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

Author: davisite2

  • Letter: Shout-out to Kelsey Fortune

    KelseyI'm not endorsing any candidates this election but I just wanted to give a long overdue shout-out to Kelsey Fortune for re-purposing No on H Signs for her campaign by covering them with her compostable campaign signs. You can see the "downside" of the ecological option, but to me the action speaks louder than the durability of the compostable signs 😉

    When I ran for Yolo County Supervisor in 2018, I advocated for a "great lawn sign truce of Davis" where all candidates would agree to stop printing lawn signs that end up in the landfill and are made with toxic materials that can take up to a century to break down but alas, the allure of advertising won the day for many candidates.

    In this City Council race where each candidate has expressed their hard-fought advocacy for the environment (very trendy in election season, less trendy when it comes to taking meaningful action while in office), nothing speaks more clearly than principled actions they are taking to proverbially speaking, put their money where their mouth is.

    And if you were still looking for a clear signal of where the candidates stand on Measure H, and how they might engage in future development proposals, look no further than what's right in front of our eyes.

    David Abramson

  • Soup, shopping are stars of Soroptimist event

    (From press release) Soroptimist International of Davis invites community members to join its annual Soup Night and Silent Auction, Nov. 17 at Davis Odd Fellows Hall.

    Soroptimist International of Davis traditionally hosts the event a week before Thanksgiving. The service club provides free soups, desserts, lively conversation and pre-holiday shopping opportunities. Members are excited to bring the event back to an in-person gathering, in the upstairs hall of Odd Fellows Lodge, 415 Second St. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The silent auction begins at 6 and closes at 7:30 p.m.

    Fill up on members’ best soups, breads and desserts while getting a jump start on holiday gifts. There will be themed gift baskets, experiences, gift certificates to local stores and eateries, and more. Beer and wine will be available for purchase, along with non-alcoholic beverages. Cash, checks and credit cards will be accepted.

    The evening’s proceeds benefit SI Davis programs and projects. Soroptimist is a global volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment. Soroptimist was founded in 1921 in Alameda County. Soroptimist International of Davis was chartered in 1954. Local members join some 75,000 Soroptimists in 122 countries and territories to contribute time and financial support to community-based projects benefiting women and girls. Its core values are gender equality, empowerment, education, diversity and fellowship.

    It recently swore in new board members, including Lisa Adda, president; Phyllis Himmel, secretary; Lori Hansen, treasurer; Meredith Sweet Silberstein, coordinator of calendar; Nancy Mathews, director of membership; and Mary Chapman, director of programs. Katherine Hess is immediate past president.

    SI Davis offers cash Live Your Dream Awards to female heads of household seeking education or training (applications due Nov. 15), and assists King High students through its Dream It, Be It: Career Support for Girls program. It also funds high school scholarships, grants to nonprofits that align with the Soroptimist mission, and anti-trafficking efforts.

    SI Davis members meet twice a month on Wednesdays in downtown Davis – once at lunchtime and once in the evening – and connect for other fun activities and service. Learn more at https://www.sidavis.org/.

  • Letter in support of Adam Morrill

    I, like many other Davis residents, strongly support Adam Morrill for City Council because of his positions on the issues and his commitment to reach out and engage with the community. He had the good judgement to oppose the DISC projects, as well as opposing the outrageous CAAP residential electrification mandate, unlike his opponent. Another attribute setting Adam apart is his clear independence from special interest groups and his prioritizing our community’s needs.

    Adam has a broad background and experience in decision-making and problem-solving. He has worked for years in environmental protection work for the protection of wildlife and habitat. He also worked for the State on Emergency Medical Service regulations and disaster planning. Adam has lived with his family in East Davis for over two decades and understands the neighborhood issues. He has been a volunteer soccer coach, and a volunteer parent at St. James School, and has served as a volunteer Emergency Medical Tech /Firefighter for Winters for 10 years.

