enterprise THE DAVIS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2022
State lifts mask mandate for unvaccinated K-12 school campuses to follow on March 12 By Anne Ternus-Bellamy Enterprise staff writer
Caleb Hampton/Enterprise photo
Several dozen community members gathered in Central Park on Saturday to hold a vigil for Ukraine.
Locals hold vigil for Ukraine By Caleb Hampton Enterprise staff writer Several dozen community members, including Davis Mayor Gloria Partida, gathered in Central Park Saturday evening to hold a vigil for Ukraine. The candlelight vigil was organized days after Russian forces invaded the country, besieging its capital, Kyiv, and sparking fear and outrage around the world. The vigil was organized by Davis resident Dannelle Larsen. While Larsen’s family doesn’t
have a personal connection to Ukraine, she organized the vigil, she said, because she has “a lot of compassion for people living in difficult circumstances.”
Others in Davis have also spoken out. On Feb. 24, UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May released a statement in support of people impacted by Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Larsen added that she saw the event as of way of bringing community together and “supporting people in their grief and mourning.” At the vigil, community members lit candles, sang, prayed and took turns speaking about the invasion of Ukraine, where some have family and friends.
“The images and news coming from Ukraine are deeply troubling,” May said. “At UC Davis, we stand in support of those in our university community who are affected by these events. Our thoughts are with those who have connections to the region and are undoubtedly concerned about their families and loved
ones throughout this crisis.” On Tuesday, Russia further escalated its war on Ukraine, bombing administrative facilities and civilian infrastructure in multiple cities. At least 136 civilians, including 13 children, were killed in the first five days of the invasion, and more than 660,000 people fled the country, according to the United Nations. — Reach Caleb Hampton at champton@davisenterprise. net. Follow him on Twitter at @ calebmhampton.
California announced two major changes to its COVID-19 mask policy on Monday: Masks will no longer be required indoors at K-12 schools or childcare settings beginning March 12 and unvaccinated residents are no longer required to wear a mask in indoor public settings as of Tuesday. While those mandates are being removed, the state continues to strongly recommend that everyone wear masks indoors. Local health officials and school districts will have the option of maintaining indoor mask mandates if they choose and masks will still be required in healthcare and longtermcare settings, jails and homeless shelters, and on public transit. The Davis Joint Unified School District board of trustees will discuss potential changes to the district's masking policy at Thursday's board meeting. The district recently lifted its outdoor masking requirement but continues to require masks indoors.
Sheriff brings back resident deputies By Lauren Keene Enterprise staff writer During his 2018 election campaign, Yolo County Sheriff Tom Lopez pledged to resurrect his agency’s resident deputy program, which assigns officers to serve the communities in which they live. Lopez filled that role himself during the early days of his career, so he knows first-hand the benefits to his constituents. “It’s near and dear to my heart, having been a resident deputy for five years” for the communities of Esparto and Winters, Lopez said. Former Sheriff Ed Prieto halted the program during
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Classifieds ������ A5 Green Page ������ A5 Obituaries �������� A3 Comics ������������B5 The Hub ������������B1 Sports ��������������B2 Forum �������������� A4 Living ���������������� A6 The Wary I �������� A2
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Unitrans buses mark a milestone By Caleb Hampton Enterprise staff writer
HAYES
MOUNT
MATSUMURA
his 20-year tenure, citing prohibitive costs. To Lopez, the pros outweigh any budgetary cons.
the people they see every day, knowing when things look out of line because they’re there all the time,” he said.
budget, Lopez found a way to restore the resident deputy positions. Today, there are three — Reiko Matsumura and James Mount
Unitrans, the studentrun bus system that serves the UC Davis campus and the city of Davis, will celebrate its 54th birthday on Friday with free rides and a downtown parade. The milestone will also coincide with the return of one of the public transit service’s unique attractions. “After being sidelined for nearly two years
See DEPUTIES, Page A2
See UNITRANS, Page A3
“You have to consider the benefits of having somebody building trust with
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Briefly Odd Fellows’ bingo is back Beginning Sunday, March 13, Bingo is back at the Davis Odd Fellows Hall, 415 Second St. in downtown Davis. Doors open at noon and games start at 1 p.m. This month's beneficiary will be YoloCares, formerly know as Hospice of Yolo County. Single packs are $12 and double packs are $20. Cash prizes up to $250.
