April 2012 - Davis Vanguard

Analyzing the Chamber’s Endorsements

By David GreenwaldApril 30, 201293 comments

Unlike some, the Vanguard does not fret the fact that the Davis Chamber of Commerce has chosen to take a more active role in Davis politics. In fact, we applaud it. We think more people in general need to, and perhaps this will facilitate that.

Executive Director Kemble Pope further told the Vanguard that the Chamber PAC seeks to be fully transparent, and will go above and beyond current reporting guidelines to have weekly reports on donations and expenditures. The Vanguard has requested to know who voted for the endorsements, but over the weekend, at least, has not heard back.

Analysis: Does Katehi Deserve to Be Fired? Yes But She Won’t Be

By David GreenwaldApril 30, 201226 comments

In the hours following the pepper spray incident on November 18, 2011, Chancellor Linda Katehi’s first response was simple and telling: “We have a responsibility to maintain a secure place for our students to learn, and for our faculty and staff to provide the excellent education we are known for.”

Her statement continued, “Following our requests, several of the group chose to dismantle their tents this afternoon and we are grateful for their actions. However a number of protestors refused our warning, offering us no option but to ask the police to assist in their removal.”

Are You Being Served By The WAC?

By uptownstudiosApril 30, 20129 comments

by Matt Williams

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

Back on February 26^th I wrote an article in the Vanguard that identified the informal water interest groupings here in Davis, specifically, 1) those Davis residents/citizens who opposed the September 2011 Joint Powers Authority Surface Water Plan (“the JPA Plan”) outright, and 2) those Davis residents/citizens who are concerned about one or more aspects of the JPA Plan, but don’t as yet oppose it in its entirety. Today, lets look at how the WAC activities to date have addressed the concerns of those groups.

Sunday Commentary: Pike and Swartwood Should Face Criminal Charges

By David GreenwaldApril 29, 201271 comments

At this point, two dominoes have fallen: Chief Annette Spicuzza was likely forced to retire in order to keep her pension; and Vice Chancellor Meyer, Spicuzza’s immediate supervisor, was removed administratively from the position of direct oversight over the police department and replaced by Provost Hexter in that role.

The Vanguard has now completed its individual-by-individual account of the key actors at UC Davis. We are, of course, awaiting the official word – if we ever get it – on the plight of people such as Lt. John Pike, Lt. Barry Swartwood and Officer Alexander Lee.

Davis Chamber PAC Endorses Frerichs, Souza & Wolk and the Parks Maintenance Tax

By David GreenwaldApril 28, 201256 comments

The Davis Chamber of Commerce announced a few months ago that they wanted to have a more active role. That they have as they have endorsed three candidates for Davis City Council – Lucas Frerichs, Stephen Souza, and Dan Wolk.

“Davis residents are strongly encouraged to support these three candidates because each of them has demonstrated a firm commitment to promote, support and advocate for the general economic vitality of the business community of Davis and the quality of life for the community,” the Chamber said in a press release.

DA Reportedly Extends Offer to Bank Protesters

By David GreenwaldApril 28, 201218 comments

Shortly after the arraignment of 12 UC Davis protesters – 11 students and one professor – was continued to May 10, the Yolo County Assistant Chief Deputy DA Michael Cabral told the Davis Enterprise that they “have been offered” a plea agreement that would be “80 hours of community service in exchange for guilty pleas to misdemeanor charges.”

CBS 13 in Sacramento reported that the deal also includes one year of probation.

Vanguard Question: Council Candidates on Business Park and Development

By David GreenwaldApril 27, 201214 comments

Every Friday between now and the election, the candidates for Davis City Council will be asked to respond to one hard-hitting Vanguard question on the issues that matter to Davis, or at least to the Vanguard.

Last week the council candidates were given a question on Monday and asked to respond by midnight this morning. For next week, they were given the question this morning, by request of one of the candidates who preferred to have the weekend to work on the answer.

More DACHA Charges: Claims That City Attorney Omits DACHA Docs to AG

By David GreenwaldApril 27, 201233 comments

David Thompson of Neighborhood Partners and Twin Pines Cooperative, and one of the principals that have filed a lawsuit against the City of Davis, is alleging new improprieties this week.

In a statement sent late last night, Mr. Thompson alleges, “63% of the testimony provided to the City of Davis by Twin Pines Cooperative Foundation (TPCF), Neighborhood Partners (NP) and other parties for the DACHA Dissolution Hearing were omitted by the City Attorney from submission to the California Attorney General.”

YONET and DOJ’s Gang Sweep Nets 18 Arrests and A Good Deal of Uncertainty

By David GreenwaldApril 27, 201216 comments

On Tuesday, the Yolo Narcotic Enforcement Team, in a multi-jurisdiction effort led, by among others, the California Department of Justice, claimed 18 arrests which they said would disrupt a criminal gang network.

On Thursday, 11 of them were arraigned, although charges were dropped on at least one, and another subject of the warrant had been deported at least two years ago.

The Trail to Discovering the Name of Officer Alexander Lee as the Second Pepper Sprayer

By David GreenwaldApril 26, 201221 comments

One of the big mysteries in the pepper spray incident was the identity of the second pepper sprayer. Both the police officer’s union, through the court system, and the university kept the second officer’s identity a secret, due in part to security concerns and the fear that the harassment suffered by Lt. John Pike would be visited upon the second officer.

