Dear Friends,

Good afternoon!  I grabbed this information from the eventbrite site that supported my enrollment in the UC Davis 2021 Mini-Medical School.  

The last session, described below, is this coming Saturday

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Saturday, March 13, 2021

Healthy Aging in a Digital World—A co-presentation by Thomas S. Nesbitt, M.D., M.P.H, Emeritus Associate Vice Chancellor and Heather M. Young, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean Emerita

The Mini Medical School concludes on Saturday morning, 3/13/2021, with a joint presentation on “Healthy Aging in a Digital World” by two esteemed faculty emeriti, Dr. Thomas Nesbitt and Dr. Heather Young. Dr. Nesbitt spent most of his career researching and implementing telehealth programs so that the reach of specialty medical care could be extended into rural and other underserved communities. Dr. Nesbitt is the Founding Director of the Center for Health and Technology, and the Emeritus Associate Vice Chancellor for Strategic Technologies and Alliances at UC Davis. Dr. Young is the Founding Dean of the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing and has dedicated her clinical and research career to improving health care for the elderly. Drs. Nesbitt and Young are friends and colleagues who previously delivered a presentation on this topic. I viewed it and it was wonderful! They are delving more deeply into this topic for the Mini Medical School class of 2021, so we can count on an engaging and inspirational closing presentation!

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In case you were wondering, here are the names of the wonderful speakers for the entire series this Winter/Spring:  

Dean Blumberg, M.D.
Professor
Chief, Pediatric Infectious Diseases
UC Davis Children’s Hospital
UC Davis Health

Stuart Cohen, M.D.
Professor
Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases
Medical Director
Department of Epidemiology and Infection Prevention
UC Davis Health

Aimee Moulin, M.D.
Professor
Department of Emergency Medicine
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health
UC Davis Health

Thomas S. Nesbitt, M.D., M.P.H.
Emeritus Associate Vice Chancellor for Strategic
Technologies and Alliances
Founding Director, Center for Health and Technology
UC Davis Health

Kent Pinkerton, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine
Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Cell Biology
School of Veterinary Medicine
Director, Center for Health and the Environment
Director, Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety
UC Davis

Sumathi Sankaran-Walters, MBBS, Ph.D.
Associate Adjunct Professor
School of Medicine
Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing
UC Davis Health

Souvik Sarkar, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Director of Fellow Research
Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Department of Internal Medicine
UC Davis Health

Hendry Ton, M.D., M.S.
Associate Vice Chancellor
for Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
UC Davis Health

Nam K. Tran, Ph.D.
Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Department of Laboratory & Clinical Medicine
UC Davis Health

Peter Yellowlees, MBBS, M.D.
Chief Wellness Officer
Allan Stoudemire Endowed Professor of Psychiatry
UC Davis Health

Heather M. Young, PhD, RN, FAAN
Professor and Founding Dean Emerita
Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing
National Director, Betty Irene Moore Nurse Fellows in
Leadership and Innovation Program

Michael Ziccardi, DVM, M.P.V.M., Ph.D.
Executive Director, One Health Institute
Director, Oiled Wildlife Care Network
UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine

These sessions are all recorded and available to those who register for the Mini-Medical School.  You can still register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2021-uc-davis-mini-medical-school-tickets-129601065275

Happy learning!!

John

A subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources will construct Resurgence Solar, the new photovoltaic (PV) solar project, on the existing site. It will look similar to the project shown in this photo. Courtesy photo

(From press release) With its recent approval of a new power purchase agreement, the Valley Clean Energy (VCE) board of directors took another significant step toward the agency’s goal of providing cost-effective renewable energy — and resilience — to its customers. VCE is the local electric generation provider for Davis, Woodland, Winters and unincorporated Yolo County.

The VCE board approved the 20-year agreement to purchase the output from the Resurgence Solar I project currently under development in San Bernardino County by a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC. The total capacity of the solar photovoltaic project is 90 megawatts (MW) of power and 75 MW of battery energy storage. This project supplies enough energy to power two-thirds of the households served by VCE, and the storage delivers power to the electricity grid when it’s needed the most, in the early evening.

“We are very pleased to work with Valley Clean Energy to help meet their renewable energy goals and bring clean, affordable, home-grown solar energy to their customers,” said Matt Handel, senior vice president of development for NextEra Energy Resources.

Dear Friends,

Heard this VERY interesting news segment recently which described an 8 week research project in three counties in California regarding transmission of COVID-19 in elementary schools.

The study is funded by a foundation and is located in three counties in California:  Merced, Los Angeles, and San Mateo in the Bay Area.

