Save Downtown Chico / A Citizens' CoalitionUpdated
Save Downtown Chico
SAVE DOWNTOWN CHICO
A citizen effort to revive the Downtown Revitalization Project

Chico was one vote from a safer downtown. Let's get that vote.

On Tuesday night, three councilmembers voted down the Downtown Revitalization Project — protected bike lanes, wider sidewalks, and safer crossings on Main Street and Broadway. Mayor Reynolds cast the deciding no.3 The Caltrans grant deadline is still ticking. We have roughly 60 days.7

⏱ Caltrans ATP Cycle 8 deadline7
Until the grant is gone.
Miss June 22 and the city waits for Cycle 9 — about two years — and walks away from tens of millions in state funding.7 This isn't a deadline we can reschedule.
60
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Section 01 What the project actually is

This isn't a war on cars. It's a fix for streets that already killed two people.

Alternative 1 runs protected bike lanes on Main Street and Broadway between 2nd and 9th, widens the sidewalks, and fixes intersections that have racked up 112 crashes since 2012.1 Caltrans pays about 80% of the cost if we apply by June 22.7

112
Crashes on Main Street since 2012
2 of them fatal1
$40–50M
Alternative 1 estimated cost
Caltrans ~80% via ATP; city match ~20%167
Jun 22
Caltrans ATP Cycle 8 deadline
Miss it → wait ~2 years for Cycle 97
3 of 7
Councilmembers who killed it
One swing vote flipped the outcome3
Today Cross-section, not to scale
Sidewalk
Parking
Travel lane
Travel lane
Travel lane
Parking
Sidewalk
Three undifferentiated travel lanes. Narrow sidewalks. No bike infrastructure. 112 crashes and two fatalities since 2012. 1
Alt 1 — Proposed Cross-section, not to scale
Wider sidewalk
Protected bike
Buffer / flex
Travel lane
Travel lane
Parking
Sidewalk
One-way protected bike lanes on Main & Broadway. Two travel lanes instead of three. Wider sidewalks. Flex loading zones. Parking preserved.
Downtown Chico project area map, showing the corridor from 2nd to 5th on Main & Broadway
Project area — Main & Broadway, 2nd to 5th City of Chico project documents
Six blocks. That's the whole argument.
The orange dots mark the intersections that get real fixes. Every block within the dashed line gets wider sidewalks, safer crossings, and a real bike connection — whether you ride a bike or not.
Broadway & 2nd — curb extensions, shorter crossings, calmer traffic
Broadway & 2nd — curb extensions, shorter crossings, calmer traffic City of Chico AR
Broadway & 3rd — flex parking, painted buffer, protected lane
Broadway & 3rd — flex parking, painted buffer, protected lane City of Chico AR
Main & 2nd — new protected bike crossing and widened sidewalk
Main & 2nd — new protected bike crossing and widened sidewalk City of Chico AR
→ Renderings: City of Chico augmented-reality visualizations of Alternative 1, April 2026. Full set at downtownchicoplan.com.
Protected bike lanes
One-way, separated from traffic by a striped buffer and flex zone. Ends the 'ride in the door-zone or take your life in your hands' choice.
Widened sidewalks
More room for outdoor dining, benches, and actually walking next to a friend. The current sidewalks on Broadway are barely 6 feet wide in places.
Safer crossings
Shorter pedestrian distances, better signals, curb extensions at intersections that currently force jaywalks.
Flex parking zones
On-street spaces that work as loading / pickup during delivery hours and as regular parking the rest of the day.
Bidwell Park connection
The first safe bike-and-walk connection between the park and downtown. Right now there isn't one.
Source: City of Chico project page at downtownchicoplan.com and chicoca.gov capital projects.
Section 02 What just happened

The vote, laid out.

