June 2011 - Page 5 of 5 - Davis Vanguard

Are Funnel Clouds in Northern California, Severe Tornadoes in Midwest A Sign of Climate Change?

By David GreenwaldJune 4, 2011112 comments

Funnel_Cloud

It was Wednesday around 1:45, I just picked up my nephew from school at Patwin Elementary when I saw something strange up in the sky on the horizon. As I moved forward, it vanished behind the trees but looked like a funnel cloud.

Long before I got a political science degree, before I became the blogger and founded the Vanguard, my passion was weather and in particular tornadoes. It is a well known quasi-joke in my family that I dream to go on a storm chase in the Midwest, going after serious twisters.

Ramirez Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison for Attack on Sikh Taxi Driver

By David GreenwaldJune 4, 20117 comments

Judge Timothy Fall sentence Pedro Ramirez to 13 years in prison for the beating of a Sikh Taxi Driver back in November 2010. This followed an extended attempt to withdraw from his plea, based on ineffectual counsel.

At the hearing, Aman Kaur spoke on behalf of the family. She proclaimed it was not a happy day but the family was satisfied that laws were followed and grateful to the efforts of law enforcement for the quick apprehension and resolution of this case.

The 40-Year War on Drugs: It’s Not Fair, and It’s Not Working

By David GreenwaldJune 4, 201112 comments

by Vanita Gupta,
Center For Justice
Special to the Vanguard

June 2011 has the unfortunate distinction of marking the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s declaration of a “war on drugs” – a war which has cost $1 trillion but produced little to no effect on the supply of demand for drugs.

The war on drugs has been a war on communities of color. The racial disparities are staggering: despite the fact that whites engage in drug offenses at a higher rate than African-Americans, African-Americans are incarcerated for drug offenses at a rate that is 10 times greater than that of whites.

Water Rates Alarm Has Been Sounded

By David GreenwaldJune 3, 201118 comments

Our chief concern in the past few months was that few people had learned about the city’s impending rate hikes that will triple water rates over the next five year. That problem is no more. Two Davis Enterprise articles have laid out details of the rate increases over the next five years and one of them laid out in good detail the process by which to file a Prop 218 protest.

However, even with that information, a Prop 218 protest, which requires a majority of property owners to file complaints by a certain date, seems highly unlikely.

Davis ICE Incident Brings Issue Home For Davis Residents

By David GreenwaldJune 3, 201115 comments

On Sunday, Davis resident Linda Clark described in bold terms in a Davis Enterprise op-ed what many people face on a consistent basis from ICE and other agencies. Public officials have expressed shock that it could happen here in Davis, but unfortunately it is welcome to the real world.

Writes Linda Clark, “The incident described above occurred in a quiet, family-oriented neighborhood right here in Davis. Most residents of the house are either visiting international scholars or students, or American citizens who are students. No drug dealers. No ‘illegal immigrants.’ “

Beeman Gets Five Years Probation in Embezzlement Case

By David GreenwaldJune 3, 20117 comments

Yolo County Superior Court Judge Janet Gaard sentenced former UC Davis employee Jennifer Beeman to five years felony probation and 180 days County jail for embezzlement and falsifying of government records from the UC Davis Campus Violence Prevention Program.

Judge Gaard also ordered Beeman to pay $9,153.50 in restitution.

Vanguard Analysis: Department Heads and Other Managers Have Not Taken Pay Cut

By David GreenwaldJune 2, 201120 comments

Vanguard Recommends 10 Percent Across the Board Pay Cut For Department Heads and Management Group –

To date, the City of Davis has cut money mainly through what Councilmember Sue Greenwald has called a nickel and dime approach. Personnel cuts, to date, have largely been achieved through the elimination of positions due to retirement or transfer. However, replacement employees often receive the same salary if not more than their predecessor.

The interim city manager has proposed a budget with two tiers of cuts to services for the public. However, neither the interim city manager himself nor his staff, nor members who signed the MOU as “Individual Management Employees” have seen their salaries go down since 2007, prior to the beginning of the latest economic downturn and budget cuts.

Packed Room Expresses Support For Keeping Westlake IGA Open As West Davis’ Neighborhood Grocery Store

By David GreenwaldJune 2, 201125 comments

A huge crowd of more than 150 people packed the room in a show of strong support for the struggling neighborhood market. They came to lend moral support, give valuable community feedback and send a strong message that the West Davis community was not going to let their store go without at least a valiant fight.

There was no consensus reached or explanation offered as to why the market was struggling, though owner Dennis DeLano indicated that it generally takes about three years for people to identify with a store and begin to shop exclusively.

Sacramento DA Weighing Whether to Charge Teachers, Protesters Arrested Protesting Education Cuts At Capital

By David GreenwaldJune 2, 201117 comments

According to attorneys for some of the 71 arrested protesters, many of them teachers, the District Attorney has not decided whether to file charges for trespassing, section 602 of the penal code, subsection Q – failing to leave a public building when closed “without lawful business.”

71 teachers and other protesters were arrested May 9 after about 200 of them gathered in the rotunda of the Capitol around 5 pm. The CHP told them the building was closed around 6:15 or so and began arrests a few minutes later.

DA and Woodland Police Inexplicably Charge Wrong Person, the Victim, in DV Case

By David GreenwaldJune 1, 20118 comments

It started out as a late night call on the night of December 22-23, 2010, from nine-year-old Justin Parvin to his mother Yolanda “Star” Parvin, that his father was drunk and he wanted to be picked up and taken away from his father’s trailer.

Ms. Parvin would confront her drunken ex-husband, a confrontation ensued, Ms. Parvin called the police and a few days later she was stunned to be arrested on felony assault charges.

Navazio Finally Admits What We All Knew About the Budget

By David GreenwaldJune 1, 20114 comments

Budget is Balanced on Optimistic Assumptions That Excludes Areas of Spending Increases in the Next Five Years –

The budget discussion went on deep into the night on Tuesday night, so late that we will only be covering the first portion of the discussion in this installment.

On this night, Interim City Manager Paul Navazio finally admitted what we all knew, his budget assumptions are rosy, with small changes in them that mean huge swings in the revenue projections. He also finally admitted that the city is not allocating nearly enough for road re-pavement.

Month: June 2011