Reaching back to Volume #2 where we sort of decided what Novel meant.... I have to ask what WOKE now means. In V2 that term was used a lot in regard to what the Vanguard was, and what happens if you post something not on the "woke agenda" or some such. Can you be woke and "for DiSC"??

I'm trying to decide if I'm woke or not. And if I am, should I be insulted if people talk about how bad the wokeness is? I've heard the past POTUS use the term disparagingly so I thought I must be woke. But then I've heard people who hold many of my same important social views now speaking of the "woke" in unflattering terms. Is there a single definition for being woke? Or do we get to make it up as we go?

It seems that the opposite of being "woke" is being ignorant of current social issues. Do people want to be ignorant? This reminds me a tiny bit of the disparating use of "environmentalist."

Anyway... I'd like to hear what people think "woke" means. And if they think it is universally good or universally bad.

SUBJECT: Woke; response to Darell (DD?)

I think Bill Mahar says it best when he says 'my politics haven't changed'; that's how I feel, especially when the Vanguard considers me a 'conservative' ha ha (now they consider me Satan, but that's another story). Here are some Mahar clips that may help:

Bill Maher Explains to Ben Shapiro How He Was Tricked by 'Woke' - Rubin Report
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3elhanYP0E

Bill Maher Says ‘Woke’ Liberals Have Gone ‘Off the Deep End’
https://www.thewrap.com/bill-maher-says-woke-liberals-have-gone-off-the-deep-end/

I would call the Vanguard classic liberal and the Davisite and College Democrats woke [Al's note - yikes, I got this backwards!], to break it down to simple terms. And as such, the censhorship level over at the Vanguard is much more authoritarian, puritanical, and intolerant. Example: Liberals believe in free speech, the woke believe in stamping out the speech of those who are 'wrong'.

Might as well post this on the Davisite, in addition to the Vanguard. (Just showing how ludicrous Richard McCann's comment is, in the unlikely event that the Vanguard posts this response.) In that context, some of my "suggestions" might be viewed in the same light.

Ron O May 31, 2022 at 4:07 pm
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Richard McCann: “Whether Davis decides to add housing to accommodating growth is a discussion that is the sole bailiwick of the stakeholders in Davis–the resident citizens, that could extend beyond registered voters, and those who may live in Davis such as future UCD students and DISC employees.”

I guess that leaves Don Shor, Don Gibson, some of the city’s staff, and the DiSC developers themselves “out”, for starters.

Richard McCann: "People who live in Woodland and for some unknown reason want to throw up a moat around Davis even though they have not real stake in the discussion do not have a legitimate voice in this discussion. How they feel, especially with no analytic substantiation, is irrelevant to the rest of us who are truly affected by this. (Or maybe us Davis residents should go to Woodland and start lobbying for our local preferences to be imposed on that city?)"

My response: There are a few Davis people working in Woodland, including those who work for the Yolo Food Bank. Perhaps they should move to Woodland, and free-up some residential space in Davis. (If they did so, that would also cut-down on their motor-vehicle commute.)

Actually, the same is true regarding those living in Davis and working anywhere else, for that matter.

As far as the “moat” is concerned, it’s those advocating for DiSC who are attempting to create a housing shortage. Assuming that the commercial is actually successful.

For sure, Woodland is going to be housing a substantial portion of DiSC employees, if it’s approved. My guess is that it would house the majority of them, given all of the recent development on the “Davis side” (south side) of Woodland. It’s a much easier and more-reliable commute, at this point. (No need to access to I-80.)

SUBJECT: Sixty-two-year-old Man Gets 27 Years for Attempted Murder (Davis Vanguard, May 30th, 2022)

I had to reread this article today, as I was confused yesterday when I first read it. It comes across as a pro-Reisig article to me. Which I am even more confused about, as the bio for the author says, "Robert J Hansen is . . . covering the Yolo County DA's race for the Vanguard." Yet everything I read is totally pro-Reisig (portions below).

Then it occurred to me, are social-justice extremists actually horrified by the idea of a 62 year-old getting a 27-year sentence - for, #wait-for-it# attempted murder? I thought social justice theory is that older people age out of violence and that's why you can release them; if so, this guy is clearly broken -- shooting people for the perception of not having been paid for meth. I don't believe people should be prosecuted for drugs -- I believe they should be prosecuted for trying to kill people. And if he gets out at age 89, fine by me.

What is wrong with anything in Reisigs statement far below, considering the description of the crime, just below?

Montgomery was upset because he thought the victim, who had purchased an ounce of methamphetamine, paid with counterfeit money the press statement said. Montgomery arrived at Freeman Park in Woodland with three other men just before 7:30 pm and confronted the victim. When the victim refused to pay, Montgomery grabbed a semi-automatic gun and shot the victim twice at close range, hitting him in the arm and the stomach . . . Police officers responded within three minutes of the shooting. The victim suffered serious wounds including a broken arm and injuries to his intestine that required multiple surgeries to correct, according to the press statement.

