The Davis Enterprise Sunday, January 30, 2022

enterprise THE DAVIS

SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2022

Decision on whether to put DiSC on ballot is Tuesday By Anne Ternus-Bellamy

Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center orchestra will play at the Mondavi Center on Wednesday, Feb. 2.

Enterprise staff writer The Davis City Council is expected to decide Tuesday whether to place the proposed Davis Innovation and Sustainability Campus on the June ballot. The revised DiSC proposal — about half the size of the project that voters turned down in 2020 — would bring 1.1 million square feet of office, laboratory and advanced manufacturing space, as well as up to 460 housing units, to open space on the east side of Mace Boulevard and north of I-80. The Davis Planning Commission voted unanimously earlier this month to recommend council approval of what is now called “DiSC 2022.” But in that vote, commissioners requested that developers be required to build a grade-separated bicycle/ pedestrian crossing of Mace Boulevard so those living in the new development have a safe crossing to the west side of Mace, where Korematsu Elementary and Harper Junior High School are located. In response, developer Dan Ramos has agreed to include an under crossing, as well as other planning commission requests, in the proposal’s

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Marsalis returns to Mondavi By Jeff Hudson Enterprise correspondent New Orleans-born trumpeter Wynton Marsalis became the leader of the Jazz at Lincoln Center orchestra in 1991, when he was a youthful 30 years old. And since that time, he's built up a nationwide following for this big band/jazz orchestra by taking the ensemble on regular tours, performing in dedicated big-city jazz venues (like SFJAZZ in San Francisco) as well as university town performing arts venues like the Mondavi Center, where they'll

He also composed a new tuba concerto (there aren't many!) that was premiered by the esteemed Philadelphia Orchestra in December. And last November, the 60th birthday celebration for Wynton Marsalis became the Jazz at Lincoln Center orchestra's first live performance in New York after a 20-month pandemictriggered pause. He made his recording debut as a jazz-band leader in 1982, and since then has cut more than 60 jazz and classical recordings, which have won him nine Grammy Awards. Marsalis is also a respected

teacher and spokesman for music education, and has received honorary doctorates from dozens of U.S. universities and colleges. Ticket sales for Jazz at Lincoln Center's Feb. 2 concert at Mondavi have been brisk, but there are still scattered seats available around Jackson Hall ($110-$89 general, with discounts for students), online at MondaviArts.org. Concertgoers should bring along proof of vaccination and wear a facemask at all times (N95 or KN95 masks preferred, using a cloth facemask alone is discouraged).

YSCTC helps teachers prepare for Transitional Kindergarten

Council to hold final public hearing on district maps

By Aaron Geerts

Enterprise staff writer

Enterprise staff writer It’s no secret early childhood education is paramount to development. That’s why with Transitional Kindergarten on the horizon, the Yolo-Solano Center for Teacher Credentialing is hard at work assisting teachers in this early educational endeavor. Since 1998, the YSCTC has been on a mission to prepare, support and dsustain educators in an evolving educational environment. From offering induction and career technical education to intern programs

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appear on Wednesday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. The pandemic interrupted the performing/touring schedule for some 20 months, Jazz at Lincoln Center being no exception. But the multifaceted Marsalis — who has been recognized with numerous awards, including the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Music (the first jazz figure to receive that honor) — has kept busy ... He continued practicing his trumpet (of course), and also worked with young musicians interested in jazz, while planning for Jazz at Lincoln Center's eventual return to the stage.

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Business ���������� A5 Forum ��������������B4 Op-Ed ��������������B5 Classifieds ������B7 Living ���������������� A4 Sports ��������������B1 Comics ������������ A7 Obituaries �������� A2 The Wary I �������� A2

and informational webinar sessions, the national shortage of teachers is a problem the YSCTC is laboring to solve one credential and permit at a time. The shortage of teachers hits especially hard with early childhood education. As Transitional Kindergarten (TK) — the first year of a two-year kindergarten program similar to preschool — is in the process of implementation, it’s the hope of the YSCTC their credentialing structure makes TK more appealing to teachers. “We’re hoping it’ll attract

WEATHER Today: Frost, fog and sun. High 61. FOG Low 39.

people to early childhood education but look at the salary issue. That’s a barrier for early childhood teachers,” said YSCTC Executive Director, Connie Best. “It’s incredibly tough to get teachers to come in a and stay in early childhood teaching. With the right credentials, they’re able to enter into the retirement program for teachers. There’s a lot more now afforded to them which will translate into the quality of education for those students.” As if working full-time

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By Anne Ternus-Bellamy Redistricting consultants will return to the Davis City Council on Tuesday with three draft maps for council districts. This will be the final public hearing where the council will take input on the maps. The three maps have fairly minor differences related to the eastern boundary of District 1, currently represented by Councilman Dan Carson, and the western boundaries of districts 2 and 3, represented by Councilman Will Arnold and Vice Mayor Lucas Frerichs

respectively. Population changes in those districts, primarily the increase in residents in District 3 due to The Cannery build-out and the loss of residents in District 2, possibly because fewer UC Davis students were in town during the Census, required boundary adjustments. Members of the public can provide feedback until 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday or during the public hearing itself, which will be held remotely. The draft maps and a

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Briefly COA will be online again The Celebration of Abraham, the only interfaith organization guided by the laity in Davis and Woodland, will hold another virtual celebration this year from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 6. “We deeply miss gathering with everyone in person and look forward to doing this again as soon as we can do so safely,” a news release said. “We recognize that the pandemic, environmental destruction, and political unrest continue to affect our well-being and therefore our ability to sustain ourselves as we face these challenges.” For this year’s theme, “Hope in Difficult Times: An Interfaith Conversation,” organizers selected three young leaders to offer guidance grounded in their faith traditions: Leah Julian, rabbinical student; Tara RogersSoeder from the Davis United Methodist Church; and Omar Abdel-Ghaffar from Muslim Davis Engagement and Interfaith Network (DEIN). After hearing from the three speakers, participants will head to discussion breakout rooms to share their thoughts. The event will raise donations for the International Rescue Committee. To sign up for the free event, go to bit. ly/COAHope (the link is case sensitive), or www.celebrationof abraham.net.

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Everybody will get the four-pack S o, the federal government has promised to send our happy household a whopping four in-home COVID test kits. All we gotta do is ask. So ask we did. We expect to receive them any month now. Four tests for a family of six. In other words, we can test twothirds of our family — once. That’s it. If someone tests positive, there will be no second test available down the road to see if they’ve beaten this thing. If someone tests negative, we’ll just assume that’s what they’ll always be since there will be no way to test them again unless the U.S. Postal Service screws up and accidentally sends another batch our way. I don’t know if we should save our cherished four-pack for a rainy day or try to sell it to the neighbors. Still, on that one day when we gather around our front yard citymandated hackberry tree, we will finally know if we have this dread

Flo in Portland, who lives alone in her apartment on the proper side of the Willamette, gets four tests. The crowded fraternity house at Chico State gets four tests.

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disease with supposed 85 percent certainty, but only if we stuck the probe far enough up everyone’s nose and twirled it precisely five times in a counter-clockwise motion. Four will get tested, but two won’t. So what are we supposed to do, line the kids up and decide who has the highest grade point average? Which one is most likely to get into Harvard or Trump University? Who is likely to win gold in Olympic Speed Skating? Should Mom and Dad take one for the team? The odd thing here is that each “household” gets four tests. Aunt

nd don’t tell me the feds don’t know exactly how many people live in our humble home. Imagine, if we listed six dependents on our tax return instead of four, they’d be raiding our home in the middle of the night, hauling off computers and toasters and all manner of things. And what do we do when we’re done testing? Do these has-been tests go in the recycle bin or the regular garbage? Are they hazardous waste? If one test is positive, do we have to burn it in the backyard fire pit and bury it under the apricot tree? As they say, negative today and positive tomorrow. Or maybe the other way around. But how do you know what you are if you can’t test again?

If you want to get into your favorite restaurant or a college basketball game, you have to have proof of a negative test within the last 72 hours. But all that means is you didn’t have COVID 72 hours ago, but you may well have it at game time. Besides, will anyone checking your proof at the arena entrance be willing to accept the results of a home test that is only 85 percent accurate and may actually have been wrongly administered by a rank amateur who didn’t read the instructions? Baseball pitchers say you’re only as good as your last game. Actors and actresses say you’re only as good as your last movie. Famous chefs say you’re only as good as your last meal. And so it is with COVID tests. You’re only as good as your last negative. Who knows where evil lurks? — Reach Bob Dunning at bdunning@davisenterprise.net.

Obituaries John Armin Weeks d. Jan 24, 2022 John Armin Weeks passed from this life on Jan. 24, 2022. He was born in Huntington Park, and although moved in childhood to Stockton, he remained a So. Cal boy at heart. He truly felt that Disneyland was indeed his happiest place to ever be, and he never tired of it. John excelled as a remarkably talented athlete, even having the adventure of a bus trip to Indiana as a young teen to play baseball in the Babe Ruth World Series. He continued with sports, being a star athlete in baseball and football in High School and playing baseball in college. Later in life, he passionately played city league softball and volleyball. John studied early childhood education and development at UC Davis but went on to work in agriculture for many years, working in the processing tomato, sugar beet and wine industries. He was an avowed enophile and eventually had his own wine business, Semaines. He was always ready to share his wine discoveries and knowledge with friends and strangers, too. John embraced a blended family. He married his first wife, Kitty Terry and instantly became a father to her two children, Raney and Colton from a previous marriage. He and Kitty had a daughter together, Vanesa. Although that marriage ended, the children remained present in his life. In 1989 he married Marika Pappagianis and together they had two children, Dashiell and Elexina. John embraced round two of children and was a very proud father. John was gregarious and would start conversations with anyone, anywhere. People he met casually on vacations or in other places became instant friends. He made people feel like they had been friends for years. His mother and grandmother recounted how, as a young boy he would stand on the street corner and reach his hand out to shake hands with people passing by to introduce himself as “Johnny Weeks” and talk with them. He loved to entertain with stories and conversations, which as an adult included many movie and cultural references as well as a hearty smattering of his rather extensive repertoire of colorful metaphors. He was very pleased to reconnect with former classmates after many years apart. When he played baseball in Stockton for the California Mexican League, he was introduced as “Juan Semanas.” Marrying into a family with Greek heritage, he got a kick out of being introduced at Greek gatherings, as “Yiannis Evdomades.” He was lovingly

called “Weeks” by his wife and many, many friends. He was a defender WEEKS of liberal causes, nonjudgmental and a supporter of the underdog. His history would not be complete without mentioning that he was a diehard LA Dodger fan: he “bled Dodger Blue.” He loved to go to concerts and to listen to music. He was influenced as a child, by his grandfather “Fergie”, who sang in barbershop choirs. John sang in High School in Glee, and when cajoled into it, sang well. He loved myriad music styles, with his favorite leaning to what he referred to as “space music,” electronic groups – Tangerine Dream, Camel, Emerson, Lake and Palmer. As a music lover, he was also a fan of the Moody Blues, Sourdough Slim, Pink Floyd, The Beatles and so many other groups and individuals. He remembered concert play lists and band trivia like no other! He enjoyed documentaries, especially about animals and nature. John was plagued in later life with severe back problems, Parkinson’s and other maladies that took their toll on him. So hard for a fit and athletic man. Although very compromised by these conditions, he continued to love and laugh in life. John was preceded in death by his loving mother, the Rev. Elizabeth Ferguson, his grandparents and his mother-in-law, cribbage partner and friend, Alice. He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Marika Pappagianis; his first wife Kitty and her husband Larry (who John always appreciated for his role in the lives of the children); children Raney, Colton, Vanesa (husband David), Dashiell and Elexina; grandchildren Kevin, Rickson, Kris and Ace; sister Vicki, brother Doug, and their children; sister-in-law Michele; father-in-law Demosthenes; Uncle Charlie; dear friends Lynne, Stuart, Tom, Kathy, Bill, Dean, Marty and Marilou and so many more close friends, as well as his weber barbecue which he was never far from. Many friends will miss his smile, stories, and sense of humor.

