The Davis Enterprise Wednesday, May 10, 2023

— Page B1

Farmers try new crops in new climate

By Alastair Bland CalMatters

In a world of worsening heat waves, flooding, drought, glacial melting, megafires and other calamities of a changing climate, Gary Gragg is an optimist.

As California warms, Gragg — a nurseryman, micro-scale farmer and tropical fruit enthusiast — looks forward to the day that he can grow and sell

mangoes in Northern California.

“I’ve been banking on this since I was 10 years old and first heard about global warming,” said Gragg, 54, who has planted several mango trees, among other subtropical trees, in his orchard about 25 miles west of Sacramento.

Gragg’s little orchard might be the continent’s northernmost grove of mangoes, which normally are grown in places like

Florida, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

Northern California’s climate, he said, is becoming increasingly suitable for heat-loving, frost-sensitive mango trees, as well as avocados, cherimoyas and tropical palms, a specialty of his plant nursery Golden Gate Palms.

“Climate change isn’t all bad,” Gragg said. “People almost never talk about the positives of

Community raises $50K for surviving stab victim

By Lauren Keene Enterprise staff writer

As the sole survivor of Davis’ stabbing crimes remains hospitalized, donors have raised more than $51,000 to financially support what's expected to be a long road to recovery.

Kimberlee Guillory, 64, underwent emergency surgery for a punctured kidney, internal bleeding and other wounds following the May 1 attack, which occurred as the unhoused woman lay alone inside her tent at L and Second streets.

global warming, but there will be winners and losers everywhere.”

Mangoes may never become a mainstream crop in the northern half of California, but change is undoubtedly coming. Hustling to adapt, farmers around the state are experimenting with new, more sustainable crops and varieties

See CROPS, Page A3

“As a community, we want to come together and support Kimberlee in any way we can,” Rose Hall wrote in a GoFundMe page created to raise money for Guillory’s medical bills and other expenses, including finding a permanent place to live. More than 1,200 people had contributed to the cause as of Tuesday afternoon.

See SURVIVING, Page A3

‘Aloha Vietnam’: Psychiatrist’s novel searches for home while battling grief

By Monica Stark Enterprise staff writer

Coinciding with Mental Health Awareness Month

and AAPI Heritage Month, Davis psychiatrist Dr. Elizabeth Nguyen tells the story of finding one’s identity and place of belonging in a shifting landscape of tradition, heritage, and culture, and the healing power of art, water, and love with her recently released book, “Aloha Vietnam.”

“This book is my love offering to the land and the people of Vietnam and Hawaii and the vast Pacific Ocean that connects them.

I hope it provides beauty and healing to the trauma and suffering that has come

through generations of loss and the struggles of mental illness,” Nguyen said.

Born and raised in Honolulu, Nguyen’s parents were refugees from Vietnam who arrived in Hawaii in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War.

Nguyen completed her psychiatry residency and child psychiatry fellowship at UC Davis. She specializes in cross-cultural psychiatry, the intersection of spirituality and mental health, and the healing power of water and the natural world.

In “Aloha Vietnam,” Anh Nguyen is 17 years old and a senior in high school, working on a watercolor art series, when she

experiences her first manic episode.

She is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and put on medications, and she and her Vietnamese-American family are suddenly thrown into the world of mental health treatment and

Psychiatrist Dr. Elizabeth Nguyen’s book, “Aloha Vietnam,” tells the story of finding one’s identity and place of belonging in a shifting landscape of tradition and culture.

Courtesy photo

recovery.

Anh’s mother, Xuan, grapples with understanding her daughter’s struggles while also trying to make sense of her loss and grief of leaving behind her family and motherland of Vietnam to raise her

children in America. The family finds refuge across the Pacific Ocean on the warm shores of Honolulu, Hawaii; Anh navigates growing up in a refugee family in a new land and culture and deals with the struggles of her mind. She finds solace in her love for the ocean and her art.

A journey across the Pacific Ocean from Vietnam to Hawaii to California, “Aloha Vietnam” searches for one’s true home and identity amidst loss, grief, and mental illness.

A character in the book, the setting mirrors our natural world. “(It’s) this large presence in our life

See ALOHA, Page A5

Winters farmer Gary Gragg examines buds on one of the mango plants he’s growing in the Sacramento Valley.

rahul lal/ CalMatters photo

GUILLORY Severe wounds

Police make vandalism arrest

Davis police jailed a man on vandalism charges Friday after he allegedly damaged a land surveyor’s equipment.

Lt. Dan Beckwith said the victim told officers he was working in the intersection of Covell Boulevard and Pole Line Road when an “agitated” male approached him and pushed over his surveying equipment, causing about $3,500 in damage. Responding officers detained the suspect, 65-year-old Michael Louis Scharl of Jackson, a short distance away and booked him into the Yolo County Jail.

About us

Never a surprise, always shocking

If I didn’t have to pay it, I think I might actually look forward to getting my PG&E bill every month.

I just love looking at all the numbers and trying to figure out what each one means. And trust me, there are so many numbers and charts and graphs scattered over multiple pages that it’s sometimes hard to find the one line that tells me how much I actually owe.

When I finally find the total damages, I am not allowed to stomp my feet and yell words not suitable for a family newspaper. No, I am supposed to shrug my shoulders, say “It is what it is” and go on with my day.

My “Account Summary” lists, in order, the amount due on previous statement, payment received since last statement, previous unpaid balance, current electric delivery charges, electric adjustments, Valley Clean Energy electric generation charges, current gas charges and gas adjustments. Elsewhere there’s a California climate credit and a 2017 Vintage Power charge indifference adjustment to which I

am mostly indifferent.

In addition to all of the above, I owe a power charge indifference adjustment of 8 cents, a franchise fee surcharge of 3 cents and an Energy Commission tax of 19 cents.

I don’t remember voting on any of these things.

Excuse me while I grab my migraine medicine.

As the Beach Boys used to sing, it’s nothing but “fun, fun, fun” until I have to pull out the checkbook and pay the PG&E piper.

In addition, PG&E almost always includes an insert or two listing, without explanation, the hazardous materials it uses in delivering gas and electricity to our homes.

“Proposition 65 — WARNING,” screams the headline over one

Davis authorities seek suspect in bank robbery

the post said. “Officers arrived, thoroughly checked the area and were unable to locate the suspect. No one was injured.”

such insert, including a graphic with the dreaded triangle surrounding an exclamation point, which, if you were driving, means you should immediately pull over to the side of the road and get as far away from your car as possible.

“The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, commonly referred to as Proposition 65, requires the Governor to publish a list of chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm,” PG&E notes.

Ihave not heard from Gavin on this. Then again, George Deukmejian was governor in 1986, so maybe I misplaced a warning that was sent long ago.

“It also requires California businesses to warn the public quarterly of potential exposures to these chemicals that result from their operations,” the warning goes on.

“Pacific Gas and Electric Company uses chemicals in our operations that are known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects and other reproductive harm.” Now you tell me.

“For example, PG&E delivers natural gas to our customers and uses natural gas and petroleum products in our operations. Natural gas and petroleum products contain benzene, a known carcinogen.”

Note, this is a “known” carcinogen, not just one suspected to cause tooth decay in laboratory mice.

But wait, there’s more.

“PG&E also uses lead-based paint on some of our towers or other facilities at locations throughout PG&E’s service territory and uses wooden utility poles treated with wood preservatives.” Stop, please. I think I’ve heard enough.

“Lead-based paint and wood preservatives contain chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects and other reproductive harm.”

So, not only do you start forest fires, you also use cancer-causing chemicals. Good to know.

Thanks for the information that I can do nothing about.

The check’s in the mail.

Reach Bob Dunning at bdunning@davisenterprise.net.

Banner Bank, 333 F St., at about 4:30 p.m., according to a Davis Police Department Facebook post that included security photos of the suspect.

“After taking cash, the suspect exited the bank and was last seen walking northbound on F Street,”

Police describe the robber as a white male adult about 40 to 50 years old, about 5 feet, 9 inches tall, last seen wearing a white hat, sunglasses, a black sweater and black pants. No weapon was displayed or seen.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Davis Police Department dispatch center at 530-7475400.

Davis Chinese Association awards 2023

Special to The Enterprise

The Davis Chinese Association is proud to announce its 2023 scholarship recipients. Since 2005, the Davis Chinese Association has awarded more than $75,000 in meritbased scholarships to graduating seniors from Davis High School.

The recipients submitted their application including an essay about growing up as a Chinese American in the United States.

