My friends, I have sad news to report tonight. Julie Partansky, a friend, an ally, and an all-around wonderful person passed away last night after a brief battle with lung cancer. She was just 60.
Julie Partansky was a unique and sensitive person. Her personality combined whimsy and serious purpose, creativity and practicality, fun and hard work.
No one I ever knew had such a deep sense of the magic, the happy unpredictabilities of life, yet was very organized and focused. When Julie presided as Mayor, I was Mayor Pro Tem. She would come to meetings better prepared than most people in the room. Her briefing book would have markers sticking out all through it, with questions and notes that she wanted to pursue.
Those who knew Julie only as an artist and musician were surprised that she could put down her paint brush, set aside her marimba sticks and deftly handle the Mayor’s gavel. Julie would often have a wider view of an issue than the rest of us, and would see new opportunities earlier than others. She would be tenacious about things she wanted the City to do, or not do. Even before she was Mayor, her leadership was key to the grass-roots effort to prevent the Richards Boulevard undercrossing from becoming a 4-lane extension of the I-80 off-ramp. And when she was Mayor, she worked hard on growth control, always reminding us that humans do not have a divine right to pave over the land. Julie energetically achieved the precedent-setting Davis outdoor lighting ordinance, which reduces glare and preserves our view of the night sky.
Once on her birthday someone gave her a certificate that named a distant star for Julie. She was delighted. Julie had a favorite shirt covered with little stars.
These things may seem whimsical, but to be able to gaze across a Davis parking lot or other open area at night and see starry sky is her tangible gift to us. Julie was a bright star with a twinkling personality, and we will miss her dearly.
Please feel free to share your thoughts and memories with the community.
—David M. Greenwald reporting
Julie Partansky was one of a kind. A deeply spiritual and kind person she lived her life by the phrase
I ran in 2000 for CC because Julie asked me. That led to the 3/2 votes that adopted the best parts of the 2001 General Plan. Many of those sections are now part of other California city progressive general plans. Her actions on the CC and support for later CC members go far, far beyond the toad tunnel, dark sky ordinance, and some of the other issues she is often cited for.I am thinking about what her death means to me and will post more later. Feeling numb right now.Good night.
Julie’s legacy to our community is unmistakable. So much of what makes Davis …Davis… to newcomers are things that Julie’s leadership brought us.Julie’s touch on our community will never be forgotten.I am grateful to have known her, if only for a few years. I will miss her.There is surely another star up there twinkling at us – and it’s Julie.
Julie was one of the most gentle and kind people that I have ever met. Always upbeat, always good natured, and never an unkind word. The many years that she diligently served our community, working hard to keep it a good place to live will be remembered by all of us. Julie took her responsibility as an elected official seriously and poured countless hours of time into studying the issues before her. She was always prepared for meetings. She was a person of her word and was principled. She had the courage and fortitude to not back down on issues that was she committed to, regardless of any negative pressure to try to make her alter course. She cared so much about the welfare of our environment and worked so hard to preserve it. I am so saddened and still trying to come to terms with accepting that she is physically gone. However, in so many ways she continues to still be here with us. During her time here with us we got to enjoy her ever positive and fun personality but she left us with so much to remember her by. The dark sky ordinance to enhance and protect the beauty of our starry nights, our wonderful toad tunnel protecting even the smallest of creatures, our roundabouts helping to safely move our vehicles, and all of her help on our citizen-based General Plan to help guide the future of our city. These are all just some of her accomplishments which will continue to be a testimony to Julie
David,You say Julie was a friend, yet you create a blog you knew she did not want. I emailed you that ahead of time. Creating this blog is not the act of a friend, take down the blog and respect her wishes, the Enterprise did not, but a friend should. Going against her wishes is just tabloid blogging.
And if David didn’t cover it everyone would be asking why. The Enterprise ran a full page story on it. We have the right to share our memories of Julie.
That is not the point Sorry. Julie did not want this. It is not about what we want it is respect for Julie’s wishes. The Enterprise is a rag that will always do what it wants; the Enterprise is not a justification for acting against someone’s wishes and showing Julie the respect she is due. What any of us want personally now is not the point. If Julie’s wishes were for us all to dress in green polka dots and dance and I hated how I looked in green and I never learned to dance I would do it anyway or at least try my best. Let folks ask questions; questions are good. Julie asked lots of questions.
I am struck by the distinction between Ms. McCarthy’s remarks above and Julie’s character. The defining difference between Julie and so many of the other Davis activists is that she never seemed angry to me. So many people, especially here locally, act out of anger, but Julie never did. She had her differences and her issues but she was never mean about them. It truly set her apart.As to the other aspect of Ms. McCarthy’s posting I have to say it is an unreasonable request. Julie chose to be a public official and she became, through her own choice, a public figure. Retirement does not erase that choice. She could not stem the advent of publicity around her passing. Remembrances and memories are for the living, not the deceased. Let others handle their grief and respect in their own manner and let Julie’s kindness and gentleness prevail in the wake of her passing.