    We need Council members who will dig into the issues to find solutions, but also who will make the time to talk to and listen to us. Most importantly, we need a Council member who will take our concerns seriously and advocate for us and vote for, rather than against the public input that the community takes the time to give the City Council. It is disappointing that Council member Gloria Partida has not engaged with the community when residents have asked her to discuss issues, and she has voted against the will of the people in so many cases. Furthermore, why were there was no “Town and Gown” public meetings with UCD as promised in the City of Davis – UCD MOU when Gloria was mayor? 

    We need change and we are fortunate to have Adam, who is such a qualified candidate, running for City Council. Please vote for Adam Morrill because he will take the time to study the issues, listen to our concerns, and help find solutions, rather than approving anything that comes before him.

    David McGlocklin

    Davis resident

  • 7 California Propositions to Vote On by November 8

    Golden-StateBy Scott Steward

    I take the time to look into the propositions each election for the sake of my now adult children, nieces and nephews.  They are busy and/or are otherwise polite to thank me for the review.  I used a variety of sources (Courage California and the Los Angeles Progressive Voter Guide to name two) in coming up with the following up or down votes for the 7 propositions on the ballot.  

    Prop 1 – Reproductive Freedom – YES. The opponents to Prop 1 are wrong biblically, morally and biologically.  Prop 1 puts in place a California state amendment establishing women's reproductive rights.  

    Prop 26 – Tribal In-Person Sports Betting, soft YES. Sports betting revenue is here to stay, what we don't want is an out-of-state rip-off.  Tribal gaming (gambling) has been a reasonable compromise and the Tribes have been great to our communities.  26 is not perfect in that their remain inequities as to which tribes are recognized and benefit.

    It is inevitable that tech-gambling will grow. We need good partners to fend off the worst that tech-gambling could be.  We are better off with our local Tribal Nations and venues hosting locally regulated gambling.

    Prop 27 – Corporate Online Sports Betting – NO. For the reasons above and because of the false statement about 27 having anything to do with solving homelessness.  The housing funding is a ruse to hide the meager 10% CA gambling revenue tax that would become law if Prop 27 passed.  The same companies that sponsor CA Prop 27 pay NY a 51% tax on gambling revenues. 

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  • Letter: Adam Morrill will change things for the better

    I am writing in support of Adam Morrill for City Council for many reasons. Adam has been a resident of East Davis for over 25 years and has stepped up to run for Council because he can offer new and innovative solutions to many City problems. Unlike his opponent, Adam opposed the disastrous DISC project, and the unreasonable and costly CAAP residential electrification mandate proposal. This CAAP condition wasn’t even supported by the Natural Resources Commission, yet Gloria didn’t object to it and voted to include it.

    Adam is honest, has integrity, and will advocate for better land use planning, including requiring any infill proposals to be compatible and consistent with surrounding neighborhoods. He will advocate for more UCD on-campus UCD housing needed. Most importantly, Adam has pledged to take the time to review the City Council packets before voting on them, and responding to, and advocating for our community input. I, like many other Davis citizens, am frustrated that requests to Gloria to discuss issues have been consistently ignored, as well as our public input.

    Further, Gloria’s voting track record has been terrible on many issues. Despite significant citizen opposition, she voted for: 1) putting the badly planned DISC project on the ballot twice, (then rejected by voters twice); 2) the 7-story University Mall project with its significant impacts on surrounding neighborhoods; 3) simply moving the problematic Arroyo Park ZIP-line an insignificant distance from its current location, which doesn’t remedy the impacts to the neighborhood; 4) the recent Pacifico proposal despite neighborhood concerns that the crime and other problems related to the project over past years haven’t been addressed; and 5) the ill-conceived CAAP residential electrification mandate.

    We need a Councilmember who will take the time to listen to public input and discuss issues, and who will respond to our concerns, instead of repeatedly voting against public input as Gloria has over the last four years.  Please join me in voting for Adam Morrill for City Council.  We need a change for the better, particularly for us here in East Davis, which gets ignored and short-changed far too often.