Project Linus meets March 9 Do you enjoy quilting, knitting or sewing? Join Project Linus to make blankets for children in the community who are seriously ill, traumatized or otherwise in need. Come to our gathering on Wednesday, March 9, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Senior Center, 646 A St., to share ideas, patterns and lots of good conversation. All are welcome to attend the meeting and help sew Linus labels on handmade blankets that will be given to Yolo County organizations that serve children in need. Project Linus members may take home donated fabrics and yarn each month to complete a blanket. Finished blankets can be brought to the next monthly gathering or at the Joann Fabric store in Woodland. For information, contact Diane McGee at dmmyolo@gmail.com.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2022
Bay Area plagued by flying menace “C rows everywhere, and this Bay Area city is going to do something about it,” said the headline several weeks ago in the San Jose Mercury News. Every time I see headlines like this I think about Davis’ intensely beloved and just as intensely despised turkeys that arrogantly wander our streets as if they owned them. We’ve had our own “solution” to this problem, pleasing some folks and enraging others. “Every day at dusk,” the story begins, “a murder of cawing crows descends on downtown Sunnyvale, shrouding the sky over the main strip in darkness like a black cloud.” It does not help at all that a whole bunch of crows is known as a “murder.” According to Nature, “The term ‘murder of crows’ mostly reflects a time when groupings of many animals had colorful and poetic names.” Yep, “murder” certainly conjures up poetry in my mind. “Other fun examples of group names include an ostentation of peacocks, a parliament of owls, a knot of frogs and a skulk of foxes.” Note, it is not improper to use
other words to describe groups of these animals. But back to Sunnyvale, where property values must be declining due to a lack of sunlight caused by so many birds arriving at once. In fact, it’s dark so often in Sunnyvale that the town may have to change its name. Noted the Mercury News, “With shrewd precision they swarm from tree to tree, swooping down about the heads of startled diners on Murphy Avenue’s outdoor tables.” You can dine indoors in Sunnyvale and worry about COVID or you can eat outdoors and worry about crows. The choice is yours. “Like many Bay Area communities, the city has a burgeoning crow population, but in Sunnyvale they’ve become such a nuisance that crows are now the second most common complaint Vice Mayor Alysa Cisneros hears from residents, right behind
speeding drivers. It’s tough being vice mayor in the most crow-infested town in America. “And it’s not just the crow’s caws that have some folks at their wit’s end. The birds have staked out residents’ lawns throughout the city, roosting in trees overnight and leaving benches and sidewalks covered with feathers and bird poop.”
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ubstitute “turkeys” for “crows” and this could be Davis. I remember being charmed by our turkeys when I’d encounter them in other parts of town, but when they took up residence on our roof and on the branches of our city-mandated front-yard hackberry tree, the charm wore off quickly. “Later this month the city is rolling out a crow abatement pilot program, which means a worker will point a $20 handheld laser at the crows, hoping to scare them away.” Truly a modern-day scarecrow. According to Cisneros, the vice mayor, the lasers are being considered as a humane way to annoy the crows into leaving. Apparently so they can fly to another city and annoy the residents there.
DEPUTIES: All are Yolo County natives
Rescue effort
From Page A1
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Kind of like the time the city of Davis, after hiring an ace marksman to gun down the ever-popular Downtown Tom, trapped a bunch of Tom’s extended family and unceremoniously dumped them in Yuba County. However, it appears the Audubon Society does not like the idea of using lasers on Sunnyvale’s crows, fearing they will blind the birds and cause their demise. Which, I presume, is the whole point. Sunnyvale, as it turns out, is 100 miles from Davis as the crow flies. If the crow has to drive, it’s 105 miles. Whether these unproven lasers can scare the Sunnyvale crows into flying all that way is unclear, but trust me, based on how the city of Davis handled Downtown Tom, the Audubon Society would not be happy about how we would deal with an invasion of Bay Area crows. Now, if Bay Area human beings wish to invade Davis and buy up all our 3-bedroom, 1-bath starter homes for three times what they’re worth, fine. But Bay Area crows, no thank you. — Reach Bob Dunning at bdunning@davisenterprise.net.
