July 2012 - Page 3 of 4 - Davis Vanguard

DA Continues to Pursue Seven-Year-Old Charges Against Ernesto Galvan

By David GreenwaldJuly 16, 201222 comments

In June of 2005, Ernesto Galvan and his brother Fermin were out on Riverbank Road in West Sacramento when they were approached by Officer Schlie of the West Sacramento Police Department.

What would ensue would leave Ernesto Galvan badly beaten and disfigured after police unleashed a series of baton blows to his head. The District Attorney’s office would charge the men with obstruction and delaying a police officer as well as misdemeanor counts of battery on a police officer.

Sunday Commentary: Students on November 18 Exposed Police Corruption on UCD Campus

By David GreenwaldJuly 15, 201229 comments

The Vanguard turned some eyes this week when it announced that the students pepper sprayed and arrested on the UC Davis Quad on November 18, 2011 would be honored with a Vanguard Award. The announcement earned the dismissive comment as though the students were being honored simply for being at the receiving end of the UC Davis Police’s overreaction to student protests.

That is, in our view, neither an adequate depiction of what happened nor a proper understanding of its significance.

The 2011 Water Referendum

By uptownstudiosJuly 15, 201255 comments

by Michael Harrington, Pam Nieberg, and the Leadership Committee of the 2011 Water Referendum

The referendum was born to ensure that the water rates approved 4/1 by the Davis CC on Sept 6, 2011 were either put to a citywide vote, or repealed. The referendum qualified, and the CC thankfully repealed the rates on December 6, 2011.

The referendum was a very intense team effort by dozens of local voters led by Pam Nieberg, Michael Harrington, and others who wish to remain anonymous due to the ongoing political and economic power of the surface water project proponents.

Defense Files Motion in Bank Blocking Case

By David GreenwaldJuly 14, 201230 comments

Pitchess Motion Revealing of Charges and Defense in Bank Blocking Case –

Defense for the 11 students and one professor charged with numerous misdemeanors for their alleged role in blocking the US Bank in UC Davis’ Memorial Union in January and February this year filed a Pitchess motion on Friday.

At a brief hearing they scheduled Judge David Reed to hear motions on August 24, 2012.

San Bernardino’s Bankruptcy Should Be a Cautionary Tale

By David GreenwaldJuly 14, 201230 comments

The news this week that the city of San Bernardino declared bankruptcy ought to have a stunning impact on the rest of the state. The basic problem that San Bernardino faces, as one analyst suggested, is that they ignored their economic hole for the last fifteen years and it ultimately resulted in municipal insolvency.

Over the last few years, people have attempted to ignore the specter of bankruptcy facing the city of Davis because the other communities’ problems were sufficiently different so as to have their impact minimized.

City to Look At Urban Forest Management, Tree Trimmer Position

By David GreenwaldJuly 13, 201225 comments

At the last meeting of the previous city council, the Davis City Council approved the budget with the understanding that city staff would bring back the matter of tree trimming services for a full discussion.

In the wake of the Davis City Employees Association decision by the Public Employment Relations Board, the city laid off nine employees, including tree trimmers, effective July 1.

Decision Time Getting Closer or Farther For the WAC

By Matt WilliamsJuly 13, 201212 comments

by Matt Williams

As always the opinions of the author herein are his personal opinions and do not in any way represent the opinions of the WAC.

Last night’s WAC meeting came in two installments, the first of which began with a very lively Public Comment period. Bill Streng and the Chamber Government Relations Committee were not there, but Sue Greenwald, Michael Harrington, Alan Pryor and others shared their water insights with the WAC. If anyone thought Sue was going to fade quietly into the sunset, this WAC meeting showed that she is a potent force on either side of the dais. Her comments were on point, helpful and even within a 3-minute time limit.

Musings on the New Council

By David GreenwaldJuly 12, 201227 comments

The new council has been barely been inaugurated and sworn in, and I have already been asked by about everyone I have run into in the last day and a half, how the new council looked, how they cooperated Some asked if 10 pm was going to be the new closing time.