Our thanks to the attentive nurses and entire medical team at Sutter Hospital in Sacramento Cardiac Care and Intensive Care Units. In memory of John “Weeks,” please grab a glass of wine (or a soft serve ice cream cone) and watch one of his favorite movies: “Arsenic and Old Lace” (1944), “The Philadelphia Story ”(1940), “A Hard Day’s Night” (1964), “Start the Revolution Without Me” (1970), “Young Frankenstein” (1974), “This is Spinal Tap” (1984), “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (1951), “The Thing From Another World” (1951) or “The Lady Vanishes” (1938). A celebration of his life will be held at a later date and is sure to include good wine and selections of his favorite music. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www. neptune-society.com/loca tions/fairfield-CA for the Weeks family.

David Scott Losa Nov. 23, 1960 — Jan. 13, 2022 Born in Brick, N.J., died of complications related to multiple sclerosis in Davis, where he resided for the last 13 yrs. On behalf of Dave’s family we want to offer a formal thank you to the Davis Fire Department for caring, understanding and treating Dave with so much compassion when your assistance was needed. All of you went above and beyond in helping Dave always. Dave grew up on a lake in New Jersey, just miles from the ocean. As a child he enjoyed swimming, fishing, surfing, LOSA sailing and diving. He also loved baseball. Dave was always funny and enjoyed loving and healthy relationships with all members of his family and friends. In his early life David had a landscaping business and tended bar at his fathers restaurant, ‘The Stable’. He had a passion for working out, running and cycling. He moved to Italy to pursue a career in fashion modeling, where he was very successful. He lived

and worked in many countries including Africa, Japan, New Zealand, France, Spain and Switzerland. Dave enjoyed children’s poems and rhymes about things he experienced growing up on a lake. David had a sweet way about him and a joyful spirit, he will be greatly missed. David is survived by his son Daniel Losa-McGee of Canada; sister Sandy and brother in-law Sean Langley of Davis; brothers Paul and Matthew of Pt. Pleasant, N.J.; sisters-in-law Fran and Theresa of N.J.; and 13 nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents Valentine and Mary Ann Losa of Brick, N.J.; brothers Val and Mark; and sister in-law Colleen Duncan Losa of Florida. On behalf of Dave’s family a special heartfelt thank you goes out to an Angel that was sent into our lives 6 yrs ago, Manuela Wilbert Caja. Manuela cared for Dave as if he were her own family member. Never has lived a more giving, loving, and amazing woman who positively changed the course of his life. Manuela and Dave laughed together daily, she improved the quality of his life immensely and remained by his side through all the challenges of MS. Manuela truly touched and enriched all our lives. There are no words to express the love we have for her. We would also like to thank the rest of our Davis Village, including our neighbors and friends who cared for and about Dave for many years.

Michael Biberstein Sept. 11, 1952 — Jan. 13, 2022 It is with unspeakable sadness that we report the loss of Michael Biberstein, our beloved husband, father, brother, son, grandfather, cousin, father-inlaw and colleague, who died on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022, at the age of 69. Biberstein was the first American child of parents who had escaped the Nazi tyranny of Germany. He was born in Ithaca, N.Y., on

Sept. 11, 1952. At age 3, he moved with his family to Davis, where, BIBERSTEIN eventually, he absolved kindergarten, elementary, junior high and high school, the latter with distinction. While in school, he was an enthusiastic member as a violinist in the school orchestra. Upon graduation he enrolled UC Berkeley, majoring in mathematics. It was here where he met his life companion Debra Kadlubowski, whom he married in 1975. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, he entered medical school at UCLA. As a freshly minted M.D. he did his residency at UC San Diego. specializing in nephrology. After a brief spell in private practice, he returned to San Diego, joining Kaiser Permanente, where he spent his professional career until his retirement in 2017. He was compassionate and well loved by his patients, his family and friends, had a wonderful sense of humor, and was welcoming of new ideas and acquaintances of all ages.. All his adult life Michael was a hiking, biking and swimming enthusiast and remained committed to a daily regimen of exercise. He loved intellectual challenges, entertained himself with complex mathematical puzzles. He was an avid reader and a lifelong devotee to theatre, opera, and classical music. Michael and Debra have two sons, Aaron and Seth, and two grandchildren, Elliott and Rosie, the children of Aaron and his wife Laura. Apart from these, he is survived by his three sisters, his father, an aunt, five nephews and a niece, numerous cousins and relatives by marriage. His memory is firmly assured. For memorial contributions we suggest San Diego Canyonlands, 5106 Federal Blvd #205, San Diego, CA 92105, or SierraFoundation, 2101 Webster St Suite 1250, Oakland, CA 94612.

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Obituaries Michael Lloyd Doneen d. Jan. 16, 2022 Michael Lloyd Doneen, a lifetime resident of Davis and former chief of the Davis Fire Department, went to meet his Lord and Savior at the age of 87 on Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. Michael is survived by his wife of DONEEN 65 years, Sara Doneen; children Toni Baker (Tony), David Doneen and Ann Riley (Bob); sisters Patricia DiGerolamo and Sharon Shillato (Bob); seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Funeral Services will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, at Saint James Catholic Church, 1275 B St. in Davis. In Lieu of flowers donations can be made to the California Fire Foundation at cafirefoundation@cpf. org.

Robert Meador Maxie July 31, 1953 — Dec. 27, 2021 Robert M. Maxie passed away peacefully in hospital on Dec. 27, 2021. Bob was an overcomer. Although born with life-threatening health issues, and unable to play sports like his three older brothers, Bob found his expression in music. He became an MAXIE excellent guitarist in his teen years and was an avid Paul Simon fan, and sw him whenever possible. He was an Oakland A’s and Sacramento River Cats baseball

fan. He enjoyed riding Honda motorcycle with his dad and brothers and attending Super Modified car races at the West Sacramento Raceway. Bob earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from UCDavis, where his father, Edward Maxie, was professor of pomology. He completed his MBA degree with a Specialty in Accounting and Marketing from CSUS. Bob began his 39-year career with the California Department of Food and Agriculture in 1980. He served as Chief of the Marketing Branch from 2007 to 2019. Much of Bob’s work dealt with the State’s agricultural interests. He respected his colleagues as more than coworkers. Bob retired in 2019 to pursue and enjoy his love of music, the company of friends and his two cats. Bob was preceded in death by his parents Edward and Libby, and brothers, Edward Jr. and David. He is survived by brother Tom (Debbie) of Vancouver Island, British Columbia; sister-in-law Vivian and relatives throughout the States. Special thanks to Bob’s steadfast friend of 40-plus years, Judi Semple. Knowing she was there for Bob was like a bridge over troubled water to his brother Tom and sisterin-law, Debbie, who lived so far away for so many years. A private memorial service will be held at a later date.

Tona Suzanne Wtymore d. Jan. 10, 2022 Tona passed away on Jan. 10, 2022, at the Courtyard Healthcare Center in Davis. Her life partner Gary Pierce was by her side as she move on to heaven. WTYMORE

Pablo Unzueta/ CalMatters photo

Adan Hernandez who’s worked at the Grand Central Market in Los Angeles since 1983, completes a transaction on Jan. 19. “Throughout all of my years here, I have not seen anything like this,” Hernandez said of the pandemic.

Omicron slammed state’s workforce By Ben Christopher and Grace Gedye CalMatters Tighter mask rules and increased vaccination rates could have made a difference, but omicron was going to be a problem no matter what. In response to worker shortages, the Newsom administration has made it easier for schools to hire subs, requested $8 million to address health care staffing issues and more. While ​​ COVID-19’s omicron wave appears to have crested, it leaves in its wake sick nurses and burnt out bus drivers, short-staffed hospitals and canceled surgeries, school districts scrambling for substitute teachers and grocery store cashiers forced to choose between their health and their finances. Other countries met this variant with fresh lockdowns. Other states authorized state bureaucrats to moonlight as teachers. In New York City and Washington D.C., businesses are now required to check the vaccine status of their customers. Would any of that have kept Cali-

fornia workers safe, curtailed the worst of the spread and avoided cascading labor shortages? And what can lawmakers do now to prepare for the future of COVID — be it the next deadly variant or the low-level simmer of a pathogen gone endemic? Five waves and nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, this virus still doesn’t brook any easy solutions.

Did it have to be this way? If public opinion were no object, tighter mask mandates and increased vaccinations after the delta wave in the late summer would have blunted some of omicron’s impact, said Dr. John Swartzberg, a clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases and vaccinology at UC Berkeley. But the variant’s transmissibility is so formidable that even with those measures, omicron still would have been a problem, he said. “Frankly, I think that California did a reasonable job trying to

balance protecting people from the virus and allowing people’s lives to function in a more normal fashion,” Swartzberg said. Broad shutdowns, he said, probably would not have made a manifest difference in how many people got sick, a sentiment shared by other public health experts contacted for this story. While other states and countries responded differently to omicron’s spread, case counts suggest that policy differences didn’t make a drastic impact on the course of this surge, said Jeffrey Clemens, a health economist and associate professor at UC San Diego. “There probably weren’t many steps that governments could have taken in real time in an effort to significantly blunt the wave,” said Clemens. It may take a couple months, to know whether local or state policies made a difference in how many people got severly ill or died from this surge. If the state deserves criticism for

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Every place is the center of the universe n Editor’s note: Tanya Perez is taking the day off. This column originally published in January 2020.

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here’s a certain charm to people’s belief that where they live is the center of the universe. It’s only natural, especially when you’re young, to think that your hometown is where everything important and meaningful happens. One recent example took place over winter break when our younger son, a college sophomore, told us he just realized that Sudwerk is not one of the “four big beer companies.” You know, Anheuser-Busch, Miller, Corona and Sudwerk. He’s seen the locally brewed beer in our house for most of his life, so he just assumed it was world-wide. Another charming illustration comes from my husband’s dad, who grew up in New Orleans. Soon after arriving at the University of Maryland for graduate

school, he said he asked fellow students where Baltimore’s French Quarter was. Because why wouldn’t every city have a French Quarter? By far the craziest center-ofthe-universe example occurred right after my husband, S, and I moved to Richmond, Va. After S attended grad school at UC Davis, his first career position took us to Virginia Commonwealth University, and the capital of the Confederacy. I had completed the work for my K-6 teaching credential right before we left California. I thought I might want to teach in Richmond, so I went to the Virginia Department of Education to see what was required to get a Virginia credential. I was told that Virginia had a list of states whose teaching credentials were accepted outright, and California was one of them. Thus, I simply needed to show that I was certified to teach in California. Easypeasy! (This was in the

mid-1990s, and maybe they do things differently now.) Very soon after, S and I were at a party thrown by some new friends. As we were mingling and talking to people about what we thought of our time in Richmond so far, I relayed the story about being pleasantly surprised that I didn’t have to take any extra courses if I wanted to be a teacher in Virginia. “I think it’s a bit strange, though,” I told the group, “that I didn’t even have to prove I know anything about Virginia state history yet could be a fourthgrade teacher.”