This year's recipients are: Elisa Duan, Davis Chinese Association Scholarship; David Wang, Ronald F. Soohoo Memorial Scholarship; Dewey Liu, Ying Yung Tsao and Annie Tsao Van Memorial Scholarship; Makena Leacox, Shang

Scholarships

Fa Yang Memorial Scholarship; Aricia Huo, George Chin Memorial Scholarship; and Hanni Yu, Richard Chin Memorial Scholarship

The Davis Chinese Association was formed in 1965 and continues to welcome everyone with an interest in sharing Chinese culture. In 2004, the Davis Chinese Association raised more than $20,000 for a Scholarship Endowment Fund and began awarding scholarships annually since 2005.

For more information on the Davis Chinese Association, check out http:// groups.dcn.org/dca or davis.chinese.association@ gmail.com.

Nordstrom Rack in, Regal 5 drops curtain

n Editor’s note: Sunday’s Comings & Goings column had some word cut out of it. Here it is again, in its entirety.

Davis’ newest theater, Regal Cinemas 5, closed without warning on Thursday.

A note on the door says, “Thank you! It has been our pleasure to serve you at this theatre. Regal Davis is now closed. We invite you to visit Regal Davis Holiday or any of our other area locations.”

The theater was at 420 G St. The compact cinema had stadium seating and smaller screens than the older Regal Davis Holiday 6 at 101 F St., which will remain open. It was unusual to have three movie theaters (including the independent Varsity Theatre) in our small town, and all downtown, but we seemed to support it. That is, until the pandemic.

In January, the company announced it was closing 39 more theaters after an earlier round that closed a dozen others. I checked the closure lists both times, and Davis was never included. The move follows parent company Cineworld’s filing of Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The building is owned by the Yackzan Group of Davis.

The other big news of the week is that Nordstrom Rack is coming to Davis. A recent new release from Nordstrom announced that a 25,000 square-foot store will be part of The Davis Collection, the redeveloped version of what is now University Mall. It says it plans to open in spring 2025.

This news came as tip from subscriber Kate Bowen. The press release posted on the Nordstrom website is dated April 13. The company didn’t bother to send it this way. The release also announced upcoming stores in Elk Grove, Gilroy, Oceanside and San Mateo.

Bowen “was just reading (and mourning) the pending closure of the Nordstrom in downtown San Francisco, when I stumbled upon this tidbit,” she said. (She

and her husband Bob, former public relations manager for the city of Davis, are big San Francisco Giants fans, and frequently travel to the city for games).

I shared the Nordstrom Rack news on the Comings & Goings Facebook page, and it was picked up by other news outlets before it officially made it into this weekly column.

The release included a statement from the mall’s owner and redeveloper, Brixmor Property Group. Bill Brown, executive vice president of its development and redevelopment division, said, “Nordstrom Rack is a key addition to the redevelopment of The Davis Collection, adding highly desired off-price retail.

(It) is known for exceptional quality, selection and customer service, and appeals to the Davis community we serve.”

The news release continued, “Nordstrom Rack is the off-price retail division of Nordstrom Inc. and plays a critical role in the company’s Closer to You strategy, which focuses on delivering customers a more convenient and interconnected experience across its stores and digital platforms.

(It) offers customers up to 70 percent off on-trend apparel, accessories, beauty, home and shoes from many of the top brands sold at Nordstrom stores, as well as core services like online order pickup for Nordstrom.com and NordstromRack. com, easy returns, and alterations at select stores. Nordstrom Rack is the largest source of new customers to Nordstrom.”

Once these new locations are complete, Nordstrom will operate 68 Nordstrom Rack stores, 23 Nordstrom stores, five Nordstrom Locals and one store

called asos in California.

As a safety measure, many businesses shortened their hours in the last week, opting to open after sunrise and close before dark. The Davis Farmers Market chose not to have a Wednesday market. I expect business hours will revert to normal following Thursday’s news of a suspect’s arrest in connection with three brutal stabbings in Davis. We’re all breathing a little easier.

Bull ’N Mouth, the American restaurant coming to the former De Vere’s pub site at 217 E St., is still on track to open this spring. On Thursday, I heard from CEO Brandon Keith. “We are hoping to open in the coming weeks, and are currently in the hiring process. Once we get our team onboarded and trained, we will be opening our doors.”

I did not hear back this week from Mamma, the Italian restaurant and market coming to the former Bistro 33 site at 226 F St., but its status is similar, if not slightly ahead of Bull ’N Mouth.

A GameStop is coming back to Davis. This one will be in Second Street Crossing, the center anchored by Target. The address is 4625 Second St., Suite 120. Davis previously had two

CROPS: Farmers seek positives

From Page A1

bred to better tolerate drought, heat, humidity and other elements of the increasingly unruly climate.

In the Central Valley, farmers are investing in avocados, which are traditionally planted farther south, and agave, a drought-resistant succulent grown in Mexico to make tequila.

In Santa Cruz, one grower is trying a tropical exotic, lucuma, that is native to South American regions with mild winters. Others are growing tropical dragonfruit from the Central Coast down to San Diego.

Some Sonoma and Napa Valley wineries have planted new vineyards in cooler coastal hills and valleys to escape the extreme heat of inland areas. And several Bay Area farmers have planted yangmei, a delicacy in China that can resist blights that ravage peaches and other popular California crops during rainy springs.

Near the town of Linden, farmer Mike Machado, who served in the state Assembly and Senate from 1994 to 2008, is one of many growers in the arid San Joaquin Valley who have replaced some stone fruit and nut trees with olives, historically a minor California crop mostly produced in Mediterranean nations.

“We’re adjusting for survival,” Machado said.

Climate change means that Southern California’s conditions are creeping north up the coast and into the valley, while Oregon and Washington are becoming more like Northern California. Precipitation, winds, fog, and seasonal and daily temperature patterns — all of which determine which

crops can be grown where — have all been altered.

“With climate change, we’re getting more erratic entries into fall and more erratic entries into spring,” said Louise Ferguson, a UC Davis plant physiologist.

Researchers predicted that “climatic conditions by the middle to end of the 21st century will no longer support some of the main tree crops currently grown in California.…For some crops, production might no longer be possible.”

UC Davis researchers are at the cutting edge of the push to adapt, working to make California’s lucrative walnut, pistachio and stone fruit orchards more resilient by selectively breeding for heat, disease and drought tolerance.

About three-quarters of the nation’s fruits and nuts are grown in California, but fruit and nut trees are among the most vulnerable crops to climate change.

Luedeling’s research, for example, suggests that high winter temperatures could severely reduce walnut yields about once a decade.

Katherine Jarvis-Shean, an orchard advisor with the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources program, said that effect will be magnified farther south: “That’s probably one in five years in the southern San Joaquin Valley,” she said.

Genetic resilience

Pistachios have grown to one of the state’s mightiest crops, with acreage of mature trees now covering more than 400,000 acres. The 2021 harvest totaled about 577,000 tons and was valued at nearly $3 billion.

Now crop scientists are working to save these valuable orchards from the effects of warming.

Warmer winters can cause male varieties to

bloom and release pollen too late, after the female flowers have opened. This means less pollination and less fruit, and in 2015 many orchards suffered total crop failure.

Patrick Brown, a UC Davis nut crop breeder, said farmers have solved this problem, at least for now, by grafting additional male varieties with different blooming schedules into the groves. “It’s a fairly easy hedge against that problem (of warmer winters),” he said.

Brown is now leading a hunt for genetic resistance to walnut blight in the shady groves of the Wolfskill Experimental Orchard, a repository of nearly 9,000 grapevine and tree fruit varieties from around the world. This genetic bank, owned by UC Davis and jointly run with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, includes walnut trees of several species and hundreds of varieties.

— Read more of this story on the Enterprise website at https://wp.me/ p3aczg-4jli.

GameStops: in University Mall and The Marketplace. The University Mall (Russell Boulevard) store closed in 2011 and The Marketplace (West Covell Boulevard) one shut down in 2018.

The store sells video games, consoles, hardware, gaming accessories, toys and similar goods.

The owners of Davis Grill and Kabob, a rebranding of Casablanca, still hope to open the new restaurant on May 10. They are working with the landlord and trying to get new signage.

The restaurant is at 640 W. Covell Blvd., Suite A in Anderson Plaza. That date could be optimistic.

Casablanca closed at the end of March. Ibrahim Zabad, one of the owners, said kabobs are less labor intensive than the Mediterranean and Moroccan cuisine they previously served.

Upper Crust Baking was temporarily closed in Davis after an SUV crashed through its front windows on April 30. The crash not only damaged the store, it sent four people to the hospital with minor injuries. The bakery, at 634 G St., reopened on Sunday.