3
NO — killed it3
3
YES — supported3
1
RECUSED3
District 2 · VOTED NO
Kasey Reynolds
Mayor
District 3 · VOTED NO
Dale Bennett
Vice Mayor
District 1 · VOTED NO
Mike O'Brien
Councilmember
District 4 · VOTED YES
Addison Winslow
Councilmember
District 7 · VOTED YES
Bryce Goldstein
Councilmember
District 5 · VOTED YES
Katie Hawley
Councilmember
District 6 · RECUSED
Tom Van Overbeek
Councilmember
Recused — owns downtown property with tenants Parkside Tap House, Metric Cosmetics, and KRCR
THE SWING VOTE.
Mayor Kasey Reynolds — District 2

On April 7 she voted no but said she was "close to voting yes."4 She asked for one more input session. The session happened. A record crowd showed up. She voted no again anyway.3

SOURCE: Action News Now, April 20, 2026
Timeline
Dec 2023
Project kicked off
City Council directs staff to begin the Downtown Revitalization study.2
May 2025
Community workshops
Old Municipal Building drop-in sessions — majority of comment favorable.1
Apr 7, 2026
First vote: 3–3 tie
Mayor Reynolds votes no but says she's 'close to voting yes' — agrees to one more input session.45
Apr 14, 2026
Final input session
Record public turnout. Young residents and families overwhelmingly supportive.3
Apr 21, 2026
Killed: 3–3
Reynolds votes no again. Alternative 1 fails. Van Overbeek recused for business-ownership reasons.3
Jun 22, 2026
Grant deadline
Caltrans ATP Cycle 8 applications close. After this, the city waits ~2 years for Cycle 9 and walks away from tens of millions in state funding.7
Nov 3, 2026
Election Day
District 2 (Reynolds), District 4 (Winslow), District 6 all on the ballot.18
Section 03Why the opposition is wrong

Seven arguments against the project. Every one of them wrong.

Tap any claim to see the data. Every rebuttal cites a source you can read yourself. The case against Alternative 1 isn't made of studies — it's made of hunches that have failed everywhere they've been tested.

After New York City installed a protected bike lane on 9th Avenue, retail sales on that corridor jumped 49% while the rest of the borough managed 3%. Salt Lake City's 300 South redesign — which removed 30% of the on-street parking — saw sales grow 8.8% vs. 7% citywide, and 59% of business owners supported the change after it was done. A 2020 Portland State study across 14 corridors in six cities found positive or statistically-insignificant impacts on retail and food service everywhere they looked. A 2021 peer-reviewed literature review of 23 North American studies found the same thing.9101112

On the record
"You make it two lanes and you're going to have bumper-to-bumper traffic and more accidents when people are trying to pull out."
— Carol Munson, owner, Fifth Street Clothing Company · KRCR, April 7, 20265
Chicago DOT studied this exact prediction on Kinzie Street. Eastbound morning travel time went up by under a minute. Westbound got faster. Evening rush improved in both directions.13
Section 04 The recusal question

One councilmember recused.
Mayor Reynolds didn't.

Tom Van Overbeek owns — as he puts it — "half a block" in downtown Chico, renting to Parkside Tap House, Metric Cosmetics, and the KRCR news station.19 He recused himself from the vote.3 That's what you're supposed to do when a decision materially affects real property you own within 500 feet.8

Map of downtown Chico showing the Downtown Revitalization Project area (Main & Broadway, 2nd to 5th) and the location of Shubert's Ice Cream — Mayor Reynolds' family business — just inside the project zone.
Project area + Shubert's location Inside the 500 ft zone
The rule
FPPC Regulation 18702.2

California's Fair Political Practices Commission rule: any governmental decision affecting real property within 500 feet of a public official's real property is presumed to have a material financial effect — triggering a recusal obligation.8

That presumption is rebuttable only by clear and convincing evidence of no effect. Not a hunch. Not "I don't think it matters." Evidence.8

Read the regulation →
What Van Overbeek did
Recused.

He owns roughly half a block of downtown property — tenants include Parkside Tap House, Metric Cosmetics, and KRCR's Chico newsroom. The project would reshape the streets his buildings sit on. So he stepped out of the vote. Textbook compliance.

What Mayor Reynolds did
Cast the deciding no vote.

