August 2011 - Davis Vanguard

Waste of Time? Light Turnout at Public Outreach for the City Budget

By David GreenwaldAugust 31, 201121 comments

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The result was not surprising. August 30. Little active effort to promote the event. Perhaps 15 members of the public showed up to the city’s budget open house at the Davis Veteran’s Memorial on Tuesday night, and that included three reporters and perhaps a few off-duty city employees.

Notably absent from participation were policymakers for the city. Mayor Pro Tem Rochelle Swanson attended, Councilmember Sue Greenwald arrived well into the evening, Mayor Krovoza was out of town, Dan Wolk was not feeling well, and we had no contact with Stephen Souza.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Goes to War Against NCLB

By David GreenwaldAugust 31, 2011104 comments

The Capitol Weekly is reporting this week that California may join a growing number of education leaders nationwide in a revolt against No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

In a sharply-worded letter to US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, California State Superintendent of Public Education Tom Torlakson said he would consider abandoning compliance with federal performance mandates unless Mr. Duncan is willing to “provide state schools with immediate relief from the flawed policies of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.”

Commentary: Now Is Not the Time To Redress Compensation Disparities

By David GreenwaldAugust 30, 201126 comments

There was an interesting article in the Davis Enterprise introducing Gail Mitchell, who is the new president of the Davis Teachers Association. Unfortunately, any discussion of our schools these days necessarily centers around the budget, the loss of quality teachers and the parcel tax.

However, of particular note is the complaint by teachers that they are not fairly compensated, compared with other school districts. This may be true, it probably is, but right now the focus is on maintaining current programs. The economy is collapsing and public education budgets from the state to the local levels have been slashed. Now is not the time to redress those issues, now is the time to come together to save public education.

Schroeder Speaks on Water; Argues Better Water is Needed, Now

By David GreenwaldAugust 30, 201131 comments

When the City of Davis brought in Ed Schroeder and George Tchobanoglous, they seemed to suggest that the city could move forward with only one project while scaling back on the need for an expensive wastewater treatment plant.

Now Ed Schroeder has an editorial in the Davis Enterprise that argues that we need better water now.

Death Penalty Opponents Announce Initiative That Would Convert Death Sentence to Life Without Parole

By David GreenwaldAugust 30, 20119 comments

Yesterday in Sacramento, a group of former law enforcement officials and other anti-death penalty activists came together to announce that they had turned in a ballot initiative for the 2012 general elections to replace California’s death penalty with life in prison with no possibility of parole.

The initiative would convert death penalty sentences to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

A Different View on Water

By David GreenwaldAugust 29, 201128 comments

The Davis Enterprise recently ran an Op-Ed by an individual named Walter Sadler, who presents a very different view of the water project than the one we have gotten from city staff or from the council majority.

The Enterprise said Mr. Sadler is “a professional engineer with more than 40 years of experience in design and management of water resources facilities, surface and groundwater, in both the public and private sectors, in the Sacramento Valley.”

A Commentary on Reader Comments

By David GreenwaldAugust 29, 201112 comments

Two years ago this site had a pretty bad reputation for being a tough place in terms of the comment section. People told me they would avoid the comment section altogether, and some people did not even like going to the site because of what they called vitriol.

As I look at other sites around the web, I question whether the Davis Vanguard comment section was ever that bad, but following one particularly contentious election I knew there had to be changes made.

Sunday Commentary: In with the new…

By David GreenwaldAugust 28, 201164 comments

Steve Pinkerton’s last day in Manteca is Thursday, and his first day in Davis is Friday. Tuesday is show time. That is not a lot of turnaround time for Davis’ new city manager.

The Manteca Bulletin had a story on the end of their Pinkerton era, a three-year period of huge change. It becomes clear reading this article exactly why the City of Davis hired this guy – he is going to be the hatchet man.

Governor Perry’s Cover Up of the Willingham Execution

By David GreenwaldAugust 28, 201168 comments

Governor Perry of Texas has burst onto the political scene as he attempts to become the Republican nominee for President. One issue that has so far been kept below the surface is the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham.

To use an overused cliché, Mr. Perry may have blood on his hands. In 2004, Cameron Todd Willingham was executed for the 1991 arson deaths of his three children.

Commentary: Krovoza and Souza Attempt to Defend Water Policy

By David GreenwaldAugust 27, 201141 comments

Twenty years ago, a political mentor of mine taught me the that way you see the truth, through cleverly-wordsmithed and dressed-up rhetoric, is to see if they are playing offense or defense. If they are playing defense, defending their policy, changing the subject, they are in trouble.

Mayor Joe Krovoza and Councilmember Stephen Souza are in trouble. They have come out what with what they claim is a two-part Op-ed series in the Davis Enterprise defending their water policies.

