The Davis Enterprise Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Davis Cards & Games keeps good times rolling

By Aaron Geerts Enterprise staff writer

Davis Cards & Games is more than a local business owned by women; it’s a realm of imagination, creativity and fun. With board games, cards and crafts abound, the shop is a veritable beacon of Gondor that calls all walks of life to go thither and enjoy an atmosphere that’s as nerdy as it is accepting.

Back in 2015, Melissa

Showalter was retiring from her career as a nurse and on the lookout for her next adventure in life. At the time, the Lodi native had one daughter, Megan, earning her Ph.D. at UC Davis while the other, Gretchen attended school in Sacramento. Gretchen was an avid player of Magic: The Gathering, but had a difficult time finding a local spot to play. With a need yet to be met in the community, Showalter

and her daughter, Gretchen opened up Davis Cards & Games in 2016.

“It was all about building a community, and we have a space where people feel safe, welcome and accepted. That’s the most important part to me,” explained Showalter, a lifelong lover of board games and puzzles. “We created this space where people can come in and do the things they like to do whether that’s Magic:

The Gathering, Pokémon, Warhammer or play board games. Now, we do so many roleplaying games and those weren’t the main component when we started. Those and Magic: The Gathering are equally as important and bring the most players in.”

While Davis Cards & Games caters to adults, it’s also a welcoming haven of fun and games for kids as well.

Politicians stash millions in leftover campaign cash

By Alexei Koseff and Ben Christopher CalMatters

It has been nearly eight years since Bill Lockyer held elected office in California.

For more than four decades, he climbed the ranks of state politics — Assembly member, Senate leader, attorney general, treasurer — before ending a campaign for controller amid turmoil in his marriage and retiring at the start of 2015.

Nevertheless, Lockyer still has more than $1 million in a campaign account for the 2026 lieutenant governor race. Every month, he pays $2,500 to consultant Michelle Maravich, who said she helps maintain his donor list, manage meetings and appearances, and provide advice on occasional contributions to other candidates as the 81-year-old Democrat contemplates a comeback.

“He misses the public arena and obviously still wants to be of service,” Maravich said. “I haven’t seen him lose a step.”

Lockyer’s seven-figure war chest is among the largest of nearly 100

Davis Peet’s shops vote to unionize

By Monica Stark Enterprise staff writer

Davis Peet’s employees are the first Peet’s employees in the country to file for unionization at their locations, inspiring other shops. North Davis and Downtown Peet’s employees voted last month following the tactics and success of Starbucks workers nationwide. Thirteen out of 15 employees voted to file for unionization at the North Davis Peet’s, and 11 out of 13 signed in favor at the downtown location.

Having filed with Workers United-SEIU, Peet’s Workers United organizers have followed in Starbucks Workers United’s footsteps. With the coffee shop

staffed mostly by students, Peet’s workers say they are fighting for a living wage and more hours, among other demands.

“I feel like we’re in a very fortunate position where we have watched them go before us, and they laid out the steps. Now, we can follow in their footsteps,” Schroedter Kinman, a shift lead at the North Davis Peet’s said.

Because of the physical and emotional demands of the job, Kinman, who has ADHD, has had to take care of his mental health by cutting back hours, leaving him without enough money to live on. “(The job) is not quite being a therapist, but you have to stay calm and

collected and say, ‘OK, I understand where you’re coming from. I’m sorry about that. Let me help you out.’ That is every day on the job, and it’s not an acknowledged element of (the job).”

Because most of the employees are students, Kinman said they are stretched past their limits when “it’s all the time.”

Kinman said workers are sent home when business is slow, leaving other tasks, like deep cleaning and organizing, to be caught up on during opening and closing. “We’re just scrambling all the time, opening and closing every single day

Pinedo finalizes Yolo County executive administrative team

By Anne Ternus-Bellamy Enterprise staff writer

Yolo County’s executive administrative team has been finalized.

County Administrator Gerardo Pinedo announced this month the appointment of Mark Bryan as deputy chief administrative officer. Jill Perez was previously appointed assistant chief administrative officer.

Pinedo himself was appointed county administrator by the Board of Supervisors in June.

“We are very excited to have a highly skilled and experienced administrative team to continue

serving the needs of all county residents in a multitude of areas ranging from public health and libraries to agriculture and public works,” Pinedo said. “Together, we support our Board of Supervisors in upholding and promoting the strong values and rich traditions of our county’s diverse

AAron Wedr A/Courtesy photos

Melissa and Gretchen Showalter, along with the staff at Davis Cards & Games celebrated the official ribbon-cutting in February at their current location at 1790 E. Eighth St.

BRYAN Deputy chief administrative officer

Maybe they can try penalty kicks

The other day I was reading about an election dilemma facing the fine Bay Area city of Richmond.

"Richmond to break tie by name draw," said the headline over a story by Martha Brennan of the Bay Area News Group.

Turns out city council candidates Andrew Butt and Cesar Zepeda both received precisely 1,921 votes to represent District 2 in the city of Richmond.

"Richmond officials will 'draw lots' to decide the winner," according to Brennan.

"Both candidates will report to City Hall, where their names will be written on a piece of paper, sealed in an envelope and placed in a bag. Both candidates will shake the bag and City Clerk Pamela Christian will draw an envelope and reveal the winner. The only other option the city had to decide the tie-breaker was to hold a special election as per state law."

And who wants another election if the one you just had resulted in a tie and the same two guys are running again?

I watched a video of this great

event that began when each candidate used a Sharpie to write his name on a piece of paper. Those "ballots" were then sealed in identical envelopes and placed in a very large red gift bag that looked like it came from Macy's.

Each candidate shook the bag vigorously and then Pamela Christian did her own shaking. Finally, she reached into the bag and pulled out both envelopes that had somehow stuck together. Another tie.

Back in the bag they went and this time a single envelope was drawn. When Christian opened it, she read the name of Cesar Zepeda. The two men shook hands amicably and that was that.

As unusual as this scenario might seem, it was not the first

Woodland cops investigate chase, shooting near school

By Lauren Keene Enterprise staff writer

Woodland police are on the lookout for a shooter in a vehicle chase that ended with a crash at a school campus.

Officers responded shortly after midnight Wednesday, Dec. 21, to multiple reports of shots being fired in the area of Woodland Christian School in the 1700 block of Matmor Road, arriving to discover the shooting stemmed from the car chase that began at East Gibson Road and County Road 102, according to a Woodland Police Department Facebook post.

During the chase, one of the vehicles crashed into the south gates of the school

campus. One person sustained injuries from jumping over a fence on campus but was not shot.

“We want to emphasize that the shooting was not related to Woodland Christian School,” police said.

“Officers thoroughly searched the campus to ensure that there were no additional victims or suspects on campus. There is no current threat to Woodland Christian School, its students, or staff.”

Woodland police investigators also responded to the scene but had not made any arrests or identified the suspect or their car — described as a black sportutility vehicle — as of Wednesday afternoon. Call 530-661-7800 with info.

time it has happened in a municipal election in California. And yes, as you might have guessed, it was our very own city of Davis that was a trailblazer in this regard. Aren't we always?

Going back a few decades, we had our own City Council dead heat between UC Davis professor John McMurdie and downtown Ford dealer Ernie Hartz, both incredibly popular, but decidedly different in their approach to city affairs.

As I have noted here previously, the matter had to be settled by the roll of a single die, which was a lesson in itself in that most folks in town didn't realize the word "dice" was plural. Apparently, this method of breaking a tie was addressed in the state constitution, which required that deadliced elections be decided "by lot."

Hartz rolled first and came up with a five as McMurdie supporters in the packed chamber groaned. A five seemed hard to beat.

Down, but not out, McMurdie bravely stepped up and rolled — wait for it — a five.

