Month: April 2010

Candidates Lay Out Environmental and Land Use Visions in Sierra Club Forum

Candidates Lay Out Environmental and Land Use Visions in Sierra Club Forum

By David GreenwaldApril 30, 201033 comments

 

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The Sierra Club on Thursday night hosted their annual candidates forum, for the first time the candidates had a chance to answer a host of environmentally related questions following the rash of questions about business and the economy at the Chamber forum and the questions pertaining to the next Covell Village project at the CHA candidate’s forum.

The candidates were asked to submit written responses to a number of questions relating to the environment and then respond publicly last night to five of them.  In the second portion, they responded to questions from the public.  A future story will cover a couple of those questions as well.  Daniel Watts was unable to make it last night and his answers are not available, so it is the other four candidates who this article will feature.

Vote to Assure Davis Food Co-op Democracy

Vote to Assure Davis Food Co-op Democracy

By David GreenwaldApril 30, 201020 comments

davis_food_co-opby Mike Pach –

The Davis Food Cooperative stands out as one of the many outstanding benefits of living here.  For nearly forty years the Co-op has consistently provided the community with a wide variety of locally produced, fairly priced, fresh organic fruits and vegetables; a friendly, knowledgeable and customer-oriented staff; and, regular workshops and classes offering tasty and nutritious ways to prepare the many products it sells. 

What is most remarkable and unique about the Co-op is that all of these benefits are provided within a member-owned and directed governing structure strengthened by democratic polices, bylaws and procedures reflecting the seven (7) principles adopted by the International Cooperative Alliance.

CHA Fishes for Support For Covell Village II at Candidates Forum

CHA Fishes for Support For Covell Village II at Candidates Forum

By David GreenwaldApril 29, 201019 comments

Group Gets Harsh Reality Check as Jon Li Steals the Show –

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Wednesday night’s CHA (Choices for Healthy Aging) Candidate’s Forum started out with a bang as Jon Li lit into the sponsor, John Whitcombe, and by implication Councilmember Sue Greenwald.  It seemed like it would be a night of fireworks, however, the end result was a rather dull and uninspired event as the sponsor CHA asked seven questions trying to gather support for their senior housing project and found no takers even from Sydney Vergis.

Jon Li was at least willing to tell the truth when he said, “The problem I have with the series of questions which I think is apparent to all of you is you started with an answer and then you ask us a bunch of questions where the answer that you want to hear is given.”  None of the other council candidates took the bait in support of such a project, although there were some interesting gymnastics involved in dodging the core points at times.

Council Unanimously Passes Fifth Street Redesign

Council Unanimously Passes Fifth Street Redesign

By David GreenwaldApril 29, 201036 comments

Concerns Arise As To How Committed Staff Is To the Success of the Project –

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The Davis City Council on Tuesday night unanimously approved moving forward with the pilot project on Fifth Street.  The passage comes amidst a few negative public comments from some neighbors and some business owners.  It also comes with the acknowledgment that there are a number of technical details that must be addressed up front to make sure that the redesign works and if those are not address there will be problems.

There is a growing concern about how committed staff is to the success of this project, that I will discuss at length below.

A Roadmap for a DACHA Settlement or a Roadblock for Action?

A Roadmap for a DACHA Settlement or a Roadblock for Action?

By David GreenwaldApril 28, 201045 comments
citycatAt last night’s Davis City Council meeting, the City Council announced that they had unanimously voted in a closed session meeting to continue to move towards foreclosure.  That attempt has been complicated by legal maneuverings as we reported last week by lawyers for Twin Pines Cooperative Foundation who have filed for involuntary bankruptcy of DACHA.

They have also added the city of Davis to their ongoing efforts to litigate against the city.  The Vanguard learned last week that Councilmember Stephen Souza attempted to put an end to conflict between DACHA and Neighborhood Partners and Twin Pines.