A few people nodded, murmuring surprise. But one young woman said, “Well, don’t you remember Virginia state history from when you were in fourth grade?” “No,” I explained, “I grew up in California.” This appeared to clear up nothing, so I elaborated. “Therefore I took California state history in the fourth grade.” To which she responded — I swear this is true — “Ohhhh, I thought everyone took Virginia state history in fourth grade and learned about the rest of the country in fifth grade.” It was such a fabulous indoctrination into how Richmonders saw themselves, and there were plenty of examples that surprised S and me in our next three years as Virginians. Most were centered on the same theme — America started here, so we are what matters most

in the country. I don’t mean to make fun of this woman’s love of her home state — I find it very sweet that people elevate the importance and impact of where they’re from. Having grown up in the Los Angeles area, I was completely under the belief that SoCal was the axis around which all other places orbited. To be fair, I wasn’t totally wrong, if you consider all the things where SoCal really does set the trends. But even I didn’t think the other 49 states spent their fourth grade history instruction exclusively on California. I mean, can you just picture Minnesotans making sugar-cube Spanish missions? — Tanya Perez lives in Davis with her family. Her column is published every other Sunday. Reach her at pereztanyah@ gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter at @californiatanya.

Mentor program helps to make personal connections Special to The Enterprise

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hrough the start of this new year, Thriving Pink has embraced many meaningful opportunity to connect with and support many in our Yolo County community who are impacted by breast cancer. Their virtual platforms, including the Pink Speaker Series and other workshops have expanded with attendees joining the support group settings from the comfort of their own homes, while sitting in a park with a friend, and from hospital rooms where they have just recovered from surgery. The workshops cover a wide-range of topics, including treatment options, advances in research, yoga, reconstruction, fitness, wellness, peer support, and diet. Individual connections and outreach programs also continue to grow through Pink Peers, a mentoring program which matches newly diagnosed individuals with a breast cancer survivor to listen, share experiences, offer support, and provide local resource contacts. Chris Pineda, a local nurse and recently diagnosed breast cancer survivor describes her life as “messy” after going through five surgeries the past two years. However,

Thriving Pink she shares that her heart is full of gratitude for meeting “many warriors who have gone on this journey before her and are thriving beside her.” “My favorite part of the Pink Speaker Series is the check-in at the end of every workshop. A simple ‘How are you doing?’ goes a long way.” Most important to Chris is that on top of the medical plan she has with her team of doctors, she now has a healing plan and a network of support with resources through Thriving Pink. “Connecting with someone who has walked ahead of me on the cancer journey was beyond helpful. I could talk with my Pink Peer in a completely open way that I couldn’t with family and friends who hadn’t been on this same path,” shares Joni Rubin, a local breast cancer survivor who serves as VicePresident and Outreach Chair on the Board of Thriving Pink. If you have set your New Year’s resolution to give back to the community, and you are a breast cancer survivor, we encourage you to join us to help those who are just learning to process the stunning and often unexpected news of a breast cancer diagnosis.

Peer. The training session is open to all those from the breast cancer survivor community, both men and women, to reach out and join us in this important community service. Thriving Pink’s programs and services supporting local breast cancer survivors are one-hundred percent funded by the generosity of generous community supporters. One of the local businesses who is giving back right now is local photographer Kelly Lynn Jordan @KLJStudios in Woodland. Kelly is donating 10 percent of the proceeds from any photo shoot booked during January/February to help fund Thriving Pink’s financial grants for those currently going through treatment.

During this fundraiser, KLJ Studios is also sharing many compelling and inspiring stories and beautiful individual portraits from the Thriving Pink community through social media. “I can’t think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid to be herself,” shares Kelly. We are taking moments to celebrate the strength and resilience of our community. Thriving Pink also wishes to thank Platinum Pink Partners — the Davis Firefighters Local 3494 and the George and Lena Valente Foundation; and Hot Pink Partners- Brooks Painting /Jeremy Brooks; and many supporters who give throughout the year. Thriving Pink’s calendar is open to the entire community. Please email info@thrivingpink.org to RSVP and for details. n Feb. 14: 7 to 8:30 p.m. — Pink Speaker Series with Lai Fong Hui, M.D., “Recent Updates in Breast Cancer Oncology” n Feb. 15: Granting Pink applications for financial grants covering immediate and direct needs are due. Applications in English and Spanish are available on the website. n Feb. 19: 10 to 11 a.m. — A morning group walk with masks at Northstar Pond (Parking at Tandem

Properties, 3500 Anderson Road). n Feb. 27: Thriving Pink’s Mentoring Training Session. n Feb. 28: 7 to 8:30 p.m. — Pink Speaker Series with Jan Adrian, “Coloring Outside The Lines: Surviving and Thriving With Cancer for 30+ Years” n March 14: 7 to 8:30 p.m. — Pink Speaker Series with Carlin Hauck, M.D., “Updates on Radiation Treatment and its Side Effects” n March 28: 7 to 8:30 p.m. — Pink Speaker Series with Natalie Ledesma, RDN. “Nutrition and Breast Cancer” n April 22: 5:30 p.m. — Sixth annual Pink Gala honoring Grant Awardees and Local Pink Heroes If you or a loved one have been newly diagnosed, and would like a Pink Peer match, we encourage you to reach out Thriving Pink. Thriving Pink is dedicated to its mission to help those impacted by breast cancer in Yolo County to thrive by providing a compassionate network of support and resources in partnership with the community. To connect with or support Thriving Pink, please visit www.thrivingpink.org. — Submitted by the Thriving Pink Board of Directors

library card in the back of an old book signed in 1948. This is the oldest known autograph by what person? 5. Countries of the World. Home of the

Danube Delta, what country borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east and the Black Sea to the southeast? Answers: 12, France, Neil Young, Elvis Presley, Romania.

— Dr. Andy Jones is the former quizmaster at de Vere’s Irish Pub and author of the book “Pub Quizzes: Trivia for Smart People.” His pub quiz is now seeking a new home. Meanwhile, Dr. Andy is also sharing his pub quizzes via Patreon. Find out more at www. yourquizmaster.com.

Courtesy photo

Patti Hadrava, local breast cancer survivor and Pink Peer (right), with Linda Aquino. This is an incredibly challenging time and the isolation can further impact the worry and anxiety many face with a potentially lifethreatening illness. “We are receiving more requests for peer connections and need more volunteer mentors”, says Gayle Barry, Chair of the Mentoring Pink Peer Program. “We have found that the power of telling the story of your journey has the potential to become part an important part of someone else’s survival guide.” Thriving Pink will be offering a Mentoring Training Session on February 27th for anyone that is interested in learning more about the organization and the role of a Pink

Local scholars stand out Special to The Enterprise Shea Ochoa of Davis earned a bachelor’s degree in human environmental sciences from The University of Alabama. UA awarded 2,362 degrees during its fall commencement ceremonies in Tuscaloosa on Dec. 10-11. The University of Alabama is the state’s flagship university. A leader in research, UA advances discovery, creative inquiry and knowledge through more than 30 research centers. ———— Local students earned academic distinction for the most recent semester at Whitman College. This recognition is

Name Droppers given to students who have completed a minimum of 12 credits, passed all credits attempted, and have earned a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher on no fewer than nine graded credits in the semester. Davis natives Linnea Gatmon-Sandrock, a graduate of Sacramento Waldorf School, and Davis High grads Lyle Hahn and John Thompson were among the honorees. Situated within the rich and complex landscape and history of the Walla Walla Valley, Whitman College provides a rigorous liberal arts education of the highest quality.

By Andy Jones Special to The Enterprise 1. Normative Time for UC Davis Students. Students at UC Davis must be enrolled in at least how many units to be considered full-time students? 2. The European Union. Every country in the EU is smaller than Texas. Which EU country has the largest surface area? 3. Another Music Question. Born in 1945 and married to Daryl Hannah, what musician recently requested his songs be removed from Spotify? 4. Librarians. In 2012, a librarian at a high school in Tupelo, Miss., discovered a

Business

THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2022 A5

Dumpling House has expanded menu T

he Dumpling House reopened on Tuesday. The popular restaurant has been closed since a fire damaged it in May 2018. Owner Jetty Li said it’s open daily from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The restaurant at 129 E St., Suite B, has a loyal fan base, dedicated to its dumplings and pot stickers. Its new menu includes wontons and wonton soup, egg rolls, fried green onion bread, popcorn chicken, and stir-fry dishes with rice or noodles. It also continues the London Fish & Chips tradition of the previous tenant, offering fried fish and fried chicken meals. Its patio furniture is reportedly on order, so outside seating is limited for now. ———— Word on the street is that Konditorei Austrian Pastry Café may close as soon as February, as owners Albert and Gloria Kutternig look to retire. My source said the bakery was sold to a French patisserie. I left a message to confirm but did not hear back before my deadline. Konditorei started in 1990 in downtown Davis. It’s been at its 3,000-square-foot custom-built building at 2710 Fifth St. since 2000. Albert Kutternig, a native of Klagenfurt, Austria, comes from a family of master bakers and pastry chefs. He and Gloria emigrated to the U.S. shortly before opening the Davis bakery. They raised their three daughters here. He told Comstock’s Magazine in September that he was ready to retire from the long, early-morning hours. The bakery café is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays. ———— Tia Judith Confection will open Thursday in Woodland. It fills the former Zest Fresh Pastry site at 512 Main St. Zest West closed its storefront

on Dec. 24. It plans to return to a cottage-food license in February. Tia Judith’s owner Judith Espinoza Healy opened her first Mexican bakery in Sonoma County in 1998. She and her husband Greg Healey moved everything to Woodland a year ago. Her nephews Juan and Toby Barajas are well known Woodland restaurateurs; they own Savory Café and Main Street Lounge, respectively. The new bakery specializes in Mexican confections, especially its tres leches cake, which won double golds at the 2004 Sonoma Harvest Fair. The new eatery will include savory food as well. Its “Mex-Itali” concept ties in Judith’s Mexican heritage with Greg’s Italian ancestry. Judith Healy emigrated to Santa Rosa from Michoacán, Mexico, at 18. She picked vegetables “until I could afford to go to the community college to learn the language to sharpen my knowledge in the baking business,” the business website says. Greg Healy is a San Francisco native of second-generation Italians. He’s also an author who writes true crime novels under the pen name Gregorio Giuliani. I spoke with Greg on Thursday: “We’re set up for baking for the first two to three months, then we’ll introduce our Italian food.” Everything will be produced there, in the 2,300-square-foot space. They’re excited to open before Valentine’s Day, and plan to offer gourmet chocolate truffles and