Woodland firefighters use the jaws of life to extricate a motorist from a vehicle that crashed Friday at County Road 98 north of Gibson Road. According to the California Highway Patrol, the driver was traveling southbound when for unknown reasons the car left the roadway and struck a tree at about 11:20 a.m. The driver suffered major but non-life-threatening injuries, while a passenger had minor wounds. Neither alcohol nor drugs were suspected factors in the collision, which remains under investigation.
Another COVID adjustment on deck for Davis school board By Aaron Geerts Enterprise staff writer From a much-anticipated COVID health-and-safety update to various updates and approvals, Thursday’s meeting of the Davis school board will touch on all the pertinent happenings within the district. Among the most important items to be discussed is the approval of the comprehensive school safety plans for district sites. Since September, the Student Services Department has worked with the district’s schools to update their plans, conduct safety drills and implement procedures to ensure students and staff are safe from physical or psychological harm. Each year these plans must be reviewed and approved of by the governing board. Alongside that will be the acceptance of a bid and approval of the contract award to ConvergeOne for network equipment and network upgrades in the district. As Measure M Bond Program-funded construction is to be completed in the fiscal year, most of network equipment, however, is past its expected lifespan. As the district seeks to continue its participation in the E-rate program — a program that grants discounts to assist schools and libraries in acquiring internet access — they must solicit competitive proposals for these
services to do so. Next will come the approval of facility and bond program agreements. This will encompass resolution adoptions and the approval of various professional service agreements for engineering consultations and other evaluations regarding the construction projects throughout the district. The projects include the cleaning, restriping and minor patching of the Davis High School stadium track; the procurement of play structure equipment for the César Chávez Multipurpose Room project; the evaluation of existing athletic field-irrigation systems at Emerson and DaVinci Junior High, DHS and Holmes Junior High, the Early Learning Center project at Korematsu, the Science Classroom project at Emerson/DaVinci and the new driveway approach at Emerson/DaVinci as well. Next will be an update on the status of COVID-19 in Yolo County and DJUSD and plans for the safe return of staff and students to campus. After that will come an update on Universal Transitional Kindergarten and Early Childhood Education. The update will provide an overview of all the preparations through the spring to accommodate the district’s expansion of the TK program.
Following that will come the acceptance of the district’s 2021-21 financial and performance audit reports. This comes as an obligation for the district to provide an external, independent audit which the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee will also review. Next will come an update on the district’s enrollment and demographic planning. This planning helps make budgeting, staffing, programming and facility use decisions for the future. Subsequently, discussions around the second interim budget will ensue along with the California School Board Association Delegate Assembly Election. With that, the meeting will come to a close with the next being scheduled for March 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Chambers at 23 Russell Boulevard. One can view the meeting on TV by turning to DJUSD Education Channel 17 or online at djusd.davismedia.org.
serving the Capay Valley, and Tom Hayes in the Zamora area north of Woodland. All three are Yolo County natives, with Hayes raised in the western part of the county and Mount south of Woodland. Both have agricultural and farming backgrounds. Matsumura, who filled the first restored resident deputy position in early 2020, was raised in Esparto. Lopez coached her in Little League for a time, and he’s urged his resident deputies to become equally involved in their communities. “That’s part of the mindset I’m hoping to have them adopt — do things where folks will see you not only as a deputy but as a person, more than just a cop,” Lopez said. He noted that the resident deputies’ presence goes “above and beyond” the county’s normal patrol staffing, with those deputies having the added responsibility of making contact with local businesses, schools and community groups. Resident deputies also
enjoy “flex shifts” that allow them to attend community events such as town-hall meetings and football games in order to build relationships there. “Some people may look at it as Mayberry, and in some ways it is because it’s a familiar face,” Lopez said. “But with familiarity comes trust.” The program’s expansion came as good news to Capay Valley residents, said Wyatt Cline, who said rural residents had begun to fear they’d been forgotten when it comes to law-enforcement protection. “People talk about defunding the police. In our case it was, could we fund the police, as police coverage was thin at best,” said Cline, a rancher, retired Woodland firefighter and owner of the Guinda General Store. The expanded resident deputy program “does not guarantee safety, but it does mean help is near and as we know generally bad people don't tend to do bad stuff when cops are around,” Cline said. — Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenter prise.net. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene.
