The market shed is largely empty of vendor on Wednesday— this photo is 4/22. But the city has allow market manager the power to force community group to be table as far as possible from other farm even outside the shed in the Sun or rain. There are 2 community groups tabling behind the photographer in this photo.

 Farmers Market Discourages Community Engagement

By Alan “Lorax” Hirsch

(Alan passes out “love your neighbor” signs in the farmer’s market.)

Just when you thought our political rights could not be more threatened, this Trumpian zeitgeist seems to have come to Davis.

They are dramatically reducing visibility of community/free speech area at the Saturday farmer market by expelling these groups from their traditional tabling area along C street north of the restrooms. They will be displaced 1 block south and 2/3 of a block west to an unpaved part of Central Park.  They will be isolated from commercial vendors currently set on sidewalk next to C Street- community & political groups will be in an unpaved grass area close to B street.  An area that is unshaded and hot, so visitors won’t want to linger. This area is invisible to shoppers on C street as it will be hidden behind vendor’s trucks, banners and awnings. The Net: these Group’s tables won’t get any casual foot traffic.

The now lively Saturday market community area may go the way of the Wednesday free speech/community tablers. DFMA Market management decided to displace Wednesday tablers from under the awning to a similarly isolated, sunny & hot area far away from the half-empty market shed.  These tablers got no foot traffic in that location – and the sun stressed the volunteers - so now there is little or no community tabling on Wednesdays.

One of the alleged reason for moving community group/ free speech areas 1 1/2 block to the shadeless B street side of the park is there is not enough room in current area. Here is one of the three bike racks recently installed by city that takes up shaded space that could be available for community group tabling.

Dropping the Bomb

By Elaine Roberts Musser and Dan Carson

At the April 15, 2025 City Council meeting, four of the five Davis City Council members declared their support for immediately committing significant additional amounts of upfront funding to fix city roads and bike paths. The funding would come from the recently approved Measure Q sales tax increase and be incorporated into the two-year 2025-27 city budget that will be adopted this June.

A spending plan labeled as “Scenario 2” was presented at the meeting to Council and recommended for approval by city staff. It would have held pavement spending flat for at least five years and then, in theory, begun accelerating city spending for that purpose in 2030-31 through 2034-35.

Vice Mayor Donna Neville and Councilmembers Chapman, Partida and Deos made it very clear they found the idea of backloading pavement funding, and putting off any significant increases until five years from now, unacceptable.  Mayor Bapu Vaitla  proposed a much different approach to adding money for roads that we discuss below, that would involve asking Davis voters to approve another new tax measure.

We are grateful four Councilmembers took to heart our warning against approving Scenario 2. The report staff provided to Council documenting this scenario would escalate the roughly $100 million backlog of city road pavement projects that now exists to almost $150 million, an increase of approximately $50 million over the next decade (see  the chart below, on page 07-50 of city staff report).                             

By Scott Steward

We have a Groundwater Sustainability Agency called the Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Agency (YSGA).  Evidently, the word "Sustainability" is optional when considering well permits in Yolo County, as Annie Main found out after a 2-year struggle to point out the obvious to the Yolo County Supervisors who voted 3 to 2 on April 8th last week to add another high capacity 350 gallons per minute corporate well to further drain Hungry Hollow's already well documented declining water table.  The Boundary Bend well could mean the end of her Good Humus third-generation farm.  What's worse, there are four more deep well applications on the way to Hungry Hollow.

You can't see our groundwater, but according to our Groundwater Sustainability Agency there are 346,000 acre feet that can be drawn from our 540,000 acres of ag land. That's 2.6 billion bathtubs worth of water.  That's our budget; use more and our invisible mega bathtub might not re-fill as high - ever.  Consider Annie Main, the most recent canary in a long line of canaries in the water coal mine, Yolo County the aquifer of choice for corporate tree crops (olives and nuts) and our County Supervisors, for now, the court of last resort.  

Hungry Hollow family farmers like Annie Main of Good Humus are under threat of disappearing. Her area of land is in a designated "Focus Area." Focus Areas are so named because of the historical steady Hungry Hollow drop in the water table and because it's taking forever to get decent monitoring wells into place to "understand" what locals have been saying for the last two decades (no more additional well capacity!).  

State and local water policy that was not enforced on April 8th.