The idea is to test students and staff twice a week to see if there is an arrival and spread of the coronavirus.  Really good community-based public health!

See more below, including an interview with a prominent physician.

https://abc7news.com/covid-19-coronavirus-testing-schools/10374077/ 

This is the kind of public health work which is done to keep STAFF and students healthy.

Have a great week!

John

Dear Folks,

Thought you might like to hear this clip, it is really a gold nugget.  Dr. Wilkes (the guy with BOTH a medical degree and a doctorate in public health) answers questions and shares tips about what is and is not safe to do sports wise at this stage of the pandemic.  The topic is "Youth Sports".....

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LRd7llDnwvDtJb1ess0LYqHGaUIc7dd5/view?usp=drivesdk

Cheers!

John

PS  Did you hear the UCD Mini-Medical school talks yesterday?  They were great!  Just register and you can hear all previous talks, as they are recorded.

Photo courtesy of CSAA Insurance Group

(From press release) A local Davis woman, Suzanne Meraz, has been selected as one of the top 123 insurance professionals across the country and globe.

As Director, External Affairs of CSAA Insurance Group, Suzanne was chosen due to her and her teams' positive impacts on the insurance industry. Suzanne says, "As society's financial first responders, we're making and delivering on a promise to people to be there for people in their time of need. It feels good to be working in an industry that is doing something positive for the economy, for people, and for communities."

Six leaders from CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA insurer, are among the 123 insurance professionals from across the country and overseas named to the 2021 Class of Emerging Leaders. The class will be honored at the 2021 Virtual Emerging Leaders Conference on Feb. 22-23, hosted by the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA), the Insurance Careers Movement (ICM) and AM Best.

Dear Friends,

Oh my, yes, we are pretty much all stressed by this long term pandemic.  There is a saying that you should be nice to people because you do not know what burdens they are carrying...... a message that is twice as important during this public health crisis.

What to do?

Well, one thing you can do is to tune in to the UC Davis Mini-Medical School each Saturday.  This is such a special gift from the University to the public, it cannot be overstated how wonderful it is!  

Over the years, I have attended a couple of times and am back at it this year.  Next Saturday, Dr. Yellowlees, a psychiatrist is going to talk about mental health during a pandemic.  I'm confident it will be an excellent talk.

Below you can see the schedule for the whole series.  The sessions given have been recorded and are available.  Upcoming ones will be recorded as well.  They start at 9 a.m. Saturday morning and go to about 11:15. You have to sign up on line to join the class, the class is free, and you can ZOOM from the comfort of your home (or wherever).  

I STRONGLY recommend you check these out.  And thanks again to UC Davis for offering this wonderful resource to the community!

Best regards,

John

Dear Friends,

Dr. Haydee Dabritz, a UC Davis graduate with a PhD in Epidemiology has recently left Yolo County Health Department after 8 years to work for the California Department of Public Health.  

Yolo County's loss is California's gain as Dr. Dabritz is a well regarded epidemiologist/scientist with a practical bent for data and pragmatic program design and evaluation.

Dr. Dabritz was the lead epidemiologist in helping Yolo County respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

She will be missed (although if you look at her LINKEDIN page she is being congratulated by a number of people)..... 

Below is a description of the work of the PhD in Epidemiology that you may find useful.... schools and programs of public health are experiencing a HUGE increase in applications as an educational response to the Pandemic.  Brown University's School of Public Health has experienced a 75% increase applications in one year!

Regards,

John

The following letter was sent to the Principal of Emerson Junior High School on February 12, 2021

Dear Ms. Kennedy,

I am the parent of a 13 year old boy in Emerson J. High School.

He has been stuck at home or in my law office since March, using Zoom, almost completely isolated from his school and other friends.

I think the DJUSD has done its best to provide some minimal education to its students and to keep them safe during one of the worst pandemic periods in a hundred years. The fact that Davis' infection and death rates are so low is testimony to how the community has handled the emergency. Thank you for your and the teacher and staff and Board's good efforts. Congratulations to all of you.

However, have you seen the new CDC Recommendations that came out today as to re-opening schools?

I think if the DJUSD immediately reviews and adopts those guidelines, our schools can be safely reopened in the very near future, not late spring or even next fall, as it currently looks like the plan is going to be.

May I ask you to refer this email to the Board, Administrator, General Counsel, and President of the DTA for review and comment?

I hope our District will immediately and seriously consider an updated plan for safely re-opening our schools as soon as possible, but not later than the end of spring break.

