What Do You Know About Chico City Council?
Ask most people how much a city council member makes or even how many hours they work, and you'll probably get a random guess that misses the mark entirely. The people who make decisions about our streets, parks, housing rules, and city budget are doing a part-time civic job for roughly $22,800 a year.
That gap between what people assume and what the job is actually matters, though. It shapes who runs, who can afford to run, and what we should expect from the people we elect. Let's look at what the job actually is, why it's on our ballot, why Chico votes by district, and how to keep an eye on the people we elect.
Ballots are going out for the November 3 election, and three Chico City Council seats (Districts 2, 4, and 6) are on them. The council is the level of government closest to your daily life, so here is how it's supposed to work.
What the council is supposed to do
Chico has what the City Charter calls a "council-manager" form of government. That phrase itself tells us who does what.
The council is the city's board of directors.
It has seven members, each elected from one district to a four-year term. Under the Charter, the council can take any action appropriate to a municipal corporation, subject to the Charter and the state constitution. In practice, that means the council:
Adopts the city budget.
The city manager prepares it and the council adopts it. That decides how much goes to police, fire, roads, parks, housing programs, and everything else. The city manager is not an elected official, just hired by the folks we elect. Read the current budget on the [city's Annual Budgets page](https://chicoca.gov/Departments/Finance/City-Financial-Data/Annual-Budgets/index.html).
Passes local laws and appoints the staffers.
City ordinances, including the land use and development rules in the Municipal Code, are adopted by the council.
Hires and oversees the city manager.The council appoints the manager, and under the Charter the manager can be removed only by a vote of at least four council members.
Appoints residents to city commissions. Bodies like the Planning Commission, the Bidwell Park and Playground Commission, and the Arts Commission are filled through council appointments.
Chooses a mayor and vice mayor from among its own members after each election, for two-year terms.
The council does not run the city day to day.
The city manager is the chief executive and, under the Charter, hires and manages city staff and carries out the council's policies. A council member sets the direction and votes on the big decisions. They don't personally fix that pothole down the street, but they should point you to who will.
What the job looks like in real life
It is part-time, and it pays like it.
According to a Chico Sol report based on a public records request of 2025 city salaries, council members receive roughly $22,800 a year. The mayor is paid 20 percent more. That comes from a formula in Charter §601: the maximum monthly salary the state allows for cities of Chico's size, plus 20 percent for the mayor. Council members can also be reimbursed for reasonable expenses when the budget provides for them.
Most council members have other jobs.
The city's own council page says council members don't keep regular office hours because most have other jobs or businesses outside of their council duties.
The work is more than two meetings a month.
The council meets on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. But the work around those meetings includes:
Reading the agenda materials for each meeting before voting on them.
Serving on council committees, such as the Finance Committee and the Internal Affairs Committee.
Representing the city on outside boards and committees (the city posts the list of council appointments).
Answering emails and calls from residents. The city says email is the most efficient way to reach them as they don't keep office hours.
Running costs real money.
Campaigns for council are not free. In 2024, Chico Sol reported, using filings with the City Clerk, that district candidates had raised anywhere from a few thousand dollars to more than $30,000 by late September, and some had spent more than $13,000 with weeks still to go.
For comparison, a full year of council pay is about $22,800. You can look up any candidate's filings yourself in the City Clerk's campaign statements portal.
Why this matters to you:
Don't expect a full-time staff. Council members are neighbors with day jobs, working through a heavy load of city business. Clear, concise, well-timed input from residents is worth more than you might think.
Ask what a candidate is doing to make the job possible. Who can afford to run, and to serve, is a real question about who ends up representing us.
Show up. The people making decisions for your neighborhood are often deciding on limited time and information. Residents who read the agenda and speak up help fill that gap.
Meetings are the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at City Council Chambers, 421 Main Street. They are also televised on Channel 11, streamed online, and open to Zoom participation.
Why we vote on it
Housing and zoning, park upkeep, street repair, emergency preparedness, and how the city responds to homelessness are all council business. Turnout in local races is typically lower than in presidential years, so each ballot carries more weight.
This isn't just a throw-away vote. Don't skip this box on your ballots. This is the level of government where a single vote is most likely to matter, and where decisions land closest to home. Your vote is one of just over one hundred thousand in the city, and one of only a few thousand in your district. These votes swing on the small margins.
How the calendar works.
Council elections are held in November of even-numbered years. Seats are staggered so the whole council is never replaced at once: the odd-numbered districts (1, 3, 5, 7) are on the ballot in one cycle, such as 2024, and the even-numbered districts (2, 4, 6) two years later, such as 2026. You can check the City Clerk's Elections page at any time for which seats are on the current ballot and the certified candidate list. To run, a candidate must be at least 21, live in the district, and be a registered voter.
What "districts" mean in Chico
Chico's seven council districts were officially established in February 2020 and realigned after the 2020 Census. Instead of everyone voting for every seat, you vote for the one seat representing your district. That person is your go-to voice at City Hall. Not sure which district you live in? Use the district finder map on the City's council page and enter your address.
This year's seats up for election: District 2, District 4, and District 6. You only vote in the race for your own district. To find out which of those, if any, is yours, check the map first.
How we the people hold our reps accountable
Read the agenda before the meetings. Agendas, minutes, and videos are posted on the City's website. Know what's on the table before it's voted on.
Speak during public comment, in person or by Zoom. Short, specific, and on a named agenda item speaking works best. Long, rambling comments from the podium to the council members do not.
Contact your own district's council member. Contact information is in the City's council directory. Send a clear ask with a deadline, and follow up.
Watch how they vote. Votes are public record. A vote on the consent calendar is still a vote.
Bring a neighbor. A room of people who all say the same thing gets noticed. And when the chamber is full of people saying the same thing, Council members who are actually there to support their communities will remember that.
Vote. Your voice should be part of the conversation, too.
What can you do this week? Find your district, look up who represents you, and put the next 1st or 3rd Tuesday meeting on your calendar.
Meet the City Council Candidates in 2026
The City Clerk's certified list for November 3rd's ballot lists these candidates. Read up on their websites and hear them in their own words before you vote.
Candidates
District 2: Shelby Hebert is running against incumbent Mayor Kasey Reynolds
District 4: Tracy Vincent is running against incumbent Addison Winslow
District 6: Megan Thomas Petty is running against incumbent Tom van Overbeek
Ballotpedia Pages
When we find new interviews with the candidates, we will add them to this blog post. For now, these are the interviews we have found with the different Chico City Council candidates on the ballot in November of 2026.
District 2 interviews
Video can be found at: https://youtu.be/cmAzNz3u7JA?si=fKQH1fY6Pcgxutxo
Video can be found at: https://youtu.be/TpYNOZuGG2w?si=JP33zQnRckeDDbnq
District 4 interviews
Video can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWwKk5GUwZI
Video can be found at: https://youtu.be/D7UmISXEoX4?si=E_po4zKPHYfeRMsV
Video can be found at: https://youtu.be/_Bgl_GlH1_A?is=NHPfWV-qq8N5dY1W
Video can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDLg6UotE2Y
District 6 interviews
Video can be found at: https://youtu.be/-qPHYLeqMNQ?is=hxS28cqTL5B1T4Yf
Video can be found at: https://youtu.be/jCmkJy6XMPI?is=_rWOJ-wvFFQp4Qdd
Video can be found at: https://youtu.be/iX2qagJLiuw?si=L7IDvTO5aynA2Bye
Video can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82Kh7sKraNs
Video can be found at: https://youtu.be/JA0LwrCWF_U?si=HBBljiYoLScQU6DP