Nervous laughter rippled

throughout the chamber.

Hartz again. Again a five. McMurdie again. Again a five. (I am not making this up.)

Now there was riotous laughter that could be heard all the way to Woodland. The only two people in the room not laughing were McMurdie and Hartz.

Mayor Norm Woodbury muttered something about "loaded dice" and ordered that a new die be brought into the room. The ready availability of another die made one wonder what this council was doing during its spare time.

Hartz again. This time a four. McMurdie, always the comeback kid in this strange game, rolled a six. Game, set, match.

And the next thing you knew, our humble town had the esteemed Mr. Cronkite talking about us on the national news.

The moral of this story: your vote does count. Unless, of course, you'd rather see a game of dice.

It's never happened since in a city of Davis election, proving once again that you only die once.

— Reach Bob Dunning at bdunnin@davisenterprise.net.

Master Gardeners host Zoom meeting Jan. 7

Special to The Enterprise

January’s Kitchen Garden Chat given by Treva Valentine, an accomplished Yolo County Master Gardener, will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, via Zoom.

The link is at https/

ucanr.zoom.us/j/ 98028723763. This presentation will include what to do and plant in the January edible garden. Also included are questions on citrus and a discussion on the “how to’s” about microgreens. And if

you are lucky enough to have received a holiday greenhouse, how to choose the proper location for it. This presentation is free.

The Master Gardener Help Desk is at 530-6668737 or via email at mgyolo@ucdavis.edu.

Winters man charged in apartment break-in

By Lauren Keene Enterprise staff writer

A Winters man faces robbery and burglary charges after entering a West Davis apartment at random last week.

According to Lt. John Evans, 27-yearold Keenan Ricardo Campos tried to enter several apartments in the 2900 block of Portage Bay West on the afternoon of Dec. 22 before he got into a woman’s residence.

A 911 call first went to California

Highway Patrol dispatchers, who reported hearing sounds of a struggle between a man and woman. Officers went to the complex and obtained a description of the suspect, who was located nearby and taken into custody. Evans said the female victim had called 911 on her cell phone, which Campos allegedly grabbed out of her hand and ended the call, resulting in the robbery charge. Campos also was booked into the Yolo County Jail on suspicion of burglary and loitering.

Briefly

Cops investigate hate-crime assault

Davis police continue to seek the suspect in a downtown assault that’s been classified as a hate crime.

Officers responded at about 8:15 p.m. Dec. 21 to the 100 block of F Street, where the unknown suspect struck the male victim, who is of Middle Eastern descent, in the head with a stick, Lt. John Evans reported Tuesday.

“The suspect had followed the victim for a short distance and shouted racial slurs at him before striking him with the stick,” Evans said. The suspect fled the scene and remained at large as of Tuesday afternoon.

Evans described the suspect as a Hispanic or Asian adult male, about 5-foot-5 to 5-foot-9 with a medium build and short dark hair. He wore all-gray clothing and shoes and carried what appeared to be a black bed roll.

Anyone with information about this incident or the suspect’s identity is asked to contact the Davis Police Department at 530-747-5400.

Video aids arrest for grand theft

Winters police credit surveillance video for the arrest of a theft suspect last week.

In a Facebook post, the Winters Police Department said the investigation began shortly after noon Monday, Dec. 19, with a theft report in the 500 block of Railroad Avenue, where the victim reported having several fishing rods worth $3,250 stolen from his truck bed.

“The victim reviewed his surveillance cameras and saw a subject walking away from the area with the fishing rods; however, the subject put them down when he saw a Winters Police Department unit on routine patrol pass nearby,” the post said.

Officers recognized the suspect, identified as 34-year-old Luis Alberto Banuelos of Winters, from prior contacts and began looking for him. During the search, the victim called police dispatchers and reported seeing him walking

Obituary

nearby Rotary Park.

According to police, Banuelos fled when he saw the officers, but was apprehended at a nearby apartment complex following a brief foot chase. He was booked into the Yolo County Jail on charges of grand theft and resisting/obstructing a police officer.

“This incident was resolved through the cooperation of the public and the police,” police said. “Video surveillance again played a critical role in positively identifying the subject. The Winters Police Department maintains the Camera Registry Capture Program, a voluntary and confidential list of residents who register their surveillance cameras with us to help us solve crimes.”

For information about the program, visit www. winterspolice.org/ capture.

Twitter turmoil, on ‘Davisville’

The current edition of the KDRT program “Davisville” starts with a look at the recent turmoil at Twitter and leads into a conversation, sparked by host Bill Buchanan’s question, about “whether we’ll ever get social media right.”

Cindy Shen believes we will. She’s a social media expert and professor of communication at UC Davis, and said people have always figured out how to get a handle on disruptive technology — including things we no longer view as technology, such as the printing press.

“Over time, as people become more accustomed to the technology, we don’t see technology as this causal agent,” she said. “We realize that humans have agency as well. ... We have a say about how we want to use the technology.”

Teaching digital media literacy is a start, she said.

“Davisville” appears on Davis radio station KDRT-LP, 95.7 FM on Mondays at 5:30 p.m., Tuesdays at 5 p.m., Fridays at 12:30 p.m., and Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. The current program will be broadcast through Jan. 7, and is available anytime at https://kdrt. org/davisville or on Apple podcasts.

Yolo County Ed Board swears in trustees

Special to The Enterprise

WOODLAND — On Tuesday, Dec. 13, the Yolo County Board of Education held its final meeting of 2022, with an agenda that included selecting new officers, administering the oath of office to new and returning trustees, and recognizing an outgoing trustee.

The meeting opened with the board recognizing Trustee Carol Souza Cole of Woodland, who didn’t run for re-election after serving two terms in office.

Board of Supervisors

Chair Angel Barajas presented Souza Cole with an honorary resolution on behalf of the board. “(Souza Cole) is an amazing leader in Yolo County for our students, residents, schools, teachers and staff,” Barajas said. “She is someone that is definitely a role model for me and many people in Yolo County.”

Barajas and Souza Cole previously served together on the Woodland Joint Unified school board.

Souza Cole was first elected to the board in 2014 and then reelected in 2018. While on the board, she represented Trustee Area 5, which covers areas of Woodland, Esparto, Winters, and Knights Landing.

In her final comments, Souza Cole added, “Being part of this governance team has been so inspirational. I have worked with nine board members and

two superintendents. The quality of leadership here on the Yolo County Board of Education is pretty much unmatched at this moment in time.”

Souza Cole noted while she declined to run for reelection to the board, she has not decided if she will fully retire from public service. Souza Cole said, “I may or might not be continuing in public service but for right now, I am stepping off of the board.”

Souza Cole was also presented with honorary resolutions from Assemblywoman Cecilia AguiarCurry, Senator Bill Dodd, and Rep. John Garamendi.

During the meeting, the oath of office was administered to four board members, including three returning and one new member.

The oath of office for current trustee Elizabeth Esquivel was administered in English by her husband, Nick Esquivel, and in Spanish by her mother, Obdulia Munguia. Earlier this year, Esquivel was appointed to a vacancy for Trustee Area 1, representing West Sacramento. In November, she was elected to a four-year term.

The oath of office for current trustee Melissa Moreno was administered by former Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada. Moreno was first elected to the board in 2018 and represents Trustee Area 2, which covers west Davis and Winters. In November, Moreno was reelected to a four-year term.

The oath of office for current trustee Shelton Yip was administered by County Superintendent

Garth Lewis. Yip was appointed to the seat in 2021 after the seat was vacated by former trustee Jerry Jimenez. In November, Yip was elected to a two-year term to complete the remaining term for Trustee Area 4, which covers central and south Davis.

