Editor’s Picks: Most Important Vanguard Articles of 2009

Clearly this was a busy year, as we identified 19 key articles from the course of the year.

Vanguard Analysis: Davis Fire Has High Cost Per Service Call – February 24, 2009. One of the big questions facing the Davis Fire Department is the issue of staffing and the issue of whether or not the fire department needs a fourth fire station. Data presented by the Davis Fire Department has often shown that Davis has a relatively low number of fire fighters per thousand people, a high population per station, and a low cost per capita.  The Vanguard analysis found that by looking number of service calls as the key variable rather than population. Using the metric of service calls, we find Davis consistently inefficient. Davis ranks at the bottom in total service calls per year over the four year period, at the bottom in calls per 1000, in the middle of calls per fire station, and fourth to last in the staffing ratio for service calls.

City Continues to Withhold Full Fire Report from Council and Public – March 1, 2009. The city manager refused to allow the public or the city council to read the full report by Ombudsman Bob Aaronson into allegation level by a June 2008 Grand Jury Report claiming a variety of problems with the fire department and treatment of personnel.   On January 13, 2009, the Davis City Council listened to investigator Bob Aaronson and City Manager Bill Emlen discuss very different interpretations of the Mr. Aaronson’s investigation.  The Vanguard was only able to get a very heavily redacted version of the report which was scanned and reprinted in this article.

Noise Ordinance Exemption Aimed At Political Favoritism – March 16, 2009. This was perhaps one of the biggest victories for the Vanguard in 2009.  In March, Mayor Pro Tem Don Saylor placed an item on the agenda that would exempt from the City’s Noise Ordinance, Schools and Day Care centers.  The Vanguard would show that this was an effort to alleviate the owner from his responsibilities to the neighbors of the Montessori Day Care to abate noise complaints.  Eventually the issue was heard at the end of November and the neighbors prevailed as council directed staff to ensure that noise provisions were adhered to.

Davis Enterprise Reporter Working for Tahir Ahad – March 30, 2009. In a major conflict of interest, The Vanguard learned that Davis Enterprise Reporter Jeff Hudson, who has covered the Davis School District for ten years, has also been working for Tahir Ahad since August 2008 on an educational newsletter called EdBrief.  It was last year that the Vanguard presented a four part series on Tahir Ahad who served as DJUSD’s CBO from 1999 to 2006.  During his tenure at DJUSD he used district resources and district personnel to form his company Total School Solutions.  As we discovered, Mr. Ahad took district personnel from DJUSD and hired them to work concurrently with his company.  This enabled him capital and resources to help start up his company which has now greatly expanded its influence throughout the state.

Former Chief Offers Insulting Depiction of DPD – May 13, 2009. Former Police Chief Jim Hyde stirred things up in his former town by attacking the Davis Police Department in an article in a Contra Costa County independent magazine.  It was a horrible puff-piece which contained a fairly incendiary comment that would trigger a response from Davis.  “Members of the Davis Police Department treated their station like a firehouse. They were conducting themselves in real life just like the fictional characters in Reno 911 acted in comedy.”

Why Do Firefighters Make Substantially More Than Police Officers in Davis? – May 27, 2009. The Vanguard demonstrates that firefighters make substantially more than police officers – a fact that is often hidden by the way the departments categorize the employees.

Covell Developers Misleading Campaign for Senior Housing – June 2, 2009. The developers for Covell Village are pushing for a new project at the Covell Village site.  This time it is an 800 unit senior housing project.  To gain traction they have created an astroturf group, CHA (Choices for Healthy Aging) to pose as a citizens group pushing for more senior housing options.  The ploy has worked as the agenda has been pushed strongly.  This article shows CHA for what they are however – a front group for the Covell Village developers.

VANGUARD REPORT: Covell Village Campaign Failed to Disclose Hundreds of Thousands in Campaign Expenditures – June 4, 2009. The Vanguard uncovered FPPC statements with the city showing that the Covell Village campaign failed to disclose an additional $215,000 in expenditures from their failed 2005 campaign.  On April 3, 2008 three amended statements  using the Fair Political Practice Commission (FPPC) California Form 460 were filed with the Davis City Clerk, two and a half years after the termination of campaign papers were filed on January 31, 2006 claiming a zero balance and a final expenditure of $385,274.75 for the campaign that lasted from July 28, 2005 until December 31, 2005.  These additional filings made on April 3, 2008 revealed for the first time an additional $215,930.39 being spent on that campaign which now brings the total cost of that campaign to $601,205.14.

