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  • Carson Used City Resources for Measure H Campaign

    Carson picPublicly-Funded City of Davis Email Account

    Councilmember Carson Sent Numerous Messages on Measure H and Private Lawsuit Over Three Months

    By David L. Johnson and Colin Walsh

    In a series of 15 emails improperly sent over several months from his publicly-funded City of Davis email account, Councilmember Dan Carson:

    • Campaigned for the Yes on H 2022 ballot measure to approve the Davis Innovation Sustainability Campus (DiSC) development project,
    • Sent an invitation to multiple persons for a Yes on H campaign kick-off event to be held at his home,
    • Sent emails defending his private lawsuit against Davis residents who wrote ballot arguments against Measure H, even though his lawsuit had nothing to do with city business,
    • Provided information to DiSC developer Dan Ramos and Ramos’s campaign associates and attorneys about No on H advocates sending campaign information to city commissions,
    • Invited Congressman Mike Thompson for a Yes on H briefing about “this important project,”
    • Denigrated a No on H campaign leader about living with his mother.

    Carson’s emails were obtained based on a Public Records Act request to the City of Davis.  Carson sent these emails from his City of Davis account between March and May 2022 either advocating for Measure H or defending his private lawsuit.

    It is a violation of Government Code Section 8314 for any elected local officer to use public resources for a campaign activity or personal purposes, except for incidental and minimal use of those public resources.

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  • Zip trackby Janet and Joe Krovoza

    By now pretty much everyone following city matters knows of the public follies of the Arroyo Park Sky Track.

    That it was installed in Arroyo Park in May 2019, steps from neighbors’ homes, with no public demand, no notice and no Rec and Park Commission review; that the city was forced to restrict hours of use and lock and unlock it daily (using city firefighters at first) to prevent nighttime use, when the Sky Track’s abrasive banging and scraping were especially disruptive (but which led to repeat vandalism); that a noise report commissioned later that summer was doctored to show the city’s noise limits as “averages” not “maximums” but never retracted; that, out of the blue, on the eve of Memorial Day weekend 2021, staff asked city council to overhaul the city’s noise regulations so that the Sky Track would comply with the new standards (ignominiously removing the request from the agenda four days later due to community outcry); that the city ordered a subsequent noise study that showed the Sky Track had been breaking both night and day noise limits since its installation (this study, too, deliberately misrepresenting the municipal code); and that the city has, at the urging of its paid consultants – sound engineers, not lawyers – reinterpreted the noise ordinance (recall they failed in May 2021 to legitimately amend it) to justify the Sky Track remaining in Arroyo Park.

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  • Morrill Has the Davis Values and Skill Set our Council Needs Now

    6a017d3c4588ca970c02a308d936d2200c-600wiAdam Morrill is perfect for our city council, and the time we need him is now. The core task of serving on city council is overseeing the efficient and principled running of our city. This means making sure our roads and parks are maintained, that we fund the level of police and fire service we need (not more, not less), and that we approve development projects that match our values. Adam is a professional in city services, 25-year resident as a student (service as a Unitrans driver and OA raft guide even), husband and father — and fully understands the responsibility of making our dollars last. He wants fewer costly consultants and better pay to retain our staff. He's open, thoughtful, analytical and caring. Solutions, not platitudes, make up his DNA.

    To The Davis Enterprise, Adam observed that our
    urrent council is “detached from the public.” That’s spot on. Our current council is out of touch, doesn't lead, nor does it provide meaningful oversight of senior staff. Staff propose actions, and the council almost always goes along. Cases in point: every council member loved the peripheral DiSC development, but it went down in flames when we voted. The council even put DiSC on the ballot before mapping out the revenue sharing; by then, of course, the county had the lion's share of leverage and the resulting finances were completely skewed against us. That’s unthinkable — knowing the finances before putting anything on the ballot is a simple issue no council member should miss. Then there was the 2020 BrightNight decision where we gave a no-bid, long-term sweetheart lease of city land to untested solar speculators (U.S. headquarters a residence in El Dorado Hills!). Zero oversight there. No neighborhood notice whatsoever before putting the obnoxious Sky Track in Arroyo Park — council didn't care and they are still throwing good money after bad to defend poor staff work. Adam’s opponent voted yes for all of these travesties and was our mayor for the first two mentioned.