“This accident underscored the need to build the patio as quickly as possible,” owner Lorin

Kalisky said. “Having the patio will significantly reduce the risk of an accident like this ever happening again — with a barrier of heavy concrete planters, and by keeping humans away from the direct path of parking cars."

Plans for the patio were already designed and approved, but halted by pandemic financial constraints. Kalisky started a GoFundMe, asking the community to help fund the patio project. That way, once the insurance money comes in for the damage, the storefront will be protected from a similar incident.

As of Thursday afternoon, more than 290 people had donated more than $17,000 combined. To view the GoFundMe, visit: https://gf. me/v/c/dd6b/upper-crust-baking-safe-outdoor-patio

A spokeswoman for Wayback Burgers said Thursday that the restaurant’s opening date has been pushed to late this year. However, no exact timeline has been set.

The burger joint is coming to 1351 W. Covell Blvd., Suite A, in The Marketplace.

No word back from Orangetheory Fitness, taking over the former Round Table Pizza space in South Davis, or Estelle Bakery & Pâtisserie, filling the former Konditorei space. It’s not for lack of trying.

Before messaging me about the status of an ongoing project, please review my paywall-free Google spreadsheet, which includes more than 325 Davis businesses. It’s at https://bit.ly/ DavisBusinesses. The most active tabs are Restaurants Open, Restaurants Closed and Coming Soon.

— Wendy Weitzel is a Davis writer and editor. Her column runs on Sundays. Check for frequent updates on her Comings & Goings Facebook and Instagram accounts. If you know of a business coming or going in the area, email news tips to wendyedit@ gmail.com

SURVIVING: Described assailant

From Page A1

The stabbing was Davis’ third in just five days’ time, the previous two claiming the lives of David Henry Breaux, 50, in Central Park; and 20-year-old UC Davis student Karim Abou Najm in Sycamore Park.

Davis police announced the arrest of a suspect, 21-year-old former UCD student Carlos Reales Dominguez, last Thursday. Officers detained him the day before after citizens spotted him wandering through Sycamore Park and neighboring streets.

Guillory’s friends told The Davis Enterprise they feared for their safety following the April 27 killing of Breaux, who also was unhoused. They pitched their tents close together last Monday, pledging to look out

for one another as the suspect remained at large.

The assailant struck late that night, stabbing Guillory multiple times from outside the tent and triggering her screams for help. A man in a neighboring tent lunged toward the attacker, who fell to the ground before fleeing the scene.

Despite her injuries, Guillory was able to provide police with a description of her attacker, which resembled the suspect described by another witness who came upon Najm’s homicide.

More than a week later, Guillory remained in stable condition Tuesday at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.

According to Hall, Guillory found herself homeless after caring for a daughter, who died of

pancreatic cancer at age 33.

Housing became a challenge due to Guillory’s limited income, and her pet dog Toby prevented her from staying at local shelters due to no-pet policies.

“In order for her to keep her beloved dog and companion, she made the difficult decision to stay at the unhoused encampment in Davis, which was supposed to be a safe and temporary alternative” while she awaited approval for low-income housing, Hall wrote.

“Kimberlee has become a beloved member of the community, and we want to show her that she is not alone in this fight."

— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene

Wendy Weitzel/Courtesy photo

Regal Cinema 5 at 420 G St. closed as of May 4.

‘Timeout Radio’ marks a half-century of hip-hop

Enterprise staff

Fifty years ago, a teen disc jockey threw a backto-school birthday party in an apartment building in the South Bronx. There he dropped electrifying breakbeats and hip-hop was born. The latest episode of “Timeout Radio” is about how this grassroots musical revolution rapidly turned into a global social and cultural phenomenon.

Host Rohan Baxi talks to hip-hop scholar Halifu Osumare, who shares the roots and evolution of hiphop and its influence as a powerful genre that expresses the voice of youths. In this episode’s travel segment, listeners will learn about the South Bronx — home of the New

York Yankees, Little Italy and the largest park in New York.

Timeout Radio is a radio show and podcast based in Davis for youths. It airs on KDRT 95.7 FM from 5:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and 8 to 8:30 a.m. Saturdays. All episodes are archived at https://kdrt.org/program/ timeout-radio.

Tony s Handyman Free estimates

NAIC# 12831 Certificate# 663072989

and bracing, or equivalent method, for the protection of life or limb, which shall conform to applicable safety orders

7 Bid Security Each Bid shall be accompanied by cash a certified or cashier s check or Bid Bond secured from a surety company satisfactory to the City Council, the amount of which shall not be less than ten percent (10%) of the submitted Total Bid Price, made payable to City of Davis as bid security The bid security shall be provided as a guarantee that within five (5) working days after the City provides the successful bidder the Notice of Award the successful Bidder will enter into a contract and provide the necessary bonds and certificates of insurance The bid security will be declared forfeited if the successful Bidder fails to comply within said time No interest will be paid on funds deposited with the City The Bid Bond submitted shall be provided by a surety duly authorized by the Insurance Commissioner to transact surety business in the State of California

8 Performance Bond and Labor and Material Bond

The successful Bidder will be required to furnish a Faithful Performance Bond and a Labor and Material Payment Bond each in an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Price Each bond shall be in the forms set forth herein shall be secured from a surety company that meets all State of California bonding requirements as defined in California Code of Civil Procedure Section 995 120, and that is a California admitted surety insurer

Pursuant to Section 22300 of the Public Contract Code of the State of California the successful Bidder may substitute certain securities for funds withheld by the City to ensure its performance under the contract

9 Labor Code Requirements Pursuant to Labor Code Section 1773 the City has obtained the prevailing rate of per diem wages and the prevailing wage rate for holiday and overtime work applicable in Yolo County from the Director of the Department of Industrial Relations for each craft classification, or type of worker needed to execute this contract A copy of these prevailing wage rates may be obtained via the internet at: www dir ca gov/dlsr/

In addition, a copy of the prevailing rate of per diem wages is available at the City s Public Works Department and shall be made available to interested parties upon request The successful bidder shall post a copy of the prevailing wage rates at each job site It shall be mandatory upon the Bidder to whom the Contract is awarded and upon any subcontractors to comply with all Labor Code provisions which include but are not limited to the payment of not less than the said specified prevailing wage rates to all workers employed by them in the execution of the Contract employment of apprentices hours of labor and debarment of contractors and subcontractors

Pursuant to Labor Code Sections 1725 5 and 1771 1 all contractors and subcontractors that wish to bid on be listed in a bid proposal, or enter into a contract to perform public work must be registered with the Department of Industrial Relations No Bid will be accepted nor any contract entered into without proof of the contractor s and subcontractors current registration with the Department of Industrial Relations to perform public work If awarded a contract the Bidder and its su bcontractors of any tier shall maintain active registration with the Department of Industrial Relations for the duration of the Project Notwithstanding the foregoing, the contractor registration requirements mandated by Labor Code Sections 1725 5 and 1771 1 shall not apply to work performed on a public works project that is exempt pursuant to the small project exemption specified in Labor Code Sections 1725 5 and 1771 1 This Project is subject to compliance monitoring and enforcement by the Department of Industrial Relations In bidding on this Project, it shall be the Bidder s sole responsibility to evaluate and include the cost of

ALOHA: Author wanted to give readers human experience

that we sometimes forget is always there and holding us,” Nguyen said. “Hawaii is a place of healing. Native Hawaiians know that the land and waters are alive. They’re not just inanimate places and objects, but there is mana, an energy to the Hawaiian islands that is medicine. The warm waters, the sunshine, the warmth of the local people and culture, it’s a healing balm for people.”

As a multidimensional psychiatrist, Nguyen doesn’t just focus on what she learned in medical school and training about diagnosis and medications; she brings all her innate interests and skills into her work with patients, which includes her cross-cultural background, spirituality and connection to water.

Raised Buddhist with a central teaching: to decrease suffering in life; Nguyen said one main objective as a writer and a psychiatrist is to reduce human suffering. “So much of human suffering is human-made and humansustained. If we can learn how to heal rather than inflict more pain on ourselves and others, there will be less suffering. Seeing the beauty in life, and its preciousness, is one way to decrease suffering,” she said.

“When I honor all these different dimensions of myself, I create an environment that honors all of the different dimensions of the person sitting in front of me. I don’t just see them as one thing, they are many things.”

Nguyen has patients looking for a healthcare provider with whom they can be themselves without separating their mental and physical health from their culture, spirituality and love for nature. “I know that true wholeness and wellness comes from honoring all parts of yourself, which is hard to do in the busy, modern world,” she said.

