(From press release) Soroptimist International of Davis invites community members to join its annual Soup Night and Silent Auction, Thursday, Oct. 24 at Veterans Memorial Center. The event benefits two programs that serve local women’s causes: SI Davis and Thriving Pink.

Due to the event’s popularity, organizers moved it to a larger venue: Veterans Memorial Center, 203 E. 14th St., Davis. The Soroptimist Soup Night and Silent Auction features unlimited soups from local restaurants as well as sides and dessert. Each ticket comes with a beverage ticket for a local beer, glass of wine or nonalcoholic drink. Music will be provided by the youth jazz band Lucky Strike.

What makes the silent auction so popular? It’s the meticulously crafted themed baskets, each a labor of love from dedicated Soroptimists and generous local businesses. From artisanal gifts to unexpected experiences, the auction is a celebration of community generosity and creativity. It’s a great chance to get a jump start on holiday shopping too.

General admission tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Students or children ages 6-17 are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Children 5 and under are free. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Auction bidding ends at 7:30 p.m. and the event concludes at 8 p.m. For tickets or sponsorship information, visit https://www.sidavis.org/soupnight.

The evening’s proceeds benefit SI Davis programs, and Thriving Pink’s work bettering the lives of breast cancer survivors and their families. Soroptimist is a global volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment. Learn more about the service club at https://www.sidavis.org/ and about Thriving Pink at https://www.thrivingpink.org/.

by the No on Measure Q Campaign Committee

This article factually analyzes and discusses patently false claims made by the Yes on Measure Q campaign in their ballot statements presented to voters.

Introduction and Background

This article is the 3rd in a series presented by the No on Measure Q campaign committee about the significant problems associated with the new tax measure. The first article (see here) provided three good reasons for citizens to vote No on Measure Q including a decided lack of transparency and disclosures by the City Council in bringing the measure to a vote. The 2^nd article (see here) gives additional reasons to vote No on the tax measure, discussing the mismanagement of city finances by the current administration.

About Measure Q

If passed on the November ballot, Davis Measure Q would double the extra sales tax from 1% to 2% imposed by the City of Davis on all goods purchased or used within the City except for some food and medicines. Based on the expected $11 million per year generated by the new tax and a Davis population of about 66,000, this works out to be approximately $165/year tax for every man, woman, and child in Davis. And like the previous two ½ percentage point sales and use tax hikes, this tax is permanent.  It doesn’t matter if the City’s financial condition substantially changes for the better in the future, this tax never goes away!  

In the Past Decade, City of Davis Revenues and Expenses Soared Far in Excess of the Inflation Rate or Population Growth.

I wholeheartedly support Measure Q, which proposes a modest increase in Davis’s sales tax from 8.25% to 9.25%. This initiative will generate $11 million annually, funding critical services that ensure our community’s health, safety, and financial stability.

Why is this additional tax necessary? While costs have risen, our city’s revenue has not kept pace. For years, the City Council has sought solutions, from proposing a dedicated tax for road maintenance that failed in 2018 to two economic development plans—the Davis Innovation & Sustainability Campus (DISC) in 2020 and DISC II in 2022—both of which did not pass. After cutting discretionary spending, the City is now at a point where further reductions threaten essential services.

What will Measure Q accomplish? This measure is essential for strengthening our police and fire departments, enhancing maintenance of our parks and greenbelts, and upgrading our aging public infrastructure.  It can also contribute to the Housing Trust Fund, helping to tackle homelessness and expand affordable housing options.

I understand that sales taxes can disproportionately affect low-income individuals. However, Measure Q exempts essential purchases like groceries and medicine, mitigating that impact.

Ultimately, I believe that a small increase in sales tax is a worthwhile investment in our community’s future. By supporting Measure Q, we can preserve and enhance the services that make Davis a great place to live. Let’s take this step together to ensure our city thrives for years to come.

