By Monica Stark Enterprise staff writer
The lights strung around downtown Davis trees have graced sidewalks for a decade, but time has taken its toll. As city staff works on relighting the trees, arborists will be pruning and assessing their health.
There are about 100 trees downtown that have lights on them, but only about 50 trees
have working lights. City staff will take this opportunity to assess the health of trees downtown, prune them as needed and replace the decorative lights with temporary lights until a more thorough and long-term plan for tree health and permanent decorative lighting in downtown Davis can be available.
Outside of the city’s annual tree-lighting each December,
year-round tree lights were first strung in the downtown around 2010 as a festive way to provide ambient lighting at night, explained Jenny Tan, city of Davis Public Information Officer.
In 2014, a group of people, including former city publicrelations manager Bob Bowen and business owner Steve Wilkinson, continued to maintain the lights with the help of
SUNDAY, AUGUST 6, 2023
WOODLAND — A Yolo Superior Court judge upheld murder and vehicular manslaughter charges against a rural Woodland man last week in connection with a fatal collision on Highway 16.
Yolo County prosecutors filed the charges against Trevor William Cook, 27, nearly a year after the April 14, 2022, collision west of Woodland that claimed the life of Sacramento resident Prajal Bista, 33.
Bista was driving to work shortly after 11 p.m. that night when Cook, traveling a reported 103 mph on County Road 97, ran a stop sign at Highway 16 and struck Bista’s vehicle, according to testimony given during Cook’s preliminary hearing last week.
donations and volunteers. With the retirement of Bowen from the city in 2020, and the concurrent uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the active management of the lights was postponed.
Previously, the program was sustained by volunteers. As the city works to develop a permanent process and procedure for
See LIGHTS, Page A6
The Enterprise
Greater efforts are being made across California to provide mental health services, and the same holds true for students in community colleges.
California made it easier to call for help a year ago when it launched a simplified mental health crisis hotline: 988. And since then, as CalMatters, a nonprofit media group in California, has reported, more than 280,000 calls have been received at crisis centers statewide.
In Woodland, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors on July 11, approved an amendment to a Memorandum of Understanding
with Yuba Community College District and CommuniCare Health Centers to extend a contribution of $225,000 with a maximum of $945,000 through June 30, 2024, for schoolbased healthcare and behavioral health services for students.
CommuniCare, with offices located West Sacramento, Woodland and Davis, offers a range of health services and has been affiliated with the Yuba College District and Woodland Community College for more than 10 years.
The funds authorized by Yolo County will directly affect Woodland College, which is seeing slow, but
steady increase in physical and behavioral health needs in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with a slowly growing student population.
Speaking recently at the College Health Center, located in Room 770 of Building 700 at the 2300 E. Gibson Road school, Allison Rodriguez, a licensed clinical social worker and associate director of Youth and Family Services for CommuniCare, said the center provides both physical and mental health services but has been seeing more mental health assistance of late.
See CENTER, Page A7
Prosecuting attorney Frits van der Hoek said “the sheer level of force applied here” dislodged Bista’s seatbelt, causing him to be ejected “a massive distance from his vehicle.” He died at the scene.
Cook, also headed to work as a security guard, was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time, according to the California Highway Patrol. Officers did report finding heroin and a loaded firearm
See CHARGE, Page A7
After an all-too-short summer break, the DJUSD board of trustees reconvened for another meeting on Thursday, Aug 3.
After a brief summary of summer actions from around the district including camps, construction and campus maintenance projects, the meeting dove headfirst into the business side of things.
First up, Superintendent Matt Best had kudos for one of Davis’ teachers.
“Congratulations to Cathryn Huser, the North
Davis Elementary School first-grade teacher extraordinaire for being named the July teacher of the month by the Schools First Credit Union, ABC10 and Sacramento State’s College of Education,” Best said in his announcements. “We’re so proud of Cathryn and rooting for her to win the big prize.
“As you know, we’ve had several enrichment programs for students over the summer including band camp, basketball camp, ethnic studies academy, mariachi camp
See TRUSTEES, Page A7
SHADY DEAL ... My head jerked sideways when I saw that recent front-page headline “Council OKs $409K in upgrades for Arroyo Park.”
Turns out it takes that much cash to build a shade structure and a concrete pad, plus purchase six picnic tables and two barbecues. Have these people never been to Home Depot?
I knew inflation was bad, but this does seem slightly over the top.
As some folks have suggested to the council, why not instead plant a few trees to provide that muchneeded shade?
At least none of that $409,000 pile of cash is going to install a new zipline.
HOLIDAY TIME ... The latest from Yolo County headquarters in Woodland comes with the headline “Yolo County Board of Supervisors Approves Designation of Both César Chávez Day and
Juneteenth as County Holidays.”
In my mind, César Chávez is an American hero, with much of his great work taking place right here in the Central Valley.
On the recognition of Juneteenth, the press release notes that “Yolo County leads the nationwide recognition of this celebration of freedom, symbolizing the liberation of enslaved African Americans and honoring their enduring struggle for equality and justice.”
Great stuff, to be sure, but you’d better not let the Florida Board of Education know about our Juneteenth celebration, for they seem
to think that the end of slavery robbed slaves of the chance to learn valuable skills.
Florida officials, including the woke-hating governor, are bending over backward trying to explain their new curriculum, but the bottom line about slaves learning valuable skills, if true, is that it simply made them more valuable as slaves.
After all, slavery started in the 1500s in Florida, so unless a slave learned those valuable skills in December of 1864, he or she could hardly take them into the market place and “benefit personally,” as the state claims.
ECONOMIC QUESTIONS
I did not take a single econ course during my many years at the University Farm, so it’s easy for me to get confused when the experts in this field tell me inflation is “improving.”
Last year, apparently, it was something like 9 percent —
affili-
California grocery
will pay $3.5 million to settle allegations of selling expired over-the-counter products, the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.
Those allegations arose in a civil action pursued by the San Joaquin and San Bernardino District Attorney’s Offices, with cooperation from Yolo County prosecutors. Albertsons operates 600 locations statewide, including two Safeway stores in Davis.
A civil complaint filed in San Joaquin Superior Court alleged that Albertsons offered expired overthe-counter drug products — such as pain relievers, sunscreens, cough/cold/ allergy medications, medicated shampoos and skin
treatments — for sale over the past four years.
By law, California retailers are prohibited from selling any over-the-counter drug past its expiration date.
Once notified of the violations, Albertsons cooperated with investigators and conducted internal checks for expired over-the-counter drugs at all of its California retail locations, according to a Yolo County District Attorney’s Office news release.
“Albertsons further invested time and resources to prioritize the verification of expiration dates and retrain store personnel,” the news release said. “There was no evidence discovered during the investigation that the sale of any expired over-the-counter drug products resulted in harm to consumers.”
Without admitting or denying liability, Albertsons agreed Thursday to a court order prohibiting additional law violations. A judge also ordered the corporation to pay $3.3 million in civil penalties and investigative costs, along with $200,000 in restitution.
“California District Attorney’s Offices’ Consumer Protection Divisions are dedicated to protecting all Californians. Today is another example of those prosecutors working together to make real change,” Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig said.
“The public should be able to trust that what they buy at any California store will not be expired before they bring it home.”
defined as “intolerable” — but now it’s “down” to around 3 percent, so happy days are here again.
But wait, at 9 percent the stuff that used to cost a dollar is now $1.09. Terrible, intolerable and time for wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Then add this year’s 3 percent on top of that and you come in at just a fraction over $1.12.
So, if $1.09 was intolerable, how can $1.12 possibly be an improvement?
WORMS AND STUFF ... Was happy to see those brilliant UC Davis scientists make a “groundbreaking” discovery about nematodes. I would assume just about anything a nematode does might be considered groundbreaking, but what would a political science major (see photo above) know about that?
— Reach Bob Dunning at bdunning@davisenterprise.net.
Davis police arrested a man allegedly caught in the act of residential burglary Thursday.
The victim called police shortly before noon, saying he arrived home in the 800 block of H Street to discover the unknown suspect inside the house, Lt. John Evans said. Although the suspect
left the scene, responding officers searched the area and located a person matching the man’s description. Evans said the victim identified him as the alleged burglar. Ian Ravi Landeck, 25, of Davis “was in possession of some of the victim’s stolen property,” Evans said. He was arrested and booked into the Yolo County Jail on a felony burglary charge.
San Diego is known for many things: surfing at La Jolla, the giant pandas at the zoo, and great Mexican food, to name a few.
Now, there’s a new item on your mustsee list. On billboards, buses, and through social media posts starting this week, the city’s community college district is placing ads featuring iconic San Diego images, but scrawled over words like “zoo” and “surfing” are new ones: “community colleges,” “career training” and “affordable education.” In one ad, a picture of carne asada and corn tortillas is paired with a question: “Are you ready to taco-bout your future?”
The San Diego Community College District isn’t the only one vying for attention. Los Rios Community College District, which encompasses four community colleges in Sacramento County, put on a drone light display at a Sacramento Republic soccer game last fall with words like “Low Cost,” “Local Careers” and “Start Your Future” suddenly appearing in blue lights across the night sky. The show, along with other signs and marketing efforts at the soccer stadium, cost the district $160,000.
These eye-catching stunts are part of a new marketing push to lure California community college students back to campuses after enrollment dropped to a 30-year low during the COVID-19 pandemic. Statewide, community colleges lost nearly 20% of students between 2019 and 2021, according to a memo from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office.
During the pandemic, California’s community colleges received over a billion dollars in state and federal pandemic relief funds.
When enrollment dropped, community colleges and districts started using part of that money to find creative ways to bring students back.
The California Community College Chancellor’s Office has spent more than $40 million in marketing since 2021, more than double what the office spent in the two years prior.
“We may never have this kind of influx of resources again,” said Gabe Ross, chief strategy officer for Los Rios Community College District. Still, what community colleges across the country spend on marketing is a small amount compared to other colleges and universities.
“On a per-student basis, for-profit colleges outspend nonprofits (private colleges) more than 4 to 1 and outspend public institutions more than 20 to 1 — a pattern that has held steady over time,” wrote a 2020 report from the Brooking’s Institute. Community colleges spend less on average per-student than four-year
institutions too, according to the same report.
California colleges say their advertising campaigns lead to more awareness, and they point to increased clicks and website traffic as evidence. What they don’t know is whether students who see a marketing campaign and click on a college website actually enroll.
Ross said his district expects to see a near 10% enrollment increase this fall after losing more than 18% of its students during the pandemic.
But he can’t say for sure whether the enrollment trends are a direct result of the district’s marketing blitz, which cost about $840,000 in each of the last two years. Before the pandemic, the marketing team spent between $200,000 and $600,000 per year, Ross said.
“People don’t make their college choices in the same way they decide where to have dinner tonight. It’s not just driving by a billboard. It’s a long game,” he said.
In San Diego, the pun-filled campaign is geared toward older and working students, who left the community college system at the highest rate. The idea came out of conversations with current students, who said they would respond best to an advertising campaign that was fun and local, according to Jack Beresford, district spokesperson.
“It’s very different from what we’ve done before,” he said with a laugh.
With an influx of money, the chancellor’s office launched a new campaign — called “I can go to college” — that it promoted on
billboards at bus stations, over highways and at seven airports throughout California. TV commercials are planned for both men’s and women’s World Cup matches, and at local and community events around the state, there’s plenty of new swag, like water bottles and drawstring bags.
Last fall, enrollment numbers increased for the first time since the pandemic began, and Paul Feist, vice chancellor of communications, said the final enrollment estimates for spring 2023 look even stronger.
“We’re not saying marketing is responsible for all of that,” Feist said. With 116 colleges spread out across the state, many of which conduct their own marketing, “it’s very hard to track,” he said.
The California Community College Chancellor’s Office has spent more than $40 million in marketing since 2021, more than double what the office spent in the two years prior.
The website for the “I can go to college” marketing campaign has garnered over 335 million page views, including 115,000 clicks on the “Enroll Now” button that redirects to a college application.