The board will be joined by new trustee Armando Salud-Ambriz, who was elected to his first term in November. He will serve a four-year term representing Trustee Area 5, which covers Esparto, Woodland, and Knights Landing. His oath of office was administered in English by his sister, Janet Andrade, and in Spanish by his mother, Dioselina Ambriz de Salud.

Tuesday’s meeting was also the board’s annual organizational meeting. Trustee Tico Zendejas of Woodland was elected president. Zendejas has served on the board since 2019 when he was appointed to an open trustee seat. In 2020, he ran unopposed for the seat and was elected to a four-year term.

Trustee Shelton Yip of Davis was elected vice president. Yip was appointed to the board in 2021 and elected to a twoyear term in November. He previously served on the board from 2012-2020.

Additional information on the Board of Education can be located on the Yolo County Office of Education website at www.ycoe.org.

DA: Beware of ‘spoofed’ emails seeking gift cards

By Lauren Keene Enterprise staff writer

Yolo County residents have reported a rise in email scams in which someone, while impersonating a friend or loved one, tries to get the victim to send money or purchase gift cards, according to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office.

In one recent case, a citizen received an email from a known friend, asking for help in purchasing Amazon gift cards online to send to a

relative on her behalf.

“The ‘friend’ said that she would repay the targeted victim. Luckily, the targeted victim called the actual person whose name was used in the scam email to confirm the request,” a Yolo DA news release said. “The genuine friend verified that she did not make the request.”

Rather, the “friend’s” email had been “spoofed” — falsified to make appear as though the communication is from a trusted source.

“It is important to know that once

your money is gone, it is very unlikely you will ever get it back,” the news release said. “If one of your friends or acquaintances asks for something even slightly unusual, or asks you to click on a link within an email, please contact them directly to determine the legitimacy of the request.”

Anyone who has been targeted by suspicious emails, phone calls or text messages can report them directly to the DA’s Office at Fraud@YoloDA.org or via the fraud hotline at 1-855-4965632.

UC Davis awards $5.8M in grants to state animal shelters

Special to The Enterprise

California for All Animals handed out awards totaling more than 5.8 million dollars to animal shelters across the state through its spring 2022 “Open Grant” cycle.

Launched in February, this five-year, state-funded initiative — administered

by the Koret Shelter Medicine Program at the UC Davis Center for Companion Animal Health — reflects California’s commitment to ending euthanasia of healthy and treatable animals.

The spring grant cycle focused on keeping animals in their homes through shelter and community

programming so that every at-risk animal can receive the Right Care in the Right Place, at the Right Time, and to the Right Outcome.

“We all know pets and people belong together,” said Allison Cardona, California for All Animals director.

More than 60 shelters

received grants in support of proposals that lay the tracks for a system of care that builds and sustains animal health and well-being.

“With this grant, we’re creating a network of neighbors ready to help locate a lost pet’s family, said Tracy Mohr, Chico Animal Shelter director.

Donald Steven Ormsbee — steadfast husband, father, grandfather, friend, and Davis resident for 25 years — passed away peacefully at his home in Davis on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022.

In 2015, he began what became a courageous fight against throat cancer and the many side effects of the radiation treatment, which ultimately led to numerous respiratory complications.

Don was deeply loved and will be dearly missed by his wife, Kay; daughter Kelli, son-in law Dave and

grandson Niko; son Steve and daughter-in-law Katie; and younger siblings Bill Ormsbee of Chino Hills and Linda Wren of Sacramento; along with extended family and friends.

A celebration-of-life service is planned from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, at The Table UMC on 5265 H St. in Sacramento.

People wishing to honor Don’s life can make donations to the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance or Singing

A fuller remembrance of Don’s life can be found at https://www.smithfunerals.com.

For Change

(Don was an avid fan of Jimmy Buffet, who established this organization).

Donald Steven Ormsbee Sept. 1, 1946 — Nov. 20, 2022

ORMSBEE

through

COurtesy phOtO

Yolo County Board of Education Trustee Melissa Moreno, left, takes the oath of office from former Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada.

STASH: All that innate frugality can really add up in bank account

accounts belonging to state political candidates with leftover campaign cash, according to a CalMatters analysis of California campaign finance records. Collectively, they hold about $35 million — funds that never got spent on the campaigns for which they were raised — ranging from $13.1 million that former Gov. Jerry Brown didn’t need to win re-election in 2014 to $9.62 in the account for a failed Assembly run that same year run by investment manager Thomas Krouse.

CalMatters counted campaign funds for the Legislature and state constitutional offices that politicians are sitting on years after leaving their positions, that are in committees for past races or for which the candidate did not end up running. These 96 accounts rarely raise new money, and in some cases, politicians have carried the same leftover contributions through election cycle after election cycle, transferring the money to new committees for positions they never actually sought.

The total does not include committees for candidates who ran in 2022. Those who lost in the June 7 primary have not yet

had to file paperwork declaring what they did with any leftover campaign cash, while the deadline is still three months away for candidates who made it to the Nov. 8 general election to decide their next move.

Some of the politicians holding onto past campaign contributions are simply waiting to figure out their next race, at which point they may tap into those eligible funds. Others are using the money to keep a foothold in the public arena, slowly spending down what’s left on political donations, charitable contributions and administrative expenses. Many of the accounts hold massive debts and must remain open if the candidates ever plan to raise cash to pay off outstanding loans and bills. And some of the money is merely sitting idle, in accounts where nothing much goes in or out, save interest and annual state filing fees.

“Perhaps the lack of activity reflects my innate frugality,” said Mike Gatto, a Democrat who served in the Assembly from 2010 through 2016 and has almost $2.1 million in a lieutenant governor 2026 account, some of it from an abandoned campaign for state treasurer in 2018.

In the first half of 2022, the

most recent period for which Gatto has filed a campaign finance report, he contributed about $2,500 to other candidates and earned nearly the same amount in interest.

Avoiding surplus funds

Once a politician leaves office or loses an election, a regulatory countdown begins.

If a candidate wants to use any of the spare cash from a prior campaign to fund a future political venture, state law allows 90 days to set up a new account and transfer the money. Miss that window and the funds are

designated “surplus.”

Surplus cash can be used to pay down debts, refund donors, expense administrative costs, support political parties or contribute to a “bona fide” charity. But it cannot fund a campaign for state office in California, whether the candidate’s own or someone else’s.

Avoiding that dreaded surplus designation is why so many former politicians always seem to be running for something — at least on paper.

The job of lieutenant governor is an especially popular choice. There are 21 open lieutenant governor committees for the 2026 primary, including for Senate

and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. Fewer than half are actively fundraising.

By passing cash from one account to another each election cycle, some former politicians can hang onto campaign contributions for years — even decades — after they held state office.

The 2026 treasurer campaign controlled by former Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, for example, is sitting on nearly $2 million. That’s what remains of the $2.1 million the account received from Núñez’s treasurer 2022 committee in late August.

That account, in turn, got its cash from a Fabian Núñez for Treasurer 2018 committee, which was funded by a treasurer 2014 account, which was funded by a committee for a 2010 state Senate campaign.

This daisy chain of electoral accounts, connected by transfers made within those crucial 90 days after the end of each election cycle, reaches back to its ultimate source: the former speaker’s 2006 Assembly committee, which was shored up with a then-controversial influx of cash from the state Democratic Party.

Núñez has not campaigned for office since he was termed out of the Assembly in 2008.

President Pro Tem Toni Atkins

Miguel gutierrez Jr./ CalMatters graphiC

PEET’S: Student employees look for relief

and then trying to go to school and then trying to have a life.”

Kinman’s ideal workplace would be one with enough staffing, on the floor, at all times.

