Month: July 2011

Sunday Commentary: Council’s Blind Spot on Water

water-rate-iconThis column should be on the great decision that the Davis City Council made in hiring Steve Pinkerton as the new city manager.  It should be on the responsibility that the council showed in implementing a new budget, even the face of heated criticism from city employees.

Sadly, we cannot highlight these great moments because one blind spot threatens to undo it all.  When I met with developer and property manager Randy Yackzan earlier this week, he told me that he had long known that there were going to be rate increases in the water project.

Commentary: Even the Best Teachers Need Our Help

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I have fought hard to fight costs at other levels of government because my belief is that education spending is an investment in the future.  Sadly, I fear these priorities will go out the window, as rising costs for water and other city government costs, along with a persistent stagnant economy, threaten to undermine education’s base.

Already there are signs of tension between the city and schools that have not shown themselves in years.  City officials are perhaps frustrated that the school district has already placed their parcel tax renewal on the ballot, nearly a year ahead of their next vote, while the city has its own parcel tax on parks to renew, and its water rates to pass.

Study Shows What We Already Knew: Term Limits Do Not Work

sacramento-state-capitolAt the outset here, I will admit I am philosophically opposed to term limits.  I believe the public has the right to vote for whomever they choose to vote for.  I oppose term limits on Presidents as well, as all it has done is turn the second term into a dead zone.

But that point aside, term limits from a practical perspective were doomed to fail, as well.  Like many reforms, they came in California from a confluence of two sources – ideology and good government people.

Tempers Flare in Davis Case Involving the Sale of Marijuana with Gang Enhancements

marijuana2What should have been a simple case involving the sale of a single ounce of marijuana and the possession of another ounce of marijuana, has been blown into a case where the defendants are facing 13 years in prison, due to gang enhancements and gang charges.

The preliminary hearing was held on Friday in Judge Janet Gaard’s courtroom.  The contention was based on the gang charges, which as we will see, seem tenuous at best.  It was an unusually charged atmosphere, as this case has been dragging on for over a year. The defense attorneys have attempted in vain to get the gang charges dropped, at which point the clients apparently would be willing to plead to the transportation of marijuana charges.

State Auditor Slams UC For Secrecy in Spending

yudofPresident Yudof disagrees but vows to improve transparency –

A report from the state auditor has criticized the University of California, in part for a lack of transparency in the ability to explain the differences in funding levels per pupil from university to university within the system.

In a response from UC President Mark Yudof, he writes, “We are proud of the fact that we have come through this review with validation of so many of our procedures and policies…But, at what cost?”

City Manager Contract on Agenda For Monday’s Meeting

pinkerton-steveGenerally speaking, the August 1 meeting, typically held in the morning, is ceremonial.  However, there will be an important item of business this year, in the approval of the City Manager Contract that will appoint Steve Pinkerton as Davis’ City Manager, effective September 2, 2011.

The City Manager position is one of two positions under the direct control of the city council, along with City Attorney.  To read the full contract, click here.

Commentary: The Public is Speaking, But Is the DA Listening?

crim2Last week, five people in Yolo County were acquitted by juries, another person the jury hung on, and a seventh person was convicted but only after acquittal on the most serious charge.

Something is changing.  To be very frank, we have seen much weaker prosecution cases end in convictions than the ones we saw last week.

No Drama, Council Gets Their Man

pinkerton-steveMayor Joe Krovoza learned his lessons from history, back when the Council hired Jim Antonen. He said that the council made their three finalists known publicly, the top two candidates backed out and the council was forced, in a sense, to hire Jim Antonen, a move that they apparently did not want to make and did not work out.

So instead, this hiring of a city manager was a guarded secret.  The council did not discuss publicly the process, where it stood or how many applicants were being considered.

 

Vagos Motorcycle Gang Member Acquitted on Gun Charges

Yolo-Count-Court-Room-600Last week, Yolo County jurors acquitted five defendants in four different trials, hung on the verdict of another, and convicted just one, acquitting on the most serious charge of aggravated mayhem in the case that we covered earlier this week.

Rodney Snow, an alleged member of the Vagos Motorcycle Gang, was acquitted on three counts of possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a felony, carrying a loaded firearm in a public place or vehicle and receiving stolen property. He also faced gang and weapons enhancements that were not considered, due to the acquittals.

Davis Hires Manteca’s Pinkerton As The New City Manager

pinkerton-steveJust when we thought that Davis would not be hiring a new city manager until after the break, late yesterday night came the breaking news from Mayor Joe Krovoza, announcing that Davis has hired Steve Pinkerton, the current City Manager of Manteca, California, as  Davis’ new city manager, pending the formal contract approval process.