While billboards and drone displays are easy to see, they only reflect a fraction of the marketing and outreach expenditures that community colleges have made to
boost enrollment. Along with the state’s one-time grants for retention and enrollment, individual college districts have also allocated other COVID-19 relief money to call and text potential students, hire outreach staff, and run in-person events at high schools, food banks and other gathering places.
These individualized approaches tend to have a clearer impact on enrollment, said Diane Walleser, acting CEO at Interact Communications, which has worked with nearly half the state’s community colleges and districts on marketing and recruitment.
When meeting with colleges, Walleser and her team prefer to focus on the students who have already shown interest: those who apply to college but never show up, drop out after starting school, or enrolled in one semester but have yet to enroll in the subsequent one.
Billboards are a “waste of money,” she said, especially if they are used in the wrong location or as the only recruitment method.
Using one of the pandemic relief grants available, the Los Rios Community College District hired 50 people to canvas the county and recruit students. The district also launched a comprehensive call center to answer questions from students and to reach out directly to those who showed an intent to enroll but never did. Those efforts complement the drones and billboards, Ross said. His goal is to “diversify” marketing strategies.
Many other colleges have created similar centers in the past few years, using a combination of calls, texts and emails to try to keep students in school.
But amid the flurry of new funding and marketing efforts, Oleg Bespalov is worried that some well-intentioned interventions may have little or no impact. Bespalov, who is Moorpark College’s dean of institutional effectiveness, conducted an experiment with his school’s call center and found that people who did not receive a call were just as likely to enroll as those who did.
However, when the college tried texting people and letting them respond to questions via text, there was a statistically significant difference in the number of people who enrolled as a result.
“I would not say close down all your call centers,” Bespalov said. “The largest thing I’m advocating for is the randomized control trials because otherwise you won’t really know if it works.”
I’ve got a treasure trove of news this week. First, the good stuff.
Yo-ho-ho and 90 bottles of rum! Shipwrecked Tiki Bar opened to the public on Friday, filling the former bar side of Woodstock’s Pizza, 217 G St. I got to preview the tavern on Wednesday night. When I entered the 2,350-square-foot space it reminded me of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. It looks nothing like the former pizza bar. The décor is impressive, with blue and black lights setting the mood of the darkened bar, and copious custom decorations. There’s nothing like it in Davis.
The four rooms of the bar tell the visual story of Captain “Bad Luck” Bob, shipwrecked during the late 1600s. There’s a mermaid’s skeleton at the entrance, and a shipwreck on the wall of the front room, with tile flooring imitating sand and water. Past the bar and the ship’s helm (a great place for a photo-op), there’s an “underwater” room with swirling blue tile, giant kraken tentacles reaching from above, and a floating hammerhead shark. Behind those are cozy jail cells with private booth seating. There’s also a treasure room, which is a VIP lounge filled with antiques.
The tiki bar specializes in rum drinks and tropical cocktails like mai tais, mojitos, daiquiris, punches and more, along with a small selection of beer, wine and traditional spirits. It’s limited to those 21 and over. It does not serve food but patrons may bring their own. View the beverage menu and read the full tale of Captain “Bad Luck” Bob at https:// www.shipwreckedtikibar. com/.
Nate Yungvanitsait, who owns Shipwrecked with his wife Melissa, said they didn’t set a budget for the project. They own seven University of Beer locations in the Sacramento area (Davis was the first), but this is different.
“This concept is actually very, very, very hard. It’s not a normal bar,” he said. “This is really something we wanted to execute to the finest and the best we can do.”
Metal pieces like giant sea monster tentacles were custom made in his native Thailand. They picked up other pieces at antique and specialty stores in Las Vegas and elsewhere.
“The vision was to walk in and feel like you’re in Disneyland,” he told me Wednesday evening as the friends-and-family event was underway. “Right now, you don’t feel like you’re in
Davis. That’s our mission.”
He said part of the concept’s challenge is the variety and quality of its rum.
“You can open a tiki bar, but at what level?”
They keep about 100 bottles of liquor on hand, and 85 to 90 of those are rums, which he said are more difficult to acquire. Instead of dealing with a typical bar’s one or two distributors, they worked with about 20 vendors to supply the variety and quality they sought.
And though this may be popular with students this fall, it’s not priced for those seeking a bargain. “We’re not going for (a place where) people get drunk. We want them to come for the experience and the ambiance. You’re really escaping Davis.”
Enterprise film critic Derrick Bang and his wife are tiki bar fanatics. (When my husband and I travel, we seek out breweries; for them, it’s tiki bars.)
I asked him for a mini review.
Bang said, “The decor and atmosphere are outstanding, and a lot of fun; the staff friendly and cordial. The drinks menu is a solid mix of traditional tiki and creative newer libations. We look forward to many return visits.”
Hours will be 6 p.m. to midnight Wednesdays and Thursdays, 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays.
It’s official. After 19 years, Common Grounds Coffee will close at the end of this month, owner Son Chong confirmed on Wednesday.
This is the second big loss in the Oakshade Town Center in a week. OfficeMax announced last week that it will close in late September.
Chong said he plans to shutter the retail business and focus on catering. There have been rumors of an impending closure for months, as Chong negoti-
ated with his landlord, Regency Centers. In the end, they were unable to come to agreeable lease terms. He said his lease ends in September but his health permit expires in August, so that determined the timing.
“Negotiation was going nowhere,” Chong said of talks with Regency Centers. “I don’t think they realize the community aspect of local coffee shop. We are only a number on their ginormous spreadsheet.”
Common Grounds opened in 2004 in a smaller space in the same retail pad of Oakshade Town Center. The landlord evicted the coffee shop in April 2013 to make way for Pet Food Express. After a Change.org petition, it reopened in September 2013 in a larger (1,800-square-foot) space next door, at 2171 Cowell Blvd., Suite F.
Even large companies are having trouble with increasing rent. OfficeMax announced last week that its last day in the center will be Sept. 28. That leaves a 21,000-squarefoot hole, and puts Davisites in a bind for last-minute printer cartridges and other office needs. One reader wanted me to mention that the UC Davis Store on campus is a good alternative, with more selection than Target, CVS and Rite Aid
Now that the old Carousel Stationery spot is up for lease (Sleep Center is closing by year’s end at 706 Second St.) perhaps someone could bring it back?
At the other end of Oakshade Town Center,
Orange Theory Fitness is taking its time developing the 3,878-square-foot space left vacant years ago by Round Table Pizza.
It’s a classic struggle for cities like Davis, where independent retailers, restaurants and service businesses face difficulty competing with corporate giants — in the marketplace and for commercial real estate space.
“For owner/operator business like ours, it’s already very hard to make it, with rising cost of goods, competition with corporate shops, high insurance, so much regulation, staff shortages, high utilities, (and) lately the amount of break-ins and vandalism,” he said.
Burglars hit Chong’s business and company van multiple times in the last year, stealing parts and expensive equipment. He said that never happened before the pandemic. “It’s out of control. I feel we don’t have any safety for my staff and (my) things.”
Common Grounds’ last day will be Aug. 31. It sells coffee, tea, espresso drinks and pastries. Hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Motel 6, 4835 Chiles Road, recently changed its name. It’s now HighWheel Flats.
I spoke with employee Manpreep Singh, who said the rebranding became
official in mid-July.
“Everything is the same,” he said, except the name. The ownership didn’t change.
They are working on a website. Meanwhile, reservations may be made by calling its longtime number: 530-753-3777.
The Super Eyebrow in University Mall is moving to 434 F St., Davis. It will continue there through Aug. 30 but plans its grand opening Aug. 24 on F Street. Technicians will split between the two sites during the overlapping period.
The business offers threading, waxing and henna tattoos. There’s also a sister salon in Oak Tree Plaza, 1520 E. Covell Blvd., Suite 2. Meanwhile, some fencing went up at the mall, which is on Russell Boulevard, between Sycamore Lane and Anderson Road. It appears demolition will begin as soon as businesses clear out, presumably by the end of the month. The project will affect the entire mall, except Trader Joe’s University Mall owner Brixmor Property Group
will raze the mall and redevelop it as The Davis Collection, a single-story mall with traditional retail and restaurant spaces (no interior corridor). Earlier redevelopment proposals for the site included housing and additional parking, which the landlord later deemed too costly. Nordstrom Rack already announced plans to be there.
I worry this mall, too, will be out of reach for local and independent tenants when it returns.
Volt Coffee, Tea & Taps is now looking to open at the end of September.
The cafe and beer garden at 1123 Olive Drive is still under construction. Volt will serve coffee Mondays through Sundays. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, it will offer beer and food from two stationary commercial food trailers.
The gift shop Crème de la Crème closed for a vacation July 30 through Aug. 8. It will reopen Tuesday.
Missed a column?
Before messaging me to check the status of a business project, please review my paywall-free Google spreadsheet, which includes hundreds of 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 who launched this Sunday business column in 2001, when she was The Enterprise’s managing editor. 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.
Enterprise staff
WOODLAND – Yolo County Agricultural Commissioner Humberto Izquierdo announced Tuesday the opening of the nutbuying period, which will run through April 1, 2024, in accordance with the county’s nut-theft ordinance.
In 2014, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors adopted a nut-theft ordinance to assist with the issue of nuts being stolen from orchards and sold illegally. The declaration of the nut buying period, and related proof of ownership requirements, assists the Agriculture, Weights and Measures Department in enforcing the ordinance through compliance checks at places where nuts are sold.
During this period, people in possession of unprocessed nuts (almond, walnut, or pistachio) shall be required to show proof of ownership. Under probable cause, the agricultural commissioner or any peace officer may inspect the commodity and request that proof of ownership be provided. Proof of ownership shall contain the following information:
1. Name, address, telephone number, and signature of the seller
2. Name, address, telephone number, and
of UC Davis Health.
conditions:
signature of the buyer
3. The vehicle license plate number of the seller
4. The driver’s license number of the seller
5. The weight of the nut commodity purchased
6. The date and time of the transaction
7. The variety and condition of the nut commodity
8. Specific identification of the source of the commodity being sold is required.
If the seller grew the nuts, they should provide the address where they were grown. If the seller did not grow the nuts, they should provide the name, address, and phone number of the person they got them from, along with the address where they were grown (if known).
The proof of ownership shall be retained with the nut commodity to which it pertains while the commodity is in any person’s possession.
Proof-of-ownership forms may be obtained from the Yolo County Agriculture, Weights & Measures Department, located at 70 Cottonwood Street in Woodland, or at the Yolo County Farm Bureau, located at 69 W. Kentucky Avenue in Woodland.
Additionally, the proof of ownership form is available online at www.yolocounty. org/nuttheft.
Special to the Enterprise
SACRAMENTO — UC Davis Medical Center has been ranked among the country’s finest hospitals, according to the 20232024 U.S. News & World Report prestigious Best Hospitals survey.
This year, UC Davis Medical Center ranked as the No. 1 hospital in Sacramento and No. 7 in California. The medical center has been the No. 1 hospital in Sacramento for at least the last 12 years and among the Top 10 in the state for the past decade.
“UC Davis Health has a years-long legacy of innovative research, training the next generation of health professionals and scientists, and providing patient-centered care,” said David Lubarsky, vice chancellor of human health sciences and CEO
“We are honored to be recognized for these efforts and are proud of the medical center’s contributions to our Northern California community as well as nationally and globally.”
At No. 18, ear, nose and throat was the medical center’s highest-ranked specialty, followed by cardiology and heart surgery (No. 27), and pulmonology and lung surgery (No. 27).
Five other specialties — geriatrics (No. 32), neurology and neurosurgery (No. 32 tie), diabetes and endocrinology (No. 33 tie), cancer (No. 36) and obstetrics and gynecology (No. 44 tie) — also placed in the nation’s top 50.
U.S. News also rated the medical center’s services in gastroenterology and GI surgery and orthopedics as high performing.