    Adam has the experience, perspectives and conviction to serve the city he, his wife, Nicole (UC Davis staff), and children (Davis High and St. James) love. He’ll serve us well. Heck, being an AYSO referee might even be the best training ever for council – know the rules, apply them fairly, and give back! Without a single reservation, I endorse Adam Morrill for the District 4 (Central/East Davis) city council seat. Change will be good.

    Joe Krovoza

    Mayor, 2011-2014

  • Not Just Rain Falling – Campaign Signs Too!

    IMG-6749

    >>from press release<<

    You may have seen some No on H signs popping up around town over the past few days. The No on H campaign, rather than throw away or recycle their campaign signs, provided those signs for Kelsey Fortune’s reuse, since she was the only candidate in District 1 to oppose Measure H. This is a candidate who is walking the walk with her campaign. Her care for the environment isn’t just a talking point, but actually influences her choices during the process. Instead of creating additional plastic waste, this campaign for city council is simply covering old signs with compostable posters. The much appreciated rain has hastened the breakdown process and revealed the signs beneath. Please excuse the surprise change in signage!

    We’ll be replacing signs this week. If your sign didn’t stand up to the rain or otherwise needs replacing, please reach Kelsey by text at 530-220-2001 or email at fortunefordavis@gmail.com, and we’ll make sure to bring you a new one! You can also contact her if you don’t yet have a sign and would like one, and further information is available at http://www.fortunefordavis.com!

  • Fortune: Inovation and Leadership

    IMG-4814Dear Davis resident,

    I hope you will support Kelsey Fortune for City Council. Her doctoral study in energy and transportation economics and her local volunteer experience give her a deep understanding of the issues facing our City. Kelsey’s service as Associate Executive Director of Purple Tree Café has put her in touch with the needs of people with disabilities.

    Kelsey’s service as a board member of Cool Davis has allowed her to work on the environmental issues facing Davis in particular addressing climate change. Kelsey’s board membership in Bike Davis has given her first hand knowledge of what needs to be done to improve the bikeways in Davis for access and safety.

    She exhibits the innovative and leadership qualities of the early Council leaders that made Davis what it is today. I have had the opportunity to drive around Davis with her and listen to what she says the City needs immediately. She understands city planning well and was quick to see through the exaggeration of the DISC promoters, being the one candidate opposing it while both of her political opponents strongly supported the sprawl development.

    Kelsey believes the council has to be more aggressive to get single family housing for those that have been forced out of the market. She will support the opportunities in the Downtown Plan and on vacant infill lands within the General Plan. For our community’s sake vote for Kelsey Fortune District 1.

    Michael Corbett
    Former Davis mayor

  • Vaitla Suggests Return to RoundUp Use in Davis Parks.

    Spray picBy Nancy Price

    I was stunned to read that Bapu Vaitla, who is a candidate for Davis City Council in District 1, is considering overturning the City's phase out of glyphosate (manufactured and commonly sold as RoundUp by Monsanto) instead of improving and strengthening the City's Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. (see Question #2 at  https://newdavisite.wordpress.com/2022/09/07/part-5-candidate-responses-to-the-sierra-club-yolano-group-questionnaire-for-the-2022-davis-city-cou/#more). None of the other candidates made this audacious proposal.

    Here is some background. The City decided to phase out glyphosate in 2017; finally discontinuing its use in 2020.  The process involved three City citizen-advisory commissions: Natural Resources, Recreation and Parks, and Open Space & Habitat. It took over a year and a half and involved a widely attended public citizens forum, a city-wide citizen survey, many individual Commission meetings, and a 3-way joint Commission meeting. Despite considerable stonewalling from staff, who attempted to derail and water down THIS [the] citizen-based effort, the measure was finally unanimously approved by the City Council. What passed in 2017 wasn’t perfect, but it was well-received by citizens. (For more details, see https://newdavisite.wordpress.com/2018/07/17/bad-process-leads-to-mediocre-decision-on-pesticide-use-in-davis-and-not-without-wasted-time-and-eff/). 

    Around the same time, the city forced out its popular and highly respected IPM specialist (see https://newdavisite.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/martin-guerenas-statement-city-of-davis-environmental-recognition-award-2018/). Regrettably, that position still hasn’t been filled. But given the clear desire expressed by many staff to continue using non-organic pesticides over other less toxic weed management strategies, it is hard to see the ongoing long-term failure to fill the position as an unintended accident. 

    Instead of advocating for hiring an IPM Specialist, Vaitla thinks we should go back to glyphosate because, he says, — “we cannot reasonably resort to mechanical weed management.”