With “Aloha Vietnam,” Nguyen wanted to give readers the same window into the intimate human experience she witnesses daily as a psychiatrist. “To

Obituary

show readers that there is beauty amongst the pain, hope in the darkness, and healing is always possible. It is never too late to heal, especially with ancestral and inter-generational trauma and healing. Someone in a family lineage will inevitably have to do the work of healing ancestral pain and suffering and unprocessed loss and grief,” she said.

For this reason, Nguyen chose to write the book from both the mother’s and the daughter’s points of view and to show the interconnectedness of their pain and struggles. The mother, Xuan, is processing the grief and loss of leaving her motherland and family and the generations of war that her country has endured.

At the same time, Anh has inherited this ancestral history in a new land, culture, and life. The external struggles of war and circumstance that Xuan experienced are now being fought in an internal battle as Anh navigates depression, anxiety, mania, and a bipolar diagnosis. The book takes the reader on a journey of witnessing these struggles and moving forward.

Nguyen said her parents were very traditional, hardworking Vietnamese people. Her father was well-studied and received a scholarship to attend university in Australia, which she notes was uncommon at the time in Vietnam. He studied economics; her mother was a math school teacher in Vietnam.

Her father happened to be on a business trip in Washington D.C. in the spring of 1975 when it became apparent that the U.S.-backed South Vietnamese government would fall and that it would not be safe for him to return to Vietnam. “Thankfully, my father’s sister, my Auntie Nina had married an American, my uncle Bruce, who worked for the U.S. military. He was able to make arrangements for my mom and the rest of my family to leave Saigon,” Nguyen explained. They arrived in Honolulu on May Day, May 1, 1975.

She said that even though they were educated

Betty Lorraine Moore

Jan. 24, 1929 — April 29, 2023

Betty Lorraine Moore a longtime resident of Davis, passed away on April 29, 2023, at the age of 94, after a brief illness. Betty was born in Sacramento on Jan. 24, 1929, and was the daughter of Joesph and Gertrude Tremp.

She was predeceased by her loving husband of 72 years, James (Whitey) Moore, and brothers Leroy and Sherman. She is survived by sons Lowell (Joanne) and Gary (Angela); grandchildren Adam, Nicole and James (Allison); and great-grandchildren Nathaniel, Wyatt and Aiden; as well as many nieces and nephews.

Betty and Whitey were successful business owners of the Davis Shoe Shop. A fixture of 40 years. Betty was extremely involved in her sons, family and

professionals in Vietnam, her parents had to start their lives over from scratch in the U.S., with only a few hundred dollars in their pockets.

“Through hard work and perseverance and their dedication to their children and our future, my siblings and I have inherited these opportunities for a better life.”

Nguyen had many questions about her family’s past, what their life was like and what it was like to leave. “My parents didn’t want to talk about it much, probably because it was emotionally hard and confusing and painful for them. That is one of the

main themes in the book. But just this past month, my mom and children and I went back to Vietnam for the first time together, and the stories came pouring out,” she said.

About half of the book is autobiographical, drawing from much of her childhood in Hawaii. “My parents did own a tourist shop in Waikiki, and I grew up in Waikiki, working at my parents’ shop, renting

boogie boards across the street, and attending Punahou School,” a private college preparatory school. She has family members who are bipolar.

She’s had trouble adjusting to college and has been in treatment for depression and anxiety. She said many of the scenes with the psychiatrist Dr. Tanaka were based on her experiences training and working as a psychiatrist in our community. Still, the other 50% of the story is fictional. “Anh and Xuan, and all the characters in the story, are a creation of my own mind and imagination, and I enjoyed having the creative freedom to take the plot where I wanted it to go,” she said.

Writing this book “Aloha Vietnam” was a personal

healing journey for Nguyen and her ancestral line.

“Writing is a very healing process. The actual act of putting a story into words, and giving voice to what needs to be expressed, is a healing act. And then sharing this story with others spreads the healing too,” she said.

Nguyen will give a talk called “Talking Story about Mental Health” at the Davis Public Library on Saturday, May 20, from 1-2 p.m. in celebration of Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness. The event also will feature taiko drumming from 11:30 a.m. to noon with Denis Kurata.

“Aloha Vietnam” is for sale at Avid Reader. See the book’s website at www. aloha-vietnam.com.

MOORE

extended relatives lives and activities. She was a social and caring person, with many friends to this day. If you had the time there was always a story.

Betty and Whitey were long time members of the Elks Club. Through their years of community involvement they made many friendships and will be dearly missed. After retirement from the Davis Shoe Shop Betty and Whitey traveled the world and all through out North America in their RV.

A life well lived. A celebration in her memory will be at a later date.

Seniors can follow these safety guidelines as they embark on their strength-training journeys.

Strength training for seniors

Metro

Special to The Enterprise

A balanced diet and exercise, which includes a combination of aerobic activities and strength training, is necessary to maintain long-term health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, regular physical activity is one of the most important things older adults can do to protect their overall health. Exercise helps to delay or prevent many of the conditions that come with age. Adults ages 65 and older should aim for the recommended 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity, such as brisk walking, and at least two days of activities that strengthen muscles.

When it comes to muscle strengthening, seniors can follow these safety guidelines as they embark on their strength-training journeys.

■ Speak with a healthcare provider first. Get the green light to proceed with

an exercise regimen before beginning by having a discussion with your general practitioner about your fitness goals. Your doctor can recommend strategies that are safe and point out any exercises that may compromise your overall health.

■ Master basic exercises first. Anyone new to strength training, which is sometimes known as resistance training, can start out slowly, even using just body weight, to provide resistance. Resistance exercises can include squats, crunches, modified pushups, planks, and lunges.

■ Graduate to resistance bands. When you’re ready to move on to something else, consider resistance bands as an alternative to free weights. The bands can help you develop good form before introducing weight. Good form is key to avoiding injury.

■ Work with a trainer. Working with a certified personal trainer can help you learn how to use free weights and strength-training machines correctly. A

trainer also can create a routine that includes the right number of sets and repetitions to gradually build and maintain muscle mass. If you decide against hiring a trainer, gym staff members may guide you through equipment and demonstrate proper form.

■ Exercise with a friend. Strength training with a friend or family member can provide motivation and keep you on target to meet your goals.

■ Build up gradually. Your first strength session should only last 10 to 15 minutes, according to Tiffany Chag, C.S.C.S., a strength coach at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. This enables you to gauge soreness. Wait until soreness abates before beginning your next session if you are new to strength training.

Strength exercises are a vital part of maintaining health as a senior. Such exercises help maintain muscle mass and also improve balance and bone health.

Metro/Stock photo

Home run not enough for Aggies against Cal Poly

Dethlefson is the new stolen base leader

By Mike Bush Enterprise sports editor

Sarah Starks continues to hit the long ball at La Rue Field.

In the second game of Sunday’s Big West Conference doubleheader against Cal Poly, the UC Davis softball player, a junior first baseman, connected on a 2-0 pitch that went over the left field fence for a two-run homer.

“La Rue Field has become my home over the past (three) years,” Starks said. “I just love being able to perform and work for the team on our home field.”

Aggie teammate Anna Dethlefson, who made program’s history in the first game, occupied third base at the time of Starks’ dinger.

The dinger seemed to have given UCD momentum in its final home game of the season.

Then Cal Poly pitcher Sophia Ramuno stepped into the pitcher’s circle.

The Mustang freshman struck out nine

Swimming

UCD batters.

Ramuno’s teammates took care of business on offense.

They erased the Aggies’ 2-1 lead and recorded a 5-2 victory in front of 326 fans.

“We came out and scored two runs in the first inning of all three games, and we never scored again,” said UC Davis head coach Erin Thorpe. “It started off great.

I’m not quite sure what the reason was that we weren’t able to push any more runs across.”

UC Davis (13-11 in the Big West, 27-19 overall) could only muster three hits in the final six innings of the contest.

Aggie catcher Grace Kilday, a junior, singled in the bottom of the second inning.

Rylie Costa sent the ball into right field for another Aggie base hit following frame.

Starks finished the game with two hits.

Sac-Joaquin SEction DiviSion i baSEball playoffS

mikE buSh/EntErpriSE photo

DHS boys swimmer Remo Mann comes up for air in the 100 breaststroke at the Sac-Joaquin Section Championships on May 5. To view more photos, visit www.davisenterprise.com, click on the Sports tab and look for this story.

DHS girls, boys teams earn their blue banners

Enterprise staff

ELK GROVE — Vivan Crow knows what it’s like to win a Sac-Joaquin Section team title as a swimmer.

Now she knows the feeling as the Davis High girls swimming head coach.

