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Category: Politics

  • Open Discussion: Bob Dunning Terminated by Davis Enterprise Owners (an Al’s Corner Exclusive)

    Adfc46d7-dadc-4553-a16a-0777ff3b922bIn a bozo move by the owners of the Davis Enterprise, Bob Dunning was terminated without so much as a thank you after 55 years of service to the paper (and Davis).

    Shelley Dunning pays a very sweet tribute in a 7-minute video on her Facebook page:

    facebook.com/shelleydunning

    She also outlines how cold the termination was.  I doubt that will sit well with the Davis community.

    Bob's column will continue at: 

    thewaryone.com

    Please share your thoughts here in comments regarding this poorly-handled move by the owners of the Davis Enterprise.

    Full disclosure:  Bob Dunning once wrote a column about how I should be on the City Council 😐

    Note:  Pardon the pictured haircut, Bob, this is what A.I. gave me when I described the incident!

  • Open Forum on the Pro-Palestine Encampment on the UCD Quad

    598f7067-85aa-4d13-8b6b-0aab5b7ef1c9I went to two Seders this year.  At the first one, no one mentioned the Israel-Gaza war.  It did seem a bit the elephant in the room.  Just before the second Seder, I received an email from the host, referencing an online blog essay by author Ilana DeBare.  It suggested:

    I suggest opening up your seder to discussion, not just readings. Ask guests—in advance so they have time to consider—to bring their own thoughts and feelings about Passover and this war, and suggest that they come with open ears and an open heart. Let down the defensive walls that we’ve been carrying for months. At the Seder table, we can hopefully feel safe and able to listen to others, even if their views are different from our own.

    So in that spirit, I'm inviting the citizens of Davis to express their thoughts about the encampment on the Quad on the UC Davis campus.  While y'all are hashing this out, I'll be in the kitchen eating gefilte fish.

     

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  • Al’s Corner – MAY the Farce be with Ewe

    F0c1e298-a6b9-4787-8d01-7b930495390cWelcome to MAY on Al's Corner.  Where you MAY discuss the clown-show that is Davis politics.  At 5:30pm on Tuesday, the AWARDS will be given out.  Maybe we'll finally learn who the person nominated is who does "good" and "bad" according to at least one commenter, and what "bad" they did. 

    But I doubt it.

    So talk about anything 😐

  • Four Million CA Households Fleeced for Utility Profits and Never-Ending Rate Hikes.

    Objecting to cpuc

    By Scott Steward

    State leadership is about to let utilities gouge you. Three days before the end of the 2022 legislative session, legislators passed AB 205, a utility flat tax introduced by Newsom as a rider. The bill passed without public discussion.  

    Now, the CPUC is allowing utilities to hit four million ratepayers with a $24/month utility tax. The hardest hit will be those with a small energy footprint, working families and seniors living in apartments and small homes, as well as people with rooftop solar. (Find out more about the STOP THE UTILITY TAX here). (CALL TO ACTION, MAY 9TH IN SACRAMENTO).

    The Utility Tax will add to the pain that these four million households are already feeling from never-ending rate hikes, which have increased by over 30% in California in the last two years.

    The CPUC is letting the utilities increase taxes, electricity, and gas rates without a cap, which means the pain will only get worse in the years to come. The $24/month tax is just the start. Utilities have made it clear that they intend to raise the utility tax to $80 a month or more.

    More than 250 nonprofit groups and 20 legislators supported AB 1999, which would have capped the Utility Tax at a sensible $10/month and pegged any increases to inflation. But Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas pulled the bill out of the Assembly Utility and Energy Commission (that had the votes to pass the bill).

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  • Join the Conversation on Davis Housing Solutions

    (From press release) "Davis Housing Solutions: A Community Conversation", a forum organized by Interfaith Housing Justice Davis (IHJD) promises to be an insightful event addressing pressing housing issues and exploring potential solutions. Scheduled for May 16th from 6:30-8:30pm at Davis Community Church, the forum aims to bring together local and regional experts such as Roberto Jimenez CEO of Mutual Housing California and Reverend Connie Simon of the Unitarian Universalist Church, to name a few and moderated by our Mayor, Josh Chapman.  Voices from immigrant mothers in our Davis Joint Unified School District ¿Un Cafecito? will be featured, as well as stories from housing-insecure students, the unsheltered, and those striving to purchase their first homes. The forum will explore topics such as affordable housing, social services, and the city's Housing Trust Fund.  Attendees will gain insights into how the Housing Trust Fund can effectively address housing challenges in Davis, with a focus on ensuring sustainable funding for its initiatives.

