*** 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.

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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:

• Speaking on behalf or, and giving voice to, the disadvantaged and disempowered.
• Promoting positive human relations, civil rights, cultural awareness, or peaceful means of conflict resolution.
• Improving the quality of life for Davis residents through the areas of health, human services, housing, education, or employment.

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:

1. Nominations may be submitted by anyone, including Human Relations commissioners or City Council members. Current Commission members or elected officials may not be nominated for an award. Commissioners cannot nominate a family member, partner or spouse.
2. Nominees should be residents of Davis or have been active in work that has impacted the Davis community.
3. Nominations must be submitted via the nomination form.
4. Each nomination form should be for only one category, however, a nominee may be nominated for more than one category.

Selection Process:

1. Any Huynh award winner in the previous 10 years is not eligible for nomination in the same category. Current voting commissioners are not eligible to receive an award. If a current commissioner is on the board of an organization, that organization is not eligible to be nominated for an award that year.
2. Any commissioner who has a conflict of interest with a nomination (i.e. a family member, partner or spouse nominated or an organization nominated for which Commissioner is employed or holds a leadership position) for an award must recuse him/herself from participation in deliberations and voting for that award.
3. If the Commission determines no nominations received in a particular category are appropriate, no award will be presented in that category.

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.

This photo taken 2/26/2020 (week before election) shows a Deos sign was moved.

This photo taken 3/3/2020 – election day – seems to have been moved from directly in front of the Tandem office to either the corner of the property or the public right of way.

The same Deos sign as above seen from the other side. Is this on Tandem Properties or in the public right of way?

[Edit 3:50pm  3/3/2020]

Jesse Salinas the Assessor / Clerk-Recorder / Chief Election Official indicated 3 signs where removed from the Tandem properties by election officials, but the Deos sign is in the public right of way and that is a City issue.

This map shows where the Deos sign has been placed in the public right of way. Jennifer Rindahl a paid staffer for the Deos campaign commented below indicating the Deos campaign placed this sign in this improper location themselves.

[edit 5:50pm the City of Davis has just informed me that they do not have anyone on call to address the issue of the sign improperly placed in the right of way.]