Thank you,

Michael J. Harrington
michael@mikeharringtonlaw.com

Bob Dunning writes “The Wary I” column for The Davis Enterprise. Davis Enterprise/Courtesy photo

(From press release) He’s spent the past 51 years chronicling life in Davis, sharing his opinions, prompting us to examine ours and reflecting on all that makes this town the special place it is.

Now, it’s Davis’ turn to show its admiration and respect for Bob Dunning with a springtime celebration in honor of his 51 years at The Davis Enterprise.

Dunning was hired by The Enterprise on Jan. 27, 1970, as a sports writer, and he remembers being terrified of deadlines as he sat down at his typewriter that first day on the job. Now, tens of thousands of deadlines later, he confesses that he never really wanted to be a journalist but admits that he wouldn’t trade his time in newspapers for anything.

(From press release) Valley Clean Energy announces the hiring of Edward Burnham as Director of Finance and Internal Operations. He will be responsible for oversight of finance and accounting tasks as well as VCE’s treasury, enterprise risk, information technology and audits.

Prior to joining the local electricity provider, Burnham worked for Yolo County’s Treasury Division, overseeing all revenue, treasury and finance activities, including handling investments for all county pool participants (county, local school districts and special districts), endowments and other investments. The pool was valued at an average of more than $500 million last year.

Additionally, Burnham spent 12 years abroad, working in finance for private and publicly traded companies in the energy sector. His duties took him to China, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Cyprus, West Africa, and the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Dear Friends,

LOTS of good news!  

What is the headline?  

SACRAMENTO COUNTY NETS $60 MILLION WINDFALL FROM FEDS. HOW IT WILL HELP FIGHT COVID-19.

Sacramento County nets $60 million windfall from feds. How it will help fight COVID-19

https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article249136850.html?ac_cid=DM382849&ac_bid=-588765852

But what about Yolo County?  And why wasn't Yolo in the headline (See Davis Enterprise, not Sacramento Bee).  We get $10.4 Million!!!!

That quickly brings up a question... what is Yolo County going to do with it?  Well, let's ask the experts, ok?

Dear Friends,

Supervisor Provenza ran on a ticket of BOTH fighting COVID and supporting local businesses.  And.... he is following through on his campaign promises!

Please see the press release below for details .... TODAY is the first day that restaurants can apply for this help.

Meanwhile, everybody, to the extent that you are able, please personally support local restaurants and markets...... get some healthy take out and LEAVE A TIP!  That is what I do on a regular basis.

Take care, be safe, and hang together.

John

Yolo County Announces Restaurant Fee Waiver

South-bound Pole Line just south of East Covell. Convenient to pick-up, not so convenient for people who want to use the lane

An hour earlier - most bikes are not equipped with headlights and the person on a bike might not see it.

UPDATE: The piles I've described in this post which were on or near the East Covell corridor have been removed. There are some others in the bike lane on Loyola between the entrance to Korematsu Elementary and Alhambra, and still nothing either here or in general to communicate to people driving motor vehicles that people on bikes may deviate from the bike lanes....

*****

Last week's storm was the worst in ten years by many accounts, with serious damage to trees and property, a significant loss of perishable food and other problems caused by lack of power.

Obviously city staff, private contractors and others had their work cut out for them and certainly we applaud their efforts, though many cheered PG&E field staff and they pooped on their bosses (and shareholders).

From what I saw, arterial streets in Davis were cleared for the most part by January 28th, the day after the storms mostly ended. When out then to photograph the weird non-standard lane design on Lake at Russell I passed the dangerousafety radar speed sign on East Covell Blvd. that I blogged about last week.

I noticed that street sweepers had made at least two passes on the traffic lanes of East Covell, because there was a consistent line of debris that started a  foot or two into the bike lane from the number two lane. I noticed the same, um, edging on other arteries.

Dear Friends,

Today is Dr. Michael Wilkes last official day as a member of the Yolo County Health Council. ***  A celebrated physician and public health expert, Dr. Wilkes is board certified in Internal Medicine and has both a Masters in Public Health (Columbia) and a PhD in Public Health (UCLA) which made him the most highly educated member of the Yolo County Health Council and because of this dual training, one with particular expertise in the COVID pandemic.

On the UC Davis School of Medicine web site, Dr. Wilkes clinical expertise is described like this:

City is blocking bike lanes?

The City of Davis' only response to recent crashes in the vicinity of Pole Line Road and East Covell Blvd has thus far been Enforcement¹. Actively, the Davis Police Department has been monitoring some locations in the area.  Passively, the City has placed a radar speed sign on WB East Covell between Manzanita and Baywood Streets, right about here.

