I just wanted to say that 111 people have given money to the Davis Vanguard, to ward off evil spirits.  Apparently these people weren't waiting for April fool's day to be foolish with their money, and fools.  And here they are:

By David J. Thompson

I feel that I must ask the citizens and voters of Davis for your forgiveness relating to what did not happen with the 150-unit senior housing project assigned to Delta Senior Housing Communities (DSHC) at the Bretton Woods project. My apology is because in 2021 DSHC without a word to the City of Davis or the public abandoned the four-year Bretton Woods project. So what was promised to the public by DSHC is not going to happen.

From 2016 through 2021 I worked tirelessly on behalf of Delta Senior Housing Communities, Inc. (DSHC) to win passage of Measure J (approval of what is now Bretton Woods). If Measure J passed then DSHC would be given five acres of land to build 150 units of low-income affordable senior housing. Although I asked the President of DSHC to help me win passage he never did and in three years he did not attend any of the many neighborhood meetings or the twice weekly booth at the Davis Farmers Market. I think the DSHC President may have attended one event but in that four-year campaign none of the other three DSCH officers/board members ever attended any event or even wrote a letter of support to the Davis Enterprise. 

During that time I began to think that DSHC was hardly functioning as the board of a non-profit tax-exempt entity.

Why Didn’t  YoloTD share the facts?

By Alan Hirsch

My beloved Davis has failed to accept the science out of UC Davis on climate change.  I worry for our future if even Davis  can’t face the urgency of our situation.

I urge everyone to watch the March 5th video of Davis City council and listen to their rationalization not to align city policy with UC Davis scientists on the freeway I-80 policy. The city council discussed sending a letter to state officials noting the city’s agreement with Caltrans’ own policy that freeway widening is contrary to the State’s climate action plan and won’t solve congestion. The city council rejected sending the letter, even though no one challenged its substance.

I know a few readers here still might think freeway widening works to fix congestion--  for them  I wonder who they are listening  to if Caltrans policy itself accepts UC Davis research? 

Begin watching council rationalize the “settled science” away beginning at 1:07:41 as Councilmember Donna Neville withdraws her letter and offers two unscientific  reasons: 1) there was no community consensus, and 2) the letter would not make any difference.

Is consensus the way to measure scientific validity in Davis? Should we accept at face value Councilmember Gloria Partida’s argument that her survey of people she talked to on her walks takes precedence over findings from the UCD Institute of Transportation Studies?   Or Neville’s statement that until we have consensus, we “should not speak to the highest level of government.”  I note the council managed to take a position on the Israel Gaza war before a polarized audience.

By Ooti Maxine, Maidu artist

(From press release) The Seeds of Justice learning community started in 2021 as a project of the Episcopal Church of St. Martin to study the backgrounds for establishing land-based ministry in Yolo County; that is, an approach to ministry that considers the racialized history of the land including its uses, original inhabitants, labor and immigration, ecosystem health, and environmental threats, to be a key component of the church’s mission. We have in the past two years hosted lively conversations with Native Californian cultural practitioners, historians, and professors: Diana Almendariz, Melissa Moreno, Melinda Adams, Beth Rose Middleton Manning, John Liu, and Alan Taylor.

This year, we are partnering with YoloSol, a cultural arts and ecology collective, and the Yolo Interfaith Alliance for Climate Justice to read the book Know We Are Here, edited by Terria Smith, a tribal member of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians.

We will meet once a month on Tuesdays from 6:30-8pm at St. Martin's  to reflect on how these stories shape our understanding of the Native Californian past, shed light on our current climate crisis, and might suggest pathways to a restorative future for the web of life here in the Yolo bioregion.

(From press release) Interfaith Housing Justice Davis (IHJD) is excited to announce an upcoming forum "Davis Housing Solutions: A Community Conversation".  The forum is designed to address pressing housing issues and explore viable solutions.

