September 2013 - Davis Vanguard

Analysis: Enterprise Endorsement of Fluoridation Sidesteps the Key Points of the Debate

By David M. GreenwaldSeptember 30, 201378 comments

fluoride-water

The Davis Enterprise on Sunday, in arguing that the addition of fluoride “to our water supply would benefit us all,” cited the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recognizing “community water fluoridation as one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century.” The paper concluded, “It’s time for Davis residents to reap the benefits of fluoride in their water supply.”

The editors of the local paper noted that there has been “considerable debate this summer and early fall about whether fluoride is safe, effective and worth the cost of adding it to Davis’ well water and the water that will flow from the new Woodland-Davis Surface Water Project. We believe it is.”

Council to Receive Update on Nishi

By David M. GreenwaldSeptember 30, 20139 comments

Back in November 2012, the Davis City Council approved a “Pre-Development Cost Funding and Negotiation Agreement for the Nishi Property, with the goal of planning the site as a mix of university-related research park development complemented by high density urban housing.”

The pre-development concept was for the city to share predevelopment costs with the property owner, but upon completion of the environmental review and successful voter approval through a Measure R vote, the city’s contribution would be reimbursed by the developer.

My Week on the District’s Strategic Planning Committee

By uptownstudiosSeptember 30, 20133 comments

By Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald

When I read that the Davis school board was assembling a team of community members – including teachers, staff, administrators, parents, and students – to chart the course of action for the district over the next decade I wondered what it would be like to be part of the process and help put forth thoughts and ideas on the action plan, since we have one child in fourth grade and two more children that will attend kindergarten in the near future.

Even before we had children I had always followed the issues of the district and knew that even with challenges we were fortunate to have a very dedicated team of staff, educators, administrators, school board members and community members in our district. I also knew that, like other districts, we needed to develop a course of action for the present and the future or we would not be able to provide the best educational experience for our children.

Another Stunning Murder in Davis

By David M. GreenwaldSeptember 29, 201332 comments

Police were called out to an apartment complex on Pocket Road in Sacramento after Aquelin Talamantes, 29, of Davis, was seen with a 4-year-old boy, but not her 5-year-old daughter, Tatianna Garcia.

When police arrived they found the 4-year-old boy unharmed, but Tatianna was discovered in the trunk. After officers attempted to resuscitate the girl, she would be pronounced dead a short time later at the hospital.

Commentary: Is Fluoride Right for Davis?

By uptownstudiosSeptember 29, 201333 comments

by Tia Will

Over the past few months, much has been discussed in public, before the WAC, in letters to the editor of the Enterprise and in this blog about the pros and cons of water fluoridation. Some of the comments pertain to the effectiveness of fluoride in the prevention of tooth decay, some to the safety, some to the costs, some to whether or not this is an appropriate public health measure at all.

All of these are valid concerns which should and have been addressed at length. We are approaching time for the City Council to make a decision. This is not a “no brainer” as some from each side of the issue have suggested. What I think is true of both proponents and opponents is that everyone who cares enough to educate themselves and comment on this issue has the best interest of the community in mind. What we have are differences of opinion about what is the “best interest” of our community.

Sunday Commentary: Development Issue Returning as the Real Market Recovers

By David M. GreenwaldSeptember 29, 20133 comments

In November of 2009, Measure P, Wildhorse Ranch, went down to a resounding defeat at the polls by a 75-25 margin. That margin dwarfed the 2005 Measure X 60-40 margin, that was a handily-defeated proposal for Covell Village.

One of the huge differences in the two projects is that Measure X occurred while the real estate market was still humming along. The massive 2000-unit project, however, concerned city residents worried that the city had not properly accounted for huge increases in traffic volume.

Wood Smoke: Towards a Citizen-Centered Approach

By uptownstudiosSeptember 28, 201335 comments

by Robb Davis

There is little doubt that some of our neighbors in Davis have health problems that are exacerbated by wood smoke. There is also little doubt that other neighbors enjoy having wood fires and that some use wood or wood products as a way to heat their homes. This leads to a conflict over interests/needs, but it is a conflict that is fairly localized-that is, between people who live near one another, people who share a common space and who, presumably, would be best served by resolving the conflict themselves without the automatic threat of punishment from the city.

We have the tools and resources to deal with wood smoke conflicts in this way-to find alternative forms of conflict resolution that will serve the needs of those whose health is adversely affected while providing those who desire to burn wood some latitude to do so.