Bill Killed That Would Have Stopped Peripheral Canal without Legislative Vote

Bill Killed That Would Have Stopped Peripheral Canal without Legislative Vote

By David GreenwaldApril 28, 20100 comments
CA_delta.jpgA motion to approve AB 1594 by Assembly Member Alyson Huber died in committee for lack of a second.  Senator Lois Wolk and Assemblymember Mariko Yamada joined a press conference Monday in support of Assemblymember Alyson Huber’s bill, AB 1594, that would prohibit construction of a peripheral canal through the Delta without a full fiscal analysis and vote of the state legislature.

AB 1594 prohibits the construction of a peripheral canal unless expressly authorized by the Legislature. It further requires the Legislative Analyst’s Office to complete an economic feasibility analysis prior to the enactment of a statute authorizing the construction of a peripheral canal.

Slow Council Campaign About to Heat Up

Slow Council Campaign About to Heat Up

By David GreenwaldApril 27, 20100 comments

Jon-LiSix Council Candidates Forum in the next ten days –

It has been quiet – too quiet – in the Davis City Council campaign.  Oh we had a little side discussion last week about Picnic Day, we had a very successful Meet the Candidates Night a week ago, and there was an early candidates forum.  But for the most part, most people in this town know about the same amount of information about the candidates as they knew when the campaign began.

The other “big” news has been on the Measure J renewal front.  Developer or Developer’s son Joseph Whitcombe has given us the only drama so far when he challenged the ten-year-old standing title of the growth initiative that gives the public the right to vote on peripheral development and land use designation changes.  But outside of that drama, even that campaign has been relative quiet.

Former UCD Police Officer SLAPPed For 20K in Fees in Civil Rights Suit

Former UCD Police Officer SLAPPed For 20K in Fees in Civil Rights Suit

By David GreenwaldApril 27, 20104 comments

Defendants Awarded This Sum Despite Prevailing on Only 7 of 17 Causes of Action –

courtroom.jpgOn April 15, the Vanguard ran a story that UC Davis is using anti-SLAPP legislation as a means to undermine civil rights protections for employees.  One of the cases we were tracking to illustrate the problem is the case of former UC Davis Police Officer Calvin Chang, who alleges he was the victim of discrimination based on both his race and sexual orientation.

The Vanguard has learned in that in a tentative ruling, the judge has awarded UC Davis 20,756.25 dollars for attorney fees and 407.39 dollars in costs for a total of 21,163.64 dollars.  We argued two weeks ago that this represented an abuse of anti-SLAPP legislation and the extension of SLAPP to include civil rights cases that it was never intended to cover.

Reisig Unopposed for DA, But That’s Not Unusual

Reisig Unopposed for DA, But That’s Not Unusual

By David GreenwaldApril 27, 201012 comments
reisig-2009People have come up to me quite frequently in the last few months asking why no one has challenged District Attorney Jeff Reisig.  That’s a complicated question that in part shows his strength in the office despite criticism from small segments of the population.  But in part, is the larger part of a much bigger puzzle.

According to the Yolo County Elections office the 2006 battle between Deputy District Attorney’s Jeff Reisig and Pat Lenzi was the first of its kind in Yolo County since 1990.  Dave Henderson was elected five times to office, was unopposed in 1994, 1998, and 2002, and drew opponents in his first two elections in 1986 and 1990.  In other words, only one of the last five DA elections has been contested.

Calpirg’s Consumer Advocate, Pedro Morillas to Speak on Prop 16

Calpirg’s Consumer Advocate, Pedro Morillas to Speak on Prop 16

By David GreenwaldApril 26, 20100 comments
Calpirg’s Consumer Advocate, Pedro Morillas, will speak on Proposition 16 on Wednesday, May 5  at 6:30 PM at the Clubhouse at the Lakeshore Apartments, 1175 Lake Boulevard, Davis. He is hosted by Yolo Progressive Democrats of America.

