writer
Long Beach residents from different districts participate in a 2021 commission meeting at City Hall, denouncing some of the proposed redistricting maps.
Pablo UnzUeta/ CalMatters Photo
By Sameea Kamal CalMatters
In damning audio leaked last fall, three Los Angeles City Councilmembers made a bevy of racist comments about Black, Jewish, Armenian and Oaxacan people. Then the conversation turned to how they could
get the city’s redistricting commission, which they appointed, to draw council maps that would allow them to stay in office.
“If we can slice and dice this baby up to cut you off where you think that favorable people are in … I’m all for that,” Nury Martinez, who resigned after the
leak, said at one point. “I just need to know what I’m working with, with this map.”
The council adopted a map that disregarded suggestions from the advisory commission and that kept resource-rich Exposition Park out of the one Black-majority district.
Across California, new districts were drawn after the 2020 Census, as they are every
A pursuit involving a UC Davis police officer and another vehicle resulted in a fatal collision Thursday night in downtown Davis. The officer sustained minor injuries.
According to a statement from UCD officials, the chase began shortly before 9:30 p.m. when the patrol officer spotted a Toyota Scion speeding through the intersection of Russell Boulevard and Sycamore Lane, just north of campus.
“The officer engaged their lights and siren and attempted to catch up to the speeding vehicle to
make a traffic stop, but they continued at high speed running red lights east on Russell onto Fifth Street,” the statement said.
That’s where the suspect vehicle hit a concrete median at the Fifth Street railroad crossing east of G Street, “came to an abrupt stop and burst into flames,” officials said.
UCD officers in another vehicle pulled the driver from the burning car and attempted medical aid, but he succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
The patrol vehicle also struck the median, causing
See FATAL, Page A5
10 years, to make sure that every congressional, legislative and local district has about the same number of people. But who is grouped together in a district can empower or disenfranchise a community. And until 2010, on both the state and local levels, the mapping was done by elected officials themselves, often
See LINES, Page A5
The UC Davis administration and the Associated Students have asked comedian Hasan Minhaj to speak at the 2023 commencement on either on June 16, 17 or 18, The California Aggie reported last week.
A writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host of Indian descent, Davis native Hasan Minhaj won two Peabody Awards and two Webby Awards.
MINHAJ Davis grad
Minhaj graduated from Davis High School in 2003 and then attended UC Davis, from where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2007.
A keynote speaker at the Davis High graduation in 2015, Minhaj urged the graduates to keep trying no matter what adversities stand in the way. Speaking from his youth, being the victim of racism and bullying, and not having made come true his biggest dream of the time — playing on the Blue Devils basketball team — Minhaj shifted gears in college
See MINHAJ, Back page
CoUrtesy graPhiC
A rendering of the proposed “Davis Collection” redesign of the University Mall site.
Davis City Council members were divided two-and-a-half years ago when plans for the redevelopment of University Mall came before them.
Those plans — ultimately approved on a 3-2 vote — called for the existing mall on Russell Boulevard to be demolished and replaced with a multi-story, mixeduse development.
The council members who voted
against the project — Mayor Will Arnold and former Mayor (now Yolo County Supervisor) Lucas Frerichs — objected to the size of the project, which included four stories of apartments (264 units) over ground-floor retail and office space, as well as a three-floor parking garage.
Mall owner Brixmor had originally intended to simply refurbish the aging mall but was encouraged by city staff to consider adding housing — housing
See MALL, Back page
When your vibe says, ‘Ignore me, I won’t complain’
Valentine’s Day has recently passed, and you may wonder what to do with any extra candy hearts you may have. For this experiment it is best to use the ones with a chalk-like texture and not the gummy variety.
Supplies: clear cups (1 for each liquid used), candy hearts, marker, paper, and liquids for the experiment, we suggest water, vinegar, and club soda or clear soft drink.
Experiment: Fill your clear cups with the different liquids. Label the cups with their contents. List the same liquids on your paper and predict if the candy will sink or float.
Next, place the same number of candy hearts into each cup and wait. Wait between 15 and 20 minutes, checking for changes every five minutes or so.
What happened in each cup? Did the candy hearts
sink or float? Record your results or draw a picture.
Extend your experiment in a variety of ways. You can repeat with any other liquids you would like. Keep the candy hearts in the water for longer or see how long it takes to dissolve. Test out different temperature of water or tap vs. bottled water.
No matter how you want to experiment, please perform experiments with an adult for safety and cleanup.
Explorit's coming events:
n Our exhibit “Explorit Rocks!” is open to the public on Fridays from 1 to 4 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is $5 per person. Explorit Members, ASTC, and those age 2 and under free.
n “Spring into Science” camp is now enrolling for
those in grades K-2. Camp runs from March 27-31 from 9 a.m. to noon each day. Price is $175 for members, $200 for non-members. For more information, please visit https://www.explorit.org/ camps.
n Registration for Summer Science Camp opens on March 9. Camps for
Vehicle crashes snarled traffic in both directions Friday morning on the Yolo Causeway, with one side shut down at one point for emergency repairs.
According to the California Highway Patrol’s traffic information website, a bigrig was traveling eastbound when its front end struck and jumped over the center divide at about 4:40 a.m., blocking lanes in both directions as it straddled the barrier.
Witnesses reported that the truck’s cab caught fire following the crash with
the driver still inside, but no injuries were reported.
Broken pieces of the center divide also complicated travel through the area, with at least one motorist reporting damage to his vehicle.
The CHP shut down the westbound lanes to repair the damage and remove spilled fuel from the roadway, with an estimated reopening time of about 10 a.m.
Another collision between a big-rig and a Saab occurred shortly before 8 a.m. on westbound I-80 near the Enterprise Boulevard exit. The impact
caused the vehicles to be stuck together, but no one was hurt.
According to the CHP website, the Saab’s driver “thinks (the) semi hit her on purpose because she changed lanes in front of him in a small space. … When she pulled in front of the semi she honked and thinks by law the semi should be required to stop.”
those entering K-2 and 3-5 available. Find out more at https://www.explorit.org/ camps.
n A Membership to Explorit grants the recipient free visits to Explorit’s regular public hours, discounts on events, summer camps and workshops, and gives you ASTC benefits to visit other museums
throughout the world. To purchase, visit https:// www.explorit.org/mem bership or call Explorit at 530-756-0191.
— Explorit Science Center is at 3141 Fifth St. For information, call 530-7560191 or visit http://www. explorit.org, or "like" the Facebook page at www. facebook.com/explorit.fb.
The owners of Sudwerk Brewing Co. hope to open their restaurant as soon as late March.
It still needs to pass county health and city building inspections, but “they understand our timeline and are doing what they can to get us there,” said Trent Yackzan, who owns the brewery and restaurant with Ryan Fry. The inside space will open first. Heavy rains delayed the patio’s completion to April or May.
Construction began in August, remodeling everything but the brewery: the dining areas and bar, kitchen, bathrooms, back beer hall and patio. It was a major project on a building that hadn’t been renovated since it was built it 1989.
“We’ve been planning this for years — since pre-COVID,” Fry said.
The eatery — under separate ownership at the time — closed in 2016. After leasing the restaurant side since 2019, the brewery’s investors purchased the other half of the property in 2021.
The brewery’s taproom, The Dock, opened in 2012. It used food trucks after the original restaurant closure, and again when this remodeling began. When the revamped eatery reopens, The Dock will close, except for special events like the Davis Cherry Blossom Festival and the Davis Music Fest.
And don’t expect lots of schnitzel, sausages or other German foods that were staples in the old brewpub, which had its heyday in the 1990s. (The brewery specializes in lagers, especially German ones). The new menu will focus on West Coast and California cuisine, sourced
The Davis Progressive Business Exchange will meet on Wednesday, March 1, noon to 1 p.m. at Lamppost Pizza, 1260 Lake Blvd. in West Davis. The guest speaker is former Davis Mayor Brett Lee, on behalf of Generators for Uman, the Davis Sister City in Ukraine.
He will give the latest about the electrical generator that has arrived and been installed at the Uman community center and a larger industrial generator that is on order from Germany. He will be followed by the officers of the newly reconstituted UmanDavis Sister City organization. The newly elected officers presenting at this PBE meeting will be President Tom Adams and Secretary/ Treasurer Nancy Carr.
For information, contact Bob Bockwinkel at 530-219-1896 or e-mail G. Richard Yamagata at yamagata@dcn.org.
locally when possible.
“We totally respect that it was part of our history,” Yackzan said of the German food, “but it’s time to give it a refresh.” They plan to offer weekly specials with occasional nods to those traditions.
The dark oak paneling and floors are also gone, or in the case of the beer hall, painted a light gray. The carpet and wood flooring were removed, revealing concrete, which is now polished.
