This story on a targeted homeless encampment ban was produced by CalMatters, an independent public journalism venture covering California state politics and government. For more info, visit calmatters.org. By Marisa Kendall (for CalMatters) On Thursday, state Democrats voted down a bill that sought to ban homeless encampments near schools, transit stops and other areas throughout California. Despite the fact that cities up and down the state are grappling with a proliferation of homeless camps, legislators said they oppose penalizing down-and-out residents who sleep on public property.  ..read more

This story on low-wage workers in California is produced by the award-winning journalism nonprofit Capital & Main and co-published here with permission. By Mark Kreidler California’s new $20 minimum wage for most fast-food workers provoked plenty of conversation around the state, most of it focused on the economic impact either to franchise owners or the people who buy food there. Lost in the conversation around those numbers, and what to do about them, is any mention of who actually gets paid these low wages, let alone the millions of Californians who work in other jobs at the s ..read more

Before the In-Flux: Recalibrating The Unknown group exhibit came to MONCA this month, I hadn’t heard that the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) had shut down. In 2022, the beloved art school closed and in 2023 filed for bankruptcy. SFAI was the oldest U.S. art school west of the Mississippi. Founded in 1871, it boasted a who’s-who of faculty over the years—Ansel Adams, Mark Rothko, Angela Davis, to name a few—and had an impressive list of notable former students, such as Annie Leibovitz, Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead, and any number of leaders of the countless cutting-edge art and music m ..read more

What happening this week? Chico News & Review has you covered with highlights of what’s on tap at local clubs, theaters, galleries and performance venues. Visit the CN&R’s FREE online calendar for all of the listings in Butte County. Derrien headlines the Goodforthesoul Music Fest at Idea Fab Labs on April 12. Goodforthesoul Music Festival Friday, April 12, 5-11pm Idea Fab Labs 603 Orange St. If you’re a local music fan who says to oneself, “Where are the new local bands at? I wanna hear some new original music!” Tonight (April 12) is your lucky night. The Goodforthesoul Music Festival ..read more

This story on the state’s solar requirement was produced by CalMatters, an independent public journalism venture covering California state politics and government. For more info, visit calmatters.org. By Ryan Sabalow (for CalMatters) Hundreds of homes in Joe Patterson’s Northern California Assembly district burned to the ground in the Caldor Fire. In the three years since that devastating summer, many of those rebuilding homeowners have ended up on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars, thanks to state laws that require solar panels on new homes — even on those that didn’t have them before ..read more

This story on California’s tracking of spending on homelessness services was produced by CalMatters, an independent public journalism venture covering California state politics and government. For more info, visit calmatters.org. By Marisa Kendall (for CalMatters) Exactly how much is California spending to combat homelessness — and is it working? It turns out, no one knows. That’s the result of a much-anticipated statewide audit released Tuesday, which calls into question the state’s ability to track and analyze its spending on homelessness services. The state doesn’t have current information ..read more

What happening this week? The clouds are parting and the Butte County arts scene is inviting you out to play. Below is handpicked list of suggestions for the latest local live theater, music and art. Visit the CN&R’s FREE online calendar for all of the listings in Butte County. Amy, Amy, Amy! El Rey Theater 230 W. Second St. The late great Amy Winehouse burned out fast and young, but her legacy as one of the 21st century’s great vocalists (and great songwriters—her nonpareil Back to Black was all her original compositions) has endured in the dozen-plus years since she joined Jim, Kurt, Jan ..read more

The use of labels to define a person or a group of people can create a situation devoid of empathy. The stereotypes involved allow us to skip over the person who is being labeled and place them in a box that strips away their humanity. This is especially true with the preconceptions involved with the stigma of homelessness. “Homeless obscures more than it clarifies,” said Butte County filmmaker Christopher Allan Smith. “Homelessness make it sound like it’s one homogenous experience.” In an effort to move past assumptions and get at the unique stories of individuals, Smith filmed The Lives Behi ..read more

What happening this week? Chico News & Review has you covered with highlights of what’s on tap at local clubs, theaters, galleries and performance venues. Visit the CN&R’s FREE online calendar for all of the listings in Butte County. Rick Estrin & The Nightcats Chico Women’s Club 592 E. Third St. (presented by Chico Concerts) Rick Estrin has been playing harp on Chico stages for as long as he’s been playing music live. The Bay Area bluesman has become a local fave, and Chico Concerts is bringing the charismatic frontman and his band The Nightcats back to the Chico Women’s Club stag ..read more

By Rachel Becker (for CalMatters) This story was produced by CalMatters, an independent public journalism venture covering California state politics and government. For more info, visit calmatters.org. California farmers could save massive amounts of water if they planted less thirsty—but also less lucrative—crops instead of almonds, alfalfa and other water-guzzling ones, according to new research by scientists who used remote sensing and artificial intelligence.  Such a seismic shift in the nation’s most productive agricultural state could cut consumption by roughly 93 percent, researche ..read more