The early reports I heard regarding Picnic Day seemed encouraging, other than a couple of high profile cases – a tasering and a knife, otherwise, things were relatively calm in Davis. None of the out of control shenanigans of 2010.
The reported level of arrests was 51 – a bit higher than perhaps we would like, but given the police presence, not wholly surprising. There were also just over 100 citations.
Two years ago, Picnic Day resulted in huge problems in the community, as heavy drinking and a large out-of-town population resulted in huge numbers of assaults that threatened the prospect of future Picnic Days.
As a letter from March 28, 2011, indicated, co-signed by Mayor Joe Krovoza and Chancellor Linda Katehi, the city and campus took a number of steps to reduce the problems, including the creation of a Safety Enhancement Zone which increases the fines for violations in downtown areas. That SEZ has been expanded this year into areas north of Fifth Street in the city’s core.
Last night Davis Police Chief Landy Black followed up on a council request for a criminal statistics report. The report comes on the heels of the much publicized arrest of a suspect involved in at least some of a string of burglaries in Davis.
The Vanguard, following up on a story last month, also requested data on calls for service by address. As Chief Black told the Vanguard, it is difficult, without a very time-consuming examination, call-by-call, to make a whole lot out of that data, but we will present that as well as his comments to the Vanguard.
According to the staff report, “Based on Police Department concerns, staff recommends the City Council accept the City-UCD Student Liaison Commission motion on amending the Davis Noise Ordinance as informational at this time.”
On these pages, we have not talked much about the rash of burglaries in Davis in the early part of the year. As of early March, there had been 31 break-ins, along with eight attempted burglaries in Davis this year. That number may now be approaching 50.I was reading a letter to the Davis Enterprise discussing citizen patrols and whether citizens should be patrolling neighborhoods.
Police Chief Landy Black was back before the Davis City Council to push for passage of the Minor Alcohol Preclusion Act, that would make it an infraction, payable with what would ultimately be a 240 dollar fine for an individual under 21, to be caught having consumed enough alcohol to register a .01% blood alcohol content, in the City of Davis.
On Tuesday we will find out the long-awaited results of the pepper-spray report. Many are bracing themselves for a whitewashing, but I don’t think that is going to happen. The reason that is not going to happen is that Cruz Reynoso is not going to allow it to happen.
I know that he would have preferred to have been able to speak with, or at least have the Kroll investigators speak with, Lt. John Pike and the police chief, but apparently they have enough to know who did what and who ordered whom to do what.
On January 10, 2012, Davis Police Chief Landy Black and city staff caught the Davis City Council off-guard by presenting an ordinance to preclude minors from drinking.Chief Black told the Council, “We’re trying to do this in our efforts for 2012’s Picnic Day.” He added, “Regardless of when it’s adopted it’s a good ordinance, it’s not going to be just a Picnic Day ordinance.”
In an effort to prevent a repeat of Picnic Day 2010’s problems, the City of Davis created a Safety Enhancement Zone which basically doubled the fines and penalties for a variety of acts of public nuisance on Picnic Day 2011. In addition, the city brought in a huge amount of out-of-town police to beef up patrols.
Despite a notable tragic event, the number of major incidents during Picnic Day last year was lower. However, the heavy enforcement and safety enhancement concept have been a source of concern by residents in Old North Davis, who live just north of 5th Street and just above the safety enhancement zone.
The December death of Megan Glanville, a Davis resident originally from Chico, has pushed the city to take further steps to protect pedestrians and others at the intersection of Russell Blvd and Lake Blvd on the westernmost outskirts of Davis.
Staff has come forward with a consent item, based on council’s direction to staff to evaluate Russell Boulevard west of SR-113 and other high-speed rural roads entering the City, for possible traffic safety improvements.
The final version of that motion did incorporate language that left issues open and encouraged future discussions.
Like the alcohol issue that we covered last week, this issue of the noise ordinance appears be dividing the city’s residents from the student population.
When I was growing up in San Luis Obispo and later attended Cal Poly, the city always had a love-hate relationship with the students. The businesses liked the business they got from students, but the residents of the community considered the students an annoyance who made noise, drank and partied.
Moving to Davis, that element seemed less pronounced. There were active efforts here to make students a greater part of the community, whether it was their inclusion in Neighbor’s Night Out Parties or the UC Davis Liaison Commission.
Ordinance Addresses the Wrong Problem and May Be Unenforceable With Unintended ConsequencesIt was billed as a routine measure by Police Chief Landy Black, giving the city the ability to charge minors who had consumed alcohol. At the same time it was acknowledged only one other jurisdiction has a similar law on its books, and students expressed concerns about profiling and due process concerns.
The council passed the first reading of the ordinance, under the understanding that the UC Davis Student Liaison commission would weigh in and the matter would come back before the council. This action preserved the ability for the council to get the matter on the books prior to Picnic Day, which appears to be the real target of this measure.
Back in late October, the County Board of Supervisors held off on raising the speed limit, on the stretch of Russell from Pedrick Road to Lake Blvd, to 45 mph from the current 35 mph.
Few in the community are likely shocked by the news that a young soccer coach and licensed foster parent would be charged with 48 felony child molestation counts with a child under 14. These charges stem from alleged conduct with two children from June 2007 until November 2011.
It is sad that we are not more shocked by these charges, but even in a small community like this one, these charges and stories are not foreign to us. It is only when these stories penetrate into the inner circles of our private lives that they gain more resonance.
by Lamar HeystekThe following is an open letter to the Davis City Council:
Occupy This: Will We Ever Learn?
One of the most riveting moments of the civil rights movement was when Bull Connor turned the firehoses and attack dogs on protesters. It galvanized public sympathy and support for the civil rights movement.
Just as Stephen Souza was pushing off from his announcement at the steps of the Bicycle Hall of Fame, fire engines and emergency vehicles were rolling in. First, UC Davis’ fire engine and hook and ladder truck, then Station 32 from Davis rolled in.
According to a report from the Davis Police Department, on Saturday, Davis Police officers were dispatched to 945 J Street, an apartment in the College Square Apartments on J Street, to a report of a dead body.