Progress Ranch seeks new members for its board Special to The Enterprise Progress Ranch Treatment Services for Children, operating in Davis since 1976 as a 501 (c)(3) public benefit nonprofit agency, is seeking new board members. The organization provides customized residential mental-health treatment for boys in its Short Term Residential Therapeutic Program. Progress Ranch specializes in treating boys ages 6 to 13 who have experienced trauma, attachment disruption, and who need short-term 24/7 care from specially trained
staff. It is one of only two such programs in Yolo County. Board members can be from Yolo County, or surrounding counties as well. Progress Ranch is licensed by the California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division. It owns and operates two homes with six boys each in Davis. It is looking to expand its board from the seven to 12 members. For information, contact Clyde Froehlich, board president at clydefroehlich@yahoo. com, 530-902-2859 or www.progressranch.com.
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2022 A3
UNITRANS: Vintage double-deckers going back to work across Davis From Page A1 because of the coronavirus pandemic, Unitrans’ vintage doubledeckers from London — iconic symbols of the University of California, Davis — are going back to work,” UC Davis’ news service said Monday in a press release. Unitrans has three vintage double-decker buses, which were rehabilitated and refurbished during the pandemic, along with four modern double-deckers. The campus owns an additional vintage London double-decker that is not currently operational. On Friday, all three operational vintage double-decker buses and two of the modern ones will make free lunchtime shuttle runs between the Memorial Union
(MU) Terminal and downtown from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The celebration will also include free rides on all Unitrans routes throughout the day, as well as refreshments at the MU Terminal and a 12 p.m. parade of double-deckers. The campus-city bus system was established by the Associated Students of UC Davis (ASUCD), the student governing body, more than half a century ago, with the first two double-deckers brought over from London in 1968.
Driver shortage Today, Unitrans has a fleet of 45 modern buses, including four double-deckers, which serve 19 routes across Davis. During the pandemic, Yolobus has temporarily taken over the operation of
two of those routes (the A and L lines) due to a Unitrans driver shortage. While Unitrans jobs are often rated among the best on campus, remote instruction interrupted the traditional word-of-mouth recruitment system that the bus service has long relied on, Unitrans general manager Jeff Flynn told the campus news service. The transit system typically operates with 175 drivers but is currently running with only about 125 and expects to lose 55 of its drivers when they graduate in June. “Drivers, drivers, drivers, that’s what we need,” Flynn said. He encouraged interested students to look for job postings for Unitrans drivers on the ASUCD website.
Friday’s shuttle service with the vintage double-deckers will run at 20-minute intervals, starting at 11 a.m., serving the following stops:
n Memorial Union Terminal n B Street at Fourth Street southbound n Second Street at B Street eastbound n Second Street at E Street eastbound n Amtrak Station n Third Street at E Street westbound n Third Street at C Street westbound n B Street at Fourth Street northbound At noon, the vintage buses will line up with Unitrans’ modern double-deckers for a parade along the lunchtime shuttle route through downtown. — Reach Caleb Hampton at champton@davisenterprise.net. Follow him on Twitter at @ calebmhampton.
