners were awarded yo-yos as prizes.

Chico has a rich yo-yo history, home to the National Yo-Yo Museum, which features the world's largest working wooden yo-yo, weighing 250 pounds and standing 50 inches tall.

“Chico is kind of like a yo-yo mecca. It's a small town but it just happens to have a really strong community for this obscure sport," said Nate Dailey, lead event coordinator of the 2025 California State Yo-Yo Contest.

Katie Thompson, who won the women's title at the 2023 National Yo-Yo Contest told KRCR she's played yo-yo since she was 14-years-old. She traveled from the Yosemite area to compete in the event and was among 38 competitors on Saturday.

Thompson said she enjoys watching fellow players grow their skills and learn from one another while sharing the love of the sport.

“I just love the creativity of it and how you can make your own tricks and everything. Hitting clean on stage is very hard. It takes a lot of practice and experience to be good at hitting tricks on stage," Thompson told KRCR.

Chico boasts its own yo-yo club, which meets every Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. The National Yo-Yo Museum is located at 'Bird in Hand' in Downtown Chico.

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