Category: Uncategorized

Dear Editor,

I am supporting Jim Provenza for re-election to the Board of Supervisors on March 3. I have worked closely with Jim on public safety issues. As a former special assistant district attorney, Jim understands the need for active community engagement and public safety.

Jim is an advocate of smart on crime policies. He supports alternatives to incarceration for those who are suffering from mental illness and other non-violent offenders, while working to assure that that we have the resources we need to address violent and serious crime.

Jim is a strong supporter of our Day Reporting Center, an innovative program that reduces recidivism by delivering education, treatment and job training as an alternative to incarceration in county jail. He is also a supporter of our neighborhood courts and successfully advocated for the establishment of a second mental health court.

While supporting creative approaches, Jim stands with law enforcement in its effort to assure that the public is protected and that consequences are imposed upon those who endanger our community.

Jim Provenza has earned your vote.

Sheriff Tom Lopez

UC Davis Press Release

By Julia Ann Easley

The Green at West Village, scheduled to open its first 1,000 beds in fall 2020, leads a list of upcoming projects for student housing at UC Davis. (Gregory Urquiaga/UC Davis)

While the city of Davis rental market remains tight, a few more apartments are vacant compared to last year, according to a survey commissioned by Student Housing and Dining Services at UC Davis and released today (Feb. 5).

The blended vacancy rate — including apartments leased by the unit and by the bed — is estimated to be 1.0 percent, compared with 0.5 percent in fall 2018. Rents increased by an average of 5.5 percent.

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I am writing to encourage a vote for Jim Provenza for Yolo County Supervisor.  There are many good reasons to support Jim, including his efforts on behalf of children, seniors, our schools, and those in need.  But I would like to focus on another important, probably less well known, achievement – his acquired expertise and knowledge of regional water policy and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.  This includes Putah Creek, Cache Creek, both tributaries to the Yolo Bypass, and the Yolo Bypass itself.

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I have known Jim Provenza for over 25 years.  Jim is a dedicated advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves.  For most of his life, he has worked tirelessly for equality, social justice, and civil rights. 

In his first jobs after law school, he represented victims of domestic violence, child abuse, civil rights violations, and housing and job discrimination.  As legislative counsel, he was instrumental in the enactment of California’s current hate crimes law.  As legislative advocate, he sponsored legislation that made sexual orientation and disability protected classes.

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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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