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Davisite Banner. Left side the bicycle obelisk at 3rd and University. Right side the trellis at the entrance to the Arboretum.

  • Arriving Soon: Davis’ Bigger, Better, Costlier, Extravagant Toad Tunnels

    Stamped Concrete 1

    An example of stamped concrete

    By David Taormino

    After 6 years of wrangling with Davis City Staff, Bretton Woods is under construction. The actual election process was easy compared to finalizing the details with Davis staff. We still have half-a-dozen important and extremely costly imposed conditions that impact costs to homebuyers.

    The craziest staff imposition requires customizing the new drainage tunnels to make the “World’s Fanciest Frog and Toad Tunnels”, reminiscent of the 1995 famous toad tunnel fiasco that brought national embarrassment to Davis. As bizarre of a request as it sounds, that tunnel only cost $14,000, these four cost approximately $200,000. Two Davis staffers, the Open Space Manager, and a Public Works engineer, are demanding the two bigger, better, fancier, customized 110-foot-long tunnels paralleling Covell Blvd near Risling Drive, and two more in our Bretton Woods Channel to accommodate critters. Without the details, it doesn’t sound unreasonable on its face.  

    To “critter customize” these tunnels will cost each senior home buyer in Bretton Woods somewhere around $600 per home. While not a “princely sum”, it is only one of a dozen unnecessary costs heaped on Bretton Woods by city staff. What does each homebuyer get in return? Absolutely nothing, nada! What do the critters get for the extra cost? Only the staff knows, and they aren’t sharing, just demanding.

    Where the critters are coming from or going; no one knows. I requested the staffers produce scientific evidence, or really any evidence, that this costly customization provides any more worthwhile conditions than normal tunnels. Does the staff have evidence that critters will need the customization compared to a standard tunnel? Just like 1995, NO!

    Sadly, the unintended consequence of this forced customizing may be more 2019-like flooding of Sutter-Davis Hospital. Has the staff learned anything from the 1995 Toad Tunnel debacle or the flooding of 2019? Judge for yourself.

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  • Adam Morrill for Council Statement

    Adam 2

    >>>from press release<<<

    Throughout my 20 years as a public servant, I have responsibly administered taxpayer funds and delivered well thought out programs that improve service. I am not a career politician but stepping up because I know that together we can build a better Davis. 

    Davis has challenges:  we need roads, bike/walk paths and sidewalks repaired, trees cared for, our downtown revitalized with a residential and commercial growth plan aligned to our needs.

    With your support, I pledge to:

    • Update and follow a citizen driven general plan
    • Adopt budgets that align with our general plan and lower our carbon footprint
    • Work with local businesses to revitalize our downtown as a destination for residents and visitors, and as a resilient source for city revenues
    • Apply sound infill policies that make better use of existing space
    • Prioritize housing projects that diversify our housing stock which will expand the range of available housing types/prices/rents
    • Preserve surrounding prime farmland and encourage local farm to fork efforts
    • Assist local non-profits, faith-based organizations, and the county with homelessness and mental health programs
    • Support our police and fire personnel in keeping our city safe

    I am the person to do the job, and that’s why I seek your support and your vote for Davis City Council, District 4. 

    Adam logo

    Adam 1

     

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  • Tree Davis Leader To Move On

    Erin(From press release) Tree Davis is gearing up for a new season of events and activities that will bring community members together to enhance the living landscapes of our urban environment. With this change of seasons, the Tree Davis team has a bittersweet announcement that after five years of planting trees and growing community Executive Director Erin Donley Marineau’s tenure is coming to a close as she moves on to a statewide role in a Western-region conservation organization.

    Erin and Board President, Greg McPherson, sat down for a conversation as the organization manages this transition and seeks recommendations for a new Executive Director:

    Greg: Over the past five years, Tree Davis has overseen major tree planting projects in Davis, West Sacramento and Woodland. During your tenure, Erin, over 3,000 trees were planted and thousands of volunteers were engaged in stewardship activities. You forged new partnerships with the City of Davis, Woodland Tree Foundation, UC Davis, Sutter Davis, DJUSD and numerous other organizations that have enhanced appreciation and investment in our urban forest. Looking ahead, what important work do you see for Tree Davis?