Mayor Reynolds' family business, Shubert's Ice Cream & Candy at 178 E. 7th Street,15 sits inside the project area itself — half a block off Main Street, well within the 500-foot presumption zone. She did not recuse. She did not publicly address the conflict. Then she cast the deciding vote that killed the project.3

This is what the FPPC is for.

Whether Reg. 18702.2 applies here is exactly the kind of question California's Fair Political Practices Commission was created to answer. Anyone can file a sworn complaint asking them to review it — and the more residents who file, the harder it is for the agency to set the matter aside. Our action page has the facts pre-written so you can paste them straight into the FPPC's online form.

File a complaint with the FPPC →
Section 05The supporter wall

Add your name.
Show the council how many of us there are.

Every name on this wall is a Chico resident who wants the Downtown Revitalization Project back on the agenda before the June 22 grant deadline. The list grows in real time — when you add your name it appears here within seconds.

0
Chico supporters on the record
Momentum is building. Add yours.
Your name and neighborhood will appear on the wall below. Your email stays private — we use it only to send a heads-up before each council meeting.
The wall of supporters
Vangs Plants & Succulents Hub
Downtown business
Spruce Studio Films
Downtown business
Outlier Architecture
Downtown business
Upper Park Clothing
Downtown business
Collier Building Theatre Project
Downtown business
The Westport Event Venue
Downtown business
Lovebird Coffee
Downtown business
MC&Co Salon
Downtown business
Golden Thread Strategies
Downtown business
Aca Taco
Downtown business
Peter Washington Law
Downtown business
Poppy & Fig Clothing
Downtown business
Social High Rise
Downtown business
Second Cousin Gallery
Downtown business
Stoble Coffee
Downtown business
Anika Burke
Downtown business
Adema Environmental
Downtown business
Rawbar
Downtown business
Law Office of Davis Hewitt
Downtown business
Tandem Creative
Downtown business
Lupine Legacy Foundation
Downtown business
Lili’s Brazilian Bistro
Downtown business
Tres Hombres
Downtown business
Chico Velo
Downtown business
Sign Club
Downtown business
Letters on file21 signed letters of support

Downtown didn't just sign on — they wrote letters.
Section 06What you can do right now

Five things you can do. Pick one. Do it before you close this tab.

The council took a record amount of public pressure and still voted no. The antidote isn't outrage — it's volume. More emails, more calls, more sworn complaints, more people at the next meeting. Start here.

Pick one — or do them all
Step 1 · 30 sec
Sign on
Add your name →
Step 2 · 2 min
Email
All 7 council →
Step 3 · 5 min
Call
Phone the swing votes →
Step 4 · 5 min
File FPPC
Sworn complaint →
Step 5 · 2 hrs
Show up
May 5 or May 19 →
Tier 1 · 2 minutes

Email every councilmember

To all 7 councilmembers
kasey.reynolds@chicoca.gov, dale.bennett@chicoca.gov, mike.obrien@chicoca.gov, addison.winslow@chicoca.gov, bryce.goldstein@chicoca.gov, katie.hawley@chicoca.gov, tom.vanoverbeek@chicoca.gov
Then share the site
Tier 2 · 5 minutes

Call the swing votes

Phone calls carry more weight than email with some councilmembers. Aim your calls at the three who voted no — especially the mayor — and thank the three who voted yes.

ASK TO RECONSIDER
Kasey Reynolds
District 2
📞 530-966-4447
ASK TO RECONSIDER
Dale Bennett
District 3
📞 530-680-3156
ASK TO RECONSIDER
Mike O'Brien
District 1
📞 530-513-3085
THANK THEM
Addison Winslow
District 4
📞 530-433-4795
THANK THEM
Bryce Goldstein
District 7
📞 530-433-0946
THANK THEM
Katie Hawley
District 5
📞 530-433-4377
What to say (90 seconds)
Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I live in [NEIGHBORHOOD / DISTRICT].

I'm calling to urge the council to reconsider the Downtown Revitalization Project — Alternative 1 — before the June 22 Caltrans ATP grant deadline.

Killing this project doesn't save us local money — it just forfeits tens of millions in state funding. The next grant cycle is two years out.

