(From press release) The newly-formed, fledgling Yolo Democratic Socialists of America is hosting its first ever Night School on Tuesday, April 28th at 6:30pm and we’d like you to join us! This is a reading group and political education initiative composed of Yolo community members. Our first discussion will be based on a short reading from “The ABCs of Capitalism” by Jacobin writer Vivek Chibber. We’ll discuss key concepts of political economy and relate theory to action in the real world, informing our strategies for collective action and transformational change.
Yolo DSA is radically inclusive. Anyone from any background can participate at no cost, as often or as little as they like. Which is to say, we really hope that if you’re interested you’ll be there! You can sign up at tinyurl.com/yolodsasubscribe or check out our Facebook page for more information.
The commentary by Mayor Lee and Councilmember Carson in the Sunday Enterprise really does not address the core concerns that have consistently been raised by the community. In summary, those concerns are that the city used a non-competitive process which resulted in a low-offer and thus left money on the table while failing to go through a full public process that might have identified deficiencies in the offer by BrightNight.
After reading the Lee-Carson OpEd, I (and I'm sure many others) now have one additional major concern … that it does not appear that the Council Majority has actually listened to the Public Comment voicemails, or actually read the Public Comment e-mails they have received.
While Americans worry about their health and how to pay rent, the Trump administration is giving corporations huge no-strings-attached bailouts and slashing environmental protections. What Naomi Klein calls "The Shock Doctrine" is in full effect: crises are exploited to push forward radical free-market policies that enrich the 1% at the expense of the working class. According to Klein, this is just the beginning. How do we prepare ourselves for what's next? What lessons can we learn from history? Most importantly, what is the positive vision for the future?
These questions are answered in the documentary based on Naomi Klein's book "The Shock Doctrine". Join the Yolo Democratic Socialists of America for a virtual watch party and discussion – our very FIRST event! Sign up here: http://tinyurl.com/yoloshock. All are welcome!
Over $121,000,000 may have been left on the table when Council approved a secretive, closed-door no-bid, 54-year land lease option and agreement for a photovoltaic system on 235-acres of City-owned land.
How many miles of Street and Bike Path repairs per year would $121 million pay for? What was Staff and Council thinking ???
Over $200,000 each for Kitchen Remodels During these Disastrous Times? – You Have Got to be Kidding Me !!!
By Alan Pryor
Davis and the entire world are in the midst of an economic meltdown for which nobody has a clue when it will end. Locally, Davis will be hardest hit by the huge loss of the transient occupancy tax (TOT) collected by our now near empty hotels and motels and the plummeting sales tax caused by the collapse of retail and auto sales. This will cost the City many millions in lost tax revenue just as the City's revenue needs will likely surge due to humanitarian costs.
Yet in the midst of this obvious economic calamity and according to a Consent Calendar item on this coming Tuesday's Council meeting agenda, Staff is asking Council for approval to spend another $43,000 on local architects Indigo | Hammond + Playle Architects (Indigo Hammond) for design/engineering of heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) system upgrades and disability access improvements as part of the planned complete remodels of two kitchens in Fire Stations 31 and 32 in Davis. The two kitchen remodels are expected to cost over $422,000 for the remodels and this may not even include the additional costs for HVAC system upgrades and disability access improvements at one of the fire stations.
But get this,the kitchens are reportedly working fine right now!
If true, this is a foolhardy discretionary spending decision that the City is considering in light of the public health and economic perils we currently face. And this is from a City management that promised us that they were laser-focused on cost-containment when they asked us to renew the existing 1% sales tax on the recent March ballot less than 3 weeks ago.
Thank you for considering declaring a local emergency. I am fully in support of that. I am writing to strongly urge that you add (something like) the following to the “Proclamation of a Local Emergency in Response to COVID-19”:
“The City will not take action on any major development projects during the emergency, including but not limited to the Aggie Research Campus (ARC).”
The following comments were submitted by Greg Rowe, member of the Planning Commission, for the February 26 Planning Commission workshop on the Aggie Research Campus (ARC). They are addressed to the Chair and staff liaison to the Commission, respectively.