    Erin: First, it has been an immense privilege to serve in this role and to work with a passionate and engaged Board, stellar staff, and active volunteer community. Our tree community and the greater communities of Davis and Yolo County are so special in their willingness to search and reach for community and environmental betterment. I want to extend my personal thanks to Tree Davis’ founders, Board members, staff, donors, community partners, and volunteers for pulling together to do incredible work over the past 5 years.

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  • The Village Feast returns in-person Oct. 16

    Aug. 31 deadline for discount tickets

    Village Feast 2019_Ashley Muir Bruhn-58

    Patrons enjoy The Village Feast in 2019. This year's event will be offered simultaneously at two locations: Mulvaney's B&L in Sacramento, and Great Bear Vineyards in Davis. (Ashley Muir Bruin/Courtesy photo)

    (From press release) Annually, The Village Feast celebrates the Sacramento region’s Farm-to-Fork season, where the community gathers to enjoy and honor the bounty of local farmers. After two years as an online event, it returns to its origin as a shared, in-person community experience – this year at two regional venues.

    The two simultaneous events will be from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 16 at:

    • Great Bear Vineyards, 24800 County Road 101A, Davis, catered by The Buckhorn, and
    • Mulvaney's B&L, 1215 19th St., Sacramento

    Presented by Davis Farm to School and the Les Dames d’Escoffier International, Sacramento, The Village Feast is a fundraiser for food and agricultural education in the greater Sacramento area. The Village Feast follows the late-summer feasts of Provence, France, in the Provençal grand aïoli tradition, uniting people and food for a long, leisurely alfresco meal that stars aïoli — a golden garlic-mayonnaise. All proceeds from The Village Feast support early and continued education around food and agriculture.

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  • Explaining what shouldn’t need explaining

    PileofmoneySpending one million dollars is a sign of a mis-managed campaign

    By Roberta Millstein

    In his most recent apologia for the Yes on Measure H campaign, David Greenwald suggests that it is inevitable that developers will spend “exorbitant amounts of money” to promote their projects. 

    But nothing forced the Yes on Measure H campaign, led by “Honorary Chair” Councilmember Dan Carson, to outspend the No on Measure H campaign by more than 14-1, as Alan Pryor reported.

    In 2020, the Yes campaign spent around $323,000 to promote the DISC project. Let’s consider how the developers might have reacted to that loss.  They might have talked to voters to find out what, in their eyes, would make for a project that was better for Davis and modified the project accordingly. 

    Instead, they polled Davisites to find out what would “sell” to voters and rushed a virtually unchanged project to voters (just cut in half) only a year and a half later.  Apparently, voters like parks, greenbelts, environmental sustainability, and affordable housing, so those are the features that they poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into highlighting, even though these aspects were at best incidental to the project and at worse deceptive. The graphic of the stand-up paddleboarder was perhaps the most egregious example of this.

    And they dumped in almost three times the amount of the previous campaign – a campaign that had itself had spent large sums of money – in order to sell the project. That includes over $200,000 on a heavy-handed free-speech-squelching developer-funded lawsuit, which, bizarrely, Greenwald says is not a campaign expenditure issue.

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  • Welcome to Al’s Corner – “Pouring Gasoline on the Dumpster Fire of Davis Politics” – Volume #10

    image from www.sparkysonestop.comAl's Corner is a space for YOU to comment on local issues.  Maybe you read about the issue in a crappy local blog, in a newspaper, or misheard gossip at the Farmer's Market.  Your biased distortion of reality is welcome at Al's Corner for the entertainment of all.
    .   [See "Pages" –> "Al's Corner – What It Is" for Rulez.]

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  • Yes on H Burned One Million Dollars

    Yes on Measure H Committee Total Expenditures and Accrued Expenses Approach $1 Million vs Less than $69,000 for the No on Measure H Committee

    by Alan Pryor

    Executive Summary

    A total of 19,787 votes were cast in the City of Davis Measure H ballot, according to the Yolo County Registrar of Voters, with 12,588 (63.62%) opposing the Davis Innovation and Sustainability Campus and 7,199 (36.38%)  supporting it.