It is very simple, it is way too soon to tell. The July 17 meeting which will have critical discussions on water and the budget will start to give us an impression. By way of example, the first full meeting in 2010 with Joe Krovoza and Rochelle Swanson sworn in and Don Saylor as mayor, had a jam packed agenda and yet they flew through in record time.

Faithful Followers – A Community “Oath”

By uptownstudiosJuly 12, 201212 comments

by Robb Davis –

Those who were at the Davis City Council meeting on Tuesday evening July 10, 2012 experienced a moment of genuine excitement and hope in the midst of the many serious challenges we face as a city. The excitement was, no doubt, a product of the fact that those in attendance were, for the most part, the supporters of one or more of the new Council members. However, even if one was not a backer of one or more of them, it was hard not to have a sense of pride at having participated in a process that delivered a new group of willing public servants ready to help us move forward as a community. With their smiling faces and friends and family at their sides, it was easy to clap and smile with them and wish them the best, even as the specter of the hard road ahead shadowed the room.

I suspect that part of the excitement was also due to the fact that we were participating in that all too rare (in our culture and time) event that one might call a public ritual. Besides graduations, civil union ceremonies or memorial services we seem to participate in relatively few public rituals. Far more rare are the ones that include our elected officials standing before us to make solemn vows-to take oaths and make promises to us as citizens. The seriousness of the moment should not escape any of us as we consider the importance of leaders making promises to us-those whom they will lead.

Texas Study Finds Prosecutorial Misconduct Plays Huge Role in Wrongful Convictions

By David GreenwaldJuly 12, 201212 comments

In two weeks, at the Vanguard’s Dinner and Awards Ceremony, the work of the Northern California Innocence Project (NCIP) will be honored with a Vanguard Award. On hand to personally receive that award with be NCIP Executive Director Cookie Ridolfi and Legal Director Linda Starr.

The immediate benefit of the work NCIP and other branches of the Innocence Project across the nation is to exonerate those who have been wrongfully imprisoned like Franky Carrillo, who spent 20 years in custody before his 2011 release. Mr. Carrillo will be one of the featured speakers at this year’s event and will present the Vanguard Award to the organization and individuals who helped to exonerate him.

UC Davis Students Face 20% Fee Hike if Tax Measure Fails in November

By David GreenwaldJuly 11, 201263 comments

The UC Board of Regents has agendized an item at next week’s meeting that would put into place provisions that would raise student tuition and fees by 20.3 percent effective January 1, 2013 should the governor’s November tax measure not pass and the trigger cuts be implemented, with 250 million to be cut from the budget of the University of California.

The budget package adopted by the governor and the legislature includes a provision calling for UC to receive another $125.4 million in 2013-14 if the governor’s revenue-raising initiative on the November ballot is approved by the voters AND if the University does not increase its tuition and fees for 2012-13.

New Council, Same Challenges Await

By David GreenwaldJuly 11, 201221 comments

Water, Infrastructure, and Labor Issues Await the New Council Next Week

On Tuesday night, the city council swore in its new membership and paused. Dan Wolk was sworn in for the second time in just over a year, once again by his mother, Senator Lois Wolk, as Mayor Pro Tem of the City of Davis.

Lucas Frerichs was then sworn in by newly reelected Judge Dan Maguire and Brett Lee by his campaign manager Dick Livingston. The council then paused for an hour after a series of comments, then got to work.

Justice Department to Review Use of Forensic Evidence in Thousands of Cases

By David GreenwaldJuly 11, 20122 comments

Flawed Work by FBI Led to At Least One Wrongful Execution Paper Reports

The Washington Post is reporting this morning that the Justice Department and FBI “have launched a review of thousands of criminal cases to determine whether any defendants were wrongly convicted or deserve a new trial because of flawed forensic evidence”

They report this is the largest undertaking of post-conviction review ever done by the FBI.