Since 2012 there have been 112 crashes on Main Street and two people have died. Please vote to put this back on the agenda and approve it.

Thank you.
Tier 3 · 5 minutes

File a sworn FPPC complaint

Mayor Reynolds' family business sits inside the project zone. FPPC Reg. 18702.2 presumes a financial conflict at 500 ft. The FPPC accepts complaints from any California resident — and multiple individual filings on the same alleged violation tend to push it up the triage queue.819

0
Complaints filed by Chico residents
The FPPC's "anonymous → no follow-up" rule is a feature, not a bug. Anyone can file. The agency weighs volume.
Step 1 — Copy these into the FPPC form (one field at a time)
Alleged violator
Mayor Kasey Reynolds, City of Chico (District 2)
Code provisions
California Government Code §87100 (Conflict of Interest)
2 California Code of Regulations §18702.2 (Materiality Standard — Real Property)
Dates of alleged violation
April 7, 2026 and April 21, 2026 — Chico City Council votes on the Downtown Revitalization Project (Alternative 1)
Description of facts
On April 7, 2026 and April 21, 2026, Mayor Kasey Reynolds participated in and cast deciding "no" votes on the Downtown Revitalization Project (Alternative 1), a streetscape and capital-improvement project covering Main Street and Broadway between 2nd and 9th Streets in Chico, California.

Mayor Reynolds' family business, Shubert's Ice Cream & Candy, is located at 178 E. 7th Street, Chico — within 500 feet of the project area as defined by the City of Chico's published project documents.

Under 2 Cal. Code Regs. §18702.2, any governmental decision affecting real property within 500 feet of an official's real-property interest is presumed to have a material financial effect on that interest, triggering a recusal obligation. The presumption is rebuttable only by clear and convincing evidence of no material effect.

To my knowledge, Mayor Reynolds did not publicly disclose this potential conflict on the record, did not seek an FPPC advice letter, did not present clear and convincing evidence rebutting the presumption, and did not recuse herself from either vote. A separate councilmember, Tom Van Overbeek (District 6), recused himself from the same votes citing his ownership of nearby downtown property.

I respectfully request that the FPPC review whether Mayor Reynolds' participation in these votes violated §87100 and §18702.2.
Witnesses / evidence
- Chico City Council meeting video archive (Granicus): https://chico-ca.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2
- KRCR coverage of the April 21, 2026 vote: https://krcrtv.com/news/local/city-council-vote-on-downtown-revitalization-ends-in-another-tie
- Chico Enterprise-Record, "To recuse or not to recuse" (April 18, 2026): https://www.chicoer.com/2026/04/18/to-recuse-or-not-to-recuse-fppc-complaints-raise-questions-on-council-conflicts-of-interest/
- Shubert's Ice Cream & Candy "Our Story" (Reynolds family / 178 E 7th St): https://www.shuberts.com/our-story
- City of Chico Downtown Revitalization Project: https://www.downtownchicoplan.com/
Step 2 — Open the FPPC form, paste, check the "under penalty of perjury" box, submit

The form is at fppc.my.site.com. You can file anonymously or include your name — both go on the record. Penalty of perjury is a checkbox in the form itself.

→ Open the FPPC complaint form
Step 3 — After you submit, tell us

We don't get a copy of your complaint — the FPPC does. But clicking below adds +1 to the public counter so we can show how much volume Chico is generating. Name and neighborhood are optional.

Tier 4 · Show up

Be in the room May 5 or May 19

City Council · 421 Main St
Tue, May 5, 2026
6:00 PM

Regular City Council meeting.16

City Council · 421 Main St
Tue, May 19, 2026
6:00 PM

Second meeting in the 60-day window before the grant deadline.16

Public comment — what works
  • Say your name and neighborhood. Councilmembers track which districts show up.
  • Tell one specific story. A near-miss on Broadway. A kid who bikes to Chico Jr. High. A parent who won't let their kid cross Main. Specific beats statistical.
  • Name Alternative 1 and the June 22 deadline explicitly. Make it easy for the mayor to agendize a reconsideration.
  • Stay under 2 minutes. Practice out loud once. Land the ask in the last sentence.
  • Don't yell at the no-voters. Persuade the persuadable watching from home.
Tier 5 · 10 minutes

Amplify — make a poster

Volume online matters as much as volume in the room. Pick a template, swap colors, edit the text, and post it everywhere.