Tracy Stapleton and his Davis High boys swim team ended a long drought of winning a team section banner.

Both Blue Devil teams were joyous Friday at the section’s swimming championships at The Center at District 56.

Both the Davis High girls and boys swimming teams captured Sac-Joaquin Section Division I banners on Friday.

The Blue Devil teams took the titles at the section’s swimming finals Friday at The Center at District 56, which ran from May 3-5.

Now both teams advance to the California Interscholastic Federation State Swimming and Diving Championships at the Clovis Olympic Swim Complex, which start Thursday and run through Saturday.

Girls

The Davis girls won with 418 points.

“They are amazing,” said Davis head coach Vivan Crow, a 2015 Blue Devil graduate who is in her first year running the program.

The Blue Devil girls have won the five of the last seven titles since 2017.

Sarah Bennetts took first place in two events and was a part of two relay teams that also won.

Bennetts won the 100 freestyle at a time at an event 50 seconds and the 100 breaststroke at 1 minute, 00.93 seconds. The latter is a new section and school records.

Ava Portello won the 500 freestyle at 4:55.25 and second in the 200 freestyle at 1:50.36.

Makena Leacox took second place in the 100 breast at 1:02.90, and third place in the 100 fly at 54.63 seconds.

The 200 medley of Sara Kos, Bennetts, Adelia Biello and Makena Leacox took first place with a time of 1:43.99.

The 400 freestyle team of Bennetts, Biello, Kos and Portello were first at 3:26.29.

The 200 freestyle squad of Leacox, Bailey Packquette, Ella Ackerman and Portello were second at See DHS, Page B2

Blue Devils exit in first round

By Mike Bush Enterprise sports editor

Four hits and an error.

The Davis High baseball team benefited from those this and error in the bottom of the fifth inning of Tuesday’s CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I home playoff game against Rocklin.

Davis, the No. 7 seed, pushed across two runs that inning, and finished with nine hits in the game.

Rocklin, which is in the No. 10 slot, had seven hits in the contest.

But the Thunder took advantage of hits and Blue Devil errors. That led to Rocklin, out of the Sierra Foothill League, eliminating Davis with a 5-2 win.

“We were playing pretty good ball coming in (to the playoffs),” said Davis head coach Ethan Guevin, whose squad won seven of its 11 Delta League games. “Unfortunately today, we didn’t play very good baseball. Too many mistakes for us to overcome. We had two, three mental mistakes on the bases. It’s tough to come back against a good team.”

Rocklin advances to Thursday’s quarterfinal final game against league and city rival in No. 2 seed Whitney, which beat No. 15 Armijo of Fairfield 5-0 also on Tuesday. Davis (18-11), which took third place in the Delta League this season, was two of the four teams from the league that saw its season end on Tuesday.

Elk Grove, which was No. 4 in D-I, saw No. 13 River City of West Sacramento post a 6-2 win.

Franklin, the top seed that won the Delta title, soundly defeated No. 16 seed Stagg of Stockton 17-0.

Jesuit, the No. 6 seed in D-II that

finished in fourth place in the Delta, beat No. 11 Downey of Modesto 7-1. Rocklin (14-15) held a 4-0 entering the bottom of the fifth frame.

That is when DHS’ bats went to work that trimmed the Thunder’s lead to 4-2. Blue Devil batter Gizaw Baker singled to left field.

Then he moved around the bases thanks to Koen Carpenter singling up the middle of the infield. Baker scored on that play thanks to a Thunder throwing error, making it 4-1.

One batter later, Blue Devil Koen Carston doubled to left field with two outs. He touched home plate for a 4-2 score when Christian Reyes singled up the middle of the infield.

Davis was able to get a runner on the base paths in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Baker singled to right field in the frame. But he was left stranded when a DHS teammate struck out for the final out.

Rocklin tacked on its final run of the game in the top of the seventh inning.

Thunder batter Jack Peterson reached first base on a Blue Devil infielder’s error. Peterson would later make it 5-2 when Cameron Castor singled to left field.

Carpenter had a base hit to left field in the bottom of the seventh with one out. But a fly out and strike out ended the Blue Devils’ postseason run.

Rocklin jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning thanks to two DHS errors.

“We go from no one on and two outs to runners on the corners,” Guevin said. “You’re behind the

8-ball right away, right?”

The Thunder increased their lead to 4-0 thanks to a double from Peterson (2-for-3), a walk and another DHS fielding error.

Brian Chin started on the mound for the Blue Devils, pitching 3 2/3 innings, striking out five and allowed five hits.

“Brian has been great all year,” said Guevin of Chin, who is a senior. “The first inning goes a lot different if we make the first two plays, which we normally do.”

Bryson Schelp, a junior, tossed the remaining of the game. He struck out four and gave up only one hit, which was to Castor.

Although the season ended in the first round — again — this year, Guevin was glad that his Blue Devils hosted a first round playoff game. Davis started and ended the 2022 D-I playoffs at McClatchy of Sacramento, which recorded a 9-2 win. The Blue Devils were the No. 13 seed and the Lions were No. 4.

The fact of moving up in the playoff bracket in year shows that DHS is moving back into its winning ways as it did for most of the 2000s and 2010s.

“I think we want to get back to a place where, as a program, we expect to host in the first round of the playoffs,” Guevin said. “I think we have the ability to do that. We have great kids, they work hard.”

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

arya lalvani/EntErpriSE photo

UC Davis’ Anna Dethlefson slides safely into third base in Sunday’s Big West Conference game against Cal Poly at La Rue Field. See AGGIES, Page B2

Davis High baseball batter Carter Stoltz gets ready to hit the ball in Tuesday’s playoff game against Rocklin.

Is Golden State a little out of sync?

Future New York Mets Hall of Fame

pitcher Justin Verlander finally pitched in a game last Thursday after being on the injured list since Opening Day.

In his first start for the Mets, he was touched for two solo homers in the first inning and exited after the fifth.

n One sporting group has seen its workload doubled with the XFL and USFL both currently playing.

That’s the game officials. The men and women officiating spring football work college football in the fall for all 10 major FBS conferences.

So extra springtime games certainly aid a goodly number of savings accounts.

n If you thought the Golden State Warriors looked a little out of synch in their opening playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers, there’s a good reason for that.

The Sacramento Kings.

The Kings took the Warriors to seven games, and only the 50-point heroics by Steph Curry allowed Golden State, not Sacramento, entrance into the second round.

The Kings were younger, faster, and are a team on an upward trajectory beginning next season.

The Warriors meantime were blown out by the Lakers in Game 3.

n When Shohei Ohtani hits the free agent market after this baseball season, he is virtually certain to sign a contract making him the first $500 million player ever. Ohtani last week became the second player in history with 100 career home runs as a batter and 500 career strikeouts as a pitcher. The other? Fellow named Babe Ruth.

n Pretty depressing watching the A’s play the Seattle Mariners in Oakland recently. Two night games drew a combined 5,268 people. What’s left of the A’s fan base is rapidly withdrawing its support of the franchise.

Can’t really blame them, given the team’s relocation rumors to Anywhere, USA.

It is reported the A’s are supposedly seeking a $500 million public subsidy from Las Vegas, a handout that is by no means assured.

Looks as though the A’s need Las Vegas a lot more than Las Vegas needs the A’s.

The guy you feel for is A’s manager Mark Kotsay. All he can do is manage the players he has, most of whom are young, relatively untested at the big league level, and don’t have big salaries.

n By all accounts, A’s broadcaster Glen Kuiper is a good man who had a horrible slip of the tongue in a live microphone. He has been suspended indefinitely.

This corner believes a proper suspension and a sizable contribution to the Negro League Hall of Fame should be the way to go. A second chance in this case is appropriate.

n When the NFL Draft concluded April 29, UC Davis offensive lineman Nick Amoah finally got a call.

On the other end of the line was the Chicago Bears, offering Amoah a freeagent contract.

Amoah was in the team’s minicamp this past weekend but was released on Monday. He could be a practice squad candidate elsewhere.

n The Kentucky Derby, won this year

AGGIES: Squad leaving for Hawaii today

From Page B1

The next one being a single up the middle in the bottom of the fifth frame.

Ramuno and Cal Poly (10-14 in the Big West, 17-22) clearly dominated the final six innings of the game.

The Mustangs tied the game 2-2 in the top of the third. Xiara Diaz singled to left field, moved to second on an Aggie infield error and scored on Juju Sargent’s fielder’s choice.

Cal Poly scored its remaining three runs in the top of the fifth inning off. Three were doubles off the

bats of leadoff hitter Jessica Clements, Caroline Allman and Claire Early.