    The most recent Yes on Measure H financial disclosures made to the City for the period ending 6/30/22 showed total monetary and in-kind expenditures and accrued expenses totaled $981,038. This works out to $136.27 for every "Yes" vote cast in the election. ($981,038 / 7,199 "Yes" votes). To date, all except $8,000 of these total expenditures were contributed or will need to be contributed by the two principals of the DISC project, Ramco Enterprises and Buzz Oates LLC of Sacramento.

    By contrast, the most recent No on Measure H financial disclosures made to the City for the same period ending 6/30/22 showed total expenditures equaled  $68,771. This works out to $5.46 for every "No" vote cast in the election ($68,771 / 12,588 "No" votes). All of this money was contributed by 201 individual donors or lenders to the campaign exhibiting broad community support for the No campaign as also reflected in the election outcome.

    The "Yes" campaign spent approximately 14.3 times as much money than the "No" campaign on the election which is fairly consistent with past Measure J/R/D election campaigns. It is believed that Measure H is the most expensive Measure J/R/D campaign ever waged in Davis.

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  • LUNAFEST features short films by and about women

    B8B7DF6B-A065-4FEA-B5E5-E6471036D979(From press release) Soroptimist International of Davis is the local host for LUNAFEST, a lineup of eight short films by female filmmakers. The films will premiere on Sept. 25 at Davis Odd Fellows Hall, or online that weekend.

    This year’s stories are told from perspectives that champion women and gender-nonconforming individuals, highlighting their aspirations, accomplishments, resilience, strength and connection. Though the films are unrated, they are most appropriate for ages 13 and up.

    The in-person event will be Sunday, Sept. 25 at Davis Odd Fellows Hall, 415 Second St. Doors open at 3 p.m. and the screening begins at 3:30. Food and drink will be available for purchase, including alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages.

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  • Gloria Partida Announces Her Reelection Campaign for Davis City Council

    Gloria 2022The Gloria Partida for Davis Campaign Kickoff

    Sunday, Sept. 11, 12:00 at the Mace Ranch Pavilion

    (From press release) Gloria Partida has officially filed to run for reelection to her Davis City Council seat in District 4. Partida made Davis history when she was elected as the first Latina city councilmember, and again when she became the first Latina mayor. She stated, “Four years ago, I ran to ‘bring out the best in Davis.’ Looking back at how we got through the COVID-19 crisis, I believe that together we made that happen! I am running again because leading our community through a global pandemic has solidified my commitment and love for this city.”

    Partida is particularly proud of the city’s partnership with UC Davis on the Healthy Davis Together initiative, which provided free PCR testing for all residents of Davis and UC Davis students, faculty, and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic through June of this year. This unique collaboration garnered the attention of the New York Times as a model for cities in the US. Additionally, Partida helmed the city council through the funding recommendations for the 20 million federal dollars granted to Davis from the American Rescue Plan Act.

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  • Urban Forest Management Plan Photo Contest

    Urban-forest-photo-contest(From press release) Did you know that the City of Davis is undertaking an effort to plan for the next 40 years of urban forestry in our community? This is a time for all community members to deepen their understanding and awareness of our town's urban tree canopy. Tree Davis is partnering with the City to help bring awareness to the value of the urban forest and the opportunities for engagement on the Urban Forest Management Plan creation process through a photo contest:

    Tree Davis invites all amateur photographers to enter the City of Davis Urban Forest Management Plan Photo Contest! Photos will be judged by a panel of Tree Davis staff, board members, and a representative from the City of Davis. Judging will be based on originality, educational value, and relevance to the Urban Forest Management Plan, a 40-year plan that will guide the management of the City's urban forest.

    Desired photo types:

    • Tree portraits
    • People with trees
    • Wildlife with trees
    • Streetscapes

    1st place will receive their choice of a free shade tree or gift certificate to Redwood Barn Nursery

    2nd and 3rd places will have a choice of a variety of Tree Davis swag 

    Submissions for the contest will be accepted from 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟯𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟳𝘁𝗵. Selected entries will be published in the City of Davis' Urban Forest Management Plan, to be published in Spring/Summer 2023, and used on Tree Davis and City of Davis websites and social media. By entering this contest, you give Tree Davis and the City of Davis the right to post your photo and use it in the Urban Forest Management Plan. Photographers will be credited where applicable.

    Maximum 10 entries per person.

    For more information visit www.treedavis.org, (530) 758-7337, or contact info@treedavis.org

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