UC Davis Medical Center was rated “High Performing,” the highest rating possible, in 16 common adult procedures and
n Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
n Colon Cancer Surgery
n Diabetes
n Heart Attack
n Heart Failure
n Hip Fracture
n Hip Replacement
n Kidney Failure
n Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma
n Lung Cancer Surgery
n Ovarian Cancer Surgery
n Pneumonia
n Prostate Cancer Surgery
n Stroke
n Transcatheter Aortic
Valve Replacement (TAVR)
n Uterine Cancer Surgery
“These rankings amplify
the expertise, dedication and compassion of every member of our health system, who work tirelessly every day to deliver the highest quality of patient care,” Lubarsky added.
For more than three decades, U.S. News & World Report has published its annual Best Hospitals rankings. Its team of data journalists analyzes millions of hospital visits and admissions to identify the best hospitals in 15 adult-focused specialty rankings and 21 procedures and conditions ratings.
U.S. News also publishes an Honor Roll to recognize hospitals that perform exceptionally well across many of these 36 specialties, procedures and conditions.
The full list of hospital rankings is online on the U.S. News website.
name a SKY OLIVER KIM to Proposed name SKY WALKER D AMOUR
THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause if any why the petition for change of name should not be granted Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted If no written objection is timely filed the court may grant the petition without a hearing
NOTICE OF HEARING
Date: 9/12/2023 Time: 9:00 a m Dept : 11 Room: T h e a d d r e s s o f t h e c o u r t i s S u p e r i o r C o u r t o f C a l i f o r n i a C o u n t y o f Y o l o 1000 Main Street, Woodland, CA 95695
A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least o nce each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME Case Number: CV2023-1405
To all interested persons: Petitioner: ANN ELIZABETH WELLS filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present name a ANN ELIZABETH WELLS to Proposed name AHNI ELIZABETH SKYLAR
COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause if any why the petition for change of name should not be granted Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing
sued The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days Read the information below You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff A letter or phone c a l l w i l l n o t p r o t e c t y o u Y o u r w r i t t en r e s p o n s e m u s t b e i n p r o p e r l e g a l f o r m i f y o u w a n t t h e c o u r t t o h e a r y o u r c a s e T h e r e m a y b e a c o u r t f o r m t h a t y o u c a n u s e f o r y o u r r esponse You can find these court forms and more information a t t h e C a l i f o r n i a C o u r t s O n l i n e S e l f - H e l p C e n t e r (www courtinfo ca gov/selfhelp) your county law library or the courthouse nearest you If you cannot pay the filing fee ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form If you do not file your response on time you may lose the case by default and your w a g e s m o n e y a n d p r o p e r t y m a y b e t a k e n w i t h o u t f u r t h e r w a r n i n g f r o m t h e c o u r t There are other legal requirements You may want to call an attorney right away If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service If you cannot afford an attorney you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program You can locate these nonp r o f i t g r o u p s a t t h e C a l i f o r n i a L e g a l S e r v i c e s W e b s i t e (www lawhelpcalifornia org) the California Courts Online SelfHelp Center (www courtinfo ca gov/selfhelp) or by contacting your local court or county bar association NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10 000 or more in a civil case The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case !AVISO! Lo han demandado Si no responde dentro de 30 dias la corte puede decidir en su contra sin eschuchar su version Lea la informacion a continuacion T i e n e 3 0 D I A S D E C A L E N D A R I O d e s p u é s d e q u e I e e nt r e g u e n e s t a c i t a c i ó n y p a p e l e s l e g a l e s p a r a p r e s e n t a r u n a respuesta por escrito en esta corte y hacer que se entregue una copia al demandante Una carta o una lIamada telefonica n o l o p r o t e g e n S u r e s p u e s t a p o r e s c r i t o t i e n e q u e e s t a r e n f o r m a t o l e g a l c o r r e c t o s i d e s e a q u e p r o c e s e n s u c a s o e n l a c o r t e E s p o s i b l e q u e h a y a u n f o r m u l a r i o q u e u s t e d p u e d a usar para su respuesta Puede encontrar estos formularios de la corte y mas informacion en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cort e s d e C a l i f o r n i a ( w w w s u c or te ca g o v) e n l a b i b l i o t e c a d e leyes de su condado o en la corte que Ie quede mas cerca Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentacion pida al secretario d e l a c o r te q u e Ie d e u n fo r m u l a r i o d e e x e n c i o n d e p a g o d e cuotas Si no presenta su respuesta a tiempo puede perder el caso por incumplimiento y la corte Ie podra quitar su sueldo dinero y bienes sin mas advertencia Hay otros requisitos legales Es recomendable que lIame a un abogado inmediatamente Si no conoce a un abogado puede l I a m a r a u n s e r v i c i o d e r e m i s i o n a a b o g a d o s S i n o p u e d e pagar a un abogado es posible que cumpla con los requisito s p a r a o b te n e r s e r v i c i o s l e g a l e s g r a tu i to s d e u n p r o g r a m a de servicios legales sin fines de lucro Puede encontrar estos g r u p o s s i n f i n e s d e l u c r o e n e l s i t i o w e b d e C a l i f o r n i a L e g a l Services, (www lawhelpcalifornia org), en el Centro de Ayuda d e l a s C o r t e s d e C a l i f o r n i a ( w w w s u c o r t e c a g o v ) o poniendose en contacto con la corte o el colegio de abogados locales AVISO: Por ley, la corte tiene derecho a reclamar las coutas y los costos exentos por imponer un gravamen sobre c u a l q u i e r r e c u p e r a c i o n d e $ 1 0 0 0 0 ó m á s d e v a l o r r e c i b i d a mediante un acuerdo o una concesión de arbitraje en un case d e d e r e c h o c i v i l T i e n e q u e p a g a r e l g r a v a m e n d e l a c o r t e a n t e s d e q u e l a c o r t e p u d e a d e s e c h a r e l c a s o
The name and address of the court is:
(El nombre y dirección de la corte es): YOLO COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT 100 Main Street Woodland CA 95695 The name, address, and telephone number
decorative lights downtown for the long term, options will be on the table for City Council consideration. The city will oversee the process for these lights for safety, assessment, and continuity, Tan said.
Many things are reviewed and assessed for lighting, including electrical access, their rate of deterioration, current safety codes, the weather, the longevity of outdoor lights, and the ambient color, tone, and size of the lights.
Tan said the outlets utilized for electrical access within the downtown had been updated as the units had been vandalized or reached the end of their life and as “best management practices for outdoor equipment have changed over the years.”
She explained the lights are currently installed at locations with readily accessible powered receptacle outlets designed to turn on when it’s dark using photocell lighting controllers. These outlets are ground-fault circuit interrupters protected for safety. Additionally, Tan said it’s good safety practice to ensure all corded equipment, like the lights, is in good shape.
The cords should be free from damage typically caused by
rodents or vandalism, and any damaged cords should be reported as soon as possible to be taken out of service and replaced. In reviewing the trees for pruning, there were some locations where the cords had been damaged. The lights also age, especially with continuous use throughout the years, and should be replaced at recommended intervals.
At the same time, there are more than 900 city-owned trees downtown that need to be assessed and pruned as part of the proactive block pruning program.
The tree species and age in the downtown vary. Some trees were planted as recently as two years ago, Tan said, with the oldest recorded planting date of 1965. There are also trees with no planting date that are likely much older than 58 years. The most dominant species downtown are ash, oak, sycamore, tallow, ornamental pear, and crape myrtle.
Tan said during block pruning, all city-maintained trees are assessed to determine pruning needs and overall condition. Outside of the regular block pruning, the city responds to service requests when issues arise.
She said as part of the recently adopted Urban Forest Management Plan implementation, the city will work towards using the
city’s tree inventory to identify priority and routine maintenance practices based on species type, area of town, and increasing support for young trees to avoid future maintenance issues as the trees’ ages The last block pruning for the downtown area was in 2014-15. The timing of ideal pruning will
differ by tree species and age. As part of the recently adopted Urban Forest Management Plan implementation, the city will review the frequency of proactive pruning cycles to determine if adjustments in the timing should be made. West Coast Arborist to perform the tree work in the downtown
area, and the removal of the lights will be done with the support of the city electrician and Veterans Memorial Theater staff. The city’s Urban Forestry supervisor will also be on hand to guide the removal of lights from the trees.
— Contact Monica Stark at monica@davisenterprise.net.
California voters regularly name out-of-reach housing costs and homelessness as among the most important issues facing the state.
Now lawmakers are calling their bluff. Next year the electorate will likely get the chance to put unprecedented gobs of money where its mouth is.
There’s the $10 billion bond proposal, spearheaded by Oakland Democratic Assemblymember Buffy Wicks and currently slated for the March ballot, that would replenish the coffers of some of the state’s premier affordable housing programs. If a majority of voters approve, it would be the largest housing-related IOU that California has issued since at least 1980.
Next, there’s the $4.68 billion measure, backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and also scheduled for March, to build housing and expand psychiatric and substance abuse treatment for homeless Californians. That would be the largestever expansion of behavioral health funding in California, according to the governor’s office. As a housing-related bond, it would also be the third largest such measure in recent memory.
But both of those state measures could be dwarfed by a third proposed at the regional level. The recently created Bay Area Housing Finance Authority, tasked with funding affordable housing projects across the nine counties that
surround the San Francisco Bay, is still figuring out exactly how much it wants to ask voters to sign off on in November 2024. But it could be as much as $20 billion.
Three of the largest housing bonds in California history would seem to be great news for housing advocates.
So why are some so worried?
“I’m a runner. I’ve never run my three best races in a row,” said Louis Mirante, a lobbyist with the Bay Area Council, where he focuses on housing legislation.
With lawmakers considering a bevy of other bond measures in 2024 that could total as much as $80 billion — more potential debt than the state has put on the ballot since at least 1980, even adjusting for inflation — the sheer scale of the state’s potential borrowing plans could test the upper limit of what voters are willing to stomach.
“It’s conventional wisdom that if you put a bunch of bond proposals in front of voters, they get overwhelmed and are like ‘I don’t want to pay all of this money, so I don’t want to pay any of this money,’” said Mirante.
And even before the question is put to voters, lawmakers will have to negotiate what goes on which ballot in the first place. Unlike the other initiatives, constitutional amendments and referenda that will already crowd the 2024 ballot, bond measures can only be put before voters with a vote by the Legislature and approval of
the governor.
“There is only so much capacity that the state has for debt,” said Ray Pearl, executive director of the California Housing Consortium, which lobbies for more affordable housing construction in the Legislature. “And politically, for the governor and the Legislature, there’s only so much they are willing to take on.”
Lawmakers may not have long to hammer out those negotiations. Any bonds bound for the March ballot need to clear the Legislature by the end of the session on Sept. 14. Branch-on-branch negotiations have been slow to get going so far, but may ramp up once the lawmakers return from recess on Aug. 14.
“We want to make sure that we’re presenting a ballot to the electorate, in as much as we have the ability to, that is thoughtful and aims to tackle some of our tougher challenges, but in a way that doesn’t confuse voters with, like, ‘Here are your ten opportunities to vote for housing,’” said Wicks. “I anticipate over the next probably two or three months that we’ll start landing some of these planes.”
Not everyone in housing world is so concerned. The mere fact that so many housing-related bond measures are vying for space on next year’s primary and general election ballots is a sign that the state’s affordability crisis is finally getting the political and fiscal attention it deserves, said Kate Hartley, who directs the Bay Area Housing
Finance Authority.
“I don’t know what voters will think about” a glut of bond measures next year, she said. “But I do know that voters really care about this and they want solutions.”
Some of the most competitive real estate in California these days is a spot on either of the two 2024 ballots.
The Legislature is considering as many as ten borrowing measures for either the March primary
or November general election next year. Among them are competing school bonds, climate and flood protection proposals and a bond aimed at fighting the fentanyl crisis. Though it isn’t likely that all will make the cut, taken together, they come with a collective debt of at least $80 billion, with the price tag on one proposal still undetermined.
