The Stop Valley’s Edge referendum and ballot measure campaign was the culmination of over a decade of grassroots organizing against the largest-ever proposed development in Chico’s history: Valley’s Edge.
In early 2023, organizers initiated a referendum to override Chico City Council’s approval of a 1,400 acre luxury housing project on the southern edge of town. To put the issue on the ballot, we had 30 days to gather 8,000 signatures.
We deployed a multi-pronged approach to field coordination that included paid organizers and peer-to-peer strategies, paired with a digital education campaign that made it easy to move people from followers to signers to petitioners quickly.
After the signatures were approved, the City Council decided to place the issue on the ballot. Chico voters were finally going to have a say in how the city should grow. We maintained the momentum to stop Valley’s Edge for over a year through mail campaigns, letters to the editor write-ins, and a robust social media presence, activating voters of all ages toward a more democratic future.
Blair Campaigns 