The Dumpling House is open again in downtown Davis. Carson Crawford/ Courtesy photo

fudge, along with baked goods like cakes, scones and cinnamon rolls. Their website lists cakes for any occasion, including tres leches, mocha, pineapple, white, fruit basket, carrot, red velvet and triple chocolate. Other items include cookies like chocolate chip, coconut macaroons and French macarons; and Italian doughnuts, cupcakes, muffins and puff pastry. In a few months, when they start serving savory meals, the menu will feature handmade pasta with lasagna and pasta bowls, Greg said. The website also mentions manicotti, roast beef sandwiches on focaccia, cannelloni and stuffed pasta shells; along with fajitas, enchiladas, tamales, tacos, carnitas and pozole. Hours will be 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and 8 a.m. to 2 (or 3 p.m.) on Sundays. “We’re looking forward to working in this town,” he said of Woodland. “We really like this town.” ———— Mt. BBQ House, which opened earlier this month, has

been shuttered for several days. As of Thursday, a sign on the door said it’s closed for maintenance. It fills the former Sunrise Restaurant space at 229 G St., and specializes in Chinese barbecue, especially cook-at-the-table skewered meat. ———— Patio29 Spirits Co. in Winters recently added food, which means it can serve more than limited tastings of its housemade alcohol. “Gone is the one-and-a-halfounce-pour limit per customer, per day,” co-owner Anita Boone said. And starting Friday, Feb. 4, they will add a small selection of local beer and wine, along with full-size cocktails. Co-owner Jeff Boone said, “We will just have a few offerings for those that want to visit but don’t drink spirits.” Anita said the food offerings will vary by season. The menu includes veggie, beef and chicken empanadas, Italian sausage bites, soft pretzels, baked French fries and more. An on-site smoker is in the works for barbecue items.

It’s open on weekends — from 3 to 7 p.m. on Fridays, 2 to 7 p.m. on Saturdays, and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays — at 723 Railroad Ave., Winters. ———— Father Paddy’s Public House reopened Tuesday after being closed Jan. 19 through 24 due to COVID-19. The Irish pub is at 435 Main St. in Woodland. ———— I keep track of Davis businesses on my Google spreadsheet, which includes more than 325 Davis businesses affected by COVID-19. It’s at https://bit.ly/ DavisBusinesses. In it, there are sheets for Restaurants-open, Restaurants-closed, Coming soon, Businesses-retail, Businesses-service, and more. Email me (address below) to suggest updates. — Wendy Weitzel is a Davis writer and editor. Her column runs on Sundays. Check for frequent updates on her Comings & Goings Facebook and Instagram pages. If you know of a business coming or going in the area, contact her at wendyedit@gmail. com.

Community Power groups SAFe Credit union to award reach contract for storage $10,000 in scholarships Special to The Enterprise MONTEREY — At the Jan. 19 California Community Power board meeting, members of the Joint Powers Agency voted to enter into an energy storage service agreement with REV Renewables for 69 megawatts (MW)/552 megawatt hours (MWh) of longduration energy storage. The REV Renewables Tumbleweed project will be a CAISO grid-connected, lithiumion battery storage resource located near Rosamond, in Kern County, California, with an expected online date of 2026. “Long-duration energy storage is a vital resource, needed to amplify the value of renewable power and accelerate California’s shift to a clean, reliable and affordable grid,” said Girish Balachandran, California Community Power board chair and Silicon Valley Clean Energy CEO. “This first project is an exciting milestone that shows how CCAs work together to advance our shared goals in the transition to a carbon-free grid.” The California Public Utilities Commission Mid-Term Reliability Procurement order (Decision 21-06-035) requires all CPUC-jurisdictional load-serving entities, including CC Power members, to procure from energy storage facilities capable of discharging for a minimum of eight hours. This project satisfies approximately 55% of the long-duration storage compliance requirements of the participating members. This joint procurement effort for longduration energy storage began before the CPUC issued the new procurement order when a subset of the CC Power members

issued a Request for Offers (RFO) in October 2020 seeking to procure cost-effective and viable long-duration storage resources. Participation in the RFO and resulting projects is voluntary for each CC Power member. The participating agencies for this project are CleanPowerSF, Peninsula Clean Energy, Redwood Coast Energy Authority, San Jose Clean Energy, Silicon Valley Clean Energy, Sonoma Clean Power Authority and Valley Clean Energy. Participating members will follow their own review and approval processes with their local, elected boards. The Tumbleweed project adheres to the long-duration storage enhanced conditions adopted by the CC Power board for this procurement effort. It will be constructed under a Project Labor Agreement, assuring prevailing wages and use of apprenticeship programs, and is expected to create dozens of new jobs. The ongoing RFO process as well as member participation have been discussed during noticed public meetings of the CC Power board. Additional projects identified during the competitive solicitation process will be discussed at upcoming meetings. Meeting information is available at cacommunitypower.org/meetings. California Community Power is a Joint Powers Agency composed of 10 California Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs). The agency allows its member CCAs to combine their buying power to procure new, cost-effective clean energy and reliability resources to continue advancing local and state climate goals.

Special to The Enterprise FOLSOM — SAFE Credit Union will award $10,000 in scholarships to high school seniors this Spring. The 2022 Scholarship Program — in its 22nd year — will provide 10 outstanding collegebound seniors each with a $1,000 scholarship. With SAFE’s commitment to student achievement in mind, the Scholarship Committee will select awardees based on their exceptional grade point average, financial need, letters of recommendation and a personal statement. Applicants, or a parent or guardian, must be an active member of the credit union and live or attend school in counties SAFE serves: Alameda, Amador, Butte, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Sutter, Yuba, and Yolo. The 2022 application package is available online at safecu. org/2022Scholarship or call (916) 9797233 or (800) SEE-SAFE for more information. Applications must be emailed to scholarships@safecu.org or postmarked no later than Feb. 28, 2022, and addressed to:

SAFE Credit Union ATTN: SAFE Scholarship Committee 2295 Iron Point Road, Suite 100 Folsom, CA 95630-8765 SAFE Credit Union has made members an integral part of its vision since 1940. Over the years the credit union has kept the focus on what really matters, putting members first, a formula that has seen SAFE grow into a leading financial institution in Northern California with over $4.3 billion in assets and about 245,000 members. SAFE crafts every cutting-edge product and sterling service with members’ needs foremost in mind. In addition to banking services conveniently available through online, chat, mobile, or phone options, SAFE offers in-person care for members and small businesses at service centers across the Greater Sacramento region and a mortgage lending office serving Contra Costa and Alameda counties. SAFE is a not-forprofit, state-chartered credit union with membership open to businesses and individuals living or working in Sacramento, Placer, Yolo, El Dorado, Sutter, Butte, Nevada, Solano, San Joaquin, Contra Costa, Yuba, Amador, and Alameda counties. Insured by NCUA.

From Page One

A6 THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

DISC: Poposal has 85 affordable units From Page A1

could be provided off site.

development agreement. Specifically, the development agreement “requires the developer to construct several new bike/pedestrian related improvements, including providing the land for a grade-separated undercrossing of Mace Boulevard. “This will connect the 1.5 miles of publicly accessible bike/walking trails within the DiSC 2022 project to a future trail along the inside of the Mace Boulevard curve,” according to the staff report prepared for Tuesday’s council meeting. “The developer will also be responsible for the construction of the separated grade crossing across Mace and will construct a bicycle connection from the west side of Mace Boulevard, north of the Nugget headquarters, westward to the city’s existing trail system that runs between Lake Alhambra Estates and Harper (Junior High).” That bike crossing was a priority for planning commissioners, several of

Full city staff analysis of the proposal can be found in the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting at https://www. cityofdavis.org/city-hall/ city-council/city-councilmeetings/agendas.

Courtesy graphic

The latest version of the DiSC project would bring 1.1 million square-feet of office, laboratory and advanced manufacturing space, as well as 460 housing units, to open space directly east of Mace Boulevard and north of I-80. whom said they would not support the project without it. Other requests made by the commission that are now included in the project include the planting of of no less than 1,500 trees and building affordable multifamily rental units in the first phase of the project. A total of 85 affordable housing units are included in the DiSC proposal. Of those, 74 would be built on

site, including 60 rental units and 14 for-sale homes. Of the 60 affordable rental units, 60 percent will be affordable to low-income individuals and 40 percent will be affordable to very lowincome individuals. For-sale units will be affordable to those in the moderate income category. The remaining 11 required affordable housing units

On Tuesday, the council will hear from city staff as well as the applicant and take public comment before taking action that may include approving a resolution placing DiSC 2022 on the June 7 ballot for a vote under the city’s Measure J/R/D. Tuesday’s meeting begins with a joint discussion between the council and the Finance and Budget Commission at 5:30 p.m. followed by the regular agenda at 6:30 p.m. City Council meetings are still being held remotely and can be accessed live on city of cable Channel 16; online at https://cityof davis.org/city-hall/citycouncil/city-council-meetings/meeting-videos; or via Zoom at https://us06web. zoom.us/j/81330883614.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2022

TRANSITIONAL: District building support system From Page A1 isn’t difficult enough, one might see earning credentials all the while as a challenging slate. With the YSCTC’s intern program, however, teachers are able to fit learning around their already demanding schedule. “Teachers attend an info night and see if it fits them and what they want to get credentialed in. If they say it’s a good fit, they apply to the program, prove they’ve met the basic skills requirements, subject matter knowledge and then they attend classes with an instructor,” explained Special Projects Director, Gail Nadal. “Now we’re digitally offering this coursework which is nice because it’s open to more people that are available after the teaching day. Teachers will continue employment so they can go through this two-year credential program and

be paid their salary wage while doing this. It’s very exciting and something that would have been a roadblock for those who need a paycheck every month.” Connie Best also said that teachers will have a support system as they go through this including a mentor and field supervisor. Essentially, resources they wouldn’t have in their corner without the program. With teachers’ skills improving through the program, the trickledown effect is an overall improvement to theirs and their students’ educational journey. For more information on the YSCTC’s credentialing programs, informational session dates and more, one can visit their website at https:// www.yscenterforteaching. org/. — Reach Aaron Geerts at aaron.geerts@ mcnaughton.media.

MAPS: Will go into effect for November From Page A1 feedback form are available online at www.cityofdavis. org/districts Once selected by the council, the final map will be used for the November 2022 election when Carson’s district as well as that of Mayor Gloria Partida (District 4) will be on the ballot. Residents of districts 2, 3 and 5 voted in the 2020 election, the first district election held since the city switched from at-large to by-district elections back in 2019. Completion of the 2020

Census led to redistricting not just for the city but also for Yolo County’s Board of Supervisors. The county completed its redistricting process already and two supervisorial districts — 2 and 3 — will be on the ballot in June. Supervisor Don Saylor of Davis currently represents District 2 but has announced he will not seek re-election. Frerichs and Davis attorney Larenda Delaini have announced their intention to seek the seat. In District 3, Supervisor Gary Sandy of Woodland is

seeking re-election. Also on the ballot in June will be four countywide offices that all residents will vote for: assessor/clerkrecorder/registrar of voters, where incumbent Jesse Salinas is seeking re-election; district attorney, where incumbent Jeff Reisig faces challenger Cynthia Rodriguez; sheriffcoroner, where Tom Lopez is seeking re-election; and superintendent of schools. — Reach Anne TernusBellamy at aternus@ davisenterprise.net. Follow her on Twitter at @ ATernusBellamy.