“We have so many crises for people facing so many different challenges,” said Chris Martin, policy director with Housing California, an affordable housing
advocacy group. “You name it, there’s a bond for it being considered in the Legislature and there’s only so much bonding authority.”
The Newsom administration has reportedly set the borrowing limit for both of next year’s ballots at $26 billion, but the final number is likely to be ironed out in negotiations with legislative leaders. Whatever the borrowing cap, it’s as much a question of political arithmetic as it is budget math. There is no legal limit on how much debt voters can approve in a given election.
“We’re looking at treating things like depression and anxiety,” Rodriguez said, of the program which first makes an assessment of each individual, before determining treatment options.
The center works with students coping with “life stressors” that could affect their academic goals. Some of the issues include substance use disorder prevention, anxiety, cultural adjustment, eating disorders, gender identity, relationship issues, sexuality and general stress.
The center offers drop-in consultations, individual and group counseling.
“It’s complicated. Sometimes. I would say that everyone is managing mental health on some level, “Rodriguez said.
“We’re trying to introduce coping skills for people. It’s being able to cope with the day-to-day stressors that come up in life and when students are facing challenges at school and stressincreased pressure because of that … We’re promoting a safe space for students to decompress.”
Speaking of the wide age ranges for college students — who can be just out of high school or those who are older and learning new job skills — there are a lot of challenges.
“I think Covid made things complicated and hard for a lot of people,” she said as a preface. “And on top of that we have our transitional-age youth (typically between the ages of 16 to 25 or 26) and we see a lot challenges that youth are up against and facing … Then there is this other phase in their lives where they’re trying to figure out what they’re going to do with their lives that brings the pressure of school, accomplishment and just trying to figure out how to navigate life in those years. It can be really stressful.”
The isolation of the past few years created its own sort of pressure. And then students are abruptly exposed to a learning environment full of people. As such the center tries to help students balance the previous period of social isolation and
promote more social connections.
That can be hard, because for younger college students it could be the first time they’ve ever sought mental health services, or even knew they needed assistance.
Regardless, the health center staff tries to provide the necessary connections and appropriate advice.
“We’re definitely looking at a whole picture that could include food insecurity and income housing,” Rodriguez said. “We’re here to support the linkages that students could use to improve their situations …”
Colleen Reeves, a medical provider at the college’s health center for the past three years, highlighted the convenience of using the center. “I don’t think anyone — unless they are seeing a physician or someone else — is at their optimal wellness. So, my goal is that we want to see more people.”
From Page A1
and campus beautification projects. These next slides (showing the cleaning work of the staff around the district) highlight the work of our staff across the district throughout the summer, including deep cleaning, fixing damaged walls throughout our schools, paint and you can see the DSHS basketball floor being refinished and waxed. We appreciate our teams working hard through the summer, especially on those really hot days.”
Trustee Joe DiNunzio took time to share an incident where his home was vandalized, with the vandals going after his family’s Pride Ally flag, which he brought to the meeting.
“Several people drove to the front of our house, ran up our driveway, and wrenched our flagpole — displaying this Pride Ally flag — out of the wall and sped off with it,” he said. “A few minutes later they returned and smashed and ripped down our little library and stole all the books from it.”
To balance the story, he also noted the Acme Theater Company”s production of “Dear Harvey,” which focuses on gay-rights pioneer Harvey Milk.
Dinunzio said that he doesn’t like to use the school-board platform to share personal information, but felt that raising awareness of these
From Page A1
inside his vehicle, which struck a power pole. He sustained major injuries in the collision.
The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office pursued a murder charge against Cook under the theory of implied malice: that a death resulted from an intentional act, the natural consequences of that act are dangerous to human life, and the defendant acted with conscious disregard to that fact.
“Anyone who is in his way is at risk of death,” van der Hoek said, adding that Cook lived in the area and knew the roadway well.
Cook’s public defender, Peter Borruso, argued for the murder count’s dismissal, calling his client’s actions “a momentary lack of judgment. Just being a dangerous act doesn’t elevate something into murder.”
In addition to Reeves, others at the center include Mayra Martinez, a behavioral health clinician and Marge Lee, a medical provider.
The center is about the size of a small classroom, around 800 square feet, and contains a diagnostic area, a reception space, and three offices which can serve as counseling rooms. In addition to providing on-site physical and behavioral health services, it also offers telehealth care.
Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday and closed for lunch between 1:30 and 2 p.m. When classes are not in session during summer and winter breaks, office hours are from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday with the same lunch schedule. Appointments can be made by calling (530) 358-2701; or by sending an email to communicare@yccd.edu.
Physical health services
include the diagnosis and treatment of minor illnesses such as ear pain, sore throats, coughs and olds, sinus problems, headaches, rashes and urinary tract infections. Staff also do pap smear testing, offer birth control information, pregnancy testing, flu shots, TB testing, and cholesterol checks and screens and can check for diabetes.
Additionally, staff can also provide free COVID-19 testing and take-home test kits, and free Narcan nasal spray to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose; as well as offer counseling for sexually transmitted disease.
Reeves said staff generally see about two people a day or eight people a week — when not doing sports-related physicals — while there may be 20 or so individuals seeking behavioral-health advice.
Reeves also noted that “on the whole” the center is “underutilized” because students simply don’t seek help when it’s needed.
Judge Samuel McAdam said while it may or may not be the proper charge in the case, “there’s sufficient evidence this defendant subjectively knew that driving on a country road at that speed was highly dangerous and could lead to great bodily injury or death. A jury would be next to decide that subjective intent.”
McAdam ordered the case back to court on Aug. 17, advising attorneys to confer in the meantime about potentially resolving the case with a plea agreement.
“We need to figure out what’s best for our community here, recognizing the rights of the victims and then trying to ensure public safety going forward and have a proportionate outcome,” McAdam said.
Cook remains free on bail while his case is pending. In addition to murder and gross vehicular manslaughter, he’s charged with drug possession and carrying a loaded firearm in public.
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene
experiences was in the trustees’ mission. “To all members of our LBGTQ+ community,” he said. “I want you to know that you are seen, you are welcomed, you are accepted, and you are loved.”
Before the agenda item came the public comment section of the meeting.
Local Beth Bourne took to the podium and voiced her concern about the content available to children under 18 at the Yolo County Public Library – more specifically, a book titled “Let’s Talk About It.” Bourne scrolled through the pages and alleged that it informs children about kink, pornography performance, exchanging sex pictures with adults, and featured lude and sexual imagery.
Another local stepped up after Bourne and voiced similar concerns and –overall – wanting parents to be informed and included regarding the type of content available to their children.
Following that, the board addressed the vacancy in the board left by Betsy Hyder with each trustee giving their two cents. As Hyder was part of a number of sub-committees, the board deliberated and delegated her responsibilities among themselves. As of now, there has been no replacement for the former trustee’s spot. After that, the short meeting came to an end with the next scheduled for Aug 17.
There’s only one thing more fun than the college football season itself and that’s every summer when the preseason rankings come out telling us with certainty what will happen come fall.
The rankings trickle out from May through July from a variety of polls staffed by “experts,” who have perfectly tuned crystal balls that we mere mortals don’t have access to.
There’s the Athlon Poll and the Hero Sports Poll and the Lindy’s Poll and the Coaches Poll and the One Guy in His Garage Drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon Poll.
They all pick South Dakota State to win the Football Championship Subdivision national title when all is said and done come January of 2024.
The championship game of the 24-team FCS playoff is scheduled for January 6 in Frisco, Texas.
It’s easy, of course, to pick the Jackrabbits after they ran through a 14-1 season and blasted perennial champion North Dakota State, 45-21, in the title game.
In fact, the only truly scary game the Jackrabbits had all fall was a 24-22 win over UC Davis in early September, a failed twopoint conversion attempt keeping the Aggies from forcing overtime.
Until last year, North Dakota State had won nine of the previous 11 FCS national championships.
Thus — surprise, surprise — every poll I’ve seen this summer has North Dakota State listed No. 2. The folks putting together these polls are so daring it makes my skin crawl.
Last year the Aggies started the season 1-4 against the toughest opening schedule in school history, then the offense exploded during a fivegame streak in which UCD consecutively scored 56, 58, 59, 43 and 44 points.
Included in that was a 44-26 rout of No. 15 Idaho in the next-to-last game of the season.
But, when all was said and done, Idaho was one of five Big Sky teams to make the playoff and UC Davis stayed home.
Montana finished behind the Aggies in the final league standings and lost 55-21 to Montana State in its final regularseason game, but the Griz, too, got a bid.
That slight is likely to be on the minds of just about everyone when Montana visits UC Davis Health Stadium Oct. 7 to battle the Aggies. The two did not play each other last year. But that was then, and this is now.
Despite Idaho’s lopsided loss to the Aggies late last season, the pollsters are absolutely in love with the
The inaugural high school girls’ flag football season is coming to California this fall.
Davis High is one of nearly 70 schools in the Sac-Joaquin Section ready to take part.
The Blue Devils’ athletic program announced the addition of girls’ flag football earlier this year after the California Interscholastic Federation — the statewide body that governs high school athletics — voted unanimously to approve the sport in February.
Charged with running Davis High’s newest program is Santiago Gonzalez, a classified employee who also coaches girls’ wrestling at the school.
Tryouts are underway at Ron and Mary Brown Stadium, with Gonzalez planning to wrap things up next week. Participation has fluctuated but Gonzalez says roughly 20 girls have consistently shown up. He expects that
number to grow once the season draws closer and students return from summer break.
While the original plan was for Davis High to field a varsity team, the amount of interest has prompted Gonzalez to consider adding a junior varsity squad. He is going to wait and see if the number of active participants remains high through the first few weeks of training before deciding if another team is necessary.
The Blue Devils’ schedule is in the process of being finalized, but is already set to feature matchups against St. Francis, Christian Brothers, Folsom and Del Oro.
Managing a new team in its first season, Gonzalez is focused on more than just winning.
“The biggest thing for me is getting this program up and going,” Gonzalez said. “It’s also about getting these athletes out there having fun enjoying the sport.”
Games will be played in a 7-on-7 format on an 80-yard field with a 25-second play clock.
At the varsity level, there will be two 20-min-
ute halves and a five-minute halftime.
California is part of a growing list of states that have incorporated girls’ flag football into their high school athletic programs, including Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and New York.
With early indications showing significant interest, Gonzalez says this is only the beginning of what could become one of the more popular sports on campus.
“This sport will definitely expand, and I think next year we will have an even bigger turnout,” Gonzalez said. “A lot of these students are used to going out to the Friday night football stuff, but now they get to potentially play the sport.”
Gonzalez also believes having girls’ flag football will not only attract more interest to girls’ sports but also reignite enthusiasm for football within the local community.
See DHS, Page B8
Enterprise staff
UC Davis junior quarterback Miles Hastings was named to the preseason watch list for the 2023 Walter Payton Award, presented by FedEx Ground and given annually to the national offensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football.
The preseason honor is the second in a row for the Aggies as Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. went on to be named a finalist for the prestigious award in 2022. Hastings led the Big Sky Conference with 3,048 passing yards for a 277.1 yards per contest average. He also paced the conference with a 69.8 completion percentage. His 154.2 efficiency rating ranked second in the league.
The San Marcos native threw for 20 touchdowns paired with only six interceptions. Hastings sported three games with over 300 passing yards and threw for
multiple touchdowns in six contests.
More players can join the watch list during the regular season before a national media panel selects the winner from a group of finalists.
First awarded in 1987, the Payton has had past recipients such as Steve McNair, Tony Romo, Brian Westbrook, Jimmy Garoppolo, Cooper Kupp and Trey Lance move on to the NFL.
This season, the Buck Buchanan Award (FCS defensive player of the year), Jerry Rice Award (FCS freshman player of the year), Eddie Robinson Award (FCS coach of the year) and FedEx Ground Doris Robinson ScholarAthlete of the Year will be presented at the national awards banquet on the eve of the FCS championship game in Frisco, Texas. All 15 FCS conferences, which combine to form 13 leagues, are represented on the watch list, which includes 12 past finalists.