The next step is an election. Because most of the employees are students, scheduling an election time that works for all may be difficult, Kinman said. He’s interested in the possibilities of vote-by-mail or online voting, following the path of the historic graduate-student strike, which ended on Dec. 23 as online voting closed that evening.

Davis Peet’s donated coffee to the picket line of the grad-student strike that began Nov. 14.

Kinman said brewing coffee for 30-gallon orders came with feelings surrounding his support of the strikers and a desire for his workplace to

improve. “It’s very frustrating to see that double standard, like, ‘oh yeah, Peet’s loves community and people.’ And it’s like, ‘OK, What about the Peet’s community and people?

Oh, no, that’s too much; it’s going to mess up the Peet’s culture.’”

Kinman and his coworker and organizer Alyx Land both attended UC Davis for graduate school and opted to work at Peet’s for the long run.

Land graduated from UC Davis in 2017 with a master’s degree and decided to move away from academia due to the high-stress environment to work at Peet’s.

Land doesn’t take issue with the argument that unionizing will “change Peet’s culture … Considering Peet’s culture is one of overwork and stress — my coworkers and I welcome that change.”

“If we had more staffing, we could have more genuine exchanges with our customers, like how Peet’s started out. During a rush, all we can do is scramble to get out all the mobile orders and help the inhouse customers to the best of our ability — but it’s a disservice to our customers that staffing is kept to the bare minimum necessary to function. We don’t even have time to clean as much as we would like to.”

An employee at Peet’s for five years, Land said while there is an “open door policy” to express

grievances, what changes have been made have not been enough. “So we are trying something different — unionizing.”

Schroedter said workers from a Southern California Peet’s asked unionization-type questions. He added that since the two Davis locations filed to form a union, Peet’s workers elsewhere have been in touch with Starbucks United asking those same questions.

“This is really exciting for me, and this just is the beginning. It just starts a wave of people having a say in our workplace. You know, we’re the ones on the floor, in the cafes, serving the coffee. We should have some input on our conditions, and we just don’t,” he said.

— Contact Monica Stark at monica@ davisenter prise.net.

EXECUTIVE: Experienced hands moving up

From Page A1

population.”

Supervisor Angel Barajas, who chairs the Board of Supervisors, said, “The board is inspired to see that both Jill and Mark have worked closely with CAO Pinedo. Furthermore, their skill set, experience, and relationships have helped Yolo County steer in the right direction. We are pleased to have them on board.”

Perez has over 28 years of county service, beginning as a public health nurse in West Sacramento in 1994.

In 1996, she accepted a position with Solano County in the Health & Social Services Department where she worked for 15 years. She returned to Yolo County in 2011 as the Health Department director and was promoted to Department of Health Services director in 2013.

In 2015, Perez was promoted to the county administrator’s office, where she served as deputy county

administrator. She then served as interim assistant county administrator from January 2022 through July.

Bryan started his career with Yolo County in 1994 as a forensic clinician with the Mental Health Department. He then continued with the department through the consolidation into the Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Department, becoming a program coordinator, program manager, and then the deputy director for operations and finance.

When ADMH and the Health Department merged into Health Services, Bryan served as the assistant director of health services. In 2015, he moved to the county administrator’s office as the financial system manager to oversee the

countywide IT system implementation. He subsequently took on the additional role of capital projects manager.

During the height of the countywide pandemic response, Bryan served as the director of the COVID Response Operations Center. For the last 12 months, he has served as the interim deputy county administrator.

The County Administrator’s Office is responsible for implementing the vision of the elected Board of Supervisors and for the daily operations of county government. It oversees and provides guidance to 12 appointed department heads, collaborates closely with the three elected department heads, and works with several county-related agencies, the four cities within Yolo County, and the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation.

— Reach Anne Ternus-Bellamy at aternus@davisenterprise.net. Follow her on Twitter at @ATernusBellamy.

CARDS: Owners seek to fill a need for kids

From Page A1

According to Showalter, they host various kids camps that teach them how to play Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering and — of course — Pokémon. On the outside, these games can be mistaken for time-wasters or holding no value in kids’ development. In reality, they can be a whetstone to sharpen kids’ minds with critical/strategic thinking challenges as well as necessitating organization and mental math skills — but don’t tell the kids they’re doing math.

Alongside the role-playing and card games is the store’s extensive library of board games. While board games can cost a pretty penny elsewhere, one can simply pay five dollars for full access to the library and — as Showalter would say — try before you buy. One can also rent these board games and take them home to play and practice for events coming to the store in 2023.

“We’re in our third location because we’ve needed bigger play spaces for our Magic and Warhammer leagues. We also bring players together on our Discord so they can organize times they want to come and play,” Showalter said. “I just love owning a business with my daughter. It’s also nice just getting to meet wonderful people in the Davis community, getting to know these families and watching these kids grow up.

“It’s bittersweet, though, because we’ll get to know these college students as they come here for their four years, and then they graduate and move away and it’s so sad. But I have a lot of them come back to visit and say hi and tell me

there are no stores like this one wherever they ended up.”

To Showalter, local game stores like Davis Cards & Games and Bizarro World aren’t cookie-cuttter clones of one another. Rather, they’re individualistic expressions that reflect the character of the owners and the games they specialize in. With so much creativity, wackiness and diversity of clientele, this store is a microcosm of the town it derives its namesake.

“I think our store serves a good need. Kids need to learn how to socialize, problem solve and keep just sitting in front of the TV all day. We also started this Fairy Tea Party that’s more craft-oriented toward younger children,” Showalter said.

“We’re trying to have things for kids of all ages. The fairy queen is here, we tell stories and it’s all about using your imagination.”

To stay up-to-date on all things Davis Cards & Games, one can check out their website at daviscardsandgames.com, visit their social media accounts by searching @daviscardsandgames on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Discord and Twitch. Alternatively, visit their 4,000-square-foot storefront and play area at 1790 E. Eighth St., or call 530564-4656.

PEREZ Assistant chief administrative officer

“We are trying something different — unionizing.”

Alyx Land Peet’s employee

“We’re in our third location because we’ve needed bigger play spaces.”

Melissa Showalter Davis Cards & Games

Football

Broncos fire former Aggie coach Hackett

Enterprise staff

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. Nathaniel Hackett is one-and-done.

The Denver Broncos fired Hackett after less than one full season on Monday. The former UC Davis football assistant coach and player had served as the Green Bay Packers’ offensive coordinator before being named the Broncos’ new mentor on Jan. 27. He was the 17th head coach in the franchise’s history.

The Broncos’ record dropped to 4-11 after they lost to the Los Angeles Rams 51-14 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Christmas Day.

Broncos owner and CEO Greg Penner said in a statement Monday on Twitter, “On behalf of our ownership and organization, I want to thank Nathaniel Hackett for his dedication as head coach of the Denver Broncos. We sincerely appreciate Nathaniel’s efforts and wish him and his family all the best in the future.”

The statement further noted that “following extensive conversations with (football executive) George (Paton) and our ownership group, we determined a new direction would ultimately be in the best interest of the Broncos. This change was made now out of respect to everyone involved and allows us to immediately begin the search for a new head coach.”

Hackett is only the fifth head coach fired before the end of his first season since the NFL and AFL merged in 1970.

Hackett, whose father Paul is also a former UCD football player, is the first UCD graduate to be named head coach of an NFL team.

Before he was the Packers’ offensive coordinator, Hackett was the quarterbacks coach and interim offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was the offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills. He started his NFL coaching career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2006.

The former Aggie played linebacker and long snapper at UCD.

Hackett started his football coaching career with the Aggies.

Then he coached at Stanford. He had also coached at Syracuse in between his stints with the Buccaneers and Bills.

The Broncos head coaching position became vacant in January when Vic Fangio was fired after three seasons.

Denver finished the 2021 season with a 7-10 record and 19-30 during Fangio’s time in charge.