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THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

Baby Blues

Pearls Before Swine

YOLOlaughs By Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

By Stephan Pastis

Dilbert

Zits

SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2022 A7

By Scott Adams

By Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Local

A8 THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2022

WORKFORCE: Disagreement on best approach for state From Page A3 its strategy leading up to the current crisis, it was for focusing too narrowly on vaccine promotion, said Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease physician at UC San Francisco. “Putting all the eggs in the vaccine basket” meant there was less focus on stockpiling masks, tests and new treatments like monoclonal antibodies that have rendered COVID much less of a threat for the vast majority of vaccinated patients, he said. “I think we could have been more proactive as a state. We have the resources, we have the brainpower, we have the wherewithal.” Another cohort of Bay Area-based medical professionals and researchers say that if there’s a lesson to be learned from the most recent COVID surge, it’s that state public health officials have been too slow to recognize the actual, much-diminished threat that the virus poses to most people in 2022. Last week four doctors associated with UC San Francisco wrote a controversial letter drawing a very different lesson from the state’s experience weathering omicron: California needs to eliminate masking and testing requirements at schools as soon as the current surge has subsided. Whether the state could have done more to limit the spread of omicron is the wrong question to ask, said emergency medicine professor Jeanne Noble, who co-authored the letter. Instead public health policy should strive to “get that very small sliver of our population maximally protected and not in this more clunky way of restricting the lives and social norms of the population at large.”

No lockdowns in sight Even as many Californians were still learning how to pronounce “omicron” in early December, Newsom had already ruled out the possibility of another lockdown. With so many state residents vaccinated, such drastic social distancing measures were no longer demanded by the science, he said at the time. Nor, presumably, would they have been tolerated by much of the COVID-weary public. California’s Democratic governor wasn’t the only governor to make that calculation. Even as hospitals ran out of beds, schools ran out of unexposed teachers and graphs ran out of vertical space to accommodate the stratospheric case numbers, not a single state imposed new lockdown measures. That was a sharp contrast from two years prior. Back then, blue state governors in particular were quick to shutter businesses and schools. This time the prevailing focus has been to keep things up and running. In Michigan, Oklahoma, and North Carolina, governors handed down emergency orders deploying state workers and school district administrative staff into classrooms in order to keep schools open. New Mexico’s governor, Lujan Grisham, went a step further and became a substitute herself. Other states have tried to address omicron-induced worker shortages with financial incentives. Lawmakers in Kentucky are considering whether to offer loan forgiveness to nurses and social workers. Earlier this month, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier

Becerra said that the department would be spending $103 million on programs that address health care worker “burnout,” $8.7 million of which will go to three hospitals and one nonprofit in California.

“I think that California did a reasonable job trying to balance protecting people from the virus and allowing people’s lives to function in a more normal fashion.”

Newsom’s omicron response

John Swartzberg UC Berkeley

Since omicron arrived in California, the Newsom administration has tried some version of all of these approaches. Earlier this month, the governor issued an executive order making it easier for schools to hire substitute teachers. In the budget proposal the governor submitted to the Legislature earlier this month, he requested that the state continue to waive credentialing fees for new teachers and that $3 million be set aside to “research health care shortages.” In November, prior to the arrival of omicron, the administration finalized a request to Legislature to set aside an extra $1.4 billion in emergency COVID spending above and beyond the state budget passed last year. Of that total ask, $478 million would be used to to hire more nurses and clinicians to relieve shortstaffed hospitals. This week they bumped up that total request to $2.3 billion, with another $8 million set aside for “surge” staffing. For all that extra spending, the administration appears optimistic that the wave will soon recede and that a new one isn’t likely to follow. Tucked into his budget proposal is the assumption that Californians will be back to work at “pre-pandemic labor force levels” by the late summer or early fall of 2022. On Tuesday, Newsom

and legislative leaders announced what is certainly the most dramatic response to workplace disruptions since the beginning of the current wave: an agreement to revive a paid COVID sick leave policy for employees at medium and large-sized companies. Under the terms of the deal, which isn’t likely to become law for at least a week, workers could get up to two weeks of paid time off to recuperate or help a family member recover from COVID. Businesses would be compensated in part with additional tax credits. Workers would be able to apply for compensation retroactively for any work missed after Jan. 1. The new agreement was heralded by labor unions and anti-poverty groups, while getting a tepid response from the state’s business lobby. “Some of the workforce

shortages that we’re seeing right now are being caused primarily because folks don’t have the ability to isolate, and to do so with some economic security,” said Eduardo Martinez, legislative director for California Labor Federation.

What comes next? The coronavirus has been difficult to predict, said Swartzberg, the infectious disease expert at UC Berkeley. If another variant comes along that completely evades the protections recent infection and vaccinations offer, he said, “we’re going to be still riding the roller coaster.” But that’s unlikely, he thinks. With so many Californians vaccinated or recently infected — or both — we could be headed for a world in early March where case levels remain relatively constant and people can

essentially live their normal lives, with sound judgment and a mask in their back pocket, said Swartzberg. Ensuring that employers and workers have easy access to testing would give business owners a degree of certainty going forward, said Mark Herbert, chief strategy officer for Small Business Majority, a policy advocacy organization. He pointed to California’s effort to distribute tests to child care providers in late January as one step in that direction. The Newsom’s administration’s request this week for additional funds to respond to omicron also included $386 million for testing. Shoring up the child care system — which is facing its own acute staffing problems, layered on top of a longer-term shortage of providers — could help address the worker shortages elsewhere by giving parents more reliable access to child care. Measures put in place earlier in the pandemic, including fee waivers for low-income families, and paying providers who offer state-subsidized care based on enrollment rather than attendance, are set to expire this summer, said Kristin Schumacher, a senior policy analyst at the California Budget and Policy Center.

sports

Mixed results for DHS grapplers, Page B2 B Section

Forum B4 Op-ed B5 Dial-a-Pro B6

THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE — SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2022

DHS girls silence Troubadours By Rebecca Wasik Enterprise correspondent

Can we just f lip a coin? P

ro football fans everywhere — except those in Kansas City — are outraged that only one team got to possess the football during overtime of the scintillating Bills-Chiefs playoff game. How can it be that a coin flip basically ended up deciding who won the game? As soon as the Chiefs won the coin flip, I turned the TV off because I already knew how the game was going to end. The same thing happened in the Super Bowl a couple of years ago when the Patriots got the ball first and that was that. In the college game, of course, both teams get an equal number of possessions in overtime. It’s simple, easy, straightforward, and most of all, fair. In the college game, in fact, the team that wins the overtime coin flip invariably chooses to play defense first. The thinking here is to see what the other team does with its offensive possession and you can respond accordingly. If the other team scores a touchdown, you know you need to do the same. If the other team kicks a field goal, you know you can match that with a field goal or win the game with a touchdown.

A

nd, if the other team fails to score, wow, you can play it safe and simply kick a game-winning field goal. In the 11 NFL playoff games when the current overtime rule has been in effect, fully seven times the team with the ball first scored a touchdown and the other team never got to play a single down on offense. In the Bills-Chiefs showdown, the two teams combined for 25 points in the final 1:54 of the fourth quarter, with each team driving the length of the field in less than a minute. When overtime started, the two had combined for a whopping 72 points. In other words, both defenses were gassed from chasing elusive quarterbacks for a full 60 minutes. A high school team could have scored in overtime against the exhausted defense of either team. Near the end of regulation, Kansas City need only nine seconds and two plays to easily move 44 yards downfield to set up a game-tying field goal. Whoever got the ball first in overtime was going to win this game. While football fans may hate this rule, athletes in other sports are beginning to think a simple coin

See DUNNING, Page B7

The Davis High girls basketball team captured a close win over St. Francis High in Friday’s Delta League game. After seven days without a game, the Blue Devils (6-10 overall, 5-1 Delta) squeaked by the Troubadours (10-8, 3-3) for a 54-51 win at DHS’ North Gym. Blue Devil Tessa Schouten was vital in Davis pulling ahead of St. Francis, finishing the game with 24 points. Schouten was responsible for Davis’ first 5 points of the first quarter. Malia Abrenica then hit two free throws and a basket. As the clock wound down, Blue Devil Izzy Cherry sank a bucket at the buzzer to tie the game at 11-11. Davis stole the momentum in the second quarter. After Schouten and Mara Bledsoe each found the bottom of the net, JoJo Myers of the Troubadours hit a 3-pointer.

From then on, the Lady Blue Devils went on points to the tally with free throws. Bledsoe a 13-0 run. Six of those points were Bled- then sunk two more baskets. soe’s thanks to back-to-back field goals Schouten hit another bucket with four while being fouled. minutes left in the game. Cordone and At halftime, Davis led 28-19. Schouten Abrenica then each sunk one free throw. was responsible for 12 of those 28 points. After the Troubadours hit another field goal and added 4 points from St. Francis stole back the free throws, Bledsoe hit two momentum in the third quarfree throws to give Davis the ter. Although Schouten hit 1-point lead with 25 seconds two free throws to start the left in the game. quarter, the Troubadours went Next game: Monday at With 16 seconds left, on a 9-0 run. Schouten and Cosumnes Oaks, 7 p.m. Schouten found the bottom of Alia Cordone each hit a bucket the net for Davis’ final 2 points to break St. Francis’ run. After another basket and a 3-pointer by of the game. Bledsoe finished the game with 16 points, the Troubadours, Schouten and Cordone each got another field goal. Going into the Abrenica had 7, Cordone finished with 5 fourth quarter, St. Francis held onto a slim and Cherry finished with 2. 39-38 lead thanks to four made 3-pointers. Davis is set to face Cosumnes Oaks in an A minute into the fourth quarter, Davis away game on Monday at 7 p.m. — Follow Rebecca Wasik on Twitter: took the lead back with two free throws by Bledsoe. Schouten added another two @BeccaFromTheBay.