George Conner Martin died peacefully with his wife (Patty) and daughter (Pam) by his side on July 13, 2023.
Born in San Francisco in 1933 and raised in the Bay Area by his parents Henry and Doris Martin. George attended King City H.S. where he meets his future wife, Patty and competed in football and track. Upon H.S graduation, he headed to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where he competed in cross country and track. George and Patty married in 1953 while obtaining his degree in vegetable crops in 1955.
In 1955 George was drafted and selected to serve in the Marine Corps and attended Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Va. He served 3 years as 1st lieutenant of the 5th Regiment, 1st Marine Division and became a father when son, Steve, and daughter (Pam) were born. George left the military to pursue his Ph.D. in plant science at Purdue University
His first horticulture job was at the USDA Field Station in Wenatchee, Wash., working on pomological crops. In 1967 he accepted
a position in the pomology department at UC Davis.
George pursued his wide interests in science, history, and plant physiology and spent several years as a volunteer coach with the Universities distance runners. In addition, George was a lifetime exerciser who enjoyed running and cycling.
As an American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) member, his activities included: president; chair of numerous national committees, symposiums and publications. He was the recipient of numerous ASHS awards, including Research of the Year Award and elected Fellow of the Society.
After 28 years at UC Davis, George welcome in retirement by cycling from Davis to Corvallis, Ore., for his last ASHS meeting.
Soon afterwards George and Patty relocated to Paradise and George pursued his interests in the world beyond science. He began reading in the areas of history, philosophy, religion, U.S Constitution and democracy, literature and begin writing opinion papers.
April 8, 1923 — July 25, 2023
Leona Gardner passed away on July 25, 2023, at her home in Woodland, just a few months after her 100th birthday.
Leona was born in 1923 in Palisade, CO, a middle child of Ralph W. Oberly and Oral Leona Herman Oberly, and grew up on a fruit ranch in Clifton, Colo. She studied home economics at Mesa College and worked at a grocery store and a public service office while waiting for Wayne Gardner, her sweetheart and singing partner, to marry her on furlough from World War II. As newlyweds, they lived in Ohio, Tennessee, Illinois and Florida while he finished military service.
Their four daughters were born in Colorado and Utah, as Wayne pursued studies and career in crop science. Later they lived in Davis and
George and Patty’s quiet lifestyle and beautiful home overlooking the Chico valley was tragically destroyed in the Paradise Fire in November 2018. They relocated in Humboldt County, where George’s declining health limited him to walking but he had a smile on his face and a good morning greeting as he continued his military cadence, upright posture toward a designated turn around point.
George is survived by his wife of 70 years, Patty and their children Steve (Katherine) and Pam. He is also survived by grandchildren Kirstyn (Holly) and Kyle (Sophie); sister Lynne Steele; niece Jennifer Steele; and cousin Taylor Steele (Kendall).
George was preceded in death by his parents Henry and Doris Martin. The Martin family would like to convey their sincere thanks to Hospice for their loving and compassionate care.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in George’s name to Hospice of Humboldt. A Celebration of Life is being planned.
Brookings, S.D. Upon Wayne’s retirement, Leona suggested that they purchase a motor home so they could easily visit their Colorado and California relatives. They enjoyed the motorhome trips and conventions so much, that they made it permanent and settled in a mobile home in Woodland’s Leisureville park.
Leona was an enthusiastic homemaker, providing her family with delicious and healthy cooking and expert sewing, hair cutting, and always-loving care. Fruits and vegetables from Wayne’s garden were canned, preserved and frozen. Beautiful wedding dresses, baby things, children’s outfits, ballet costumes and doll clothes were sewn, as well as most of her own clothing.
She wrote letters weekly to all faraway family and taught her children to do so. She did day care for some of the grandchildren. In addition to hosting holidays, Leona and Wayne put together annual week-long
Feb. 17, 1928 — July 29, 2023
Kent Gill, a former mayor of Davis, past president of the Sierra Club and a long time junior high school teacher in Davis, died on July 29, 2023 at the age of 95.
Kent, born in Montrose, Colo., was the son of Charles and Lena Gill, and grew up on a farm. He graduated from Montrose County High School in 1945 and enlisted in the Army. As he often said, Uncle Sam did more for him than he did for Uncle Sam. As World War II was essentially over, the army sent him to South Dakota State College.
After his Army service ended, he transferred to the University of Colorado, graduating in 1950. At the University he met the love of his life, Lois Haverland, whose family had recently moved to Montrose from Nebraska. They married four days after graduation
in 1950 and enjoyed over 72 years of marriage before her death in 2022.
Kent taught for more than 35 years, focused on English. He taught junior high English in Davis for 30 years, beginning in 1958. His students did not just read books, however. He wanted students to see English more broadly. For several years he organized trips to the Oregon Shakespeare Company in Ashland, Ore., so the students could see a live production of a Shakespeare play.
Kent also wanted to do many things other than just teach. In the 1960s he was elected to the Davis City Council and chosen as mayor by his fellow council members. During this time Davis expanded to include area south of the freeway and began to establish bicycle paths to accommodate the many bikers in Davis.
John Knight, a Davis resident who educated legions of students as an English teacher and principal at his alma mater, Dixon High School, and who is the namesake of John Knight Middle School in Dixon, died peacefully in his sleep July 24. He was 75.
Knight grew up in Dixon, the son of the town’s dentist, Verl Knight, and his wife, Carolyn Knight. He loved reading, particularly the Sporting Green of the San Francisco Chronicle, and visiting San Francisco to watch Willie Mays and the Giants play baseball.
Knight attended Dixon public schools through high school. He pitched for the Dixon High School baseball team in high school, lettering all four years, and served as the senior class vice president, graduating in 1966. He attended Stanford University where he received a bachelor’s degree in English. As a sophomore, he studied abroad at Harlaxton Manor in Lincolnshire, England — and met fellow Stanford student and Californian, Sharon Sisk. They married at Stanford’s Memorial
summer gatherings of the girls and their growing families, making sure the extended family stayed close.
As far as her family knows, Leona was the last survivor of her parents’ six children, her brothers- and sisters-in-law, and any of her cousins. She was preceded in death by one daughter, Janet Gardner Lee of Woodland.
She leaves a legacy of loving families, survived by three daughters, Susan Larock (Bruce) and Barbara Gardner (Robert Poeschel) of Davis, and Kathrine Gardner (Kit Nelson Bedford) of Sacramento; grandchildren Lynne Larock (Scott Lindhurst) and Jean Floth (David) of Granite Bay, John Leeman (Kaliela) of Woodland, and Mary Kaplan (Justin) of Los Angeles; and great-grandchildren Henry and Margaret Lindhurst, Emily and Anderson Floth, and Julia Leeman. Memorials may be given to YoloCares hospice or the donor’s choice.
In 1968 Kent had an opportunity to take one of the first sabbatical leaves offered by the Davis School District. He spent the year at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, earning a post-master’s certification of advanced study. The family spent the summer of 1969 driving back to California, seeing many different parts of the country.
Kent’s interest in the outdoors led to many family backpacking adventures throughout the west and also a leadership role in the Sierra Club. In the mid1970s Kent was elected to the Sierra Club Board of Directors and then served a two-year term as president. This was a time of significant membership growth in the Sierra Club and also an expansion of its focus beyond merely preserving wilderness area, to include
Church on June 5, 1971. They had two daughters, Heather and Beth, and moved to Davis in 1984.
After earning his master’s degree in education and teaching credential at Stanford, Knight returned to Dixon High in the fall of 1972 to become its English teacher. He served as Dixon High’s vice principal and principal before becoming the principal of Maine Prairie, the district’s continuation high school. He finished his career as the district’s personnel director, retiring in 2006. In 2019, the Dixon school board reopened the long-shuttered Dixon High campus as a middle school after a new, more modern high school was built. The board unanimously voted to name it after Knight. Trustee Jewel Fink at the time said she received calls from people who knew Knight, calling him “brilliant, caring and fair.”
In response to a Facebook post announcing his death, legions of former students and co-workers responded, noting the large legacy Knight left.
“His love, understanding, support, discipline,
smile and laughter will not be forgotten,” wrote a former student. “Mr. Knight was my favorite teacher ever. He brought out the best in each of his students and treated us all with such dignity and kindness,” wrote another. “The reason I graduated from high school!” wrote yet another.
In his spare time, Knight read thousands of books and filled his home with them. But nothing brought him more joy later in life than his four grandchildren. He wouldn’t let his daughters get off the phone without recounting new stories about each one.
Knight is survived by his daughter Heather Bennett of San Francisco, son-inlaw Simon, and grandsons Jack and Paul; daughter Beth Hawkins of San Rafael, son-in-law Yancy and grandchildren James and Maggie; brother Jim Knight of Pennsylvania and sister-in-law Cathy; and sister Anne Lertora of Washington, and brotherin-law Wray. His wife, Sharon, died in 2003.
A memorial service will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12, at John Knight Middle School, 455 East A St. in Dixon.
Jan. 25, 1970 — April 23, 2023
Derek Lee Moss of Vacaville was born to Ray and Delanne Moss in the Davis Community Hospital in Davis on Jan 25, 1970. He passed away suddenly from a cardiac event on April 23, 2023. He was 53 years old.
He graduated from Davis High School in 1988. He attended UTI Technical School in Phoenix, Ariz., from 1988 to 1989. He
broader environmental issues.
After retiring from teaching, Kent and Lois moved to a house they had built in Camp Sherman, Ore., in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. They continued to enjoy hiking, as well as volunteering at the local one room school house and the High Desert Museum, where they served as costumed interpreters. They also did extensive international travel, including hiking in New Zealand, Chile, Switzerland and Austria.
Kent moved back to Davis for his final years. He is survived by his three children — Laurie (David Pokross), Kathy (Greg Stoner) and Chuck (Tianna). He is also survived by his granddaughter Jennifer Carpenter; grandsons Michael and Chris Stoner, Danny Gill, and Sam and Ben Pokross; foreign exchange student son Allan Taylor of South Africa; and two greatgranddaughters.
served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1990 to 1994. He then worked in the automotive industry for more than 25 years. Derek was predeceased by his father, Ray Moss. He is survived by mother Delanne Moss of Vacaville and many cousins. He was laid to rest in the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon on July 6.
The Enterprise publishes brief death notices free of charge. These include name, age, city of residence, occupation, date of death and funeral/memorial information. Paid-for obituaries allow for controlled content with the option for photos. Obituaries will be edited for style and grammar. Submissions may be made via www.davisenterprise.com/obit-form/. For further information about paid obituaries or free death notices, call 530-756-0800.
Whether you’re dreading hectic school-day schedules or excited for kids to be back in the classroom, most parents agree the transition back to school can be a stressful time.
Change can be trying for kids and adults, but it doesn’t have to be if you tackle the season a little at a time — mentally, emotionally and logistically.
Consider these five school-readiness tips from KinderCare experts to help parents ease the jitters, prepare for school days and set goals to help ensure their children have great years.
■ Ease into school-year routines. Many children thrive on routines. Prep for the transition to a schoolday schedule as early as possible by slowly moving your children’s bedtimes up a little each evening.
You should also establish school-year breakfast, lunch and dinner routines to help children adjust to regular mealtimes.
■ Take a trial run and figure out what hiccups need addressing. Ask your children’s school if you can take an after-hours tour to increase familiarity and
practice your routine.
According to KinderCare’s Parent Confidence Report, 61% of parents believe being a parent means constantly thinking about child care gaps, so now is the time to make beforeand after-school care arrangements and discuss them with your children.
Help ease their nerves by making sure they practice the little things like opening and closing lunchboxes, water bottles and backpacks, and finding their drop off and pick up locations then adjust as needed to make sure they feel confident in each of the tasks.
■ Start back-to-school conversations at home.