    There are several problems here. One is Vaitla offering an opinion that either ignores or is ignorant of this recent controversial history of pesticide use by the City. A second problem is his complete dismissal and disregard of the work of the public and three citizen-advisory commissions which collectively devoted many hundreds of hours of work to this effort, most of which occurred prior to Mr. Vaitla's most recent move to Davis. 

    A third problem is that, although Mr. Vaitla gives lip service to the Precautionary Principle, he doesn’t follow it. Notably, just this past June, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected EPA's analysis for determining that glyphosate is likely not carcinogenic to people and ordered EPA to conduct "further analysis and explanation." The science is far from settled, and since there are valid reasons to think that glyphosate is a human carcinogen supported by respected international authorities and agencies, we should avoid using it especially since we have other methods at our disposal. 

    Vaitla's position is hasty, overlooks a long City history and the latest Court rulings, and lacks respect for the citizen and commissions-led process in Davis. And, most importantly, it fails to protect our health. This attitude generally does not bode well for the sort of Councilmember he would make. 

  • City Council August 30 Meeting – Mafia Bosses Post-Meeting Review

    IMG-4139By David L. Johnson

    The following article is a satire on the August 30, 2022, meeting of the Davis City Council. At the meeting, the council voted 5-0 to relocate the existing zipline in Arroyo Park in west Davis to another location in the park. The zipline is used by children but its use causes a sharp metallic noise which has disturbed neighbors. The statements in the article may or may not be true.

    Highlights

    • City of Davis Consigliere Inder Khalsa argued that using a child recreation facility – the Arroyo Park zipline – is analogous to free speech cases decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. Attorneys at CNN were perplexed by the Davis attorney’s comments. One legal analyst questioned whether Khalsa had walked into the wrong meeting.

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  • Move the Sky Track to Community Park

    image from davisite.typepad.comBy Colin Walsh

    The Sky Track Saga really saddens me. It seems like every step of the process has been fraught with actions that discredit our community.

    From the beginning, this equipment was a problem. Any history of an original proposal to update the playground equipment in Arroyo Park seems murky, and there doesn’t seem to have been a  specific proposal for a zipline like the Sky Track. Worse, no public notice was given to the neighbors. There was no proper approval of seating the equipment on a new playground pad and there was no study of noise impacts on the neighborhood for this equipment which was very different from what had been in the park previously.

    The sound impact was terrible on neighboring houses and so, understandably, neighbors complained.

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  • Adam Morrill for Council Statement

    Adam 2

    >>>from press release<<<

    Throughout my 20 years as a public servant, I have responsibly administered taxpayer funds and delivered well thought out programs that improve service. I am not a career politician but stepping up because I know that together we can build a better Davis. 

    Davis has challenges:  we need roads, bike/walk paths and sidewalks repaired, trees cared for, our downtown revitalized with a residential and commercial growth plan aligned to our needs.

    With your support, I pledge to:

    • Update and follow a citizen driven general plan
    • Adopt budgets that align with our general plan and lower our carbon footprint
    • Work with local businesses to revitalize our downtown as a destination for residents and visitors, and as a resilient source for city revenues
    • Apply sound infill policies that make better use of existing space
    • Prioritize housing projects that diversify our housing stock which will expand the range of available housing types/prices/rents
    • Preserve surrounding prime farmland and encourage local farm to fork efforts
    • Assist local non-profits, faith-based organizations, and the county with homelessness and mental health programs
    • Support our police and fire personnel in keeping our city safe

    I am the person to do the job, and that’s why I seek your support and your vote for Davis City Council, District 4. 

    Adam logo

    Adam 1

     

  • Candidate Announcements

    City Council ellection

    The Davisite has explicitly extended invitations to every city council candidate in the November 2022 election to send announcements press releases and other written material to us for publication on the blog. We publish these as received with no commentary or alteration.

    Since Davisite started in 2018 and through several election cycles, Davisite has published all campaign announcements and other article related to Davis as received. In that time our readership has grown significantly both in daily page hits and email subscribers.

    Some candidates choose to send announcements and some supporters send letters about candidates. Some candidates completely ignore the Davisite and the Davisite audience.
     
    The all-volunteer staff at Davisite want to make it clear to our readers that we are not selectively blocking candidates announcements, rather certain candidates are choosing not to connect with Davisite readers.
     
    And no matter who sends an announcement, Davisite will always stick by our comment rule – no personal attacks are allowed on the Davisite.