Mr. Pinkerton was unanimously selected by the Davis City Council in closed session. The City Council spent just under a year conducting the process, following a nationwide search that included pre-screening by an executive recruitment firm, rounds of interviews, and in-depth reference and background checks.  The City received a total of 84 resumes from individuals throughout California and across the United States.

 

Wealth Gap Rises to Record Highs Between Racial Groups

pew-networth-4

The Great Recession has had a disproportionate impact on the net worth of households depending on their race, according to a new extensive report from the Pew Research Center which analyzes newly-available government data from 2009.

They find that the “median wealth of white households is 20 times that of black households and 18 times that of Hispanic households.”  Moreover, “These lopsided wealth ratios are the largest since the government began publishing such data a quarter century ago and roughly twice the size of the ratios that had prevailed between these three groups for the two decades prior to the Great Recession that ended in 2009.”

 

California’s Adult Day Health Care System: Transition to Nowhere

assemblymember-mariko-yamadaBy Assemblymember Mariko Yamada –

Almost forty years ago, California pioneered a system to keep frail elders and persons with disabilities in supportive community day settings.  In response to the highly publicized, disturbing stories of nursing home abuse in the ’70’s, the Adult Day Health Care Center (ADHC) model emerged as a more humane and less costly alternative.

Today, there are 37,000 low-income nursing home-eligible seniors and disabled adults enrolled in over 300 ADHC’s throughout the state.  These clients are served by over 7,000 care providers-physical therapists, nurses, social workers, nutritionists and more-who provide a constellation of health and social service interventions to keep adults free from institutions.  This daytime care model is as important to a frail elder as childcare is to a toddler. In neither case is it moral, ethical, or legal to leave a dependent individual home alone, unsupervised and without care.  Also, in each case, a working adult family member has some peace-of-mind-if he or she is still lucky enough to have a job in today’s economy.

 

Should the City of Davis Go to Three-Person Fire Engines?

davis_firedepartmentOne of the most awaited studies to date will be the CityGate report on fire staffing.  Back in 2009 the city commissioned CityGate, a well-respected but industry-led consultant company to do a fire staffing study.

Out of that report, came the move to merge the Davis and UC Davis fire departments.  While the study was basically favorable toward existing policies, it did end whatever possibility remained for a fourth fire station, as they argued that “for the foreseeable future there is no need to build an additional station in Northern Davis until there is significant growth in that area.”

 

DA’s Office Abuses Process To Intimidate Judge

Reisig-2010_copyBritt Davis faces multiple felonies for making threats to and dissuading a witness. It would appear to be a domestic violence case, as there is a protective order signed providing for no contact with two individuals.  However, in this case, at least at this time, that is secondary.
What is primary is that this case gives us good insight into the strategic practices of both the Yolo County District Attorney’s office and the Yolo County Public Defender’s office.

September 30 Deadline Looms As Council Goes On Vacation Starting Next Week

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It seems like every year at this time, I point out the problematic nature of the council taking a month-long vacation.  And yet here we are, and after what will likely be a ceremonial meeting in August, the council will be off until September 6.

I would be remiss if I did not point out, with the high levels of unemployment, furloughs and other budget cuts, many of the citizens of this community will not have the luxury of simply taking August off, no matter how appealing that may be to some of them.

As the Media Swarms and Pounces on Murdoch, Time To Defend Fox News

Ailes-RogerThe events of the last few weeks with the scandal in the British tabloids have focused renewed attention on Fox News.  While the phone hacking scandal that has ensnared Mr. Murdoch is salacious, it is the type of story news people live for, particularly since it is happening to Fox News, who has become the voice of the anti-media.

Despite all of this, I will defend Fox News with some caveats.  First, you have to understand what they are and what they are not.

Lack of Identification of Defendants Leads to Acquittals in Alleged Gang Attack

gang-stock-picIn a case beset by identification problems and a grainy surveillance video that yielded few real clues about who did it and what did they do, it ended as it only could, in a split verdict – two acquittals, one hung jury, and one conviction of the lesser charges.

Four individuals approached a vehicle at a Woodland gas station.  They rush to the car, surround the vehicle, prosecutor Robin Johnson argues, for the purpose of preventing the victim from exiting the vehicle.  They attacked the victim – punching and kicking him.

Sunday Commentary: New Council Majorities Emerge on Different Issues

council-appointment-filled

I consider the unofficial ending time of the council year to be the August 1 meeting, prior to vacation.  So it is time to assess where this new council is.  Frankly, with the addition of Dan Wolk and subtraction of Don Saylor, the new council really did not take form until February, almost March.

Nevertheless, we are starting to see the emergence of a pattern.