Children sometimes experience big feelings, and they may not know how to explain what they’re experiencing. Whether it’s excitement, jitters or anxiety around the unknown, having open conversations at home about school can give children a comfortable space to share what they feel and help quell their nerves.
This is also a good time to gently remind your children about kindness and acceptance of others.
During the school year,
Get
monitor your children’s behavior to better understand how they may be feeling.
Build strong home and school partnerships. One of the best things you can do for your children is give them the resources they need for success then support them along the way.
One way to do this is by building partnerships with your children’s teachers to create a strong foundation
for the entire school year. Whether it’s joining the local parent group at school, downloading a classroom app, following your children’s school social media pages or sending an informal “getting to know you” email to your children’s teachers, consistent and effective communication is often beneficial when you face challenges or have questions down the road.
■ Set school-year goals. These don’t have to be formal; they can be impactful and fun, too. This may help your children understand what they’re working toward. Maybe they want to try a new sport or learn a musical instrument. Maybe they would like to increase their math competencies by a letter grade or demonstrate more patience while learning new things.
Make a mental note to continuously revisit these goals throughout the year to celebrate progress and growth. Watch for ways you can help them accomplish these objectives with support from counselors, coaches and instructors as well as at home..
Family Features. For more tips to help ensure a smooth back-to-school transition, visit kindercare.com.
Special to the Enterprise
Empower Yolo’s shelter staff and After School Safety and Enrichment for Teens (ASSETs) team are helping to prepare the kids and students for a successful school year. A new school year can be a fresh start for many of these children who yearn for a chance to rewrite their stories and embrace a hopeful new beginning.
Empower Yolo’s safe house advocates are preparing to welcome the new school year for all the children at the safe house.
“Planning and organizing have begun to help prepare the kids for a successful, new school year,” says Stephanie Campos, Child Advocate, Empower Yolo. Many of the shelter children are starting new schools; the new year truly brings new beginnings for them. “Currently, child advocates are making it a priority to enroll every new child who enters the safe house into school.
Throughout this process, we are making sure every child is being assessed for physical, emotional, and medical needs, and any necessary accommodations to help them succeed in school,” says Campos.
Empower Yolo also partners with the Foster and Homeless Youth Liaison through the Davis Joint Unified School District; they provide gas cards or bus passes for parents to transport kids to school as well as gift cards for new clothes to begin their school year with a fresh start.
Many children at the safe
By Andy Joneshouse who are escaping violence or who have experienced trauma have distinct needs compared to other children in the community. “Children at the safe house often experience different obstacles compared to their peers. Many come from a background of escaping violent situations often causing them to constantly be in a flight or fight mode. These kids remain on constant alert, as if treading on eggshells due to their past experiences,” says Campos.
Children at the safe house face many obstacles that other children in their community may not experience. “Challenges for safe house children include switching schools often causing a gap in their learning. It is important we provide children with school supplies that will last an entire school year because oftentimes these children will have multiple first days of school. A stressor that families at the safe house face is homelessness,” says Campos.
Lack of access to resources makes it difficult for children to keep up in school and not fall behind.
“The children that come to the safe house have faced many obstacles such as food and housing insecurity. When they are with us at Empower Yolo we do our best to take away that insecurity and help families with their needs such as food and clothing, and connect them with resources like CalFresh. Providing basic necessities helps families and children stay on track to move forward in a
positive way,” says Campos.
Empower Yolo advocates collaborate with local organizations and school districts to help mend bridges and ensure a successful transition by collecting school supplies, clothing, providing access to transportation, and creating a safety plan for families.
“Peer counseling is a resource Empower Yolo offers at the safe house as well as therapy for children five and up to ensure the child’s mental health doesn’t hinder their wellbeing and ability to learn,” says Campos.
The safe house also partners with Sutter Health to give families an opportunity to seek medical care, which includes yearly physicals and vaccinations.
“Sutter Health is a valuable resource providing care for families directly at the safe house and we are grateful for their partnership,” says Carolina Jimenez, Child Advocate, Empower Yolo.
Throughout the year Empower Yolo has also been partnering with ClipDart, a local organization providing free haircuts for all the children at the safe house. ClipDart has also been providing free hair-
embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia?
Answers: A fresco, Reveille, The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, The Central Powers, The Aegean Sea.
— Dr. Andy Jones is the quizmaster at de Vere’s Irish Pub and author of the book “Pub Quizzes: Trivia for Smart People.” Dr. Andy is now also sharing his pub quizzes via Patreon. Find out more at www. yourquizmaster.com.
cuts to clients at the main office in Woodland. “Helping kids feel and look their best is a great way to boost their confidence. Kids are offered haircuts before school starts which is a wonderful service,” adds Jimenez.
To celebrate the school year, the safe house will provide a special “back to school breakfast” on the first day of school as well as the first day of school pictures. Child advocates also accompany kids and their mothers on the first day of school for moral support.
“Oftentimes parents have questions that they don’t know how to ask or are afraid to ask; the advocate can provide support and attain information on their behalf,” says Jimenez.
Community support through financial and inkind donations like food
and clothing are very helpful and make a huge difference. The community can best support the children going back to school by donating backpacks with supplies, gift cards for clothing, transportation, snacks, and reusable water bottles. These types of donations are needed all year round.
Donations can be brought to the main office at 175 Walnut Street in Woodland, or the Resource Center at 441 D Street, Davis during office hours;
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; Tuesdays, 10 a.m. –4:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
We are grateful to our community partners and donors like the University Retirement Community that have given so generously to the children at the shelter by donating backpacks filled with school supplies. Community support contributes to providing these children with a fresh start and a chance to rebuild their lives.
Together, we can create a lasting impact, helping them to overcome their past, and empowering them to write their own stories with a brighter future with hope and opportunities.
After School Safety and
Empower Yolo’s ASSETs program provides enriching programming for students at Woodland High School. The ASSETs team continues to provide services and resources to students to ensure that they achieve academic and lifelong success.
ASSETs staff is preparing for a back-to-school welcome week. “Our collaboration with our new club ASSETs advocates empowers our young participants, giving them a voice and the opportunity to provide input on activities that are both enjoyable and relevant to high school students,” says Daniela Talavera Rangel, director of youth programs for Empower Yolo.
The group will host different activities during lunchtime to recruit and welcome incoming freshmen and upperclassmen into the program. “We want to establish ourselves as a resource for socioemotional and academic learning,” says Rangel. For more information about Empower Yolo and a full list of services visit: empoweryolo.org.
The nation, I read, is in the grip of a loneliness epidemic.
This has all been made worse, one suspects, by the effects of the pandemic-induced lifestyle changes — consequences of the forced isolation that changed social and work practices in ways that haven’t changed back. Other changes have been coming slowly over the decades, but all add to the lonely life. The way of life has had a trajectory for those who live alone, which has increased the possibility of loneliness.
We isolate ourselves in ways that are new or only decades old. We drive alone. We live in a house or apartment, if single, alone. We work alone in that dwelling, facing a computer or watching a movie on television alone.
I call this the box culture: We drive in a box, live in a box, and, as likely as not, stare into a box as we work.
Changing work patterns are probably a critical part of the structural loneliness that is now rampant. Even if one doesn’t work at home, we work differently. We used to make contacts, and essentially new friends, by doing business on the telephone. Now we shoot off an email and maybe, if it can’t be avoided, make an appointment to make a video call with several people.
We have wrung out all spontaneity. Making friends is a kind of spontaneous combustion. You might as well be doing business with AI for all the lack of warmth or humor in today’s work interactions.
Then there are work friends. For most of us, it was at work or through work that we made our friends — that is, if they weren’t carryovers from school or college.
People who work together and play together fall in love, sometimes get married, and sometimes meet a friend who undoes a marriage. There is a lot of sex at places of work, although companies might deny it. Note the number of CEOs who marry their assistants.
Another feature is that pub life is in decline. The local tavern, even for nondrinkers, was part of the way we lived, and drinking isn’t as pervasive as it once was.
Time was when after work or wishing to see a friend, you went for drinks. People gave drinks parties at noon on weekends: no food, just a convivial glass. That isn’t extinct, but it isn’t what it used to be.
Drinking oils society’s wheels — too much, and the wheels come off. Go sit at the bar, and someone will talk to you. There is camaraderie in a saloon.
Entertaining has become more formal. Blame all those cooking shows on television. People don’t have friends over for a hamburger anymore. No. They have to have Steak Diane and a soufflé — a meal with the stamp of Julia Child on it. Result: less dropping in on friends, more isolation.
Of course, there are those who are lonely because of bereavement, sickness, old age and family abandonment. But those things have always been with us. They really suffer loneliness, feel the terrible blanket of isolation.
For those who have decided it is too strenuous to go to the office, that the phone is for messaging, that home loneliness is inevitable because we can’t cook or are ashamed of our homes, join something: a church, a theater group, a book club or do volunteer work.
Much of loneliness, from what I can divine, is a product of how we live now. We sit in our boxes inadvertently avoiding others. Television isn’t friendship, drinking alone isn’t companionship. Go shopping in a store, go to church, go to the pub, work in the food bank, join a book club. As the old AT&T advertisement used to say, “Reach out and touch someone.”
Several of my greatest friendships are a result of people who have taken violent exception to something I have written and wanted to meet up to berate me. The facts were wrong. I was evil, I met them to take my medicine, as it were, and parted knowing a new friend.
The Surgeon General has raised the issue of loneliness. He would be advised to tell people to look at lifestyle. Does it have loneliness baked in?
— Llewellyn King is the executive producer and host of “White House Chronicle” on PBS. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.
Foy S. McNaughton President and CEOWhen a right-leaning school board in Southern Califor nia balked at providing stateapproved social studies textbooks that referenced murdered gay rights leader Harvey Milk, Gov. Gavin Newsom quickly intervened.
Newsom declared the board to be “radicalized zealots” and said, “If the school board won’t do its job by its next board meeting to ensure kids start the school year with basic materials, the state will deliver the book into the hands of children and their parents – and we’ll send the district the bill and fine them for violating state law.”
Newsom’s threats worked as the Temecula school board backed down. However, his lightning-fast crackdown on Temecula sharply contrasts with what happened three years ago on a much more important clash – whether to reopen schools shuttered due to COVID-19.
Newsom had assumed vast emergency powers to manage the pandemic, and closing schools that serve nearly 6 million students was one of the state’s earliest and most dramatic actions.
It soon became apparent, however, that the schools were not a likely venue for spreading the disease .
to take unilateral actions on other pandemic-related issues and who later cracked down on Temecula, refused to forcefully intervene, apparently unwilling to confront the politically powerful unions.
alleging that closures had an inordinate effect on lowincome children of color –something that PPIC and other independent researchers later confirmed.
Editor
Within months, federal health officials, parents and children’s advocates were urging that classrooms be reopened to avoid educational deterioration.
Other states reopened schools, as did many California private schools, including the one serving Newsom’s children. But California’s teacher unions balked, forcing local school officials to leave schools closed and children to cope with makeshift internet classes.
Newsom backed reopening. “I am of the firm belief that we can safely get back our children, youngest children, get them back safely into schools in small cohorts,” Newsom told reporters in early 2021. “We can get this done. We must get it done.”
Even though Newsom offered school districts billions of dollars to reopen, schools remained largely shuttered because of continued union opposition. Newsom, who had been so quick
The July 27 Woodland School Board meeting demonstrated that many people need a remedial refresher on what “free speech” actually means (there were also several Davisites who spoke).
At that board meeting, speaker after speaker of the conservative persuasion (judging from the content of their own comments) claimed that the recall effort against Trustee Emily MacDonald somehow violated the constitutional precepts of “free speech.”
Was Ms. MacDonald stopped or censored from speaking her opinion at the previous board meeting? No. She was not.
Is Ms. MacDonald now suffering the consequences of her “free speech?” Yes, she is. And this is currently taking the form of opprobrium from the community, as well as the recall effort.
