City Council Passes 2019-20 Budget
2019-20 City Budget Funds Public Safety Measures, Transportation Infrastructure Improvements and Customer Service Technology Upgrades June 18,…
Commentary: Fiscal Caution Is the Right Approach
When the Vanguard was formed in 2006, one of the problems we cited in city governance was…
Monday Morning Thoughts: Fiscal Picture No Brighter for the City
Last week the city had its first budget presentation for the 2019-20 budget. Past analysis has shown…
Commentary: Should El Macero Residents Pay for Their Portion of the Roadway Upgrades?
On Tuesday night, the Davis City Council agreed at least in principle to have a design firm…
Mayor and City Manager Discuss Budget, Economic Development and Other Matters of Concern at the State of the City Address
Mayor Brett Lee and City Manager Mike Webb spoke at the annual Chamber State of the City…
Commentary: Today Mayor Lee Gives the State of the City Address, What Does It Look Like?
At midday today, Mayor Brett Lee will give his first state of the city address. It has…
PPIC Finds A Well-Designed Parcel Tax Is a Useful Tool for Local Governments
by Matt Williams The parcel tax has advantages over other types of taxes as a source of…
Council Approves City-County Tax-Sharing Agreement on Nishi, WDAAC
Last night after brief discussion the Davis City Council voted 5-0 to approve the agreed to tax-sharing…
Sunday Commentary: Is the Cost of Labor Peace Too High for Davis?
This week, the city of Davis put to bed the longest contract dispute in the city, which…
City Approves Contract with DCEA
(From Press Release) – The Davis City Council approved a four-year labor agreement with the Davis City…
City Agrees to New Contract with DCEA, Ending a Decade-Long Standoff
In early 2010, a Davis City Council led at the time by Mayor Ruth Asmundson voted to…
City to Look at Fire Standards of Cover
In December of 2017, the Davis Fire Department contracted with consultants from Fitch & Associates to perform…
My View: We Operate in Silos but Live in One Community
For months (at the very least) I have been talking about the fact that we live in…
City Hired Finance Director; City Attorney Retires as City Searches for New Community Development Director
It is a time of some turnover for the city of Davis, as the city announced the…
Commentary: Five Problems Our Council Needs to Address This Term
The last Davis City Council needs more credit than they have received so far. Maybe it was…
Analysis: We Should Expect City Services to Deteriorate More
Rich Rifkin’s latest column looks at the MOU (memorandum of understanding) issue and concludes: “Expect city services…
My View: An Immoral Capitulation to the Beverage Industry
Upon hearing the news of the deal between the governor, state legislature and the beverage industry, one…
Sunday Commentary: The MOUs We Signed Should Not Be Cause for Alarm
This week, Alan Pryor forcefully pushed back against the council placement of two MOUs on the consent…
City Responds to Grand Jury Report on Pensions and Medical Costs
(From Press Release) – Earlier this week, the City of Davis received a report from the Yolo…
Council Approves New Employee MOUs after Pushing Back against Criticism
On Tuesday night, the Davis City Council agreed to four-year labor agreements with two employee groups including…