A Long Night For Everyone Interested In The Cannery – A Tally of the 62 Public Comments

By Matt WilliamsSeptember 28, 201359 comments

by Matt Williams

I was one of the people who stayed to the very end of the Planning Commission meeting Wednesday night. As has been widely reported, the Planning Commission did not make a recommendation to the City Council, but instead has asked staff to provide answers to a long list of questions that the Planning Commissioners individually and collectively still have. The next Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 9^th, which is still before the first of three City Council meetings on The Cannery, which will begin on October 22^nd.

Even though the Planning Commissioners weren’t able to make up their minds, 62 Davis residents took the time to share their thoughts during Public Comment. As best as I could tell, the vast majority of those 62 expressed little doubt about how they felt about The Cannery

My View: Secession is a Bad Idea for Northern Counties

By David M. GreenwaldSeptember 28, 20134 comments

When the State of Virginia seceded from the union just prior to the Civil War, the northwestern counties of the state disagreed and felt that the sitting Virginia Government had acted illegally in seceding from the Union.

West Virginia became a state on June 20, 1863, in the midst of the Civil War. West Virginia is the only state in the Union to have acquired its sovereignty by proclamation of the President of the United States. Statehood was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln.

City Staff Punts on Fluoridation, Offers Competing Resolutions, Leaving It To Council

By David M. GreenwaldSeptember 27, 201330 comments

After months of debate, the day of reckoning has arrived on the issue of fluoridation – but whatever council does, we will have little insight from the city staff report, which has simply provided the city council with two competing resolutions. One of the resolutions would direct staff to pursue fluoridation of the city of Davis drinking water, while the other would declare that the city does not intend to fluoridate the city of Davis drinking water.

A few weeks ago, city staff tried to punt the issue down the road to avoid what they can only see as a collision course between opponents and proponents. However, there was one point that both sides agreed on – the decision needed to be made sooner rather than later.

Commentary: Will Variable Rates on Waste Containers Reduce Waste?

By David M. GreenwaldSeptember 27, 201314 comments

On Tuesday night, the council voted 4-1 to support the idea of variable rates for waste containers, with Councilmember Brett Lee dissenting. Councilmember Lee primarily objected because of the six-dollar differential between the 65 gallon and 95 gallon containers, as opposed to a three-dollar differential on the difference between 65 gallon and 35 gallon containers.

He argued that the 20 percent rate increase seems excessive. However, after the council pondered a flatter rate structure, the concerns from city staff about revenue needs as well as the limitations of the Prop 218 process that is already underway ultimately swayed the rest of council to support the staff recommendation.

Innocence Project Urges Pardon in Willingham Arson Case

By David M. GreenwaldSeptember 27, 20131 comments

The New York Times is reporting that the Innocence Project today will ask Texas Governor Rick Perry “to order the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to investigate whether the state should posthumously pardon Mr. Willingham [Cameron Todd Willingham], whose 2004 execution has become a lightning rod of controversy over the Texas justice system.”

“This is a terrible thing to not only execute somebody who was innocent; this is an individual who lost his three children,” said Barry Scheck, co-founder of the Innocence Project.

Cannery Revises Maps to Show Connectivity; Gains Key Supporters

By David M. GreenwaldSeptember 26, 20139 comments

Consultants to the Cannery Park development have provided the Vanguard with new illustrative land use plan maps to improve the public’s ability to see the two entrances to the proposed development off Covell Blvd.

Concern was expressed that the project has been depicted as having only one entrance.

Good Bike Connectivity at Cannery Would Provide Strong Economic Advantage

By uptownstudiosSeptember 26, 201330 comments

By Robb Davis and Mont Hubbard

Davis is special. We were the first Platinum Award recipient from the League of American Bicyclists and today have the highest bike trip mode share (somewhere around 25%) and the highest percentage of bicycle commuters in the U.S. Central to creating and maintaining our quality of life have been land use decisions. We’ve built our neighborhoods compactly and friendly to bike and pedestrian traffic. No other city our size boasts more than 50 miles of bike routes, 55 miles of dedicated bike paths and 29 grade-separated bike tunnels and bridges.

This didn’t come by happenstance. Rather it is the result of unceasing diligence and foresight by our political and activist forbears. For nearly 50 years, city leaders have made collective quality of life more important than the demands of individual interests. Citizens in 1966 proposed bike lanes but when these were spurned by recalcitrant Council members, they elected a new Council. Every subsequent one has demanded and funded connectivity in approved developments. The result is the wonderful connectedness we have: one can go almost anywhere as easily and conveniently by bike as by car.

