enterprise THE DAVIS
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 2020
University Commons proposal returns to City Council on Tuesday BY ANNE TERNUS-BELLAMY Enterprise staff writer The fate of University Commons will likely be decided Tuesday. The proposal would replace the existing University Mall on Russell Boulevard with a seven-story, mixed-use development featuring up to 264 apartments of varying
sizes over 136,000 square feet of retail and office space. The Davis City Council discussed the project at its July 21 meeting but after hours of public comment and the hour approaching midnight, chose to push further discussion and final action to Tuesday. As they did when the proposal went before the Davis Planning
Commission in May, many residents of adjacent neighborhoods voiced their objections in July to the sheer size of the project and the impact it would have on nearby traffic and parking. That University Commons would “destroy the character of the neighborhood” was an objection heard more than once. Those objecting to the
proposal, however, were outnumbered during a public comment period where a sizable number of UC Davis students weighed in in support of the project. Many of them expressed shock that the planning commission in May had unanimously opposed the project. City Council members, however, mentioned many of the
same concerns planning commissioners had and requested additional information in order to help them make their decision. Concerns included the number of four-bedroom units proposed for the project (up to 45 percent of units), the height of the building (seven stories) and the
SEE COUNCIL, PAGE A5
County tops 2,000 total COVID cases
Images all around us
BY ANNE TERNUS-BELLAMY Enterprise staff writer
GRACIE HARTSOUGH/COURTESY PHOTO
The public is welcome to view “Imagine a World Where Everyone Counts” by artist shyboytoto on the Mrak Terrace of International House Davis, 10 College Park. Below, “Resilience Grows in the Backyard,” by Sarah Craft, is at the south side of the Davis Farmers Market plaza in Central Park.
Local artists respond to current events with pavement paintings Enterprise staff In late July, local artist Tony Tran, also known as shyboytoto, created a striking painting on the Mrak Terrace of International House, Davis, titled “Imagine a World Where Everyone Counts” — envisioning a community in which all people feel safe, empowered and free to express their identities joyfully. His work is part of the #Plan4Resilience series of pavement paintings spearheaded by Danielle Fodor and supported by the city of Davis Arts and Cultural Affairs program. Fodor’s son Raul Sierra, 12, inspired the series when he asked to create a temporary pavement painting on Earth Day, which eventually was
washed away by May rains, Fodor said. Considering challenges to the future such as the pandemic, institutional racism, economic collapse and the climate crisis, Fodor asked community artists three questions — and to paint their answers on pavements throughout the community. The questions were: What can we learn from this moment? What has the pandemic taught us? What can we carry into the future that can make us more resilient? Since then, some of the paintings have faded out with rain and sun. Some are starting to fade, but still visible, like the ones created by Sara Craft and Dianna Craig in Central Park.
COURTESY PHOTO
“Resilience Grows in the Backyard” by Craft is at the south side of the Davis Farmers Market plaza, and “Black Lives Matter” by Craig is at the Solidarity Space for George, Ahmaud, Breonna and Tony. The latest painting is Candice Foster’s “Plant a Seed for Change” at the Cannery. On
Arnold seeks re-election in City Council’s District 2 BY ANNE TERNUS-BELLAMY Enterprise staff writer When Will Arnold first ran for Davis City Council back in 2016, he did so, he said, because he wanted to give back to the community that had raised him. The lifelong Davis resident was one of four candidates that year seeking three open seats on the council and he ultimately earned one of them, joining incumbents Brett Lee and Lucas Frerichs as the top
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three finishers. When he was sworn in, Arnold recalled on Friday, “I said that this was one of the great honors of my lifetime, to be able to serve the community I grew up in, in this way. “And it’s been a real honor to serve the community these past four years.” Arnold is proud of what he and his council colleagues have accomplished during that tenure, from major infrastructure projects like the wastewater
INDEX
The I-House terrace painting is shyboytoto’s “call to
SEE ARISTS, PAGE A5
SEE COVID, PAGE A2
Jimenez unopposed for county Board of Ed BY JEFF HUDSON
treatment plant ARNOLD being com- Tough decision pleted to a housing supply expanded through the approval of a handful of developments. He’s also enjoyed the work along the way, he said. But the decision on whether to seek re-election this year wasn’t easy, given the city’s move to districtbased council elections.
SEE ARNOLD, PAGE A5
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Labor Day, there will be two more installed, at the Davis Arts Center and at the Davis Food Co-op (which is sponsoring an artist directly, to honor farm workers).
Yolo County reported 58 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, on top of 40 cases reported Friday. The county has now recorded 2,019 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, and the 469 new cases tallied by the state in the last two weeks may limit the likelihood that elementary schools in the county will be able to get waivers to open for inperson instruction. Under the state’s guidelines, elementary schools in counties on the state’s monitoring list may seek such a waiver if — among other conditions — they have fewer than 200 cases per 100,000 residents over the previous two weeks. Yolo County, as of Saturday, is at 209.7 cases per 100,000 residents, according to the state Department of Public Health. The bulk of the county’s cases are outside the city of Davis. Woodland and West Sacramento combined account for more than 72 percent of Yolo County’s cases, while Davis accounts for 11 percent, despite having the largest population of the three cities. Twenty-eight of the 58 new cases reported Saturday were in Woodland, while 20 were in West Sacramento and just two in Davis. Winters reported three new cases on Saturday and the unincorporated areas of the county reported five. Of the nine new cases in Davis reported on Friday and Saturday, five were in people between 18 and 24. No other age group in Davis has seen
southern Santa Cruz and northern Monterey counties. Enterprise staff writer “My father, who is from MexWhen the nomination period ico, had a third-grade education, closed on Wednesday for a fourand I grew up speaking Spanish year seat on the Yolo County Board and English,” Jimenez said. “As of Education representing portions the son of immigrant parents, I of Davis, only one candidate had know firsthand the educational filed — Jerry Jimenez, who will be JIMENEZ challenges that ‘at-promise stusworn in for a four-year term fol- Only candidate dents’ experience,” he continued. lowing the Nov. 3 election. (Jimenez explained that he Jimenez told The Enterprise that he prefers the term “at-promise” to “at-risk” grew up in Watsonville, a semi-rural/ when discussing certain categories of semi-urban community in southern students in K-12 school districts.) Santa Cruz County on the border with Jimenez went on to become a college Monterey County. student at the University of Southern Jimenez described himself “as the son California (earning a bachelor’s degree in of immigrant parents,” and attended pub- philosophy) and later became a school lic schools in the Pajaro Valley Unified teacher. School District, which has about 20,000 SEE JIMENEZ, PAGE A5 students spread over a broad area of
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