Month: May 2012

The Growth Issue in the Council Race

Council-Race-2012

A few years ago, growth was the key battle line that divided candidates – for the most part it was the battle between slow growth, slower growth, and stopped growth.  With the collapse of the real estate market, along with the impact that Measure J and now Measure R have on Davis politics, growth has taken on a secondary role.

Right now is the debate over ConAgra and a number of infill sites.  The Davis Enterprise recently asked the candidates about their views on growth.

Chamber Launches Independent Expenditure For Council

chamber-parks-addOn May 29, 2012, the Davis Chamber of Commerce Political Action Commitee following the Davis Municipal Code notified candidates that they were launchings four independent expenditures including an ad on the Vanguard from May 30 to June 5.

The big expenditure will be a Comcast Cable ad buy for the final seven days of the election.

Commentary: Follow Up on Chamber Criticism

Chamber-Debate-060Our Sunday Commentary this past weekend focused on an op-ed written by the chamber in which they talk about the necessity of a balanced approach.

As several people noted, the PAC positions that we quoted suggest that we need both economic development and budget cuts.

Commentary: The 24 Hour Rule For Political Controversies

Signs-2

It is the unwritten rule of politics: you end political controversies or bad news in one news cycle.  But for the third time this month, that has not happened.

First, the controversy surrounding the attack mailer against Sue Greenwald dragged on for nearly a week – if not longer.  The agony there was prolonged by silence and the failure for those involved to take responsibility and end the speculation.

Wrongful Convictions and Plea Bargain: Why Innocent People Sometimes Plead Guilty to Crimes They Did Not Commit

Banks-BrianOne of the big questions that emerged last week is why do innocent people plead guilty?  We noted the discussion of the Alford Plea, so named because Henry Alford was accused of murder and faced the death penalty, where enough evidence existed that could possibly have been enough to cause a jury to convict him.

As Yolo County Public Defender Tracie Olson noted, “The evidence was strong but Henry said he was innocent.  Henry, however, pled guilty to a charge of 2nd degree murder in order to avoid the death penalty.”

Accusations of Sign Stealing and Sign Blocking Emerge This Weekend

 

Signs-1

Campaign signs are the hallmark of election season, and they become the flashpoint for battles over the perception of turf and visibility.  From our perspective, signs have little value in terms of electoral issues, but nevertheless they become a symbolic and public battle between the campaigns.

The issue of the stealing of signs became so volatile in the Supervisorial Race between Incumbent Supervisor Duane Chamberlain and challenger, Woodland Mayor Art Pimentel, that staffers came to blows following a candidates’ forum, in an encounter in which the police had to intervene but the DA’s office declined to file charges.

Former City Manager Emlen’s Whitewash of DFD Report Revealed

Emlen-largeOn January 13, 2009, the City Manager in the city staff report gave his own analysis of the report completed by the city’s ombudsman, Robert Aaronson.  For a time, this was the only available version of the report – certainly the only report available to the public until on February 9, 2009, the city released a heavily-redacted report to the Vanguard.

Wrote Mr. Emlen of the purpose of his report: “Our objective through this process was to elaborate on the issues raised and either dispel as warranted, or confirm and set the table for follow-up actions.”

Legislation That Would Reduce Penalty for Simple Drug Possession Comes To Vote This Week

mark_lenoIn February, Senator Mark Leno introduced legislation that would revise the penalty for simple drug possession under the state law, from a felony to a misdemeanor.  It is legislation that follows the lead of 13 other states, as well as the federal government.

A recent poll by Tulchin Research in San Francisco found that 70 percent of Californians want to reduce the penalties for personal drug use.

The Day The Council Voted to Cover Up The Truth From the Public

Overtime

Some people, in defending the attack mailer launched against Sue Greenwald, have used the truth as a defense.  Frankly, I cannot condone the actions of the councilmember that night and I defend my reporting of that incident.

However, no matter how bad the individual conduct of an individual councilmember was that evening, it is not the worst thing I have seen from our city council.  That distinction falls on December 9, 2008 when the Davis City Council voted 3-2 to abdicate their duties to the citizens of Davis.

Commentary: Academics As Advocates…

UC-CampusOr Advocacy Masquerading As Research?

Last week John Ellis and Charles Geshekter, part of the California Association of Scholars who you might remember published a report that attempts to warn us against a rising tide political activism at the University California, wrote an Op-Ed published by the LA Times.

They argue that political advocacy corrupts academic institution because it promotes a mindset of conformity rather than independent thought and analytic skills.