From left, Jennifer Penrose, Jessica Garcia, Molly Malm and Madeline Duncan were four of the five Live Your Dream Award winners for Soroptimist International of Davis. They were recognized at a club meeting on April 16 in Davis. (Wendy Weitzel/Courtesy photo)

Soroptimist International of Davis awarded $12,000 in grants this spring through its signature Live Your Dream program, providing cash and mentorship to women seeking education and training.

Women are encouraged to apply for the annual awards if they are the primary wage earners for their families, and need financial assistance to further their education or training. Recipients often persevere through hardships or challenging circumstances.

This year, SI Davis gave a boost to five women, with cash awards ranging from $1,000 to $5,000. These unrestricted grants may be used to offset costs that a scholarship would not cover, such as child care, transportation or other financial obligations that hinder a woman’s ability to reach her goals. Soroptimist International of Davis members remain in contact with the recipients, offering them mentorship and support.

The club’s top 2025 awardee is Molly Malm, 36, of Yolo County. Soroptimist International of Davis members offer her support and an award of $5,000. Her application was selected for another $3,000 award at the Sierra Nevada Region, which covers all clubs in Northern California and Nevada. Malm has four children between the ages of 11 and 5. She attended Santa Rosa Junior College, Woodland Community College and Sacramento City College, earning an associate’s degree. In December, she expects to complete her bachelor’s of science in nursing from Sacramento State.

Amelia Need entertains the crowd at the 2024 Davis Pride Festival. This year’s event is June 7. (Wendy Weitzel/Courtesy photo)

(From press release) The Davis Phoenix Coalition plans a month full of events to celebrate LGBTQ+ pride, beginning with its 11th annual festival on June 7. Activities also include a fun run, skate and comedy nights, and plenty of drag queens.

The activities share the theme “Forever Loud and Proud!”

The 11th annual Davis PrideFest is at Civic Center Park, at Sixth and B streets. The community-focused, family-friendly event includes a music festival, resources, vendors, food, drinks and more – from 3 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 7. Organizers have a great lineup of performers scheduled. Watch for an announcement of the headliner in early May. Returning entertainment includes the Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus, the marching band Noise Violation, and the always popular Drag Revue. There will be activity zones for children, teens and seniors. The event is free but donations are welcome. The event’s title sponsors are Dignity Health and Woodland Clinic Medical Group.

By Dan Carson and Elaine Roberts Musser

• Direct City staff to provide funding in the forthcoming two-year budget of $14 million per year (from all sources), including an increase in General Fund resources of $5.5 million per year from Measure Q sales tax increase funding approved by Davis voters, for support of the Pavement Maintenance Program. The $14 million amount represents the funding identified by city staff in a December 2024 presentation to Council that would be needed over four years to make up for previous shortfalls in funding for road and bike path maintenance that have occurred in recent years.
• Direct city staff to return to Council with a recommendation in regard to the additional staff and contract resources, if necessary, that should be incorporated into the 2025-27 budget plan to implement the program at the funding level provided above.
• Restore the process the Council established in 2019 for commission review and oversight of the Pavement Maintenance Program. The Fiscal Commission should:
  1. Examine why the reported condition of street and bike path pavement improved significantly in recent years, nearly reaching the original goals set by Council, despite significant funding shortfalls, and evaluate whether future technical adjustments are warranted to reassess the model used to project the level of funding required for the program.
  2. Evaluate the potential impact of the planned Cool Pavement federal grant program to determine whether any further increases or decreases are warranted for city funding levels for pavement management, due to improvements to roads expected to be achieved under the federal grant program.
  3. Review the specific proposed funding components of the 2019 Council-approved plan for pavement maintenance to:
     • Determine whether, and to what degree, they have been implemented by city staff, and why;
     • Determine which, if any of them, are still feasible and available to assist in future funding of the Pavement Management Program;
     • Estimate the fiscal impact of frontloading rather than backloading funding to maintain roads and bike paths over the next ten years. The Council should direct city staff to assist the Fiscal Commission in all four areas of this review.

Background

Commentary by Heather Caswell

The Bike Campaign is a 501(c)3 non-profit providing free bike repair at our Bike Garage location, free Davis Bike Maps, and lots of support and encouragement for anyone wanting to be a part of the biking lifestyle in our community. We have an open house on Saturday, April 26th, from 1-4pm at our 606 Pena Dr. #300 location in Davis and everyone is invited who would like to experience how we support our community members in how to BIKE MORE. Drive Less.