Barbara Clutter

Mismanagement of City Finances by the Davis City Council

by the No on Measure Q Campaign Committee

Introduction and Background

This article is the second in a series presented by the No on Measure Q campaign committee about the new tax measure. The first article (see here) provided three good reasons for citizens to vote No on Measure Q  including a decided lack of transparency and disclosures by the City Council in bringing the measure to a vote   This 2^nd article discusses the mismanagement of city finances by the current administration, which is attempting to get their financial house in order by encouraging citizens to approve forking over millions of dollars annually rather than addressing the root causes of the city’s financial problems. The best way to describe this effort is that it is a “Bailout of financial and operational mismanagement!

About Measure Q

If passed on the November ballot, Davis Measure Q would double the extra sales tax from 1% to 2% imposed by the City of Davis on all goods purchased or used within the City except for some food and medicines. Based on the expected $11 million per year generated by the new tax and a Davis population of about 66,000, this works out to to be an approximately $165/year tax for every man, woman, and child in Davis. And like the previous two ½ percentage point sales and use tax hikes, this tax is permanent.  It doesn’t matter if the City’s financial condition substantially changes for the better in the future, this tax never goes away!   

Reason 4 -  The City Council suspended paying down $42 million of unfunded employee benefits.

The changes will threaten Commission independence and stifle innovation

 By the Sierra Club Yolano Group Management Committee

A recent op-ed by Dan Carson and Elaine Roberts Musser (see here)  alerted Davis residents to a concern with a new proposal before the Davis City Council that has the potential to substantially limit citizen input into environmental issues in the City of Davis. 

According to the op-ed, Mayor Josh Chapman and Councilmember Bapu Vaitla recently began asking Davis City Commissioners for feedback on their proposal for “clarification of how items are placed on a commission meeting agenda.”

Carson and Roberts Musser state:

“…in a big change, proposals initiated by a commission would now be subject to review and veto -- by either any relevant council subcommittee (two councilmembers) or that commission’s assigned Council liaison (typically one councilmember).The Chapman-Vaitla plan says these new rules would apply whenever the council wished to “undertake a particular task/project/discussion.” In other words, almost anything and everything a commission might ever want to do would be subject to veto by one councilmember. The Council and city staff would dictate what a commission can or cannot do, but the commission itself would have absolutely no control over its work.” (Bold emphasis added)

If enacted, we find this proposal deeply concerning and undemocratic.  Historically, at least six of Davis’s volunteer citizen commissions regularly dealt with environmentally-related matters: Tree; Open Space and Habitat; Natural Resources; Bicycling, Transportation, and Street Safety; Utilities; and Recreation and Park Commission (for the latter, with topics such as the use of toxic pesticides and drought-tolerant plantings).

Lack of Transparency by the Davis City Council

By the "No on Measure Q" Campaign

About Measure Q

If passed on the November ballot, Davis Measure Q would double the extra sales tax imposed by the City of Davis from 1% to 2% on all goods purchased or used within the City except for some food and medicines. Based on the expected $11 million per year generated by the new tax and a Davis population of about 66,000, this works out to to be an approximately $165/year tax for every man, woman, and child in Davis. And like the previous two ½ percentage point sales and use tax hikes, this tax is permanent.  It doesn’t matter if the City’s financial condition substantially changes for the better in the future, this tax never goes away!  

Introduction and Background

This article is the first in a series presented by the No on Measure Q campaign committee talking about various adverse impacts and lack of disclosures of the new tax measure. This article discusses the non-transparent and deceitful process by which Measure Q was brought to the public.  Many elements of Measure Q and the City’s finances have been shrouded in secrecy and not subject to public scrutiny and analysis by a citizen advisory commission.

_____________________________

Reason 1 -  The City Council prevented our watchdog Finance & Budget Commission from weighing in on the Tax Measure by unscrupulous means

For decades, the citizens of Davis have relied on the citizen’s advisory Finance and Budget Commission to provide needed oversight of the City’s finances. But our City Council has been so contemptuous of this Commission that they quietly refused to appoint any new applicants to fill Commission vacancies for more than a year. As a result, they have not met since July, 2023. So this critical Commission never even got the chance to weigh in on the need for new  taxes or how the proceeds will be spent. What is the City Council trying to hide from us?