artists throughout the West who would select their gourds directly from their fields. They hosted gourd classes and festivals which were well attended by the public and artists alike. Mary believed in the importance of community service and was well known and respected throughout Yolo County for her activism. She spearheaded many campaigns that contributed to the wellbeing of the Knights Landing community, including the adoption of the community growth and development plan and the Senior Citizen Meal Program. When Yolo County proposed to close the Knights Landing Library, she worked tirelessly as a founding member of the Friends of The Knights Landing Library
to raise funds. She was essential in creating and running the community thrift store known as the Friends of The Knights Landing Library Rerun store. Her steadfast efforts led to the permanent establishment of the Knights Landing Library at a much larger building in town and many programs for children. Mary came from a large family with relatives in the U.S. and Canada. She enjoyed her visits back to Massachusetts, which often included a trip to the Canadian Maritimes, where she spent many childhood summers. She leaves behind a son, Peter Leiser; his wife Janice Parmar; grandson Killian; cousin Clairelee Bulkley (Ralph) of Knights Landing; and brothers and sisters Camilla MacPhee, of PEI,
Canada, Helen Thomson (Captane) of Davis, William James of Shrewsbury, Mass., Audrey Pfeiffer (Donald) of Middletown, R.I., David of Knights Landing, Charles (Cynthia) of Hampton Falls, N.H., and Peter (Joanne) of Sandwich, Mass. Mary also had numerous nieces and nephews with whom she remained close and who dearly loved her. She was predeceased by her husband, her parents and her brother Herbert John. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Friends of the Knights Landing Library, care of Susie Richter, PO Box 517, Knights Landing, California, 95645. A celebration of life will begin at 2 p.m. April 30 at the Methodist Church in Knights Landing.
As it enters its 55th year, Unitrans is also looking to regain some of the stability it had before the pandemic, when ridership was about twice the number it is now. “Over the last two years, Unitrans ridership has fallen to just under 2 million passengers a year,” the UC Davis news service said. The transit system is also planning to introduce its first electric buses this year, with six arriving in April and scheduled to go into service this summer.
Shuttle and parade
Obituaries Mary E. Leiser d. Dec. 21, 2021
Mary E. (MacLeod) Leiser, formerly of Arlington, Mass., entered into eternal rest Dec. 21, 2021, at her home in Knights Landing. She was the daughter of Marjorie (MacAuley) and Herbert MacLeod. Mary attended Arlington Public Schools and graduated in 1966. Upon graduation, she was employed at the Lahey Clinic in Boston as an administrative assistant. She was instrumental in the development of the Clinic's initial Tumor Registry, laying the foundation for its certification. Mary settled in California in 1972 where she met her husband, Gregory Knox Leiser, a UC Davis
agricultural student and thirdgeneration farmer on his family farm in Sutter County. Mary quickly adapted to farm LEISER life and managed the farm’s business by applying her background in accounting, record keeping, and administrative organization. Mary was also no stranger to farm work, personally operating farm equipment essential at harvest time ranging from forklifts to hulking bankout wagons. Mary and Greg were known for growing hardshell gourds. The farm was one of the largest hardshell gourd farms in America and attracted many well-known
Barbara Adler
December 1931 — February 2022 Barbara Adler, daughter of Martha (Leibovitz) Stone and Morris Stone, was born in 1931 in Clayton, Mo. She graduated University City High School where she was voted funniest girl in her class. She attended two years of business school at Miss Hickey’s School of Business where she learned all the skills of a successful private secretary. She was set up on a blind date by her good friends where she met her husband of 70-plus years, Howard. A year later they married and had their daughter Diane. They were living in St. Louis but due to a job offer moved to Walnut Creek where they lived for 29-plus years, they also lived in Blackhawk in Danville, for 29 years. Subsequently, their two other daughters were born, Denise and Dayna. They moved 10 years ago to Davis
to be closer to their daughters. While in her 30s Barbara attended Diablo Valley Junior College where she earned her associate degree. It took her ADLER seven years while she was being a wonderful mother to her three daughters, playing doubles tennis, winning many tournaments, dabbling in golf, being a Girl Scout leader, learning to knit on her knitting machine, making many personalized items, and singing in a local choir. She also very much enjoyed teaching physical education and home economics at Santa Maria private school in Orinda for a few years, being president of the Walnut Creek Civic Arts League and excelling at bridge games with Howard. She is survived by her husband Howard; daughters Diane (Andy
