Straight from the Source with Hayley Watts

The Chico Housing Action Team Executive Director shares how she went from trying to build her own wealth in real estate, to helping others do the same. Young explains why “housing first” isn’t about handouts, and why local support for non-profits like CHAT can benefit the whole community.

Your favorite morning weatherman returns to the Action News Now studio to dish about what's keeping him busy these days: a new career with the CA Department of Fish & Wildlife. And now that he's no longer an employee here, he gets honest about past co-workers, working the early morning and late evening shifts, and all the other not-so-glamorous aspects of TV news.

Meet the new Northern Buttes District Superintendent for CA State Parks. Matthew Allen has always loved our great outdoors, and talks about the balance between preserving nature, and making sure people can live near it and safely interact with it. That means strategizing for wildfires, wolves, bears and lions, invasive plants and yes, even arsonists.

Many of you may feel like you know Tom Arnold after watching him for years on "Roseanne", or you saw him in the movie "True Lies". But the comedian might surprise you. He shares a few stories about stealing cake from Madonna & snubbing Hugh Grant, plus tells us what he really thinks about Californians. You can catch him live at Feather Falls Casino in Oroville on January 24...

Audrey Denney comes from a grape farming family and since then she's done it all! Bartending, consulting, teaching agriculture... she even spent a year volunteering in El Salvador. Hear why she believes as a Democrat she can meet the needs and values of rural Northern Californians in the U.S. House of Representatives District 1.

This local non-profit founder started Veterans Flags & Flowers when he was just 10 years old. A decade later, and he says there's more work to be done. He's both humble and humorous as he talks about meeting President Trump and the First Lady, and shares stories about traveling across the U.S. and overseas to honor those who served our country.

This week on Straight from the Source we hear from Colleen Cecil, Executive Director of the Butte County Farm Bureau about pesticides, wolf management and the impact of tariffs. This local dairy farmer advocates for seeking truth and checking our sources when it comes to where we get our information about the food we eat.

This local developer started with a t-shirt company and expanded into developing cities within the city. We talk about his vision and progress at Meriam Park, including water intrusion issues involving more than one contractor. We also discuss medical care expansion there, and what's in store at Barber Yard.

Tod Kimmelshue is from a family of farmers, but taking on the post-retirement job as Butte County Supervisor has taught him a lot about public health, public safety and everything else that matters to his community. We talk about getting through the pandemic, why groundwater management matters for all of us, and what could come next for the Oroville Hospital after the bankruptcy filing. Plus, why...

This bay area native comes from a family of farmers, and argues that the Democratic Party can represent the needs of rural District 1. He's looking to replace Rep. Doug Lamalfa in the next election cycle. We talk about why he believes he can bring better jobs, health care and education to Northern California. Plus, you'll learn a little bit about his family, background and pop culture pref...

Chico's long-time Director of Public Works-Operations & Maintenance just promoted to a new role: Assistant City Manager. It's a job that Erik Gustafson's former role prepared him for well, as he oversaw homeless camp clearouts and management under the Warren Settlement, efforts to bring commercial flights to the Chico Regional Airport, constant road repair projects and of course th...

This Butte County leader does it all! The 90-hour-or-so work week includes cracking down on crime as a Lieutenant with the Chico Police Department, representing the interests of District 2, and of course being a husband and father. Public safety, affordable housing for the average family and flood control are key issues he wants to keep working on. But he still carries fond memories of his time as...

This former Lieutenant & homicide detective for the Redding Police Department came out of retirement to fight for change in his community. The self-described conservative says he's still in the minority on a lot of local issues, but says that won't stop him from standing up for what he believes to be truth, facts and common sense. We talk about efforts to build new behavioral health an...

Shelly Rogers is not retired, yet she finds the time to help out at 4 different Butte County animal organizations. We talk about coyotes in neighborhoods, whether or not to feed feral cats, what happened to the animals taken from Kirshner, and what motivates her to foster now 173 dogs and cats, and counting.

This Northern California native wants to set a good example for her kids, and create a safe community. She discusses what she thinks the sales tax proposal could do for the city when it comes to public safety and services like the Civic Auditorium. We also talk about the challenges of being a mom, endurance athlete and small business owner.

This former Fire Chief turned politician says Oroville is an amazing community to be a part of, but also says they need to work harder to let the rest of the world know that. We discuss how technology is improving public safety, steps forward in the homeless crisis (plus continuing challenges, like dumping trash in the Feather River). We also discuss FERC stalling on the Oroville Dam licensing agr...

This District 1 Butte County supervisor says the job's taught him a lot. Also a veteran, he initially ran for office on a mission to build the now nearly-complete Veteran's Memorial. Since then, he's taken on the task of fighting to get the FERC to renew the Oroville Dam license. He says the state should be doing a lot more for the community that's hosting the massive reservoir. We...

This town councilmember and Camp Fire survivor rebuilt her home, and is spending her free time making sure others can do the same. From new rules for chicken ownership, to building a sewer for the business district, Lange shares what local leaders are working on. She also answers *some of our questions about what instigated the investigation into the town's building division.

This local business owner and current Chico councilmember is committed to improving the city he calls home. He sought out Chico for it's unique blend of culture, community-oriented living and relief from big-city problems. Now, he's laser focused on key goals like preventing flooding at 5-mile, mitigating the impacts of homelessness and the continuing Warren Agreement, plus revamping the d...

This local business owner is known for his many fundraisers that benefit our community, specifically kids and families in need. Farshad Azad shares more about why he came to the U.S. in the first place, driven by a desire to study political science and to have the right to free speech. We talk about how martial arts isn't really about fighting, but about bettering yourself on all levels.

He hails from the East Coast but now calls Butte County home. We talk to Public Health Officer Dr. Jarett Beaudoin about everything from the E. Coli detection in Big Chico Creek, to vaccine safety, the "MAHA" movement, Lyme Disease, and what's driving the mental health crisis. And you might be surprised to learn that this health expert's favorite local restaurant is found inside...

This city councilmember is not afraid to tell you what he believes to be right and wrong. Chuck Reynolds talks about his battle to keep pot shops out of the Oroville, waging a war against the "MJ Five", his work to secure the transition from a city fire department to a contract with Cal Fire, and why he believes regular people make better leaders than career politicians.

The former Marysville city councilmember says he’s ready to take his public service to the state level. We hear from him about public education, affordable housing, his relationship with the current District 3 Assemblyman who endorsed him, his faith and even his take on Santa Claus.

This former Chico police chief, current city councilmember and head of the Butter Interagency Narcotics Task Force says he's committed to finding actual solutions to the problems our community faces. We discuss cartels, guns on school campuses and the relentless homelessness dilemma.

Tehama County Supervisor Matt Hansen opens up about the quasi-criminal investigation into Supervisor Pati Nolen and the claims she's made against him. He also gets us up to speed on where the ground is sinking in the county due to over-pumping, and why he's worried about public safety.