As mentioned in this earlier post:

On September 11, 2024, starting at 7:00 PM, the City of Davis Planning Commission is scheduled to conduct a public meeting to solicit input and comments from public agencies and the general public on the Draft SEIR for the Palomino Place Project. This meeting will be held at the City of Davis Community Chambers, located at 23 Russell Boulevard, Davis, CA 95616.

There will be no transcription of oral comments at these meetings. Comments received will be summarized by staff for inclusion in the Final EIR. Those who wish to have their verbatim comments incorporated in the Final EIR must submit their comments in writing.

22nd Annual Request for Proposals—Proposals due September 27, 2024

(From press release) Nonprofit organizations are invited to submit applications to the Biberstein Social Action Fund for grants in support of projects addressing poverty, discrimination, abuse and neglect, and the promotion of social justice in Yolo County.

The Biberstein Social Action Fund was established in 2002 by the Board of Directors of Congregation Bet Haverim to honor Ernie and Hannah Biberstein, who are among the founding members of CBH, and who devoted much of their lives to community service and social justice. Hannah passed away in April 2011. This is the 22^nd Anniversary of the Fund.

The goal of the annual awards made from the Biberstein Social Action Fund is to help Yolo County organizations in their efforts to meet unfulfilled needs. Special consideration is given to new and/or innovative projects.

An annual Call for Proposals is released each Fall. Grants ranging from $500 to $2,000 are awarded in December. The Biberstein Fund members review the proposals. Current Biberstein Fund members include Congregation Bet Haverim partners Ernie Biberstein, Amy Abramson, Anne Gieseke, Sandy Jones, Joan Sublett, Shoshana Zatz, and Rabbis Bess Wohlner and Jeremy Simons.

Information about the Biberstein Award, including a link to the application, is available on the CBH website: https://www.bethaverim.org/engage/committees/biberstein-social-action-fund/

Grant proposals must be submitted no later than September 27, 2024. Questions may be directed to the Biberstein Social Action Fund at: [email protected]. Awards will be announced in December 2024.

By Dan Carson and Elaine Roberts Musser

Mayor Josh Chapman and Councilmember Bapu Vaitla recently began asking city commissioners for feedback on a proposal for “clarification of how items are placed on a commission meeting agenda.”  Chapman and Vaitla did not invite the public at large to weigh in on their proposal, but we feel compelled to do so in the public interest.

To sum up, we recommend jettisoning this illegal and ill-conceived plan. It would empower even a single councilmember to micromanage and indefinitely block any commission-initiated proposal they didn’t like for any reason whatsoever. There are far better alternatives to promote teamwork and collaboration between the City Council and the city’s expert volunteer citizen commissioners.

Current city policy allows commissions free reign to work on pretty much anything they want as long as it is consistent with the written charter established for them. Once a commission has explored a policy matter, the city’s Commission Handbook says it may submit items to the Council to be placed on the Council agenda for   its consideration.

The Chapman-Vaitla plan, summarized in a flow chart [see graphic at the beginning of the article], overrides those policies. The Council and the city staff could continue to place items on commission agendas. Yet, in a big change, proposals initiated by a commission would now be subject to review and veto -- by either any relevant council subcommittee (two councilmembers) or that commission’s assigned Council liaison (typically one councilmember).The Chapman-Vaitla plan says these new rules would apply whenever the council wished to “undertake a particular task/project/discussion.”  In other words, almost anything and everything a commission might ever want to do would be subject to veto by one councilmember. The Council and city staff would dictate what a commission can or cannot do, but the commission itself would have absolutely no control over its work. This is bizarre and extremely unwise.

(From press release) The League of Women Voters of Davis Area (LWVDA) offers three free public Election 2024 forums this month.

On Tuesday, September 24, 7pm, LWVDA hosts a ballot issue forum on ”Measure Q: City of Davis Essential Services”, with a one-hour Zoom presentation.” As proposed, Measure Q “adopts a new local transaction and use tax ordinance” that increases the sales tax by 1% (one cent on every dollar) to fund “City determined general governmental purposes”. Donna Neville and Josh Chapman offer the “Yes on Measure Q” campaign position while Elaine Roberts Musser and Alan Pryor will provide the “No on Measure Q” position. An audience Q&A will follow.