    Following the formal presentations, attendees will have the opportunity to question a panel that includes City Council members and city staff, local housing experts and non-profit housing experts.  Additionally, representatives from Northern California Legal Services, Mutual Housing California, Empower Yolo and League of Women Voters will be available–offering opportunities for community involvement and contributions to housing equity efforts.

    The forum is open to all and free of charge, with donations to the Housing Trust Fund welcomed during registration. Livestreaming information will be provided after registration, allowing broader participation in the conversation.

    IHJD urges all community members to participate in shaping the future of housing in Davis.

    Register for the forum at  Https://bit.ly/interfaithhousing

    To contact Interfaith Housing Justice Davis, email Ellen Kolarik at interfaithhjd@gmail.com

  • Why Are People Dancing Around Some Unspoken Issue Regarding a Human Relations Commission Award?

    Unspoken-BSomething scandalous appears to be going on with the choice of a Thong Hy Huynh Award by the Human Relations Commission.  If you're looking for the answer, you won't find it here.  But that's not because I'm dancing around the issue, it's because I honestly don't know what the issue is, and for some reason those who do know what it is only want to imply to the public that there's a issue, but they don't want to say what person they have an issue with, why, or give any details.

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  • Stop PG&E from Robbing us Today, Climate Action Everywhere Tomorrow!

    Our only homeBy Scott Steward

    The necessary actions to combat climate changes are too slow – obvious.  Here is some of what the youth had to say to us adults on April 19th.  Our local youth from Fresno, Davis, and Sacramento made their voices (short movie clip here) heard at the Capital this past Friday.

    California has made good progress, and Yolo County has made more progress. We hope Davis will be as focused and insistent on necessary changes as well.

    What can adults do today to help our children's tomorrow?  There are many, but one thing stands out in our State, and that is to reverse the 2022-2023 damage inflicted by the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC), shielded by Governor Newsom, to raise our rates and just about crush the last 25 years of residential renewable energy progress in California. 

    Your utility bills have gone up 30% to pay $5.7 Billion to PG&E to cover climate change costs that an energy judge has already ruled are twice the $2.7 Billion needed.  Please consider taking action and reading the op/ed written by Loretta Lynch, former Chair of the CPUC, who got us out of the Enron crisis 20 years ago. Paywall – so the article in full requires a temporary subscription to SF Chronicle – here is an excerpt.

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  • The I-80 Whistleblower was clearly Right

    I-80 causeway 4th lane done 2024 04 14 sketch 2

    By Alan Hirsch

    The Caltrans whistleblower Jamie Wald-Waller accused Caltrans district 3 to beginning widening the causeway illegally- using  SHOPP-money   i.e.  funds reserved to maintain pavement surfaces. If you drive California freeway you know how short we are here on money to maintain what we already  have.

    But not only does this action by Caltrans a the misappropriation of funds,  it is wildly illegal to widen a road without going thru the environmental process.

     You can see it happen in this picture of the causeway= the have repaved the center shoulder it already is a new 4th travel lane. This picture was on West Sac End of the causeway east bound on Sunday  4/14/24.  You can also notice I-80/ Reed Ave  bridge in West Sac is  being widening for the new toll lanes with money that was supposed to be only used for road maintenance.

    Caltrans official I District 3 will likely get away with no consequences.

    Even if you think we need the widening, should it not go thru the legal process—that has enabled added thousand of miles of new lane in the past?

    This reflect a culture of corruption: If Caltrans District 3 is institutionally willing to do, why should anyone trust them on any report or application?

    It seems if you have enough money the law is not an impediment to accomplishing your goals. One can also question who the elected officials in Yolo County who have said not a word as this illegal behavior works to accomplish their goals.