The forum is scheduled for the evening of May 16th and will be held at Davis Community Church.  IHJD has invited local and regional experts on affordable housing and social service issues.  Topics covered will include "who needs housing" and "how" do we help them.  In addition, to provide a deeper understanding, the stories and voices of marginalized communities that include the homeless, victims of eviction and even those struggling to purchase their first home will be presented. The event will discuss the city's Housing Trust Fund, including funding and its role in solving the various housing needs highlighted.   Attendees will gain insights into how the Housing Trust Fund could effectively address housing challenges in Davis.  A key focus of the conversation will be how to ensure sustainable funding for the Housing Trust Fund.

Following the formal presentations attendees will have the opportunity to ask their own questions to a panel of the presenters including council members and city staff.

In addition to the forum and panel discussion, there will be a number of organizations available with whom the attendees can meet and talk.  Organizations already registered to participate include Northern California Legal Services, Mutual Housing California, Interfaith Housing Justice Davis, Ca House and DavisCAN.  All the organizations have a role in providing housing resources and support systems. This interaction will provide numerous opportunities for community members to get involved and contribute to housing equity efforts.

Davis Housing Solutions: A Community Conversation is open to all and is free.  Donations to the Housing Trust Fund are welcomed and can be made when registering for this event. Livestreaming information available at registration.  IHJD encourages all community members to join this conversation and participate in shaping the future for housing in Davis.

To register for the forum, go to https://bit.ly/interfaithhousing

If you wish to contact Interfaith Housing Justice Davis, email: Ellen Kolarik  [email protected]

YoloTD is going to CTC for I-80 money

By Alan Hirsch

YoloTD Chair/Mayor Chapman

On Tuesday March 5, Davis Council let stand a 2021 policy to “strongly support” I-80  widening for cars—ignoring 34 letters and public comments asking for  reversal of  city policy adopted with no commission or other input.

The city council, at least temporally, seems to have joined the science deniers on freeways with a majority of members  claiming we need “consensus” before simply accepting UC Davis research, affirming settled science, or even simply adopting policy that  just restated Caltrans and the state climate plan on sustainable transportation.

This also means science supporting Davisites must turn their  attention to a more sympathetic body to stop I-80: the California Transportation Commission (CTC). This body once in the  past  blocked funding Yolo80, rating it 24 out of 24 in priority and might do it again next week. Emails  on CTC agenda item 19 are needed ideally  by Monday to ask them to block a $105 Mil grant  for more I-80 auto widening in Yolo County.  They, unlike YoloTD seem concern with induced demand’s climate impact, as  described in this article “Managed Lane Expansion Project  Not Approved by California Transportation Commission “

Who spoke in favor of the Widening in Davis?

The weekly Vigil for Children continues as the death toll in Gaza exceeds 31,000 with no end in sight.   The Holy month of Ramadan begins and prayers are spoken to God and our brethren for the blessings of peace.

By Scott Steward

Ramadan Prayers for Gazans

Assalam Alaikem, beloved Palestinian brothers and sisters. Our hearts and souls are with you.  You are not alone.  we pray for peace in your homeland. May you be blessed forever.

Loura

As the group of students, staff, and faculty whose meeting with Chancellor May in December 2021 led to a plan to eliminate fossil fuel use by UC Davis (Fossil Free UCD), we are pleased to see the release of the Fossil-Fuel Free Pathway Plan (FFFPP), as reported in the Davis Enterprise.  We are grateful to Chancellor May for his continuing dialogue and leadership. 

The FFFPP calls for eliminating 95% of fossil fuel use from university operations by 2040.  Equally important is the shorter-term goal contained in the plan: a 75% reduction of fossil fuel use by 2030. 

This shorter-term goal is essential because deep and swift emission cuts from burning fossil fuels is the only appropriate response to the dramatic consequences of climate change we are already experiencing.  To meet this 75% reduction target, UCD will need to work together with other UCs and our state and federal legislators to secure funding.

As a leading university, UCD educates our students for a successful future. Our teaching mission comes with a responsibility to ensure that we graduate our students in a world where they enjoy a stable climate. UCD is showing by example that we can greatly reduce the use of fossil fuels within years, not decades. This leadership will hopefully inspire other universities and government entities to swiftly enact plans to go fossil-fuel free as well.