Matt Keasling speaks to the Planning Commission, 2/26
Cheryl and Sherri:
As you know, I'll be out of town for the Feb 26 Planning Commission meeting; I’ll be leaving early Thursday AM.
I met on January 7 for over 2 hours with Dan Ramos and attorney Matt Keasling (Taylor & Wiley). Below are a few of the questions I asked, and their responses. This information may be relevant to next week's workshop.
Bernie's big California win keeps his delegate lead, but the press isn't reporting it.
When the general news outlets finally admit this, the ridiculous idea that Biden is ahead in delegates will go right out the window. 415 delegates come from California, almost double that of Texas, huge compared to any other state.
From the analysis I have been doing, Bernie must actually ahead in delegates overall, despite the pundits seemingly being unable to predict results for California, and only unable to do so for California.
Like so many people in Davis, I am an avid animal lover. I worked at UCD VMTH until I retired 5 years ago. I loved my work there and was privileged to help many animals during that time, but since retiring, I decided to volunteer with the local Yolo County SPCA which has helped backfill some of the gratification I got from my work. I also have coordinated the holiday pet basket charity annually for Mercer Clinic for the Pets of the Homeless for 25 years, but now one of my biggest concerns is the need for a new Yolo County animal shelter.
The good news is that there is a path now open to get there now thanks to the work of a number of people working with Supervisor Jim Provenza who serves with Supervisor Gary Sandy on the County committee working making a new animal shelter a reality. The first thing needed is the Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) which a number of entities have worked on to draft including Jim, Supervisor Gary Sandy, UCD’s Koret Animal Shelter program and the Yolo County SPCA.
This Joint Powers agreement which would change the structure of management for a Yolo Animal Shelter to be a shared responsibility, with shared input. This has been needed and the good news is that this JPA moved forward this past Tuesday at the Board of Supervisors meeting. The motion was led by Jim Provenza which, with his impassioned statement, passed unanimously by the entire Board of Supervisors. Jim has cared about this need deeply and even has a video posted making the appeal for a new Yolo animal shelter needed which you can view here:
I was present at the Board of Supervisors February 25hth meeting with several other animal lovers and advocates who testified and we were thrilled to see how Jim spoke so passionately about the need for this JPA to move forward and to help us to move forward on efforts for a new animal shelter. A non-profit was started a while ago thanks to a number of dedicated animals lovers called “Unleashing Yolo” to help fundraise for a new Yolo animal shelter. To learn more about it and to help by donating, the website is www.unleashingyolo.org
In addition, there is another non-profit supporting this goal named “Friends of Yolo County Animal Services” which has a website at www.friendsofycas.org and are dedicated to helping improve the lives of animals and support adoption within Yolo County.
In short, I wanted to share this wonderful news, and to reach out to others who may want to help in this much needed effort and also, to urge people to please vote For Jim Provenza to be re-elected for Yolo County Supervisor, so we can move forward to make a new animal shelter a reality.
(From press release) Karen Nyhus, a Green from Sonoma County, is challenging Bill Dodd (D-Napa) as a write-in to the California State Senate’s Top 2 spot on next week’s primary ballot.
Nyhus, a Stanford grad with a work history in government, education and nonprofits, is challenging Dodd’s status as a self-described “fiscal conservative” for a district that spans her native Sonoma County through Napa, Solano, and Contra Costa, to here in Davis. Nyhus calls Dodd a “blue dog” (conservative Democrat) and points out that he was a registered Republican as recently as 2013.
Running as a Green, she accepts no corporate donations, and think that’s a weak spot for Dodd. “He has taken money from the wine industry and PG&E, and it shows in his actions,” she wrote.
(From press release) The newly-formed, fledgling Yolo Democratic Socialists of America is hosting its first ever Night School on Tuesday, April 28th at 6:30pm and we’d like you to join us! This is a reading group and political education initiative composed of Yolo community members. Our first discussion will be based on a short reading from “The ABCs of Capitalism” by Jacobin writer Vivek Chibber. We’ll discuss key concepts of political economy and relate theory to action in the real world, informing our strategies for collective action and transformational change.
Davisite 