The Agenda is fairly cryptic but there can be little doubt what is being considered – the board will likely be deciding on whether or not to keep DJUSD schools open in light of the Covid-19 virus.
The Agenda includes the following:
*** ACTION ALERT – SAVE OUR BURROWING OWLS ***
The City of Davis is Intentionally Driving Burrowing Owls Out to Make Room for the Proposed Aggie Research Complex Business Park
by Alan Pryor
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Please Come Down to the City Council Meeting TONIGHT, Tuesday, March 10 to Express Your Outrage during Public Comments.
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Background on Mace-25 and the Aggie Research Complex Business Park
Mace-25 is an 25-acre City-owned site purchased by the City of Davis with Open Space tax revenues. The Open Space Ordinance passed by the voters of Davis says such lands purchased with tax monies are to be kept in perpetuity as open space. Up until now, Mace-25 has been leased only for dry-land farming for a nominal annual amount or lay dormant. Directly adjacent and northwest of this site on County-owned land on the Mace curve are where Burrowing Owl burrows have been established and maintained for at least a decade. Mace 25 is in the middle of an historic burrowing owl breeding colony. At least one of the burrows is currently occupied by a nesting pair of Burrowing Owls – one of the few remaining breeding pairs in Davis. These burrows have been repeatedly used year-after-year while using the Mace-25 land as foraging habitat.
Directly south and east of Mace-25 and north of I-80 are approximately 200 acres of farmland which is proposed to be annexed into the City and converted to a business park by the local developer and oil distributor, Ramco. Ramco's original development proposal in 2016 included building on all of the Mace-25 land for inclusion in the business park. Public outcry over this taking of city-owned and taxpayer-funded open space, however, caused the developer to withdraw the idea of including all of Mace-25 as buildable land when they revised their proposed project in 2019. Now they only want to "take" about 9.2 acres of theMace-25 City-owned land and use it for their "agricultural buffer" required under Davis zoning laws affecting new development bordering existing ag lands.
Complicating even this new plan, however, was the ongoing presence of the Burrowing Owls directly adjacent to Mace-25. If the developer's plans could theoretically impact the Burrowing Owl population (which likelihood MUST be quantitatively addressed in the forthcoming Environmental Impact Report on the project), then the developer could be forced into expensive and time-consuming mitigation measures.
In case you missed it, today the entire meeting which included Dr. Chapman's presentation was live streamed and recorded: https://yolocountyca.swagit.com/play/03092020-1208
Suggest you give yourself a little time to sit down and listen to Dr. Chapman's presentation…. it is one of the best organized, most accessible presentations on the matter that I have heard or read anywhere.
We are fortunate to have Dr. Chapman and his staff working on our behalf in Yolo County. He is an excellent Public Health Officer and our Yolo County Department of Public Health is really doing a great job of informing the public and working with a variety of stakeholders including other health care providers, schools, cities, adult day health, senior centers, etc to get the word out in a calm, professional manner so that we will know the risks, hear good advice on what to do/what not to do and to carry on our lives in the midst of a public health threat.
Our Public Health Department is the "go to" place for this kind of information and guidance.
Thanks, Dr. Chapman!
John Troidl
PS Supervisors Provenza and Saylor can be heard on the re-play of the live stream asking some really good questions and helping guide the discussion on ways that are meaningful for the public. Check it out!
from the city of Davis
The City of Davis Human Relations Commission annually seeks nominations for the Thong Hy Huynh (“tong hi win”) Awards. The awards are presented once each year in memory of the stabbing death of Davis High School student Thong Hy Huynh on May 4, 1983. The award was established to raise awareness about and to honor community members whose actions exemplify the goals of diversity, community, social justice and equal rights. The Thong Hy Huynh Award was first presented in 1986.
What are the categories for this award?
Lifetime Achievement: Awarded for significant civil rights efforts over a long period of time while improving the quality of life in Davis. The recipients may be an individual or community organization that has promoted positive human relations in the community.
Young Humanitarian: Awarded to an individual in grades K-16 (elementary though undergraduate or equivalent) for significant efforts in improving the quality of life in Davis. Nominees have directly addressed the needs of specific groups within the community in the areas of human or civil rights or education.
Civil Rights Advocacy: Awarded to an individual or organization for significant efforts and achievement in any of the following areas:
Excellence in Community Involvement: Generally awarded to a business or non-profit organization, and occasionally a community individual, that has a record of significant efforts improving the quality of life for Davis residents through the areas of health, human services, housing, education, or employment.
Public Servant of the Year: Awarded to a local public servant who has promoted positive human relations in our multicultural and diverse community.
Guidelines for Nomination and Selection of Recipients
The Thong Hy Huynh Award process is designed to be as inclusive and as transparent as possible in order to protect the integrity of the award.
Nomination Process:
Selection Process:
NOMINATION DEADLINE:
Nominations are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday March 13, 2020.
Download the Nomination Form (PDF).
By Colin Walsh
The Yolo County elections office website states, “What you cannot do at any Yolo County polling place… Campaign or discuss your vote (The state ban on electioneering within 100 feet of any polling place also applies to apparel).” This clearly includes election signs.
But these photos taken at 7:10 this morning – shortly after the polling place was open – show electioneering happening at the Tandem Properties Polling Place. A Vote Here sign has even been placed practically on top of a Yes on Q sign.
There is also a Yes on G sign prominently displayed in front of the Tandem Properties this morning.
