City-UCD Student Liaison Commission 2009-2010 Goals

Commission Chair and ASUCD Vice President –

The City-UCD Student Liaison Commission meeting met on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 to discuss their plans for the 2009-2010 year.   With some new and excited student members, the Commission has put together some broad and ambitious goals that will improve student and community relations within our city.

Chief among the issues that the Commission decided to address will be renter’s rights and education.  At the October 6th joint meeting with the Commission and the City Council, the Council approved recommendations from the Commission’s renter’s sub-committee to put together a renters education guide for the city of Davis.  Davis is set apart from other cities with a high proportion of renters, over 50%, compared to the national average of 33%.   Additionally, there are many unique services that the community has put together, such as the Davis Model Lease, that strikes a near-perfect balance between the needs of renters and landlords.  However, awareness about these community services is low among Davis renters, especially student renters who are usually around for only a short period of time before they begin the renting process.  Therefore, a Davis renters guide would be very valuable for all Davis renters so they know the services available to them, their rights, and their responsibilities. 

Another issue that the Commission will be pursuing in renters rights is the passage of an ordinance requiring the return of interest earned on security deposits.  While currently required by the Davis Model Lease, only about half of apartment complexes in Davis use this lease, and some strike this provision from the lease.  These deposits represent a substantial expense for renters, especially student renters, and ultimately this money still belongs to the renters themselves, and is only drawn upon when damage repair or excessive cleaning is required.  As one of the representatives from the Associated Students of UC Davis on the Commission I will be pursuing this ordinance, hopefully in a way that will balance the needs of the renters and the apartment managers.

Another area that the Commission would like to work in is promoting student friendly business within the City of Davis.  The Commission expressed interest in compiling a list of all businesses that offer student discounts so that students know about such discounts while also encouraging other businesses to offer similar discounts.  Additionally, the Commission wants to work to encourage students and community members to use local community businesses as a way of integrating students into the broader Davis community.

Finally, in early 2010, the Commission will work to promote participation from UC Davis students in local politics.  While students are individually transient, the student population makes up a substantial part of the Davis community, so therefore the Commission wants to encourage students to vote, and be involved in local government bodies so that their interests can be represented. 

The Commission will also continue to work in the area of student-police relations to educate students about their rights, while encouraging safety and responsibility.  Also, the Commissions action to promote sustainable practice in the community will continue throughout the coming year.

Overall, the Commission has some very ambitious goals, and if they are able to be successful in achieving them they will be able to have a broad impact on the lives of students and the community as a whole.

–Chris Dietrich reporting