According to the Broncos’ website Monday, Denver has named Senior Assistant Jerry Rosburg as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2022

See AGGIES, Page B6

basketball

Blue Devil teams preparing for tournaments

By Mike Bush Enterprise sports editor

Noah Salmon is returning to the Davis High boys basketball team at the right time.

That is because the Blue Devils are entering their final tournament of the season starting today.

Davis (5-4) makes the journey to Fairfield High, which is the site of the Ronald D. Thompson Holiday Classic. The classic, which involves eight teams, runs through Friday.

Tonight at 8, Davis takes on Benicia (6-1), which is a member of the Diablo Valley League in the North Coast Section. Benicia was in the Sac-Joaquin Section until it petitioned to join the North Coast, and accepted, in 2018.

The winner of Davis-Benicia game plays the Natomas-Liberty Ranch of Galt winner on Thursday, also at 8 p.m. The Davis-Benicia and Natomas-Liberty Ranch losers also play Thursday at 3:30 p.m.

“This will certainly be a good test for (Davis) in the opening game,” said Davis head coach Dan Gonzalez. “Benicia is having a great season and the way they play with full-court defensive pressure will be good for us entering league.”

Other teams in the tournament are host Fairfield, Vintage of Napa, Vallejo and Castlemont of Oakland. Salmon, a 6-foot-2 guard, has missed the Blue Devils’ last eight games due to a foot injury. Having him back in the backcourt certainly is a big plus for the team.

“This will also be good for Noah,” said Gonzalez of See TOURNAMENTS, Page B6

UC Davis men at Hawaii on Thursday

By Bob Dunning Enterprise staff writer

After an up-and-down run through a rugged non-conference schedule, the UC Davis men’s basketball team will open its 20-game Big West Conference slate Thursday at highly regarded Hawaii.

Game time is 9 p.m. (PST).

UCD takes a 7-5 mark into the league opener after starting the season Nov. 7 with an impressive 75-65 win over California, their first victory over the Golden Bears in 34 tries.

Along the way, the Aggies had impressive wins over Sacramento State, Arkansas State, Southeast Missouri and Boston University, but disappointing losses to Pacific and Eastern Washington.

In their most recent outing, the Aggies dropped an 81-54 decision to No. 8 UCLA on Dec. 21.

With a number of new faces in the lineup, UCD head coach Jim Les believes his team has the talent to be playing its best basketball in February and March.

Last season the Aggies were 13-11 overall, but just 5-6 in the Big West as eight of their games were canceled due to COVID. UCD ended up playing the fewest number of conference games of any

Big West school, a deficit that may have figured in the Aggies being eliminated in the second round of the league tournament in Henderson, Nev. in early March.

Long Beach State posted the best regular season Big West record last year at 12-3, but Cal State Fullerton claimed the tournament title and automatic NCAA bid, where the Titans lost to Duke, 78-61, in the first round.

Fullerton, coached by former Aggie Dedrique Taylor, beat the Aggies three times last season, 74-58 and 62-59 in the regular season and 73-55 in the second round of the Big West tournament.

In non-conference play so far in the 2022-23 season, UC Santa Barbara is 9-2, Hawaii 9-3, UC Irvine, UC Riverside and UCD all 7-5, Cal Poly, Fullerton and Long Beach all 6-6, UC San Diego 5-7, Cal State Bakersfield 4-7 and CSUN 3-8.

Hawaii presents a tough opener for the Aggies, bringing a fourgame win streak into the game after sweeping Pepperdine, Washington State and SMU to win the Diamond Head Classic that concluded on Christmas Day.

Hawaii’s stingy defense allows just 60.2 points a game, while the offense is led by 6-2 guard Noel Coleman’s 14.7 points a game along

with 33 assists and 14 steals. Rainbow Warriors head coach Eran Ganot, now in his eighth season, is 114-77 overall and

Elijah Pepper paces the Aggies with 19,7 points and 6.2 rebounds a game and has season totals of 35 assists and 15 steals.

T.Y. Johnson, a transfer from Loyola of Chicago, averages 16.3 points and 5.3 rebounds a game and leads the team with 24 steals, including eight in a single game.

Pepper had 32 points against Loyola Marymount, while Johnson hit for 32 against WisconsinMilwaukee.

Christian Anigwe adds 11.4 points and 5.3 rebounds a game and is the team leader with 20 blocks.

Robbie Beasley, a transfer from Montana, averages 10.4 points and 4.1 rebounds a game and leads the Aggies in 3-point accuracy at 44.7 percent.

UCD returns home to the University Credit Union Center Thursday, Jan. 5, for a 6 p.m. game against UC Irvine. Then hosts Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 5 p.m.

— Contact Bob Dunning at bdunning@davisenterprise.net.

Courtesy photo

Former Aggie football player and assistant coach Nathaniel Hackett, seen here when he was the offensive coordinator with the Green Bay Packers, complied a 4-11 record in his only season as the Denver Broncos head coach.

Mike bush/enterprise File photo

Davis guard Derek Barker (2) leads the team in assists and steals. Barker and the Blue Devils begin action at the Ronald D. Thompson Holiday Classic at Fairfield High tonight.

Mike bush/enterprise File photo

UC Davis guard T.Y. Johnson (2) looks to move the basketball to a teammate and past a Holy Names University player in a nonconference game at the University Credit Union Center on Dec. 13. Johnson and the Aggies begin Big West Conference play on Thursday.

has never had a losing season in Big West play.

A selfdefeating regulation

By Bob Wieckowski Special to CalMatters

California’s environmental regulatory agencies are among the world’s best. But occasionally the state’s environmental goals and policies are incompatible and leaders must consider the real-world impacts of their decisions.

Some industries regulated by our environmental agencies are themselves critical to achieving our environmental goals. Take, for example, the metal-recycling industry. California produces tons of scrap metal every single day, enough to fill our biggest stadiums. This includes end-of-life cars and trucks, old household appliances, motorcycles and bicycles, boats, metal furniture and BBQs – just about anything you can think of that is made of metal.

Without the metal-recycling industry, these millions of tons of scrap metal items would have nowhere to go. Having it pile up in streets and alleyways, in vacant lots and even dumped along roadsides and in fields would create an environmental disaster in its own right. Disadvantaged communities would disproportionately bear the brunt of the impact, many of which already suffer from more than their share of castoffs.

My previous committee work in the state Senate involved oversight of environmental agencies, including the Department of Toxic Substances Control. Any effort to designate and regulate these scrap metal facilities as hazardous waste treatment facilities is concerning and could be self-defeating.

State law specifically exempts scrap metal from regulation as waste because scrap metal is a recyclable and renewable resource. Roughly 70% of all metal items consumers buy is made from recycled steel, establishing metal recycling as a critical aspect of our circular economy.

There would be numerous complications and negative impacts if this recycling sector was designated as handling hazardous waste.

The locations of these facilities are often in industrial or commercial zones that don’t allow hazardous waste processing. Additionally, the onerous requirements that would be imposed would likely result in facilities moving to other states because the end-users of the recycled metal — mainly steel mills and smelters that turn it into new steel — are not set up to process a commodity designated as hazardous waste.

Of course, the industry must comply with current water, air and contamination laws, and regulators should enforce them. But everyone involved can do a better job to keep these vital industries here in California.

Otherwise, the effects at both ends of the metal-recycling system would be enormous.

California can’t create regulations which would result in millions of tons of end-of-life metal items with nowhere to go, frustrating our environmental goals of reducing waste and promoting a circular economy. Californians who are committed to recycling more and more products should be careful not to bring about the potentially disastrous consequences that would occur from designating metal recycling as hazardous-waste treatment.