Prop 16, the New Two-Thirds Requirement for Local Public Electricity Act, is on the June 8 ballot in California. If passed, a two thirds majority vote of the electorate will be required for public agencies to enter the retail power business. The current threshold for passage is a simple majority of 51%.

Small Changes in Commission Review of Development Proposals Do Not Address Core Issues

Small Changes in Commission Review of Development Proposals Do Not Address Core Issues

By David GreenwaldApril 26, 20108 comments
citycatTwo weeks ago, the Vanguard pointed out that the Commission Review of Development Proposals had shortcomings that had failed to address the key concerns that arose due to the recent Measure J vote.

When these concerns were presented to council and other concerns were mentioned by a member of the public, the council made the decision to pull the item back and make some changes to it.  However, from our reading of this item it still lacks two key components.  First, there is no provision as to the timeline in which these issues would be heard by a commission.  Second, while the new item does expand the purview of required review to include the Budget and Finance Commission, a large step up, there would seem that we could fairly reliably give direction to staff when other commission should review.  More on that shortly.

Commentary: Not One Witness Saw Gutierrez with a Knife or Attack the Sheriff’s Deputies with a Knife

Commentary: Not One Witness Saw Gutierrez with a Knife or Attack the Sheriff’s Deputies with a Knife

By David GreenwaldApril 26, 20108 comments

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In the last week we had a third Independent Civil Rights Commission meeting and also the announcement by the Sheriff’s Department that the officers had been cleared in an incident where the deputy had allegedly pointed a gun to the head of a nine-year-old girl.  While we may never know for sure, the case of Christal Ochoa probably came down to the word of the family against the word of the deputies. 

Meanwhile, we had more witnesses testify last weekend, depicting the Gutierrez shooting.  One of the witnesses apparently saw the badge of a Sheriff’s Deputy, but never saw a knife in Mr. Gutierrez’s hand.  The investigator believes there is another witness, who thus far has refused to come forward out of some sort of professed fear, that he believes actually saw the shooting.

Will It Finally Be Safe to Drive on Fifth Street?

Will It Finally Be Safe to Drive on Fifth Street?

By David GreenwaldApril 25, 201014 comments

Council Looks To Move Forward with Fifth Street Corridor Improvements –

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Anyone who has driven on Fifth Street between A St and L St know the potential safety and other road hazards.  However, the plan to improve Fifth Street remains both costly and controversial.  Nevertheless, given the obvious safety hazards to pedestrians, bicyclists, and motor vehicles it seems that the time is right to reconfigure Fifth Street between A and L street.

For the first time, council this Tuesday will be presented with recommendations on how to do this.  This will not be a slam dunk by any means, the business community has come out against the proposal even though if anything it would vastly improve traffic flow through the core and therefore the ability of the downtown customers to get to their destination.  More on that shortly.

Commentary: If Sheriff Has Nothing To Hide, Then Show Us Your Report

Commentary: If Sheriff Has Nothing To Hide, Then Show Us Your Report

By David GreenwaldApril 24, 20105 comments

young_witness

Let me be honest here and say that I am frustrated with the way our county’s law enforcement operates.  We have had an official investigation by the District Attorney’s Office in the case of the shooting Luis Gutierrez.  They report to us that they found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.  However, the report that they released was a very obvious summary of facts rather than a complete report.  So we are left to either take their findings on faith or to doubt their findings because there are huge unexplained factors.

Requests for a disclosure of the full investigation have resulted in both claims of privilege and claims that it is an ongoing investigation.  When the DA wants to release information from ongoing investigations they do so.  They released a statement of probable cause and the coroner’s report within a week of the shooting.  Why?  Because they believe it showed justification from the shooting.

Owner of Davis Graduate Addresses Concerns About Picnic Day

Owner of Davis Graduate Addresses Concerns About Picnic Day

By David GreenwaldApril 23, 201029 comments
rochelle-swansonYesterday the Vanguard covered Davis City Council Candidate, Rochelle Swanson’s response to community concerns about the events of Picnic Day and decision by many bars to serve alcohol at 6 am.  The Graduate became a focus in part because of erroneous police reports that suggested the Graduate the locus for a fight that injured a police officer.