Why is the radar speed sign in the bike lane? The City places similar signs - and they and private contractors place various construction signs - off to the side on streets when there's space to do so, so they clearly understand the advantage of doing so. But when there's no space, they place the signs on the side of the street, and on most collectors and arterial streets in Davis this means it's in a bike lane.

"Putting a radar feedback sign on Covell to invite drivers to slow down: good. Putting a sign in bike lane: not good," says Nicolas Fauchier-Magnan, the President of Bike Davis, who usually goes by Nico.

"Obstructing the bike lane, on a street where drivers routinely go 50 mph or more is simply irresponsible. 

"Come on, City of Davis," continues Nico. "You should know better, and you can do better. Please fix this terrible blunder before someone gets hurt. There is plenty of space on the grass, outside of the bike lane, to safely place this sign."

By Sarah Pattison

On Jan. 22, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons enters into force and becomes part of the canon of international law, after it was ratified by the required 50 states. According to Article 1 of the Treaty, states party to the Treaty are prohibited under any circumstances from any of the following activities:

1. Develop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices;
2. Transfer to any recipient whatsoever nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices or control over such weapons or explosive devices directly or indirectly;
3. Receive the transfer of or control over nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices directly or indirectly;
4. Use or threaten to use nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices;
5. Assist, encourage or induce, in any way, anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a State Party under this Treaty;
6. Seek or receive any assistance, in any way, from anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a State Party under this Treaty;
7. Allow any stationing, installation or deployment of any nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices in its territory or at any place under its jurisdiction or control.

Because the United States has neither signed nor ratified the treaty, it does not have the force of law in this country. But the treaty was approved by 122 nations in 2017, and has since been signed by 86 nations and ratified by 51. It is a clear reflection of the frustration and impatience of non-nuclear nations with nuclear weapons states that have failed to fulfill the promise they made “in good faith” in the Nonproliferation Treaty in 1970 to negotiate the cessation of the arms race and complete disarmament “at an early date.” While our country and other nuclear weapons states may attempt to sidestep the legal force of the Treaty, we cannot avoid the compelling moral power it carries.

Move money to human, environmental needs

By Nancy Price

On Jan. 18, we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr.’s Jan. 15 birthday. With the long weekend, you could listen to more celebratory radio, T.V. and webinar programs.

Usually, King’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial is the highlight, often with community readings that this year may have been outdoor for safely.

Now, in the midst of convergent social, economic and environmental crises, programs often talked about King’s most revolutionary “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” speech, given on April 4, 1967, at Riverside Church in New York, when he moved from civil rights to a critique of capitalism and an economic system that left tens of millions struggling in poverty.

He spoke of the “triplets of evil” — racism, materialism and militarism — and called for a “revolution of values” a shift from a “thing-oriented” society to a “person-oriented” society.” He called for a “worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concerns beyond one’s tribe, race, class and nation.” He emphasized that “a nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”

Jesse Loren

Dan Carson

(From press release) As a new year dawns, Valley Clean Energy announces a change in leadership for the not-for-profit local electricity provider.

Dan Carson, a Davis City Councilmember, was elected to chair the VCE board for 2021, and Winters City Councilmember Jesse Loren was elected to the position of vice chair. Both votes were unanimous.

The VCE board is composed of two representatives from each of the communities it serves — the cities of Woodland, Davis and Winters and unincorporated Yolo County. Loren’s appointment couldn’t be more timely, as the community of Winters is currently enrolling customers for VCE service.

Sunday January 31, 2021 3pm-4pm

(From press release) This past year we all have had our lives changed by COVID19—ZOOM-ing religious services, masks to leave our homes, not spending holidays with loved ones and adapting the Celebration of Abraham. The planners of Abraham considered cancelling this year’s celebration to ensure the safety of our participants, but we realized that Davis needs this year’s celebration as we struggle with the pandemic, environmental destruction, and political unrest. The Celebration of Abraham represents the only interfaith organization guided by the laity.

We believe that our community needs to come together for mutual support and, therefore we will hold a virtual celebration. This led us to our topic: Practicing Humility in Difficult Times. We have chosen three leaders to offer guidance grounded in their faith traditions on how each of us can go forward to help heal our world: Dr. Travis Lybbert (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), Rabbi Greg Wolfe (Congregation Bet Haverim) and Dr. Mairaj Syed (Religious Studies UCD and the Muslim DEIN).

Randy Farris will again lead us in singing Children of Abraham. We also will raise donations for the Yolo Food Bank (https://yolofoodbank.org/donate). To sign up for the event that will be hosted both on ZOOM and Facebook please go to our website for more information. www.celebrationofabraham.net.