Elizabeth E. Bradford
May 20, 1934 — Dec. 22, 2021 Elizabeth E. Bradford of Davis passed peacefully from this life at age 87 on Dec. 22, 2021, with family at her bedside. She was born May 20, 1934 to Walter and Marion (Withey) Engelke in Madison, Wis., and grew up in a strong, loving family with her parents, two younger brothers and a large extended family. In her freshman year at the University of Wisconsin she met Eric Bradford, a Canadian graduate student. They married in 1954 and moved to Quebec when Eric started as an assistant professor at McGill University; two children were born to them in Quebec. In 1957 Eric joined the animal science department at UC Davis, where he served on the faculty for 50 years. Elizabeth and Eric built a full and happy life in Davis centered around family (two more children were born in California), education,
friends, music and community involvement. Elizabeth finished her bachelor’s degree in English at UC Davis in 1965 and later a TESOL Certificate. She helped her friend Jerrie Peek start a language-learning preschool for international children, a precursor to UCD’s Early Childhood Lab School. She also worked as a TESOL Teacher’s Aide in Davis public schools and volunteered in many capacities at Davis Community Church: Deacon, Elder, Youth Leader and pastoral search consultant for other Northern California Presbyterian congregations. Elizabeth was politically astute and an active member of League of Women Voters, PEO and other organizations supporting women’s education and international students. In addition to singing with the Davis Comic Opera Company, Davis Chorale and
Monheit) of Davis, Denise Adler (Andy Jefts) of Penngrove and Dayna (Steve Sisack) of Galt; grandsons Adam Monheit (Kristi) of Austin, Texas, Evan Monheit of Los Angeles, Jason Sisack of Sacramento, and Shaun Sisack of Sacramento; greatgrandchildren Milana Monheit and Ari Monheit of Austin; and brother Harold Stone (Jan) of Princeton, Mass. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents, brother Jack Stone, and sisters Doris Goldman and Anita Reznikoff. There will be a private service for the family. In lieu of flowers, the family wishes to thank the hospice organization YoloCares of Davis, where donations can be made, or to Bet Haverim in Davis, to the Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund, The Alzheimer’s Association or to a charity of your choice.
her church’s Chancel Choir, she encouraged her children’s varied musical BRADFORD pursuits. Elizabeth built a strong and loving home where family, friends and many newcomers to Davis felt welcomed. She loved to entertain, cook, sew, write poetry and craft beautiful and increasingly complex quilts treasured by all. She and Eric enjoyed their retreat home on the Mendocino Coast, traveling and spending time with friends made around the world. In 2017 Elizabeth moved to Carlton Senior Living (Davis) where she continued to enjoy visits from family and friends, good books and films. She was preceded in death by the love of her life, Eric (to whom she was married for 53 years) and son-in-law Don Aumann, both in 2007. Elizabeth is survived
Death notice Janice Ann Peterson Janice Peterson, 86, a 51-year Davis resident, died on Friday, Jan. 14, 2022. Born in Blairsburg, Iowa, on Jan. 29, 1935, she graduated from Hansell High School in Hansell, Iowa, in 1951, and from the College of Saint Teresa in Winona, Minn., in 1956. She married Gerald Peterson in Hampton, Iowa, in 1956. She worked as a clinical medical technologist and active in Davis community for
years. Peterson served on the STEAC board of directors, was president of the Davis PTA Council, chaired the St. James Church Altar Care Ministry, was among the founding group of Davis parents who established the Davis Bobby Sox softball program in the 1970s, and assisted the Yolo County Elections Office during several elections. She won awards in various state Senior Olympic competition in basketball freethrows and horseshoes.
by brothers Daniel (Jean) Engelke of Flower Mound, Texas, and Robert (Susan) Engelke of Madison, Wis.; children Anne (Harry) Harris of Madison, Ken (Patricia) Bradford of Davis, Margaret Aumann (Bryan Plude) of Chico and Ellen (Phil) Javete of Pleasant Hill; and grandchildren Alexander and Benjamin Harris, Peter and Emily Aumann, and Payton and Fiona Javete. Embracing her chosen roles as wife, mother, grandmother and friend, Elizabeth expressed her love for family and friends to the end of her life. A memorial service will begin at 3 p.m. Friday, March 18, at Davis Community Church — find updates at www.smithfunerals.com/obituaries/ elizabeth-lyss-bradford-1. Elizabeth gave generously to many charitable causes; to honor her memory, gifts may be sent to a charity of the donor’s choice.