Blue Devils 54, Troubadours 51

Devil boys come up short against Jesuit By Mike Bush Enterprise sports editor CARMICHAEL — A week had passed since the Davis High boys basketball team last played a Delta League game. Fast forward to Friday’s game against Jesuit High’s squad inside Barry Gym, the Blue Devils showed no signs of rust of not playing in the last six days. After shining in the first three quarters of the game that included knocking down many 3-pointers in the first half, Davis’ run slowed down and Jesuit’s picked up. Tack on adjustments made in the fourth quarter, the Marauders posted an 83-69 victory over the Blue Devils. “We just could never establish an inside presence,” said Davis head coach Dan Gonzalez. “We couldn’t get (Davis 6-foot-7 center) Keandre (Burns) going. And, without an inside presence, boy, it’s easy for teams to sit on you on the perimeter. Hats off to them, they made an adjustment, and it was probably the right adjustment, and we just couldn’t answer it.” The loss moves Davis to 2-4 in the Delta League and 6-10 overall. Jesuit improves to 3-3 in league and 9-11. Jesuit held a 63-57 lead entering the fourth quarter. Both teams exchanged baskets in the first minute of the quarter, which included Jesuit forward Gabe Barry hitting a 3-pointer, to make the score 66-59. Then the Marauders went on an 11-0 run over a two-minute span, as Barry and Jesuit teammate Kai Wallin did the bulk of the scoring. “We weren’t getting our shots sometimes,” Gonzalez said. “We had empty possessions. We can’t afford that with a good team like that. They just kept on attacking. We thought we could wear them down, but that (Jesuit junior guard Andrej) Stojakovic kid, boy, he was just attacking us everywhere he could.”

Mike Bush/Enterprise photo

Davis High guard Colin Walsh (20) eyes the basket in Friday’s Delta League boys basketball game at Jesuit. Stojakovic, the son of former throws gave the Marauders a Sacramento Kings guard Peja 63-57 lead entering the final Stojakovic, had a game-high 41 quarter. The Blue Devils and Maraudpoints. Wallin had 11 points. Davis, which sank nine ers duplicated the same type of 3-pointers in the first half, play in the first half, which was exchanging many made only two in leads and ties. the final 16 minutes of the game. But Davis “They extended seemed to have the their defense out a upper hand in little more,” Gon- Next game: Monday making 3-pointers, zalez said. “So, we vs.Cosumnes Oaks, which seemed like weren’t getting 7 p.m. good momentum those open looks, going into the final and they figured 16 minutes of the out that we actually have more game. range than the high school Blue Devil guard Jackson three.” Isidor had made two from The game was tied at 39-39 behind the line, as well as teamat halftime. Throughout the mates Noah Salmon, Ish Bull third quarter, Davis and Jesuit Bear and Younes Chantit. Davis forward Will Ackerman exchanged many ties and leads. But toward the end of the had a 3-pointer. “We were confident with the quarter, two Blue Devil turnovers, a couple of Jesuit way we played in the first half,” rebounds and making two free Gonzalez said.

Marauders 83, Blue Devils 69

Salmon finished with 20 points for the Blue Devils. Isidor followed with 16 points, Bear 8 and Chantit and Zane Pickus 6 each. Burns finished with 3 points. The last time Davis played was on Jan. 21 at Pleasant Grove of Elk Grove. The Blue Devils and Eagles were knotted at 68-68 after four quarters. But Davis’ cold shooting in overtime, plus the Eagles soaring to making most free throws led to Pleasant Grove posting a 78-71 win. Despite the loss, Davis is still in the hunt for one of the league’s four playoff spots. Sheldon and Elk Grove are tied for first place at 6-1 each, followed by Jesuit, Cosumnes Oaks (3-4) and Pleasant Grove (3-4). Franklin occupies last place with an 0-6 mark.

See BOYS, Page B7

49ers, Rams square off for state bragging rights

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oday, the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams meet in the rubber match in Southern California. But the third meeting in the NFC Championship Game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood will determine who will play in Super Bowl LVI, which will be played at the same stadium. The championship game between NFC West Division foes in San Francisco, which is the No. 6 seed, facing division champion Los Angeles, which is the No. 4 seed, has a lot more riding other than a trip to the Super Bowl. Entering the game, the 49ers are looking to sweep the Rams. In their regular-season finale on Jan. 9, San Francisco rallied from a 17-0 halftime deficit to beat Los Angeles 27-24. In their first meeting, the 49ers dominated the Rams, which resulted in a 31-10

pounding at Levi’s Stadium in Week 10 on Nov. 15, 2021. San Francisco is currently riding a six-game winning streak over Los Angeles. Here are some more fun notes about the 49ers and Rams. n The 49ers and Rams have met only once in the postseason: The 1989 NFC Championship, a 30-3 San Francisco win at Candlestick Park. San Francisco went on to defeat the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV. n San Francisco is making its second appearance in the NFC Championship in three years. The 49ers have reached a conference Championship Game for the 17th time, more than any franchise in the Super Bowl era. Since 2011, the 49ers are making their fifth appearance in the NFC Championship. San Francisco is 7-9 all-time

in the NFC title game. n The Rams are making their 11th appearance in the NFC Championship Game. They are tied with the Green Bay Packers for the third-most since the 1970 league merger. Only the 49ers and Dallas Cowboys (16) have more appearances in the NFC Championship. n This season, beginning with their Week 10 win over the Rams, the 49ers have won nine of their last 11 games entering Sunday’s

contest, including the postseason. n San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is 6-0 against the Rams. He has completed a combined 121 passes out of 177 attempts for 1,549 yards and nine touchdowns. n More on Garoppolo. In his postseason career, he is 3-0 as a starting quarterback on the road against the Rams. He is bidding to become the second quarterback in 49ers history to win multiple NFC Championships, joining former 49er great in Joe Montana, who captured four NFC titles. n Both the 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals have answered a last-place finish with a conference championship game. This is the fifth time since the league merger in 1970 in which two teams have done performed this feat.

Yes, there is another prediction. San Francisco 28, Los Angeles 23. Like I said in my column last week, if the 49ers win by that exact same score, I am going to buy lottery tickets next week. Should the 49ers beat the Rams, I plan to run another column on the 49ers playing in the Super Bowl. Here’s my predictions on the AFC Championship Game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs. In fact, how about a final score for this game, too? Kansas City 42, Cincinnati 40. If both games end in the same exact scores, I’ll double up purchasing lottery tickets next week. — Contact Mike Bush at mike@davisenterprise.net. Follow on Twitter: @MBDavis Sports.

Sports

B2 THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2022

Mixed results for Blue Devil wrestling squads in league meet Enterprise staff On Wednesday, the Davis High wrestling team hosted Delta League foes Sheldon and Franklin inside the North Gym. The girls wrestling team won its matches over Sheldon, 29-0. No final score against Franklin was available at press time. Blue Devil winners against Sheldon were Juana FranciscoPeralta (106) by pin, Brooklin Cienfuegos (111) by pin, Andrea

Gonzalez (121) by pin, Kelsey Bordios (131) by pin and Avangeline Turner (143) by pin. On the boy’s side, senior Blue Devils James Davis, Vance Tangren, Aoui Pacheco-Delfino and Christian Merola were honored before the dual meet. “I am looking forward to seeing James, Vance, Aoui and Christian take their next steps as young men,” said Davis head coach John Rosendale. “Our team is blessed for being

able to have them in our program.” The Blue Devils’ outcome was close. But visiting Sheldon posted a 45-36 victory and Franklin 54-28. The losses dropped Davis, which a win over both teams would’ve kept it in contention to earn a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I team playoff berth, to 4-3. “We lost both of our matches, but our wrestlers fought with courage and heart,” Rosendale said. Davis winners against Sheldon,

which led 33-6 after seven weight classes, were Joshua Proudhomme (126-pounds) by pin in the second round, Sam Reising (138) by a 6-5 decision, Ian Greenway (160) by pin, PachecoDelfino (184) by pin. The Blue Devils won the 170 and heavyweight classes. Against Franklin, Davis led 16-12 before the Wildcats won four of the final seven matches for the win.

Blue Devil winners were Wyatt Bluecoat (120) by a 10-6 decision, Thomas Mueller (132) by pin in the first round, Reising by forfeit in the third round and PachecoDelfino by pin in the third round. Davis won the 192 class by forfeit. The Blue Devils now shift their focus on the Delta League tournament, which is Saturday at Cosumnes Oaks High. Rosendale said that action is scheduled to start at 9 a.m.

THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2022 B3

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B4 THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

Commentary

Statewide races to watch this year

A national W family-leave policy needed By Jocelyn Yow Special to CalMatters

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2022

merica continues to be one of the few nations in the world that doesn’t offer paid family leave.

As a country we need to do more to ensure that family leave is adopted, as proposed in the Build Back Better bill. Without paid family leave, the potential of women’s leadership will remain untapped. As the first woman to serve as the mayor of Eastvale, and a new mom, I know firsthand that without national family leave policies, the cost to our country will be great. I also have seen how the country can learn a few lessons from California’s progress on this score. I’m mentioning a bill proposed by a Democratic president, but actually, paid leave is a true bipartisan issue with support on both sides. More than 80% of Americans support paid family leave. Yet, when I rotated into the mayor’s office in 2020 — every council member in Eastvale serves a year as mayor — there were no changing tables for infants at City Hall. People asked me if I’d have time to serve as the mayor, assuming that as a new mother my responsibilities lay elsewhere. They would never have asked the same question of a new father.

e can pretty much assume that Gavin Newsom will be reelected this year to a second term as California’s governor. Given that near-certainty, 2022’s most significant statewide race will be Attorney General Rob Bonta’s bid for a full term amidst rising public angst about crime. Newsom appointed Bonta last year after Xavier Becerra resigned to become secretary of Health and Human Services in President Joe Biden’s cabinet. Bonta is strongly identified with the criminal justice reform movement that critics say is at last partially responsible for the uptick in property and violent crimes by reducing punishment for lawbreakers and putting more of them back on the street rather than behind bars. A leading critic, Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, is not Bonta’s only would-be challenger, but probably would be the one with the greatest chance of unseating him. It’s a test of whether California voters see crime as a gamechanging issue. However it would play out, a Bonta-Schubert duel would be a straightforward contest between two ideological foes.

A more complex and therefore more interesting political match is emerging for the lesser office of state insurance commissioner, with Democratic incumbent Ricardo Lara facing Democratic Assemblyman Marc Levine. Lara, a former legislator from Los Angeles, and Levine, who represents Marin County, may not be ideological twins, but both are more or less conventional liberals who generally pay homage to the Democratic Party’s established list of do’s and don’ts. Their contest is becoming a case study in what happens when one party is utterly dominant. It fragments into internal factions — in essence, quasi-parties — defined by personality, ethnicity, gender or minute ideological differences that vie for influence. One sees it in the perpetual infighting among Democrats

in party strongholds such as San Francisco and among Republicans in the few places where the GOP prevails, such as Kern County. Nature abhors a vacuum and in the absence of two-party competition, it becomes internalized. Accordingly, Lara and Levine are assembling coalitions of Democratic Party factions. Lara, who is Latino and gay, is counting on support from organizations that represent those two groups, for instance. Levine, meanwhile, has picked up major backing from the California Nurses Association.

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re there any real issues separating the two? Levine, whose district has been wracked by wildfire, basically accuses Lara of being too cozy with the insurance industry he regulates. From the onset of Lara’s term three years ago, he’s taken fire from Consumer Watchdog, which sponsored the 1988 ballot measure that, among other things, converted the insurance commissioner from an appointee of the governor into an elected position. Lara, however, has depicted himself as a stern

and effective regulator while dealing with an insurance crisis ignited by the spate of wildfires. Insurers have paid out billions of dollars to compensate victims of recent wildfires and some have threatened to refuse to cover property in fire-prone areas and/or abandon California altogether. Lara has intervened with a series of orders to insurers that they continue coverage in areas hit by fire, invoking a power from legislation he sponsored as a state senator. The orders he says, “help give people the breathing room they desperately need as they recover.” He’s also ordered the Fair Plan, the state’s insurer of last resort, to offer more comprehensive coverage and proposed other insurance reforms. It’s unclear, whether insurers will help Lara fend off Levine’s challenge. Were they to jump in with big campaign checks, it might hand Levine a weapon to persuade voters that Lara is their protector, rather than their regulator. — CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to Commentary.