The bar is lined with wood-like gray tiles and topped with charcoal granite. Though the palette is neutral, Fry said the patrons will bring color back to the space.
The bar features 24 taps on each wall. They mirror each other, and will share the same kegs, which will include some guest taps of beers, ciders and nitro coffee. The centerpiece of the dining space remains the two copper brewing kettles, used for small, experimental batches. Most of those beers will be on tap exclusively at the pub. It has a full liquor license, so watch for some craft cocktails too.
When the patio is finished, it will include fire pits, multiple seating arrangements, a stage and game area. The windows next to the bar will lift open for serving, with bar seating along part of the outside. There are nine televisions inside, and a
projection screen in the beer hall (which serves as overflow or rental space). The patio will have TVs as well.
The menu will include burgers, smoked meats, sandwiches, soups and salads. Their three new high-tech iCombi Pro ovens can steam, bake, convection bake and air-fry, and are programmable to ensure consistency. There’s also an espresso machine and special ice cream freezer.
“We’ll have something for everyone,” Fry said, noting that it will remain family-friendly.
There will be table service, but patrons can also order from a QR code or at the bar. The head chef and managers have been hired; they’re working to fill the remaining support positions.
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, it will open at 11 a.m. on other days. Closure will be at 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays,
10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 8 p.m. on Sundays. Eventually, they plan to open earlier on Sundays for brunch.
Note: Sudwerk occasionally hires me to write news releases. However, it does not have influence on my column.
Target is remodeling 200 of its locations, and Davis is apparently among them. The store is at 4601 Second St.
Readers keep asking me about the storage containers filling the south end of its Davis parking lot, and near the Woodland store too. I sent an email to the company on Tuesday, and even though it states that it “strive(s) to return all of our media inquiries within one business day,” I didn’t hear back by late Thursday (which I explained was my deadline).
An article on the Target website says the company is launching a new “store strategy and design,” across the country “to create an experience that is not just uniquely Target, but one that leaves you feeling welcomed and inspired.” Reads like PR speak to me.
Most of its new stores are getting bigger – an average of 150,000 square feet. (Davis’ is 137,000 square feet.) While this new “experience” is incorporated into the new, larger stores, it will shape the redesign of existing ones too. It’s just not clear how.
Exhibit B: “Guests are turning to us for more things now than they ever did before — more joy, more inspiration, more fulfillment options – and this new store design enables us to even more easily and efficiently deliver for our guests all those things and more, now and into the future.”
Davis has a new business network geared toward women in Davis. It’s called Davis Area Women’s Network. Founder Elissa Kennedy is a life coach who specializes in somatic and mental fitness coaching, and Reiki healing.
“Whether you have an idea for a start-up, manage a company, own your own business or are self-employed, this community is for you,” the DAWN website says. “Running a business can be lonely, but it doesn't have to be. This community is for women that would love to create connections with other women in business and support each other’s growth!”
The group launched in December as Sisterhood Community Network, and recently changed its name, based on group input.
Participation in the group is free in 2023, as it builds its foundation. Visit https://www. subscribepage.com/davisareawomensnetwork
Before messaging me about the status of an ongoing project, check my paywall-free Google spreadsheet, which includes more than 325 Davis businesses coming or going. It’s at https:// bit.ly/DavisBusinesses. Look for the tabs for Restaurants Open, Restaurants Closed, Coming Soon and more.
— Wendy Weitzel is a Davis writer and editor. Her column runs on Sundays. Check for frequent updates on her Comings & Goings Facebook and Instagram pages. If you know of a business coming or going in the area, email news tips to wendyedit@ gmail.com.
Special to The Enterprise
As businesses face the reality that many state and federal grant programs are a luxury of the past, entrepreneurs and business owners looking to grow their companies in a postCOVID economy must rely once again on traditional lending as a way to raise capital.
To showcase the borrowing options available to businesses large and small, the Sacramento Valley Small Business Development Center and the Solano-Napa Small Business Development Center have partnered to present “Recover and Rebuild:
Find the Capital Resources You Need for Your Business” on March 16 at the Davis Veterans Memorial Center, 203 E. 14th St. in Davis.
The evening event, sponsored by Marble Bridge Group, will include a lender presentation at 6 p.m. with a question-andanswer session to follow. At least five financial organizations are expected to attend, including Marble Bridge Group, Wells Fargo, California Capital FDC, Travis Credit Union, First Northern Bank and Working Solutions.
“Between all of these lenders, business owners will learn about a
variety of traditional and nontraditional loan opportunities that are available to them right now to help build and expand their business,” said Tim Murrill, director of the SolanoNapa SBDC.
“Over the last three years, there have been an abundance of grant programs that have helped our small businesses,” Murrill added. “As the economy tightens
that season is mostly behind us. Businesses are going to have to rely on traditional lending sources such as loans and equity to fund their growth.”
Business owners can also meet one-on-one with the financial representatives and learn about important resources available in the region for business owners from NorCal SBDC, Solano-Napa SBDC, Sacra-
mento Valley SBDC, Davis Chamber of Commerce, Ag Start, and California Capital WBC.
Admission is free and light refreshments will be provided.
Registration begins at 5:30 p.m. and preregistration is encouraged at bit.ly/capitalresourcesnet working.
Davis police arrested two alleged shoplifters at Target on Monday managed to catch a third while still on scene.
Lt. Mike Munoz said an officer was patrolling the Second Street store’s parking lot at about 6 p.m. when he spotted two people leaving the building through a fire exit with a cart full of merchandise.
Police detained the pair — identified as 29-year-old Luis and 40-year-old Shena Calderon of Woodland — and were conducting their investigation when a third apparent shoplifter tried leaving the store through the same side door, Munoz said.
That person, Esparto resident Carolina Estrada, 41 — made it a trio booked into the Yolo County Jail on charges including shoplifting, conspiracy and grand theft.
Two people face felony burglary charges following their arrests in separate incidents Tuesday, Davis police said.
Kenneth Errol Moriarty, 35, was taken into custody at about 10:20 p.m. Tuesday after police caught him using a hand torch to break into a shipping container on property in the 5000 block of Chiles Road, according to Lt. Mike Munoz.
Earlier that day, shortly before 9 a.m., police apprehended
44-year-old Lejohn Anthony Rich as he allegedly burglarized an office at the Alhambra at Mace Ranch apartments, 4500 Alhambra Dr.
Both men were booked into the Yolo County Jail on the burglary charges, along with an misdemeanor count of possessing burglary tools for Moriarty.
Join the League of Women Voters Davis Area and Davis Media Access for a candidates’ forum on the upcoming Davis City Council election for a new representative from District 3.
The free Zoom event will be held from 7 to 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29. District 3 represents residents in Central Davis. The elected councilmember will replace Lucas Frerichs, who was elected to the Yolo County Board of Supervisors in November. The all-mail ballot special election will be held May 2.
The forum will feature candidates Donna Neville and Francesca Wright. Local LWV board member Michele Van Eyken will moderate the event.
Audience members will be able to submit questions before and during the forum.
The LWV is a nonpartisan organization committed to voter registration and education. To learn more about the League and to sign up to this event, go to: www. lwvdavisarea.org.
GW6CALLE6938B, Label/Insignia Number CAL345810/CAL345811 and stored on property within the Westwind Estates at 1399 Sacramento Avenue Unit 47 West Sacramento CA 95605 Yolo County (specifically those goods located/stored at Space #47 within the park) will be sold by auction at the Westwind Estates, on March 10, 2023, at 12:00 p m and such succeeding sales days as may be necessary and the proceeds of the sales will be applied to the satisfaction of the lien, including the reasonable charges of notice advertisement and sale
This sale is conducted on a cash or certified fund basis only (cash cashier s check or travelers checks only) Personal checks and/or business checks are not acceptable Payment is due and payable immediately following the sale No exceptions The mobilehome and/or contents are sold as is where is, with no guarantees
This sale is conducted under the authority of California Civil Code 798 56a and C ommercial Code 7209-7210
DATED: January 31 2023
Stephanie D Rice LAW OFFICES OF JOSEPH W CARROLL
Attorney for Westwind Mobile Home Park LLC
610 Fulton Avenue Suite 100 Sacramento, CA 95825 (916) 443-9000
Published February 19 26 2023 #2161
By Lauren Keene Enterprise staff writerA UC Davis student found dead in his dorm room last month succumbed to coronary artery thrombus — a blood clot in his artery, according to
Yolo County coroner’s officials.
Arhan Vyas, 18, was attending UCD on a student visa from Mumbai, India, pursuing a bachelor of science degree in computer science.
d. Jan. 22, 2023
Glen Robert Byrns passed away on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023, after receiving a cancer diagnosis the previous Friday.