UCD affiliates who wish to join our ongoing efforts are encouraged to contact us via our website at https://fossilfreeucd.org/

Cort Anastasio
Patrick Cunningham
Mark Huising
Brianna Mcguire
Helene Margolis
Elizabeth Miller
Roberta Millstein
Emma Saffel
Suzana Sawyer
Stephen Wheeler
Sandy Xie

On behalf of Fossil-Free UCD

(From press release) Conservation groups petitioned the California Fish and Game Commission today to protect five imperiled populations of the western burrowing owl under the California Endangered Species Act.

The petition seeks endangered status for burrowing owls in southwestern California, central-western California and the San Francisco Bay Area, and threatened status for burrowing owls in the Central Valley and southern desert range.

“These fascinating ground-dwelling owls need relief from being bulldozed or evicted to make way for urban sprawl,” said Jeff Miller, a senior conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “I’ve witnessed the disappearance of burrowing owls from much of California over the past two decades, and it pains me to watch their extinction trajectory. They need immediate protections if we want to keep these owls around to grace our grasslands and open spaces.”

The only owl species that nests and roosts underground, the burrowing owl was formerly widespread in California and commonly nested in grasslands throughout low elevation areas of the state. Burrowing owls have suffered significant habitat loss due to urban development, conversion of grasslands to agricultural lands, and large-scale wind and solar energy infrastructure. They are also killed by rodenticides and collisions with wind turbines and cars.

The owls rely on burrowing mammals such as ground squirrels to excavate underground burrows for nesting and roosting. Urban development removes suitable nesting and foraging habitat, while ground squirrels are routinely eradicated from ranching and agricultural lands.

“When a formerly common species disappears from our landscape, what does it say about the health of our ecosystems? Abundant burrowing owls once brought so much joy to residents of our valley, but development has pushed them to the brink of extinction,” said Shani Kleinhaus with Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society.

Protecting the burrowing owl under the California Endangered Species Act would require state and local agencies to manage threats. That would include ending the state policy of allowing owls to be evicted from lands slated for development and requiring adequate mitigation for habitat loss. Regional planning efforts, and in some cases direct intervention to boost owl abundance, are needed to prevent the imminent disappearance of burrowing owls from many areas of the state.

“State protections are urgently needed since the environmental review process hasn’t meaningfully protected or conserved burrowing owls,” said Catherine Portman with the Burrowing Owl Preservation Society. “We’ve tried to get mitigation for owl habitat destroyed by scores of development projects in Yolo County, but owl colonies are routinely evicted without requiring habitat protections. For example, 103 acres of prime burrowing owl breeding habitat in Yolo County were developed in 2015 in exchange for only 19.5 acres at a mitigation bank that has never hosted nesting owls.”

By Roberta Millstein

Just a quick heads up to let folks know about an opportunity to weigh in on the proposed I-80 widening project.  The subcommittee of Councilmbers Arnold and Neville have drafted a letter for City Council consideration that recognizes the objections raised by many Davisites to the project and expresses concerns.  See proposed letter here: Download 04-Subcommittee-Recommendation-Transportation-Letter

I think it is a fairly weak letter, and would urge something stronger, but I think it's also important to acknowledge that it is at least more of a stand than the City Council has been willing to give prior to this.  So a comment on the order of, "thanks, this is good, but we can do better" seems appropriate.

As a reminder:

• In person public comment: This is item #4 on the agenda, tentatively scheduled for 6:55 PM.
• Submit written public comments to [email protected]. Emails are distributed to City Council and staff. To ensure the City Council has the opportunity to review information prior to the meeting, send emails by 3:00 p.m. on the meeting date.
• Submit comments by voicemail prior to the meeting: Call the city’s dedicated phone line (530) 757-5693 to leave a voicemail message for public comment. Staff will play comments during the appropriate agenda item. Comments will be accepted from 12:00 noon until 4:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. Voicemail public comments will not be accepted after 4:00 p.m. Speakers will be limited to no more than two minutes.

(Chart from Mr. Best’s presentation)

The School Board has completely ignored the massive student enrollment decline while they ask all of us to pay ever increasing taxes, indefinitely!