To learn more and receive the Zoom link, sign up on-line at: https://lwvmeasureqforum.eventbrite.com

On Thursday, September 26, LWVDA presents two live, in-person Candidate forums at the Davis City Council Chambers, 23 Russell Blvd. At 6-7pm, the Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD) Trustee Area 2 Candidate Forum features candidates, Lea Darrah (incumbent) and challenger Elizabeth (Lizzy) Griffith. At 7:30-9pm, the Davis City Council District 2 Candidate Forum features candidates Linda Deos, Dillan Horton and Victor Lagunes vying for the district’s open seat. League forums provide an opportunity for all candidates to present their qualifications and priorities to voters. Opening statements are followed by questions prepared by League members and an audience Q&A.

To attend one or both of these in-person events, the public is encouraged to sign up at https://lwvdavisboearea2forum.eventbrite.com for the DJUSD Forum and https://lwvdavisdistrict2forum.eventbrite.com for the Davis City Council Forum, as space is limited.

September 2024 forums are co-sponsored, recorded and live streamed by Davis Media Access (DMA). Following these events, recordings remain hosted online by LWVDA https://tinyurl.com/2apus8nm and DMA https://tinyurl.com/2zvv8jm2 until Election Day.

The League’s public election events seek to promote ballot awareness and informed voter participation. Attendance is free, however, the League welcomes both on-line and in-person donations to help support ongoing voter service activities. More information about these and other 2024 LWVDA voter service events can be found at: https://lwvdavisarea.org

By Roberta Millstein

A Davisite reader sent me the following information.  Until that point, I hadn't realized that comments were being sought on the environmental impact report for the proposed Palomino Place Project, so I thought I would share the information with other Davisites, too.  I haven't seen anything in the Davis Enterprise or Vanguard about it (though it is possible I just missed it).

Apparently, the draft Subsequent EIR ("subsequent" to the EIR from 2009) for the Palomino Place Project has been available since early August. Comments on the draft are due September 23. Comments would typically point out errors, inconsistencies, omissions of data or analyses, conclusions not based on evidence, or failures to provide discussion required by CEQA.

As the post below indicates, there is also a public meeting about the project on Sep. 11.

City link to Palomino Place documents:

https://www.cityofdavis.org/city-hall/community-development-and-sustainability/development-projects/palomino-place

Draft Subsequent EIR released August 2024:

https://documents.cityofdavis.org/Media/Default/Documents/PDF/CDD/Planning/Special-Projects/Palomino-Place-2023/Supplemental%20EIR/Draft-Palomino-Place-SEIR-August%202024.pdf

Notice of Availability (NOA) of Palomino Place Subsequent EIR:

https://documents.cityofdavis.org/Media/Default/Documents/PDF/CDD/Planning/Special-Projects/Palomino-Place-2023/Supplemental%20EIR/NOA-20240807-Palomino-Place-SEIR.pdf

Measure Q is a 1% sales tax that has been sponsored by the Davis City Council for the November ballot and is expected to provide approximately $11,000,000 annually for general government use.    The council cannot commit to using the funds for any specific purpose.  However, the council has shared that these funds could be directed to infrastructure, emergency response, climate resilience, addressing homelessness and affordable housing among other things.

Interfaith Housing Justice Davis (IHJD) is an alliance of faith groups in Davis that supports the full spectrum of housing, including providing shelter to the unhoused, affordable rental housing for low and moderate incomes and offering for-purchase opportunities for 1st time home buyers.  We envision a Housing Trust fund (HTF) that can help our city address these housing imperatives. 

IHJD understands that passing Measure Q will not solve the affordable housing crisis in Davis but is the first step to developing a funding stream for the Housing Trust Fund.  IHJD and the greater Davis community must then press our council to fund the HTF in an ongoing and significant fashion.  If well-funded, our HTF could be the vehicle by which we provide programs that assist our fellow Davisites to stay housed, provide down payment assistance programs to get young families into Davis and to provide the gap funding needed by nonprofit affordable housing builders to build more affordable units.

Please join IHJD in supporting Measure Q and use your voice to advocate for funding the HTF.