Born in August 1952 to Clyde and Jane Byrns, he graduated from Gardena High in 1970. Glen majored in biological sciences, graduating in 1974 from UC Riverside, where he had met his future wife, Lesley.
They were married in 1981 and shortly after moved to Davis when Glen was hired as a staff research associate in UC Davis Veterinary
A UC Davis fire crew discovered Vyas’ passing after responding shortly after 5 a.m. Jan. 24 to reports of a medical emergency at his Miller Hall residence.
"Our hearts go out to the family, friends and others
Medicine. Daughter Katy was born in 1983 and Kelly followed in 1989.
who knew and loved him," campus officials said in a written statement announcing Vyas' death. "We are grateful for the first responders who were on-scene who did all they could for the student."
Europe. The highlight of their last trip to Ireland was High Tea at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin.
2:15 p m in the conference room at 120 West Main Street Suite G Woodland CA 95695 Bidders must attend the mandatory pre-bid conferences to be held at the project site 137 North Cottonwood Street, Woodland, CA 95695 at 2:00 p m on March 1, 2023 in order to submit bids for this project
Each bid must conform to the requirements of the Contract Documents which can be downloaded along with all bid documents at www bidsync com It is the bidder’s responsibility to register at www bidsync com to ensure notification of all add e n d a a n d i s s u e d p r o j e c t i n f o r m a t i o n I t i s t h e b i d d e r s r esponsibility to arrange for printing services For more information send questions through www bidsy nc com
Note to General Contractors; Joint Apprenticeship Committee Participation Requirement: The County adopted a policy that one of requirements to be deemed a responsive bidder is that when submitting a bid at or in excess of one million dollars ($1 000 000) the bidder must then be participating in a joint apprenticeship committee on public works projects
The California Department of Industrial Relations defines a joint apprenticeship committee as a committee made up of equal number of members from labor and management Bidders submitting bids at or in excess of one million dollars ($1,000,000) must complete a California Department of Industrial Relations’ DAS-7 form that documents the bidder s participation in a joint apprenticeship committee Bids that are not accompanied by such proof of participation will be rejected The County will verify participation prior to the award
Published February 26, March 3, 2023 #2190
Glen retired from the university after 35 years and his hobbies included building and flying model airplanes and rebuilding and driving his “little British cars.” In addition to traveling throughout the western United States and Canada, Glen and Lesley spent their 30th anniversary rafting through the Grand Canyon, followed by a dozen trips to the UK and
BYRNSJuly 15, 1922 — Feb. 19, 2023
Marjorie Audrey Pitman Ranns, affectionately known as “Gramma,” passed away on Feb. 19, 2023, at the age of 100, in Davis, where she had resided for six years. She was born on July 15, 1922, in Brockton, Mass., to Donald P. Pitman and Emily C. Pitman.
Marjorie was a graduate of Katherine Gibbs College in Boston and worked as an executive secretary throughout her career. In her spare time, Marjorie
loved reading books, especially mysteries, and following Boston Red Sox games to provide score updates to her family. Her true passion, however, was her love for animals, particularly cats, as well as the spring lilacs and African violet flowers.
Marjorie is preceded in death by her parents, Donald P. Pitman and Emily C. Pitman, son Donald P. Ranns, son-in-law Charlie M. Corr (married to Donily R. Corr), and granddaughter
Make submissions to www.davisenterprise.com/ obit-form/. For information, call 530-756-0800.
CITY OF DAVIS ORDINANCE SUMMARY
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN on January 31 2023 the City Cou n ci l of the C i ty o f Da v is C a li fo r ni a i n tr od u ced a nd on February 21 2023 the City Council unanimously adopted the following entitled ordinance:
ORDINANCE NO 2638
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING PLANNED DEVELOPMENT (PD) #3-90 (SUTTER DAVIS HOSPITAL) TO CHANGE THE PD SUBAREA ZONING DESIGNATION FOR APPROXIMATELY 3 13 ACRES FOR THE PROPERTY LOCATED ON JOHN JONES ROAD (APN: 036-060-029) FROM AGRICULTURE/URBAN RESERVE TO PUBLIC/SEMI-PUBLIC AND TO RENAME PD #3-90 TO PD #3-90A
The
To honor Glen’s “wonderful life” (his words) which was filled with humor, stories, hobbies, travel, scientific inquiry, and a strong desire to help his friends and neighbors, his daughters organized a party for Glen. Pink Dozen Donuts in Davis donated five-dozen croissants as Glen was a frequent customer throughout the pandemic. It was exactly the kind of happy yet low-key occasion that he would have liked to attend. A full obituary may be viewed at https://www.smith-funerals.com.
Jessie Ranns, daughter of Dean and Valerie Ranns.
NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: STEPHEN COLE CASE NO PR2023-0037
To all heirs beneficiaries creditors contingent creditors and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate or both of STEPHEN COLE
A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by EVAN COLE in the Superior Court of California, County of YOLO
THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that EVAN COLE be appointed as person al representative to administer the estate of the decedent
THE PETITION requests the decedent s WILL and codicils if any, be admitted to probate The WILL and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court
THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act (This authority will allow the personal representative t o take many actions without obtaining court approval Before taking certain very important actions however the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action ) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause wh y the court should not grant the authority A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 03/21/23 at 9:00AM located at 1000 MAIN STREET, WOODLAND CA 95695
IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney
IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date
RANNS
She is survived by her children, Donily R. Corr, Dean W. Ranns and Victoria R. Diaz; grandchildren
Dean N. Ranns, Emily A.
Rogers, Marilee A. Clark, Michele R. Guerrieri, Donald P. Hayes-Ranns, Elizabeth G. Corr Dolan, Joseph M. Diaz and Nicole M. Diaz; great-grandchildren
Skylar C. Clark, Piper K. Ranns, Juliana E. Rogers, Britain L. Ranns, Jacob L. Rogers, Nico C. Clark, Riley M. Guerrieri, Casey J. Guerrieri, Emily K. Guerrieri, Hayden M. Guerrieri and Violet H. Corr Dolan. Marjorie will be laid to rest at Spring Brook Cemetery in Mansfield, Mass. In honor of her love for animals, the family requests that donations be made to the ASPCA, a cause that Marjorie supported and donated to for many years.
The Yolo County Planning Commission, sitting as the Yolo County Historic Preservation Commission will hold a public hearing and consider the following matter on March 9, 2023 in the Yolo County Board of Supervisors Chambers, Room 205 located at 625 Court Street Woodland California at 8:30 a m or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard as indicated below
E : E f f e c t i v e M a r c h 9 , 2 0 2 3 , a l l m e e t i n g s o f t h e Y o l o C o u n t y P l a n n i n g C o m m i s s i o n w i l l b e h e l d i n p e r s o n a t t h e B o a r d C h a m b e r s l o c a t e d a t 6 2 5 C o u r t S t r e e t W o o d l a n d Z o o m p a r t i c i p a t i o n w i l l n o l o n g e r b e s u p p o r t e d TIME SET AGENDA
8:30 a m
ZF #2022-0071: The Historic Preservation Commission will consider a request for a Historic Alteration Permit to demolish the Samuel Carpenter Cottage, a County Designated Historic Landmark and determine the project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) The project site is located on a 20± acre agriculturally zoned parcel at 28462 County Road 87D approximately 1/2-mile west o f t h e C i t y o f W i n t e r s ( A P N : 0 3 0 - 1 9 0 - 0 1 8 ) A n e x e m p t i o n based on Section 15301 (Class 1) of the CEQA Guidelines has been prepared for this project (Applicant/Owner: Peter & Deborah Hunter) (Planner: Jeff Anderson)
T h e s t a r t i n g t i m e o f t h e p u b l i c h e a r i n g o n t h e T i m e S e t Agenda is listed for the convenience of the community and other interested parties The public hearing will not s tart befo r e its s c he d u l ed ti m e Ad e q u a te ti m e w i ll b e p r o v id e d fo r each public hearing to accept all relevant public testimony
Public comments on all items are encouraged
A copy of the staff report(s) and the environmental document for the project(s) are on file in the office of the Yolo County Community Services Department, 292 West Beamer Street, Woodland California and online at www yolocounty org/ government/general-government-departments/communitys e r v i c e s / p l a n n i n g - d i v i s i o n / p l a n n i n g - c o m m i s s i o ninformation/planning-commission-meeting-materials All interested parties should appear and will be provided an opportunity during the public hearing to present relevant information
Pursuant to California Government Code Section 65009(b)(2) and other provisions of law any lawsuit challenging the approval of a project described in this notice shall be limited to only those issues raised at the public hearing or described in written correspondence delivered for consideration before the hearing is closed
behind closed doors.
