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Davisite Banner. Left side the bicycle obelisk at 3rd and University. Right side the trellis at the entrance to the Arboretum.

  • Your Last Hand is Played ‘All In’

    By Bertie Brouhard

    As our monthly poker game winds down about 9 PM someone may ask a defining question, “Let’s play this last hand ‘All In?’” Which is to say everyone wanting to play this last hand will wager their entire bank – be it several tall stacks of chips or sadly a few – on the next, the last seven cards  dealt. Winners can become instant losers and vice versa.  Life is much like our simple game of Seven Card Texas Hold-Em.

    Every day’s a gamble. Surely Julie Veress when she pedaled off on her bike or when Brent Leuschen started his Stebbin Canyon hike did either think it would be their last day. Neither did my friends, Bill, Bruce, Marilyn and Ed who also like Julie succumbed to bike accidents. As I look back I remember the sudden loss of friends Gary, Chris, Doc, Bob, Mickey and Francie. Names no doubt come to mind when you think of tragic, unexpected, sudden deaths. The day before he recently passed Senator Lindsey Graham was in Ukraine. Go  figure!

    To be successful at poker like the game of life it’s best to acquire some skill and maybe more precious, some luck. I like you know several who struggle as adults having grown up in loving families, with highly supportive parents providing the best possible opportunities. And others who were raised in foster homes, homeless perhaps, or with alcohol or drug addicted parents offering little, grew into happy, well adjusted, productive adults and parents. Mysteries abound.

    Some hopefully more today than in prior generations have the needed drive, motivation, ambition, determination to play the game well. The who, what, why, when, where and especially “how” of this needed IT fascinates me. I do know as in poker there’s skill and luck needed and there’s limited time to win in life.

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  • Davis teen takes on America’s caregiver shortage, one front door at a time

    At 17, Davis Senior High School senior Dash Voskuhl built a caregiving startup called Tethr. He and his three co-founders apply to Y Combinator at the end of July.

    (From press release) Dash Voskuhl spent his summer mornings knocking on doors around Davis, selling window cleaning. At one house, the pitch turned into a different conversation. Voskuhl mentioned the caregiving app he was building on the side, and the woman at the door, in her 50s, went quiet. Then she told him about her mother, who has dementia.

    “That was the moment I knew I had to actually build this,” Voskuhl said.

    Voskuhl, a rising senior at Davis Senior High School, is the CEO and co-founder of Tethr, a Davis startup whose app connects families with vetted caregivers so anyone can book care on demand, the way they’d order an Uber. The company is pre-launch, and this month the team is applying to Y Combinator, the Silicon Valley accelerator whose early bets included Airbnb and DoorDash.

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  • Sierra Club and Tuleyome summer potluck & presentation on Wed, July 22, 7 PM

    The Future of Cache Creek Gravel Mining Restoration – A New Pathway Forward

    (From press release) What-When-Where – The Sierra Club Yolano Group and Tuleyome are sponsoring an in-person potluck dinner and conversation on Wednesday, July 22 from 7 to 9 pm in the Blanchard Room at the Yolo County Library, 314 E. 14th Street in Davis. (Doors open at 6:45 pm). Unfortunately, a Zoom option will not be available.

    Cache Creek looking west into the Capay Valley in the 1970s
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  • “WRECKAGE: A Musical Tragicomedy” to be performed in Davis and other NorCal locations

    (From press release) WRECKAGE: A Musical Tragicomedy, Written by Michael Gene Sullivan. Music and Lyrics by Daniel Savio, Music Direction by Daniel Savio and Will Durkee. The show is directed by Lisa Hori-Garcia.

    Wreckage will be performed for one night  INDOORS on Wed. July 22, 2026 at 7:00 pm (music at 6:30 pm) at

    Davis HS, Richard Brunelle Performance Hall   315 W 14th St., in Davis.
    Tickets are FREE but an RSVP is required: sfmt.org/rsvp-davis  ($20 suggested donation)

    WRECKAGE: A Musical Tragicomedy runs July 3 – Sept. 7, 2026

    Opening Shows: Fri. July 3, and Sat. July 4, 2026- Dolores Park – San Francisco 

    Running throughout the Bay Area in SF, Ukiah (Mendocino), Cotati (Sonoma), East Bay, Mill Valley, Santa Cruz, San Jose, and Davis.