District Attorney Jeff Reisig said his office is committed to the aggressive investigation and prosecution of violent crime in Yolo County, particularly incidents involving guns. "Unfortunately, California has seen a steady uptick in violent crime in recent years due to a variety of factors,” Reisig said. “We are focused on ensuring local public safety and working with state lawmakers to fix state laws that are root causes of the increases in crime.”

SUBJECT:

"In a move that will stun many in the community, The Yolo Food Bank (YFB) board of directors on Monday announced that Michael Bisch is no longer serving as executive director and is leaving the organization effective immediately."

As a person in the community, I wish to state -- for the record -- that I am not stunned.

The Vanguard has already deleted one of my comments regarding Michael Bisch's apparent removal. Let's see if they delete this one:

Ron O June 1, 2022 at 12:05 pm
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Inoa Ole: "He isn’t so much “leaving” the food bank as he was terminated."

My response: Already gathered that, from the article.

Inoa Ole: "Donors should let the Board know their displeasure."

My response: Not a fan of Mr. Bisch, myself. (Based upon the limited “interaction” I had with him on here.)

I’ll probably view the Yolo Food Bank in a more positive manner than I previously had, based upon this action.

So far, the Vanguard hasn't posted my response to Ron Glick, below.

The incident with Michael Bisch also involved the moderator (Don Shor), as he allowed Bisch's doxing comment to remain posted for hours. (This occurred when the Vanguard wasn't even requiring full names.)

Ron O June 1, 2022 at 5:09 pm
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Ron G to me: "Wow Ron O. Way to kick em when they’re down."

My response: "Just relaying how he (Michael Bisch) behaved toward me on here. Despite occurring several years ago, it was egregious enough for me to remember. It was totally unprovoked, as well.

I’ve found that character is usually pretty consistent for most people – regardless of venue.

In any case, I doubt that the Yolo Food Bank terminated him based upon his behavior on the Vanguard."

So I bought a sandwich and some potato salad today from my favorite deli and went to the usual spot to get a plastic fork and was informed Ca now requires that forks have to be asked for and handed out at the counter or register or no fork for you. So I looked it up and sure enough another new law sponsored and passed by CA Democrats. Every day government is in session another freedom you lose.

Ron O: County Road 102 is not designed for commuting. It's a kind of collector road for ag concerns. Or should be.

There's fortunately no appetite to make it the eastern version of the 113, but at the same time I don't believe there's one to give it an e.g. 45 mph design.

The only safety improvement can be at intersections, e.g. making them into roundabouts. But that's a lot per intersection. That doesn't do much to help vehicles heading in opposite directions at a combined speed of 135 mph. Adding a median who only speed things up and increase traffic, putting more pressure on the intersections. That's many millions and possibly private land to "conquer" -- in addition to what's needed for a dedicated cycle track.

Todd: I'm not sure what your comment is in response to, other than perhaps some other comment noting that Spring Lake (aka, "North, North Davis") is likely to house a significant number of DiSC employees, if it's approved. The same is true regarding the 1,600 homes planned at the Woodland technology park, since people tend to get a job wherever they can (and not necessarily where they live).

Is that what you are responding to?

I'm not "advocating" that Road 102 "become" a commuter road. However, it already is one (and is likely to become more so). If I had to guess, I'd say that traffic has increased perhaps 200-300%, within the past 20 years or so. (Just a guess.) At times, there's already significant backups as it nears the "CostCo" intersection, mostly from folks passing through (from Davis) to get to I-5. Within the past 15 years, there's been a stop sign added in Davis (near Nugget Fields), and within the past year or so, a stop sign at the intersection with Road 27.

I'd estimate the same percentage increase of traffic on Highway 113, as well. I suspect that a lot of those folks are traveling to/from UCD.

I think it was Bob Dunning who noted that some folks might even be using these routes to avoid traffic backups/gridlock on I-80, toward Sacramento.

The property between Spring Lake and Highway 113 is also slated to become a 350 acre business park, after it "failed" in Davis (and moved what was left of the proposal to Woodland). On a site that was supposed to be a business park even before that proposal arose. (Of course, they've also now added 1,600 homes to the proposal.) Even though the planned business park is adjacent to Highway 113, a lot of folks will nevertheless use Road 102 (to Road 27) to access it (to/from both directions).

Woodland has never met a development that it doesn't "like", and I expect that pursuit to continue. There is no Measure J to keep development in check. There is a voter-approved urban limit line (which nevertheless allows an enormous amount of continued development). It almost seems as if development interests "created" the urban limit line, and presented it to voters on a take-it-or-leave-it basis.

There's also talk of the city spreading down I-5 toward Sacramento, if they can get taxpayers to fund levee improvements (like they did in Natomas).