Julie was so much one of a kind that I find it hard to imagine what Davis would now be without her having served her community. Julie was never afraid to take on a new idea on behalf of her neighbors, knowing in her heart that trying to do our best is what really counts. An artist first and foremost, Julie understood well the art of community. I am deeply saddened by her death; she gave so much to us, and should have had more time left to give to herself. I too am grateful to have known her.Esther Polito
This blows me away that so many who purport to care about Julie have no regard for her express wishes. It is not a matter of what we think but about what she wished. I see these as false tributes to makes one feel better. As another of her fried and I have observed so many people’s reaction is about them and not about Julie. This discussion exemplifies that, that there is even discussion. I am astounded by this reaction and lack of respect for what Julie expressed. Who is to decide what is reasonable, it is her request and David purported to be a friend. A friend should if possible honor a request whether reasonable or the most unreasonable in the world. If not then the friend part should have been redacted and admit a public blog is created against a former friend’s express wish. No big deal the Enterprise did a similar thing,but the Enterprise did not purport to be a friend. You can’t have it both ways. Blog tops friendship I got it. I just find it difficult to swallow.
Samantha says:…Blog tops friendship I got it. I just find it difficult to swallow….I think you should explain. Was Julie against blogs in general, or just against her death being a post? It isn’t clear in any of your posts here.In any case, the tone was extremely positive until your public post. Why not contact David personally instead of post publicly your disapproval. Disparaging comments only draw attention to yourself and your cause. And this from someone that generally always agrees with you.Let bygones be bygones, and turn your focus to the moment and memories at hand.
Julie did not belong in politics. She was not suited for politics. Politics requires compromise to be fully successful. Julie refused to compromise any of her values. Politicians must be realists. Julie was always an idealist. To me, her biggest legacy not yet noted was her sense of fairness. She was always willing to listen to an opposing view. That is a rare commodity in a political environment where repetitious and sanctimonious rants are used to stifle or intimidate any dissension.There was nothing pretentious about Julie. What you saw is what you got. Notice how we all are comfortable in calling a former mayor, Julie. And now we have lost her, and far too soon. Most of all, Julie was a kind and decent human being. I will miss her.
Ms. McCarthy:Your posts seem to be more about you than Julie. You are asserting that you were aware of Julie’s directions. You are trying to exercise authority on her behalf. It’s really a power play on your part. It’s unseemly and says more about you than about her.She was a public figure. Bless her.
…The Enterprise is a rag that will always do what it wants….It’s eldritch you think a news publication should not report the death of a public figure who served Davis as mayor.
Julie was one of a kind. Remember the ‘Blue Mango’? Julie made those incredible chandeliers out of coconuts. She was so creative and such a free spirit. She certainly was no one you could label or put in a box. In fact, a friend who hasn’t lived here in 25 years, but knew her before that, was really surprised to learn that she had been the mayor of Davis. As we pause and reflect on what we appreciated about Julie, we should also reflect on the marvel of living in a community where someone like Julie, who definitely marched to a different drum, could be elected mayor. And, vis a vis what Samantha has been saying about Julie’s purported wishes; I am sure that wherever Julie is right now, she is far above worrying about whether or not we mere mortals memorialize her for good or ill.
She will always be a shining star in my memory book of life, like the coconut lights you created for The Blue Mango, illuminating all who past through that epic place. I am grateful for all she gave, her warmth, dignity, integrity and earnest ability to never compromise. Her quirky outlook on life, art, and politics impacted all those she came in touch with. Thank you Julie for being the wholly original person you were. Your greatest work of art was the creation of you.Thank you for the creation of this blog to pay tribute to an outstanding member of the community who left us too soon. I am sad for our loss.
Phil Coleman was right. I agree with most of what he had to say. My opinion is that Julie was nice, but very weird and strange in her own way. I won’t miss that part of her.
Eileen Samitz, The …Wonderful Toad Tunnel…? NewsFlash, the toads have never used it. The $160,000.00 dollars wasted on that peabrain tunnel would have been better spent on improving conditions for abused children or the elderly. As a City Coucil member and Mayor of this town Julie was a non-compromising person. That trait is always selfish and self serving. Thats how I remember Julie.
