City of Davis

Inside the Numbers: A Further Examination of the DPD Turnover Rate

Inside the Numbers: A Further Examination of the DPD Turnover Rate

By David GreenwaldFebruary 18, 200913 comments
imageCity of Davis

Yesterday’s Sacramento Bee ran an article that found that Citrus Highets and the Davis police departments have the highest staff turnover rates among other law enforcement agencies in the region.

To add fuel to the fire, the Bee recessitates old charges that the climate in Davis involving complaints of racial profiling and the Halema Buzayan case were the prominent if not primary culprits for this turnover rate.

“High-ranking officials from the two departments blame a variety of factors ranging from a new department’s normal break-in period to the way a racially charged incident was handled.”

The Bee quotes Assistant Chief Steve Pierce discussing issues involving the arrest of Halema Buzayan, then 16 in 2005, along with accusations of racial profiling.

Davis Finds Itself in Growing Fiscal Hole

Davis Finds Itself in Growing Fiscal Hole

By David GreenwaldFebruary 16, 200917 comments
imageCity of Davis

The city of Davis now faces a large and growing budget deficit. Due to the continued decline of the economic conditions in Davis, the current year’s budget deficit is projected to grow from the November estimate of $1.54 million to $2.37 million. Next year the budget deficit will range from between $3 million to $3.6 million depending on the city’s negotiations with the employee bargaining units.

From the city staff report for Tuesday’s City Council meeting:

Why Do We Need a New General Plan?

Why Do We Need a New General Plan?

By David GreenwaldFebruary 11, 200916 comments
imageGeneral Plan

The Davis City Council last night began to embark upon their discussion of how the General Plan update process should proceed. There was considerable discussion as to whether it should even go forward at this point given the current economic situation, given the costs of proceeding, and given the uncertainty of our times.

The consistent question that arises and is never really answered by those councilmembers who support going forward with an update is why we need to do so now, rather than take the Housing Element that has already been adopted and perhaps modifying the plan with more modern and general principles of sustainability.

General Plan Updating Process Begins

General Plan Updating Process Begins

By David GreenwaldFebruary 6, 200920 comments
imageGeneral Plan

On Tuesday night, the Davis City Council will start take steps towards developing a plan of attack for the next General Plan Update. According to the staff report:

A General Plan update would potentially address all of the Council goal categories of: Infrastructure; Fiscal stability; Downtown Davis; Housing; Sustainability; Safety and Health; Organizational Strength; Civic Engagement; and Long-Term Visioning.

Commentary: The limits of Open Government and the Council’s Right to Know

Commentary: The limits of Open Government and the Council’s Right to Know

By David GreenwaldFebruary 5, 20099 comments
imageOPen Government

A few weeks the Davis City Council was trying to decide to what extent they had the right to demand to read the Ombudsman’s Investigation into the Yolo County Grand Jury report. In a lot of ways it was a strange discussion. Let us forget for a moment about the content of that report and focus only on the process at hand.

City Attorney Harriet Steiner ruled two things. First, that the city manager had the right to determine whether or not the council could see something. Second, that if the council did view these personnel matters or a report deemed to cover a personnel matter, it could subject the city to liability. In essence, the city attorney deemed that in a city manager model, the council has no more right to view personnel records than members of the public.

Basically the city council hires the city manager. They are responsible for evaluating his performance. It was that evaluative process that led to the city manager’s new contract that was approved last week in open session. However, as councilmember Sue Greenwald and Councilmember Lamar Heystek asked, how is the council supposed to evaluate the city manager, if they cannot review his work product. If they are in the dark about certain reports deemed “personnel matters,” how can they determine how well the city manager has done his job?

Read My Lips… No New Taxes?

Read My Lips… No New Taxes?

By David GreenwaldFebruary 3, 200928 comments

City Needs To Solve Its Fiscal Problems First Before Going to the Taxpayers for a Renewal of Existing Taxes  

imageAt the risk of sounding somewhat well… Republican, there is something to this at least from the standpoint of local government. It is really not that I am opposed to new taxes, it is that there needs to be some incentive for the city to negotiate hard this with the various bargaining units. Let us back up a few steps first here.

 
Vanguard Analysis: Enterprise Obscures Where It Should Shine A Light

Vanguard Analysis: Enterprise Obscures Where It Should Shine A Light

By David GreenwaldFebruary 1, 200914 comments
imageCity of Davis
The vote on Tuesday night on the B Street project was admittedly a bit confusing in its conception. However, the Davis Enterprise article made it more so, not less so.

The title of the article was “Project will get another chance.”

In a technical sense, that may be true. Council by a 3-1 vote passed a motion that would allow the applicant Marie Ogrydziak to bring her project back without having to pay additional fees. However, the motion directed her to work with the neighbors (who were overwhelmingly against the current project) and change her plans.

