Welcome to the party
The Davisite wishes you a Merry Christmas, a Happy (8th night of) Hanukkah, and a Happy Solstice!!
– your friendly admins, Colin & Roberta
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Greetings of the season from the Davisite!
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Welcome to Al’s Corner – “Pouring Gasoline on the Dumpster Fire of Davis Politics” – Volume #16 [Vaguely Mixed PC Holiday Edition]
Marginally enjoyable holidays from Al's Corner 😐 . . . 'Tis the season to be an a-hole.
Express your inner a-hole at Al's Corner!
[See "Pages" –> "Al's Corner – What It Is" for Rulez.]
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Electrify Uman!
(From press release) The first of Davis' Sister Cities was Uman, Ukraine. Due to the on-going war, their electrical grid is spotty; they get, at most, electricity for half the day. It is cold in Ukraine. We have been in direct contact with the mayor of Uman and their Sister City liaison. Their most pressing need is power to heat their shelters.The Davis Odd Fellows, Davis Ukraine Relief Committee (DURC), and the Davis Sunset Rotary are teaming up to get generators purchased and shipped to Uman early in January. This is a tall order and we need your help.
We are hosting a benefit to raise money to purchase and ship these generators on Wednesday, December 21st, from 5-8 p.m. at the Odd Fellows Lodge, located at 415 2nd St., Davis.
There will be complimentary appetizers, a silent auction, no-host bar, and a video message from the Mayor of Uman! Food and drink are being donated by caring individuals and beer has been donated by Dunloe brewery. Can't make the event? Donations can be made at any time by scanning the QR code, or clicking the "Donate" button at the URL below.
https://www.davislodge.org/lodge-programs/odd-fellows-ukraine-relief-fund/
Working together, the Odd Fellows and the DURC have previously collected over $9,000 in donations from members of our community. Since everyone involved is a volunteer, over 99% of all donations received have gone directly to those in need. Initially, money we raised went to Ukraine via the international Odd Fellows organizations where money was used to relocate and rebuild a hospital and birthing center that was bombed in Lviv. Since our connection with the DURC, donations have stayed closer to home as we have helped four families get established in our extended neighborhood. A family of six, a single mother with three children, a family of four whose father stayed to fight in Ukraine, and a woman with an elderly father and a special needs daughter have all received financial assistance. During the month of December, all proceeds to the Ukraine Relief Fund will got to purchase and ship generators to our Sister City, Uman. We need to raise $10,000-$15,000 by December 31st. Will you help?
Help us keep our sisters and brothers in Uman warm for the winter!
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Davis Farmers Market open on Christmas and NY eves
(From press release) The Davis Farmers Market will be open regular hours every Saturday during the holidays, including Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. It will be closed on Wednesday, Dec. 28.The Saturday market is bustling this time of year, with local crafters, holiday music and carolers. Along with abundant produce, there are preserves, honey, vinegars, olive oils, nuts and nut butters, granola, baked goods, dried fruits, chocolate candies and local wine. Other items include handmade soaps and lotions, flowers (including poinsettias) and market-logo merchandise. Shoppers can enjoy coffee and hot food while they shop for the perfect items to fill personalized gift baskets.
In fact, the market’s Gift Basket Central, near the Market Shed, offers free baskets and wrapping of market items on Saturdays. The service is available to anyone who purchases three or more items at the Davis Farmers Market, at 301 C St. in Central Park.The Davis Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Wednesday hours are 3 to 6 p.m. November through March, and 3 to 7 p.m. April through October.
For more information, visit https//davisfarmersmarket.org or visit it on Facebook or Instagram.
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Yolo SPCA adoption event Saturday Dec. 17th at Pet Food Express
Peppermint Mocha is an adorable 6-month old male tabby hoping to have a home for the holidays!(From press release) Yolo SPCA is holding a kitty adoption event Saturday, Dec. 17th at 11am -2pm at Pet Food Express in Oakshade Shopping Center at 2171 Cowell Bvd. in south Davis. There are an array of kittens and some older kitties waiting for their forever home for the holidays! To see the kitties available for adoption with some information about than as well, please see the Yolo SPCWE website at https://www.yolospca.org/adopt.html. If you are interested in adopting, it helps to fill in an adoption request form ahead of time on line at https://form.jotform.com/52328506444151/.
