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Category: Politics

  • 2020 Sierra Club Yolano Group Questionnaire and Responses from Davis City Council Candidates

    by Alan Pryor 

    Introduction – Every 2 years the Sierra Club Yolano Group prepares questionnaires for candidates in local races we deem to be seriously contested and/or where there are clear differences between the candidates on matters of interest to the public and/or our local Sierra Club members. We use questionnaires with written responses to allow the candidates to directly express their views and opinions in their own words. We report these in a series of articles on a range of environmentally-related topics. This is Part 1 of the series in which we report candidates' responses to a series of questions regarding energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in the City. The candidates responses are initially in alphabetical order based on their first name.

    Part 1  – Energy Use and Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)

    1st Question re Greenhouse Gas Mitigation

    Preamble – Davis has declared a Climate Emergency and mandated carbon neutrality by 2040. Often 60% or more of a new project's GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions are due to transportation-related impacts. Some have proposed that developers pay for mitigation of these GHGs because they cause public harm just as sellers of tobacco pay a tax for their associated public harm.  

    Question – Do you support in principal a GHG mitigation fee on new developments in Davis and why or why not?  If yes, do you have any ideas how such a fee might be assessed?

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  • Letter: Provenza cares for our most vulnerable

    JIm-ProvenzaI’m honored to write this letter in support of Jim Provenza in his bid to be re-elected as our Yolo County Supervisor, District 4.

    For years I’ve witnessed Jim’s passionate service to our community, from his efforts to protect Ag land and preserve the Yolo Bypass, to his work on behalf of those experiencing homelessness or struggling to find mental health resources.

    I got to know Jim personally through my volunteer work with the Yolo Crisis Nursery. The Nursery serves some of the most vulnerable in our community – children 0-5 years of age whose families are in crisis. In 2019-20, 99% of the children who walked through our doors were Medi-Cal eligible, 93% came from single parent homes and 94% of those homes were headed by single mothers.

    When the Nursery faced with the threat of closure in 2013, Jim was there for us. He was instrumental in keeping our doors open, ensuring that at-risk children and their families continued to receive the resources and wraparound support they needed to thrive.

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  • It’s Time for a Complete Change in Davis’ City Council

    A number of Davisites have reported receiving the following email:

    From the Desk of Michael Corbett

    Former Davis Mayor

    Dear Davis Citizen,

    The Davis City Council Members have made some decisions over the the last 8 years that have cost the city taxpayers millions of dollars, and they have shown a lack of good judgment in protecting our quality of life. Three City Council Members responsible for those actions are currently candidates seeking re-election. Their questionable actions should be considered as we mark our ballots.

    In 2014 on a 3 to 2 vote, they approved the Cannery without an agreement to provide a grade-separated crossing at F street as was originally envisioned. That crossing would have connected the planned North Davis bike system to allow people living east of F Street to safely travel to schools, the library, downtown, the University and other community facilities. Two of the tree current Council candidates voted for this deficient agreement.

    The same two candidates were part of a 3 to 2 vote to allow the Cannery project to reduce the number of much-needed, affordable housing units by allowing the developer to substitute granny-flats without any price controls, a favor not afforded to other developers. They did that by allowing the substitution to be included in the Development Agreement. If either had, instead, joined the 2 no votes, they could have avoided giving up affordable units and other concessions that favored the developers rather than the public. The substitution of granny-flats for affordable units was affirmed and expanded in both the 2016 and 2018 Amendments to the Development Agreement. These two candidates had at least three opportunities to vote "no" on the granny-flat substitution incorporated into the Development Agreement and its amendments, but they did not, they acquiesced.

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  • Letter: Provenza brings true leadership, experience and commitment

    JIm-ProvenzaI am writing a personal letter to endorse Supervisor Jim Provenza’s re-election to the Yolo County Board of Supervisors. First, I want to be clear, I am a loyal supporter of equality and the first to support local and national efforts to serve minority communities and human rights. When it comes to leadership, however, I have always aligned myself with the leader that I believe to exhibit the highest values, integrity and dedication in serving their community. I don’t believe that excellent leadership is represented by one gender over another, and I do believe that diversity brings the right balance.  As you cast your vote, I urge you to consider true leadership, experience and commitment when you vote for Jim Provenza in the upcoming re-election as Yolo County Supervisor.  I assure you, I will be the fist to endorse a female candidate, as well as more diversity and equal representation for the Board of Supervisors, when a candidate with comparable leadership qualities enters the race. Until that time, however, Jim has my vote.

