February 2011 - Davis Vanguard

Is the City Wasting Its Time on ConAgra?

By David GreenwaldFebruary 28, 201120 comments

Tonight we will know what the new configuration looks like for a housing development at the ConAgra site. However, even without knowing the precise design features, we have to question the use of staff time on this.

Defenders of such developments will inevitably point out that the city is reimbursed by the developer for staff time. And while that may be true, the marginal impact of having six city staffer attend a full meeting, with numerous planners involved, means that they cannot work on other projects and contributes to the indefensibly large staff in the Community Development Department.

City Looks To Respond to Call For Innovation Hub

By David GreenwaldFebruary 28, 201111 comments

Two weeks ago, the UC Davis Chancellor called for “ideas and concepts” to develop an “Innovation Hub” that “would better connect UC Davis research with entrepreneurs, accelerate the transfer of campus discoveries into commercial products, and develop the local and regional economy.”

According to a release from the UC Davis News Service, “The Innovation Hub could take many forms. It might involve creating virtual networks of existing resources, or building new space dedicated to fostering start-up companies — or all of those things, or something else entirely. At this stage, campus officials want to gather a wide range of ideas and strategies from the community.”

The Shooting of Luis Gutierrez: Continued Public Concerns

By David GreenwaldFebruary 28, 20119 comments

By Alex Clark –

Editor’s note: Following the February 14 announcement by Sheriff Ed Prieto, the Vanguard’s Alex Clark undertook a comprehensive review of the shooting of Luis Gutierrez and this is the first of three articles based on that review.

On February 14th, Yolo County Sheriff Ed Prieto announced that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division had concluded it’s investigation into the 2009 officer-involved shooting death of 26-year-old Woodland resident Luis Gutierrez-Navarro. The officers involved in the shooting were Yolo County Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Dale Johnson, Deputy Hernan Oviedo and Deputy Hector Bautista. All three were working as members of the Yolo County Gang Task Force. Only Sergeant Johnson and Deputy Oviedo fired their weapons.

Commentary: Should public employees have collective bargaining?

By David GreenwaldFebruary 27, 201155 comments

Wisconsin is emerging as the political fault line that might decide the outcome of the 2012 elections. In a lot of ways, Governor Walker has miscalculated, as we have written, mobilizing groups of people who sat by dispassionately in the just-completed elections.

To put it in Machiavellian terms, he has unified his enemies while dividing his allies, who are arguing whether his policies have gone too far.

Commentary: On a Personal Note

By David GreenwaldFebruary 27, 201116 comments

I was reading some biographical sketches of Mother Jones last night. I have always been fascinated that a woman at the turn of the 20th Century in her 70s would end up being declared “the Most Dangerous Woman in America.”

Some of the more interesting notes is that she lost her entire family, her husband and four children, to a Yellow Fever epidemic in 1867 when she was just 30. Four years later she had moved to Chicago, and the textile factory where she worked burned to the ground.

Jack Forbes Advocate For the Rights on Indigenous People

By uptownstudiosFebruary 27, 20112 comments

Editor’s Note: Jack Forbes published a number of articles on the Vanguard over the years. Most recently, Control of Labor and Fetuses and Are Corporations Super Persons?

Jack Forbes, acclaimed author, activist and professor emeritus of Native American studies at the University of California, Davis, died Feb. 23 at Sutter Davis Hospital. He was 77. Services will be private, with a public memorial to be scheduled at a later date.

Commentary: A Chance to Break the Sacramento Logjam

By David GreenwaldFebruary 26, 201133 comments

Legal Opinion Suggests Majority Vote Sufficient For Tax Extension, But Democrats Do Not Want it –

The big news now is that the Sacramento Bee this morning is reporting that lawyers for the state legislature have confirmed with Republicans that Democrats can put taxes on the ballot with a majority vote, under very narrow circumstances.

The paper reports that the opinion, sought by the Senate’s Republican Leader Bob Dutton, does not specifically address the Governor’s proposal.

Insufficient Rate Hikes Will Put Davis in Peril

By David GreenwaldFebruary 26, 20116 comments

This week the Little Hoover Commission report issued strong recommendations to help state and local governments deal with pensions in a meaningful way that will both preserve the benefits to workers and enable governmental agencies to get out from under crippling unfunded liabilities.

At the same time, as a new piece from Ed Mendel at Calpensions makes clear, CalPERS policies are contributing to future problems by making rate hikes too small in an effort “to avoid hitting state and local governments with a big rate increase after heavy losses in the stock market crash.”

Advocates Push For Alternatives to the Use of Tasers in Dealing with Mentally Ill Subjects

By David GreenwaldFebruary 26, 20118 comments

In 2008, Ricardo Abrahams had checked into the Safe Harbor, part of the Yolo Community Care Continuum, upon the urging of his family due to a condition where he was increasingly disoriented, stressed and uncommunicative.

At some point he left the facility. Concerned about his well-being, the facility alerted the police. When the police arrived, a confrontation ensued where Mr. Abrahams anxiety escalated to the point where police feared for his safety and their safety.