To Angry Anonymous,Here is a newsflash. Europe has model similar toad tunnels to ours in Davis. Here are some facts:1) Switzerland built the first toad tunnel in 1969. Germany, Spain, France and England followed soon after and in some areas there are as many as 20 tunnels along a 50 meter stretch of road.2) Scott Jackson, a biologist at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, said one way to help amphibians survive road crossings is to construct so-called amphibian tunnels beneath the pavement. European countries have constructed these amphibian tunnels for decades. Jackson led a team that installed the first such tunnel in the U.S., which was built in Amherst in 1987. The tunnel, known as the Henry Street site, was constructed to help spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum). More than three quarters of the local salamander population used it to cross the road, according to monitoring results.3) Germany also has the environmental conscience to build toad tunnels. The project will offer safe passage to an estimated 4,000 amphibians each year, ministry officials said.So, unless you are a 24/7 toad tunnel watcher, I can
To Angry Anonymous (again),I forgot to mention one other fact. The toad tunnel did not cost $160,000 as you stated, but $14,000.
Who knows whether the toad tunnel works? I do know that Julie single-handedly saved many of the toads when construction began on the Pole Line overpass. She gathered the tadpoles by the hundreds and moved them to a bathtub in the back yard near her studio. Word got to us that these babies needed foster homes. So my son, then about 8, and I met Julie on site. After a detailed interview — really, a grilling — about the habitat on our rural property, and much discussion of how to safely transport them, we were allowed to carry off about a hundred of them. The toads established readily in the overgrown parts of our property, and have since moved out into a neighbor’s drainage pond as well. There are hundreds and hundreds of them. So on spring evenings we are all treated to a beautiful chorus. A grand and very apt legacy. Thank you, Julie!
that’s a beautiful story, don.
I went out and looked up at Venus last night and thought of Julie. The skies of Davis are darker and the stars are brighter both because she was here and because she is not.
Julie was a beautiful person and her heart was pure. Many times, she and I were relegated to some table in Outer Mongolia at public events. I always enjoyed her company, and I deeply respect the contributions she made to our region. We need some people who won’t …make deals…. It helps to keep the rest of us honest! I will always think of her with nothing but love. She certainly showered love on this community. God bless you, my friend Julie, and I hope we meet again.
as someone who is no longer in the area, it has been wonderful to check in here and read these thoughts and stories… i knew julie back in the days before the Blue Mango was born. it seemed to be a simpler time, full of creativity, and dreams of what we wanted our lives to be. julie was one of the first people i met in what was to be my first real community. as the years have passed, that is what Davis has come to be for many of us – an example of what a true community can be, with contrasting ideas, and then finding options that move us forward. julie cared, and she acted, and there was always another idea on the way…blessings, my dear friend, your inspiration will always be near and clear in my heart…xxx amy(i have a nice old photo of juliehere, if you would like to smile)
I only met Julie once. She was standing outside the Co-op, petitioning against the aerial spraying for West Nile virus. She was alone as I was about to walk by. She stood inside a box painted in a green stripe on the edge of the sidewalk, to which the Co-op pooh-bahs had decided petitioners should be confined. She asked whether I was familiar with the controversy. I was not. In soft, clipped tones she quickly got me up to speed. …Thanks, Mayor,… I said as she handed me her clipboard. This was a couple of years after her mayoralty….Oh, busted,… she replied, a little chagrined. …Oh, I knew it was you because you’re thinking outside the box,… I said, pointing at the sidewalk.Sure enough, she had, in her enthusiasm, moved outside the painted box. If only more office-holders had the grace to be chagrined like she was that day.
Samantha:It is understandable that you are upset. You were very close to Julie. Julie may have told some people not to talk about her illness. She was a private person, and she was a self-effacing person. She would not have wanted to have people concerned about her or to worry them. But Julie herself did tell friends. I learned of her illness from a person who has been very close to Julie for many years, and I was not told to not speak of it. Nearly everyone I have talked to in the last few weeks had heard about Julie, so it is not like David broke any trust. As to the Enterprise article, someone close to her had to have notified the Enterprise. It is only natural to want to let the world know about the passing of such a beloved public figure. We all loved Julie. It was not possible to know her and not love her. Now that she is gone, it is natural to want to mourn her and to pay tribute to her. I think David has done us a service to give us a venue to talk about Julie and to eulogize her. This is not about us; it is about Julie and how much we loved her. I am sure Julie would not be upset with that.
I did not agree with Julie often, but I did respect her greatly for the passion of her beliefs and her consistency. She was the kind of person that helps make a city, a place, a community unique. I will miss her here.
I am enjoying and agree with the many wonderful tributes to Julie expressed on this blog. I was always impressed with her almost childlike outside the box honesty. She dared to ask the questions and raise issues so many of us were glad she did. I loved the Blue Mango and miss my favorite meal – the Migrant Farmworkers Breakfast. When she proposed the dark sky ordinance, my mind immediately flashed back to the time I was on the train coming west. I drew open the curtain in my roomette at night and was stunned to see the entire sky blanketed with brilliant stars. Such a wonderous sight I thought …God is showing off!… I had not seen more than three or four stars in ages. So dark sky made sense to me. Julie touched our lives in many different ways.