Backed by good government groups, voters created an independent state commission and new requirements for local jurisdictions. But fresh off redistricting in which not just officials in Los Angeles, but in cities and counties around the state, failed to solicit community feedback or incorporate it into the actual maps, those groups and lawmakers are trying again to expand local independent redistricting.
Today, Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, a Democrat from Culver City, is introducing a bill to require jurisdictions with populations of 300,000 or more to form fully independent redistricting commissions. That’s in addition to a bushel of bills calling for independent redistricting in specific jurisdictions, including Los Angeles and Orange and Sacramento counties.
“We’ve seen the fallout from the crisis around the redistricting process in the city of Los Angeles,
and the concerns that have emerged across the state,” Bryan said. “The people of California have the right to a fair, independent redistricting process that recognizes community concerns and uplifts community voices.”
Some cities and counties have already set up such commissions, including Long Beach, San Francisco and Los Angeles County. In 2019, a bill to require independent commissions for all counties with more than 400,000 residents passed the Legislature, but was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said that while the commissions were “an important tool in preventing gerrymandering,” local jurisdictions were already authorized to create them. He added that the measure would require counties to be reimbursed, and therefore should go through the budget process instead.
Sen. Ben Allen, a Democrat from Redondo Beach who authored the 2019 bill and has worked closely with Bryan on the new one, said the proposed legislation works in flexibility for local
Enterprise staff writers
Yolo County Sheriff’s Office and West Sacramento police investigators arrested a Vacaville man Thursday who allegedly came to Yolo County to engage in sex with a minor.
Samuel Root Jr., 34, faces multiple charges of oral copulation with a minor, sexual penetration with a foreign object, statutory rape, providing marijuana to a minor, sending harmful material to seduce a minor and arranging to meet a minor for lewd purposes, according to a Sheriff’s Office Facebook post.
“His arrest is the result of a lengthy investigation that culminated in a sting operation, where the suspect traveled to a location in Yolo County under the belief that he was meeting a minor for sex,” the post said.
“The suspect arrived at the predetermined public location on time and in broad daylight, where he was taken into custody by detectives without incident.”
Root remained in Yolo County Jail custody as of Friday on a $200,000 bail hold. He appears in Yolo Superior Court at 1:30 p.m. Monday for arraignment.
governments, unlike past efforts.
“It’s part of why I prefer this approach, which is ultimately about trying to give (local jurisdictions) more discretion,” Allen told CalMatters. “I think there’s real merit to providing parameters for how this ought to be done and then allowing local communities to do what’s best for them.”
Incorporating local flexibility may help ward off challenges that have come to past efforts. California’s Constitution allows charter cities including Los Angeles to control their own affairs.
Bryan’s Assembly Bill 1248 follows a report commissioned by California Common Cause, the Southern and Northern California chapters of the ACLU, the League of Women Voters of California and Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus. The report studied redistricting in about 100 cities and counties and found “widespread gerrymandering” — but not as much in places with independent commissions.
“We found across the board, no
matter how a jurisdiction had set up their independent redistricting commission, it resulted in a more participatory process — respecting communities and neighborhoods,” said Laurel Brodzinsky, legislative director with California Common Cause.
The report identified some of the biggest issues across the state: Advisory commissions in which members acted as proxies for elected officials who appointed them; boards that held only the bare minimum of public meetings; and others that did not incorporate any community feedback into the maps.
Bryan’s bill would require counties, cities, school districts and community college districts to set up their own independent commissions by March 1, 2030 — in time to draw maps after the next Census. The structure would be modeled after some parts of the statewide commission: members selected from qualified applicants who then select the rest, and minimum requirements for public input and outreach. But unlike the
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minor injuries to the unidentified officer who was treated at the UCD Medical Center and released. Davis police and firefighters as well as ambulance personnel also assisted at the scene following the collisions. Police later determined that the suspect vehicle had
been reported stolen out of Novato earlier that night, UCD officials said. The suspect, whose identity had not been released as of Friday morning, is not believed to be affiliated with the campus.
The California Highway Patrol will conduct an investigation into the incident, in accordance with UCD Police Department policy.
state commission, there wouldn’t be requirements on party representation or citizenship for commission membership.
If a city, county, school or community college district is unable to set up an independent commission in time, the bill lists back-up options, including a panel of retired judges or an ethics commission, to select the commission.
“The redistricting process is such an important part of our democracy. It really does play such an important role in determining who gets elected,” Allen said. “We feel good that we’ll get it to a place where the governor feels comfortable.”
If the statewide bill fails, Bryan has another that would at least address some gaps in the current system.
Bryan, chairman of the Assembly’s elections committee, has introduced AB 764, which would reform the 2019 FAIR Maps Act that outlines some redistricting requirements for cities and counties, regardless of who draws the maps.
likely to appeal to UC Davis students and staff, given its location across Russell Boulevard from campus.
It turned out that that housing component wasn’t popular with everyone and the size and mass of the proposal drew objections, particularly from residents living nearby.
Former mayor Brett Lee agreed to support the plan only after Brixmor agreed during that August 2020 council meeting to reduce the building height from 80 feet to 72. Councilwoman Gloria Partida and former Councilman Dan Carson joined Lee in approving the mixed-use project.
Two years later, however, Brixmor changed direction, telling the city it was returning to its original plan of simply redeveloping the mall as a new commercial retail shopping center.
The proposal — now called “The Davis Collection” — will go before the Davis Planning Commission on Wednesday, March 8.
According to Brixmor, The Davis Collection would be a “vibrant, community oriented gathering spot for the city of Davis’s residents and visitors alike,” delivering “a retail, entertainment venue to accommodate national, local and specialty retail, restaurant, and service tenants.
The Davis Collection project is designed to create an experiential pedestrian and bike friendly environment to encourage a safe and convenient plaza for the Davis community to shop, dine, entertain, and socialize.”
Brixmor is requesting approval of plans that include demolition of the existing 96,680 square-foot enclosed mall and redevelopment of the site with 101,246 square feet of new commercial retail space. The proposed buildings are single story.
The Trader Joe’s building, meanwhile, would remain in place and in operation, but would have exterior facade improvements.
“The overall site layout, circulation, and driveways will be similar to the existing site,” according to the public hearing notice for the March 8 Planning Commission meeting. “Adjustment and improvements to the site (include) two new freestanding pad buildings, plaza and patio areas, reconfigured drive aisles, new landscaping and trees, removal of one driveway entrance on Anderson Road, loading docks in the rear of the buildings, a sound wall along the northern property line, bicycle parking, 336 vehicle parking spaces, and frontage improvements.”
According to city staff, an environmental consistency analysis was prepared to
analyze whether the new proposal is consistent with the scope of the original environmental impact report prepared for the mixed-use University Commons proposal and determined it was, and that no additional environmental review is required.
The public can weigh in on the new proposal by submitting written comments prior to the March 8 Planning Commission meeting or at the meeting itself, which begins at 7 p.m. in the Community Chambers, 23 Russell Blvd.
To submit written comments, mail them to the City Clerk’s Office or to Eric Lee, project planner, at the Department of Community Development and Sustainability, 23 Russell Blvd., Suite 2, Davis, California, 95616, or email them to elee@ cityofdavis.org.
Written comments must be submitted by noon on March 8.
More information about The Davis Collection is available at https://www.cityof davis.org/city-hall/ community-developmentand-sustainability/ development-projects/ the-davis-collectionuniversity-mall.
— Reach Anne TernusBellamy at aternus@ davisenterprise.net. Follow her on Twitter at @ATernusBellamy.
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moonlighting as a comedian at open mics every night in San Francisco.
According to UC Davis’ alumni stories, Minhaj said that while he was a student at UC Davis, he found a way to bring all these bigger comedians from San Francisco to town. “It gave me a great opportunity to perform for people who would end up becoming a huge deal, people like W. Kamau Bell, Arj Barker, Ali Wong. Not only did the headliners agree to come and let me open for them, but people actually filled the lecture halls. And then someone wrote about it in The Aggie. I couldn’t believe it.”
He stuck with it, and Oct. 9, 2014, his life changed forever. He was the last correspondent hired by Jon Stewart to be on Stewart’s version “The Daily Show.” He had been doing stand-up for 10 years, one month, and nine days, he said at the class of 2015 graduation. “I
wasn’t the funniest I was not the brightest; I was not the tallest I’m not the best-looking, all those things I’m not. But I never stopped fighting through the pick (a reference to not being picked for the basketball team).”
At UC Davis, he met his future wife Beena Patel and married her 10 years later.
The rest is history and his accomplishments are many. He was the featured speaker of the 2017 White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Homecoming King, his first stand-up comedy special was released on Netflix in 2017 and won him his first Peabody Award. He hosted the Patriot Act for which he won his second Peabody Award.
This year’s UCD undergraduate graduation will be held for the first time at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
— Contact Monica Stark at monica@davisenterprise.net.