Commission Report Recommends Rolling Back Pensions For Current Workers

By David GreenwaldFebruary 25, 201148 comments

The Little Hoover Commission, purportedly a bipartisan commission, issued the recommendation on Thursday that California’s state and local governments roll back pensions for existing employees and shift the pension burden to the workers.

Recognizing that an effort to reduce pensions for current workers would prompt legal challenges, the commission argued that public pension funds’ dire fiscal conditions necessitates themselves reducing benefits for current employees as well as merely reducing benefits for new hires. Creating a second tier is insufficient to address current fiscal problems.

Governor’s Proposal Would Allow RDA Projects to Be Killed

By David GreenwaldFebruary 25, 201135 comments

Governor’s Bill Calls into Question the Haste of Davis Council’s Actions to Take Out RDA Bonds –

On Tuesday, the City of Davis, as many jurisdictions have done, rushed to encumber as many redevelopment projects as they could, voting to issue four million dollars worth of taxable and twelve million dollars worth of tax-exempt bonds.

The action added about one million dollars to the current debt service obligation of 600 thousand dollars.

27 Years for Robbing $373 From a Local Bank

By David GreenwaldFebruary 25, 201111 comments

According to a press release from Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig, Leighton Dupree was sentenced on Thursday by Yolo County Superior Court Judge Janet Gaard to 27 years to life in prison for a bank robbery he committed on January 12, 2010.

Mr. Dupree was convicted back in October of second degree burglary. He had two prior serious felonies as well which contributed to the length of the term.

Commentary: Process Worked But Not What We Expected

By David GreenwaldFebruary 24, 20115 comments

In the end, the council simply could not justify spending at least 200,000 dollars in general fund money on a special election to fill a vacancy left on the council by Don Saylor’s ascension to the County Board of Supervisors.

In planning for the tragedy, Councilmember Stephen Souza used the unfortunate phrase that this would be an election in everything but name. It was not.

Dangerous Game of Chicken in Wisconsin

By David GreenwaldFebruary 24, 201182 comments

The headline in the Woodland Daily Democrat’s AP story was misleadingly labeled, “Collective bargaining for state workers in jeopardy.” In reality, the story was about a Republican State Assemblymember, Allan Mansoor of Costa Mesa, who is introducing a bill that would eliminate collective bargaining for pension benefits by California’s public employees.

The long and the short of it, there is a better chance of snow this weekend in Davis than this bill passing.

In the end it is Dan Wolk Who is Chosen to Fill Council Vacancy

By David GreenwaldFebruary 23, 201137 comments

The smart money was always on Dan Wolk and not-Dan Wolk. The real intrigue on Tuesday night was who would be the not-Dan Wolk candidate, and perhaps to the surprise of some, the key finalist was Attorney Paul Boylan, who showed strongly most of the night.

But in the end, it was Dan Wolk on a strange 3-1 vote. Stephen Souza had voted for Dan Wolk as his candidate in every vote until the last vote and only voted for Paul Boylan on the last vote, but it was not enough to continue the process.

New Version of ConAgra Due Out Next Monday

By David GreenwaldFebruary 23, 201119 comments

After last night’s council appointment, Dan Wolk noted that one of the issues he expected to come up that did not was the issue of the ConAgra site. However, that issue is once again coming to a head, as a supposedly revamped version of the project is due for a public meeting next Monday night.

When we last saw the ConAgra proposal back in December, it was looking remarkably like the previous version that even councilmember Stephen Souza dismissed for lacking a “wow” factor.

Live Coverage of Decision Night

By David GreenwaldFebruary 22, 201152 comments

Welcome to Davis’ version of Survivor. The Vanguard will have live coverage and exclusives beginning at 5:30 pm.

In the first hour, we will have each of the Councilmembers ask one question. Each candidate has 90 seconds to answer each question.

Decision Night

By David GreenwaldFebruary 22, 20116 comments

In just over 12 hours from my writing this piece, the Davis City Council will begin a long and arduous process of deliberating on who should be the next member of the Davis City Council.

From what I can tell through various meetings and discussions, there are about six individuals who can become members of the Davis City Council. I am not going to endorse people and I don’t want to disparage individuals who have put their hat in the ring and their necks on the line.

DDBA Downtown Enhancement and Redevelopment Agency Bag Lunch

By David GreenwaldFebruary 22, 20112 comments

“DOWNTOWN ENHANCEMENT AND THE REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY” THEME OF FEBRUARY 23 BROWN BAG LUNCH

Redevelopment Agencies (RDA) and their futures statewide have been in the news recently, and it’s similarly a time of assessment and preparation for what’s to come for the Davis RDA.

Council Poised to Protect Redevelopment Money Through Bond Issuance

By David GreenwaldFebruary 22, 201119 comments

Tonight the Davis City Council will have to weigh in on one huge issue before they begin deliberation on who to appoint to replace Don Saylor as the newest member of the Davis City Council.

Tonight the city council will vote on a staff recommendation that the Council/Davis Redevelopment Agency issue $4 million taxable bonds and up to $12 million in tax-exempt bonds for identified priority projects.

Month: February 2011