Sunday Commentary: Why the Davis Chamber Just Doesn’t Get It

Chamber-Debate-060

One of the reasons we were supportive of the chamber’s efforts to become more engaged in the process is that we believe that the voice of business has been strangely missing in Davis political discussions, and we believe that the city has not taken full advantage of the high-tech boom and its proximity to a world class university.

When new director Kemble Pope launched his screed, it seemed that the chamber understood the precarious nature of Davis’ fiscal position.

Commentary: Tip of the Iceberg in Terms of Wrongful Convictions and Exonerations

Banks-BrianThe launching of the National Registry of Exonerations, a new joint project of the University of Michigan Law School and the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University, actually reminds us of just how little we actually know about wrongful convictions, where and when they occur, and how many have occurred.

What we do know ought to alarm and frighten people far more than they are.  The reason we are not utterly alarmed on a global scale is that we are comforted by the relatively small number of false convictions.

Are Local PACs Loaded For Bear or Gun Shy of Making Wrong Move?

chamber-parks-addWhen the three unions dropped what they thought was a bomb on unsuspecting Davis residents, they never expected the bomb to go off in their backyard and obliterate their efforts to depose Councilmember Sue Greenwald.

Called on it and triggering deep resentment and backlash, they took the remainder of their $25,000 largesse, nearly $14,000 unspent, and went home.

Commentary: The Costs of Bearing False Witness

Parish-SantosI thought I was done talking about the judge’s race in which Clinton Parish made false and misleading attacks.  After all, at some point, it simply becomes a matter of kicking the proverbial dead horse.

However, I was reading Bob Dunning’s Davis Enterprise column and I realized there is something that still needs to be said here and it has to do with a YouTube shot at a Republican gathering in Woodland in which Fred and Kathy Santos speak in favor of Clinton Parish.

Davis Police Describe Tasering of Two Individuals They Say Were Resisting Police Officers

police_tapeUsually, detailed explanations of police encounters are reserved for the courtroom, months if not years after the fact, with only a few noteworthy remarks in a press release immediately following the incident.

However, late Friday evening, the Vanguard received an unusually detailed description from the Davis Police Department of an incident that had happened two nights before on May 23rd, at approximately 10:00PM.

Frerichs Passes Wolk As Top Fundraiser in 2012

Frerichs-Lucas-665

Frerichs and Wolk Return Money From Those Involved in Attack Mailer

If money means anything, Lucas Frerichs has moved into a surprising lead over everyone’s favorite to finish first overall, Dan Wolk.  We also see the emergence of the Firefighters Local 3494, as well as the impact of the mailer on the race.

Mr. Frerich’s massive 87-page disclosure shows that he has now raised $31,608, which is tops in this year’s field, but is nothing compared to what was raised by a number of candidates in 2006 and 2008.

Vanguard Question: West Sacramento Water Option

Council-Race-2012.png

As we wind down toward the elections, we continued to ask the candidates for Davis City Council to respond to one hard-hitting Vanguard question on the issues that matter to Davis, or at least to the Vanguard.

Answers are limited to 250 words, which is a logistical decision and completely unfair based on the complexity of the question.

Commentary: Too Neat and Tidy Analysis of Unions and Construction Projects

construction-workersI have read Rich Rifkin’s column on the union’s “avarice” a few times and, let me give credit to both Mr. Rifkin and Councilmember Sue Greenwald, who have been strong on the issue of the city budget and excessive compensation.

But I have to say, when I read Mr. Rifkin’s column this week, it read more like a campaign piece than I think it should have.  By that, it was a bit too neatly tied together and too glowing in its assessment.

Brian Banks, Former Football Star, Becomes the Newest Exoneree

Banks-BrianBrian Banks was a star linebacker that every major college program in the country wanted to have play for them.  However, it was all taken from him when he was accused of rape and his lawyer convinced him to take a plea bargain even though there was no physical evidence of the crime.

Without that plea bargain, California Innocence Project Director Justin Brooks wrote last month, “he might have spend the rest of his life in prison even though the case was built on the shaky testimony of his alleged victim, a fellow high school student.”

Commentary: For City of Davis, Times Just Might Be Changing

Overtime

All one has to do to realize that times have changed is look at the hire of Scott Kenley as the new interim fire chief.  Mr. Kenley is immensely qualified with forty years in fire service, and many of those in the chief position.

But it is what Chief Kenley has done since retirement that sets him apart.  He has worked extensively in labor negotiations, including doing contract work with Davis’ own hired negotiator, and all of that work has been on the side of management.