Davis’ Own Fiscal Cliff
With all of the talk about fiscal cliffs in the media, it is important to recognize that Davis is headed toward its own. Back in June of 2011, the city council took the bold step of implementing $2.5 million in cuts to employee compensation. On a hot day with the room packed with angry city employees, the council took these first steps, making a nail biting 3-2 vote for fiscal sustainability.
Unfortunately, the city manager at that time did not buy into the cuts and City Manager Steve Pinkerton arrived in time for the September 6 water debacle and could not deal with massive employee cuts at the same time.
City Staff Gives an Implausible Answer That Warrants Scrutiny and Criticism – In 2006, the voters of Davis narrowly approved the ballot measure to ratify the city council’s approval of the Target project, through Measure K.
Whether you favor or oppose the current water project that will be on the ballot in March 2013, the public deserves accurate information and a fair debate.
Commentary: Woodland’s Council Should Use More Caution in their Remarks – I read columnist Bob Dunning’s recent column that, in part, discussed a recent city council meeting held in Woodland where there was a brief (at least by Davis standards) update on the surface water project two days before Thanksgiving and a day before the cost-sharing agreement was announced by Councilmember Rochelle Swanson and Mayor Pro Tem Dan Wolk.
By Maggie Clark
Council Delays Decision for Two Weeks, But Downtown Willing to Support with Funding for Gateway Project – The conversation on the development of the Target pads seemed to be developing normally enough, when suddenly the council realized that they had not heard from the Davis Downtown – this despite rumors of a possible deal with the developer after months of opposition to the project.
If the era of consensus is over for the Davis City Council, dying on the vine of the new council’s first 4-1 vote on a major decision, it died over the issue of fiscal prudence and land use.
Senator Yee Reintroduces Executive Pay Limitation Legislation – For much of his first two years as governor, Jerry Brown has largely been silent on matters of UC compensation for top executives, including chancellors.
The Nishi property has long been a temptation to the city of Davis – nestled on the north side of Richards Blvd between I-80 and the railroad tracks, the project is enticingly close to the city.
Announcement Comes As Officials in Florida Acknowledge Voter Suppression Methods – This fall, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a measure into law, supported by Secretary of State Debrah Bowen and authored by Senator Leland Yee, to allow citizens to register to vote online and also, in the next election, register to vote the day of the election.
By Matt Williams
Law enforcement agencies continue to complain that California’s realignment policy under AB 109, which transfers jurisdiction to the counties for non-violent and non-dangerous offenders, is not working.
I was reading a letter to the editor of the local paper who wrote in response to the recent controversy by Davis Ace owner Jennifer Anderson – a controversy interesting enough to make the 
It is a day hyped as the biggest shopping day of the year, but Walmart workers are threatening to use that hype to their maximum leverage, as they plan to walk out from a job at American’s largest private-sector employer, whose workers make on average $8.81 per hour with one third of their employees working less than 28 hours per week – thus not qualifying for benefits.