    All shows are FREE and open to the public unless otherwise listed.
    Paid Ticketed performance: Z Space’s Steindler Stage: Wed., Aug. 19, 2026 – 7:00 pm (Indoors).

    Three (3) shows will require RSVPs: 

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  • Eileen’s Update

    No on Measure V Campaign Gratitude

    The No on Measure V campaign would like to express our sincere gratitude to the many Davis voters who voted to reject the Village Farms proposal for the many reasons we explained in our articles, literature, and online at our NoOnMeasureV.org website.

    It is unfortunate that this project divided the community, but ultimately, the majority of voters understood that the project was unacceptable due to its many impacts, including toxics, flooding potential, massive traffic, enormous infrastructure costs, habitat destruction along Channel A, as well as endangerment of the vernal pools and the endangered species of Vernal Pool Tadpole Shrimp, and especially due to the unaffordable market-rate housing and the seriously inadequate affordable housing plan. The housing proposed would have been unaffordable to parents of young kids and would not have yielded hundreds of kids, and the and the long timeline of at least 15+ years did not coincide with the School District timeline, so it would not have helped the schools.

    This issue is now behind us, and hopefully we can come together as a community and work on solutions instead of school closures. This process needs to start now, and the School Board needs to move forward and approve the formation of a parent-based subcommittee, as recommended by California Best Practices, to work on solutions with the School District to avoid school closures without delay.

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  • It’s Right There In Your Backyard

    By Bertie Brouhard

    Yes. Your backyard; figuratively and maybe literally. Some reading this may not have a backyard. Most with a family unit I suspect do. But like mine it’s California and rather small and fenced in. It might have a pool; likely not. But certainly it has possibilities for some summer fun; perhaps badminton, ping pong,  croquet, your hacky sack, horse shoe or cornhole area or an archery (yikes) range. In my youth I tried it all including a makeshift baseball batting cage that did not even slightly improve my hitting.

    As for your family I envision two parent figures and two youngsters and while I encourage everyone to read on, this column has these four in mind.

    One of my granddaughters once asked me “Were you ever four?” She was curious. I must have looked ancient to her. I smiled and told her it’s a wonderful age. About that time 1950 C.E. or so mine and other parents of my buds let us sleep outside in someone’s backyard on warm, humid, star studded Nebraska summer nights. I don’t recall tents but remember the many mosquitoes, the sound of UP freight trains and back porch lights and our flashlights. Feigning sleep around ten I suppose we were off on our bikes roaming the many streets, parks, construction sites and gardens in our small town. We knew where the best melons, apples, rhubarb and strawberries could be picked and where others; especially girls our age, might join us for our jaunts. It all went well until our neighbor, the ever vigilant spinster, Mrs. Pierceson, ratted us out. She caused a month’s pause in our adventures, having told my dad, “I saw your son and a couple of his “ruffian” friends downtown last night. (Just what is a “ruffian?”)

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  • Award-Winning Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) Presented July 7th

    By Scott Steward

    Kristen Wraithwall is the Manager of the Sustainability Division. The Sustainability Division operates within the Health and Safety Department of our Yolo County. Kristen will present the Update on Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) Implementation Progress at this Tuesday’s (July 7th) Yolo County Board of Supervisors Meeting at 9:00 AM.

     Zoom meeting: By PC: https://yolocounty.zoom.us/j/84359964086

    Kristen, her staff, the Climate Action Commission, and the County have made consistently strong progress in climate action despite very difficult budget circumstances. This Sustainability work continues to provide our county with grant-funded programs that Yolo County cities and other California counties look to as models for what can be accomplished in their own jurisdictions. Yolo County’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan received the Sacramento Valley Section APA Award of Excellence in Resilience and Sustainability (May 2025) and the Beacon Award from the Institute for Local Government (November 2025). 

