Environment

Gadfly Attorney Threatens to Sue Over Restaurant Provision – After some discussion about a potential lawsuit, the Davis City Council unanimously approved the first reading of the single-use plastic bag ordinance that was originally passed on September 10, 2013.

The ordinance applies to all retail business in Davis and there is a 10-cent bag charge for paper bags and plastic bags that meet the specification of a reusuable bag.  The ordinance would be adopted on October 22, upon council approval, and would be effective on July 1, 2014. Staff would conduct business outreach efforts during the first quarter of 2014 to provide notice of the impending ordinance to affected businesses and to assist customers with compliance on an as-needed basis.

by Robb Davis

There is little doubt that some of our neighbors in Davis have health problems that are exacerbated by wood smoke.  There is also little doubt that other neighbors enjoy having wood fires and that some use wood or wood products as a way to heat their homes.  This leads to a conflict over interests/needs, but it is a conflict that is fairly localized-that is, between people who live near one another, people who share a common space and who, presumably, would be best served by resolving the conflict themselves without the automatic threat of punishment from the city.

We have the tools and resources to deal with wood smoke conflicts in this way-to find alternative forms of conflict resolution that will serve the needs of those whose health is adversely affected while providing those who desire to burn wood some latitude to do so.

On Tuesday night, the council voted 4-1 to support the idea of variable rates for waste containers, with Councilmember Brett Lee dissenting.  Councilmember Lee primarily objected because of the six-dollar differential between the 65 gallon and 95 gallon containers, as opposed to a three-dollar differential on the difference between 65 gallon and 35 gallon containers.

He argued that the 20 percent rate increase seems excessive.  However, after the council pondered a flatter rate structure, the concerns from city staff about revenue needs as well as the limitations of the Prop 218 process that is already underway ultimately swayed the rest of council to support the staff recommendation.