City’s Budget Hole Grows–Unmet Needs Will Go Unaddressed

City’s Budget Hole Grows–Unmet Needs Will Go Unaddressed

By David GreenwaldJanuary 30, 200930 comments
imageCity of Davis

A year ago the city basically identified around $13 million in what it called unmet needs. These were needed projects in a variety of departments that the city needed to undertake but lacked the available money to pay for them. As the Vanguard has mentioned previously, some of these are quite basic road repairs and other vital services.

Right now the city is projecting a growing budget deficit for the foreseeable future. It begins at close to $1.5 million for the current fiscal year and doubles to $3 million next year.

Councilmember Souza and the Council Put a Stop to a Rehearing on 233 B

Councilmember Souza and the Council Put a Stop to a Rehearing on 233 B

By David GreenwaldJanuary 28, 200922 comments
imageCity of Davis

As we reported on Saturday, the City Attorney Harriet Steiner suggested that she erred in her assessment that Councilmember Sue Greenwald was not conflicted out of a vote cast on November 4, 2008 against a redesign of the 233 B Street property. Therefore the city staff determined that the applicant could request a rehearing without going through the normal reconsideration process.

The council will meet at a later point to modify and correct conflict of interest policies. We have discussed this at length already.

City Facing Budget Crisis, Cutback on Youth Programs and Award Honoring Slain Teen

City Facing Budget Crisis, Cutback on Youth Programs and Award Honoring Slain Teen

By David GreenwaldJanuary 27, 200929 comments
imageCity of Davis

In a letter from Mayor Ruth Asmundson pasted on the city’s page for the Golden Heart Awards this year, it reads:

“As a result of the death of Andrew Mockus in April 1992, the City of Davis Recreation and Park Commission expanded its commitment to the youth of our community. Forums were held throughout the community to discuss the problems of youth and to brainstorm on how the community could do more to meet the needs of youth.

EPA Reluctantly Agrees to Further Testing of the Superfund Site

EPA Reluctantly Agrees to Further Testing of the Superfund Site

By David GreenwaldJanuary 25, 20098 comments
imageCity of Davis

The city-county two by two met on Friday at the Davis County Offices for the Board of Supervisors. The two by two is comprised of two members of the Davis City Council, Mayor Ruth Asmundson and Mayor Pro Tem Don Saylor, and two members of the County Board of Superivisors, the two Davis representatives, Helen Thomson and Jim Provenza.

One item that was discussed was the issue of the Frontier Chemical Superfund Site and the recent discovery of TCP that has been covered extensively not only on this blog but in this community.

Commentary: Don’t We Need Three in Town?

Commentary: Don’t We Need Three in Town?

By David GreenwaldJanuary 22, 200931 comments
imageCity of Davis

If you are one of those who is easily offended at any hint of criticism, stop reading right now. There are a few things that need to be said. Tuesday was an historic day. For those who missed the Vanguard radio show last night, listen to it when the podcast is available. I spoke with Tansey Thomas, who everyone knows and with Wayne Lindsey, who no one has heard of. Wayne is a 21 year old UC Davis student. And yes he’s African American. It was neat listening to someone born during the depression and someone born when I was in high school talking about what the election of Barack Obama means to them and for African-Americans.

But now it is time to get back to work, back to the real world. For my other job, I had the priviledge of sitting in a teleconference with Speaker of the California Assembly Karen Bass and Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg. They were flying back from the Inauguration. One of the reporters who wasn’t me asked them if they thought the California voters were better served by them going to the Inauguration or given the budget crisis being back in Sacramento and trying to get a budget agreement.

Mayor Kevin Johnson Surprise Keynote Address Highlights MLK Scholarship Dinner

Mayor Kevin Johnson Surprise Keynote Address Highlights MLK Scholarship Dinner

By David GreenwaldJanuary 16, 200923 comments

Last night the sixth annual MLK Scholarship Fund and Recognition Dinner at Freeborn Hall on the campus of UC Davis gave out scholarships to two UC Davis Students and six high school students that will enable them to either go to graduate school or go to college. The fund was co-founded by the late Mel Trujillo and the Reverend Timothy Malone.

Bob Dunning had the honor of introducing the night’s surprise key note addresser, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson.

Both Sides Passionately Express Their Views on Middle Peace at Council Meeting

Both Sides Passionately Express Their Views on Middle Peace at Council Meeting

By David GreenwaldJanuary 14, 200913 comments

In a microcosm of the divide that exists in Israel and Palestine, hundreds of Davis residents turned out to Davis City Hall on Tuesday night to express their opinion and take a side on a resolution that was designed by Councilmembers Stephen Souza and Lamar Heystek to bring people together, to take no sides, and quite simply to call for a cease fire, a cessation of violence, to condemn the attacks on both sides, and to allow for the humanitarian aid.

However, this would not be a night for compromise or peace. Instead, a large number of Muslim and Middle Eastern UC Davis students called on the council to support a resolution while a smaller but vocally just as a passionate number of Jewish residents of Davis called on the council not to pass the resolution.