Starks has hit three home runs this season, all at La Rue Field.

The most recent was against UC San Diego, also on April 22.

The first one came against Alabama State on March 3.

First game of DH

Cal Poly won the first game of the doubleheader by the same score Sunday morning.

But not before Dethlefson made program history when

she broke the program’s Division I single season stolen base record by taking second base. The stolen base was her 38th of the season.

“It is a cool feeling and I’m glad I’m able to help out my team in that way,” Dethlefson said.

The Aggies also had the short-lived lead in this game, 2-0.

Then the Mustangs galloped to five runs for the win.

Big West finale

Today, the Aggies fly to Hawaii to close out the regular season against Big West

foe Hawaii in Manoa, Hawaii. UCD and Hawaii play their first of a three-game series Thursday at 9 p.m. PDT.

The Aggies wrapped up the 2021 season at Hawaii, winning two of three games.

“I’m not going to lie to you, something about playing in Hawaii is magical,” Starks said. “I hit my 10th home run of the season, breaking the single-season home run record in our last game.”

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

by 15-1 longshot Mage, always reminds of the greatest racehorse ever, Secretariat. Ridden by Ron Turcotte, Secretariat set a Derby record in 1973 with a 1 minute, 59 2/5 seconds’ time. Fifty years later, it is still the fastest of all time.

n If you like the NBA and/or NHL, you’re in luck. Each league’s playoffs will be at the halfway point when the current round is over with.

Then come the conference championships, followed by the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup. Every series is best-ofseven.

n Sad to note the death of Vida Blue at age 73. Blue pitched 15 seasons in the Bay Area, nine in Oakland and six in San Francisco.

After he retired, he worked for the Giants in community relations, notably with the Junior Giants program that provided baseball gear to Bay Area youngsters.

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.

DHS: Boys had 252 points

From Page B1

1:36.77.

Boys

The Davis boys took first place with 252 points. Oak Ridge was second with 159 points.

The last time the Blue Devil boys won a section team title in swimming was in 2014.

The 200 medley relay took first place at 1:33.92. The Blue Devils on the that squad were Brennan Fuchslin, Remo Mann, Evan Rieger and Issac Carsel. Their time was an automatic state championship qualifying.

The 400 freestyle relay team of Brennan Fuchslin, JT

Doughty, Carsel and Mann took second place at 3:06.66, another automatic state qualifying time.

The 200 freestyle relay team of Jackson Harris, Doughty, Rieger and Fuchslin took fourth place at 1:28.37. Brennan Fuchslin was second in the 200 freestyle at 1:39.27, which is a National All-America Consideration time and state qualifying time. He was fifth in the 100 backstroke at 51.99. Mann, a sophomore, was third in the 200 IM at 1:51.96, third in the 100 breast at 56.27. The latter time set the new school record.

Abused foster kids victimized repeatedly

By Jarrett Harper and Sara Kruzan Special to CalMatters

As childhood survivors of trafficking and sexual abuse, we were preyed upon by adults with sinister intentions. They exploited our vulnerabilities as children in the foster care and child welfare systems.

All we ever wanted is what all children want: care, love and belonging. Child predators know that, so they seek out children with histories of neglect and trauma. That made us easy targets. We endured unspeakable and repeated acts of abuse and exploitation at the hands of our abusers and traffickers.

Later, while still children, both of us killed our abusers for the harm they inflicted upon us and to make sure they couldn’t harm any other child. We were both tried as adults and sentenced to life without parole, condemned to die in prison.

While we did our best to hope that justice would eventually be served, neither of us had the expectation of leaving prison alive. Thanks to the efforts of advocates, attorneys, multiple California governors — and our resolve to never lose faith — our sentences were commuted.

Today, we are both parents. Because of our original prison sentences, this is an opportunity we never thought we would have. We are working with state Sen. Susan Rubio, a survivor of domestic violence herself, to ensure that what happened to us does not happen to other children in California.

Unfortunately, we see a similar pattern time and time again around the country. Children who have been failed by multiple systems that were supposed to protect them are left vulnerable to trafficking and abuse. Most of these children have already experienced trauma in their home lives.

It should come as no surprise then that some of these children take action against the adults who preyed upon them. Selfdefense laws provide inadequate protection when they commit acts of violence against their abusers.

Prosecutors often argue that because these children planned their actions, or because they don’t deem the threat to the children as “imminent,” self-defense protections do not apply.

This is what happened in both of our cases.

The California Legislature has the opportunity to begin to right these wrongs. Senate Bill 545 will stop children from being tried in adult court when they commit acts of violence against their abusers. If this legislation becomes law, instead of condemning child victims to lengthy prison terms, they will remain in the juvenile system to receive treatment and services.

Put simply, this bill recognizes that children trapped in sexually abusive or exploitative situations may respond with violence towards their abusers. Blame should not be solely placed on the child victim, and adult prisons are certainly no place for them.

This legislation recognizes that we have failed these children by allowing them to fall prey to evil people.

As the great Nelson Mandela once said, “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats our children.” This revelation becomes even clearer when talking about vulnerable children who are victims of sexual abuse and trafficking.

When thinking about the children who would be affected by this legislation, do not consider them as someone else’s children, but our children.

— Jarrett Harper is the founder of Better Days, a nonprofit organization focused on ending the foster care to prison pipeline. He is an ambassador for Represent Justice’s “Just Mercy” campaign. Sara Kruzan is a fellow at Human Rights for Kids. She was a founding member of Incarcerated Children Advocacy Network and a lead advocate for Proposition 35 in 2012. They wrote this for CalMatters, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California's Capitol works and why it matters.

Ultra-leftists go after Feinstein

Forget about either sexism and ageism as prime forces behind the highly vocal movement pres suring longtime Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein to retire early from the seat she has held since 1990.

Sure, these factors are present in varying degrees.

So is the fact that Feinstein has been absent from the Senate more than two months this spring, recovering from a painfully severe case of shingles.

But the actual root purpose of this months-long campaign is an effort by the relentlessly uncompromising hard left of the California Democratic Party to take over a key post it could not win at the ballot box.

This real prime mover became obvious in an appeal the ultra-leftist California Courage Campaign emailed to all its members early this month, seeking to galvanize them against Feinstein.

That was because so-called “progressives” have long felt the moderate Feinstein deprived them of her seat when last re-elected in 2018.

The hard left is dominant among this state’s Democrats because no other interest has lately turned out significant numbers for the 80 Assembly district caucuses where delegates to the party’s state con-

ventions are chosen.

Back in 2018, ultra-leftist delegates led the party not to endorse Feinstein for a fifth full term, which she is about 18 months from finishing. Instead, they backed former Assembly Speaker Kevin de Leon. He’s best known these days for his role in a secretly recorded racist conversation last fall with then-Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez, then-Councilman Gil Cedillo and thenlocal labor federation chief Ron Herrera.

De Leon, unlike all others on the notorious tape, refuses to resign his prominent post, a high-paying city council seat he won after Feinstein beat him soundly. He insists he will serve out his term before leaving.

Despite the party endorsing against her in both the primary and the general elections that year, voters twice gave Feinstein huge margins. That thwarted leftist ambitions to take over her seat as they strive for full political

control of California.

Now the left wants shingles to award it via an appointment what it could not win at the polls. Leftists for two years have ripped Feinstein for supposed mental lapses and for having friendly exchanges with — gasp!

Republican senators.

More recently, they accused her of letting her shinglesinduced absence hold up confirmation of dozens of President Biden’s judicial appointees.

Days before a tentatively scheduled midMay return to the Capitol, Feinstein shot back in a press release that “The Senate continues to swiftly confirm highly qualified individuals to the … judiciary, including seven … this week.”

She noted eight judges were confirmed during her absence, while Republicans are holding up only “a few.”

Who are the folks most active in trying to oust Feinstein, presumably in favor of the ultra-liberal Oakland Rep. Barbara Lee, who might be appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom if Feinstein leaves?

That could happen because Newsom promised two years ago he would name a Black woman to the next Senate vacancy, and the AfricanAmerican Lee wants the job

so badly she's already running against the far-betterfunded Rep. Adam Schiff of Burbank and Rep. Katie Porter of Irvine.

A quick Feinstein departure could give her seat to Lee for more than a year, allowing her to campaign as an incumbent.

The Courage Campaign lists just one Californian among the most prominent leftists attacking Feinstein: Silicon Valley Rep. Ro Khanna, by odd coincidence Lee’s campaign co-chair. Others include most of the congressional “squad:” Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts. These, with Lee, are among the least compromising leftists in the current House.