For additional information, contact Yolo SPCA at yolospcafoster@gmail.com. To support and continue their work helping animals, Yolo SPCA welcomes and appreciates monetary donations which can be made online under “donate” at https://www.yolospca.org/.
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Yolo County Needs a “Just Transition” Climate Action Plan
Wetlands at the Patwin-Wintun Tending and Gathering Garden are the keystone project for Yolo County’s plan to turn 30 former gravel pits into 900 acres of recreational lakes and habitat. The feasibility study for the Cache Creek Parkway was conducted by economic consultants now hired for Yolo County’s Climate Action and Adaptation PlanBy Marlen Garcia, Anuj Vaidya, and Juliette Beck
Yolo County has a lot at stake in how we address the climate crisis. In September 2020, the Board of Supervisors passed a visionary resolution calling for a Just Transition approach to climate action and community resilience planning. Just Transition is a critical policy framework for ensuring that historically marginalized communities are centered and empowered to actively participate in the development of climate solutions. It is deeply relevant to Yolo County, which has the deepest levels of inequality in California.
Unfortunately, Yolo County’s recent choice of a Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) consultant team that did not include a Just Transition approach in their proposal is squandering a critical opportunity to address worsening socio-economic disparities. As members of a team that also submitted a proposal, we are intimately familiar with the process and motivated to share our concerns by a sense of moral obligation to our community and future generations.
Yolo County’s houseless, BIPOC, rural communities, outdoor workers, and youth are already being hit first and worst by climate breakdown. Summer temperatures in Woodland and West Sacramento average ten degrees hotter than in greenbelt-lined Davis; air pollution has worsened along the 1-80 corridor; eviction rates have increased by 57% since last year. Alarmingly, multinational companies are mining groundwater to feed thousands of acres of perennial orchards, while small, family farms and the wetlands at the Patwin-Wintun Tending and Gathering Garden in the heart of Yolo County have gone dry.
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Gift Basket Central returns to the Davis Farmers Market
(From press release) After a two-year hiatus, the Davis Farmers Market’s Gift Basket Central is back, offering free baskets and wrapping of market items on Saturdays.On Saturdays in December, shoppers can compile items for custom gift baskets, and have them wrapped for free at the market’s Gift Basket Central station. There are red, green and blue tissue options, neutral and red baskets, cellophane wrapping and various colored ribbons. The service is available to anyone who purchases three or more items at the Davis Farmers Market, at 301 C St. in Central Park.
The market will be open regular hours (8 a.m. to 1 p.m.), every Saturday, including Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. It will be closed on Wednesday, Dec. 28.
Looking for ideas? Besides the abundant produce, market sellers offer preserved jams and sauces, lemon curd, honey, balsamic vinegars, olive oils, dried herbs, nuts and nut butters. There are sweets like dried fruit or chocolate-covered almonds, pistachio brittle, and local wines. Other items include handmade soaps and lotions, wreaths, hats and scarves. Enjoy coffee and hot food, and peruse artisan crafts, market-logo merchandise, and surprising local ingredients for gift baskets.
There’s also “The Davis Farmers Market Cookbook, Revised Edition,” which features seasonal recipes from market produce. Also at the Market Shed, there are shopping baskets, market-logo aprons, hats, totes, mugs and T-shirts. Shoppers have access to an ATM, and the Market Shed accepts credit and debit cards.
Still need inspiration? Market staffers are prepared with a list of gift basket ideas for chefs, bakers, party hosts, chocolate lovers, and youths, or with themes like breakfast or relaxation.
The rest of the year, the Davis Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Wednesday hours are 3 to 6 p.m. November through March, and 3 to 7 p.m. April through October.
For more information, visit https//davisfarmersmarket.org or visit it on Facebook or Instagram.
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Letter: Support Education in Davis
A good education is a human right. It is also a societal good, given human interdependence. These are basic moral truths, yet we don't always act like they are, as two recent happenings in Davis illustrate.As reported in the Enterprise, DJUSD teachers, backed by many supporters, have been asking for a salary increase, given the high cost of housing and the lower salaries that Davis teachers have as compared to neighboring cities. Teaching is extremely rewarding, but it is not reasonable to expect people to dedicate their hearts and souls only to find out that they cannot make ends meet. So teachers who can leave, do leave, and K-12 education is sacrificed.