Questions?  Contact Maria Tebbutt at [email protected] and check us out at www.TheBikeCampaign.org

By Scott Steward

Boundary Bend was cited by the County in August 2023 for its non-permitted well drilling in the Hungary Hollow region of Capay Valley. So how, after two years of evidence showing that the well is out of compliance, is County staff recommending upholding Boundary Bends agricultural well permit # 23-022W?  The County and Boundary Bend know that the new well is too big and too close to Good Humus farm. 

Good Humus and other family farms have already had to modify their wells to sustain their table crop farms. Nearly three generations of care have gone into the land craft of organic farming in Hungary Hollow. Without much help, these farms have entered our region's food markets and succeeded in producing some of the healthiest food on earth. Capay has inspired farm-to-fork land care nationally.  

Boundary Bend (application #23-022W) took advantage of one-time replacement well criteria that the county was obliged to put in place for farms and residents short on water following the seven-year drought. Replacement well designation was allowed for existing agricultural operations and drinking water. Boundary Bend did not meet the criteria for a replacement well. Instead of reapplying as a new well, Boundary hired lawyers at Kronick to lean on the county.

Here are some of the facts that show that Boundary Bend application #23-022W did not and does not qualify for the approved "replacement well" status. The application:

Open Letter to City Council on NE Transportation Corridor Item 7 (8:40pm, Tues 4/1)

City Council,

I may not be able to attend tonight so am making email comments here.

I appreciate your taking up the NE Transportation Corridor.  As specified, the item as written would be part of the General Plan.  From the staff report, this involves more detail than the concept suggested by the Davis Citizens Planning Group (DCPG or close to that name).  

I also came up with the almost identical idea of a transportation corridor north and east of Covell/Mace to run through the new suburbs, as a BRT or Bus Rapid Transit corridor parallel to a bike line.  As separate citizens came up with almost identical comments, perhaps the consultants should meet soon with the citizens for initial input, rather than or in addition to the consultants having citizens comment on the consultant's plans.

Here are the basic features that I believe I and DCPG agree on:

• There would be minimal stops as per BRT standards (1/4-1/2 mile spacing).
• The corridor would not be for automobiles
• There would be and adjacent and parallel bike track on the south/west of the corridor.
  
• There would be minimal intersections, with only major arteries crossing the corridor to minimize conflicts.
  
• The BRT would continue into Davis on regular roads, with some upgrades for the BRT infrastructure.
• The Route:
  
• The BRT would start at shopping center south of Hwy. 80 along Mace (Nugget) for a SE anchor.
  
• The route would cut east on the north side of the tracks to access the corridor.
• The dedicated corridor would continue in an arc north and west parallel to the curve of Mace and Covell.
• At Wildhorse, the BRT could divert south to Covell, or use the 'cut-through lot' to access Moore and run to Moore & Pole Line.
• From there the BRT could continue through Village Homes or south on Pole Line.
• The BRT would serve Oakshade Shopping Center
• The BRT would then continue Covell-->F Street-->Amtrak-->First Street-->South Campus (Library Silo)-->West Village
• Each development could proceed on its own once the basic route is confirmed through the to-be-developed areas, as long as all developers agreed to link to the future through corridor once each segment is built.
• The new route should minimize turns and instead follow a smooth arc.
• IMPORTANT:  Building density for each development should be at its maximum nearest bus stops and along the corridor, and step to medium and to lowest densities (per project) as one gets further from the corridor.

I believe the transportation corridor placement needs to be negotiated and agreed to with each landowner/developer far in advance of the General Plan Update.  This will allow the corridor to be whole and usable once all developments are in place.

Alan C. Miller

Joint Announcement by Sacramento Region Grassroots Organizations

(From press release)

WHAT: Mass Mobilization to Stop the Trump/Musk Corruption and Power Grab
WHEN:  April 5, 2025 11 a.m.
WHERE: State Capitol West Steps, Sacramento [and in multiple outlying areas*]

On April 5, local grassroots organizations from around the Sacramento region are calling on all people concerned about the direction of our country to join the 50501 Picnic Protest in tandem with the national Hands Off! mass rally to protest the Trump-Musk billionaire takeover and the Republican assault on our freedoms and our communities.

Events across the country, in major cities and small towns in every state, will show that the people—the majority—are taking action to stop the corruption and power grab.