Bottom line is that there is no "housing shortage" in Woodland (some 7 miles north of Davis) and there never will be one.

The housing crash some 15 years ago hit Spring Lake pretty hard, though. I believe that the city actually had to help out Spring Lake at that point - as it wasn't able to support itself (e.g., interest payments on the CFD).

"If people call this idealistic I will kill myself."

Interesting political strategy.

Alan, why?

Because the left is dead?

SUBJECT: "Slavery and ‘System Discrimination’ Highlighted in Report by CA Reparations Task Force"

Interesting California is leading this task force focused on African Americans, especially as the year given for the start of slavery in the article is 1619 when other (future) states, #ahem#, did hold African American slaves. One perhaps would expect other states directly involved, #ahem#, to lead the charge, while California perhaps should focus first on its own killing, enslavement, and treatment of many of its Native American people, even if in the earlier years under a more southerly than easterly influence.

Alan, I read an article today that said that the Reparations Task Force report also asks for a “separate system of publicly-funded black schools, described as “African American/American Freedmen owned and controlled K-12 schools, colleges and universities, trade and professional schools.”

SUBJECT: "My View: Carson Takes a Pounding, But Measure H is Still a Toss-Up in Most Observers’ Eyes" 6/4, Davis Vanguard, "My View" being David Greenwald's "View".

"The point Dan Carson has made and I think correctly . . . "

You think wrong.

"but tie went to the respondent."

The "tie". Don't quit your day job.

"I think Carson and the Yes side had a considerably stronger case than many have acknowledged"

I'll still continue to not acknowledge that.

"Had it been a regular citizen filing the complaint, that probably would have produced much less in the way of backlash."

A 'regular' citizen. As opposed to an irregular one? Of course it wouldn't have as much backlash, as they wouldn't be on the city council. Which brings up the judgement I.Q. of every person involved in recruiting Carson and suing citizens.

Irregular citizen backed financially and as proxy for the developers? I'm not sure how you fuck up much worse than having a city council-member be your proxy.

"Two Weeks before Firing Bisch, Executive Team Voted No Confidence in Yolo Food Bank Board of Directors"

Breaker Breaker, We got ourselves a scandal! I wonder if this one will go the way of the Yolo Hospice and Cenario's Pizza 'scandals' in the Davis Vanguard -- i.e., a bunch of impliczations thrown out, followed by . . . nothing. This one may have staying power.

"The Davis Community was stunned to learn this week of the firing of Michael Bisch" -- there goes Greenwald throwing out that term again; yet, I wasn't 'stunned'. I asked several other people if they were 'stunned' and they either answered, "No, why do you ask?", or "Michael who?".

"The most appalling activities include the Board of Directors’ lack of self governance over conflicts of interest, as well as the Boards’ denigration of staff members’ reputation in communication with community members and elected officials."

Denigrating staff member's reputation and conflicts of interest! Now we are getting personal, though no one is yet naming names. This is getting ugly.

"The Board of Directors has shown they are not able to refrain from interfering with the necessary Food Bank operations by placing the interests and personal relationships of individual board members above feeding our community."

Ouch.

Perhaps a list of the board members would help. Oh . . . well that's interesting. When I went to the website right after Bisch was 'terminated', there were more board members listed than there are now, including Dan Ramos, who is no longer listed. The picture of Michael Bisch is gone, too (no surprise). There was also a Capay Valley farmer who's name I recognized who is not longer listed. Seems the board is 'shrinking' as well as the executive team. Is this a full-on implosion???

Currently listed:

Elizabeth Schmitz, Chairperson
President of TOP, LLC
Davis, CA

Matt Mariani, Vice Chairperson
Partner and VP Marketing Sales, Mariani Nut Company
Winters, CA

Ned Spang, Secretary
Assistant Professor Food Science & Technology and Associate Director Center for Water-Energy Efficiency, UC Davis
Davis, CA

Jennifer Engstrom, Treasurer
Owner, Grocery Outlet – West Sacramento
West Sacramento, CA

Donald Hartman
HR Director, Sutter Health
Davis, CA

Kate Stille
Chief Impact Officer, Nugget Markets
Davis, CA

With or without Ramos, those are some powerful people to be calling out (if not by name) as putting self/conflict-of-interest above feeding the people of Yolo, and of disparaging staff reputations.

One thing that strikes me is that all the articles (and there were many) written for the Davis Vanguard, this 'no confidence' letter, and Bisch's post-termination letter are all written in the same style: long, very well-written, full of commas, saying everything and nothing at the same time. Almost certainly the same author.

I have always been suspect that something wasn't quite right at the Yolo FB. I am suspect of non-profits in general, having worked in that sector for seven years in Sac. Not that some aren't doing good, but far too many are being used as fronts for board or employee benefit or the funneling of for-profit intentions.

The continuing unfolding should be juicy :-|