During the same time period, several groups of University of California workers have been on strike (two have now settled), including graduate student teaching assistants. Ostensibly, these workers work "half time," but that is misleading. In some (perhaps many) cases, these workers end up doing far more than 20 hours per week, given grading, assisting students during office hours and appointments, holding discussion sections, answering emails, etc. In addition, these grad student workers are expected to do their own coursework and research, making the position in reality a full-time one. (They are often not permitted to take outside work, or at least strongly discouraged from doing so). That these grad student workers cannot likewise make ends meet threatens their own education as well as the education of undergraduates.
Paying these workers more is the obvious solution, but dedicated housing on DJUSD land and UCD land, respectively, should also be in the mix, as a way to buffer against the vagaries of inflation and rising housing costs.
It is a moral imperative that we do more for our DJUSD teachers and our UCD graduate student workers.
– Roberta Millstein is an Emerit Professor in the Department of Philosophy at UC Davis
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Arborealis legalis persona
An earlier illegal dump of yard waste on East Covell. Imagine being on a bike at this location…That's Latin for "Legal personhood of trees".
Part One:
So that was fun. I was working and came across a huge mother f****** pile of yard waste in the bike lane on westbound Arlington in front of Harding Terrace. This is, of course, strictly illegal. I went to three of the homes here and one guy was nice the other two said they didn't know anything about it.
No surprises so far.
I called the Davis Police Dept non-emergency line and they said they can't do anything about it until the morning and I could be connected to code enforcement or whatever. The lack of surprises continue.
Still no surprises.
I asked what if it was yard waste blocking a traffic lane they said no they wouldn't come until tomorrow morning because it doesn't constitute an emergency.
The lack of surprises continue.
Then I asked t if it was a tree branch that fell into the traffic lane or the bike lane. They said that would be an emergency and they would have to dispatch a crew to deal with it immediately.
So in other words… if you want to block a traffic lane or a bike lane, be sure to use the right part of a tree!!
* Pretty much the only time I contact the police or CHP is when there's a potential of traffic violence, such as assault using intentionally-placed yard waste in bike lanes.
Part Two: There is no "Holiday Tree" in Davis.
I am Jewish. Christmas is a fine and a lovely tradition. I am happy to celebrate it with friends who do.
There is no "Holiday Tree" in Davis. It's a Christmas Tree.
All the activities at the City's "Candlelight Parade and Tree Lighting Ceremony" refer to Christmas or the northern Winter.
Why is it called a "Holiday Tree"? It's because some years back various parties sued various entities across the country to remove mentions of "Christmas" in government activities.
I am fine with the City co-organizing and co-sponsoring this, because most people in the City celebrate Christmas in one form or another. It's certainly a vital issue that a truly enlightened city council should address if other holidays that residents celebrate are not observed in equal proportion in terms of e.g. staff time and finances, all year round. While I am not sure if there's an e.g. Kwaanza or Hanukkah song etc in the choir program, it would just be tokenism. (These are just examples — there are other holidays around this time celebrated by many in the region, including the Eastern Xmas in early January).
Calling the Christmas Tree a "Holiday Tree" is like referring to the Hanukkiah (the eight-candle menorah used for Hanukkah) as a "Holiday Candlebra" or Dia de los Muertos as "Mexican Halloween". It's a well-intentioned but very sloppy bit of false-inclusivity. As such, and because we're paying for part of it, it's a lie. Because is it's a lie about cultural and sometimes religious traditions, it's discriminatory. It has no place in any city, especially one whose leaders wave the flag of equity every chance they get. Keep the Christmas Tree, but please start calling it that. (There's an obvious argument some could make that "Holiday" refers also to New Year's, but the transition period from December 31st to January 1st is only the Gregorian New Year — again, representative of a large proportion of the population, but far from nearly everyone).
The above repeated and Next Door discussion in this Google Doc copy. (For Next Door users from certain neighborhoods in Davis, here is a direct link)
Two members of Tree Commission searching for Entwives with Street Tree Defenders. Source: https://allentotingski.artstation.com/projects/rRPVQ2Posted by
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Welcome to Al’s Corner – “Pouring Gasoline on the Dumpster Fire of Davis Politics” – Volume #15 [Thanksgiving Edition]
Let's all gather around the Al's Corner Thanksgiving table and give thanks that Al's Corner provides a place to moan & complain about what is stupid in Davis.
Let the complaining begin!
[See "Pages" –> "Al's Corner – What It Is" for Rulez.]
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