Month: October 2020

Part 3  - Waste Management and Water Treatment

by Alan Pryor

Introduction – Every 2 years the Sierra Club Yolano Group prepares questionnaires for candidates in local races we deem to be seriously contested and/or where there are clear differences between the candidates on matters of interest to the public and/or our local Sierra Club members. We use questionnaires with written responses to allow the candidates to directly express their views and opinions in their own words. We report these in a series of articles on a range of environmentally-related topics.

This is Part 3 of the series in which we report candidates' responses to a series of questions regarding waste management and water treatment in the City. The candidates responses are in alphabetical order based on their first name.

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1st Question re: Proposed Commercial and Multi-Family Recycling and Food Waste Collection​

Preamble: The City of Davis waste management plan also now requires mandatory commercial and multi-family segregated recycling and segregated food scrap collection but this City has yet to roll-out these mandatory programs on a widespread basis.

Questions:  Do you support these measures, why or why not, and how should the City go about rolling them out and enforcing them?

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As we face a crisis of leadership on the national and local level we need significant change. Colin Walsh is a longtime Davisite who knows what our town has been, is and can become. His policies are based in community outreach and common sense. He has frequently given voice to the people city hall ignores (almost all of us) and I know he will continue to do so on council.

Many voters are confused and disillusioned by the quagmire of lies and deceit that permeates current politics and have been made cynical by those, current council included, who promise one thing as candidates then perform 180s once elected. The solution is not withdrawal from the arena but finding and supporting people like Colin who respect the democratic process, feel the great responsibility of representation and will not sell us out or forget us upon election.

Dan Urazandi
Owner of Bizarro World

I’ve known Jim Provenza for over 25 years.  Jim is a dedicated advocate for those who often cannot speak for themselves.  For most of his life, he has worked tirelessly for equality, social justice, and civil rights.

In his first jobs after law school, he represented victims of domestic violence, child abuse, civil rights violations, and housing and job discrimination. As legislative counsel, he was instrumental in enacting California’s current hate-crimes law. As legislative advocate, he sponsored legislation making sexual orientation and disability protected classes.

Jim believes a strong community starts by helping our most vulnerable—children, seniors, disabled, the poor. As chair of First 5 Yolo, he helped raise millions to provide health care, safety and early learning for our children. He was a key force in saving the Yolo Crisis Nursery in Davis when it was in danger of closure and has continued to fight for their funding.  He established and chairs the Healthy Aging Alliance, advocating for the needs of seniors. During this pandemic, Jim has helped obtain aid and funding for childcare for families hit hardest by the pandemic— essential workers who help keep our economy running. 

Jim is an advocate for our agricultural heritage and environmental protection. He was instrumental in enacting one of the strongest agricultural land-protection ordinances in California. He supports the Williamson Act and other incentives to keep land in agriculture. He served on the Delta Conservancy, helping obtain millions in funding for water and habitat projects. He supports Yolo Basin Foundation and efforts to promote habitat for migrating birds.

Jim understands the importance of reducing greenhouse gases in our communities.  At a recent Board of Supervisor’s meeting, Jim introduced a resolution on behalf of the Yolo Climate Emergency Coalition, declaring a climate crisis in Yolo County and setting a countywide goal of achieving a carbon-negative footprint by 2030, putting Yolo County on the path to becoming the statewide leader in the fight against global warming.

Jim has earned our continued support.  Please join me in re-electing Jim Provenza for supervisor.

Pam Nieberg
Davis

I’m honored to write this letter in support of Jim Provenza in his bid to be re-elected as our Yolo County Supervisor, District 4.

For years I’ve witnessed Jim’s passionate service to our community, from his efforts to protect Ag land and preserve the Yolo Bypass, to his work on behalf of those experiencing homelessness or struggling to find mental health resources.

I got to know Jim personally through my volunteer work with the Yolo Crisis Nursery. The Nursery serves some of the most vulnerable in our community – children 0-5 years of age whose families are in crisis. In 2019-20, 99% of the children who walked through our doors were Medi-Cal eligible, 93% came from single parent homes and 94% of those homes were headed by single mothers.

When the Nursery faced with the threat of closure in 2013, Jim was there for us. He was instrumental in keeping our doors open, ensuring that at-risk children and their families continued to receive the resources and wraparound support they needed to thrive.

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