— Former Democratic state Sen. Bob Wieckowski of Fremont chaired the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Resources, Environmental Protection and Energy. He previously chaired the Senate Environmental Quality Committee and the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee. He wrote this for CalMatters, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California's Capitol works and why it matters.

Fake facts undermine debate

Reading a recent commentary published by The Enterprise — County needs “Just Transition” Climate Action Plan — I was reminded of my favorite quip by Daniel Patrick Moynihan: “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.”

The authors of that Dec. 10 op-ed — Marlen Garcia, Anuj Vaidya and Juliette Beck — argue that the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan written for Yolo County by a consultant fails “to address worsening socio-economic disparities” consequent to climate change.

The column lays out an alternative proposal, which the authors claim is more equitable to our “houseless, BIPOC, rural communities, outdoor workers and youths (who) are already being hit first and worst by climate breakdown.”

Of course they have the right to that opinion. They don’t have the right to support their positions with fabrications.

They state that “Summer temperatures in Woodland and West Sacramento average ten degrees hotter than in greenbelt-lined Davis.” Never mind there are also shady trees and parks throughout Woodland and West Sacramento. Their “10 degree” claim is curious.

My lifelong experience tells me it’s a little hotter in Woodland (and possibly in West Sacramento) in the summer due to the Delta breeze.

That cooling wind blows into Davis from Suisun Bay and San Pablo Bay. A handful of days each summer, a weak Delta breeze will reach Davis, but not the other two cities. That can make it warmer in Woodland and on the eastern side of the Yolo Bypass.

If you ride a bicycle in Yolo

Council elections, not appointments

County, you’ve likely experienced summer days where it is hotter north of Road 27 — halfway between Main Street in Woodland and Covell Blvd in Davis.

Riding north out of Davis in the summer, I’ve ridden into a (warm) north wind approaching Woodland and a (cool) southwest breeze returning to Davis. That’s because the Delta breeze is not always strong enough to infrigidate the air several miles north of the I-80 corridor.

To know for sure if my experience matches the data, I reached out to Michael Anderson. He is the California State Climatologist, having earned his PhD in atmospheric sciences at UC Davis.

Anderson compared the summer max and mean temperatures for Davis and Woodland for a dozen years. (He could not find those numbers for West Sacramento.) He emailed the data to me and concluded, “A quick glance at the climatologies shows Woodland being about one or two degrees warmer during summer months.”

That fits my perception. One or two degrees, not 10.

I also inquired to see what climate data Garcia, Vaidya and Beck had which supports their belief that Davis is 10 degrees cooler than our neighboring cities. Garcia and Vaidya never responded to my emails, sent over two weeks ago. Beck replied to my Facebook messages.

However, in her various responses she chose not to answer my “10 degree” question.

The second dubious claim in that op-ed is this: “Air pollution has worsened along the I-80 corridor.”

When trustworthy people make a relative claim about data, they give a starting and ending point. Garcia, Vaidya and Beck fail to do that. They not only don’t say where they got their information. They don’t let us know the period of this supposed worsening of air quality took place.

As such, it’s impossible to test their claim.

I asked each of the commentary’s authors, “Can you tell me the starting and ending points for that data? Are you beginning in, say, 1800? Or has this worsening been since 2010?”

None replied to those questions.

I also asked, “What does the data you drew from say is the source of this increase in air pollution? Is it tailpipe emissions? Industrial output? Agricultural practices? Residential fireplaces?”

Again, total silence. Despite more cars and trucks on the road in California — according to the Federal Highway Administration, vehicle miles traveled in California rose by 11% from 2000-2016 — tailpipe emissions, including CO2, are lower today than they were 32 years ago. That reduction is in both diesel and gasoline vehicles.

Kara Manke wrote this for the Berkeley School of Public Heath last year: Since 1990, “policies, crafted by the California Air Resources Board, have helped the state reduce diesel emissions by 78% between 1990 and 2014 …”

Our state also has enacted policies that have reduced

fill the seat for City Council District 3 or have a special election.There are two years remaining in Frerichs’ term.

pollution from agriculture — including banning rice-burning in the 1990s — and fireplaces. I could not find hard data on industrial emissions, but would be surprised if they have not also gone down due to our region having less heavy industry and stronger EPA rules.

It is true that in the handful of years in the last decade where massive wildfires have devastated our state, the air quality those years — for at least short periods — deteriorated. It’s hard to know if most years going forward fires will be that bad.

The op-ed also notes that “eviction rates have increased by 57% since last year.”

Beck informed me that she heard Supervisor Angel Barajas state this at the Nov. 22 Yolo County Board of Supervisors meeting.

I don’t doubt the claim. But it’s misleading. Due to state COVID policies adopted in 2020, we had unusually big declines in evictions in 2020, 2021 and well into 2022.

According to a 2021 report of the California Apartment Association, “Data from the Eviction Lab shows that even after eviction moratoriums were lifted, new eviction filings amounted to only 46.1% of a typical year.”

It’s possible that Garcia, Vaidya and Beck convinced some readers that the climate plan for Yolo County would inadequately address the needs of our most vulnerable populations. But their message was lost on everyone who understand that facts matter.

— Rich Rifkin is a Davis resident; his column is published every other week. Reach him at Lxartist@ yahoo.com.

After many years of dedicated service, Lucas Frerichs is stepping down from the Davis City Council to serve as Yolo County Supervisor. At their Jan. 3 meeting, the City Council will be discussing how to fill the vacancy left by Frerichs’ departure. The Council can choose to appoint someone to

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Speak out President

I feel strongly that the Davis community deserves to have a voice in choosing who their leaders are and that an election should be held. Elections are often the only means through which the less well-connected sectors of our community have any influence. Elections can also help ensure that officials are attuned to those they represent.

Although appointments are efficient and cheaper, the appointment process carries the risk of being influenced by the

202-224-3553; email: padilla.senate. gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me

House of Representatives

deciding body’s familiarity and prior relationships with the potential appointees. This can happen implicitly, even when the members of that body are well intentioned and have vowed to put any potential biases aside.

To preserve the voice of the District 3 community and the democratic election process, please consider urging the Davis City Council to choose an election to fill the vacant seat. City Council members can be reached at citycouncilmembers@ cityofdavis.org.

Cindy Pickett Davis

We welcome your letters

The Hon. Joe Biden, The White House, Washington, D.C., 20500; 202-456-1111 (comments), 202-456-1414 (switchboard); email: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact U.S. Senate

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-3841; email: http://feinstein. senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me Sen. Alex Padilla, B03 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20510;

Rep. John Garamendi (3rd District), 2368 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20515; 202-225-1880.

District office: 412 G St., Davis, CA 95616; 530-753-5301; email: visit https://garamendi.house.gov/contact/ email

Governor

Gov. Gavin Newsom, State Capitol, Suite 1173, Sacramento, CA 95814; 916-4452841; email: visit https://govapps.gov. ca.gov/gov40mail/

Addresses and phone numbers should be included for verification purposes; they will not be published.

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Mail letters to The Davis Enterprise, P.O. Box 1470, Davis, CA 95617; bring them to 325 G St.; fax them to 530-756-1668; or email them to newsroom@davis enterprise.net.

Cloverleaf farm, reaching out

“There’s nothing like a peach picked perfectly ripe off the tree,” Jen Hoover said across our outside table at Philz, doing an interview about Cloverleaf Farm.

Certainly Alice Waters, the acclaimed owner of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, agrees with that. Many years ago, she audaciously made national headlines by serving a plain, delicious peach as a dessert choice. And as the proud owner of a peach tree, I get it.

In fact, you and your family can pick your own ripe peaches in the orchard when Cloverleaf’s peaches are in season. People even come from the Bay Area to do so.

