Looking at Measure Q: Sales Tax Extension
In 2004, the voters of Davis passed a half-cent sales tax that was supposed to preserve city services from cuts. Instead what we saw is that the $3 million for sales tax went almost directly to a 36% pay increase for firefighters. It did not “preserve” city services from cuts, rather it increased the cost of city services to the taxpayer.
Fueled by the increased revenue from sales taxes and booming property tax revenues, the city went on a spending spree that it will likely pay for for the rest of our lives, obligating tens of millions to people well after they have ceased to work for the city of Davis.
Last week we reported that city staff was bringing Verona, a project on the corner of Fifth and Alhambra that was approved in July of 2008 back to amend the development agreement. To date, like most other project that have been approved by council in the last two years, there has been no building permits pulled nor construction that has begun.
It has been a long week and thus instead of completing all of the candidates interviews this week, we have only gotten to two interviews. On Monday we ran Joe Krovoza’s interview. Today we will run Jon Li’s interview.
Rochelle Swanson Surges into Second Place in Money Race 
As the Vanguard reported on Sunday and again on Tuesday, Mayor Ruth Asmundson and Retired UC Davis Law Professor Marty West filed a form 410 and created an Independent Expenditure Committee entitled, “Committee to Support Sydney Vergis for City Council 2010.” We have argued that the group is in violation of the “behest of” clause in FPPC regulations that prohibits independent expenditure committees that are “made under the control or at the direction of, in cooperation, consultation, coordination, or concert with, at the request or suggestion of, or with the express, prior consent of.”
On Sunday the Vanguard reported that we would be filing an FPPC complaint against an independent expenditure committee created by Mayor Ruth Asmundson and Retired UC Davis Law Professor Marty West, “Committee to Support Sydney Vergis for City Council 2010,” for violating the “behest of” clause in FPPC regulations that prohibits independent expenditure committs that are “made under the control or at the direction of, in cooperation, consultation, coordination, or concert with, at the request or suggestion of, or with the express, prior consent of.”
As we head down to the final stretch in the 2010 Davis City Council campaign, the Vanguard will this week publish our interviews of candidates. The Vanguard took previous statements and positions that the candidates have taken to explore more deeply or to clarify on issues that have been presented both in campaign material as well as the candidate’s forums. We begin today with Joe Krovoza.
Current Funding Levels will Take us Into the Fair PCI Range by 2012 – 
The conventional wisdom in this council election is that Joe Krovoza is the front runner and likely to finish first and that second place will come down to Sydney Vergis and Rochelle Swanson. Often in Davis, conventional wisdom is not so conventional and things do not work out as planned. Nevertheless, if true, the prospects of Rochelle Swanson received a big boost on Wednesday as Councilmember Lamar Heystek added his name to her endorsement list.
Targeting Minorities and the Elderly
The other day I was reading a little blurb from Steven Greenhut, the right wing or libertarian depending on your perspective, who has led the charge for pension reform. He was talking about an experience in the PERS committee listening to testimony over SB 919, a pension-reform bill.
