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Month: November 2020

  • A Discussion with Davis Mayor Gloria Partida

    With a chance to ask questions

    By Matt Williams

    On Friday, November 20th, at noon, Davis Mayor Gloria Partida will discuss the issues of the day and then take questions from the public. The webinar is free and open to the public. Please register in advance. To join us please sign up here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_kswA1_FqRoG1VYL6S-FuQw

    Davisite readers can post questions for the Mayor here in this thread that they feel will be good ones to have addressed during the webinar.  The questions posted here will be forwarded to the Mayor.  Presubmitting question(s) will give the Mayor time to consider her answer(s), as well as give webinar attendees an idea about the topics their neighbors are interested in.

    For example, one question might be as follows:  “Gloria, the residents of District 4 voted “No” on Measure B by a 3,591 to 2,328 margin.  That is 60.7% against and only 39.3% for Measure B. What are your thoughts about that outcome?”

    Another question might be “Gloria, 14,341 people voted in the three Council elections on November 3rd, and in those same three districts 15,110 people voted on Measure B … a 5% higher turnout than the Council candidates got.  What are your take-aways from those results?”

    Democracy works best when citizens actively participate.  So, here is a chance for everyone to participate.

  • Board of Supervisors Meeting tomorrow a.m.. And is COVID-19 on the agenda?

    Why, yes, it is, right here in Items 31 and 34!

    General Government

     
    County Administrator
     
        30.   Action items and reports from the County Administrator. (Blacklock)
     
        31.   Receive update and consider any actions needed to support the COVID-19, a virus in the Coronavirus family, response and recovery strategies. (No general fund impact) (Blacklock)
     
        32.   Introduce by title only, waive first reading, and receive public comment on a proposed ordinance amending existing restrictions on industrial hemp cultivation, manufacturing, processing, storage, and related activities, and continue the ordinance to the December 15, 2020 Board of Supervisors meeting for a second reading and adoption, or introduce by title only, waive first reading, and receive public comment on a proposed ordinance banning industrial hemp cultivation, manufacturing, processing, storage, and related activities (excepting exemptions adopted previously), and continue the ordinance to the December 15, 2020 Board of Supervisors meeting for a second reading and adoption. (No general fund impact) (Nunes/Will)
     
        33.   Receive presentation on Leinberger Replacement Project and consider actions needed to continue the project as planned. (No general fund impact) (Blacklock/Will)
     
    Financial Services
     
        34.   Receive update on the CARES Act Expenditure Plan for Yolo County, authorize the County Administrator to execute CARES Act Subrecipient Agreements with the cities of Davis and Woodland for business support programs and activities, and authorize the County Administrator to modify the Subrecipient Agreement with West Sacramento to increase the funding amount for homeless activities. (No general fund impact) (Rinde/Haynes)

     

    So, what's this about "business support programs and activities?

    Sounds interesting!!

    Regards,

    John

  • Is it time to freak out yet?

    No, how would that possibly help!

    We have been here before…… it is just time to tighten up.  The coronavirus numbers were shooting up too fast all over the State, including Yolo County.  The State is "tapping the breaks"… well, maybe even a little bit more than that.  But it does not mean we should freak out.

    You know the things to do personally:  

    1.  Limit your exposure to anyone who may have the coronavirus.
    2.  Wash your hands.
    3.  Get sleep, exercise, and eat properly.
    4.  Be kind to other people.
    5.  Wear the damn mask like a proud American!
    6.  Get tested for the coronavirus and……

    GET THE FLU SHOT!

    I just listened to the emergency press conference of the Santa Clara County Health Department and officials there were saying, "We have been here before, we can do this" and reminding people of the importance of getting the flu shot to avoid complicating your life and our health system with dual viral attacks.  The Santa Clara County Health Department is going to have a Flu Shot Health Fair this Saturday…… and they do not require appointment, physician authorization and they do not charge anything.  (I got my flu shot a few weeks ago as did my Mom…… just sayin').

    So, don't freak out.  Be prudent….. and if you have plans to travel for Thanksgiving, cancel them.  It's not worth the risk…. especially when there is a promise of a vaccine ahead and better days.

    Take care people and be kind!

    John

  • Separate dashboards…….. huh?

    Dear Folks,

    Good morning.  Hope you enjoyed a restful and rewarding week-end.

    In my "environmental scanning" of articles about the pandemic, I came across an interesting piece in the Davis Vanguard recently written by Madison Forwood on/titled  "Healthy Davis Together"  I would recommend this article as it gave a useful review of that program.

    One element that particularly caught my eye was the final two paragraphs:

    Councilmember Dan Carson stated, “I am particularly excited about the Healthy Davis Together Partners Program, I think you are tapping into downtown and Chamber really well to help in these efforts because not only are they good at communication but they are a trusted source of communication to our local businesses…We are all impressed with the wide variety of things you are undertaking here. I think it’s going to make us a safer community, no question.”

    However, Carson also raised a concern, stating, “You are doing so well on the numbers, but I think when I counted it was five or six clicks through websites to try and get to your dashboard and your numbers. The contrast I would give you is the Yolo County Coronavirus website. It’s one click and you are there with all of the numbers. If you could make your numbers easier to navigate, I think it would be helpful to all of you.” 

