By Todd Edelman

The high wheeler bike share bikes are rusting, the tomatoes are hibernating, the persimmons are throbbing, the Creek’s not so full, I-80 is roaring and stinky, the sun’s shining perhaps a bit more than it should… it’s mid-winter in Davis and I was just temporarily suspended from the Bicycling, Transportation and Street Safety Commission (BTSSC).

https://webstockreview.net/explore/tomatoes-clipart-cartoon/

Any situation like this is Davis is subjectively-analytical, and dynamically-objective, but there’s several factors at play dealing more with facts (with spin, if only because none of us have infinite context.).

For now I am going to give what I hope to be an accurate accounting of the quorum piece of the matter at hand, and some suggestions… and then later on (today, tomorrow etc.) will provide some details on activity of the current membership of the BTSSC, including myself:

Quorum: My position is that this didn’t have to be an issue at all, or at the very least less of one.

Moms Demand Action, a grassroots movement for gun safety, estimates that, by early February, more people will be killed by guns in America than are killed by guns in other high-income countries during the entire year.  Yet, despite wide-spread demands for sensible gun reform, the number of deaths by firearms continues to grow.  Davis United Methodist Church is offering two programs on gun violence on Sunday mornings, February 9, and 23, from 9:45 to 10:50 at the church, which is located at 1620 Anderson Road in Davis.

Reacting to the failure of SB 50 to move out of the Senate, the groups Alliance for Community Transit-Los Angeles (ACT-LA), Public Counsel, PolicyLink, Western Center on Law and Poverty, Public Advocates, and the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation made the following statement:

It is time to reject false choices and get serious about affordable housing and community stability.

The debate around SB 50, and SB 827 before it, has too often been reduced to a false choice: protect the status quo of exclusionary zoning or embrace a trickle-down market-based model. While this simple NIMBY-YIMBY binary fuels online arguments and frames the public narrative, millions of Californians continue to suffer without appropriate solutions. We reject the status quo, but we also reject the notion that the low-income communities and communities of color most harmed by the planning and zoning decisions of the past should be forced to accept new policies that fall short of true equity and inclusion.

The Natural Resource Commission needs to look into the ARC Business Park

By Colin Walsh

A schedule of Davis Commission meetings for the ARC Business Park was posted back in November that included some tentative hearings before certain City Commissions but seemed to omit other important Commissions. Notably absent were dates before the Natural Resources Commission, the Recreation and Parks Commission, and the Tree Commission. It should also go to the Unitrans Advisory Committee.

In this article I will address examples of why the ARC Business Park must go before the Natural Resource Commission (NRC).

YOLO COUNTY FARM BUREAU ENDORSES PROVENZA

-- for immediate release --

Yolo County Farm Bureau is pleased to announce the endorsement of Yolo County Supervisor Jim Provenza for re-election to the 4th  Supervisorial District. The District encompasses portions ofthe City of Davis and nearby unincorporated areas including El Macero and Willowbank.

"Jim works very hard and pays attention to every detail on matters that come before him. He takes the initiative to assist agriculture and his door is always open," said Joe Martinez,

President, Yolo County Farm Bureau. "We appreciate his willingness to listen to us and seriously consider our perspective on matters that impact Yolo County agriculture. Never doctrinaire, he knows and appreciates that we are the on-the-ground experts."

Supervisor Provenza helped enact one of the strongest agricultural land protection ordinances in the state and helped obtain millions of dollars in outside funding for agriculture and water projects in Yolo County, among many other accomplishments.

"In order to fight climate change and assure that we have food security, it is essential to protect agricultural land and help farmers thrive. We must promote agricultural economic development and work to limit unfair government mandates. Together we can address water issues, urban growth, and other threats to our agricultural economy. Farmers are our future and I'm deeply grateful for this endorsement," said Provenza.

The election will be held in conjunction with the March 3 primary. The deadline to register to vote is February 18, 2020. For additional information, contact Yolo County Elections at yoloelections.org  or 530-666-8133

I am voting for Jim Provenza for Supervisor for the Fourth District. 

I have known Jim for over 25 years. He has dedicated his life to helping people in his district.

Some examples: he helped my neighbors who were in their 90’s get connected to city water; he helped stop PG&E from stringing lines over homes in El Macero; he has supported the Yolo County libraries, critical in these times of increasing complexity.

While we are living our daily lives, he is watching over all the people in Yolo County. Check his voting record and you will see his devotion.

This is not a job you learn overnight. This takes a life of working for the public.

Jim has that background.

Vote for Jim Provenza for Supervisor for the Fourth District. 

Holly Bishop

Davis

Comments for the meeting of the Davis Downtown Plan Advisory Committee

By Jon Li

I find it tremendously irresponsible of the City Council that they would find it necessary to have an emergency closed session during the final meeting of the Downtown Advisory Committee, to evaluate the city manager, so none of them can be present.

