The Davis Enterprise Sunday, September 27, 2020

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2020

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City declares air emergency, bans leaf blowers BY ANNE TERNUS-BELLAMY Enterprise staff writer

Wesley Young, UC Davis director of services for international students and scholars, speaks with students outside the UC Davis International Center in 2019. BONNIE SHEA/ COURTESY PHOTO

Trump policy would limit student visas BY CALEB HAMPTON Enterprise staff writer The United States Department of Homeland Security announced a proposed rule Friday that would limit the duration international students are permitted to stay in the U.S. The proposed rule will go through a 30-day public comment period before a final rule is published. Currently, student visas do not have a fixed expiration. Provided that international students make regular progress towards their degree each term, their visas remain valid until they have finished their students.

The Trump administration’s proposed rule change would make it so most student visas expire after four years. If students have not completed their degree in that time, they would need to show evidence of circumstances outside of their control, such as a medical condition or research funding delays, in order to have their visa extended. Additionally, students from many countries would only be eligible for student visas that expire after two years. Citizens of countries on the United States’ State Sponsor of Terrorism List — Iran, Syria, Sudan

and North Korea — would be limited to two-year visas, as would citizens of any country associated with a high visa overstay rate. Those students could apply to extend their visas for up to four years once they are in the U.S. Trump administration officials said the rule changes are needed to maintain stricter oversight of foreign students. “Amending the relevant regulations is critical in improving program oversight mechanisms; preventing foreign adversaries from exploiting the country’s education environment; and properly enforcing

and strengthening U.S. immigration laws,” said Ken Cuccinelli, the senior official performing the duties of the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security. Immigration attorneys and advocates say the proposed visa rules would put foreign students in a precarious position where they could be forced to leave the country before completing their degrees. Roughly 40% of UC Davis undergraduate students take longer than four years to graduate, and the proposed rule makes no exceptions for Ph.D. programs, which

SEE POLICY, PAGE A5

Grand jury scrutinizes Police Accountability Commission BY LAUREN KEENE Enterprise staff writer A Yolo County grand jury investigation found shortcomings in Davis’ Police Accountability Commission, which according to a report released last week has failed to fulfill some of its responsibilities and should undergo commissioner training on a number of issues. Much of the report revolves around a violent brawl that occurred several years ago on Picnic Day, when three plainclothed police officers traveling in an unmarked van confronted a crowd of civilians who had spilled into a traffic lane on

VOL. 123, NO. 117

COURTESY PHOTO

A fight between plain-clothed police officers and a crowd at Picnic Day 2017 led to the creation of the Police Accountability Commission. Russell Boulevard near the UC Davis campus. That altercation, and the public outcry that followed, led

INDEX

to an internal-affairs investigation by attorney McGregor Scott, then from the Sacramento law firm Orrick,

WEATHER

Business . . . . . A3 Forum . . . . . . . A8 Sports . . . . . . .B1 Classifieds . . . .B7 Living . . . . . . . .B5 The Wary I . . . . A2 Comics . . . . . . .B6 Obituaries . . . . A6 Weather . . . . . .B4

The city of Davis declared an air quality emergency Saturday afternoon as smoke from wildfires blew into the region. The emergency declaration temporarily bans the use of all leaf blowers until lifted by the city manager. Conditions that lead to a ban on leaf blowers include local air quality index values over 100 (unhealthy for sensitive groups) as well as the presence of wildfire ash and future air quality forecasts. By 3 p.m. on Saturday, AQI levels in some parts of the city were approaching 150, which is considered unhealthy for all groups. The leaf blower ban applies to gas and electric blowers used on public and private property within the city. Anyone operating a leaf blower in violation of the temporary ban may be issued an administrative citation and be subject to fines. “If your neighbor or someone working on your neighbor’s yard is using a leaf blower during a declared air quality emergency with restrictions placed on leaf blower use, you should first attempt to address the

SEE BLOWERS, PAGE A6

As Yolo heads toward red, cases increase statewide BY ANNE TERNUS-BELLAMY Enterprise staff writer

Herrington & Sutcliffe, the findings of which were not publicly released but underwent review by then-interim police auditor Michael Gennaco. Gennaco’s report slammed the Davis Police Department for its handling of the April 22, 2017, incident, from the officers’ use of abrasive language and failure to identify themselves as police, to the department’s release of an inaccurate press release that minimized the officers’ actions. Two of the three officers were disciplined. The probe also led a revamped police oversight

Even as Davis residents and business owners count down to Tuesday, when the state may move Yolo County into a less restrictive tier on its COVID risk chart and allow more activities to resume here, state officials are warning of an uptick in cases and hospitalizations statewide. The increases were not unexpected, according to Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s secretary of health and human services, as they follow by about three weeks the Labor Day weekend — and gatherings that may have occurred then — as well as the reopening of businesses and activities in counties that already made the move into less restrictive tiers.

SEE GRAND JURY, PAGE A5

SEE CASES, PAGE A3

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