The Future of Cache Creek Gravel Mining Restoration – A New Pathway Forward
(From press release) What-When-Where – The Sierra Club Yolano Group and Tuleyome are sponsoring an in-person potluck dinner and conversation on Wednesday, July 22 from 7 to 9 pm in the Blanchard Room at the Yolo County Library, 314 E. 14th Street in Davis. (Doors open at 6:45 pm). Unfortunately, a Zoom option will not be available.
(From press release) WRECKAGE: A Musical Tragicomedy, Written by Michael Gene Sullivan. Music and Lyrics by Daniel Savio, Music Direction by Daniel Savio and Will Durkee. The show is directed by Lisa Hori-Garcia.
Wreckage will be performed for one night INDOORS on Wed. July 22, 2026 at 7:00 pm (music at 6:30 pm) at
Davis HS, Richard Brunelle Performance Hall 315 W 14th St., in Davis.
Tickets are FREE but an RSVP is required: sfmt.org/rsvp-davis ($20 suggested donation)
WRECKAGE: A Musical Tragicomedy runs July 3 – Sept. 7, 2026
Opening Shows: Fri. July 3, and Sat. July 4, 2026- Dolores Park – San Francisco
Running throughout the Bay Area in SF, Ukiah (Mendocino), Cotati (Sonoma), East Bay, Mill Valley, Santa Cruz, San Jose, and Davis.
All shows are FREE and open to the public unless otherwise listed.
Paid Ticketed performance: Z Space’s Steindler Stage: Wed., Aug. 19, 2026 – 7:00 pm (Indoors).
Three (3) shows will require RSVPs:
(more…)No on Measure V Campaign Gratitude
The No on Measure V campaign would like to express our sincere gratitude to the many Davis voters who voted to reject the Village Farms proposal for the many reasons we explained in our articles, literature, and online at our NoOnMeasureV.org website.
It is unfortunate that this project divided the community, but ultimately, the majority of voters understood that the project was unacceptable due to its many impacts, including toxics, flooding potential, massive traffic, enormous infrastructure costs, habitat destruction along Channel A, as well as endangerment of the vernal pools and the endangered species of Vernal Pool Tadpole Shrimp, and especially due to the unaffordable market-rate housing and the seriously inadequate affordable housing plan. The housing proposed would have been unaffordable to parents of young kids and would not have yielded hundreds of kids, and the and the long timeline of at least 15+ years did not coincide with the School District timeline, so it would not have helped the schools.
This issue is now behind us, and hopefully we can come together as a community and work on solutions instead of school closures. This process needs to start now, and the School Board needs to move forward and approve the formation of a parent-based subcommittee, as recommended by California Best Practices, to work on solutions with the School District to avoid school closures without delay.
(more…)By Bertie Brouhard
Yes. Your backyard; figuratively and maybe literally. Some reading this may not have a backyard. Most with a family unit I suspect do. But like mine it’s California and rather small and fenced in. It might have a pool; likely not. But certainly it has possibilities for some summer fun; perhaps badminton, ping pong, croquet, your hacky sack, horse shoe or cornhole area or an archery (yikes) range. In my youth I tried it all including a makeshift baseball batting cage that did not even slightly improve my hitting.
As for your family I envision two parent figures and two youngsters and while I encourage everyone to read on, this column has these four in mind.
One of my granddaughters once asked me “Were you ever four?” She was curious. I must have looked ancient to her. I smiled and told her it’s a wonderful age. About that time 1950 C.E. or so mine and other parents of my buds let us sleep outside in someone’s backyard on warm, humid, star studded Nebraska summer nights. I don’t recall tents but remember the many mosquitoes, the sound of UP freight trains and back porch lights and our flashlights. Feigning sleep around ten I suppose we were off on our bikes roaming the many streets, parks, construction sites and gardens in our small town. We knew where the best melons, apples, rhubarb and strawberries could be picked and where others; especially girls our age, might join us for our jaunts. It all went well until our neighbor, the ever vigilant spinster, Mrs. Pierceson, ratted us out. She caused a month’s pause in our adventures, having told my dad, “I saw your son and a couple of his “ruffian” friends downtown last night. (Just what is a “ruffian?”)
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By Scott Steward
Kristen Wraithwall is the Manager of the Sustainability Division. The Sustainability Division operates within the Health and Safety Department of our Yolo County. Kristen will present the Update on Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) Implementation Progress at this Tuesday’s (July 7th) Yolo County Board of Supervisors Meeting at 9:00 AM.
Zoom meeting: By PC: https://yolocounty.zoom.us/j/84359964086
Kristen, her staff, the Climate Action Commission, and the County have made consistently strong progress in climate action despite very difficult budget circumstances. This Sustainability work continues to provide our county with grant-funded programs that Yolo County cities and other California counties look to as models for what can be accomplished in their own jurisdictions. Yolo County’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan received the Sacramento Valley Section APA Award of Excellence in Resilience and Sustainability (May 2025) and the Beacon Award from the Institute for Local Government (November 2025).
Vehicle use remains the #1 source of greenhouse gas emissions in Yolo County, so it is no surprise that 2026-2027 CAAP priorities emphasize transportation, including the implementation of countywide Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) programs. Transportation is followed by building energy efficiency in coordination with Valley Clean Energy, Natural & Working Lands water conservation and carbon soil enhancement, recycling, and public cooling infrastructure.
