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Davisite Banner. Left side the bicycle obelisk at 3rd and University. Right side the trellis at the entrance to the Arboretum.

Month: October 2019

  • Davis Post Carbon Association

    DPCAGreetings Residents of Davis!

    Let us introduce you to the Davis Post Carbon Association, a grassroots organization bringing together the community to address climate issues both locally and globally. We want to transition out of a carbon-based economy to a post-carbon economy by 2040. Post-carbon means (1) sequestering more carbon than we are emitting (also called being carbon negative), (2) designing our communities so that we regenerate natural resources, eliminate waste, and live in alignment with the needs of nature. We have six core goals to help the community fulfill this intention before it may be too late for our planet.

    1. Include everybody in our community so we can transition together instead of having to figure it out on our own
    2. Educate each other about the science of sustainability and how to apply it to our lives as individuals and members of a community
    3. Work with homeowners and businesses to help private organizations transition. 
    4. Work with government to help public infrastructure transition
    5. Support labor unions, activist groups, faith-based groups, and other organizations in their efforts to transition
    6. Raise funds to support the efforts of community organizers, educators, project facilitators, and to finance modifications of private and public infrastructure, lands, and operational systems (transportation, waste-management, energy utilities, etc)

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  • As the fires rage and the blackouts continue, Newsom ducks

    The guv sounds tough — but he has no plan. And he's ignoring the only (obvious) solution to the current and future crisis.

    Screen-Shot-2019-10-28-at-8.17.07-PM

    Gav talks tough about PG&E — until it comes to solutions.

    By Tim Redmond

    Gov. Gavin Newsom is sounding all harsh and tough toward PG&E as Northern California burns out of control again and the blackouts continue.

    At a press event that he promoted on Twitter, Newsom said that PG&E’s “years of greed, years of mismanagement, years and years of putting shareholders over people are over.”

    Watch the video: It’s classic Newsom. “We will hold them to account,” he says. “We will restructure” the company when it gets out of bankruptcy.

    And then … what?

    How is that “restructuring” going to work if PG&E remains a privately owned utility that sets up its own corporate structure? How are we going to “hold to account” a company when it’s already in total collapse – and Newsom has no plan to address that except to ask Warren Buffett to buy it?

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  • Soroptimists offer cash grants to women to boost their education and training

    Live Your Dream 2019 updated(From press release) Women who serve as the primary wage earners for their families and seek financial assistance to further their education or training are urged to apply for the Soroptimist Live Your Dream: Education and Training Awards for Women.

    Applications are available at bit.ly/LYDA-apply, or by emailing Soroptimist International of Davis at sidavis@soroptimist.net.

    The application deadline is Nov. 15. This year, the Davis club has $6,500 for grants, which will be awarded in amounts between $500 and $3,000. The top recipient’s application will advance to the Soroptimist Sierra Nevada Region level, where recipients could receive thousands more. The program culminates with three $10,000 awards. Recipients can use the Live Your Dream Award to offset any costs associated with their efforts to attain higher education or additional skills and training. This includes tuition, books, childcare, transportation or any other education-related expense.

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  • VCE Pays Back Startup Loans Early

    VCE_loan_repaid_early

    Pictured left to right: VCE Board member and Yolo County Supervisor  Don Saylor, VCE Chair and Woodland City Council member Tom Stallard, VCE Board member and Davis City Council member Lucas Frerichs, and VCE Interim General Manager Mitch Sears

    (From press release) Valley Clean Energy’s board of directors has announced that the local community choice energy agency is repaying its start-up loans early, years ahead of schedule.

    VCE was formed in 2016 as a joint powers agency comprising the city of Davis and the unincorporated area of Yolo County. The city of Woodland joined later, in 2017. Each agency lent VCE $500,000 to cover program implementation costs with a requirement that the loans would be repaid with interest.

    “Now, after less than 1½ years in operation, we are repaying the loans — far ahead of schedule,” said Tom Stallard, a member of the Woodland City Council who chairs the VCE board of directors. “The agency’s firm financial footing allows us to do so.”

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  • Sipping Nectar

    Hummingbird 2
    By Carey Ann Hunt

    Quickly out of nowhere it hovered in the air

    Not more than 3-4 feet away.

    Me? I just sat there sipping tea.

    The bird sipped too, though English Breakfast was not his flavor. 

    Nectar for him as he lingered there.

    Sipping the red abutilon flowers,

    The hummingbird vibrated, stirring the air.

    The whirr of those wings

    I could tangibly feel it.

    My heart was pounding,

    Hovering.

    Quivering.

    I sat there beaming perched on my chair

    I waited, stretching the moment as long as I could.

    He chest was dipped in emerald

    Ruby throated with opalescent wings.

    His wings were see-through they fluttered so fast.

    Grateful I was to him so close.

    I was enamored of every part of that moment.

    The morning, the sun, and sweet nectar. 

    The breeze in my hair,

    The last of the sweet smell of Jasmine until next year.

    He finished his mission,

    But, before he left

    He flew in right close and looked at me

    Startling me and causing me to splash my tea.

    My heart was racing but my mind was still.

