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OROVILLE — The Butte County League of Women Voters held a candidate forum for the city of Oroville council seats for District A, District F and for mayor.
The forum followed a question and answer format giving each candidate one minute to answer a question.
The league asked District A and District F candidates what their top priority for their district, how they plan to communicate with constituents, what they see as important for Oroville’s rebranding, how the city can build a balance of needed housing, which city services need more funding, what actions to take for a more firm financial footing, and what they think they should do to provide more shelter and services to the unhoused population in Oroville.
The league asked mayoral candidates what they see as the primary role of the mayor in the council.
Hatley is a former Oroville Police Department detective and has lived in Oroville for 30 years.
“Public safety and quality of life are my top priorities,” Haltley said.
Hatley said with public safety as his top priority, the city needs to build up its police department which is down 13 positions.
Hatley said that he has lived in Thermalito for 54 years and built connections with constituents working as a police officer in his community.
Hatley said the rebranding effort is a good thing for the community but the city needs to focus on building businesses rather than focusing on outdoor and recreation.
“We call it Lake Oroville and we want recreation, but you can’t buy a boat in this town. There is no place to buy a jet ski in this town. We need to work on those types of businesses if we’re going to brand this as a recreational city,” Hatley said.
Hatley said he supports housing projects that support market priced housing.
Johnstone has a family in Oroville and sat on several boards in Oroville school districts.
Johnstone said public safety and mental health treatment for unhoused people is a top priority for her district. Johnstone said the city needs to bring in people that will help the community feel safe.
Johnstone said she sees people face to face and has a dedicated phone to speak with constituents’ concerns.
Johnson said marking Oroville’s natural resources, recreation and tourism can be a great revenue builder for the city.
“I believe that commerce and bringing in new business is the way to go,” Johnstone said.
Johnstone said she didn’t have an answer to help serve unhoused people but is willing to work with the City Council to come up with solutions.
“I want to work hard for the constituents in my district. I think there are a lot of people who feel a disconnect with their city government and their ability to have any voice (in their district),” Johnstone said.
Sheard is a business owner and is new to Oroville, moving in after seeing Oroville’s natural resources.
Sheard said public safety is a top priority as she said many of the constituents in the district tell her they don’t call the police anymore because they think nothing will happen.
Sheard said she keeps in contact face to face with constituents and business owners in the downtown area. Sheard said she is a supporter of downtown business owners.
Sheard said she is a big proponent of enforcing the laws, codes and regulations that are currently on the books and supports market priced homes.
“We need not just policemen available when there’s an emergency, but we need policeman to actually do surveillance where they can go in front of these dangerous drug houses, they can go along the river, they can go by our parks and they can be a deterrent,” Sheard said.
Sheard said the city needs to be careful about managing the “homeless industries” that are supporting unhoused people to “either move on, move out or get help.”
Webber is a resident of Oroville for 35 years and is a business owner in downtown Oroville.
Webber said safety is a top issue for his district and want to tackle crime, open drug use and make sure public areas are safe to use.
“When I say safety, I’m talking about safety for all. I’m talking about from the lowest earning citizens all the way up to the citizens that live in the most expensive homes in the district,” Webber said.
Webber said he would like to see more medium and high income development to attract growth that will improve housing prices and quality of life.
Webber said that he would continue the ideology of the current City Council and grow the city’s surplus money to do what the city needs to do.
Webber said that working with agencies is key to creating a wheel of support for unhoused people and to give assessments to find their needs.
The mayoral incumbent, Reynolds was born and raised in Oroville and is a construction contractor.
“I put everything into this position. I’m there to dedicate myself to it,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds said his top challenge is to stabilize the council to attract business professionals to the city.
Reynolds said the city has met its allocation for low-income housing and needs to focus on market rate housing.
Pittman is a retired police chief, business owner and lifelong resident of Oroville currently serving on the Oroville City Council.
“My goal is to protect your tax dollar with efficient, effective government policies and procedures,” Pittman said.
Pittman said he supports getting involved with non-governmental organizations to supply the services needed to help people without homes.
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