Category: Uncategorized

I am writing in strong support of Jim Provenza to be re-elected to County Supervisor for many reasons. Jim has been an extremely dedicated and effective Yolo County Supervisor since he was first elected, and we need him to continue his work.

Jim has had a long history of public service. Early on, as an attorney with the Legal Aid Foundation, Jim worked as an attorney to help protect women and children against domestic violence. Later, when he worked at the State Capital, he successfully created legislation to help enforce protection from stalking and against hate crimes as well.

Jim has been an advocate for children, families, seniors and the disadvantaged for decades. He has stepped up to be a leader on committees such as chairing First 5 Yolo for at-risk children under 5. Jim prevented Yolo County Crisis Nursery from being shut down by successfully securing emergency funding.

Jim is also chair of the Yolo Healthy Aging Alliance Non-profit and the Yolo Aging Commission. He is working on getting a new County Adult Day Care Center to help families with aging family members, particularly with dementia.

Jim has been great on land use and environmental issues, including addressing climate change and protecting ag land and habitat. I was impressed to see that Yolo Farm Bureau (who rarely endorse candidates) was happy to endorse Jim.

As an animal lover, I especially have appreciated Jim working on helping to get our County a much needed new animal shelter. Jim currently represents the county on a city-county task force that is working to form a new agency to govern shelter operations and to consider construction of a new state-of-the art shelter. Jim is a strong advocate of a new shelter and is also participating in fundraising efforts to make this goal a reality.

Finally, while I am a feminist, I always base my vote on who I see as the most qualified and effective candidate, not on their gender. After watching the LWV forum of the supervisorial candidates, I knew I would be voting for Jim Provenza, and encourage others to also.

Eileen Samitz

I am writing in support of Jim Provenza's reelection. As a Supervisor Jim has been a consistent supporter of human rights. He has stood in support of minorities especially recent immigrants; He has worked to help disadvantaged and Seniors where and when needed. As a past member of the Davis Board of Education he knows the important educational needs of our community. His consistency in backing many who may often be ignored is an important value and an important reason that he is needed and why I support him. A vote for Jim is a vote for a positive voice on the Board of Supervisors.

Richard and Rachel Livingston

Please join me in voting for Linda Deos to represent District 4 on the Yolo County Board of Supervisors.  We can use her lawyerly skills and her demonstrated commitment to children’s issues, social justice and healthcare.

For nearly a decade, we have been represented by five male supervisors.  It’s time for diversity on our board and Linda is the energetic, informed person to start that happening and restore some balance.

Because Linda cares about children, she will question and review new policies supervisors created in 2016. Yolo County out-of-home placements for foster children increased by 68% from 2015 to 2019 while those rates elsewhere in Ca have declined.  Since 2008, Yolo’s rate of out of home placements is higher than 2/3rds of CA Counties and our neighboring counties.  This happened after actions the Board took in 2016 in response to tragic home deaths, but perhaps they have gone too far with their actions. Only 40% of Yolo Count foster care placements are within Yolo County. 

When there is severe and significant adversity, removal from the home is justified but removal too soon or without significant adversity can, in fact, cause more trauma for the child and result in more adverse impacts than keeping the child with their family. Early adversity has been shown to affect a child's brain development and can result in significantly increased health impacts later in life.

I also respect Linda’s stand on creating compassionate justice, emphasizing rehabilitation, education as opposed to locking people up for long periods and then releasing them with no support.

She has acquired the skills as an attorney specializing in consumer protection law, bankruptcy, student loans and debt collection defense and understands the real pressures of so many underserved people with the fewest resources. Please support positive, diverse change for our county supervisors.

Jean Jackman

Davis

     Jim Provenza is an outstanding public servant who has represented District 4 on the Yolo County Board of Supervisor with distinction.  His list of accomplishments is long, but his commitment to providing support for our youngest citizens has earned my endorsement for his re-election. 

     As a current Trustee of the Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD), I am acutely aware of the importance of helping every child enter public school with the best chance for long-term success.  Jim serves as Chair of Yolo First 5 and is past Chair of the Yolo County Children’s Alliance (YCCA).  First 5 Yolo’s mission is to assist our community to raise children who are healthy, safe and ready to learn from day one.  YCCA helps to empower our young children, especially our non-English speaking children, by providing their parents access to essential services and helping to develop their parenting skills. 

