March 2012 - Page 2 of 5 - Davis Vanguard

Finance Director Navazio Hired As Woodland City Manager

By David GreenwaldMarch 23, 201210 comments

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The Vanguard learned late Thursday that Woodland has hired Davis’ finance director and former interim City Manager as their City Manager.

In a press release from the City of Woodland, it states Mr. Navazio comes to the city with 20 years of experience in municipal government. He is currently the Assistant City Manager for the City of Davis, California, where he has direct responsibility for Budget, Finance and Information Technology Services, in addition to assisting with all city departments, initiatives and projects.

Where Davis Water Rates May Be Going

By Matt WilliamsMarch 23, 20128 comments

by Matt Williams –

Let me once again start by saying that the opinions and perspectives presented here in this article are those of the author and are not the opinions and perspectives of the Water Advisory Committee (WAC).

Unlike the meetings before it, meeting number 7 of the WAC contained virtually no discussion of how the WAC should conduct its activities, votes and recommendations. If the WAC is following Tuckman’s stages of group development, also known as the “Forming-Storming-Norming-Performing” model of group development, then the WAC appears to have successfully completed the Storming stage and will hereafter be concentrating on Norming and Performing.

Council Finds Itself in No-Win Situation with Crown Castle

By David GreenwaldMarch 22, 201232 comments

On Tuesday night, the Davis City Council found itself in a position that no council or elected body ever wants to be in. On the one hand, listening to a public that was strongly opposed to a measure that would construct a cellular array in Davis, and on the other hand knowing that, given the state of the law, if they opposed it, they would likely get sued and lose.

Councilmember Dan Wolk put forth a motion that would have outright denied the application altogether, but he was the only one to support that motion.

Davis Budget Forecast: Cloudy with a Slight Chance of Sunshine on the Horizon

By David GreenwaldMarch 22, 20122 comments

We must first acknowledge that the budget picture is not a uniformly negative one. After years of a council and staff in denial, it is clear that at least the council and the upper levels of city government proverbially understand the nature of the problem.

At the same time, what the time that has elapsed since the June budget was passed by a 3-2 vote, with the lack of clear progress made toward those directives in the nearly nine months since, illustrates is that one cannot simply wave a wand and make the budget problems go away. No matter how well-intentioned those in charge now may be, it is simply too deep a mess.

ACLU Report Looks at Realignment Policies

By David GreenwaldMarch 22, 20121 comments

Local Critics Believe Yolo County Could Do Better in Allocating Funding and Changing Current Incarceration Strategies –

Back in January, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors approved a plan that would apply for a 148-bed jail expansion as part of a plan to increase capacity in the face of AB 109.

Supervisor Don Saylor was the lone dissenter of this plan. He argued that the current needs assessment ended its projection in 2007. The 2007 needs assessment projected continued growth in the jail population. But what we have learned with actual data since then is that the Average Daily Population (ADP) has not increased since 2008 but dropped from 428 to 384.

Council Further Delays Action on Two Critical Budget Items

By David GreenwaldMarch 21, 201233 comments

Earlier in the week, the Vanguard highlighted problems with a consent item on the budget which was listed as an informational item, but, however, included at least one critical change in council policy with regard to the personnel compensation cuts.

In addition, there was another consent item which established an individual management MOU for fire management employees.

Release of the Pepper Spray Report Further Delayed

By David GreenwaldMarch 21, 201233 comments

ACLU Staff Attorney Urges Full Release Sooner Rather than Later –

Following Friday’s court ruling, it comes as little surprise that the release of the pepper spray report will be further delayed. While the judge’s ruling on Friday appeared to clear the way for a release of portions of the report, that decision ultimately rests with the university, as well as with Former Supreme Court Justice Cruz Reynoso. Mr. Reynoso, in a letter to President Mark Yudof, on Tuesday indicated that he would prefer that the report be released in whole rather than in piecemeal fashion.

“As I previously stated, the Task Force has worked very hard and diligently over the past few months to ensure that the Davis community and the public get a thorough account of the events that took place on November 18, 2011, and has produced thoughtful recommendations to meet your charge to the Task Force,” the former justice wrote. “Releasing portions of the Task Force report in piecemeal fashion would provide a skewed view of our findings and undercut the rationale behind our recommendations.”

Man Released After 30 Years, Wrongly Convicted of Murder, Author Calls For Federal Investigation

By David GreenwaldMarch 21, 201223 comments

On March 2, 2012, Edward Lee Elmore was released from prison in South Carolina for a crime he had not committed. But in order to do so, he had to agree to what is known as an Alford Plea – a plea arrangement in which he maintained his innocence but agreed the state could re-convict him of murder in a new trial.

However, after serving on death row for nearly 30 years, after being convicted and sentenced to death in 1982 for the sexual assault and murder of an elderly woman in Greenwood, South Carolina, it was time to get out of prison even if it meant no exoneration.

Crown Castle Back with a New Plan For Wireless Communication Towers

By David GreenwaldMarch 20, 201230 comments

In 2009, NewPath Networks sought to install a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) network in Davis. City staff issued encroachment and related building permits for the project, which included 24 antenna structures on a combination of both new stand-alone poles and co-location of antennas on existing joint utility poles.

However, neighbors noticed building activities without adequate notice, and protested to the city. Concerns arose that the review process was inadequate and that the public had not been properly notified of the project.