People in this country have the right to free speech and to voice their
R. Burt McNaughton PublisherPresident
Eventually schools did reopen, but by then the damage was done. Follow-up studies revealed that closures had seriously damaged educational achievement in a state whose children were already trailing those in other states.
When state academic testing resumed in 2022 after being suspended during the pandemic, it showed “significant declines in proficiency rates,” a study by the Public Policy Institute of California declared.
Prior to the pandemic, 51% of students met standards in English language arts (ELA) and it had dropped to 47%. In mathematics, proficiency declined from 40% to 33%.
“Only 35% of low-income students met state standards in ELA and 21% were proficient in math,” PPIC reported, “compared to 65% of higher-income students in ELA and 51% in math.”
While schools were closed in 2020, a civil rights lawsuit was filed against the state,
opinions, as Ms. MacDonald has done. She is also now suffering the consequences of her words. If she is recalled, that is one such consequence.
The conservatives and right wing extremists in this community, however, appear to need a refresher on this rudimentary concept. Ms. MacDonald’s “free speech” rights under the First Amendment were not violated. It is a farce to claim so.
Kendra Smith DavisA recent letter to the editor (PGA tour tarred with oil, July 31) rightfully highlighted the problematic nature of the Professional Golf Association’s (PGA) merger with the Saudi Arabiabacked LIV Tour.
There are possible violations of antitrust laws and I find it incredibly troubling that any United States organization is partnered with a country that has a record of human rights violations such as Saudi Arabia.
As the chief Democratic tax writer in
224-3553; email: https://www.padilla .senate.gov/contact/contact-form/
House of Representatives
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; 202224-3841; email: http://feinstein.senate. gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me
Sen. Alex Padilla, 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-
The state is trying to get the suit tossed, contending that closures did not have the harmful effects it alleges. The suit’s advocates, however, have countered with statements from a variety of educational authorities buttressing its case.
The state Department of Education has a response to that as well. EdSource, a website devoted to California educational issues, reported recently that the department has warned educational researchers who access its data that they cannot help plaintiffs because a clause in research agreements forbids participation in any suit against the state.
In other words, the state is muzzling those who could provide expert testimony that the state’s failure to reopen schools was an educational disaster. That’s authoritarian arrogance to the 10th power.
— 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.
Congress, I authored the bipartisan legislation to remove PGA’s tax-exempt status and I am examining the taxpreferred retirement plan that is enjoyed by the PGA and its members.
The deal between the PGA and Saudi Arabia reeks of antitrust violations, and I will keep working to investigate this merger and ensure that the PGA is not controlled by Saudi Arabia.
Rep. Mike Thompson D-St. HelenaLetters to the editor make a community newspaper lively, but a few rules must be followed. Addresses and phone numbers should be included for verification purposes; they will not be published.
Limit letters to 350 words. Anonymous letters will not be accepted. We reserve the right to edit all letters for brevity or clarity.
Mail letters to The Davis Enterprise, P.O. Box 1470, Davis, CA 95617; bring them to 325 G St.; or email them to newsroom@davisenterprise.net.
Rep. Mike Thompson, 268 Cannon Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20515; 202225-3311. District office: 622 Main Street, Suite 106, Woodland, CA 95695; 530-7535301; email: https:// https://mikethomp sonforms.house.gov/contact/
Governor Gov. Gavin Newsom, State Capitol, Suite 1173, Sacramento, CA 95814; 916-4452841; email: visit https://govapps.gov. ca.gov/gov40mail/
California Senate
Sen. Bill Dodd, State Capitol, Room 5063, Sacramento, CA 95814; 916-651-4003; fax: 916-651-4903; email: visit sd03.senate.ca. gov. District office: 555 Mason St., Suite 275, Vacaville, CA 95688; 707-454-3808; fax: 707-454-3811.
California Assembly
Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, State Capitol, P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento, CA 94249-0004; 916-319-2004; fax: 916319-2104; email: visit www.asm.ca.gov/ aguiar-curry. District office: 600 A St., Suite D, Davis, CA 95616; 530-757-1034
Pride and defiance in the face of hate
I
I would like to share two recent personal experiences that I believe are relevant to our mission and role as trustees.
The first is a hateful act that happened last Tuesday evening while my daughter and I were out attending a play with one of her friends in Sacramento.
Several people drove to the front of our house, ran up our driveway, and wrenched our flagpole — displaying the Pride Ally flag — out of the wall and sped off with it. A few minutes later they returned and smashed and ripped down our little library and stole all
commenTary
shared the following message as part of my remarks from the dais at the Aug. 3 DJUSD School Board meeting.the books from it.
They sped away a second time, yelling and throwing books that hit several of our neighbors who were out for a walk. Liz was home at the time and called the Davis Police. A very thoughtful officer came and took a report along with photos of the damage, and officers have been very helpful in their follow-up as well.
Additional thoughtful neighbors came the next day to return the flag and pole, which had been thrown away, along with offers to help repair the damage.
The library is back up now, full of new books, and the garage wall will soon be repaired and this — and other flags —will go back up proudly on display. A certain Lily Allen lyric would
articulate how I feel about the people that did this, but in the interest of decorum you’ll just have to Google it.
The second experience is something quite wonderful — Acme Theater Company’s summer performance of “Dear Harvey.” I attended opening and closing night and got to watch my daughter along with so many talented students deliver a series of vignettes that tell the story of Harvey Milk’s determination to overcome the fear, hatred and violence inflicted on the gay and lesbian community in the ’60s and ’70s.
While it paints an often brutal picture of an intolerant world, it is full of messages of defiance and hope by those fighting for a better future. The student performances were passionate and purposeful and moving.
They owned the roles, the spirit, and the commitment of the people they represented, and made the tragedies and the triumphs their own. Suffice to say there were few dry eyes in the house at the end of the show.
J
In opposition to Briggs’ hatred and intolerance, Harvey Milk wrote a poem that his aide Anne Kronenberg found in his desk and read at his memorial: “I can be killed with ease, I can be cut
right down, But I cannot fall back to my closet. I have grown, I am not by myself, I am too many, I am all of us.”
ust over 40 years ago, the infamous Briggs initiative sought to ban gays and lesbians from the right to work in California schools. Certainly, we have made progress as a society since then. But today we have people in our country, in our state and in our city who actively seek to demean, devalue, and disenfranchise members of the LGBTQ+ community.In a Q&A panel after the last performance of “Dear Harvey,” and in response to the question of what they seek from our community, the student performers responded with a simple and direct request: “Accept us and support us for who we are.”
To my wonderful daughter, and to all members of our LBGTQ+ community, I want you to know that you are seen, you are welcomed, you are accepted, and you are loved. And those that threaten you and oppose you can damn well be sure that we will stand beside you and never back down. You are all of us.
— Joe DiNunzio is the Davis School Board trustee for Area 3.
Teach media literacy to help students
According to the U.S. Surgeon General, up to 95% of young people ages 13-17 use a social media platform, nearly two-thirds use it daily and one-third report using social media “almost constantly.” Yet with our brains not fully developed until around the age of 25, the consequences of spending so much time online — coupled with the amount of misinformation, disinformation and cyberbullying — are approaching a calamity.
commenTary commenTary
Influencer marketing, staged content and bogus news is making it nearly impossible for teens to determine what’s fake or real online. According to a September 2022 report by NewsGuard, which tracks online information, teen and young adult TikTok users are continuously consuming false information and misleading claims. NewsGuard’s investigation found that almost 20% of the videos it searched on various news topics contained misinformation.
Experts and regulators are taking notice.
In May, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy called for urgent action from policymakers, technology companies, researchers, families and young people to gain a better understanding of the full impact of social media use. “We must provide children and their families with the information and tools to navigate the changing digital environment,” he wrote in the 19-page advisory, “but this burden to support our children must be further shared.”
Cyberbullying is also on the rise. According to the Pew Research Center, the increased use of smartphones and social media has transformed how bullying occurs, with nearly half of U.S. teens ages 13—17 reportedly experiencing some form of cyberbullying.
Assembly Bill 873, authored by Menlo Park Assemblyman Marc Berman, attempts to equip young people with the media literacy skills by helping usher in a framework that could add media literacy into K-12 curriculum.
I’m grateful that Berman is helping tackle this crisis and hope it gets signed into law, ensuring that California kids will be equipped with the necessary media literacy skills to navigate today’s digital world.
— Abagail Moffatt is a senior at St. Mary’s High School in Stockton. She is the co — founder of GetReal! a student — led initiative tackling media literacy for teens and tweens. She wrote this for CalMatters, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s Capitol works and why it matters.
s a teen, social media is entrenched in everything we do. Conversations happen on Snapchat, experiences are curated on Instagram and entertainment is found on TikTok. As the first generation to grow up immersed in a digital world, it’s how we connect, share and learn about the world around us.Oppenheimer then, America now ...
weaves together stories of America’s past that also reflect our present. The narrative threads include:
the rise and fall of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the “Father of the Atomic Bomb” who led its creation at Los Alamos;
the collaboration among a constellation of scientists—many Jewish at a time of antisemitism more virulent than today’s—who raced to beat the Nazis in building the first bomb; the military and political decision to test “the gadget” two months after Germany’s surrender, then to unleash it on Japan—already defeated in the eyes of many—three months after war ended in Europe;
the post-war creation of a hydrogen bomb more powerful than Hiroshima’s uranium one;
the humiliation of Oppenheimer by removing his security clearance, due to expire the following day, making him persona non grata less than a decade after he was revered as an American hero.
In the middle of McCarthyism, Oppenheimer had three “flaws”: having friends and a brother who had been Communists; supporting international transparency to prevent nuclear proliferation; and resisting creation of the fusion bomb — nicknamed “The Super” — with its potential to annihilate mankind.
How super was “The Super?” Hiroshima measured 15 kilo (thousand) tons of dynamite; the H-bomb tested on Bikini Atoll measured 15 mega (million) tons of dynamite. That’s 1000 times greater. With time, the U.S. stockpile grew to
he provocative film “Oppenheimer”more than 30,000 warheads and the U.S.S.R’s to 40,000, enough to turn everything on earth into rubble — with enough in reserve to make that rubble rattle.
In the gamesmanship of nuclear strategies, more is more. Oppenheimer was guilty of “premature” anti-proliferation. The year after he died the U.S., U.S.S.R., and other nations concluded a Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Why did it take more than twenty years to accomplish the obvious?
In a curious coincidence, Oppenheimer opened as the Army was destroying its last chemical weapons after stockpiling mustard gas and Sarin nerve agent. Why did it take more than 70 years to accomplish the obvious?
Partial answers to these questions include, among others: fear of unseen and unknown enemies; an abiding faith that might makes right; the presumption that we must always maintain the upper hand because we’re America, so we deserve to be Number One always in all ways. Is it any wonder that eliminating AR-15-style weapons of mass destruction from schools, temples, churches, clubs, and streets is not so obvious to many Americans?
In another curious coincidence, Oppenheimer opened as the U.S. agreed to send cluster munitions to Ukraine. To date, 123 nations have signed The Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits using, developing, producing, acquiring, stockpiling, or transferring cluster bombs.
The U.S. is not a signatory, nor is Ukraine, nor Russia, which is already using them. Good intentions appear to
justify any means. That includes the use of weapons widely known to injure civilians, especially children attracted by the shape, size, and color of tiny bomblets from cluster bombs that fail to explode.
The paradox of these “curious coincidences” startles me, and the silence about the past repeating itself is deafening. I left “Oppenheimer” wishing my country had learned the history I saw represented in the film. Instead, I perceive the continuing pattern of hubris: chemical weapons in World War I, then nuclear weapons in World War II, now cluster bombs prohibited by most nations. How do Americans continue seeing ourselves as the moral leaders we yearn to be?
When J. Robert Oppenheimer departed Los Alamos, he told colleagues honoring him: “If atomic bombs are to be added as new weapons to the arsenals of a warring world, or to the arsenals of nations preparing for war, then the time will come when mankind will curse the names of Los Alamos and Hiroshima.”