     Jim previously served two successful terms on the DJUSD Board of Trustees and was a strong advocate for educational excellence and children with special needs.  As a lawyer, he has represented women and children in domestic violence and child abuse cases.  Jim understands that helping children succeed is hands down the best long-term investment that a community can make.  Jim has many other interests as well (e.g., environmental sustainability and protection and programs to support our elderly) but his demonstrated commitment to our children and their families deserves continued support as Yolo County Supervisor.

Robert H. Poppenga

Davis

The Davis City Council voted to increase the City of Davis's use of pesticides, with only Will Arnold voting no, on Tuesday January 28th at almost 11pm. This rolls back the Councils previous decision on November 7, 2017 to move the city away from using a range of pesticides. No City Commissions were consulted before the item came to council, despite extensive involvement from Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Commissions prior to the 2017 decision.

 

County Supervisor  Candidate David Abramson provided Davisite a letter he wrote to the City Council following the decision. Abramson is a Candidate for Yolo County Supervisor for the 4th district.

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Hi City Council Members Brett, Gloria, Dan, Lucas, and Will.

I am quite disappointed in the 4-1 decision of council to green-light the pre-emergent pesticide. Had I known this was going to be an action item instead of an "informational item" as highlighted in the agenda, I and likely many others would have been there to speak out against it.

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The Natural Resource Commission needs to look into the ARC Business Park

By Colin Walsh

A schedule of Davis Commission meetings for the ARC Business Park was posted back in November that included some tentative hearings before certain City Commissions but seemed to omit other important Commissions. Notably absent were dates before the Natural Resources Commission, the Recreation and Parks Commission, and the Tree Commission. It should also go to the Unitrans Advisory Committee.

In this article I will address examples of why the ARC Business Park must go before the Natural Resource Commission (NRC).

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YOLO COUNTY FARM BUREAU ENDORSES PROVENZA

— for immediate release —

Yolo County Farm Bureau is pleased to announce the endorsement of Yolo County Supervisor Jim Provenza for re-election to the 4th  Supervisorial District. The District encompasses portions ofthe City of Davis and nearby unincorporated areas including El Macero and Willowbank.

"Jim works very hard and pays attention to every detail on matters that come before him. He takes the initiative to assist agriculture and his door is always open," said Joe Martinez,

President, Yolo County Farm Bureau. "We appreciate his willingness to listen to us and seriously consider our perspective on matters that impact Yolo County agriculture. Never doctrinaire, he knows and appreciates that we are the on-the-ground experts."

Supervisor Provenza helped enact one of the strongest agricultural land protection ordinances in the state and helped obtain millions of dollars in outside funding for agriculture and water projects in Yolo County, among many other accomplishments.

"In order to fight climate change and assure that we have food security, it is essential to protect agricultural land and help farmers thrive. We must promote agricultural economic development and work to limit unfair government mandates. Together we can address water issues, urban growth, and other threats to our agricultural economy. Farmers are our future and I'm deeply grateful for this endorsement," said Provenza.

The election will be held in conjunction with the March 3 primary. The deadline to register to vote is February 18, 2020. For additional information, contact Yolo County Elections at yoloelections.org  or 530-666-8133

I am voting for Jim Provenza for Supervisor for the Fourth District. 

I have known Jim for over 25 years. He has dedicated his life to helping people in his district.

Some examples: he helped my neighbors who were in their 90’s get connected to city water; he helped stop PG&E from stringing lines over homes in El Macero; he has supported the Yolo County libraries, critical in these times of increasing complexity.

While we are living our daily lives, he is watching over all the people in Yolo County. Check his voting record and you will see his devotion.

This is not a job you learn overnight. This takes a life of working for the public.

Jim has that background.

Vote for Jim Provenza for Supervisor for the Fourth District. 

Holly Bishop

Davis

Comments for the meeting of the Davis Downtown Plan Advisory Committee

By Jon Li

I find it tremendously irresponsible of the City Council that they would find it necessary to have an emergency closed session during the final meeting of the Downtown Advisory Committee, to evaluate the city manager, so none of them can be present.

This Downtown Plan does not reflect the thinking of the Advisory Committee at all, any more than it reflects the thinking of downtown merchants, developers, property owners or the public. 

City staff and the consultant brag that you cannot change their work at all: not the public, not the business community, not Cool Davis, and not the Advisory Committee.  The Advisory Committee’s role is only to rubber stamp approve each report; the meetings only happened when the city staff wanted something they needed approved that they wanted to take to the city council.  The Advisory committee meetings are littered with the battles of committee members trying to advise, and how adamantly staff defended their right to stop any communication of change ever actually getting to the city council.

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