Why we’re mobilizing on April 5th

by Alan C. Miller

The showtimes for Monday March 31st – Thursday April 3rd are:  6:10pm & 8:40pm

The official summary is:

"OCTOBER 8th" offers a look at the explosion of antisemitism on college campuses, social media and in the streets of America beginning the day after the October 7th attack on Israel by Hamas. Through meticulous investigation, the film also uncovers how over decades, Hamas created sophisticated networks in America to permeate U.S. institutions and examines the tsunami of online antisemitism, propaganda, and disinformation unleashed by Iran, China and Russia – with the sole purpose of dividing American society.

I am sure some will dismiss this movie as "Isreael propaganda".  I've seen two single-showing pro-Palestine movies at The Varsity that could  be considered Palestinian propaganda.  Not that I didn't learn anything or that it is all BS, but of course the most effective propaganda contains mostly truths and leaves out truths not flattering to the propaganda side.  I did not consider "No Other Land" to be propaganda; it was about a particular situation from the effects of the settlements in the West Bank.  I have yet find anything convincing to morally justify the settlements.

I haven't seen "October 8th" yet, but will be seeing it this week.  From the clips I've seen, there is a parallel to what I felt on October 8th and the days following.  I had lived as we all have, knowing there were, as in the 40's, and through much of history, people out there who wanted to kill us for who we are, for some to kill all of us ---- with one or dozens killed in individual terrorist attacks over the last few decades.  I had only come into contact with real antisemitic hatred a few times, but it's really ugly when it happens directly, and astounding.  And it has been ramping up, and most white people don't get it.  I said that on purpose to get a rise; most non-Jews don't get it.

And then it happened.  1200 Jews killed, and hundreds dragged over the border.  I never thought I'd see an event of the mass slaughter of Jews reflecting of the Holocaust in my lifetime.  While not as massive, the genocidal intent and the hate was clear.

The next day, on October 8th, I had no expectation of the media and public reaction, but I was shocked by what occurred.  Why would I not hear mass mourning and understanding by so so many?  I heard calls for Israel to 'stop the genocide', still weeks before Gaza was invaded, with no recognition of the genocidal attack that had just occurred.  Multiple independent news sources that I trusted and hosts I admired suddenly turned with narratives that bordered on or were outright antisemitic.  1200 Jews had just been killed, and the term 'Zionist' was now being openly used with the same tone as 'Nazi' by large swaths of the public and even some media outlets -- Israelis were even being called Nazis.

I was watching Israeli media directly as much as possible.  The day after the "40 beheaded babies" story broke, the story was debunked in Israel.  Yet days later our President (Biden) repeated it (why??? @#$%&!).  Then for months this group, suddenly empowered in the media, the 'anti-Zionists', including anti-Zionist Jews, began repeating the 40 beheaded babies story as a lie told by Israel, even though it had been debunked the next day in Israeli media.

And the most heinous lie of all - summed up by many as "Listen to all Women, Unless they are Jewish".  The anti-Zionists spreading information that there were no rapes.  One of the darkest things I ever witnessed was -- just a few days after October 7th -- two hours of interviews with a team of women who had prepared the bodies of the women slaughtered at the Nova Festival for respectable and fast Jewish burial.  This wasn't propaganda -- there wasn't even time to have orchestrated such a thing -- these were women who had traveled to help out due to the massiveness of the task.  They described the burns, the semen stains, the broken bones and pelvises, the severed limbs.

And then -- journalists I respected said it was all a lie -- there were no rapes.  Some say it to this day.  I believe the NY Tines didn't get it all right, but that doesn't mean there were no rapes.  And this just a handful of years after 'Me Too'.  And all this macro-hate directed at Jews when just a few years earlier we were told of the evil of 'micro-agressions'.

I've made it a point to listen to both sides, to all sides, and seek to watch every pro-Palestine movie that comes through, to fully understand, if not to agree.  And yes, criticism of Israel is more than valid, it's a right and necessary.  I am not a fan of Netanyahu nor the West Bank settlements and Israel deserves much criticism.  But the outright double-standard used against Jews, and the hate, that has to be recognized by more Americans for what it is, as it isn't going away.

So this may be propaganda in some people's eyes, and maybe it is.  As I said, I haven't seen it yet.  But I make it a point to see what is put out by all sides on this issue.  I hope you will too.

Hamdan Ballal (left) jointly won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for "No Other Land" earlier this month. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)

By Scott Steward

The film "No Other Land," showing at the Davis Varsity for three more nights, does not answer the questions about why we are all suffering this terrible attempt at erasing Palestine.  It does show the result of hatred between the Israelis and the Palestinians.  It does not show why this colonial act of creating a state of Israel saturates US society or why we are funding this genocide if Israel is an independent state. 