  • UPDATE ON COMMISSION MERGER ISSUE 4/14-24

    by Elaine Roberts Musser

    Finally the City of Davis commission  merger issue is being brought  back  to  some of the affected commissions for their feedback. Unfortunately city staff and some of the City Councilmembers are acting as if their terribly flawed plans for merged commissions are a done deal.  

    For example, last week the city began recruiting members for two of the proposed merged commissions (Fiscal Commission; Transportation Commission). And, this Wednesday, the first of an expected series of hearings will be held at the Utility Commission, to review a mission statement drafted by the City Council Subcommittee  (Vaitla; Chapman) for the new Finance Commission that would be created by combining Utilities Commission with the Finance and Budget Commission.  The Utilities Commission staff report states that it is seeking feedback on the proposed scope of work for what it calls the “newly created commissions.”  

    These commissions have not been “newly  created,”  as the full City Council only approved them in concept  last January. It did not provide final approval in the form of official council resolutions and, in some cases, new city ordinances, that are needed to actually implement such mergers. 

    • The actual motion that was approved by the City Council “task(s) the subcommittee with continuing work on reviewing and revising the authorizing resolutions of each Commission…(with) bringing information back to the full Council for final review and approvals.”
    • That same evening City Manager Mike Webb advised the City Council: “… ultimately …

    none  of  it  becomes  official until  the  City  Council adopts  updated  authorizing resolutions.”

    The proposal to merge commissions is still extremely flawed: 

    Disparate skill sets – Merging two commissions will require an incredibly steep if not impossible   learning  curve  for  commissioners   to   become   well-versed   in  disparate commission missions.

    More  difficulty recruiting  applicants  –  Because  applicants  for  the  proposed  merged commission need expertise in both commission missions and meetings are apt to run long to cover all the ground required, it will be difficult to recruit citizens to serve on the merged commissions.

    Time constraints – The agendas of commissions are often quite full.   A merging of two commissions  will  result in half as much  time  spent  on critical  issues and much  longer meetings.

    Proposed scope inadequate, vague and unclear – The proposed scoping statements appearing in the city’s press release and staff reports for the new Finance Commission and Transportation Commission omit many functions of existing commissions and has been simplified so much that they are vague and unclear. The draft mission statements for the other commissions remain secret as of now. 

    ONCE AGAIN, PLEASE VOICE YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT THIS TERRIBLE MERGER PLAN TO CITY OFFICIALS. MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD THROUGH EMAILS TO THE FULL COUNCIL  (citycouncilmembers@cityofdavis.org), AT  COMMISSION  MEETINGS  (the Utilities Commission meets Wednesday,     April 17, in the City Council chambers conference room), PUBLIC COMMENT AT CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS (next meeting is April

    23) AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (to the Davis Enterprise, Davisite, and Davis Vanguard).

  • Little Publicized Hearing on I-80 Tolls

    $10+ at rush hour  - but Tahoe Groups go free!

    By Alan Hirsch

    Cartoon- induce demand can't wait for road to be widenedPolicies that will  decide how hi the tolls will be on new I-80 lanes will be discussed at little publicized hearing Tuesday April 9th  5:30 at the  West Sacramento Public Library.  Zoom will be available. This may be the first – and maybe last- chance for most members to make oral public  comments as future toll agency meetings will be held during the day in DT Sacramento SACOG offices, where zoom-in comments are not allowed.

    Staff for this new agency members have also shared they believe, under the proposed policies, they expect tolls on I-80  for Davis commuter  may typically be $10 each way at congestion times– or even more when congestion is worst -even $40). But they are proposing 3-in-a- car will go toll free- a policy that seems to differentially favor Tahoe recreational travelers over commuters.

    The hearing by the California Transportation  Commission (CTC) will take input on  setting up a new agency and making policies for the proposed 17 miles of new toll lane that run from I-80 in Dixon to both I-80 and I-50 Sacramento River Bridges. The agency will decide how  tolls are set, who get  discounted tolls,  and how the toll revenue will be used. The Agency sponsors are SACOG and  Yolo Transportation District. YoloTD is  chaired  by Davis Mayor Josh Chapman who is also the Davis’s representative on SACOG.

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