Journalists Caught in Legal Jeopardy While Covering Occupation of Bank

By David GreenwaldMarch 20, 201226 comments

It is not a secret that, in their endeavor to bring the world their story, journalists expose themselves to risks similar to those which confront the individuals they are covering. Look no further than the journalists who have been kidnapped and murdered covering war and other activities in the Middle East.

At the same time, while covering a war zone, one has to know there are risks and accept them. Covering the occupation of a bank, perhaps less so.

Commentary: Re-Nig – Race in 2012

By David GreenwaldMarch 20, 201292 comments

Those who believe that the election of Barack Obama in 2008 marked the end of racism in this nation are, simply put, wrong. It may symbolize that the majority of the people in this country are willing to, under the right circumstances, vote for an African-American.

In fact, that number is probably larger than Mr. Obama’s vote share in 2008, simply because there is a subset of people who would not vote for Mr. Obama but might have voted for a black Republican.

Personnel Reductions Delayed Until MOUs?

By David GreenwaldMarch 19, 201227 comments

Phantom Decisions Seem to Plague City Budget

The city comes out finally with its midterm budget report, and buried in the middle is a somewhat shocking revelation, because we cannot find indication of a policy decision or change that has been publicly announced.

The staff report reports, “While these expenditures were intended to be off-set by corresponding General Fund personnel reductions, implementation of additional personnel reductions are being deferred pending the outcome of current labor negotiations.”

Teachers Complain About Layoffs and Blame Fiscal Mismanagement

By David GreenwaldMarch 19, 201216 comments

When Davis voters approved Measure C on March 6, the parcel tax would generate enough annual revenue to save around 87 jobs that could have faced elimination had the measure failed.

However, even with that passage, the district still faces a 3.5 million dollar budget shortfall that the district is calling a structural deficit. As a result, a total of 57 teachers and staff members now face a layoff despite the passage of Measure C.

UCD Student Acquitted of Resisting Arrest by Davis PD

By David GreenwaldMarch 19, 201219 comments

On March 9, 2012, a Yolo County Jury of eight women and four men acquitted Christopher Spatola of a single misdemeanor count of a violation of Penal Code section 148, obstructing or delaying a peace officer in carrying out the legal performance of duties.

In the early morning hours of February 11, 2011, there was some sort of disturbance at KetMoRee in Davis, which serves as a restaurant until 10 pm and then a bar and club.

Sunday Commentary: UC Still Can’t Shoot Straight

By David GreenwaldMarch 18, 201257 comments

This could have been a story about the brilliance of the University of California. The police officer’s union has played right into the hands of the university, attempting to block the release of the pepper spray report. This has allowed the university to take the public stance for release, and allowed them to be on the side of moral indignation.

Now all UC has to do is cut a deal for the release of the information, insulate themselves at the top levels from blame, and the crisis has been managed.

Commentary: Weighing Fairness and Balance Against Accuracy and Truth

By David GreenwaldMarch 18, 201227 comments

A few weeks ago, we sparked a bit of controversy when we pondered the duty of a newspaper to publish demonstrably false information in the name of balance. Unfortunately, the discussion that followed from it missed a critical point, which was that the argumemt was not meant to be about people’s opinions, but rather about information that had been proved to be false at the time of publication.

This is not a new question, we first pondered this back in May of 2007 with a commentary called, “When ‘Fair and Balanced’ is Less Accurate.”

US Bank Closes Its Doors in Response to Demonstrations that Blocked Access

By David GreenwaldMarch 17, 201279 comments

Occupy leaders are claiming another victory, as they have apparently successfully shut down U.S. Bank’s UC Davis branch office.

According to a release from the university on Friday, US Bank told UC officials that it is terminating its agreements with the campus. In a March 1 letter to the Board of Regents, the bank stated its reason as the interference by protesters who intermittently blocked the door to the bank branch in the Memorial Union since January.

District Looks Towards Program Changes as Means to Solve Inequities in South Davis Elementary Schools

By David GreenwaldMarch 17, 201233 comments

The Vanguard covered the school board’s March 8 special meeting at Harper Junior High, where they listened to opposition from parents, particularly parents of Pioneer Elementary School students, to a recommendation possibly splitting the elementary schools.

On Thursday of last week the board gave specific direction to the superintendent to follow up, in the form of three options. First, they asked the superintendent to look into the extension of Spanish immersion that would go from K-6. It is currently K-3.

Pepper Spray Report Delayed: Partial Victory on Friday For Everyone But the Public

By David GreenwaldMarch 17, 201218 comments

While Judge Evelio Grillo’s tentative ruling seemed to reject arguments from attorneys for Lt. John Pike and the Federated University Police Officers Association, the hearing and his ruling on Friday made things less clear – as he blocked the release of some sections of the report, cleared the way for the release of others, set another hearing date for March 28, and set a full release date for April 16.

Originally, Judge Grillo indicated through his tentative ruling that he would order the release of all of the information in the report.

Occupy Protest Shuts Down Operations at Monsanto Today and Tomorrow

By David GreenwaldMarch 16, 201286 comments

Occupy groups from across the region converged on Davis this morning to protest and block operations of Monsanto. The protest is part of a “Global Days of Action to Shut Down Monsanto” in dozens of U.S. cities and several countries.

“We are calling for a ‘global class-action’ against Monsanto. We are joining the world in solidarity to demand a ban on all GMO foods and hold Monsanto accountable for its actions throughout history from Agent Orange to deforestation to current and past deaths to preying on small farmers through a broken court system and also through International Free Trade Agreements,” said Steven Payan, one of the Davis protest organizers.

Month: March 2012