It begins to show what peace could look like, and for the crime of showing the reality on the ground in Palestine and for showing what peace could look like, Israelis beat Academy Award-winning director Hamdan Ballal nearly to death when he arrived back in his homeland yesterday.

Now showing at the Davis Varsity Theater.  The people who might be most opposed to this film are the people who most need to see it.  Do we keep paying for the killing, or do we stop?

"No Other Land" shows 6:30 and 8:30 tonight through Thursday.

Patrons enjoy the first Picnic in the Park of the 2024 season. The annual Davis Farmers Market tradition returns in May, and runs every Wednesday through September from 4 to 8 p.m. in Central Park. (Wendy Weitzel/Courtesy photos)

(From press release) The music, food and family fun of Picnic in the Park returns to the Davis Farmers Market on Wednesday, May 7.

The popular event is every Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m., May through September. A local band plays each night. There’s children’s entertainment, loads of food vendors, and plenty of opportunity to gather as a community. October through April, there’s a traditional farmers market on Wednesdays, from 3 to 6 p.m.

Bands on the 2025 Picnic in the Park schedule are: Cold Shot (dance party) on May 7; Kindred Spirits (folk rock) on May 14; The Teds (rock) on May 21; According to Bazooka (indie, folk, pop) on May 28; The Geoffrey Miller Band (rockabilly) on June 4; 5-Star Alcatraz (indie, alt rock) on June 11; Julie and the Jukes (classic blues) on June 18; Now and Then (“back in the day” covers) on June 25; The Hey Nows (folk rock, Americana) on July 2; It’s About Time (big band) on July 9; Stout Rebellion (Irish folk with a rock edge) on July 16; Vaca Jazz Society (big-band jazz) on July 23; Katalysst (indie folk rock) on July 30; Island Crew (beach tunes) on Aug. 6; The Ron Goldberg Quartet (classic covers) on Aug. 13; Wealth of Nations (classic rock, acoustic) on Aug. 20; New Harmony Jazz Band (big-band jazz) on Aug. 27; Odd Man Out (folk rock) on Sept. 3; The Teds (singable, danceable rock) on Sept. 10; sKeTcHy (rock, pop, folk) on Sept. 17; and Penny Lane (Beatles covers) on Sept. 24.

(From press release) Minority Leader Schumer, as chair of the Democratic Caucus in the Senate, broke with the vast majority of his caucus to allow a GOP funding bill to advance, without any restrictions on the ongoing efforts from Donald Trump and Elon Musk to dismantle the federal government. Indivisible Yolo issued the following statement:

Under Senator Chuck Schumer’s Leadership, Senate Democrats just surrendered a rare moment of leverage to rein in the chaos and harm of Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Congressional Republicans. By voting to advance the GOP government funding bill, rather than demanding anything in return, Schumer handed more power to the extremists destroying the government. This was not just a strategic mistake – it was a demonstration that Schumer is not prepared to lead the Democratic opposition to fascism and protect our democracy. We thank him for his years of service, and call on him to step aside as minority leader.

After working hard throughout 2024 to flip Republican Congressional seats in California, including playing a key role in the razor-close win in nearby CA-13, Indivisible Yolo members were shocked and dismayed by the November results. We quickly pivoted to resisting the fascist Trump agenda however we could.

Specifically, we contacted our Senators many times to urge them to use the leverage provided by Senate rules – particularly the filibuster which had been used against progressive legislation so often in the past – to avoid or mitigate the damage caused by Republicans. We are very grateful to Senator Padilla and Senator Schiff for recognizing the stakes and voting “no” on March 14. Despite a “no” vote by nearly 80% of the Democratic caucus, Senator Schumer surrendered to the Republicans and thereby authorized nine other Senators to vote yes. We feel cheated by the losses we suffered due to the filibuster being used against us in the past, and betrayed by Senator Schumer’s refusal to use the filibuster when we needed it to save democracy. The first branch of government now is merely an advisory body and we are deprived of our democratic representation while being subjected to the tyrannical oppression of the Trump administration.

By Alan Hirsch

Below is the core of Caltrans press release issued Wednesday 3/12 at 3:28pm announcing postponement of the Eastbound 50 Freeway in West Sac closure for this weekend. They say indefinitely—but it could be forever as they may figure out how to do the pavement rehab work while keeping some of regular 3 lanes up.