But what piqued my interest is how deftly the farm reaches out to find and engage customers, employing a range of modern marketing techniques that are more and more common among adept farmers. Certainly the Pandemic spurred them to innovate.

Add value. Engage customers in various ways. Follow the path that a growing swath of customers want: organic, with no-till practices, rotational grazing, native pollinators, and cover-cropping. We’ve been seeing more of this

in recent years, especially from the new generation of growers. It’s key to maximizing income, it’s good for the planet and people, and customers just delight in having so many avenues to engage with the farmer, their story, their produce.

Let’s look inside ...

Cloverleaf Farm has been around for a decade or so, on land leased from veteran farmer Rich Collins in Dixon. It was more traditional at first, concentrating on vegetables. But then Collins enabled them to take over an orchard, and a new partnership took over. The three current partners share responsibilities: Tree Kilpatrick, Jen Hoover, and Margot Wilhelm. They’d all been involved with the farm previously. Now they had to reach out with the orchard’s peaches, nectarines, figs, apricots and plums.

Here’s a novel twist that’s so intelligent and amusing as well.

Sometimes organic fruit has a slight blemish, or is smaller, or has a scabby bit where it rubbed against a branch. Perfectly delicious, except for optics. There was a time when these would have been called seconds, or even discarded.

Cloverleaf charmingly labels it “ugly fruit”, yet not be wasted. The farm has a very contemporary website, graphically, where customers sign up for a weekly CSA delivery of ripe “ugly fruit” in season. This is Jen’s valueadded realm.

Other ugly fruit is cut up, routed to baking racks for a while, and reloaded in the van.

“The tricky part,” Jen said with a laugh, “is getting the loaded baking racks back to the farm, spread out in the full sun of the greenhouse.” (The farm road is something less than a glassy experience.) The finished product is “fruit leather”.

Still other ugly fruit might become jam or syrup. Perfect or not, all the tasty stone fruit has a channel.

And also available are

elderberries, plucked from hedge rows along the property. These are transformed into a very popular elderberry syrup.

The fruit leather, jam, and syrup are popular for gift-giving. Sales activity picks up for the holidays, an income source during the off season.

What of handsome fruit? It’s marketed separately in CSA boxes over an 11-week season in the summer. CSA subscribers get nine to eleven pounds mixing whatever’s in season. It’s a lot of weekly fruit, but many people split the order with others.

Grapes from Terra Firma farm might also be included.

Stone fruit has this habit of all becoming ripe in a small window of time, so much so that a small operation like this can’t pick it.

Solution? U-Pick days are abruptly announced to those who signed up ahead of time for notification on Cloverleaf’s website. Sorry, no climbing ladders, but if you can reach it, it’s yours.

These U-Pick days are popular with families who want an outing with the kids, introducing

them to the farm world.

Cloverleaf stone fruit, freshly picked, is also offered at selected farmers’ markets and in a handful of stores.

It’s impressive, all the channels they’ve developed for what grows on the farm. One customer, for their figs, is actually Chez Panisse itself.

As our conversation concluded, I inquired about Jen’s background. It turns out she has a masters from UCD in textiles. Jen spent some time shepherding in northern India, getting close to a source and to enrich her education.

Later, from the States, she imported wool. It’s not hard to see how that experience segues into turning raw material into suitable, added-value products.

What a contrast, if you stop and think, between the contemporary type of production and marketing and the old days...the very old days, a half century ago.

At the one I worked with in southern Maryland, you’d see a few rows of pick-up trucks with sweet potatoes in this one, tomatoes and peppers in the next one, all fresh. No one cared about organic. Show up if you want to buy, otherwise go next week. The farmers worked with grimy hands from a cash roll or a cigar box. Everything was cheap.

Now, as we know, farmers’ market prices are generally on the high side. Choices are broader, channels to customers aren’t just four hours on a Saturday or Sunday. This contemporary marketing approach is what customers want these days. And that’s a good thing, as it isn’t easy to make ends meet as a smalltime, local farm.

— Dan Kennedy has a long history with local food and the people who provide it to their communities. He serves on the Davis Farmers Market Board of Directors.

Ordinary wines for (extra)ordinary times

Ihave a touch of the Grinch, Scrooge and all those other anti-holiday folks. Yes, the holidays make me cranky, especially the “Buy, buy, buy” screams and the ubiquitous (wretched) recipes encouraging us all to consume vast amounts of sugar and butter (I have a sweet tooth but I can tell from the ingredient list that most of these cookies and cakes and breads would make that tooth ache.). On the other hand, I revel in some forms of holiday cheer — trees, lights, and permission to consume special food and wine.

I also love the songs, especially the old ones. One my favorites (introduced to me via Joan Baez' “Noel”) begins, “I wonder as I wander out under the sky/How Jesus, our savior, did come for to die/For poor orn'ry people like you and like I/I wonder as I wander out under the sky.” It's based on an old Appalachian hymn and the melody is haunting.

I wondered for years about that “orn'ry.” It is, of course, a contraction of “ordinary,” but it comes out sounding like “ornery.” Research (“ornery” isn't even in my OED, so I had to do some internet digging) tells me the word is, indeed, from “ordinary,” but over the years all sorts of negative connotations have accrued. To some, I guess, “ordinary” itself is a negative epithet.

You know, a word to describe

all the folks who don't have as much money, education, good looks, and great talent as the toffs do. No wonder, then, that those very condescended-to ordinaries have become ornery. When you have to choose between food and fuel, the conspicuous consumption of the privileged (so in-yourface at holiday time) can't help but make you grumpy — or worse.

In 2018 the OED added the word “hanger,” a combination of “hunger” and “anger,” and much has been written about it. The latest research suggests that hunger triggers something neurological that results in cantankerousness. In other words, it makes us ornery as hell. If you're a reader of this column, you probably aren't suffering from hunger (unless you forgot to eat breakfast), but of course our three-year hunger for “normal” makes us ornery, too.

Anyway, by the time you read this, the peak of holiday festivities will be over, only New Year's Eve (unless you celebrate the 12th day

of Christmas on Jan. 6 — to a rousing rendition of “The Twelve Days of,” I hope) to usher in 2023. You probably think this mention is prelude to my recommending a whole spate of sparklers for that occasion, but I've been recommending sparklers all along and haven't had one recently that I'm as enthusiastic about as those earlier ones — like the Naveran Brut Cava (The Pip), Carboniste Sparkling Albarino (Co-op), or Blue Ox “Spirit of the Beehive” (The Pip). Or any “real” Champagne imported by Kermit Lynch (The Pip, Nugget, Co-op), whether entry level ($40-50) or the heights ($100-plus).

Instead, my last 2022 recommendation will be two “ordinary” red wines that can come out and play with almost any meal and that are practically guaranteed to bring ordinary pleasures to your table. One comes from Corsica, from a family-run estate on a plateau known as Reginu, inland from the port of Calvi but bathed by Mediterranean breezes. It's called Domaine Maestracci Cos Reginu, imported by Kermit Lynch, and is available locally at The Pip (Dixon) for an ordinary price — $18.

Winemaker Camille-Anais Raoust blends several local red grapes to make this lovely wine — like niellucciu (genetically identical to sangiovese), sciaccrellu, and grenache. The wine has its ornery

aspects—it's a bit wild, a bit smoky, a bit herby, a bit chewy. You know, the good kind of ornery. It needs some air to develop its flavors, so open it an hour or two before drinking. It can take a slight chill, especially if your house is warm.

I experienced this wine as closer to Italian than French (Corsica is, of course, a French island, though I read that its street signs are in both Italian and French) but with an earthy spin all its own. The New York Times declared Corsica “one of the most exciting and distinctive wine regions in the world,” and named Maestracci one of its top estates.

