The close of 2013 was supposed to be the close of Vanguard 2.0, the second version of the Davis Vanguard website. However, other things intervened and the end of Vanguard 2.0 which was launched March 1, 2009, came on December 2, 2013.
Today we will present two lists of top 10 – the top 10 for 2013 on Vanguard 2.0 and the all-time top 10 on Vanguard 2.0. The thing we learned is that the most comments did not always equate with the most readership and often the stories that were most read were Yolo County or more national in variety.
Top 10 2013 Articles
1. Board of Supervisors Votes to Support Water Fluoridation for Davis and Woodland, May 8, 2013
Supervisor Don Saylor introduced a resolution on Tuesday that called for the Yolo County Board of Supervisors to support water fluoridation in Davis and Woodland. The resolution would pass by a 4-1 vote with only Supervisor Duane Chamberlain dissenting.
Supervisor Saylor told his colleagues, that a number of bodies within Yolo County, along with the Centers for Disease Control, the American Dental Association, the California Dental Association and numerous scientists and public health specialists, support fluoridation in the water.
2. Critics Question Proposal by LAFCO to Contract Animal Services to UC Davis Koret School, February 27, 2013
LAFCO (Local Agency Formation Commission) has an initiative to explore alternative models of animal sheltering for Yolo County, following reports and complaints about problems with the current state of the Yolo County Animal Shelter.
A letter from Diane Parro, Deputy to County Supervisor Don Saylor, dated February 15, 2013 indicates, “After the study prepared by Sue Marks Gibbs and Tammie Murrell was presented to all the contracting agencies which includes Yolo County, Davis, West Sacramento, Winters, Woodland and UC Davis, the Yolo Managers group agreed to explore the JPA model.”
3. Sunday Commentary: County Penny Wise, But Pound Foolish on Clerk-Assessor Consolidation Plan, November 10, 2013
This week, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to consolidate the elected Yolo County Clerk-Recorder’s office with the Yolo County Assessor’s office. The majority of three believed that the move would add efficiency, in that there is at least some overlap between a portion of the offices that deal with real property.
The assessor’s office, for example, sets the values of property while the recorder’s office mans the public documents that deal with land transactions, sales, liens, purchases and easements.
4. McGowan Appointed by Governor to DMV, Leaving BOS in December, November 6, 2013
Board of Supervisors Also Votes to Combine Assessor with Clerk-Recorder – It has been 20 years that Mike McGowan has served on the Yolo County Board of Supervisors, but he announced on Tuesday that he will be stepping down from his position, following Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.’s appointment of the Yolo County Supervisor to deputy director of strategic planning and policy at the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
According to a release from Governor Brown, “Mike McGowan, 65, of West Sacramento, has been appointed deputy director of strategic planning and policy at the California Department of Motor Vehicles, effective December 4, 2013.”
5. 16-Year-Old Davis Resident Daniel Marsh Charged with the Murders, June 19, 2013
On Monday, the Davis Police announced that a 16-year-old male Davis resident was taken into custody, and is being held on charges for the double murder of Oliver Northrup and Claudia Maupin. There are no other suspects in this case. By early Tuesday, the Vanguard had learned the name of the suspect, but declined to disclose the information publicly until the charges became official.
Late on Tuesday, the Yolo County District Attorney’s office filed a criminal complaint against 16-year-old Daniel Marsh, who they claim “did willfully and unlawfully kill a human being, to wit, Oliver Northup, with malice aforethought. This is willful, premeditated, and deliberate murder within the meaning of Penal Code Section 189.”
6. My View: Questioning the Toughness of this Council, March 9, 2013
Say what you want about the last council, but they knew they had their three-vote majority bloc on each vote – and if it was going to be a 3-2 vote, they did not fret it. And so by a series of 3-2 votes, they passed their agenda whether it was the 3-2 vote not to read the Aaronson report, the 3-2 votes to pass the budgets that kicked the can down the road, or the 3-2 vote to kick the water can down the road, as well.
Early on, it seemed like the new council got it. It was Joe Krovoza, Rochelle Swanson and Dan Wolk who voted 3-2 in June 2011, in a room that was over 90 degrees and packed with 150 city employees, to cut $2.5 million from employee compensation. That is the type of vote where legends are made, where councils get the reputation for being tough.
7. Analysis: Should Davis Reconsider Conservation Easement on Mace 391?, September 12, 2013
(Note this was the top commented story of the year with 233 comments)
In June, there is no way around it, the discussion on a potential land swap involving a parcel of land east of Mace, Mace 391, and the Shriner’s Property was a debacle. There are many reasons for that, which we have discussed previously and will not go into here. The process problems destroyed any chance to have a real conversation on the merits of the proposal – and there are, as well, some legitimate concerns.
Earlier this week, David Morris, who proposed this arrangement, repackaged the proposal and took the unique step of putting it out to the community and vetting the project proposal on the Vanguard where the public could ask questions, scrutinize the project, and criticize it if need be.
8. Discussions on Race Going Forward Need to Focus on the Justice System, July 23, 2013
As stated on Sunday, the President’s comments on race in part helped to push us away from one discussion on the Trayvon Martin killing and toward another. The President said, “When Trayvon Martin was first shot I said that this could have been my son. Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago.”
This is the reality that all African-Americans have to deal with in our society – the prospect of being treated not because of their actions, but being regarded with suspicion because of the color of their skin and the location of their whereabouts.
9. A Troubling Picture Emerges of the Attacker in Davis Hate Incident, March 15, 2013
Thursday, the Davis Police announced the arrest of Clayton Garzon, a 19-year-old resident who attended Davis High School, with a history of violence and drug problems.
Mr. Garzon has been arrested and booked in the Yolo County Jail charged with Assault Causing Great Bodily Injury; Committing a Hate Crime; Assault with a Deadly Weapon; Stalking; Committing a Felony while on release from custody; and Inflicting Great Bodily Injury during the commission of a felony.
10. Stabbing Victims Identified as Longtime Davis Residents, April 15, 2013
On April 14, 2013, at approximately 9:20 pm, the Davis Police Department responded to the 4000 block of Cowell Blvd. for a welfare check. While conducting the check of the residence, officers discovered two deceased adults inside. During the course of the investigation, officers discovered signs of forced entry to the house.
It was clear both victims suffered stab wounds, but the official cause of death is yet to be determined by the Yolo County Coroner. The victims’ identities have not yet been released by the Yolo County Coroner’s Office. At this time we believe the deceased victims to be an elderly couple (male and female) in the mid-70s to late-80s age range.
Top 10 All Time – Vanguard 2.0
1. Board of Supervisors Votes to Support Water Fluoridation for Davis and Woodland, May 8, 2013
2. Critics Question Proposal by LAFCO to Contract Animal Services to UC Davis Koret School, February 27, 2013
3. Do Speeds Need to Go Up West of Davis on Russell?, October 27, 2011
4. Supervisor Provenza Expresses Concerns About Redistricting Boundaries in the County, September 19, 2011
5. CalPERS Debunks Myth of Shorter Life Expectancy For Safety Employees, September 4, 2009
6. Commentary: Is it Wise to Cut Health Services For Undocumented Residents?, May 2, 2009
7. Crowd Protests Sentence of Ajay Dev Sentenced to 378 Years Last Week, August 12, 2009
8. Measure P Rebuttal Statements Turned In, August 19, 2009
9. Why Do Firefighters Make Substantially More Than Police Officers in Davis?, May 27, 2009
10. Wrongful Convictions and Plea Bargain: Why Innocent People Sometimes Plead Guilty to Crimes They Did Not Commit, May 30, 2012