    Eileen M. Samitz

  • Rent Increases, Price Gauging, Collusion — Republican Stew

    2022-10-20 Porter Inflation

    U.S. Representative Katie Porter

    By Scott Steward

    Rents have gone up so fast it has surprised even colluding real estate software marketer RealPage. Again blocked by Republicans, the “A Place to Prosper Act”, renters rights and rent increase control, never reached debate. Rent is not increasing because it costs more to keep up properties. Rents are higher because it’s what enough people can be forced to pay. Owners are charging computer generated higher rents, knowing that it will cause higher vacancies, because they can—increasing homelessness. It’s that bad.

    Not one Republican voted for the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act. And if Republicans are the majority—you will never hear of the bill to make sure you are charged a fair price at the pump. Much more the opposite, put Republicans in power and you will fuel Putin’s Russian war, make Saudi’s rich and put American energy independence into the trash can.

    Corporate profits are at records. This is true not because these corporations are adding value, it is true because they are charging high prices. Pharmaceutical companies, cable companies, oil companies—an average of 53% increase in profits over the last 6 months. How? By raising prices well over their costs—just plain old “because they can.” Biden is not the owner of Moderna, Xfinity or Exxon—most of inflation is being caused by corporate greed.

    In the meantime Trump appointed judges ruled to defund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a similar ruse was used to undercut the EPA, (saying agencies have to have more explicit power from Congress.) Hogwash! Guess what else is funded outside of regular appropriations—Medicare and Social Security. These Judges want to serve up these 50+ year old protections, including women’s reproductive rights, to the carving knives of MAGA Republican controlled majorities in the House and Senate.

    Blame inflation on someone, that’s what Republicans are betting on even as their party will make the problem worse with giveaways to the rich and the same trickle down policies that gave 80% of us a zero increase in household income over the last 40 years. That’s their big idea.

    Democrats can be forced to make laws that put Americans first. That’s why we have made some gains to see that regular Americans get fair compensation and opportunity—that is what is best for the economy—for Democrats, Republicans, Independents and everyone.

  • Letter: Vote for Kelsey

    If you are concerned about the planet’s climate crisis, please vote for Kelsey Fortune. A major contribution to global warming comes from our car traffic, which would have been made a lot worse by the approval of DISC, which several candidates now running for City Council approved.  Davis really needs wiser planning for innovative transportation and infill planning solutions.

    Kelsey Fortune’s training and acumen as a transportation economist, her understanding of how to prioritize infill development including the implementation of the downtown plan, her commitment to a long overdue update of the General Plan, and her proven commitment to prioritizing a just and equitable response to the climate crisis makes her the most qualified candidate for City Council in West Davis. 

    Kelsey Fortune is the only District 1 city council candidate that opposed the DISC project/Measure H, defeated by nearly a 2-1 citizen vote, and she did so for all the right reasons. The DISC project was not a forward looking, future-proof development. Some have argued that it would have rescued Davis from the city’s financial troubles by bringing in new taxes. Davis’s fiscal problems have grown over the years by a Ponzi scheme approach to the finances, with new projects always promising to pay for the unanticipated expenses of previous ones. DISC was based on a model of economic development that drains resources out of city centers and impoverishes – not enriches – city coffers.

    So, for the sake of our city and our children, who will be living in the environment we create and leave for them, please Vote for Kelsey.  

    Don C. Price

  • Celebration of Abraham Rocks the Block in West Sacramento with Habitat for Humanity

    Rocks-the-block(From press release) On Saturday October 8 the Celebration of Abraham joined Habitat for Humanity Greater Sacramento to Rock the Block in West Sacramento. Our team comprised folks from all three Abrahamic traditions including Jewish (Renee Dryfoos, Gregory Guss, John Katonah and Dean Newberry), Muslim (Anne Kjemtrup, Kamal  Lemseffer and Timur Mamedov) and Christian (Mary Philip and Helen Roland Cramer). In addition to providing the interfaith work team, the Celebration of Abraham ran an on-line fundraising campaign and raised $1350 to supply the materials needed to work on the project.