(more…)Program marks one year of providing safety, stability, and pathways to housing for neighbors living in their vehicles
(From press release) HEART of Davis is celebrating the first anniversary of its Safe Heart Safe Parking Program, the first and only program in Yolo County to provide a safe, legal place for people living in their vehicles to park overnight while accessing supportive services and working toward permanent housing.
Launched on July 1, 2025, Safe Heart was created to address a critical gap in services for people experiencing vehicular homelessness. In the City of Davis, where sleeping in vehicles is prohibited under the City’s anti-camping ordinance, the program offers a lawful alternative that combines overnight parking with case management, community support, and connections to essential resources.
“What began as a small pilot has become a proven model of compassionate, practical assistance,” said Shoshana Zatz, President of HEART of Davis. “Safe Heart demonstrates that when people are treated with dignity and offered stability, they are better able to take the next steps toward housing, employment, healthcare, and renewed independence.”
During its first year, Safe Heart:
(more…)(From press release) In an explosive story in The Press Democrat Friday morning, it was confirmed that Eric Jones’ wealthy donors spent more than $100,000 to split the Republican vote and guarantee that Eric Jones would make the general election.
The donors in question, George Dixit (Dean) and Rishi Dixit, are a married couple from Santa Monica and were the only two donors to Mandy Gushar, John McKenzie, and Sharon Brown. Gushar, McKenzie, and Brown maintained no social media presence and hosted no publicly advertised events. Each candidate hired the same campaign treasurer and their biggest campaign expense was the filing fee to get on the ballot.
Rishi Dixit also started and funded a SuperPAC, California Leadership Fund, that raised $75,000 attacking Raymond Riehle, the leading Republican candidate, in a variety of mailers and text messages. Riehle was endorsed by six county Republican central committees and was not attacked by any other candidates – just Jones’ donors. Eric Jones defeated Raymond Riehle by just 1.5%. McKeznie, Gushar, and Brown received 10.4% of the vote combined.
“This is another example of Eric Jones and his wealthy venture capitalist donors trying to buy a seat in Congress,” said Mike Thompson for Congress Campaign Manager, Thomas Dowling “80 percent of voters rejected Eric Jones’ message and we look forward to sending Eric back home to San Francisco in November.”
Congressman Thompson was the top vote getter, beating Eric Jones by 19 points. Despite having nearly $11 million in support, Congressman Thompson goes into the general election leading Eric Jones by a 2:1 margin.
Read the full story here and below:
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By Elizabeth Coolbrith
The issue facing Davis is no longer Measure V. The issue is trust.
For months, Davis parents were told that declining enrollment posed a serious threat to our schools. School closures, boundary changes, and district restructuring were presented as looming possibilities. Families understandably worried about the future of their neighborhood schools.
At the same time, Davis Joint Unified School District leadership became deeply involved in the public discussion surrounding Measure V. District leaders repeatedly linked the Village Farms development to the future health of Davis schools, arguing that new housing would bring students and revenue. Many residents came away with a clear message: support Measure V or face the possibility of school closures.
That perception matters because California school districts are expected to follow a clear principle during election campaigns: educate, don’t advocate. Public agencies may provide information about ballot measures, but they should not use their positions or public resources to persuade voters toward a particular outcome. The distinction exists for a reason. Public institutions are entrusted with informing the public, not campaigning.
Many parents questioned whether that line remained clear during the Measure V campaign. Superintendent Matt Best conducted presentations throughout the community discussing why the district supported the project and how its approval could benefit local schools. Whether intentional or not, many residents felt these communications sounded less like neutral information and more like advocacy.
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(From press release) The community is invited to join in the laughter at the third annual Davis Pride Comedy Night at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, June 26, at the Stonegate Country Club, 919 Lake Blvd. in Davis.
Presented by Laughs on the Lake and Comedians on the Go, the evening will be hosted by Sacramento and San Francisco-based drag performer and stand-up comedian Suzette Veneti, with headliner Scott Capurro and featured comics Shannon Murphy and Marcus Williams.
DJ Wet Weather will be spinning the tunes of the 1970s at 6:00 p.m. during a pre-show happy hour, as well as at the post-show reception at 9:00 p.m.
(more…)By Bertie Brouhard
Sound advice from Jim Croce in his 1972 ballad “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” But I did tug with some success.
Long gone are Clark Kent and Lois Lane but I have found their replacements on the UCD Campus.
Last week I was ushered into the office of Chancellor Gary May on the fifth floor of Mrak Hall. Hanging on the wall of the Chancellor’s dark paneled office was his Superman cape. (I should have asked for a photo of him in his cape but lacked the courage.)
After exchanging smiles and a handshake we sat at his conference table. My “tugging” began. He, now 62, was relaxed in his white starched shirt with black cufflinks and stylish necktie. He easily, confidently projects an image of leadership competence, attention and approachability. You’d gladly welcome him as your manager, boss, supervisor – Chancellor.
A curious townie with no knowledge or previous experience with the workings of a large university campus I’m most grateful for the time and interest he gave to our interview. I had earlier submitted questions; softball tosses I’m sure.
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Davisite 