Enterprise staff
Mother Nature made the final plays on the diamond Friday.
Due to inclement weather, the UC Davis baseball team’s originally scheduled game against the visiting Santa Clara Broncos was canceled.
The two teams are now scheduled for a double-header on Saturday with the first game starting at 10 a.m.
Game two will take place 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.
The status of game three against Santa Clara is to be determined.
Any further weather updates regarding this weekend’s games will be posted on the UCDavisAggies.com, as well as on the UC Davis Baseball schedule page.
After this weekend, UCD (2-2) will play its next four games on the road.
The first game will be at Cal on Tuesday with a 6:05 p.m. start time.
Then the Aggies travel to Washington state for a three-game series against Seattle.
The first game will be Friday at 4 p.m.
Then the two teams meet again Saturday at 2 p.m. The final of the series will be Sunday, March 5 at noon.
UC Davis’ next home game at Dobbins
The San Jose Sharks made it official Saturday, retiring Patrick Marleau’s No. 12.
Marleau was the second player selected in the 1997 NHL draft. He went to San Jose after the Boston Bruins took eventual future Shark Joe Thornton first overall.
In all, Marleau played 23 seasons, 21 for San Jose plus short stints in Toronto and Pittsburgh. With the Sharks, Marleau appeared in 1,779 games with 522 goals, 589 assists and 1,111 total points.
The Sharks made the playoffs in 17 of his seasons. Marleau had an additional 120 postseason points that included 68 goals. Marleau is the first player in Sharks history to have his number retired. He’s also played in more NHL games than any other player.
n If you like old TV shows, check out Freevee. com.
It is a streaming service owned by Amazon.
As its name implies, it’s available at no charge across a variety of platforms.
Movies as well.
n Greg Van Dusen, one of the two men primarily responsible for bringing the Kings to Sacramento, died Tuesday at age 72.
Van Dusen was wellknown and respected by anyone and everyone in the Sacramento sports spectrum.
UC Davis football and men’s basketball play-byplay man Scott Marsh knew Van Dusen well.
“Greg was a great friend and mentor of mine who was always so positive every time we spoke. “Dutch” was a proud veteran who loved God, his family and country very much.”
n The XFL kicked off last weekend to mixed reviews.
See SHARKS, Page B6
Stadium will be Tuesday, March 7, when it welcomes Sacramento State for a 2 p.m. contest.
FRESNO — Friday’s softball game between UC Davis and Idaho State at the Fresno State Invitational was also canceled due to inclement weather.
The two teams were set to meet in the opening game for the Aggies in the threeday tournament.
Saturday’s games will be determined based on field conditions at the Margie Wright Diamond.
After this weekend, UCD (6-3) continues road play at Cal on Wednesday. Game time is scheduled at 6 p.m.
Then the Aggies will host the Capital Classic at La Rue Field from Friday, March 3 through Sunday, March 5.
UCD will play five games against Siena, Alabama State, Saint Mary’s, Southern Utah and wrap up the classic by playing Causeway Classic rival Sacramento State again on Sunday at 3 p.m. The Aggies beat the Hornets 2-1 at Shea Stadium on Feb. 9.
Davis High midfielder Caleb Yoon (13, blue jersey) battles with a Whitney player for control of the soccer ball in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I boys soccer title game at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento on Thursday. The Blue Devils beat the Wildcats 4-0, to
A new adventure awaits the Davis High boys soccer team that begins Tuesday.
That is when the Blue Devils start play in the California Interscholastic Federation Regional Soccer Championships. The CIF State is scheduled to release the brackets on its website — www.cifstate.org — today.
According to Davis High Athletic Director
Jeff Lorenson, this is the first time that the Blue Devils are playing in the CIF State regional playoffs since it started in 2018.
The CIF State has been holding playoffs for high school boys and girls soccer since 2008.
But only Fresno area to Southern California high school soccer teams competed until five years ago.
Davis (20-0-2), which beat Whitney 4-0 to capture the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title on Conway Field at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento on Thursday, is ranked No. 2 in California and No. 3 in the nation according to MaxPreps.
“We’re peaking at the right time,” said Davis head coach Alex Park, whose squad has scored 17 goals in three section playoff games in the last two weeks. “We’re just getting better and better.”
Should Blue Devil soccer fans look further, the second-round game would be played
Thursday at the host site of the highest seed. The regional championship game would be played Saturday, also at 5 p.m., at the host site with the highest seed.
The Sac-Joaquin Section’s two teams that played in the Divisions I through IV title games last week receive an automatic regional berth. The section champions of Divisions V and VI only advance to the regional tournament.
Davis punched its ticket to play in the CIF State Regional Soccer Championships when it beat Oak Ridge 5-0 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I game at Ron and Mary Brown
See PLAYOFFS, Page B6
Blue Devil defender Emanuel Tames-Kaimowitz (7) leaps over a Whitney player in Thursday’s CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I boys soccer championship game at Cosumnes River College.
Tames-Kaimowitz and DHS are ranked No. 2 in California and No. 3 in the nation, according to MaxPreps.
Christoph lossin/ enterprise photo
It’s been more than 30 years since California voters had the opportunity to vote in a competitive race for the U.S. Senate. There’s no question in my mind: Californians will elect a true champion for working people to fill the open seat.
A lot has changed since Sen. Dianne Feinstein first took office. This isn’t a 1990s, Blue Dog Democrat state anymore.
Latinos now represent the largest racial group in California. More than 10 million residents are immigrants. Instead of living out the Brady Bunch fantasy of owning a home with a green lawn and white picket fence, almost half of households are renters. The cost of living has exploded and only 17% of Californians think that young people are doing better than previous generations.
Voters have also become laser-focused on electing leaders and advancing policies that work for working families. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders swept California during the 2020 presidential primaries; Gov. Gavin Newsom was elected on the back of a (since reneged) promise to bring single-payer healthcare to the state. Progressive activists and organizers are radically reshaping city councils and municipal elections across California, with a mission to bring unhoused people indoors, end the criminal industrial complex, transform our economy away from fossil fuels, and eschew the payto-play politics of the past.
Sure, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy lives here, but even the Central Valley is trending bluer.
President John Adams, one of the architects of our American political system, famously said “The Representative Assembly, should be an exact Portrait, in Miniature, of the People at large.”
If Adams is right, it is easy to sketch out the profile of our next senator based on the priorities of the Californians they will represent.
The next California senator should support a minimum wage of at least $20 dollars an hour. New polling from Ben Tulchin shows that a strong majority of 7 in 10 California voters support raising the minimum wage to a living wage.
They should fight to tax extreme wealth. At a time when many Californians are working two or three jobs to feed their families, the three wealthiest people in this country own more wealth than the bottom half of the American population combined.
To reduce the outrageous level of inequality, California’s next senator needs to ensure that the ultra-rich pay their fair share.
They also should not have authored or supported legislation that has grown our system of mass incarceration or increased the criminalization of poverty. They should have a plan to address police brutality.
They should stand up to the powerful special interests that have dominated the halls of Washington D.C. for far too long, and protect the needs of our struggling working families.
They shouldn’t take money from big corporate donors.
Eradicating poverty and tackling our homeless crisis should be top priorities.
So, too, should be their unequivocal commitment to a Green New Deal that helps America reach 100% renewable energy, mitigates the effects of drought and pollution in the Golden State, and ensures justice for frontline communities.
California voters should elect someone who believes in economic justice — and reflects the momentum and policy priorities of progressives on the ground.
Most importantly, they should capture the optimism of California. Residents here believe that we can do better. We just need a senator that is finally willing to side with the people he or she represents. We need a senator who is prepared to put it all on the line to deliver cleaner air, affordable housing and better schools to our families — not another career politician.
— Joe Sanberg is a progressive business leader, anti-poverty advocate and founder of CalEITC4ME. He is the lead proponent of a 2024 ballot measure to raise California’s minimum wage.
The guerrilla war between Gov. Gavin Newsom and some of California’s 482 cities over housing policy is heating up.
The state has imposed quotas on local governments to provide – on paper –enough land for muchneeded housing, particularly projects for low- and moderate-income families, and streamline permits for projects.
While most are complying, albeit with some reluctance, others are trying to thwart the mandate. Resistance is strongest in small suburban cities dominated by wealthy residents who live in spacious homes on very large lots and don’t want dense condo or apartment projects to spoil the bucolic atmosphere of their neighborhoods.
That said, the sharpest conflict in California’s housing war pits a not-so-wealthy Orange County city, Huntington Beach, against the state. The city has basically declared it won’t meet the state’s demands, and Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta are suing to force compliance.