On Aug. 6, the 78th anniversary of Hiroshima, I will be thinking about “Oppenheimer“ and the exceptional fact that only my nation has used a nuclear bomb against other human beings. Then we did so a second time only 72 hours later.
— Russell Vandenbroucke’s play “Atomic Bombers,” focusing on the scientists who made the bomb, was performed on public radio to commemorate Hiroshima’s 50thanniversary. Recently retired as professor of Theater, he was the founding director of the Peace, Justice & Conflict Transformation Program at the University of Louisville and is syndicated by PeaceVoice.
n Testimony tracks Dominguez’s decline
n Lorenson steps down as Davis High athletic director
n Bob Dunning: Davis loses a star of the community
News Sports Feature
n UC Davis graduate releasing new EP on Friday
“Here’s a thought: Expand the football stadium to 50,000 and move up to the big-time. Wouldn’t it be fun to HOST Stanford or Oregon?”
From Georgedi
In response to “Football: UC Davis earns high rankings in polls”
Jefferson Starship
@ 7pm Napa Valley
Expo, 575 3rd St, Napa
Music Illuminated: Schu‐
bert’s Miraculous Last Year
@ 7pm / $25
Music in the Vineyards, now in its 29th season, is a nationally-ac‐claimed chamber music festival held each summer in the Napa Val‐
ley showcasing world-class artists performing in winery settings. CIA at Copia (The Culinary Institute of America at Copia), 500 1st Street, Napa. info@musicinthevine yards.org, 707-258-5559
Rose Paradise
@ 7:30pm
Neck Of the Woods, 406 Clement St, San Francisco
The Flannels @ 7:30pm
Neck Of the Woods, 406 Clement St, San Francisco
Poolside @ 8pm Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus Ave, San Francisco
Cassette Idols
@ 8pm Old Ironsides, 1901 10th St, Sacra‐
mento
Zebuel @ 8pm Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell St, San Francisco
So Much Light @ 8pm The Starlet Room, 2708 J St, Sacramento
Tom Constanten
@ 8pm Brick & Mortar Music Hall, 1710 Mission St, San Francisco
Martin Diller Quartet with Sara Niemietz @ 8:30pm
Mr. Tipple's Recording Studio, 39 Fell St, San Francisco
Season Ammons @ 9pm Torch Club, 904 15th St, Sacra‐mento
Making the garden pop!
Armijo HS community garden, 8/11/2023 930amnoon 824 Washington St.
@ 6am
Join us on Friday, August 11, 2023, from 930am to noon, as we main‐tain and beautify our garden for the upcoming school year! We are also prepping it for further expansion which will happen this Fall 824 Washington St, 824 Washington Street, Fair�eld. sylviah@fsusd.org, 707-853-9388
Touch Sensitive @ 4pm Kaiser Railyards Medical Center, 501 J St, Sacramento
Kyle Watson @ 4pm Kaiser Railyards Medical Center, 501 J St, Sacramento
2nd Friday ArtAbout at the Pence Gallery
@ 6pm
Enjoy art, wine, and live music at the Pence's pub‐lic reception on August 11!
Pence Gallery, 212 D Street, Davis. pencesocial media@gmail.com, 530758-3370
Michael Wolff: Wolff & Clark with Essiet Okon Essiet at Keys Bistro
@ 7pm Keys Jazz Bistro, 498 Broadway, San Francisco
Daniel Avery: Outside Lands Festival 2023
@ 7pm Outside Lands Music Festival, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
Phil Grif�ths: Cheaper
Tina - The Tina Turner Musical @ 7:30pm Golden Gate Theater, 1 Taylor St., San Francisco
Phillip Greenlief: Jazzz @ The Make Out Room
Outside
SF, 314 11th St, San Fran‐
Park Block F - Earth
9am / $288
14th - Aug 15th
Presents @ 7:30pm Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd St, San Francisco
Jack Lillian with Thrashley and Mama Dee at The Knockout SF @ 8pm Knockout, 3223 Mission St, San Francisco Death Bells @ 8pm / $17 Cafe Du Nord, 2174 Market St., San Francisco
Sang Matiz @People in Plazas @ 12pm People in Plazas, 555 California St, San Francisco Partners for SuccessNapa News and Networking @ 5pm / Free Napa River Inn, 500 Main Street, Napa
Seth Kaminsky @ 5pm Wednesdays at Winn, 1616 28th St, Sacramento
Indré @ 7pm The Hotel Utah Saloon, 500 4th St, San Francisco
Black Moon @ 7pm The Hotel Utah Saloon, 500 4th St, San Francisco
Michelle Wolf @ 7:30pm / $40.25 Cobb's Comedy Club, 915 Colum‐bus Avenue, San Francisco
An Evening with Tom Goss @ 8pm Martinez Campbell Theater, 636 Ward St, Martinez
Toledo
@ 8pm / Free Cafe Du Nord, 2174 Market St.,
6pm
of Venus, 122 B St, Davis Boot Juice returns to the Green Room Social Club! @ 8pm The Green Room Social Club, 251 Main St, Placerville GLIDE Annual Legacy Gala @ 8pm / $65 The GLIDE Legacy Committee is thrilled to invite you back to Terra Gallery for our 14th Annual GLIDE Legacy Gala! An evening �lled with community, inspiration, celebra‐tion, and of course, LOVE. Terra Gallery & Event Venue, 511 Harri‐son Street, San Francisco. echan@ glide.org, 415-674-6060
ZEUS ZERØ: Family @ 8pm Asiento, 2730 21st St, San Fran‐cisco
The Killing Floors @ 8pm Kilowatt Bar, 3160 16th St, San
Francisco
Cartoon Hearts @ Hotel Utah @ 8pm Hotel Utah Saloon, 500 4th St, San
Francisco
BoyTalk @ 8:30pm Old Ironsides, 1901 10th St, Sacra‐mento
Reggaeton Rave Party 18+
@ 9pm / $17
Ace of Spades, 1417 R St., Sacra‐mento
Dino @ 9pm DNA Lounge, 375 11th St, San
Francisco
High Step Society at the Boom Boom Room @ 9:15pm Boom Boom Room, 1601 Fillmore St, San Francisco
Not-So-Silent Cinema @ 12pm / $10 Music in the Vineyards, now in its 29th season, is a nationally-ac‐claimed chamber music festival held each summer in the Napa Val‐ley showcasing world-class artists performing in winery settings. Jarvis Conservatory, 1711 Main Street, Napa. info@musicinthevine yards.org, 707-258-5559
Tracy Cruz Music: Tracy Cruz Duo LIVE at Undiscovered SF @ 3pm
Undiscovered SF: Filipino Night Market, 301 8th St, San Francisco
An Enchanted Evening, A Gala Bene�tting the Rebuild of Napa's Enchanted Hills Camp @ 6pm / $500
An Enchanted Evening, a Light‐House Gala, bene�tting Napa's En‐chanted Hills Camp for blind and visually impaired campers, which was devastated by the 2017 �res, will be held on August 19, 2023. The Westin St. Francis San Fran‐cisco on Union Square, 335 Powell Street, San Francisco. sdittmer@‐Lighthouse-sf.org, 510-332-8087
Vintage Jukebox
Orchestra: You are invited to a party in North Beach! Gypsy Jazz!! @ 6pm Belle Cora, 565 Green St, San Francisco
Kalan.Frfr: Sol Blume 2023 @ 7pm
Matt Jaffe @ 6:30pm Mare Island Brewing Co. (Ferry Taproom), 289 Mare Island Way, Vallejo PAUZ PRESENTS:
In the aftermath of the Major League Baseball trade deadline, some clubs were all in while others were satisfied with what they had.
The San Francisco Giants were in the latter group, making just one minor deal while holding onto young players Patrick Bailey, Casey Schmitt, Luis Matos, Kyle Harrison and others.
Giants president of baseball operations
Farhan Zaidi is in the final year of a fiveyear contact. The team holds a sixth-year option.
In standing pat, Zaidi is rolling his own dice in that the Giants will play at a level high enough over the next two months to somehow make the postseason. The three division winners, plus three wild card teams in both the American and National Leagues, advance.
n Future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer joined his sixth major league team this past week when the Texas Rangers acquired him from the New York Mets for two prospects.
Now 39, Scherzer has pitched for Arizona, Detroit, Washington, Los Angeles Dodgers, Mets and now the
Rangers.
n Interviewed this week on the MLB Network, longtime baseball broadcaster Bob Costas had this to say about the last place New York Yankees:
“Why would any team pitch to Aaron Judge?” Costas asked. “He has absolutely no protection in the current Yankee lineup.”
True enough.
n The Athletic recently polled 100 big league players and asked them about the rules changes in play this regular season. Most all were in favor of at least some if not everyone.
Over 60 percent of the respondents also believe the pitch clock, now set at 15 seconds if bases are empty, 20 seconds if there are runners on, be extended by two
From Page B1
Vandals.
Hero sports has Idaho No. 5, perhaps remembering a hundred years ago when the Vandals were members of the Pacific Coast Conference and battling USC for league titles.
The clear darling of the Big Sky, though, is Montana State, which comes in No. 3 in most national polls with the return of the prolific quarterback duo of Tommy Mellott and Sean Chambers.
The Aggies didn’t see Mellott last fall in Bozeman, but did get their fill of Chambers, who ran up and down the field in a 41-24 Bobcat win that dropped the Ags to 1-4. Sacramento State, which
is a near impossible 23-1 in Big Sky play in the last three year but lost head coach Troy Taylor to Stanford, is No. 4 in the Coaches Poll and in the top 10 just about everywhere else.
The Aggies are 14th in the Athlon Poll and 18th in both the Hero and Lindy’s Polls, but only listed among the also-rans in the Coaches Poll top 25.
Other Big Sky members ranked in most polls are Montana and Weber State, both of which the Aggies will play this fall, along with Sacramento State.
We’ll revisit all these polls after the final regularseason games on November 18 to see who was right on the money and who needs to get a new crystal ball.
or three seconds in the postseason. “No one wants to see a pitch clock violation in the seventh game of the World Series,” one player wrote. In theory it sounds good, but you’d also create a different set of rules for regular season and postseason play.
n Happy 98th birthday, Marv Levy.
Levy, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011, coached the Buffalo Bills to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances in the 1990s.
A writer once asked Levy his thoughts on “must-win” games. “In my lifetime, there has been just one,” he replied.
“World War II.”
n If Pac-12 commissioner George Klivakoff really thinks streaming is the best method to watch his conference’s games, he’s whistling in the dark.
The conference office presented its streaming plan to university presidents on Thursday. It was met with a resounding yawn.
Soon afterward, Arizona let it be known it’s working out the details of packing up and heading for the Big 12. Arizona State and Utah could soon follow.
The Big Ten is reviewing possible expansion that would almost certainly include Oregon and Washington. If all these dominoes fall, the “Conference of Champions” would be down to four schools: Oregon State, Washington State, Stanford and Cal.
Previously, USC, UCLA and Colorado defected, the two LA schools to the Big Ten and CU to the Big 12. As the saying goes, the Pac-12 will be “going, going, gone.”
n When it comes to outstanding catchers in the modern era, one name isn’t mentioned often enough.
That is the Yankees’ Thurman Munson, who died in a plane crash 44 years ago this week.
Retired Giants pitcher Shawn Estes has developed into a solid analyst on both radio and TV. His talents are being wasted in the studio.
— 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 at DKelly1416@aol.com.
From Page B1
“I think it’ll bring more interest not just to girls sports, but to football in general, which has kind of dropped, especially here in town,” Gonzalez said. “I think it will generate a little more interest in that as well.”
Last week, the Blue Devils practiced on the field hockey field, which is north of the stadium.
Scrimmages and games are projected to start toward the end of this month into September.
— Henry Krueger is a journalism major at Gonzaga University. He is a correspondent at The Enterprise this summer, and interned here in 2022. Follow him on Twitter: @henrykrveger