    The specific project that the Celebration of Abraham worked on was painting the transitional housing that Shores of Hope provides to folks aging out of foster care. Shore of Hope is a nonprofit in West Sacramento that offers among other services transitional housing, Slavic Women’s Health Outreach, emergency shelter, and a Food Closet. (See Welcome to Shores of Hope )

  • Endorsements, Anti-Endorsements, and Davis City Council Elections

     

    LWV Davis Area 2022 Council Candidate Forum Screenshot

    Recording screenshot of the Davis City Council candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters Davis Area on Sept. 29, 2022

    By Connor Gorman

    There's a possibility within electoral politics that doesn't occur often, if at all, at the moment, but which I've considered for awhile, and that's the notion of an anti-endorsement. There's two scenarios where this seems like a potentially preferable option to endorsements. The first of these is a race in which an individual or group likes multiple candidates, where they could anti- endorse any candidates(s) who they don't like as much as the others (though it's true that this would essentially be the same as endorsing the multiple candidates who they do like). The other scenario here is a race in which an individual or group doesn't particularly support any of the candidates, but does have substantially more problems and disagreements with one of them, where they could then decide to anti-endorse that candidate rather than endorsing any of that candidate’s opponents. This would amount to somewhat of a "lesser-evil" argument, but would acknowledge that it's a "lesser-evil" situation rather than pretending (through an endorsement) that they actively support a candidate who they simply consider the "lesser-evil" (this type of anti-endorsement could have been especially helpful during the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections). Now, there's certainly some downsides to the idea of anti-endorsements, but it seems like something worth considering, at least under certain circumstances. So in the spirit of piloting it, let me publicly apply it to the upcoming Davis City Council elections.

    In District 1, I would apply the first scenario described above because I believe there are two good candidates, Bapu Vaitla and Kelsey Fortune, who would make good Davis City Council members. Unsurprisingly, there’s still things that I disagree with them on, but I think they'd both bring an important perspective to the Council and govern in a way that generally, within the confines of our current systems, benefits Davis and its current and future residents. This, together with other issues, such as some of Dan's recent political actions, is why I'm anti- endorsing Dan and encourage those in District 1 to vote for either Kelsey or Bapu. This race is also yet another example of why Davis City Council elections, and all elections, should be ranked-choice, or at least include a runoff system like the one used for Yolo County Supervisor elections.

    In District 4, I would apply the second scenario described above because, while I'm not a huge fan of Gloria Partida’s political views and actions (she's far more right-wing, pro-policing, pro- capitalist, etc. than I'd like), her experiences have clearly given her a better understanding of the needs and challenges that many low-income and marginalized Davisites regularly deal with compared to her out of touch opponent. Therefore, I'm anti-endorsing Adam and encourage those in District 4 to vote for Gloria. Also, as a general matter that’s independent of the specifics around any particular cases, it's important to remember that laws, along with what’s criminalized vs. what isn’t, are often (not always, but often) designed by and for the ruling class at the expense of the people, especially marginalized and oppressed communities. Furthermore, violating unjust laws is perfectly ethical (and some might argue a duty).

  • Letter: Vote for Adam Morrill

    A few Monday’s ago I attended the debate between folks running for city council and was very impressed with Adam Morrill. We spoke at intermission. He is intelligent, open, and eager to take on the problems at hand. He engages well with people and is a good communicator. I like his position on the issues and see that as a long-term resident of East Davis, he understands the problems facing District 1 and citywide. He opposed Measure H which Davis voters rejected.

    I believe we need new City leadership and vision for a better future for Davis. We need a council member like Adam who will connect with the community and discuss issues that concern them. I am in strong support of Adam Morrill and encourage Davis voters to elect him.

    Ann Privateer