“The City of Huntington Beach continues to attempt to evade their responsibility to build housing, but they will simply not win,” Newsom
said last week, just before Huntington Beach formally declared its rebellion. “City leaders have a choice — build more housing or face very real consequences — including loss of state funds, substantial fines, and loss of local control.”
“The city has a duty to protect the quality and lifestyle of the neighborhoods that current owners have already bought into and for the future sustainability of Huntington Beach,” City Councilman Pat Burns wrote in a letter to his colleagues prior to their action. “Radical redevelopment in already-established residential neighborhoods is not only a threat to quality and lifestyle, but to the value of the adjacent and neighboring properties.”
Afterwards, Newsom’s office tweeted, “Tonight, Huntington Beach leaders decided that their residents don’t need affordable housing. This is a pathetic pattern
by politicians more focused on taking down pride flags than on real solutions. CA needs more housing. Time for Huntington Beach to start acting like it.”
It’s at least noteworthy that the affluent suburbs seeking ways around their quotas, mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area, are overwhelmingly Democratic in their political orientation while Huntington Beach is a Republican stronghold.
Interestingly, while the battle over land use and housing continues elsewhere, residents of arguably California’s most exclusive community don’t have to worry about multi-family housing projects spoiling their ambiance because of a quirk in the law. That would be Montecito, home to celebrities galore, including Oprah Winfrey, Rob Lowe, Ellen DeGeneres and, most recently, expatriate British Prince Harry and his wife, actress Meghan Markle.
Montecito lies next to the Santa Barbara but is not a city. Rather, it is an unincorporated community governed by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.
The county’s cities have their own quotas, but all of its unincorporated territory is
folded into one quota of 5,664 units. The county’s plan, unveiled last month, identifies potential building sites, mostly near the cities of Santa Barbara and Santa Maria and the communities of Orcutt, Goleta, Isla Vista and Carpinteria.
Some of the sites are vacant while others are occupied, including some shopping centers and churches. None are in Montecito or an adjacent enclave called Summerland, even though the county’s inventory of vacant land includes about a dozen parcels, some of them fairly large, in those two communities.
When county officials outlined their plan at a public meeting this month they were asked why no sites in Montecito were included. County planning director Lisa Plowman said only sites whose owners were interested in development were chosen and no one in Montecito or Summerland was amenable to dense multifamily housing.
That’s why Oprah and her neighbors won’t be bothered. — CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to Commentary.
People may differ on opinions, but questions of the health and safety of children should always rest solidly on the facts. This is as true of trans and genderexpansive children as it is of cisgender children.
This is why all major, respected medical institutions have endorsed supportive and affirming care for these children as best practice, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, the American Nurses Association and the American Psychological Association.
It is a fact that trans and genderexpansive children who are not supported by their families, their schools or their communities are at significantly higher risk for suicide than their cis gender peers. An American Academy of Pediatrics study found their risk to be up to 34 percent higher.
Speak out
President
The good news is that a University of Washington studynin the journal Pediatrics found that this discrepancy can be reduced to zero when these children are affirmed; when trans kids are supported in their identities, their suicide risk goes down to the same level as their cisgender peers.
The rights of trans children are being attacked in the ongoing “culture wars,” waged by conservative politicians in their campaigns for votes. Trans kids’ rights to healthcare and participation in sports is being politicized, along with other topics such as refugees immigrating to the U.S. and the teaching of Black history in our schools. This campaign is no different than the attacks on gay marriage less than a decade ago. Conservative media such as Tucker Carlson’s Daily Caller, Breitbart News and the Libs of TikTok social media account spread misinformation and outright lies about trans kids to stoke fear and outrage. The attack on the drag show in Woodland by right-wing extremists was prompted by a post on Libs of TikTok.
Differences in opinion are only valid if those opinions rest on the same basis of fact. But as we have seen in recent years, opinions derived from misinformation
Building, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202224-3553; email: https://www.padilla. senate.gov/contact/contact-form/
House of Representatives
and lies can quickly have dangerous realworld consequences. Truth matters when children’s lives hang in the balance.
Anoosh Jorjorian DavisWhat’s in a name? Consider Community Pool, sounds like something for everyone. But the City Council recently considered leasing the Community Pool to a private group due to the unprofitability of maintaining the facility. Like another community pool in town, this one will become a private facility for use by a specific group of individuals (they do propose opening it for public use on July 4th).
It is disturbing that the only solution is to allow a private group to control a public facility. Public pools should be public as are public parks. Maybe the council should consider a bond measure that would cover costs of maintaining and replacing the public pools, giving all citizens of Davis the opportunity to enjoy them.
John Clark Davis Foy S. President and CEO R. Burt PublisherThe 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: https://www. feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/
e-mail-me
Sen. Alex Padilla, 112 Hart Senate Office
Rep. Mike Thompson, 268 Cannon Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20515; 202225-3311. District office: 622 Main Street, Suite 106, Woodland, CA 95695; 530-753-5301; email: https:// https:// mikethompsonforms.house.gov/contact/
Governor
Gov. Gavin Newsom, State Capitol, Suite 1173, Sacramento, CA 95814; 916-4452841; email: https://govapps.gov.ca.gov/ gov40mail/
Enterprise
Davis needs to grow up.
Not out.
The Feb. 5 Davis Enterprise article stating that the City Council will examine ways of pre-approving housing developments on sites at the periphery of Davis in order to meet the city’s long-term “regional housing needs” allocation runs counter to the entire momentum of urban development economics and city finance.
It is well known that by building dense, vital downtowns, with multi-story housing and walkable amenities, cities may not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but actually build more positive property tax flows. Building at the periphery does the exact opposite by reducing income per acre from property taxes while increasing infrastructure maintenance including roads, water, sewers, flood control, street trees, police, fire and garbage collection.
Jeff Speck, author of “Walkable City Rules,” (Island Press, 2018) states that “communities
that fund infrastructure with an eye to long-term return will invest in compact, mixed-use development — especially in historic districts — and not in sprawl.”
Beginning with the 1974 “Costs of Sprawl,” considerable research studies have shown that dense urban areas return far more revenue per acre than peripheral, auto-oriented development; the former actually subsidize the latter. (See the case studies website of Urban3: https://www.urbanthree.com/ case-study/ )
Since the new Davis Downtown Plan addresses this, at least in the short term we need to avoid peripheral development that does not pay for its own ultimate financial impact on a wide range of city services. Portland, Ore., and the smaller California cities of Pasadena, Petaluma, Hercules and Lodi are examples of communities where the advantages of building strong downtowns can be observed today.
According to the U.S. EPA, Lodi’s $4.5 million retrofit of five downtown blocks helped attract
60 new businesses and increased sales taxes by 30%. The twopronged realities of the climate crisis and city budget shortfalls caused by low-density peripheral development demonstrate that Davis must now confront the fallacy of continued, sprawled development. Instead, we must concentrate on building up the downtown core (and upzoning existing neighborhood shopping centers) with mixed use development and dense urban-centric housing. This is what we mean by “growing up,” both literally and figuratively.
The city does not need to wait for developers to come forward with projects on private land. The 2019 inventory of city-owned property recommends moving their outdated corporation yard facilities off the three East Fifth Street parcels to the city’s old landfill site just north of town and making those Fifth Street parcels available for mixed-use housing. The mixed uses could include the tax income generating research and development functions (close to the downtown and university) that initially led to city consideration of the unpopular DiSC project.
The city has already designated East Fifth Street and surrounding areas as an economic ”Opportunity Zone” (see city website) encouraging investment by offering developers capitalgains tax benefits. The PG&E parcel will be a tremendous asset to this redevelopment strategy when it eventually becomes available. In the meantime, the city could generate an RFP presenting the possibilities from the new Downtown Plan, the Opportunity Zone and other central sites with housing and mixed-use potential. (Previous RFPs for affordable housing sites received numerous detailed responses.)
The city council has appointed two subcommittees, one for inclusionary (affordable) housing and one to study peripheral sites for potential development. Clearly, there is a significant need for increased affordable housing, but any consideration of peripheral housing sites should be part of a much needed updating of the city’s General Plan in the context of a community-wide discussion.
Coordinated city planning studies with the university and other regional agencies could be
fruitful. We urge the city council to pause the peripheral sites subcommittee’s efforts until a full General Plan update is underway.
We are not opposed to the city growing as may be required to meet our “housing needs”, but perimeter growth should only occur after infill densification opportunities are achieved. It is always easier for Council members to cave into the developer pressure to build yet another peripheral development, just because it takes less effort and seems like a short-term housing band aid.
But the long-term, fiscally and environmentally sound alternative is to develop a dense, mixed use, walkable, urban core and compact mixed use, walkable neighborhoods We need a council with a long-term vision for our community. Davis must grow up, not out.
— Judy Corbett is the retired executive director of the Local Government Commission. Robert Thayer is a UC Davis emeritus professor and land planner. Stephen Wheeler is a professor in the UCD department of human ecology. James Zanetto is an architect and planner.