From our standpoint, this was an issue precisely because Ms. Swanson, whose husband owns the Graduate, is a City Council candidate.  The Vanguard received a good amount of interest in the issue on Wednesday leading up to our Meet the Candidates Event.  For that reason, we decided that we ought to allow Rochelle Swanson address the issue herself.  The Vanguard interviewed Ms. Swanson for six minutes and she followed that up with two posts.

New Twist in DACHA Saga, NP and Twin Pines File for Involuntary Bankruptcy

New Twist in DACHA Saga, NP and Twin Pines File for Involuntary Bankruptcy

By David GreenwaldApril 23, 201039 comments
citycatOn Wednesday, the vanguard reported that the city of Davis has been added to the lawsuit filed by Twin Pines Cooperative Foundation against the Davis Area Community Housing Association (DACHA).

Judge Reed quickly ruled that he was allowing the city to now be named in the suit.  The bigger issue was whether the Judge would issue a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the foreclosure of the DACHA property.  He declined to rule on it on Tuesday citing that he had not had time to read all of the documents.  That hearing was scheduled to take place at 10 am on Thursday morning.  The foreclosure auction was set to occur at 12:45 on Thursday.

CHA Candidates Forum April 28

CHA Candidates Forum April 28

By David GreenwaldApril 22, 20100 comments

CHA-members

All five declared candidates for Davis City Council seats have agreed to participate in a public forum Wednesday, April 28, hosted by Choices for Healthy Aging (CHA) and sponsored by the Institute for Restorative Health. The event will be held in the multi-purpose room of the Davis Senior Center, 646 A Street, Davis. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the program is scheduled to begin at 6:30. The event is open to the public, admission is free of charge, and refreshments will be served.

City Council candidates Joe Krovoza, Jon Li, Rochelle Swanson, Sydney Vergis and Daniel Watts are competing for two council seats in the June 8 election. At the forum, they will be asked to describe how they believe the City Council should respond to the current and future needs of the city’s seniors.

Picnic Day Alcohol Incidents Focus Scrutiny on Council Candidate

Picnic Day Alcohol Incidents Focus Scrutiny on Council Candidate

By David GreenwaldApril 22, 201030 comments
rochelle-swansonComplaints arose this weekend after Picnic Day saw a rash of street brawls, assaulted women, drunken students, and general destruction.  According to a report in the Sacramento Bee there were 516 calls for service and 33 arrests this past weekend, a number that is more than twice that of previous years.

The Vanguard unusually received a high volume of emails and phone calls from various community members concerned not only with what occurred last weekend, but also that numerous bars opened at 6 a.m. and began serving alcohol.  As one person said via a phone conversation, all this does is contribute to an atmosphere where young people are walking around drunk and intoxicated from the early morning hours on.  What do they expect to occur when alcohol consumption is encouraged at such an early time?

Sheriff’s Investigation Claims That Incident Involving a Gun Pointed At Nine Year Old’s Head Did Not Occur

Sheriff’s Investigation Claims That Incident Involving a Gun Pointed At Nine Year Old’s Head Did Not Occur

By David GreenwaldApril 22, 201016 comments

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When the Yolo County Independent Civil Right’s Commission revealed allegations by Crystal Ochoa and her family, that Yolo County Sheriff’s Deputies as part of the Yolo County Gun Task Force put a gun to the then-nine-year old girl’s head, Sheriff Prieto expressed doubt that his deputies would do that but vowed to investigate the incident and have a report in 30 days.

That 30 days had extended to nearly two months, but finally in a letter dated April 19, 2010, the Sheriff’s Department released their findings.  They had three findings that were unfounded including Standards of Conduct, Display and Handling of a firearm, and DIsplay and Discharge of Firearm.