Death Penalty Dying a Slow Death
It was nearly a decade ago that Governor George Ryan of Illinois, himself embroiled in scandals that would cost his office, put a moratorium on the death penalty. This week, Illinois State House passed a measure by a narrow 60-54 vote that would repeal the state’s death penalty.
Illinois is a microcosm for the rest of the nation, as the history of the Illinois death penalty shows at least 20 people condemned to death have been freed after exoneration or new evidence surfaced which cast doubt on their convictions.
Last week, we reported that a group of 36 University of California executives, including four of UC Davis’ top officials, wrote the Board of Regents demanding that UC implement a proposal from 1999 that would lift the compensation limit used in calculating retirement benefits – which would lead to a drastic increase in benefits for some of the system’s most highly compensated employees.
Bob Dunning said it best that Stephen Souza probably should have stayed home on Tuesday night. At the very least he should have paid much closer attention to the inclinations of his colleagues.
Currently the County Board of Supervisors, like the Davis School Board, rotates its presiding officer in order to share the bounty and the experience. This arrangement produces equity at the expense of effectiveness, or so argues Matt Rexroad who represents Woodland as the third 3rd District Supervisor.
This issue of a proposed Union Pacific Railroad fence along Olive Drive has created a variety of rather complicated issues for the city. Residents of Olive Drive are concerned that a fence would cut them off from the heart of Davis.
The school district has been able to get two parcel taxes approved, one in 2007 and one in 2008 with really not any organized opposition. As a result, roughly 75% of the public supported the 2008 parcel tax.
Not to be too lost in the maneuverings over the mayoral vacancy is the fact that there is now a vacant seat on the council that must be filled.
After five years and three trials it is finally over for Ernesto and Fermin Galvan. They paid a high price, but will now be able to resume their lives without the criminal charges hanging over them from the 2005 incident that has left Ernesto Galvan with permanently disfiguring and brain-damaging injuries.
As Saylor is Sworn In, He’s Already Talking About Developing on Davis’ Periphery – 
While much of the focus on Monday remained at the top with the swearing in of new Governor Jerry Brown, one of the biggest offices will undoubtedly be the California Office of the Attorney General where San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris was sworn in, “vowing to ensure that state law is on the side of the people.”
Attorney Anthony Palik, representing Ernesto Galvan, the brother most seriously injured and facing the most serious charges including felony assault on a police officer and resisting arrest, is seeking dismissal of the case that would have to be brought to trial for what may be an unprecedented fourth time.
In an Op-ed in the LA Times yesterday, Joe Mathews asked if the failures of Arnold Schwarzenegger will save the state. He argued, “Nothing worked for Schwarzenegger because the system itself doesn’t work.”
With hundreds of worthy choices for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to choose to commute their sentence or to outright pardon, Gov. Schwarzenegger instead commuted the sentence of the son of former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, Esteban Nuñez, who had pled guilty to participating in the killing of a college student.