Instagram / Facebook post builder — pick a template, swap colors, edit text, download
MAYOR REYNOLDS
Put it back on the agenda.
Reconsider Alternative 1 before the June 22 grant deadline.
SAVEDOWNTOWNCHICO · #CHICOCA
Preview · exports at 1080×1080
Caption templates for text-first platforms (X, Bluesky, Threads)
X / Bluesky

Hey @MayorReynolds — you ran on a stronger downtown. The Revitalization Project IS that. Please put Alternative 1 back on the agenda before the June 22 grant deadline and give it a real vote. Chico is with you on this. #ChicoCA

X / Bluesky

Mayor Reynolds, you were the swing vote on April 21. You can also be the swing vote that brings the project back. Agendize Alternative 1 for reconsideration. We'll be in the room. #ChicoCA #DowntownChico

X / Bluesky

A polite ask to Mayor Kasey Reynolds: reopen the Downtown Revitalization Project before the June 22 grant deadline. Tens of millions in Caltrans funding are on the line. Let's get this one right, together. #ChicoCA

X / Bluesky

Imagine walking from Bidwell Park to dinner on Broadway without dodging traffic. Imagine your kid biking to Chico Jr. on a protected lane. That's what the Downtown Revitalization Project funds — and Caltrans is paying for most of it. Let's not leave the money on the table. #ChicoCA

X / Bluesky

Cities that widened sidewalks and added bike lanes saw downtown retail sales go UP. Chico has a $50M+ state grant sitting there to do the same thing. Let's take the money and build a downtown worth walking to. #SafeStreetsChico

X / Bluesky

The Downtown Revitalization Project is Chico's chance to be the walkable college town we already tell everyone we are. Wider sidewalks. Outdoor dining. A real bike connection to the park. Mostly paid for by Caltrans. Ask the mayor to bring it back. #ChicoCA
Citations
  1. [1] City of Chico — Downtown Revitalization Project (official project site)
  2. [2] City of Chico — Capital Projects: Downtown Revitalization Project
  3. [3] KRCR — "City Council second attempt to vote on Downtown Revitalization Project ends in another tie" (Apr 21, 2026)
  4. [4] Action News Now — "Chico council to vote again on downtown bike lanes after 3–3 tie" (Apr 20, 2026)
  5. [5] KRCR — "Chico City Council to decide next steps for downtown revitalization project" (Apr 7, 2026)
  6. [6] Action News Now — "Chico's downtown bike lane proposal stalls over cost, business impact"
  7. [7] Caltrans — Active Transportation Program (ATP) Cycle 8 page
  8. [8] FPPC Regulation 18702.2 — Materiality Standard: Financial Interest in Real Property
  9. [9] NYC DOT — Measuring the Street: New Metrics for 21st Century Streets (9th Ave retail +49%, 2012)
  10. [10] Salt Lake City — 300 South Progress Report (2015)
  11. [11] Portland State TREC / PeopleForBikes — National Street Improvements Study (2020)
  12. [12] Volker & Handy — "Economic impacts on local businesses of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure," Transport Reviews 41(4), 2021
  13. [13] Chicago DOT — Initial Findings: Kinzie Street Protected Bike Lane (2011)
  14. [14] FHWA — Road Diet Informational Guide
  15. [15] Shubert's Ice Cream & Candy — "Our Story" (Reynolds family; 178 E 7th St, Chico)
  16. [16] Chico City Council — meeting video archive (Granicus)
  17. [17] NACTO — Urban Bikeway Design Guide: Cycle Tracks
  18. [18] City of Chico — City Council Directory
  19. [19] Chico Enterprise-Record — "To recuse or not to recuse: FPPC complaints raise questions on council conflicts of interest" (Apr 18, 2026)