Heystek Presents Alternative Budget Proposal – June 10, 2009. The budget was a key issue in 2009 and Councilmember Lamar Heystek tried to change the course of debate by proposing his own alternative budget.  There are two key planks to the alternative budget as laid forth by Mr. Heystek.  First, the belief that the current 850,000 dollar reduction in salary compensation which represents perhaps a little over 3% of their total budget is insufficient.  Councilmember Heystek instead proposed a 5% reduction in total compensation for employees.  Second, $1.5 million in savings is wrapped up in the tier reductions, which are basically the cutting of programs and service to the public.  Mr. Heystek’s budget begins to address these cuts, removing some of them from the cut list.  Ultimately Mr. Heystek was partially successful, gaining some more cuts, although the final budget will end up remarkable close to the city’s original proposal.

The Apology: Citygate Scrubs the Deck on Fire Staffing Issue – June 17, 2009. The city spent $15,000 on a consultant report into fire staffing.  It turned out to be a huge whitewash and if you read later, we ended up with an expensive battalion chief model as the result.

Analysis: City Hall Bought and Paid For by Firefighters Local 3494 – June 26, 2009. Article exposes the extent of the firefighters political influence including their disproportionate campaign contributions that have led in the past and now the present to very favorable contracts as compared with other bargaining groups.

UNSUSTAINABLE: City PERS Contributions Skyrocketed Over Last Decade – July 14, 2009. Demonstration of how much pension costs have exploded since 2000.  Costs went from under one million per year to closing in on $8 million by 2011-12 unless something changes.

Model Shows Fifth Street Redesign Improves Traffic Flow Through Corridor – August 10, 2009. The Fifth Street redesign issue was another huge victory in 2009.  Despite arguments that a redesign would restrict traffic and harm downtown businesses, an independently commissioned model shows otherwise.  A new modeling study performed by UC Davis shows in fact many of those fears are simply unfounded.  They find capacity with a two lane road unchanged and throughput improving significantly in the westbound direction and only slightly slower in the eastbound direction–seven seconds added for the entire drive from L Street to A Street.  The results of this model also show other improvements that lend themselves well to other goals in the city.

Vanguard Disputes Validity of Retraction Letter by Gore Regarding Allegations Against Yolo County DA – September 2, 2009. The DA’s office attempted to claim victory with regards to a settlement with former investigator Rick Gore.  But the Vanguard exposed those claims as erroneous on a story that the Vanguard originally broke back in March of 2008.  The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office released a statement claiming that former Investigator Rick Gore, has resigned, apologized, and retracted a letter that was leaked to the Vanguard in March of 2008.  The Vanguard disputed the accuracy of the retraction.

VANGUARD INVESTIGATION: City Actions Put Affordable Housing Residents of DACHA in Considerable Legal Peril – September 30, 2009. The Vanguard broke the story on city actions putting affordable housing residents in legal peril.  The council would later have an agenda item on the issue but decline to investigate how a city loan of $4.15 million was spent and whether staff directed the cooperative to break laws.  The city is now in the process of foreclosing on the cooperative.

Shell Game Produces 400,000 Dollars For Battalion Chief Under the Guise of Cost-Savings – November 11, 2009. This was one of the biggest fiascos of the year that largely went underreported by the mainstream paper.  The issue of the Battalion Chief Model came up in the Citygate report back in June, they posed a way to save enough money with reserve staffing changes to afford the project.  But as we quickly saw even that was a sham.  Rather than saving the city $200,000, this will actually cost the city $400,000.  It is one of the most deceptive discussions I have seen at the city council level and the fact that three councilmembers bought into it, is an absolute travesty.

Vanguard Challenges Clearance of Sheriff’s Deputies in Shooting of Gutierrez – November 25, 2009. One of the biggest stories of the year was the April 30 killing of Luis Gutierrez by Sheriff’s Deputies in Woodland.  This spawned an investigation by the Woodland PD, a report by the DA’s office, and concurrence on technical grounds by the California Attorney General’s office.  At great length, the Vanguard challenges the findings of the DA report that cleared the Sheriff’s of legal liability.

Mayor and Council Cut Off Debate on Fire Contract – December 16, 2009. The final major controversy of the year again involves the fire department.  The City Council approved the Firefighters Contract by a 3-2 vote ending a prolonged battle that may define the future of this city and its fiscal sustainability.  In a heated discussion, Councilmember Sue Greenwald pressed the Finance Director to explain where the inflated savings figures came from.  During the course of that discussion, Councilmember Greenwald demonstrated that the level of savings was actually considerably less in year three than the 3.6 percent trumpeted by city staff.  As she pressed the issue, Mayor Ruth Asmundson abruptly cut off the debate.  The council would then vote by a 3-2 vote against having a 30 day sunshine period or referring the matter to the Finance and Budget Commission as they requested.  The Council then voted by the same 3-2 margin to approve the MOU.  Councilmembers Greenwald and Lamar Heystek were the dissenting votes on both votes.  This marked the culmination of a long and ultimately losing battle to make long term changes to the city’s fiscal planning.

—David M. Greenwald reporting