Vanguard Awards Ceremony Honors Six on July 26

By David GreenwaldJuly 10, 20123 comments

Cruz Reynoso to Present Award to Pepper Sprayed Students; Northern California Innocence Project Honored

As if the amazing line up of speakers at the Vanguard Dinner and Awards Ceremony was not enough, the Davis Vanguard announces its six annual awards. The Vanguard Awards honor the work of individuals and organizations on behalf of social justice.

Headlining the awards is the Northern California Innocence Project, based at the Santa Clara Law School, winning the award for Law School/University of the Year. Executive Director Cookie Ridolfi and Legal Director Linda Starr will be in house to personally receive this honor. The Vanguard honors their body of work that has helped two notable exonerees, including this year’s speaker Franky Carrillo, last year’s speaker Maurice Caldwell, and Obie Anthony, among many others.

Chamber Executive Director Supports Bringing in Green Guru

By David GreenwaldJuly 10, 201215 comments

In an open letter from Davis Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kemble Pope, he endorses the city’s proposal to contract with William McDonough + Partners on a “Vision for Sustainable Davis Economy.”

William McDonough is best known for designing the Ford Motor Company’s plant with a vast green grass roof and more recently with his book Cradle to Cradle, he has, according to Forbes Magazine, “unleashed a design revolution that began examining not just what things look like, but also the chemical makeup of things: water bottles, carpet, countertops.”

Senator Wolk and Other Representatives Seek to Halt Delta Conveyance Plan

By David GreenwaldJuly 10, 20121 comments

Last week, a group of Northern California legislators representing the delta counties pushed to halt plans for a 15 billion dollar water conveyance project through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, until details are available on the state’s revised Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP).

“The state should not make premature commitments to a large-scale water export project before the project has been vetted and details of the BDCP are available for public review,” said State Senator Lois Wolk, a long-time advocate for the Delta and opponent of plans to build a peripheral canal.

Swastika Burned Into Holmes Jr. High Picnic Table

By David GreenwaldJuly 9, 201225 comments

The Davis Police are reporting that a swastika was founded burned into a picnic table at Holmes Junior High. This is the third known hate incident in the last month following the noose found at Davis High’s football stadium and the swastika and the “N” word found in a freeway underpass.

According to Lt. Paul Doroshov, “At approximately 9:30 AM, Davis Police personnel responded to Holmes Jr. High School for a Hate Incident/Vandalism/Arson. Between July 6th and today’s date, someone charred the impression of a Swastika on one of the picnic tables and burned the top of another metal picnic table.”

Just Hot or Global Warming?

By David GreenwaldJuly 9, 201233 comments

The temperature this week will be pushing, if not passing, 100 degrees in Davis, but in reality we have no right to complain. While it has been warm at times this summer, we have nothing like the stifling and unrelenting heat wave of the Midwest.

I tend to watch St. Louis as a barometer. They were having day after day of 105, 107, 108 degree temperatures – record highs, virtually unheard of. Unheard of perhaps, but not completely unprecedented. St. Louis experienced ten straight days of 100 degree plus heat from June 28 until July 7, but that has been topped before in 1936 by 13 straight days. That was, interestingly enough, the year of the Dust Bowl.

Commentary: New Challenges For City Council

By David GreenwaldJuly 9, 20124 comments

Last meeting was out with the old and this meeting is in with the new. Over the last month since the June 5 elections, many Davis residents and observers have looked forward to a new council for a variety of reasons.

However, there are some unique challenges that this city council will have to overcome. The first challenge has been noted and referenced, and that is the lack of institutional memory.

Sunday Commentary: Competing Visions For Economic Development

By David GreenwaldJuly 8, 201253 comments

Does Davis Need Green Guru Riding in White Horse to Save Us?

In Sunday’s Davis Enterprise, the members of the ChamberPAC once again get editorial space in the local paper to promote their vision for economic development.

They write: “To compete regionally and create true community sustainability, we have no choice but to nurture and promote Davis economic development.”

Month: July 2012