With cultural biases like this too often unchallenged it’s no wonder that on the national level, women still account for about one-third of people in elected office. I often speak with young women who don’t think of themselves as political. They’ve been discouraged from seeing themselves as leaders in that way. They also don’t see enough role models like me in office to show them what a woman in political leadership looks like. It is a chickenand-egg challenge.

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use this issue as an example of why young women’s political involvement matters. If you’re not in political power then things are going to get decided for you, I tell them, and you won’t get the chance to participate. I tell them that it’s in their power to change America’s idea of what a political leader looks like, and that by running for political office they can help change things. This is also a bipartisan issue. If we want gender parity in elected office, we need women to get elected across the political spectrum. We’re lucky in California to have a state law offering 60% of a salary for paid family leave. But the reality for me, giving birth to my son in 2020, was that I could not afford to take it. So, I took six weeks of saved-up vacation time and went right back to work.

Letters The military class?

Build Back Better’s family leave plan was based on a progressive system, to ensure people in lower income brackets would get close to 100% of their wages. In California, former Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez tried to push for a better system where everyone taking family leave would get nearly the full amount. Unfortunately, her bill was vetoed. Such policies help everyone. They are not just for mothers. They are for people trying to take care of elderly parents and foster children, and their families. It is frustrating to have a conversation about equity in the workplace without equity at home, too. Research shows that even women who work outside the home end up doing more of the household chores. We need men to be allies and to pass these kinds of laws to help us all succeed — and that extends from the laundry room to the Legislature. — Jocelyn Yow, mayor of Eastvale in 2021, is legislative advocacy director of Ignite, a young women’s political leadership program based in Oakland. She wrote this for CalMatters, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s Capitol works and why it matters.

I would like to respond to the opinion piece on Jan. 10 that talked about the “military class.” I served in the U.S. military for 27 years. Having 80-some veterans charged for crimes during the Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021, is a stain on our honor. We veterans raised our right hands and swore to “protect the Constitution of the United States of America from all enemies, both foreign and domestic.” The Veterans who violated the Capitol violated their oath. I can only surmise what they might have felt that day — they felt like no one had their back and they had to take matters into their own hands. I used to think that the Timothy McVeigh and the Unabomber were in the extreme outer edges of American society. Evidently, that’s not the case anymore and maybe it never was. The military is no different from any other group in that it has people who join who have some bad baggage. That bad baggage can be addressed appropriately and corrected if these military members have good leadership. All sorts of people come into the military that have racists views, fascists views, sexists views, etc. One thing that might help to level the playing field in our country is to reinstate what countries like Sweden and

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others do — mandatory service for two years. It wouldn’t have to be military service. It could be teaching, Peace Corps, First Responders, etc. That might dilute what the author was talking about — a military class. Doing away with the draft helped create that class. Some feel entitled because they put their life on the line for many who seem not to be appreciative of their sacrifices. Most Americans will never know what it’s like to be deployed as a U. N. Peacekeeper in a country that has no government, that’s lawless, with murder and rape and refugees and landmines and snipers and orphans and burnt buildings. We live in a world that needs good military members to serve the public and protect the Constitution and the laws of the land. Melvin Brinkley Davis

Sheltering the unsheltered The Interfaith Housing Justice Davis alliance of faith organizations, believe that our community has an obligation to protect our unsheltered neighbors. Thus, we wish to thank the city for supporting the emergency cold weather shelter that was briefly located at the Davis Migrant Center. While this program had to close, we hope that the City will continue to explore other models building on this experience. We are also grateful to the organizations

Speak out President The Hon. Joe Biden, The White House, Washington, D.C., 20500; 202-456-1111 (comments), 202-456-1414 (switchboard); email: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

U.S. Senate Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-3841; email: http://feinstein. senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me Sen. Alex Padilla, B03 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20510;

that supported the program, especially HEART of Davis whose staff and volunteers put their hearts and souls into attempting to provide a safe and dignified space for the unsheltered. And more thanks to Yolo Food Bank, CommuniCare, Davis Homelessness Alliance and all the volunteers and donors. It takes a community. Of course, we are deeply disheartened that our unsheltered neighbors must now return to the streets just as the coldest weather of the year has hit our community. We hope that alternative shelter can be found. In the meantime, we thank the City for agreeing to provide 10 hotel rooms with case management services for the most vulnerable and for working with the nonprofit Grace In Action to fund additional emergency hotel rooms as donations permit. We ask that you, our neighbors, donate to this important program by sending a check directly to Grace In Action at Post Office Box 4393, Davis CA 95617 and noting emergency housing fund in the memo line. The “How to help” tab at Grace-inaction.org identifies additional ways to provide support to our unsheltered neighbors. And finally, we ask our sheltered neighbors to join their voices with ours in asking our City leadership to make permanent solutions for the unsheltered a priority in our city budget. Ellen Kolarik Interfaith Housing Justice Davis

202-224-3553; email: padilla.senate. gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me

We welcome your letters

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Addresses and phone numbers should be included for verification purposes; they will not be published. Limit letters to 350 words. Anonymous letters will not be accepted. We reserve the right to edit all letters for brevity or clarity. Mail letters to The Davis Enterprise, P.O. Box 1470, Davis, CA 95617; bring them to 315 G St.; fax them to 530-756-1668; or email them to newsroom@davis enterprise.net.

Rep. John Garamendi (3rd District), 2368 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20515; 202-225-1880. District office: 412 G St., Davis, CA 95616; 530-753-5301; email: visit https://garamendi.house.gov/contact/ email

Governor Gov. Gavin Newsom, State Capitol, Suite 1173, Sacramento, CA 95814; 916-4452841; email: visit https://govapps.gov. ca.gov/gov40mail/

Op-Ed

THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2022 B5

One man’s journey through, and to, hospice By Craig Dresang Special to The Enterprise

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t was a hot muggy Midwestern July when I left my home in Chicago to spend the weekend with my parents in northern Wisconsin. 90 degrees and 90 percent humidity. The air was thick with the smell of pine, birch and fresh rain. Lightning from passing thunderstorms flashed in the distance. Once home, my mom was hell-bent on taking a bicycle ride with me. She was not able to bike around the entire lake like we usually did, but it did not matter. I knew she simply needed to feel like she could soar again on that plum-colored Schwinn. After we peddled back home from a short excursion along the west shore of Shawano Lake, mom ordered pizza. When we sat down with our pepperoni and cheese, she opened a bottle of wine and began to tell me that her treatments weren’t working so well anymore. I was 9 when mom received her first cancer diagnosis 20 years earlier. It was breast cancer. Both she and her best friend, Mrs. Eggabean, received the same diagnosis during the same week, from the same doctor. Six months later, Mrs. Eggabean was dead, but mom was somehow alive. She was hairless, bloated, breastless and, I imagine, terrified. But it never showed. She was hopelessly hopeful. Aggressive treatment gave her nearly two more decades of life. But about halfway through her “bonus years” as she called them, she told me that when she was younger she bargained with God; if she could live long enough to see her children become adults, then she would accept whatever fate would deliver. That fate played out on a bone-chilling, Northwoods winter day when her doctor used the word, “terminal.” Her prognosis: six months. Still, her optimism, coupled with new chemotherapies bought her an additional two years. When treatments stopped working, the doctor said she could have a shunt put into her chest and wear an experimental chemo-pack strapped to her waist. “That will never happen,” she told me. “I will never have a shunt put in. No more treatments. I just want to be home.” So I was surprised when my dad called eight weeks later to say that he took mom in for a check-up and the doctor checked her into the hospital. Dad didn’t even know why she was admitted. Shortly after our conversation, I jumped in my little yellow Honda and drove four hours north. When I arrived at the hospital and entered my mom’s room she immediately sprung up in bed like a jack-in-the-box

Commentary with a giant smile and said, “I’ve been waiting for you, you old moose!” Yes, “Old Moose” was a term of endearment that my mother lovingly called me for years. Suddenly, a visible tsunami of panic, confusion and sadness washed away her smile. She started to cry like I have never seen her cry before. Then, she pulled open her gown to show me the shunt they put into her chest. “Look what they did to me!” she cried. I struggled to find out what was happening. Even though I was practically living at the hospital, it took three days and a come-to-Jesus meeting with the hospital president to finally pin down the doctor and force him to have a conversation with me and my family. He said, “Your mom is going to be fine. She’ll be going home by next Tuesday. This state of confusion she is in is temporary.” When the doctor left the room, the nurse pulled me aside and said, “I can’t tell you this because I could lose my job, but you need to call the rest of your family. Your mom is dying.” What followed was a week of mom laying in a hospital bed transitioning into a coma and being pumped full of chemotherapy until the day she died. It was cold, sterile, meaningless and not what she or any of us wanted for her. It was clear that her care was not aligned with her values, with her wishes, or with who she was. She, and we, were robbed of any sense of dignity, choice, compassion, or clarity around what was happening. It was not, and still is not, fair. There must be a better way.

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fter mom’s death, I was determined to not let this same thing happen to my life-partner Dan if his lymphoma ever became untreatable. Like my mom, he would be facing months of chemotherapy and radiation. Dan and my mom were my best friends, they were my source of strength and the two people who always told me that I could do anything in this world that I put my mind to. In very different ways, they were the two people in this great big world who got me. Dan was a house painter who came from a tightly knit IrishGerman Catholic family of 10 kids, who all lived, as we did, in or near Oak Park, home of Hemingway, Frank Lloyd Wright and Betty White. The area had a healthy supply of giant old houses for Dan to keep himself and a few crewmen busy. He was masculine with a beefy frame, sandy blonde hair, and a perfect smirky charming smile that was often accompanied with laughter. When he was being intense or loving, it was as if his laser-focused pupils could see

directly into my soul. He was at once strong and gentle. Eighteen months after my mom passed, I was back in Oak Park, snuggled in bed beside Dan. It was June. The turquoise clematis and tangerine-colored roses outside our kitchen window were in full bloom. The sun, warm and gorgeous, fell through our old bedroom windows onto the foot of the bed where our cat, Tia, was curled in a ball at Dan’s feet. When I woke up, I saw that Dan was awake, too. He was lying still with his eyes wide open and a look of terror on his face. He said, “I can’t breathe! I feel like I’m suffocating. I can’t breathe!” I called his doctor right away. After I told her what was happening she said, “Remember Craig? We talked about this. If you bring Dan back to Northwestern, he won’t be coming back home. But I can have a hospice team there shortly to take care of him at your house. You both said you wanted that right?” I paused. “I guess I just wasn’t expecting this, but yes, that’s right ... that is what we want.” I said. Though it felt like days, a hospice team showed up within a few hours. Almost immediately, they got Dan’s breathing under control. Clearly, he was more comfortable and at ease. Was it the oxygen, the morphine, the compassionate energy of a caring team? Whatever it was, it was working. He was better. Later the next week, I returned to my job for a few days. I was in a meeting when I got a call from Dan’s nurse. She said, “It’s time to come home.” “Did he die?” I screeched. I could not stand the thought of not being with him in his final hours, of not letting him sense my presence. “No, no,” she said. “But it won’t be long. Maybe just a day or so. He’s most worried about you. He needs to know that you’re going to be okay. You need to assure him. And, tell him that you’ll miss him too.” I rushed home, wondering how I could say anything without dissolving into a lake of despair. Halfway home, I pulled my car into a parking lot to cry, and then to write down the things I wanted to say to Dan. The hardest thing about terminal illness is watching the person you love disappear bit by bit by bit. It happens slowly at first, and you think things will get back to normal, but they never do. Long before Dan’s final weeks, I was already grieving. He was still here, but not fully. So, alone in a deserted parking lot and in between sobs, I decided to write a poem to describe the things I would miss. I read it to Dan that evening. It’s called “YOU.”