This Downtown Plan does not reflect the thinking of the Advisory Committee at all, any more than it reflects the thinking of downtown merchants, developers, property owners or the public. 

City staff and the consultant brag that you cannot change their work at all: not the public, not the business community, not Cool Davis, and not the Advisory Committee.  The Advisory Committee’s role is only to rubber stamp approve each report; the meetings only happened when the city staff wanted something they needed approved that they wanted to take to the city council.  The Advisory committee meetings are littered with the battles of committee members trying to advise, and how adamantly staff defended their right to stop any communication of change ever actually getting to the city council.

Who can capture a Supervisor seat by placing the most lawn signs?

photo by Rik Keller

By Colin Walsh

Some Davis politicos swear that local campaigns are won and lost in the front yards of Davis with the placement of lawn signs like pins in a map, marking a campaign’s territorial conquests. Others see the perennial lawn sign war as a bit silly and overwrought.

Last week, two of our Yolo County Supervisorial candidates for the 4^th district were off to the races to see who could place the most lawn signs. Jim Provenza and challenger Linda Deos quickly filled the East and North Davis’s lawns with plastic pop up propaganda. Not a sign for the other challenger David Abramson was to be seen.

Linda signs sprouted up on many lawns in her North Davis area, while Jim absolutely dominated Poleline Road. Driving the road I noticed only one Linda sign and it was inexplicably sharing space with a Provenza sign.

It didn’t take long for controversy to erupt on Nextdoor.com.

More than one person has asked me…

By David Abramson

Image from capitalinstitute.org.

No, it’s not a fancy economists’ term like “Asset Turnover Ratio”, “Speculative Motive”, or “Marginal Standing Facility”. It’s not the latest econ diet fad, scheme, or tomorrow’s scandal. No I didn’t invent it . It’s not even defined by a single person or a single idea, but it is a collection of ideas under shared guiding principles. You may already have a sense of what it might entail by hearing the words Regenerative and Economics joined together. To me:

Regenerative Economics represents an economic system, or many interlinked economies that are in line with the needs of our planet and the needs of people who live and work in our communities. It represents a measure of wealth defined by a healthy planet and thriving people.

Simple, right? Well perhaps not, if you consider the role of the current economic system in our ongoing ecological and social crisis.

The answers might surprise you.

 By Roberta Millstein

Recently on NextDoor and elsewhere, Davisites have been disagreeing about whether Davis is building enough housing or whether it needs more.  The discussions have become particularly relevant in light of two potentially large projects: the University Commons project (264 residential units / 894 beds) and the so-called Aggie Research Campus (ARC), which proposes 850 units as part of the larger proposal for a massive 200 acre business park outside of Mace Curve.

But to answer the question of whether we have enough housing or not, Davisites need to know how much is in the pipeline.  I suspect that most Davisites don’t know the answer to that question, even if they’ve been paying attention.  This article is the result of my attempt to figure out the answer. 

If you just want the answers I calculated, here they are: the housing that is now in the pipeline will accommodate more than 10,000 additional people in the City and more than 20,000 additional people in the City and UC Davis combined.  The details of those answers are below.

And upcoming art events

Autumn Labbé-Renault, chair of Arts Alliance Davis, speaks at the Jan. 16 meeting at the Davis Arts Center. Photo credit: Wendy Weitzel/Courtesy photo

By Wendy Weitzel

Since 2015, Arts Alliance Davis has united area artists and arts lovers, offering a forum for collaboration and sharing. That networking has evolved into a vibrant support community, clearly on display at its Jan. 16 meeting.

This gathering of nearly 30 joined forces at Davis Arts Center. Arts Alliance Davis meets every other month, at rotating venues. It unites artists, civic and arts organizations, businesses, patrons and other community arts supporters. The meetings are open to anyone.

This time, the group discussed two main issues: using art for activism, and a new state law’s impact on artists as independent contractors.

The 18th Annual Celebration of Abraham gathering

(From press release) When members of the Celebration of Abraham sat down in September to discuss the theme for this year’s annual Davis gathering, they reflected on the current times that seem so divisive, despite the fact there is one characteristic fundamental to all of us: human dignity.  Although it is difficult to define human dignity, our religions and traditions remind us to hold it as a value in our relationships with others, especially with individuals who have views that are contrary to our own, and to maintain our own human dignity even in times of difficulty. In order to make community in a world comprising many religious traditions and beliefs, we must strive to renew our appreciation and respect for the dignity of all human beings.  Thus, this year’s Celebration of Abraham theme is, “A Community Conversation on Human Dignity.”

The 18th Annual Celebration of Abraham gathering, “A Community Conversation on Human Dignity,” will run from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26, in the Fellowship Hall at St. James Catholic Church, 1275 B St. in Davis.  The interfaith Celebration of Abraham was founded by a group of Yolo County residents after September 11, 2001 with the hope of building community across religious differences during a time of heightened political tension in our country.  We now find ourselves living through another time of heightened political tension, and the principles of the Celebration of Abraham to bring people together to nurture a sense of compassion, respect, appreciation, and foster learning and understanding, are true now more than ever.