    As a long-time Davis resident, now living in Woodland, I have known Jim for more than 10 years and I am uniquely familiar with his track record in serving our community. I have worked side by side with him on matters that address families and children in crisis, and I can assure you that many of the programs Jim has endorsed, as well as the corresponding budget allocations he has voted for, have resulted in contributing to long-term physical and mental health, educational achievements and success of the families served.  I have personally witnessed his unwavering care and commitment to housing insecurities, food insecurity and the needs of the elderly in Yolo County. Jim has been an unwavering champion of diversity.

    In addition, a little research will further validate that Jim has supported numerous state laws that have addressed hate crime, permitting guns to be taken away from domestic violence perpetrators, laws preventing early release of persons convicted of repeat violent sex crimes against women and children and many more laws that protect Yolo County’s most vulnerable.

    More recently, Jim’s response and hard work to care for those impacted by COVID-19 has been exemplary and his many years as a supervisor have produced a distinguished track record of creating sustainable economic development solutions, more jobs, a farmland protection ordinance, as well as responsible funding allocations.

    I urge you to vote for Jim because of his incredible track record as our Yolo County Supervisor, his passion for service to this community, and most of all for his leadership. Thank you.

    Becky Heard
    Davis

  • Letter: Walsh values transparency and input from all

    Walsh-photo-3I am writing this letter to encourage Davis District 2 voters to vote for Colin Walsh for City Council.

    Colin is a longtime Davisite with a deep concern for the quality of life we have in Davis. He grew up in Davis, attended Davis schools from West Davis Elementary through UCD and now his children attend Davis schools. He has impressed me over and over again with his knowledge of local issues and current events. He takes time to study the details, analyzes all aspects and encourages others to join in the civic process.

    I have been disappointed with our current city council and decisions that have been made with little or no time to allow the public to learn of the plans or weigh in on decisions. Colin recognizes the importance of transparency in governing and values input from all.

    Colin has become extremely knowledgeable about development projects including the DISC and has asked probing questions of our council and identified areas that require further review or clarification. Colin is an advocate for the environment, the preservation of open space and has a deep conviction about the importance of farmland. You can learn about Colin through his walsh4davis.com website, I strongly recommend a vote for Colin for City Council.

    John Weeks
    Davis

  •  DISC will be an Environmental Disaster

    DISC is an Unmitigated Environmental Disaster - Vo 00001 DISC is an Unmitigated Environmental Disaster - Vo 00001(From press release)

    Our world is burning up and melting around us. This year we have seen the largest fires ever in the Pacific Northwest, Siberia, the Amazon, and Australia along with record-breaking ice-melts in Greenland and Antarctica.

    Yet DISC will increase Davis' annual carbon footprint by over 8% – over 83 million pounds per year!…What are they thinking?

    Friday, October 2           Davis, CA

     What is Measure B and the DISC Industrial Park 

    Measure B is on the November 3 ballot in Davis asking to annex 200 acres of Prime farmland into the City and pave it over to build a sprawling car-centric industrial center and 850 housing units.

    This land-use dinosaur would be located on the northeast corner of 2nd St and Mace Blvd just across the street from Ikeda's Market.      

