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Category: Politics

  • Letter: No to PG&E Contributions

    I recently read the Enterprise’s article about campaign contributions in the District 4 Yolo County Supervisors race. I was very disappointed to learn that a candidate in that race took money from PG&E. As a climate advocate, PG&E is the last corporation I want to see involved in our local elections. PG&E is responsible for dozens of wildfires, hundreds of deaths, and thousands of homes destroyed in California. As a Davis resident, my rates have also been hiked by PG&E, all while my service worsens.

    PG&E has been flexing its political power to pass its liabilities onto ratepayers. Who could forget the money PG&E spent to defeat Yolo’s effort to join SMUD? As a community, we need to create a locally-controlled energy grid that relies on 100% renewable energy. Electing people who take money from PG&E is two steps backwards.

    Yolo County is also beginning to implement its climate action & adaptation plan. As PG&E cuts investment in renewables due to their bankruptcy, the last thing we need in Yolo County is a Supervisor beholden to PG&E. The Enterprise reporting also begs the question: how can PG&E even give money to candidates with their recent bankruptcy? Is that what my higher rates are paying for?

    I encourage everyone to read the Enterprise coverage of the contributions to the Supervisor race. I will be voting for a candidate who did not take money from PG&E.

    Elias Bunting

  • Zero Sum Game? Council Member Vaitla on Commissions & Community Engagement

    by Alan Hirsch

    Transcribed remarks from  02 20-1924 Council Meeting… Link to Video:  https://davis.granicus.com/player/clip/1665?view_id=6&redirect=true   Time stamp begins at 1:40:06.

    Davis counicl Bapu Vaitla

    Councilmember Bapu Vaitla

    Council Member Bapu Vaitla comments on community engagement he envision for the General Plan, and his plan to consolidate commission have been in the news including a paraphrased  interview in  Enterprise 2/24 and a critique by Elaine Roberts Musser.  I present this word for word transcript of his remarks. This is a more complete transcript than appeared in Vanguard.

    1:40:26…  I mostly want to talk about the community engagement piece .(for general plan a process).  But I want to say a few words about the staff involvement…. Both during the commission restructuring process, of which there was extension staff engagement in fact,  and the council retreat, It became apparent to me that there actually aren’t that many opportunities for staff to participate in long term visioning. That primarily because they are working so hard all the time in an understaffed city to try to get the work done day after day after day.  So when you provide some space, given their professional experience, given their expertise, what could Davis look like, in our most ambitious vision, 20 years into the future. 50 years in to the future That’s a rare opportunity.

    And I don’t think the community, the community (air quotes)  at large  is that worried about transparency about staff, I think  there is a small group of people who are always pointing fingers at staff, that is  not a community wide concern, I think when you do surveys about satisfaction with staff they regularly receive very high marks for their performance and their transparency. And their collegiality, their willingness to interact and answer questions to the community.

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  • Letter in support of Andrew Engdahl

    This is a shout out to all of the progressive voters in the 4th Congressional District which includes most of Yolo County (West Sac is excluded).

    If you are outraged by the incomprehensible, unjustifiable and egregious military response that Israel has taken toward Palestinians in Gaza and beyond, please cast your vote for Democrat ANDREW ENGDAHL for our representative in Congress. He is challenging the incumbent, Mike Thompson, who has NOT been listening to his constituents. 

    Despite what the world community now sees as a genocide meant to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza, Congressman Thompson continues to vote to give Israel billions of our tax dollars in military aid, no questions asked.   Rep. Thompson seems satisfied with the status quo not just in his blind support for Israel, but also with regard to other progressive platforms like universal health care, criminal justice reform and climate action.

    We need to elect a congressperson who aligns with our values on the issues that matter most to the future of our county, country and the world.  Please join me and other Democrats who have met with ANDREW ENGDAHL personally and are moved by his dedication, intellect and platform.  At the very least, if he gets enough votes to make the general election (the top two go forward) this will press the incumbent to take the progressive agenda more seriously and maybe even debate his challenger on these most important matters.

    Joannie Siegler
    Davis, CA

  • Analysis of Vaitla’s Statements in Davis Enterprise Article on Merging Commissions

    By Elaine Roberts Musser

    If you parse through Councilmember Vaitla’s statements appearing in the Davis Enterprise, it shows:  a  lamentable  lack  of  understanding  about  how  commissions  work;  a  complete disregard  for  the  opinion   of  commissioners   who  are  the  ones  effected   by  merging commissions;  and  an  extremely  questionable  and  ill  informed  rationale  for  what  he  is proposing. Furthermore, because of his refusal to appoint applicants to commission vacancies, the FBC is no longer providing citizen oversight of the city budget. That, together with his proposal the city pay to create new city public health services that are the responsibility of the county, will sink the chances of any tax increase proposed for the November ballot.  