Special to The Enterprise
It is hard to believe that it has already been a year since the full-fledged Russian invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24, 2022. A conflict between Ukraine and Russia had raged on and off since 2014, when Vladimir Putin seized Crimea. But what began a year ago has been substantially larger, more violent and more intense: the direct invasion of the whole of Ukraine by the Russian military.
At the time of the Russian invasion, I was serving as Special Assistant to the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. As such, I was part of the diplomatic team that worked very hard in the half year leading up to February 2022 to try and stop the Russian invasion of Ukraine. All wars represent a failure of diplomacy. It was hard then to not take that failure a little personally. But I saw up close the enormous lengths that the secretary of state, his team and the entire U.S. government went to offer Russia a genuine diplomatic dialogue, all while warning clearly and accurately that this invasion was being planned.
I am still proud that we did so, even if it was probably doomed from the start, because it makes abundantly clear that this war is Vladimir Putin’s fault. He was given other options that involved no loss of life to address any of Russia’s legitimate concerns. Putin chose this option — to invade another country. All the subsequent tragedies of this war flow from that decision.
It has been a year of tragedies. While exact figures are difficult to obtain, the U.S. government estimates around 40,000 Ukrainian
civilians have been killed. Estimates of Russian military deaths go as high as 200,000. Over 8 million Ukrainians have been displaced by the conflict.
Many of these refugees have even reached Davis, where they have found welcome but also the persistent challenges of language barriers, economic hardship and accessing government services that impact too many immigrants in our community.
The Russian invasion in Ukraine has also sparked a major global food-security crisis, particularly in Africa and the Middle East as Ukraine’s grain harvest has been destroyed or disrupted. A deal negotiated by the UN, Turkey, Russia and Ukraine to let Ukrainian grain transit the Black Sea has helped avoid an even worse crisis, as have U.S. food security efforts championed by the U.S. delegation to the United Nations.
For Yolo County — an agricultural economy before all else — this war serves a reminder of the importance of being able to guarantee America’s own food supply and of the gratitude we owe in particular to the Mexican immigrant farm workers who make our harvests possible.
Despite the tragedies of this war, it has also been a year of remarkable Ukrainian resilience and American resolve.
Contrary to all expectations in February 2022, Kyiv still stands, as President Biden’s recent visit so dramatically reminded the world. Significant portions of Eastern Ukraine have been liberated. The dogged Ukrainian will to fight has been matched with an impressive U.S. willingness to rush military equipment and ammunition to the front.
Not since the 1940s has
the United States been so clearly the Arsenal of Democracy, far outsripping in material terms the contributions of any other nation to Ukraine’s defense. Despite some critics on the right such as former President Trump, U.S. aid to Ukraine has also been remarkably bipartisan, with everyone from Sen. Bernie Sanders to Sen. Ted Cruz voting to authorize U.S. aid to Ukraine. Defending democracy abroad it seems can still unify us — even if defending democracy at home can’t.
As this winter comes to an end, we can also say that the unity of the Transatlantic alliance has held up much better than was feared a year ago. Though the cutting off of cheap Russian energy caused significant economic pain for millions of working-class Europeans, Russia’s “energy weapon” has not resulted in what Putin had hoped: the splitting of the Western alliance. Germany’s recent decision to approve the transfer of tanks to Ukraine is a testament to the effectiveness of American diplomacy and
the value of our alliances.
Western tanks will be arriving in Ukraine just in time. The year ahead is full of more challenges. Already, a Russian offensive is underway, with Putin’s forced mobilization having largely replenished the Russian military’s losses in 2022 (preventing Russian men from fleeing Putin’s draft by implementing across-the-board travel bans on Russians has been one of the most short-sighted policy choices made by our Eastern European allies, a reminder that Russophobia is not just morally wrong, but tactically counterproductive). The outcome on the battlefield may well come down to who will run out of ammunition first. Despite the herculean logistical feat accomplished by what amounts to a 24/7 air bridge bringing American ammo to Ukraine, Ukraine could rarely keep up with the Russian rate of artillery fire in 2022. In this context, Secretary Blinken’s recent warning that China may begin supplying
n One killed, several injured in weekend Yolo County crashes: http://wp.me/p3aczg-4hg7
n Man fatally shot by SWAT officer ID’d: http://wp.me/p3aczg-4hfd
n UCD prof kicks off Emeriti Lectures: http://wp.me/p3aczg-4haI
n Soccer: DHS girls’ unselfish play led to phenomenal season: http://wp.me/p3aczg-4he8
n Field to Fork: Davis twins find farming is in their blood: http://wp.me/p3aczg-4hih
Russia with military aid is very worrisome.
A diplomatic solution in 2023 remains unlikely, with the Russians having shown no willingness to negotiate, and with Putin’s recent speech confirming that Moscow remains committed to maximalist goals. Atrocities committed by the Russian occupation at places like Bucha, where mass graves were found shortly after Ukraine liberated it, have also hardened Ukraine’s resolve. Recognizing Russia’s territorial annexations is a condition Ukraine cannot accept.
The central problem is this: Can a conventional military power impose defeat on a nuclear superpower? It has happened before, most recently to us in Afghanistan. But it requires the nuclear superpower accepting this defeat and moving on. There is no evidence Vladimir Putin is there yet. The Biden administration has been careful to manage the risk of a direct U.S.-Russia conflict, which could result
in a nuclear exchange. It will have to continue to do so, but without giving nuclear states a general license to invade their neighbors, which would also be a recipe for disaster. It’s the highest stakes tightrope walk, but so far the Biden team hasn’t even wobbled.
The best strategy then is to continue to arm Ukraine as best we can, while increasing Putin’s global isolation. This is where the U.S. has most fallen short. While the NATO alliance has emerged unified and stronger from 2022, with Finland and Sweden soon to join, much of the Global South remains decidedly on the fence. Lula in Brazil, AMLO in Mexico and Modi in India have all made clear their neutrality. Russia continues to enjoy close relationships with many countries in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.
For Putin to truly feel the pressure to negotiate, the United States must focus on getting more of the Global South on Ukraine’s side. This is easier said than done. The Global South is not inclined to accept moralistic lectures about imperialism from its former European colonizers. Latin America bristles at being told to listen to our views on Ukraine while we ignore their views on Cuba. But still, we should think of nations like India, Mexico, Egypt, Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil, Vietnam, Nigeria and Argentina (to name a few) as the “swing states” who may well determine the ultimate diplomatic outcome of this war.
In the meantime, let the Arsenal of Democracy do all it can. Slava Ukraini.
— Antonio De LoeraBrust is a former staffer in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is a 2013 graduate of Davis High School.
“I can’t imagine how allowing and promoting diversity, within perspective of course, could be anything but good for the children in the schools.”
From Bob Kellerman
In response to “Letter: All parents matter”
n Editor's note: Tanya Perez is taking the day off. This column originally published in May 2019.
I’m at a crossroads right now over who I want to be: the cool client you want to help or the shrew who screams, “I’m going to call my lawyer if you don’t finish this job right! This! Minute!”
As you might have gathered, the Perezes are in the midst of some home remodeling, necessitated by water sneaking in through an upstairs window that didn’t actually leak, then cascading down an interior wall and in through a kitchen window that gushed. Mold mitigation, drywall replacement, kitchen cabinet repairs, and tile backsplash restoration are all in the works right now. Or at least they should be.
A quick caveat: This is not meant to blame any particular company. I think contractors have an enviable position of being allowed to be a little less responsive than other
businesses. Can you imagine if a newspaper was able to miss deadlines regularly because people thought, “Well, that’s just how newspapers are.”
Anyway, I’ve always tried to strike an “I’m so cool and easygoing that you couldn’t not want to help me” vibe. I try to be likable and enjoyable to be around so that workers will want to put my project on the top of their to-do lists.
But at the same time that I’m not calling and bugging them for updates and schedule queries and cost estimates, a crotchety person is yelling at them and threatening them to “finish my
job right now or else!”
The contractor is now presented with a pretty easy choice … respond to the yeller and get that job finished before trouble breaks out or go over to the house where the person seems patient to wait until the end of time to get things done.
My easygoing persona began with my doctor. My mom had kind of impressed upon me to be extra nice to a doctor and not whiny or complainy so that I would be seen as worthy of helping or curing.
As I got older, however, I learned that the doctor-patient relationship is one where it’s more effective to be mostly yourself, rather than a delightful, unrealistic version of yourself.
Somewhat relatedly, I learned my early home-repair solicitation strategies while living in Richmond, Va., in the 1990s. Time stood a little bit stiller in the capital of the Confederacy,
and if we didn’t want to be outright ignored, the man of the house had to be the one to talk to mechanics and laborers of any sort, at least to get the ball rolling.