    Read more      

    ___________________________________________            

     DISC will be an Environmental Disaster 

    • The Developer claims the project will be carbon neutral. But according to the project's Environmental Impact Report, "…net emissions in the year 2035 would equal 37,724.31 metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year, the project would NOT meet the City’s target of net carbon neutrality by the year 2040." This is unacceptable!
    • There is no way the vast bulk of the project's carbon emissions can be reduced on-site. Instead the Developer will rely on purchase of cheap off-site carbon credits or mitigation elsewhere in the City to supposedly become carbon neutral. But this does nothing to actually reduce the City's total carbon emissions. This is deceitful!
    • The Developer falsely claims if DISC isn't built in Davis, it will just be built elsewhere with more greenhouse gas emissions. But all new commercial buildings anywhere in California must meet ever-increasing energy efficiency standards. This is misleading!
    • The Developer claims the project's jobs will be "Green" jobs. But because almost 80% of the greenhouse gases generated from DISC come from the projected 24,000+ daily car trips, DISC would actually have a smaller carbon footprint if built in other locations with superior public transportation access and much shorter commutes for workers. Commuter jobs are NOT "Green"!

    The more we hear about DISC, the more it is clear that Davis will get all of the adverse environmental impacts and the Developers will get all of the profits. It's time to just say "NO"!

    ___________________________________________  

    Sierra Club Endorses No on Measure B – No on DISC

    ____________________________________

    For more information, order a lawn sign, or make a donation -  www.VoteNoOnDISC.com

  • Supervisor Provenza Votes to Take Action on Climate

    JIm-Provenza(From press release) At Tuesday's Yolo County Board of Supervisors meeting, Supervisor Jim Provenza introduced a resolution on behalf of the Yolo Climate Emergency Coalition, declaring a climate crisis in Yolo County and setting a countywide goal of achieving a carbon negative footprint by 2030.

    The motion was approved, with support of Chair Sandy and Supervisors Villegas and Saylor, joining Provenza. Provenza also brought a separate motion to provide funding for a citizen's advisory body to advise the Board on developing and implementing the new Climate Action Plan. The Yolo County District Attorney agreed to use funds from a special account in his office to cover this cost. It is anticipated that the District Attorney's consumer and environmental unit will be a future partner in these efforts.

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  • Letter: Jim Provenza has a lifelong progressive record

    JIm-ProvenzaI met Jim Provenza when we were classmates in law school, over 40 years ago. It is noteworthy that he began his career as a legal services lawyer and has been a public interest advocate ever since, regardless of the positions he has held. As a longtime public interest/disability rights attorney myself I particularly appreciate Jim’s career-long commitment to often under-represented and neglected groups, including children, people with disabilities, seniors, and low income individuals.
     
    Jim has maintained his progressive values as a productive and effective county supervisor and, based on his lifelong record of accomplishments, I am confident he will continue to do so. I urge fellow residents of the Fourth District to vote on November 3rd (or, better yet, earlier) and join me in re-electing Jim Provenza as our representative to the Board of Supervisors.

    Eric Gelber
    Davis

  • Pro-DISC letter is misleading

    OSHC ARC resolutionBy Roberta Millstein

    My fellow Open Space and Habitat Commission (OSHC) member, Patrick Huber, writes to defend the environmental status of the Davis Innovation and Sustainability Campus (DISC) (see Davis Enterprise letter). I respect Patrick; we have worked well together on the commission for a decade. However, although we have agreed on many things, he provides a partial and thus misleading picture of DISC in his letter.

    On April 23, 2020, the OSHC voted unanimously on a motion, seconded by Patrick, not to recommend DISC (then called ARC) on the grounds that it would result in a substantial net loss of a noteworthy combination of open space values, including: prime agricultural land, open space on the City’s perimeter, habitat for sensitive species such as burrowing owl and Swainson’s hawk, and views of the Sierra Nevada and Sacramento skyline (see adjacent screenshot).

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  • Letter: Colin Walsh is a passionate environmentalist

    Janet-KrovozaPlease join me in supporting Colin Walsh for Davis City Council. Colin is a passionate environmentalist who will make climate change and mitigating anthropogenic environmental damage council priorities. From serving on the Tree Commission to his past involvement with the Native Plant Society to his concern for the harm done to wildlife by rodenticides, Colin has shown he has a deep and abiding passion for both making our communities healthier and protecting our increasingly threatened natural world. I am also impressed by his compassion for animals, including his three rescue dogs, and the way he cultivates a love for nature and animals in his children. I enthusiastically endorse his candidacy for city council.

    Janet Krovoza