    Vehicle use remains the #1 source of greenhouse gas emissions in Yolo County, so it is no surprise that 2026-2027 CAAP priorities emphasize transportation, including the implementation of countywide Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) programs. Transportation is followed by building energy efficiency in coordination with Valley Clean Energy, Natural & Working Lands water conservation and carbon soil enhancement, recycling, and public cooling infrastructure.

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  • HEART of Davis Celebrates First Anniversary of Safe Heart Safe Parking Program

    Program marks one year of providing safety, stability, and pathways to housing for neighbors living in their vehicles

    (From press release) HEART of Davis is celebrating the first anniversary of its Safe Heart Safe Parking Program, the first and only program in Yolo County to provide a safe, legal place for people living in their vehicles to park overnight while accessing supportive services and working toward permanent housing.

    Launched on July 1, 2025, Safe Heart was created to address a critical gap in services for people experiencing vehicular homelessness. In the City of Davis, where sleeping in vehicles is prohibited under the City’s anti-camping ordinance, the program offers a lawful alternative that combines overnight parking with case management, community support, and connections to essential resources.

    “What began as a small pilot has become a proven model of compassionate, practical assistance,” said Shoshana Zatz, President of HEART of Davis. “Safe Heart demonstrates that when people are treated with dignity and offered stability, they are better able to take the next steps toward housing, employment, healthcare, and renewed independence.”

    During its first year, Safe Heart:

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  • Did Eric Jones’ wealthy donors help him advance to the General Election by funding his lesser known Republican opponents?

    (From press release) In an explosive story in The Press Democrat Friday morning, it was confirmed that Eric Jones’ wealthy donors spent more than $100,000 to split the Republican vote and guarantee that Eric Jones would make the general election. 

    The donors in question, George Dixit (Dean) and Rishi Dixit, are a married couple from Santa Monica and were the only two donors to Mandy Gushar, John McKenzie, and Sharon Brown. Gushar, McKenzie, and Brown maintained no social media presence and hosted no publicly advertised events. Each candidate hired the same campaign treasurer and their biggest campaign expense was the filing fee to get on the ballot. 

    Rishi Dixit also started and funded a SuperPAC, California Leadership Fund, that raised $75,000 attacking Raymond Riehle, the leading Republican candidate, in a variety of mailers and text messages. Riehle was endorsed by six county Republican central committees and was not attacked by any other candidates – just Jones’ donors.   Eric Jones defeated Raymond Riehle by just 1.5%. McKeznie, Gushar, and Brown received 10.4% of the vote combined.

    “This is another example of Eric Jones and his wealthy venture capitalist donors trying to buy a seat in Congress,” said Mike Thompson for Congress Campaign Manager, Thomas Dowling “80 percent of voters rejected Eric Jones’ message and we look forward to sending Eric back home to San Francisco in November.”

    Congressman Thompson was the top vote getter, beating Eric Jones by 19 points.  Despite having nearly $11 million in support, Congressman Thompson goes into the general election leading Eric Jones by a 2:1 margin.

    Read the full story here and below:

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  • The DJUSD Board Has Lost the Public’s Trust

    By Elizabeth Coolbrith

    The issue facing Davis is no longer Measure V. The issue is trust.

    For months, Davis parents were told that declining enrollment posed a serious threat to our schools. School closures, boundary changes, and district restructuring were presented as looming possibilities. Families understandably worried about the future of their neighborhood schools.

    At the same time, Davis Joint Unified School District leadership became deeply involved in the public discussion surrounding Measure V. District leaders repeatedly linked the Village Farms development to the future health of Davis schools, arguing that new housing would bring students and revenue. Many residents came away with a clear message: support Measure V or face the possibility of school closures.

    That perception matters because California school districts are expected to follow a clear principle during election campaigns: educate, don’t advocate. Public agencies may provide information about ballot measures, but they should not use their positions or public resources to persuade voters toward a particular outcome. The distinction exists for a reason. Public institutions are entrusted with informing the public, not campaigning.

    Many parents questioned whether that line remained clear during the Measure V campaign. Superintendent Matt Best conducted presentations throughout the community discussing why the district supported the project and how its approval could benefit local schools. Whether intentional or not, many residents felt these communications sounded less like neutral information and more like advocacy.

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