Once they were on the job, however, I was most often the one at home, guiding them on the projects. So I developed an air of, “Aren’t you glad you are working for such a cool and knowledgable woman?
I’m not like those feeble-minded biddies you dread.”
So while I don’t think it’s a sexism problem now that prevents me from getting workers to show up when I need them to, I think the style I adopted when owning our first home is contributing to the problem.
It seems to me that modernday contractors and laborers understand that women often are the financial heads of household — meaning we handle all of the outgoing payments. Plus, they know most women are more aware of what kind of tile
surround should go in the guest bathroom.
So I’m back to thinking that my “I want you to like me” attitude is the issue.
What can be done about this?
I’m certainly tired of being the patient one who gets moved back on the calendar over and over. But I’m not ready to start sending emails with my lawyer copied on them. Short of getting my contractor’s license, I’m not sure how to proceed.
My husband’s take is we should sell our house and move into a hotel or a dorm. Home maintenance drives him crazy, and he is convinced he’d be perfectly happy in a small space that has a staff of caretakers.
I’ve asked him in my cool, easygoing way, “Would you be happy living there alone?”
— Tanya Perez lives in Davis with her family. Her column is published every other Sunday. Reach her at pereztanyah@ gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter at @californiatanya.
Special to The Enterprise
Every child deserves a safe and loving place
to be and the Yolo Crisis Nursery provides just that. When a family comes to the Yolo Crisis Nursery, they are in urgent need and have nowhere else to go. The nursery embraces each family. We keep the children safe and healthy, while identifying and providing the support and resources families need to manage the underlying problems.
I have been a part of the nursery since we opened in 2001. First as a volunteer, then a member and president of the Friends of the Yolo Crisis Nursery, a member and president of the Board of Directors, and now as the director of development and community relations.
Aside from the children we serve, my favorite thing about the Nursery are the amazing supporters unified by our mission to protect children and preserve families. It is so inspiring to see people from diverse backgrounds sharing their time, talents, and resources to help protect vulnerable children in our community.
We are so grateful for long-time donors like one anonymous donor who recently shared, “We are inspired to support organizations with an important and urgent cause, strong leadership, and efficient and thrifty operations.”
The donor continued, “it is impressive that the Nursery has been able to serve so many families over the years with such limited resources.”
The Yolo Crisis Nursery’s
emergency respite care is largely funded by the generosity of our community. It is because of this support from individuals, organizations, foundations, and businesses that we are here today to help families thrive.
Since opening our doors, the nursery has served more than 8,000 children and their families with a 98% success rate. That figure is a key measure of the success of two of the Nursery’s signature programs: emergency/respite care for children and wrap-around
services for parents. We could not serve as many children with the same success without the support of our generous donors and tireless volunteers.
“Volunteering at the Yolo Crisis Nursery is a very rewarding experience,” Mary Lou Hulse, a volunteer and donor, said.
“I learned from the Executive Director, Heather Sleuter, her outstanding staff, the children and babies. I feel it is important that all children are in a safe and nurturing environment. As a volunteer I helped so many children by holding them, singing to them, and comforting them. I have even
brought my inner piece of yoga to the environment with the children and staff. New volunteers can rest assured they will be working with an excellent team. The Yolo Crisis Nursery is a wonderful place to give back to our community that needs us.”
Thanks to our talented staff, volunteers, donors, and supportive community, the Nursery programs protect children in our community from harm and create long-term change by breaking generational cycles of abuse. We are so grateful for your support.
It truly takes a village — I just love our donors, volunteers, and supporters. Thank you all!
If you believe all
children deserve to grow up in a safe, stable, and loving home, we invite you to get involved with the Yolo Crisis Nursery — join the Friends of the Yolo Crisis Nursery and help plan an event, volunteer, or become a reoccurring monthly donor.
We also welcome those who might be interested in joining our board of directors. Please visit our website to learn more.
Looking for a fun way support the Yolo Crisis Nursery? Our 11th Annual Crab Feed is Saturday, March 11, at Waite Hall in Yolo County Fairgrounds.
To-go meals are delicious and still available for $65 each, please order by March 1 at www.yolocrisis nursery.org. Dinner
includes delicious fresh crab, Caesar salad, vegetarian pasta, bread, and cookies for dessert.
Mark your calendars and save the date for two exciting fundraisers coming later this year: our first ever Kentucky Derby viewing party at Windmill Vineyard on May 6 and, returning this fall, our Barn Dance on Oct. 21.
I invite you to visit www. yolocrisisnursery.org to learn more about how you can help Yolo County kids and join our nursery family.
— Becky Heard is the director of development and community relations at Yolo Crisis Nursery.
Enterprise staff
On Saturday, Davis Little League will kick off its 2023 season.
“After three rough COVID affected years, DLL is reemerging,” said Davis Nicholson, president of Davis Little League in a statement.
“The long winter of COVID was wellweathered by our dedicated Board and volunteers, but it was tough going.”
The approximate 55 teams in all divisions are inviting the public to Saturday’s festivities at the corner of F and Covell, which is when Davis Little League will start with a parade starting at 9:30 a.m.
The festivities start with the kids gathering at community park at 9, parade at 9:30, field events at 10:15, with games starting at noon.
There will be multiple food trucks and snack shack options.
Among the many things people will see are our reinvigorated fields.
“The West, East and Farm field have had a ton of work done with new dirt, new mounds, grass patching, etc.,” Nicholson said. “The AA field has been completely redone.
Nicholson also added that there are fences for the Farm and AA fields, increasing the chances that 8-year-olds can have a sweet swing and knock one out.
There’s also improved sound system on the East field and the unveiling of a new mascot.
For more information or learn more about Davis Little League, visit its website at www.davislittleleague.com.
The website also have information about DLL having its crab feed, which will take place on Saturday, March 18 at the Davis Senior Center.
From Page B1
Both the XFL and USFL are designed to develop young players, and that’s all well and good.
Quarterback, however, is the most difficult position to play at any level of football and with 48 pro teams, including the NFL, there is a glaring quality deficiency back of center.
n Counting all three leagues, we now have yearround pro football. Someone might try to be an “ironman.”
Ray Pinney was one such fellow. Pinney played six seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers beginning
in 1976. After the 1982 season, he jumped to the USFL Michigan Panthers for double his Steelers salary.
Pinney played back-toback seasons for the Steelers in fall ‘82 — the NFL strike season — and the Panthers in the spring of ‘83, a total of 27 games in seven months. He returned to the Steelers in 1985 after the USFL folded.
n A growing number of former college and pro football players now work in NASCAR pit crews.
That’s part of the influence that Joe Gibbs, a Super Bowl champion coach with Washington,
has brought to the stock car world as a longtime team owner.
Based in North Carolina, Joe Gibbs Racing has a 15-person front office, a 24-person pit crew, and six drivers, notably Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex, Jr, Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs, Joe’s grandson.
n The new voice of the Sacramento River Cats is Zack Bayrouty. Bayrooty takes over for Johnny Doskow, who was recently hired by the Oakland A’s. Doskow called Cats games from 2001 through last season.
He’ll be missed locally, but our congratulations to
him on “getting the call” to the major leagues.
Bayrouty previously broadcast for the Stockton Ports and Reno Aces.
n Ask any quarterback at any level who his most essential “skill player” is and the answer will be the same every time: whichever tackle protects the QB’s blind side.
The longtime radio and television color man on UC Davis football broadcasts, Doug Kelly is director of communications for Battlefields2Ballfields and managing general partner of Kelly & Associates. Contact him at DKelly1416@aol.com.
From Page B1
Stadium on Feb. 18.
Whitney, which Davis beat 4-0 in the section’s D-I title game on Conway Field at the Cosumnes River College campus on Thursday, knocked off Central Valley of Ceres by a 6-3 score, also on Feb. 18.
Vaca-Lorenzi scored three of the Blue Devils’ goals against Whitney, which won the D-I title in 2022.
His hat trick came toward the end of the first half, when the Blue Devils had a 1-0 lead.
“We just had to keep playing,” Vaca-Lorenzi
said. “We just had to keep going and scoring goals.”
This was the second time this season DHS and Whitney, out of Rocklin, faced each other. The Blue Devils and Wildcats ended their non-league game in a 3-3 tie at Ron and Mary Brown Stadium on Dec. 2, 2022.
Vaca-Lorenzi has recorded 18 goals this season. Davis forward Rigo Guerra is second on the team in scoring with 12 goals and midfielder Nicolas Montano six. Blue Devil forward Lucas Liu has 12 assists. Davis goalie Declan Fee has 27 saves.
— Contact Mike Bush at mike@davisenterprise. net. Follow on Twitter: @ MBDavisSports.