But if they reschedule total closure another weekend later in March, drivers will have to contend traffic from with opening of the A’s and River cat baseball season to Sutter Health Park.

This will may push out the work… and could conflict with the schedule to begin work to widened i-80 with toll lane- which is set to begin just next month. The Toll Lane construction work - Phase I of it-- will continue into 2028.

For previous articles on evolving (potential) freeway closure, click here , here2.and here3. 

Note the bike lane will also be continue thru Monday 3/17 next week- but could go longer as Caltrans notes unhelpfully “weather permitting”.

Editorial: This indefinite postponement could be due to pushbacks to Caltrans from local city council members and state representatives- after receiving calls from constituents. We will likely never know.  It is strange the freeway closure was not announced or discussed during YoloTD board meetings even though Caltrans was present - only in public comment. One wonders, for example, if there will be a total west bound closure too.

Double Bridge-Freeway shutdown to hit West Sac

By Alan Hirsch, Yolo Mobility

Seen Friday in West Sacramento at the tower bridge

Both US 50 freeway in West Sac and the Tower Bridge look to be 100% shut down for periods this coming weekend. Combine this with likely congestion on Jefferson  blvd  entrance to 50 where freeway reopens, this could be a perfect storm for residents of West Sac who may not be able to leave their neighborhoods due to cut-thru Freeway traffic congesting local streets, a detour Caltrans suggests for freeway drivers in its press releases. Caltrans press release seems unaware the Tower bridge will also be shut for a charity event both Saturday and Sunday AM until 1pm.

As reported previously here and here are reprinted Caltrans press releases reporting, east bound highway 50 freeway will be closed in West Sac from the 50-80 split at Enterprise Blvd to Jefferson Blvd. This beginning next Friday 3/14  at 9pm thru Monday, and opening only Tuesday 3/18  at 5am. This is for Caltrans pavement rehab work and is not related to widening to add the I-80 Yolo toll lane, whose construction is yet to begin. The press release seems to indicate east bound drivers can still go north on I-80 at the split to Natomas.

(note- as told to me Monday night at YoloTD meeting, US 50 shut it may yet be put back again to another weekend-—when it will conflict with Baseball season openers at Sutter Health field.)

By Alan “Lorax” Hirsch

About 1500 people attended the science rally Friday March 7th at the Sacramento state capitol — 1/3 carrying unique home made signs. Who says scientists are not creative?! Evidence of people from UC Merced, Sac State, government agencies and of course UC Davis.

Davis’s Beth Bourne seemed the only counter protestor. She was escorted off capitol grounds to the street side sidewalk by CHiP officers because of her disruptive chanting.

Commentary by Heather Caswell with Jonathan Greenberg

Our decision to threaten the City of Davis with a class action lawsuit on behalf of members of the Downtown Davis Business Association (DDBA) was not made easily, or quickly. For years, an organization that was created to support the interests of hundreds of dues-paying businesses has instead been co-opted to support controversial political positions promoted by the Davis City Council, as detailed below.

As stated in the California Supreme Court’s landmark 1976 Stanson v. Mott decision, a “fundamental precept of this nation’s democratic electoral process is that the government may not ‘take sides’ in election contests or bestow an unfair advantage on one of several competing factions.”

This means that it would be illegal if the Davis City Council, even indirectly, allowed a special tax dedicated to promoting the interest of downtown businesses be used to promote political speech benefiting city council positions on public initiatives.

We believe that this is what the DDBA has done,  through an unaccountable board of directors, which holds its power through irregular and potentially illegal elections

The DDBA has done this through an un-accountable board of directors, which holds its power through irregular and potentially illegal elections. Fewer than 10% of the organization's members voted in the January 23 election that I ran in. Three quarters of the dozens of DDBA businesses that I spoke to never received email notifications of the election. Not a single one was notified by the organization that they could run for its board. And at a time when all DDBA Board meetings are held over zoom, members, for no good reason, were required to vote in person within a one hour period, instead of online, at their convenience.

When Ezra Beeman and I ran to help create a more responsive board, the existing board members and the DDBA Executive Director colluded to change the election rules at the last minute, while they selectively recruited other former board members to show up to run or vote against us. Without any mention during the board meetings prior to the election, they added four seats to the seven member board two days before the election (the DDBA website today still states that they are a seven member board). They then delayed the printing of ballots for three days to print them just hours before the election, so that the names of their friendly candidates could be included.