Which means this is at root not about age or inability or absenteeism; it’s about ideology, just like it was in 2018, when the leftists lost badly. Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. His book, "The Burzynski Breakthrough, The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Government’s Campaign to Squelch It," is now available in a soft cover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, visit www.californiafocus. net.

Dishonest framing

Allie Snyder complains about what she claims is “dishonest framing” of Davis Joint Unified School District’s relationship to the Davis Phoenix Coalition. One favorite pose for those seeking to make a dishonest “frame” is to ask rhetorical questions — and Snyder asks six in a 14-sentence letter.

She makes a few assertions of fact, and those can be contested, at least. Snyder says “kids as young as 12” are asked “to keep secrets.” My news flash: pubescents do often have and keep secrets. The school district has not, in fact, asked teens “to keep secret” their activities from their parents, but rather has respected when teens ask for confidentiality about their choices; teachers and counselors cannot and do not shield criminal activities or abuse.

She also implies a lack of evidence in support of the life-saving impact of gender affirming care by asserting, “[t]here are no long-term studies.” This is a clever dodge around the decades-long experiences (for example) of Oregon Health & Science University’s transgender programs. Her rhetoric targets the fact that much of the peer-reviewed published articles rely on survey data, despite the large numbers of respondents and scientific rigor of the studies. This is why the

Speak out President

Locally owned and operated since 1897

Foy S. McNaughton President and CEO R. Burt McNaughton Publisher

American Medical Association and American Academy of Pediatrics endorse gender-affirming care. There’s a parallel here to why MAGAites point to a lack of long-term studies showing the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.

Considering her distorted, demeaning questions, I’ll note that I was exposed as a pubescent to “garish parodies of womanhood” on network television. Charo and Cher are the prime time examples that spring to mind. Their hyper-sexual portrayals of womanhood were — I guess — satisfying to them, or at least a way of making money. The exposure may have made me a little more nervous around dècolletage, but it was considered acceptable and mainstream.

People have dubbed themselves “concerned parents” for years, usually with an agenda of polite censorship and withdrawal of support from public education. Many of us are determined that they will not succeed in Davis.

Doug Walter Davis

Support nuclear treaty

We have recently been given another opportunity to support the signing and ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. On April 20 this year, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-DC, with several other supporters, introduced the Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Conversion Act of 2023 (H.R.

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: https://www. feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/ e-mail-me

Sen. Alex Padilla, 112 Hart Senate Office

2775) which encourages the United States to sign and ratify the TPNW. Resources that would be saved are directed to addressing the climate crisis and our human and infrastructure needs.

The Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom, United States section, is circulating a petition supporting the TPNW, urging President Biden to sign and the Senate to ratify this Treaty and lead the way “to negotiate the total elimination of nuclear weapons.”

The text of the TPNW can be viewed at https://www.icanw.org/tpnw_full_text.

If you have not already sent a letter to President Biden urging him to support the TPNW, you can now urge him to support the actions in Congresswoman Norton’s bill as the reason for your correspondence.

If you prefer petitions, you can sign the WILPF petition. If you know nothing about the TPNW, I urge you to read the treaty and then, if you decide you can support the adoption of this treaty to save the world from a nuclear war, then take action to convince President Biden to support the treaty.

It will take millions of Americans contacting our President to convince him that the TPNW is an excellent step toward preventing a future nuclear war that would destroy many lives and contribute horrifically to climate change. Save the world. Support the TPNW.

Judy Reynolds Davis

Building, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202224-3553; email: https://www.padilla. senate.gov/contact/contact-form/

House of Representatives

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/

By Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Stephan Pastis

Charles M. Schulz

CITY OF DAVIS

Notice of Public Hearing

NOTICE is hereby given that the Davis City Council at its regular meeting of May 16, 2023 commencing at 6:30 p m in the Community Chambers 23 Russell Blvd will consider adopting changes to certain fees and new fees for the provision of city services Information on how to participate in meetings is i n c l u d e d i n t h e m e e t i n g a g e n d a T h i s n o t i c e i s p r o v i d e d i n com pliance with government code sections 66014 66016 and 66018

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All i ntere s ted p artie s a re in vite d to participate in the public hea rin g o r s en d w ritte n co mme n ts to the Finance Office FinanceWeb@cityofdavis org no later than the close of the public hearing Those wishing to comment during the Public H e a r i n g s h o u l d c o n s u l t t h e i n s t r u c t i o n s o n t h e m e e t i n g a g e n d a

The City does not transcribe its proceedings Persons who wish to obtain a verbatim record should arrange for attenda n c e b y t h e c o u r t r e p o r t e r o r f o r s o m e o t h e r a c c e p t a b l e m e a n s o f r e c o r d a t i o n

If you challenge the action taken on this matter in court the challenge may be limited to raising only those issues raised at the public hearing described in this notice or in written correspondence delivered to the City Clerk at or prior to the public hearing

and their specific brand or trade names that must be used for the Project may be found in the Special Conditions

6 Trenches and Open Excavations Pursuant to Labor Code Section 6707 if this Project involves construction of a pipeline sewer sewage disposal system boring and jacking pits, or similar trenches or open excavations, which are five feet or deeper, each bid submitted in response hereto shall contain as a bid item adequate sheeting shoring and bracing or equivalent method for the protection of life or limb which shall conform to applicable safety orders

7 Bid Security Each Bid shall be accompanied by cash a certified or cashier’s check or Bid Bond secured from a surety company satisfactory to the City Council the amount of which shall not be less than ten percent (10%) of the submitted Total Bid Price made payable to City of Davis as bid security The bid security shall be provided as a guarantee that within five (5) working days after the City provides the successful bidder the Notice of Award, the successful Bidder will enter into a contract and provide the necessary bonds and certificates of insurance The bid security will be declared forfeited if the successful Bidder fails to comply within said time No interest will be paid on funds deposited with the City The Bid Bond submitted shall be provided by a surety duly authorized by the Insurance Commissioner to transact surety business in the State of California

8 Performance Bond and Labor and Material Bond

The successful Bidder will be required to furnish a Faithful Performance Bond and a Labor and Material Payment Bond each in an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Price Each bond shall be in the forms set forth herein shall be secured from a surety company that meets all State of California bonding requirements as defined in California Code of Civil Procedure Section 995 120 and that is a California admitted surety insurer

Pursuant to Section 22300 of the Public Contract Code of the State of California, the successful Bidder may substitute certain securities for funds withheld by the City to ensure its performance under the contract

9 Labor Code Requirements Pursuant to Labor Code Section 1773 the City has obtained the prevailing rate of per diem wages and the prevailing wage rate for holiday and overtime work applicable in Yolo County from the Director of the Department of Industrial Relations for each craft classification, or type of worker needed to execute this contract A copy of these prevailing wage rates may be obtained via the internet at: www dir ca gov/dlsr/

In addition a copy of the prevailing rate of per diem wages is available at the City s Public Works Department and shall be made available to interested parties upon request The successful bidder shall post a copy of the prevailing wage rates at each job site It shall be mandatory upon the Bidder to whom the Contract is awarded, and upon any subcontractors, to comply with all Labor Code provisions which include but are not limited to the payment of not less than the said specified prevailing wage rates to all workers employed by them in the execution of the Contract employment of apprentices hours of labor and debarment of contractors and subcontractors

Pursuant to Labor Code Sections 1725 5 and 1771 1 all contractors and subcontractors that wish to bid on be listed in a bid proposal or enter into a contract to perform public work must be registered with the Department of Industrial Relations No Bid will be accepted nor any contract entered into without proof of the contractor s and subcontractors current registration with the Department of Industrial Relations to perform public work If awarded a contract, the Bidder and its subcontractors, of any tier, shall maintain active registration with the Department of Industrial Relations for the duration of the Project Notwithstanding the foregoing the contractor registration requirements mandated by Labor Code Sections 1725 5 and 1771 1 shall not apply to work performed on a public works project that is exempt pursuant to the small project exemption specified in Labor Code Sections 1725 5 and 1771 1 This Project is subject to compliance monitoring and enforcement by the Department of Industrial Relations In bidding on this Project, it shall be the Bidder s sole responsibility to evaluate and include the cost of complying with all labor compliance requirements under this contract and applicable law in its Bid

furnish

payment bond and a performance bond, each in

full amount of the c o n t r a c t p r i c e T h e s e b o n d s s h a l l b e e x e c u t e d b y a s u r e t y s p e c i f i e d i n C a l i f o r n i a C o d e o f C i v i l P r o c e d u r e S e c t i o n 995 310

Pursuant to Public Contract Code section 22300, the successful bidder may substitute certain securities for funds withheld by the County to ensure its performance under the contract