The only way to stop this disconnect is to vote NO now while you have the chance.

 By Michael J. Harrington, a downtown neighbor and Davis voter for 29 years:

On March 7, 2023, only months before Measure N was finalized and placed on the ballot, DJUSD Superintendent Matt Best testified to the Davis City Council that:

“There are fewer students of school age in our region. Not only being born but in the 5–19-year age group. This is information from the census.”

In my courtroom work, we lawyers call the testimony and slides in this video a “party admission.” It is considered the highest caliber of evidence because the best possible evidence comes from the other party’s mouth.

Mr. Best further states

 “ … the number of resident students has declined by more than eleven hundred over the past seventeen years. This decline has been masked primarily due to a large extent by the increasing number of nonresident students joining our district and it wasn’t until the pandemic that the number of nonresident students stopped keeping up with the decline of resident students … that is why we are seeing the overall decline in the district’s enrollment during the last couple of years.” 

This shocking set of admissions was hidden in plain sight, on the City Council web site last year.

Even the DJUSD Officials - long before they placed Measure N on the ballot - testified to the Davis City Council that the declining enrollment is a big problem, the supply of non-Davis transfer students is drying up, and without changes, the Davis school system is facing a major enrollment decline. This testimony was backed up with detailed professional slides filled with demographic data provided by a third-party demographics company, and clearly demonstrate DJUSD enrollment is declining and will drop further in coming years.

The video from the March 7, 2023, presentation to the City Council is so shocking that I decided to try and get it out even at this late hour so voters can see for themselves that the district is asking for an ever-increasing permanent tax even while the district enrollment shrinks. Voters deserve to know about this disconnect and you certainly won’t see any mention of it in the Yes on N campaign literature. The video included here is a collection of outtakes from the council meeting (the full meeting video is available on the City of Davis website).

(Slide from Mr. Best’s presentation)

Considering this plummeting enrollment data, that the Measure N tax will never expire because it lacks a sunset clause, and that the tax increases every year without end, voters will see that the only responsible course is to vote NO on Measure N.

Because it lacks a sunset clause it is all but certain that today, March 5^th is your only chance to vote NO. Future repeal will be almost impossible.

The enrollment data through 2027on this chart is taken directly from the DJUSD projections. The projections past that are based on CA department of Finance projections.

I have voted for every previous school funding measure, but Measure N’s indefinite increases when the student population is declining is outrageous, so I must vote NO.

The Board has long known about the declining enrollment and did not apply it to the Measure N tax amounts and removed the sunset clause so it would be almost impossible for the public to undue the tax in the future. Now, if voters slap their hands and vote this tax down, the Board has 15 months to fix this problem and several opportunities to bring a new measure to voters before the current tax expires in June 2025. 

Despite the fearmongering Yes on N claims, there is no emergency to approve this!

Vote NO and make them bring back a more reasonable proposal with a sunset clause so we can be sure the district properly addresses the demographic crisis in enrollment.

I’m writing this letter to voice strong support for Sheila Allen’s candidacy for Supervisor in Yolo County District 4 which comprises North, East and South Davis. I have lived in all of these three areas of Davis since I first moved here in 1975. Although with brief hiatuses to other Northern California communities I have always returned to Davis to live – and hope to remain here for the remainder of my days.

It is people like Sheila that make Davis such an incredibly supportive environment that endeavors to provide essential services to all members of the community and a special place to raise a family. Sheila’s experience on the Davis School Board and numerous other selfless endeavors in support of the Davis community is without measure. As a member of the Davis School Board, I have been impressed by how diligently she’s fought for all students to be appropriately educated and cared for by Davis public schools. And this is such an important perspective she would bring as a County Supervisor.

Whether you have a young family (like I once had) or are a senior citizen (like I am now), there is no candidate that can compare to Sheila’s knowledge, compassion, humanity, energy, humility, education, commitment and self- service. Please be sure to vote on or before March 5th -- and if you live in Yolo Supervisorial District 4, please vote for Sheila Allen.