What follows is an illustration of how the Vanguard was able to use the California Public Records Act to determine definitively the name of Officer Alexander Lee as the second pepper sprayer.

Controversial Changes to Policing Policies in Wake of Occupy Movement

By David GreenwaldApril 26, 20128 comments

While UC Davis and hopefully UC is looking at changes to their policing policies in the wake of controversial incidents last November on both the UC Berkeley and the UC Davis campuses, the City of Oakland has made headlines this week with announced changes to crowd-control policies, due to the Occupy Protests.

In a press release on Monday, they stated that they are “committed to becoming a national leader in crowd management by reforming and improving its policies and practices.”

Commentary: Slow Down on the Assessments of Picnic Day

By David GreenwaldApril 26, 201230 comments

Major media figures, as well as some public officials in this town, appear to have a clear agenda about Picnic Day, which would be fine if we actually had the final data. But the Vanguard, in making a records request from the Davis Police Department was told that with the police chief and their records analyst taking the week off, a more comprehensive report is not even due out until next week.

What that suggests to me is perhaps we have to hold off making major pronouncements until we get all the data. That of course has not and will not stop certain columnists from proclaiming “Picnic Day arrest numbers are clearly unacceptable.”

Best Justice System in World or Systematic Problems with Prosecutorial Misconduct?

By David GreenwaldApril 26, 201221 comments

I often hear it asserted that the US has the best system of justice in the world. Often we arrive at this conclusion based either on our own prejudices and biases, but also in comparison to non-democratic nations around the world.

Having watched our system of justice in action for the last two and a half years, I have no such illusions. I think the adversarial system does us far more disservice, in the interest of justice, than service. The job of the prosecutors as representatives of the “people” ought to be dispensing justice rather than winning cases.

Vanguard Analysis: Chancellor Katehi’s Role in the November 18 Incident

By David GreenwaldApril 25, 201225 comments

In the hours and days that followed the November 18 pepper spray event, Chancellor Linda Katehi would at first deflect, then take “full responsibility” for the fiasco. It is still not clear what it means for her to take “full responsibility.”

At the time of this press, there appears that the Chancellor will survive this, even as the reports paint a disturbing picture of miscalculation and incompetence that goes from the Chancellor’s office to the actions of Lt. Pike and his fateful decision to use pepper spray on seated protesters engaging in what was non-violent protest of university policies and perhaps the illegal tent clearing operation.

Part Three Sierra Club: Pesticides, Bikes, Carbon Footprint Reduction

By David GreenwaldApril 25, 201213 comments

The Sierra Club Yolano Group recently posed a series of local environmental-related questions to the Davis City Council candidates. Written responses are limited to 400 words for questions relating to the surface water project and 200 words for all other questions.

All responses are reported exactly as received from candidates with the exception that minor formatting changes were made to ensure consistency and to minimize space requirements. Responses were arranged alphabetically by last name for the first question and then rotated for each subsequent question.

Mixed Verdict on Picnic Day – Some Celebrate Improvements, Others Decry Problems

By David GreenwaldApril 25, 201225 comments

The early reports I heard regarding Picnic Day seemed encouraging, other than a couple of high profile cases – a tasering and a knife, otherwise, things were relatively calm in Davis. None of the out of control shenanigans of 2010.

The reported level of arrests was 51 – a bit higher than perhaps we would like, but given the police presence, not wholly surprising. There were also just over 100 citations.

Self-Defense or First Degree Murder: Jury Decides on the Latter

By David GreenwaldApril 25, 201217 comments

Last week, a Yolo County jury convicted 22-year-old Charles Quillin of first degree murder for the death of Mathew Smith on August 27, 2011.

According to a press release from the Yolo County District Attorney’s office, on August 26, 2011, Charles Quillin, Mathew Smith, Mr. Smith’s girlfriend, and two other friends went to Mr. Quillin’s trailer in West Sacramento to drink and hang out. Sometime after midnight, Mr. Quillin wanted one of the girls to leave his trailer after she vomited all over his living room.

Students and Faculty Rally to Oppose Charge on Bank Blockers

By David GreenwaldApril 24, 201273 comments

As many as 100 students and faculty members turned out on Monday afternoon to show solidarity with 12 protesters facing as many as 21 misdemeanor charges, up to 11 years in prison, and restitution fines up to one million dollars for their activities relating to the blocking of a US bank building from January into early March.

On Friday, 12 of them will be arraigned in Yolo County Superior Court. On Monday they rallied, asking the chancellor and the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office to drop the charges. Students and others were signing the letters during the course of the event.

Part Two Sierra Club: Plastic Bags, Wood Smoke, Green Waste

By David GreenwaldApril 24, 201243 comments

Death Penalty Measure Certified by Secretary of State for November Ballot

By David GreenwaldApril 24, 20121 comments

California Secretary of State Debra Bowen today certified a fifth measure for the November 6, 2012, General Election ballot. The measure would repeal the death penalty, according to a news release from the California Secretary of State’s Office.

In order to qualify for the ballot, the death penalty repeal initiative needed 504,760 valid petition signatures, which is equal to five percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2010 gubernatorial election.

Month: April 2012