    Here Dan Carson is obviously comparing the apparently less accessible UC Davis Public Facing CV Dashboard to the Yolo County Public Health Department version which is easier to navigate.

    Which raises a question for me that has come up over and over:  Why does UC Davis have a separate, distinct, different Public Facing Coronavirus Dashboard at all?  From training and research in public health I know that the organization of data sources, data flows, and data displays can be complicated at the same time that it is very, very important for both communication and decision making purposes.  Especially in the midst of a pandemic!  So, why have two different dashboards with different display and presumably different data management protocols?

    Can somebody help me understand why UCD has a SEPARATE public dashboard?

    Regards,

    John

    PS  Don't want to miss Carson's positive comment about the Partners Program.  Noted!

  • Dining at French Laundry……

    Dear Folks,

    Don't know about you, but I have never dined at French Laundry. 

    This is how Lonely Planet describes this outstanding restaurant:

    The pinnacle of California dining, Thomas Keller’s three-Michelin-star rated French Laundry is epic, a high-wattage culinary experience on par with the world’s best. Book one month ahead on the online app Tock, where tickets are released in groupings. This is the meal you can brag about the rest of your life.

    Yes, as I said, I have never been there *** But our Governor has.  And recently.  He and the wife went to a birthday party for one of his "advisors".  Who is also a lobbyist.  Jason Kinney.  Turned 50.  Hmmm…… 

    And there were so many people (a dozen) there from so many different households that they violated the guidelines from the California Department of Public Health.

    Oh my!  What's up with that?

    (more…)

  • LWV hosts forum on California health-care reform

    LWV-DavisJoin the League of Women Voters Davis Area on Wednesday, Nov. 18 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. for a free virtual voter-education health-care forum, “The Future of State-Based Health Reform in California.”

    With health-care reform back in the news, the event will consider what California can implement a state-based financing approach to a system that provides universal care, controls costs and improves outcomes.

    Dr. William Hsiao, an internationally known health economist at the Harvard T. H. Chan School Public Health, will give a 25-minute presentation on the health, economic and political background for reform and his views of how to move ahead with a single-payer plan in California.

    Cindy Young, a leader in the California single-payer movement with more than 30 years of experience as a policy analyst for organized labor, will comment on Dr. Hsiao’s views and offer her own perspective.

    (more…)

  • Was it like Don Corleone said in “The Godfather”….. an “offer he cannot refuse”?

    Hello Folks,

    My dear friend Brian recently got married and when we were chatting for my birthday this week, he invited me over to dinner at his home in Sacramento with his new wife Pennie.  He is a high school buddy and we have had a wonderful friendship ever since our Freshman year in high school when we were both on the Track Team at a Bay Area high school.

    So, I was really interested in his invitation.

    But I thought…. "Better ask him a couple of questions first".  So, I did.

    ME:          Brian, did you or anyone else in the wedding party get sick after your wedding?  

    BRIAN:   Not that I know of.  

    Hmmm, ok.  that's good news. Sort of.  Kind of qualified, though.  But still, on the positive ledger.

    And then,

    ME:        Brian, have you gotten tested for the coronavirus?  

    BRIAN:  No, dadgumit, I have tried to get tested at my health care provider *** but they say I do not qualify!

    Further,

    ME:        Well, you HAVE gotten the flu shot, haven't you?  That's pretty available now.

    BRIAN:  To be honest John, I have not done that before, so no I have not gotten the flu shot this year, but I AM thinking about it.

    BOOM!  Knocked me back on my feet.  Here is my dear friend, someone I have been good buddies with for OVER 50 years asking me for a first dinner at his home with his new wife (and I hear she is a good cook!) to celebrate my birthday and I REALLY wanted to go!

    So, what did I tell Brian?  (Please note:  Brian knows I am spending a fair amount of time caring for my 91 year old Mother in her condo nearby).

    (more…)

  • Valley Clean Energy Completes Repayment to Smud

    VCE(From press release) Valley Clean Energy (VCE), Yolo County’s local public electric generation service provider, continues to make significant fiscal strides just 2½ years after its founding.

    In October, VCE made its final installment payment to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), reimbursing the utility for its assistance with operating services during VCE’s launch in 2018. The $1.5 million in deferred charges and interest were paid off on schedule, which demonstrates VCE’s financial discipline while continuing to offer clean electricity at competitive rates.

    (more…)

  • 6.15% vs 3.7%……. what do these numbers mean?

    Dear Folks,

    That's the "Test positivity" rate of Yolo County @ 6.15%  (as of a few minutes ago) vs the 10 counties of the Bay Area that are at 3.7%.  

    It helps explain a few things….. on the news in the Bay Area is a new warning from the collective Bay Area Public Health Departments…. they are saying "If you are going to travel outside of the Bay Area for the holidays please check the % positivity rate of your destination before you go and decide accordingly".

    And they add that if you go to a high positivity area, please self-quarantine for 14 days after you come back.

    (more…)

  • Why is Napa County doing so much better than Yolo County on the coronavirus “war”?

    Dear Folks,

    As Yolo County is on the precipice of going in the wrong direction (from the Red Tier to the Purple Tier), we might pause and wonder:  Why is Napa County doing so much better than us?

    They are firmly in the Orange Tier.

    Well, maybe we can look at the dashboards for each county and see what we can find:

    (more…)