    1. Vaitla: “…either City Council is not proactive in asking the commissions what to do; or the membership of the commissions is such that people have interests of their own and they are kind of deviating from what Council is asking, outside of the authorizing resolutions of the commissions…”
      • If the City Council is not proactive in asking commissions what to do, whose fault is that? The commissions cannot read the City Council’s collective mind. The City Council needs to be more communicative as to what information it wants.  Why should commissioners be punished by being forced to merge with another commission because of the fault of the City Council?
      • If commissions are deviating from their authorizing resolutions, city staff will rein them in if necessary.

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  • The Commission Subcommittee Song (Matchmaker Parody)

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    Sung at Tuesday February 21st City Council meeting, to the Tune of 'Matchmaker' from 'Fiddler on the Roof':

    Parody Live at City Council (time – 20:15): 

    https://davis.granicus.com/player/clip/1665

    Original Song: 

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8J5hNqELzI

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  • The Ever-Changing Justification for Widening I-80

    Why can’t Caltrans Tell Yolo County the True Cost?

    By Alan Hirsch

    On Tuesday March 5th the Davis City Council will review and hopefully reverse the current city policy that endorses I-80  freeway widening for cars. This policy was set quietly in 2021 as two line buried  a 10 page policy  statement  on thing the city would lobby by an ad hoc committee of Lucas Frerich and Dan Carson.  But now I-80 has surfaced before council as a threat to the City Climate Change Plan its clear the current council needs to reexamine it if it want to be taken seriously on climate change.

    The January 9th ye open staff report to reviewing the I-80 Draft EIR also heighten interest.. At that meeting,  Councilmember Will Arnold the former Caltrans Director Of Media Relations, shared Caltrans policy  which he  summarized:  believing  freeway widening will fix anything is the definition of insanity. (Link to transcript of Arnold’s remarks)

    Every-changing Justification for I-80 Widening

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  • My ballot thoughts for March Election

    By Alan "Lorax" Hirsch

    I have again compiled my thought on  voting in Davis for the March 5th election.– the 10th edition of my Davis Neighborhood Ballot flier ™

    The two pages are posted below and at Facebook's Davis Ballot Talk  (scroll down) where you can find this and lot of other free advice. Or download here: Download Davis Neighborhood Ballot Rec v3 2 page 2024 03 05

    My thoughts may be helpful….or not?

    Occasionally people think I get it right …but more usually its left.

    Davis Ballot Flier page 1 of 2 2024 03 05

    Davis Ballot Flier page 2 of 2 2024 03 05

  • Dark, Anti-Democratic Forces Sue the Davis Vanguard

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    These dark forces are believed to be funded by the Dark Underbelly of Davis. 

    In true Davis Vanguard journalistic style, no information on who the dark forces may be or why they are suing, but the Vanguard did ask for money to the tune of $100k.  Statement:

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  • Davis Downtown names Brazil interim executive director

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    Dirk Brazil (courtesy photo)

    (From press release) Former Davis City Manager Dirk Brazil has been named interim executive director of the Davis Downtown Business Association, effective Monday, Feb. 12.

    He replaces Brett Maresca, who stepped down from the role on Jan. 26 to pursue other opportunities.

    Brazil served as Davis city manager from 2014 to 2017, and as Yolo County assistant county administrator from 2006 to 2014. After retiring in 2017, Brazil worked as interim city manager for the cities of South Lake Tahoe and Alameda, and as the interim executive director of the Yolo Habitat Conservancy. 

    “I’m looking forward to working with the DDBA board and their membership in the next few months to first, help them in their search for a new executive director, and second, to look into how best to possibly restructure DDBA into a more focused and effective organization,” Brazil said. “I’ll also seek collaboration opportunities with City of Davis elected officials and city staff, as well as UC Davis administration. There is a great deal of potential in these partnerships.”

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  • Mike Thompson Vote No on Military Aid to Israel

    Demand CeasefireBy Scott Steward

    I think we are over the attempt to confuse antisemitism with calls for a ceasefire.  The implication that candidates must choose between fighting antisemitism or calling out genocide is false.  It is untenable that hate speech and aggression directed at Jews, Muslims, and Arab groups are on the rise in this country.  The coalition of Jewish voices for Peace, the Sacramento chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, Yolo for Palestinian Justice are united around stopping hate-motivated aggression and bias. 

    While actual hate speech and alleged hate speech are confusing Mike Thompson's decision to call for a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, more than 2 million people are dying from starvation and disease, trapped in the "safe zone" of Rafah recently declared the next "military" target of Israel. Israel's anticipated aggression does not improve the chances of the return of hostages or the cessation of hostilities in the future. I conclude it's not meant to, Netanyahu stays in power only so long as Gaza is being attacked.

    Mike Thompson can do his part to stop the killing of Palestinians and vote against unconditional $14 Billion to Israel's far-right government.  Israel is about to launch another "over the top" (Biden) military massacre. Pressure to do something to end this episode of the Palestinian trail of tears forced the Senate to include $9.1 Billion for civilians living in Gaza and the West Bank.  There should be no confidence that Israel would allow aid to be delivered without the possibility of the US conditioning military aid with proof of distribution of humanitarian aid.

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