-Chuck White

Video: A Widening Goal is for More Bay Area ”Super Commuters”

By Alan Hirsch 

The Davis  General Plan is on Tuesday’s city council agenda- not just in the item so labeled, but reverse  of the city policy of “strongly supporting” the I-80 widening.

I-80  is not just about climate, it also impacts having housing, affordable housing for local residents.

While we in Davis can zone in more density like Cannery,  push Davis developers to increase their affordable set aside a few percent points, and even  vote a tax on ourselves to fund a housing trust, the benefits for current resident will easily be diluted by demand generated from over  ten thousand commuters a day  the 33% increase in freeway capacity enable.

 Prices are set by demand vs supply,  If  more people have access and want housing here the prices will go up- as will demand for subsidized affordable units.

Comments delivered by Tree Davis’ Executive Director to the Davis City Council regarding the re-alignment of City Commissions - January 30th,  2024

The proposal to amend the City’s Commission structure is a weighty issue, and we at Tree Davis feel that it would be a disservice to over half a century of effort from those that have served as Tree Commission Members to make this decision so quickly. To make such a decision with so little time to react for stakeholders like us and so many folks that have committed so much time is disappointing.

An extensive, healthy, and resilient urban forest is more important now than ever due to climate change stressors like excessive heat and drought. At the same time, these impacts pose new threats to the existing urban forest. Proactive planning and management is needed now to transition to the urban forest of the future, one that will be sustainable in 50 years. What would be the guiding principles of the newly formed commission that combines the Tree Commission and Natural Resources? How would the newly proposed Tree Removal Committee interact with the City, and how would people be appointed to it?

To the Editor:

It is with great enthusiasm that I endorse Sheila Allen for Yolo County Supervisor. Sheila has a wonderful resume as she has spent more than 30 years serving Yolo County. Sheila has a BS and PhD in nursing and public health. She has not only been a public health nurse but was a founding member of First 5 of Yolo County.  Sheila was a proud and effective member of our wonderful Davis school board, and founded Yolo Healthy Aging Alliance for our older adults. She currently serves as the Deputy for Yolo District 4 Supervisor Jim Provenza so she understands this important work.

I can think of no better prepared candidate for the role of supervisor in this wonderful county. Sheila has a distinguished history as a can-do person who will create a can-do atmosphere between and among people and the agencies that serve people. Sheila is optimistic and brings experience and an up beat, "let us get everybody engaged" attitude to every role she has played. She will continue our wonderful history as a county that gets things done.  Sheila does her homework and treats people with respect. She also helps people to work together. I think those attributes are especially important as the political arena can be dominated by people more interested in appearing victorious than in getting things done.

I heartily endorse Sheila Allen for Yolo County Supervisor in District 4.

-Delaine Eastin, former California Superintendent  of Public Instruction and former Assemblywoman

The Right Experience –

Voters in east, north and south Davis, El Macero and Willowbank have a clear choice among the 3 candidates for District 4 Yolo County Supervisor.Dr. Sheila Allen—currently Deputy to D4 Supervisor Jim Provenza—is a public health nurse, a former two-term+ Davis School Board Trustee, and immediate past Executive Director of Yolo Healthy Aging, a post she held for 13 years. She’s also been Chair of the Unitrans Advisory Committee and the City of Davis Human Relations Commission.Her modest rural Wisconsin hometown values anchored her through graduate education in San Francisco and her time providing in-home nursing services to families on Chicago’s South Side. She’s been active in the Davis and greater Yolo County community for 30 years; we go “way back” to 1999—when I was then D4 Supervisor Dave Rosenberg’s Deputy and she was tapped to serve as his appointee to the inaugural Proposition 10 – First Five Yolo Commission. Our collaboration continued throughout my years as the D4 Supervisor and in the State Assembly.Yes--Sheila has been doing the work and doing it well for a long time. From the youngest to the oldest county resident, her ability to serve has been boundless. As we face serious budget shortfalls and the specter of a fraying democracy, that whiff of ageism in the call for a “new generation” of leadership belies the strength of lived experience tempered only by years in service. On March 5, Vote Sheila Allen for D4 Yolo County Supervisor.