Soroptimist International of Davis is accepting applications from local nonprofit organizations for grant funding for 2020.

The club welcomes submissions from organizations that support economic empowerment and access to education for women and girls in our community. Applications will be assessed based on their alignment with the Soroptimist mission, community impact and feasibility. Any organization, including previous recipients, is encouraged to apply.

Jim Provenza shared the below letter he received this week from John Garamendi, Congressional Representative for the California 3rd District.

To the Editor,

     Mental illness is complex.  It takes special leadership to recognize the need for providing support programs for people in crisis.  When Jim Provenza learned about Yolo County Mental Health Court, he listened and learned about the positive impact the program was making on participants.  He went to the Community Corrections Partnership and DA to advocate for the creation of a second court, doubling the capacity to serve.

     Based on his interest to provide mental health programs in our county, Jim went to Washington DC to learn about the Step Up program.  Our local Step Up Initiative identified 52 intervention points to divert people from the criminal system to mental health services.  Jim joined a task force in an effort to work with mental health professionals, human services and police to provide this type of intervention in our county.

     I worked with Jim professionally for 16 years.  He has always impressed me as a humble man who genuinely wants to hear from citizens, advocate as needed and establish programs that positively affect the lives of families.  I value Jim’s leadership style and support his re-election for County Supervisor. 

Courtenay Tessler

Retired High School Counselor

by Alan Pryor, Chair – Sierra Club Yolano Group

Introduction

This article is the 4^th and final in a 4-part series on questions presented by the Sierra Club Yolano Group to candidates in the Yolo County District 4 Supervisor race on the March 2020 ballot and the candidates' responses. This article covers questions and responses in the areas of Transportation Management, Environmental-Social Justice, Other Environmental-Related Issues, and Community Support. The order of the candidate responses are changed with each article. 

See article 1 of 4 here, which gives a "Table of Contents" for all four articles, an introduction explaining the article series, announces that the Yolano Group is not making an endorsement in this race, and covers questions and responses in the areas of Reductions in Carbon-Based Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions. 

See article 2 of 4 here, which covers questions and responses in the areas of Solid Waste Management, Water Management and Conservation, and Toxics in the Environment.

See article 3 of 4 here, which covers questions and responses in the areas of Land Use and Development.

Part 6 – Questions Related to Transportation Management

Issue 6-1 - Transportation-Related GHG Emissions

Yolo People Power endorses Linda Deos for 4th District Yolo County Supervisor.

Ms. Deos is making criminal justice reform one of her top priorities. We appreciate her collaborative approach to problem-solving that includes listening to many voices. She pro-actively engages community members in thinking creatively about how to locally address climate change, affordable housing, quality and accessible childcare, economic development and community safety. We see her showing up to community meetings, rallies and protests; as well as city council and county board meetings. We appreciate her willingness to support and engage with many diverse members of our community.

by Alan Pryor, Chair – Sierra Club Yolano Group

Introduction

This article is the 3^rd in a 4-part series on questions presented by the Sierra Club Yolano Group to candidates in the Yolo County District 4 Supervisor race on the March 2020 ballot and the candidates' responses. This article covers questions and responses in the areas of Land Use and Development. The order of the candidate responses are changed with each article. 

See article 1 of 4 here, which gives a "Table of Contents" for all four articles, an introduction explaining the article series, announces that the Yolano Group is not making an endorsement in this race, and covers questions and responses in the areas of Reductions in Carbon-Based Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions. 

See article 2 of 4 here, which covers questions and responses in the areas of Solid Waste Management, Water Management and Conservation, and Toxics in the Environment.

 ____________________________________________________________________

Issue 5-1 - Agricultural Land Preservation

The Yolo County chapter of the ACLU invites everyone to a community meeting open to all, to identify and talk about the most important issues facing our county and strategize actions to implement change. Amanda Young, a Program Coordinator from the ACLU of Northern California office, will help facilitate the meeting and can share lessons learned from past organizing events. This is an opportunity to meet others in our community so we can plan effective change in 2020!

Please join us on Thursday, January 23, at 7 p.m., at the Turner Community Library, 1212 Merkley Avenue in West Sacramento.
This event is free, and food and refreshments are provided.

Find information and RSVP here: https://go.peoplepower.org/event/action_attend/21369

Solid waste management, water management and conservation, and toxics in the environment

See article 1 of 4 here, which gives a "table of contents" for all four articles, announces that the Yolano Group is not making an endorsement in this race, and covers Reductions in Carbon-Based Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions.  The order of the candidate responses are changed with each article. 

By Alan Pryor, Chair – Sierra Club Yolano Group

Part 2 – Questions Relating to Solid Waste Management

Issue 2-1 - Reusable, Recyclable, &  Compostable In-Restaurant and Take-Out Food & Drink Containers & Tableware