Pursuant to Section 1773 of the Labor Code the general prevailing wage rates in the County in which the work is to be done have been determined by the Director of the California Department of Industrial Relations These wage rates are set forth in the General Prevailing Wage Rates for this project a va ila b le fo r re vi e w at Yo lo Co unty Central L andfi ll 440 9 0 County Road 28H, Woodland, California and available from the California Department of Industrial Relations internet web site at http://www dir ca gov/DLSR/PWD The successful bidder shall post a copy of the prevailing wage rates at each job site It shall be mandatory upon the bidder to whom the contract is awarded and upon any subcontractors to comply with all Labor Code provisions which include but are not limited to t h e p a y m e n t o f n o t l e s s t h a n t h e s a i d s p e c i f i e d p r e v a i l i n g wage rates to all workers employed by them in the execution of the contract employment of apprentices hours of labor and d e b a r m e n t o f c o n t r a c t o r s a n d s u b c o n t r a c t o r s P u r s u a n t t o Labor Code section 1725 5 and 1771 3, contractors and subcontractors who intend to bid on be listed in a bid proposal or e n t e r i n t o a c o n t r a c t t o p e r f o r m p u b l i c w o r k m u s t b e r egistered with the Department of Industrial Relations No proposal will be accepted nor any contract entered into without proof of the contractor s and subcontractors current registrat i o n w i t h t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f I n d u s t r i a l R e l a t i o n s t o p e r f o r m public work This project is subject to compliance monitoring and enforcement by the Department of Industrial Relations

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 the b i d d e r m u s t t h e n b e p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n a j o i n t a p p r e n t i c e s h i p committee on public works projects The California Departm e n t o f I n d u s t r i a l R e l a t i o n s d e f i n e s a j o i n t a p p r e n t i c e s h i p 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 must complete a Californi a D e p a r t m e n t o f I n d u s t r i a l R e l a t i o n s D A S - 7 f o r m t h a t d o c uments 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

10 Substitution Requests Substitution requests shall be made within 35 calendar days after the award of the Contract

Rates of gun violence rise since COVID-19

By Xochitl Armién HUB Staff

On average, more than two mass shootings occur every day in the United States. According to the Gun Violence Archive, as of April 20, there have been 165 mass shootings and 12,122 firearm related deaths of all causes since the beginning of 2023.

Living in a country with so much gun violence has taken its toll, as senior Celeste Lopez not only feels grief for the loss of life and anger towards the American government and society for normalizing the use of semi-automatic weapons, but also fears for her own safety.

“There shouldn’t be those moments in our day-to-day routines where we have to hope that we’re able to come home to see our families every day,” Lopez said.

Gun violence of all types has steadily been on the rise after spiking in 2020. UC Davis research data analyst Dr. Amanda

Aubel, who specializes in gun violence, says this is due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and overall uncertainty among the population.

“There was a huge spike in purchasing that included people who were buying firearms for the first time. And more guns equals more gun deaths,” Aubel said.

Although gun violence rates have been increasing since 2020, senior Marcell Gentles feels that it has been sensationalized in recent years despite being an issue that Americans have been dealing with for decades.

“So many people think the world is falling apart and there’s a bunch of new stuff happening, and I think the biggest thing is actually that it’s getting exposure now,” Gentles said.

Aubel says that it is important to understand the full scope of the gun violence issue.

“Suicides are actually a big part of the problem that isn’t often talked about. And

so a little bit less than half are homicides and only 1% to 2% of firearm deaths are the public mass shootings that we hear about most often in the news,” Aubel said.

Aubel found that domestic violence plays a huge role in the issue of mass shootings.

“60% of mass shootings involve the death of an intimate partner or family member, which people don’t often realize. We usually think about school shootings or other shootings that happen in public places,” Aubel said.

At a person-to-person level, intervening before gun violence occurs is an effective prevention measure. In a recent study, Aubel found that one in five California adults know someone who they’re concerned might hurt themselves or others.

“We need to think about what options we can provide for people who recognize the warning signs within their own social network and want to do something about it,” Aubel said.

One of the steps that the community can take to reduce the lethality of gun violence instances by people in their social circles is to pursue a gun violence restraining order which would temporarily remove someone’s firearm access.

“That’s not going to solve the root of the problem, but it will at least take the firearms out of the equation so that the situation doesn’t turn deadly,” Aubel said.

When it comes to gun control laws, California has some of the strictest laws in the country and as a result some of the lowest gun deaths per person. However, even with the laws in place, Aubel sees room for improvement.

“We need better enforcement and implementation of those laws. Because sometimes the laws are on the books, but maybe people don’t know about them, like a lot of people actually don’t know about the gun violence restraining orders, so they’re just not being used,” Aubel said.

By StellA mAze

HUB Staff

Eileen Guerard is an AP composition and literature and American literature teacher at Davis High. I spoke to her about her experience as a teacher with school related gun violence as it becomes a more prevalent problem.

Q: What was your immediate reaction when I asked you to talk about gun violence?

A: “Bring it.” I have thoughts. Most of them angry and laced with four letter words. I feel very strongly about it because we are all at risk.

Q: Tell me about your relationship to and/or experience with gun violence as it relates to school.

A: I think my first direct experience was when I was at my last site (Napa Valley High School) and we had a lockdown because there was a robbery in the neighborhood. There was a man on foot that had been sighted with a gun and he had run across the baseball field. It was, of course, at lunch, so everybody was everywhere. We had never practiced (a lockdown)… during lunch. I went to the door and I started flagging down any student, any adult I could and then I slammed the door. As I huddled there with five students who were not my own, I asked them what their names and grades were … it only lasted about a half-an-hour … and it ended up being fine … But what it demonstrated to me was that we weren’t prepared even though we thought we were prepared.

Q: How has your relationship with teaching and with your students changed over the years as gun violence has become more prevalent?

A: I’m a lot more wary. I’ve had students who’ve scared me in the past. And students making threats of violence and stalking teachers has happened on

my watch here at this school. Without going into too much detail, it’s very much on my mind recently. While you can never really predict what a student will do, we can always go on the available evidence. So if, for example, a student says or writes something that is threatening or weird we can take action. Somebody drove this home to me recently: it doesn’t necessarily matter what we think the student is capable of doing, but we have to take all of those threats seriously. While I feel for students who are disturbed and taking out their frustrations in an unhealthy or unproductive or unsafe way, I think that everybody’s safety takes precedence—students primarily but sometimes we also have to protect students from themselves in those cases. It has made my relationship with students a little more distant. You want to be compassionate and you want to help students, but sometimes it’s hard to do that when you’re afraid they’re going to pop off at any moment. And I’ve known students who have been prone to verbal abuse of teachers and other students, and at least in a couple of cases I knew … that the student had access to weapons at home. So that scared me.

Q: You mentioned how being an English teacher can help give you insight into a student’s well being, but how does the medium of English literature offer an opportunity to cope with modern horrors such as gun violence?

A: (After the Jan. 6 riots) I was trying to think of what to say to my students. I don’t know how to make anybody feel better about (these things), I just don’t. However, what I can tell you is that art (and) literature gives us space to explore things that are frightening and complicated about the human experience. When you don’t have any answers, see how some of our world’s great writers and artists explored the human experience. One of the reasons I love books so much — and I think a lot of kids do — is because it provides not just an escape but also a few instructions on life … I always encourage

students to return to art and literature as solace or answers or just possibility.

Q: Do you think the Davis Joint Unified School District addresses gun violence as it relates to school properly?

A: If you had asked me a week ago I might’ve said yes. My answer today is absolutely not.

Q: Are you able to elaborate?

A: I can’t. However, you can quote me on that.

Q: What do you hope for?

A: Trying to deal with violence at a school level is a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound. What foments school violence happens so far outside, beyond and before whatever happens on school grounds that it would require a heroic civilization level effort on America’s part to uproot it. I think the same thing about school violence as I do about the school-toprison pipeline. We don’t have a school-to-prison pipeline, we have a shredded society-to-prison pipeline. And it’s not just poverty or parents. It’s a confluence of factors that influences a shooter long before they get (to school). And blaming everything on what a school did or what a teacher did or what a student did or bullying is incredibly short sighted. There are things we know will help … We know that limiting guns will help.

Q: Is there anything you want to say that I didn’t ask you?

A: I would like school administrations to take teachers and students seriously when we report things, and I would like them not to minimize things. Because the available evidence in many cases tells us that there is something we need to be on the alert for.

Xhocitl Armien/hub grAphic

‘What are your hopes for the future?’ A conversation with a Davis high school teacher about gun violence