Democrats Kill the California Death Penalty Reform Bill in Committee

By David GreenwaldAugust 27, 201118 comments

Back in the 1990s, the death penalty had become a third rail, of sorts, as a highly-charged issue. The public supported the death penalty overwhelmingly, Michael Dukakis had been ground into dust on the issue, so Democrats would not touch the issue.

Times have changed, but apparently legislative Democrats are still acting like it is 1994. Never mind that the public has cooled on the issue. Never mind that a strong majority is concerned about costs of the death penalty. Never mind that a majority of voters now support changing it to life without parole. Never mind research by those like Alarcón who show we have spent billions and will spend billions more on a death penalty that has seen but 13 executions since 1978 and none since 2006. Never mind that all this bill would have done is put the issue before the voters.

Should City Study Parking in Downtown Prior to Constructing 14 Million Dollar Project?

By David GreenwaldAugust 26, 201157 comments

We have to ask again whether Davis needs a parking structure in the prime 3^rd and 4^th, E and F street location.

The original mindset of the city makes sense. When the council originally took this issue up, the state was threatening to shut down redevelopment. That meant the city risked losing millions of dollars if it did not vote quickly to encumber the funds.

Landmark Decision on Eyewitness Identification

By David GreenwaldAugust 26, 201121 comments

While it is a decision that only applies to the State of New Jersey, observers and analysts expect a decision rendered by the New Jersey Supreme Court earlier this week to have considerable impact nationally, as the U.S. Supreme Court will in November also return to the issue of eyewitness testimony, last considered in 1977.

The decision makes major changes in the way that New Jersey courts will be required to evaluate evidence adduced from eyewitness identification, both at trial and in how they should instruct juries.

Commentary: Budget Workshop Reveals Peculiarities of City Government

By David GreenwaldAugust 25, 20114 comments

Yesterday we reported that the city plans to hold budget meetings where the public can come and the city can receive input and suggestions about budget priorities, as the City Council considers additional cuts to the 2011-2012 fiscal year budget in late September.

According to the city’s release, city staff will be available for questions about specific programs or city services at each of the meetings.

Yamada Announces 2012 Re-Election Bid in New Assembly District

By uptownstudiosAugust 25, 20111 comments

Assemblymember Mariko Yamada (D-Davis) issued the following statement regarding her 2012 Assembly re-election bid:

“The Citizens Redistricting Commission concluded its work on August 15 after months of spirited public participation. With the new maps now in place, I am announcing today that I will seek re-election in the new California Assembly District 04, which includes all or part of six counties: Colusa, Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma, and Yolo, where I have lived for the past 16 years.

Commentary: Taking Us in the Wrong Direction

By David GreenwaldAugust 25, 201149 comments

Among my biggest pet peeves in politics are those politicians who argue that we need to run government like a business. I understand the sentiment and the desire to be fiscally prudent, but at the same time, government is not a business.

The goal of a business is to maximize profit for the business. However, the goal of government is multifold, including the enforcement of laws, distribution of benefits and resources, and of course, administration.

YJW Analysis: Trial Statistics Show the Changing Face of Yolo County Justice System

By David GreenwaldAugust 25, 20116 comments

Over the first portion of the year 2011, we have often noted the sea-change that has occurred in Yolo County with regard to the results of jury trials. Some readers have asked for statistical analysis to bolster these claims.

While we do not have the full array of statistics from Yolo County court trials, we do have those from the Public Defender’s office. While not the exhaustive list, according to their statistics, they represent the vast majority of cases in Yolo County.

City to Host Two Budget Meetings

By David GreenwaldAugust 24, 201115 comments

On Tuesday, August 30, and again on Wednesday, September 7, the City of Davis will be hosting two community open houses to receive input and suggestions about budget priorities, as the City Council considers additional cuts to the 2011-2012 fiscal year budget in late September.

According to the city’s release, City staff will be available for questions about specific programs or city services at each of the meetings.

Man Convicted of 36 Molestation Counts Despite Knowledge By the Prosecutor and Judge Suggesting Lesser Crimes Than Charged

By David GreenwaldAugust 24, 201165 comments

This is not a case of an innocent man being wrongfully convicted. This is the case of a man, who committed some crimes, being convicted of far more than he committed and facing far longer time in prison than he deserves.

Last week a Yolo County jury convicted West Sacramento’s Nang Sam, 27, of 36 counts of molesting a young victim over a six-year period. In the press release they called it molesting, but he was convicted of rape.

Topete: Prosecution’s Expert Witness Casts Doubt on Drunken Claims

By David GreenwaldAugust 24, 201112 comments

The prosecution in the Topete trial now appears to be attempting to tear away at the notion that Mr. Topete was drunk when he led Deputy Tony Diaz on a high-speed chase that culminated in the fatal shooting.

In questioning from DA Jeff Reisig, Joseph Palecek, a senior criminalist at the California Department of Justice, discussed work that he had done on the effects of drinking and watching what happens when drivers take to a course after consuming increasing amounts of alcohol.

Month: August 2011