-Helen Thompson

If this tax is passed, we will essentially never be able to repeal or amend it.

This is our only real chance to vote no. 

I strongly recommend that on March 5, all local voters Vote NO on Measure N, the new large school parcel tax that will last in perpetuity with no voter check in and compound increasing every year. Because N has no sunset clause, this will be your only chance.

This is the first time I am voting NO on any school measure, and I am doing so because it is not OK to install a large permanent tax that will never automatically come back to voters and will go up every year with inflation, especially when all indications are Davis student enrollment will decline significantly. Make the Board put a sunset on it and start to plan for declining enrollments.

Review of policy to “Strongly Support” the widening at Tuesday Meeting

By Alan “Lorax” Hirsch

On Tuesday March 5^th  Davis  Council  Meeting, there will FINALLY be a full discussion of the I-80 policy for the City of Davis. it will likely be in cryptically worded agenda item called Legislative Policy.  

This is follow-up to the January 9^th Council meeting where the city council wrote a highly critical letter about the problems with the environmental analysis for the widening.  And the June 6^th 2023 meeting Caltrans pressured the city council and said “agree to partner with us- tonight--  or you won’t get mitigation money.”

Currently,  Davis City policy is expressed in letter written to federal government and California Transportation Commission to “strongly support” the I-80 freeway widening. This is based on two lines slipped into a 10 page city council’s lobbying policy agenda item three years ago (2/16/21).  The BTSSC (Davis city transportation Commission) has never been consulted on this policy, neither has the council ever before had a in depth discussion targeting support or opposition this $465Mil project. Contining this  policy put obtains the missing $200- $350 mill need to complete construction of the project- and funding it mitigation of its GHG above real transit improvements. 

ACTIONS NEEDED:

If residents  want to speak up on this project, they can do one of these actions:

• Show up council chambers and make a 2-minute comment— (you can make comment in general comment period before 7 pm and still make an election night party)
• Leave Voice msg noon at 4pm on Tuesday 5th. 530-757-5693
• Email: Davis City Council [email protected]

Talking Points:

(From press release) In honor of International Women’s Month, the stylists at Creative Hair & Spa are donating their time to cut hair and raise money to empower women and girls. All funds will go to Soroptimist International of Davis.

The event is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 10 at Creative Hair & Spa, 1520 E Covell Blvd., Suite 1, next to Nugget Market. Choose a haircut, or add a shampoo and blow dry. The suggested donation is $40 for a haircut and at least $50 for all three. All ages and genders are welcome.

This service is available by appointment or walk-in. Appointments will be accepted between 10 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. To set a time, call Creative Hair at 530-753-3450 and mention Cuts for a Cause. Those who walk in during the event may schedule an appointment or be added to a waitlist.

Come learn about Soroptimist, a global volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment. Attendees will also receive a gift bag of salon products donated by Creative Hair.

By Scott Steward

photo in front of Mike Thompson's (CA4) office in Woodland

Today will be Twenty Tuesday vigils. Five months 28,000 more Palestinians dead since the first Children's Ceasefire Vigil was held in front of Mike Thompson's office in Woodland on October 26th, 2023.   You can add your voice to Yolo4PalestinianJustice (Tuesday 4:30 - 5:30 pm) and demand Mike Thompson end the violence. 

Thompson can't seem to read, hear, or do much of anything but repeat his loyalty oath to the extreme authoritarian state of Israel. A state where this post would put someone in jail, get their house bulldozed, and likely they would be shot before they made it to interrogation.

A terrible attack occurred on October 7th, but why do we see no change in Thompson's words in his February  14th Enterprise letter, "the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust....raped women.....Hamas broke the ceasefire," It's been five months of complete war on an occupied territory.

Thompson says "No one wants peace more than I do." the same 5 month old platitude (his November 12th press release.)?  Those of us at the vigil, and around the world, don't believe in the sincerity of this representative.   As a representative of the most powerful nation on earth, you cannot want peace and humanity and fail to force the delivery of food, water, and medicine to a civilian population, a population at the complete mercy of your "ally."