This Corsi is just the kind of wine you would imagine drinking in a Corsican café while you smelled the sea as well as the Mediterranean flora, like lavender and cedar. Despite its orneriness, it's (too) easy to drink with its deep red aromatic fruit (raspberry and cherry), rather like a good pinot noir but quirkier. We drank it with a butternut squashfresh spinach pizza (the really wonderful spinach was from Fiery Ginger at the Cannery Farm Stand) and it was near-perfect.

It would easily stand up to mushrooms, hearty stews, even your New Year's Eve goose or duck. As soon as we finished the bottle, I was sorry I hadn't bought more (many more?).

The second is from another island, Sicily, and is a singlegrape wine — nero d'Avola. Winemakers Catherine Stratton and Vito Lauria started collaborating as Due Terre Wines after revitalizing Vito's old family vineyards in Alcamo, grapes now grown organically with some biodynamic practices. Nero d’Avola can be heavy and high in alcohol, but this one, with its very high elevation grapes, is crisp and lively. It, too, has its ornery side — brambly and forest-y — with lots of flavorful blueberry and the minerals you would expect from its island home.

We drank it with a very Sicilian dish from my childhood — spaghetti with a long-simmered red sauce. Warming and simple. The food and wine seemed to revel in their companionship. Also like the Calvi, it appreciates a 15-minute chill, and you can get it at The Pip for about the same price.

I'm excited to start the new year with a few bottles of these new-to-me comforting and delicious reds. They might even make me a little less ornery as I try to adapt to “the new normal.” “Ordinary” has never sounded (tasted) so good. Happy 2023 to all my readers!

— Reach Susan Leonardi at vinosusana@gmail.com. Comment on this column at www. davisenterprise.com.

Yolo judge heads to appeals court Name Droppers

Enterprise staff

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his nomination of Judge Shama Hakim Mesiwala of Yolo County to serve as an associate justice of the Third District Court of Appeal. The Governor also announced his appointment of 15 Superior Court judges, who include one in Alameda County; one in Contra Costa County; three in Los Angeles County; two in Orange County; four in San Bernardino County;

one in San Diego County; two in San Francisco County; and one in San Mateo County.

Mesiwala, 48, served as a judge at the Sacramento County Superior Court since 2017 and was a commissioner there in 2017. She has been an adjunct professor at the UC Davis School of Law

since 2013. She was a judicial attorney at the Third District Court of Appeal from 2004 to 2017, where she served as a senior judicial attorney for the Hon. Ronald B. Robie from 2006 to 2017 and as a central staff attorney from 2004 to 2006.

Mesiwala served as a staff attorney at the Central California Appellate Program from 1999 to

2004 and as an attorney at the Office of the Federal Public Defender, Eastern District of California in 1999. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from UCD School of Law.

She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Coleman A. Blease. This position requires confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, which consists of Chief Justice Tani CantilSakauye, Attorney General Rob Bonta and Senior Presiding Justice Ronald Robie. She is a Democrat.

The compensation for this position is $264,542.

Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Deanne M. Wertin, 56, of Sacramento, chief deputy director of the Office of Systems Integration and deputy agency information officer at the California Health and Human Services Agency.

Wertin has been deputy agency information officer at the agency since 2018.

She was chief operating officer at Social Interest Solutions from 2015 to 2017; chief operations officer at M Corp from 2013 to 2015; senior vice president of operations at

the Walz Group from 2011 to 2014; CEO at Maximus Consulting Services Inc. from 2006 to 2010; and managing director at KPMG Consulting from 1997 to 2006. She earned a MBA from UC Davis.

This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $176,376. Wertin is a Democrat.

— Do you know of someone who has won an award or accomplished something noteworthy? Email it to newsroom@davisenterprise.net.

MESIWALA

Courtesy photo

Low-hanging peaches during Cloverleaf’s U-Pick season.

Jen Hoover with value-added products at Cloverleaf’s stand in the Davis Farmers Market.

DaN KeNNeDy/ Courtesy photo

Pearls Before Swine

By Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

By Stephan Pastis

Classic Peanuts

By Charles M. Schulz

Sabel tabbed Big West’s Player of the Week

IRVINE — UC Davis women’s basketball player, junior guard Tova Sabel, was named the Big West Conference Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday.

Sabel became the first Aggie women’s basketball player since 2019 to score 30 or more points as she poured in a career-best 30 points on 12-of-23 shooting against Northern Arizona University, including 3-of-6 from three. Sabel chipped in three rebounds, an assist and a steal.

The Big West honor is a career first for the Penn State transfer and the first on the season for the Aggies.

Sabel became the first UCD women’s basketball player to score 30 or more points since Cierra Hall erupted for 32 points in 2019 and the first Big West women’s student-athlete this season to meet the 30-point threshold.

The Stockholm, Sweden native ranks second on the team with 9.1 points per game, adding 10, 3-pointers in 10 games.

UC Davis will open Big West play against Hawai’i on Thursday at the University Credit Union Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

TOURNAMENTS: League play next week

From Page B1

Salmon. “It was a foot injury that required some rehab and time to heal.”

Davis guard Aidan Crawford leads the team in scoring with 13.9 points per game and power forward Will Ackerman next at 13.4.

Ackerman is leading the Blue Devils in rebounds at 7.8 per game — 62 for the season — and center Collin Carpenter 6.6.

Point guard Derek Barker leads the team with 27 assists and 15 steals.

After Davis finishes the classic, it will start Delta League play hosting Pleasant Grove on Friday, Jan. 6 at 7:30 p.m.

Girls basketball

Davis High head coach Heather Highshoe and her squad will be in action today through Friday as well.

The Blue Devils will compete at the Ram Jam at Dixon High. They open the against Chico (11-1) today at 3:30 p.m.

“We’re just taking it one game at a time right now,” said Highshoe, whose squad is 3-7. “Finetuning our offense and defense.”

The Davis-Chico winner plays the West Campus-Rocklin winner Thursday at 5 p.m.

The Davis-Chico loser takes on the West Campus-Rocklin loser,

also on Thursday, at 11 a.m.

Other teams competing at the seven-school jam are host Dixon, Armijo of Fairfield and Placer.

“We’re hoping to compete and perform well in the Ram Jam, then carry that momentum over into the start of league,” Highshoe said.

Highshoe feels her team is progressing on one side of the ball, and more work on the other side in pre-season games.

“Pleased with how we’ve been playing defensively, just looking for more execution on the offensive end,” Highshoe said.

Blue Devil center Tessa Schouten, a junior, leads the team in scoring with an even 16.0 points per game. She’s also leading in rebounds at 12.5 per game.

Guard Malia Abrenica is averaging 2.3 assists per game for Davis, 23 for the season. She also had 19 steals.

Another guard in Natalie Roessler, a sophomore, has made 30 percent of 3-pointers.

After Davis competes at the Ram Jam, it will have one more non-league game in hosting Vacaville on Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 7 p.m.

Then the Blue Devils begin Delta action at Pleasant Grove, also on Jan. 6 at 7 p.m.

— Contact Mike Bush at mike@davisenterprise. net. Follow on Twitter: @ MBDavisSports.

AGGIES: Denver has two games left on slate

From Page B1

season.

Rosburg joined the Broncos following Week 2, and he assisted with Denver’s game-management operation.

Denver has two games remaining this season. The Broncos play at the Kansas City Chiefs on New Year’s Day and host the Los Angeles Chargers on Jan. 7 or 8.

UC Davis guard Tova Sabel (14) drives past a Northern Arizona player in a non-conference game at the University Credit Union Center on Dec. 19. Sabel is in her first season with the Aggies. She is averaging 9.1 points per game. Sabel is from Stockholm, Sweden.

Leroy yau/ uC DaviS atHLetiCS pHoto

Enterprise staff