Only a few days ago a Linda Deos sign was displayed by the Yes on G sign, but that appears to have been moved either to the far corner of the property or to the public right of way. Signs are not allowed to be placed in the public right of way either, so this sign may still be a problem, either being on the same property as a polling place, or placed in the right of way near a polling place.
John Whitcombe one of the primary owners of Tandem Property, and the Nishi project gave Linda Deos $1,000 in this election. Tandem is one of the largest apartment owners in Davis owning 13 complexes in Davis and on the UCD Campus including: Adobe at Evergreen, Anderson Place, Arlington Farm, Atrium at La Rue Park, Casitas, Chaparral, Chautauqua, Russell Park, Sundance, Suntree, The Colleges at La Rue, and The Willows. Measure G, Q and Linda Deos signs are also prominently placed the Tandem apartment complexes.
In a quick unscientific survey of a few other nearby polling places, no other location seemed to have signs placed as close as Tandem does.
At 8:30 am, the Yolo County Election office phone is ringing through to voice mail and a message stating the office opens at 8:00 am.
Letter to City Council on Febuary 26, 2020
Hello Mayor Lee and Council Members,
You may have heard that on Monday 2/3/20, there was a fire in the dumpster that belongs to Sharps and Flats apartments. This fire was directly on the other side of our back yard fence and was 20 feet from our home.
The smoke filtered into our home making it difficult to breath. Other residents in the area noted smoke as far as Pole Line and Drew Ave north of Cowell. Others said they stayed indoors and did not let their children go outside.
Since the fence has gone up round Pacifico separating it from the bike path, much of the activity that has historically take place on the bike path and Evergreen Court and surrounding areas, is now highly concentrated in the shared parking lot between Pacifico and Sharps and Flats.
The video cameras are contributing by pushing many Pacifico residents and affiliates to do their drug deals and threatening arguments and dangerous activity in the shared parking lot where they are off Pacifico cameras. The parking lot is behind my house and I have heard arguments and contentious drug deals, individuals being coerced into doing things they don’t want to do, gun shots and now we have fires.
In his State of the City address, Mayor Lee indicated that as a whole, “we want to become more resident focused “ and “as we make mistakes we own up to them.”These are fine words and nice goals, but they have yet to be matched with serious actions.
If there is an area where the City’s past mistakes have negatively impacted residents, it is in South Davis. Residents near Pacifico specifically, have lived with serious problems caused by the City’s mismanagement and neglect of their property and tenants on a regular basis for over 8 years resulting in a host of inappropriate problems.
The burden has been heavy to bear for a very long time. Residents and renters have been more than patient and accepting. We have been heartfelt and helpful, accommodating, understanding and forgiving, but evidently that is not what helps or improves people's lives in a tangible way. We need meaningful action now that will address these dangerous situations for everyone involved.
Owning up to mistakes has to involve more than just acknowledging those mistakes, it requires actually fixing them.
At a minimum, I would ask that you:
This community that I love and care about, cannot afford to be neglected any longer. Considering what the community in South Davis has endured and is still enduring, the City should have compassion and do all that’s necessary to bring peace, functionality, neighborly trust and safety back to our residents.
Thank you,
Tracy De Wit
[edit 3/5/2020]
at the request of a reader here is more context to the word co-op on the dumpster fire graphic
Yolo County Supervisor Jim Provenza has a stellar record of accomplishment and acts based on values in support of us all. One of his best qualities is serving people when no one is looking, serving those who can’t offer anything in return, and doing what’s right — not necessarily what’s easy.
The March 3 primary brings an extremely important decision for voters and I encourage folks to complete their entire ballot. Jim Provenza is seeking re-election to the Yolo County Board of Supervisors, District 4, and I endorse him without reservation. Here’s why:
South Davis has been underrepresented for years and the move to district elections for City Council only intensifies this problem. All the while, Jim’s advocacy on our behalf has been unrelenting. He knows the issues, addresses the problems even when it means he must oppose strong interests, and is often our sole voice. We cannot afford to lose his expertise and experience.
Like others, I’m eager to see more women in elected office, but not at the expense of someone who has served women and families so well. I ask voters to study his record because it is truly exceptional and exceeds the contributions of most elected officials, regardless of their gender.
“I support David Abramson for Yolo County Supervisor, District 4! He is bringing exactly what we need to the table — substantial, feasible, and detailed legislation and community collaboration to address the climate crisis — a local Green New Deal.
Abramson is focusing on the most complex issue of my generation and gives me hope that I will have a livable and breathable future. Although other candidates are focusing on important issues, Abramson’s platform focuses on modifying the economy in such a way that Yolo County will be more environmentally, economically and socially just.
Some may point fingers on the culprit for climate change, but we are all just victims of a faulty system. We need to focus on solutions and I believe with Abramson’s leadership, Yolo County will become a great example for others. Even though climate change is a global problem, it may only be addressed with local, tangible solutions! I study Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning at UC Davis and I am confident that the Green New Deal will advance the county’s economy while deliberately improving the well-being of the community.”
Costanza Gonzalo
Davis
by Dennis NatuschClimate change is happening everywhere, from the hundreds of Californians had to flee their homes during the fires to the local farmers, anxiously awaiting the next dry season. Every aspect of life as we know it is threatened by climate change. Scientists maintain that if we don’t cut our emissions in the next 10 years, we’ll hit 2 degrees celsius of warming.
The only legislative document that can reverse this is The Green New Deal, as was presented by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. It‘s not enough to talk about renewable energy. We need to restructure our society to make all our lives better. The GND promises millions of high-paying, green jobs, improved infrastructure, affordable housing, cleaner air, and cheaper, publicly owned energy.
Davisite 