Building the Davis Ecosystem to Achieve Economic Vitality

By uptownstudiosSeptember 26, 201328 comments

By Rob White

Yesterday, I had the distinct privilege to attend an event held by the UC Davis Center for Biophotonics Science &Technology (CBST) at Shriner’s Hospital in Sacramento. The Innovation Ecosystems Symposium included many distinguished researchers and technologist, as well as a keynote presentation by Greg Horowitt, Entrepreneur and co-author of “The Rainforest: The Secret to Building the Next Silicon Valley“.

Though we can debate on what the title means and if the idea of another “Silicon Valley” is truly achievable or even the right vision for Davis, some of his more detailed points from his presentation are absolutely pertinent to the discussion of how we can improve Davis’ community dialogue.

Council Approves New Wood Burning Ordinance in Concept

By David M. GreenwaldSeptember 25, 201361 comments

Staff Will Come Back with Final Ordinance – After considerable discussion, the Davis City Council unanimously asked staff to come back with an ordinance similar to the staff recommendation on wood burning. Brett Lee ultimately made the motion to include an exception for EPA-certified stoves, as the threshold in this ordinance would have been detrimental to a typical person.

Councilmember Lee also wanted it expanded to 365 days a year. “We’ll call this a first step, we’ll see what happens,” he said. “We’ll come back to this in six months’ time and then we’ll try to have something crafted based upon our experience in terms of typical person versus visible smoke. That gets us going so that we’re in place for this winter.”

City Manager Responds as Firefighters Picket in Front of City Hall

By David M. GreenwaldSeptember 25, 201316 comments

By Steve Pinkerton

Editor’s note: On September 10, 2013, firefighters’ union President Bobby Weist and two of his members explained to the Davis City Council their concerns about the major changes the department is undergoing under the control of non-firefighters. They were joined by about a dozen members in the audience. Among their complaints was the amount of overtime. Mr. Weist told Council, “we just went on a strike team, people were forced to work overtime prior to leaving on a strike team. They went on a strike team, they were there for ten days, working 16 hours and when they came back, they had to come back to work.”

Prior to Tuesday’s City Council Meeting, Mr. Weist and about a dozen firefighters took to the streets complaining about staffing levels, calls for service, and overtime. Davis City Manager Steve Pinkerton sent out a lengthy response to the complaints by the firefighters, in response as well to requests for clarification from the city council. We have reprinted that response in its entirety.

Jury Finds West Sacramento Man Guilty of Resisting Arrest Despite Being Badly Beaten By Police

By Vanguard Court Watch InternsSeptember 25, 201312 comments

By Jeff Briggs

In September of 2011, Aristeo Vasquez-Munoz was arrested and charged with battery, resisting arrest, hitting a woman holding a child, and child abuse. During a commotion following a confrontation on the street, police officers badly beat Mr. Vasquez-Munoz, who suffered severe bruising to his legs.

By the time the case finally went to trial two years later, only the resisting arrest charge remained. A jury after a few hours of deliberation found him guilty of the misdemeanor, and he received one year of probation and an $865 fine.

Is Cannery Setting a New Environmental Standard For Davis?

By David M. GreenwaldSeptember 24, 201327 comments

Some have criticized the Cannery project for not living up to the sustainability thresholds of UC Davis’ West Village. Mark Braly and members of the Valley Climate Action Center board of directors have published a piece in today’s Enterprise, arguing that Cannery “can be Davis’ new green standard.”

But they have concerns. Davis has a goal of zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Mr. Braly and his colleagues argue, “We have a long way to go to achieve this goal. We make the task more difficult with each new house we build in Davis whose carbon emissions are more than net zero.”

Analysis: Shifting Priorities on Wood Smoke Burning

By David M. GreenwaldSeptember 24, 201373 comments

It was our initial understanding that the concern for wood smoke burning had to do with the large amount of particulate matter put into the air, particularly on days with little wind movement to blow the smoke particles out of the valley. The result was that air quality management would issue certain no-burn days and the city has, without a huge amount of success, attempted both voluntary and mandatory regulations during those days.

Somewhere in this process the focus has shifted from a global impact of particulate matter in Davis’ air to the impact on neighbors – dubbed the nearest neighbor effect.

Month: September 2013