    My body felt like it was vibrating just like those wings.

    That little body, with that much power

    Hovering.

    Quivering.

    The moment grew larger,

    As did my smile.

    His shiny bright eyes

    Gazing right there at mine.

    No more than my arm’s length away.

    I was left stunned as his lifted off,

    His wings left an impression as I closed my eyes.

    Sipping the moment and hovering there.

    Grateful to you little bird for your courage to look me in the eye.

    Hummingbird 1

     

     

  • Mercer Clinic Pet Costume Fundraiser

    Sweet little Ezra in his dinosaur costumeLast chance to get a pet costume from fundraising effort by Mercer Clinic for the Pets of the Homeless at this Saturday’s Farmer’s Market, Oct. 26th

    There will be a Halloween themed fundraising effort for donations to be held at Farmer's Market this Saturday, Oct. 26th by Mercer Clinic for the Pets of the Homeless. They will have a variety of dog Halloween costumes along with toys for cats and dogs. For more information on Mercer Clinic see our website at mercerclinic.org or call (530) 756-5165.

     

  • UCD teaches sustainable planning, but does not practice it

    If UC Irvine can produce affordable on-campus student housing, so can UCD

    UC-Irivine-3buildings

    Mesa Towers, UC Irvine: three 6-story buildings, opened Fall 2016, houses 800+ students

    By Eileen Samitz

    As a follow up to the recent excellent article by Roberta Millstein on the need for UCD to build far more on- campus student housing, I wanted to add to this subject and a few more points which were raised at the Oct. 22 City Council meeting regarding the UC finance overview presentation.

    To begin with, I completely agree with Roberta’s key message that our community needs to keep pressing UCD to build far more on-campus housing than the City-UCD MOU is trying to get away with, 2) much higher density housing on campus needs to be built than UCD is building, and 3) the projects need to be built sooner than later and not dragged out until 2033 as the MOU allows for at least 3,000 of the 6,000 beds to be provided by UCD.

    With UCD having 5,300 acres with a 900-acre campus. UCD is the largest UC in the system. However, UCD is unwilling to provide at least 50% on-campus housing like the other UCs have committed to. Why not?

    Further, UCD had its second biggest fundraising ever this past year, raising $234 million dollars. Yet, why isn’t any of it going towards helping to building far more, and higher density housing on-campus as it is fully capable of?

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  • If We Treated Humans like Dogs.

    HoneyBy Maria Usacheva

    In view of concerns raised about a proposed homeless shelter in Davis I’d like to share this piece that I wrote a while ago but never shared with anyone. I think it’s time. The issue of homelessness is much more complex than what I could ever depict in this extremely oversimplified essay. I also believe that all feelings and attitudes toward the homeless are valid, as they are culturally- and experience-based. So, the only reason I’m sharing this essay is to offer another perspective.

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  • Will the City press UCD for more, and more affordable, on-campus housing?

    By Roberta Millstein

    Middle earth. 2

    Middle Earth Tower, UC Irvine: Opened Fall 2019, one 7-story building, houses 490 students

    As Colin Walsh documented in his article on last week’s “town hall” meeting between UC Davis, the City of Davis, and Yolo Country, the meeting was unfortunate in a number of respects and failed to fully engage housing issues on UCD’s campus.  The event was followed by a pat-ourselves-on-the-back-for-a-job-well-done op-ed from Chancellor May, Mayor Lee, and Supervisor Saylor.

    Last night’s Council meeting gave Councilmembers “another bite at the apple” – another chance to ask about on-campus housing – with a UCD Financial Overview agenda item.

    What happened?

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  • Homeless “Respite Center” Proposed by School Bike Route Receives Pushback

    Picture3By Colin Walsh

    An ad hoc group of Davis residents have started a Change.org petition opposing the location of the Homeless Respite Center. The new Homeless center is proposed for adjacent to the Dave Pelz Overpass near second street. Those opposing the location seem to clearly state that they support services for the homeless like this project, but not next to a thoroughfare for school children on bikes.

    This Item was moved forward by the Davis City Council on July 30, 2019. The project would contain “tough shed” type buildings and likely a designated camping area. It is unclear if there will be water or sewer services or what staffing might be provided by the City.

    In the staff report, "staff estimates that the day shelter could accommodate up to 40 individuals at one time and the overnight shelter could sleep up to 15 individuals" but with the addition of a camping area as suggested by council member Frerichs the site may be able to accommodate more.

    When the Council addressed this issue on July 30th 2019, the staff omitted from their report and presentation to council that the Dave Pelz overcrossing was a safe route to school. There is no part of the staff report that addresses the impact of a homeless encampment on the bike and pedestrian through-way.

    This is the table of advantages and disadvantages from the July 30, 2019 Davis City staff report:
    Respite-Center-FTable 4.pdf
    This very expensive overcrossing was built to better connect South Davis and East Davis, especially to provide a bikeable route to school for South Davis Junior High Kids.

    The petition can be signed at  https://www.change.org/p/davis-city-council-no-homeless-shelter-for-schoolchildren-s-safety

    The petition reads as follows:

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