You make antiquity an intimate and wondrous place A candlelit sanctuary illumi-

nated with a mosaic of rubies and sapphires Midnight table talk about the Creator Fearless swims in frigid Lake Michigan waters Spells of warm and generous laughter Purple stain-making love-making beneath a Mulberry tree Lounging between flannel sheets from daybreak to dinner Being charmed by snowflakes as they fall thick on branches of spruce and maple Ten-gallon kettles of ox-tail stew Painted pine window sills accessorized with pink potted orchids Exquisite gestures of affection that if recorded would fill parchment from here to where you soon will be You inspire me To dream big To believe that I can To carry on The bravery to choose things of joy – the stuff that makes sixyear-olds happy – comes from you Even now, you remind me that simple pleasures are life’s real thrills Poetry slams at the Green Mill Tavern Ice cream trucks, rollerblading on new pavement Soaring skyward on the swings at New Buffalo Beach Skipping work when the sun burns warm against a cloudless sky Grandmothers who cherish gin and late-night conversation And, the unconditional love of a mom When you’re gone, I will reach for you Hoping that you’ve returned to your side of the bed I will still love you with everything in me I will crave you…. smell you And continue to be changed by you.

W

hat we thought would be a few final days evolved into a few poignant weeks. Some days were better than others. Dan’s mom, nine siblings, their spouses, countless nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, neighbors and friends were in and out of our house every day, surrounding Dan with affection, stories, Joni Mitchell music, laughter, final farewells, and prayers. Our house had become a treasure chest of meaning and everything important. One day when he was feeling unusually well, he was hungry for fried chicken. With help from his family, we whipped up the best chicken dinner this side of Paula Deen. We had a bedside picnic in our room. His giant rectangular oxygen machine became a picnic table with a red and white checked tablecloth, a bottle of red wine, steaming sweet corn, foothills of mashed potatoes, and crunchy mac and cheese. Mary Chapin Carpenter and Van Morrison played softly in the background. This brief window of time together was perfect ... stunning really!

After Dan’s first bite of chicken, he sat straight up in bed with a smile I had not seen in months and with rays of appreciation and love beaming from his eyes he declared: “This is the best damn chicken I have ever had.” A few days later, Dan’s sister Marion and I were lying in bed with him, just talking, stroking his head, when we noticed him staring, eyes wide open, into the corner of the room. He raised his arm and pointed. “There are angels in here. Do you see them?” Marion and I looked at each other. “No, Danny, we don’t see them.” “They’re right there!” he told us. When we didn’t respond he repeated himself, “I’m not hallucinating. They are right there.” His sister asked, “What do they look like?” He said, “They’re beautiful. There are three of them. The one in the middle has her arms open to hug me, the other two are just standing there.” His eyes were glued to the corner of the room and the look on his face was a union of fascination and profound peace. Marion and I locked eyes, knowing that he, and we, were in the presence of the Divine. The next day when I told his nurse about it, inquiring to see if the experience could be related to morphine or the process of his body shutting down. She said, “Oh no, honey. What he saw is real. It happens all the time.” The morning that Dan died, I was in bed by his side, holding his hand, his fingers woven through mine. At five o’clock in the morning something strange happened. I woke up. I never wake up at five, and back then every day was so exhausting, I could barely get up by nine. But I was awake and something prompted me to open my eyes ... and when I did I saw that Dan had taken the oxygen tube out of his nose and gently placed it on his chest as if to say, “I no longer need this.” His body was still warm, but he was gone. I believe that I woke up at the very second his spirit left his body. My senses were temporarily heightened so that I would feel this transition and wake up at this precise and very special moment. These were the gifts that hospice gave to Dan, to me, to his family. The gifts of clarity and knowing the truth, the gifts of love and dignity, and the realization that no matter the circumstance, every minute, every single second of life matters and is meaningful. I didn’t realize it at the time, but my relationship with Dan and our shared experience, changed the trajectory of my life and my career. It is what drew me into hospice as a vocation and it is why I do what I do today. — Craig Dresang is the CEO of YoloCares

Poem of the month — Joshua McKinney Hum When I smelled green through the blur where its wings were, felt the whir of their arc, heard the red of its ruby throat-scales, tasted the dart of its forked tongue afloat in the fox-glove — my only desire was to tell you. My weed-work stopped. Hands in earth, I knelt by the garden wall. and suddenly that world seemed remote. I called to you, aloud, and the words I spoke were rote, broken, each one an arbitrary token of the tiny bird that came to kiss the flowers. It was then I knew my exile’s full extent. The phenomenon of pungent sound is brighter— sheer iridescent now there then— than the hours of thought without flesh. Once, to be at one meant to act, so I have tried to make this matter. — Joshua McKinney From Small Sillion (Parlors Press, 2019.) ———— Joshua McKinney is the author of three previous books of poetry: “Mad Cursive” (Wordcraft of Oregon, 2012), “The Novice Mourner” (Bear Star Press, 2005), and “Saunter” (University of Georgia, 2002). He is a recipient of the Dorothy Brunsman Poetry Prize, the Dickinson Prize, the Pavement Saw Chapbook Prize, and a

Gertrude Stein Award for Innovative Writing. He is coeditor of the online ecopoetry zine, Clade Song, and teaches at Sacramento State University. One of my favorite aspects of poetry is how often the meaning of a poem is complicated by mystery. A poem can reach beyond language to express something difficult to understand, and yet still feel exactly right. Often, poems like this leave me feeling a little dizzy with delight and wonder. I have that delicious experience every time I read this beautiful poem, Hum, by Joshua McKinney. Here the speaker, who is gardening, describes a kinesthetic experience with a hummingbird. He can smell the “green blur” of the wings, he can “hear the red of its ruby throat scales”, and even “taste the dart” of the hummingbird’s tongue as the bird, still aloft, feeds from a foxglove. As the speaker in this poem describes a profound experience that makes the ordinary world seem remote, he then confesses that his only desire was to tell you. This is a powerful move in the poem, this interruption of the speaker to want to tell a story of this moment to the beloved other, the “you. In fact, because language struggles to convey the entirety of an experience, because we interrupt ourselves with our need to hold onto that experience by putting it into words, we paradoxically leave the lived-in moment. Or as McKinney so beautifully says it, ... and the words I spoke were rote, broken, each one an arbitrary token of the tiny bird that came to kiss the flowers. It was then I knew my exile’s full extent, This is a universal theme of the bargain that humans

with language must make. That is, we cannot experience the world directly once we have words to remove us from it, and so we often live somewhat detached, in our heads rather than our bodies, inside hours of thought without flesh. The poem ends with the statement, so I have tried to make this/matter.// For me, this ending is vulnerable and moving. Here the speaker seems to admit that we must try and yet cannot ever “be at one” with the world once we have language. We can only apprehend the world beyond language in moments like the one so beautifully described in the poem. We live both in and out of our minds, and therefore, in and out of the world, and it is this mysterious tension with which we must wrestle, both in poetry, and in our everyday lives. Because January is the month we associate with beginnings, it is a reminder too, that the years pass, and in our one and only lives, there will be an end. This is how a poem can help, and especially this one, with its knowledge of language’s exile from direct experience, alongside an intent to live so deeply inside a moment, the poet, through language, can tell it to “you,” the beloved other, the reader. And even more than tell it, McKinney evokes the experience in the strange and startling movements of this poem. And this, I would argue, like any moment of heightened attention, pauses us inside time, and we can feel then, how it — the world and our brief time within it — matters. — Julia Levine Davis Poet Laureate

B6 THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2022

Sports

THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2022 B7

DUNNING: More ways to ruin final outcomes BOYS: Loaded week From Page B1 flip is a great way to decide their competitions. Already, the PGA tour has announced that if there is a two-way tie atop the leaderboard after 72 holes of the Masters in Augusta, a coin flip will decide who gets to tee off first on the opening playoff hole, with one slight rule change. The first player to tee off will complete the entire hole before the other player plays at all. If he pars the hole, he wins, no questions asked. Doesn’t matter what the other guy does because the other guy won’t get a chance to do anything other than shake the winner’s hand. A birdie, an eagle or an ace will also produce victory. If the first player fails to shoot par, the second player then has his chance to par the hole. If neither player pars the hole – it doesn’t matter if one shoots a 6 and the other an 8 — they move on to the second hole, starting again with a coin flip until

someone finally shoots par or better. Wimbledon, the crown jewel of tennis, has also announced a rule change. If the score is tied at 6-all in the fifth set, a coin flip will determine who serves and who receives for a winner-take-all final point, unless one player is not vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella. The NCAA has announced that all college soccer games that end in a tie will have a one-shot penalty kick overtime, again decided by a coin flip. One team kicks and the other team defends. No more giving both teams five chances

each to put the ball in the net. The same if next month’s Olympic ice hockey gold medal game ends in a tie. One shot, one player, manoa-mano or womano-awomano, 10 feet from the goalie, who will be blindfolded. In Major League Baseball, a coin flip will decide which team pitches and which team bats at the start of extra innings. One pitch only, a strike wins the game for the team in the field, a ball wins for the team at bat. The batting team will have a player at the plate with a bat on his shoulder,

but he is not allowed to swing. I could go on with the changes to badminton, horseshoes, lacrosse, pole vaulting and cricket, but this is probably a good time to stop. Wait, this just came in. The Olympic Marathon will have all runners compete individually with coin flips deciding who runs when. The first one under 2 hours and 8 minutes wins, even if hundreds of runners have yet to compete. Okay, now I’m done. — Contact Bob Dunning at bdunning@davisenter prise.net.

From Page B1 The league will send the top four teams into the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs. On Saturday, Davis hosted Jesuit inside North Gym to complete their home-and-home series. The Blue Devils will play three games in five days. On Monday, Davis welcomes Cosumnes Oaks to North Gym. Then

on Wednesday, Davis plays at Elk Grove. Both games are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. On Friday, Davis is scheduled to play at Sheldon. But according to Gonzalez, the game could be switched to Saturday because of shortage of game officials. — Contact Mike Bush at mike@davisenter prise.net. Follow on Twitter: @MBDavisSports.

B8 THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE

SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2022

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