By Ben Wynd
There are just over two months to go before the election—as supporters were reminded on Sunday, ballots hit the mailboxes on May 8. That leaves barely a month until the election officially begins.
Davis Councilmember Dan Carson held a Yes On Measure H event to kick off the final stretch of the campaign before mail-in ballots start heading to the homes of Davis voters.
A staunch supporter of the campaign, Councilmember Carson laid out his core considerations when giving this project his support. He began by addressing the fiscal impact of DiSC 2022 and its projected generation of $4 million dollar a year for the city.
Carson emphasized the goal of simultaneously improving the quality of life in Davis, while not raising taxes. The revenue of this “fiscal winner” project was described as beneficial for county schools, libraries, and governance.
Carson proceeded to go into detail about the aspect of DiSC that many on the campaign say concerns voters the most: traffic. He argues “traffic conditions in East and South Davis will be better than if the project is not built.” He partially credits this to DiSC’s downsizing after its original failure at the polls in 2020.
Carson mentioned the implementation of traffic mitigation requirements and rebuts the opposition’s claims that these requirements are not enforceable. He explained that, due to the project’s contract and legal ramifications of proper language use and clarity on the ballot description, residents should not fear traffic mitigation falling through the cracks.
The final consideration Carson brought up was the environment. He wanted to encourage partnerships between DiSC and UC Davis, especially in the life sciences/agriculture/climate area. Ensuring space for wet labs and manufacturing space for students and professors who need it was described as a key to stopping and mitigating climate change impacts.
Carson cited the UC Davis partnership with the city on Covid-19 related issues as a prime example of the power of partnership between the school and the city, and wants to continue to foster that kind of success, especially in environmental areas. Carson profoundly stated, “I think we’d be crazy to not make this happen.”
Yolo County Democratic Party Chair Linda Deos spoke on the measure as well. She voiced her concerns about the traffic on behalf of Davis residents she’s heard from and concerns from herself as a north Davis resident.
After addressing that seemingly common concern, Deos explained her excitement for the project and the Yolo County Democratic Party’s endorsement of the measure. She reiterated many of the points Carson made about the project being desperately needed in a town where talent is leaking to surrounding areas.
The Yolo County Democratic Party had previously supported Measure B in 2020 (DiSC’s first iteration), making this support expected, but welcome to the campaign.
Ballots containing the vote on Measure H are slated to be arriving in mailboxes around a month from now. The campaign already reported having hit 4000 doors as they utilize a ground game that they were unable to mount two years ago during the height of the pandemic.
The campaign expressed its desire to hold more of these events and an even harder push for canvassing and spreading the word.