Milena Gilbert
Sept. 28, 1923 — Feb. 12, 2022 Milena Gilbert, 98, of Davis passed away Feb. 12, 2022 in Woodland. She had been a Davis resident for nearly 60 years. Milena was born Sept. 28, 1923, in Yugoslavia to Bela and Emilia Matuska. Along with her sister Juliana, the family later emigrated to Windsor, Ontario. While a student at Patterson Collegiate Institute she won a gold medal for “The White Trillium,” a poem celebrating Ontario’s floral emblem. She graduated from the University of Toronto in 1945 with firstclass honors in classics, also winning the McCaul Gold Medal. She later studied classical Greek at Columbia University. She married Neal W. Gilbert in 1952 and they moved to Davis in 1962. They had two children: Avery N. Gilbert (Susanne) of Fort Collins, Colo., and Lenore Phyllis Gilbert of Davis. Milena earned a teaching credential from UC Davis, taught school for a few years and then went to work for the California State Department of Education, Child Development Division. She began as a clerical employee but
was promoted to the level of consultant, retiring from the department in GILBERT 1990. Milena was honored with a special plaque from the department on May 14, 1990, for “20 years of Dedicated Service to the Children of the State of California.” During her lifetime, Milena enjoyed reading, listening to classical music, spending time with friends and family and traveling. She will be greatly missed by all those who knew and loved her. In addition to her children and two granddaughters, Alice Holley Gilbert of Los Angeles and Lydia Grace Gilbert of Brooklyn, N.Y., she is survived by her niece Lois Marklevitz of Wayland, Mich., as well as cousins Paul Pavlovich and Marija Pavlovich McCarthy. A funeral service for Milena was on Feb 25 at the Smith Funeral Home. Milena will be interred at the Davis Cemetery.
The Enterprise publishes brief death notices free of charge. These include name, age, city of residence, occupation, date of death and funeral/memorial information. Paid-for obituaries allow for controlled content with the option for photos. Obituaries will be edited for style and grammar.
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Commentary
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2022
Good reason for a gas-tax break
Arts education I is woefully underfunded By Austin Beutner and Arne Duncan Special to CalMatters
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his November, California voters may have the opportunity to improve the lives of more than 6 million school children by increasing funding for high-quality arts and music education in every public school in the state. Study after study has demonstrated the importance of arts and music education in the development of children and their success in school and in life. As education leaders, we have seen firsthand the value of an arts education. Arts and music education improves cognitive development, reasoning and language acquisition; it corresponds with higher student achievement in reading and math, and it leads to increased school attendance. Participating in the arts is especially urgent now to support students’ mental wellbeing amidst the ongoing impact of COVID-19. Despite these clear and demonstrated benefits for children, California is behind when it comes to providing schools with funding for arts and music education — and the irony is glaring as California is the capital of the world’s creative economy, supporting 2.6 million jobs in the state. Only 1 in 5 public schools in California has a dedicated teacher for traditional arts programs like music, dance, theater and art, or newer forms of creative expression like computer graphics, animation, coding, costume design and filmmaking. According to an analysis issued by California’s independent Legislative Analyst’s Office, the proposed Arts and Music in Schools measure would provide additional funding to every Pre-K-12 public school in California for arts and music education without raising taxes. Schools serving low-income communities would receive even more funding, helping Black and Latino children who are most likely to lack access to arts education. School funding for the arts will increase by almost $900 million each year and arts programs in schools will grow by more than 50%. As education leaders, we strongly support how the initiative requires 100% of the additional school funds to be used for arts and music education, with a focus on hiring teachers and aides. The funding can also help with staff training, supplies, materials and educational partnerships with arts and community organizations.
t was a gutsy call when Gov. Gavin Newsom in late February suggested a gas-tax holiday. That kind of move has been anathema for California governors since the 2003 recall of Democrat Gray Davis in favor of movie muscleman Arnold Schwarzenegger. Schwarzenegger made hay on the false assertion that Davis added a new gas tax that year, even though all he really did was restore a levy he previously put on pause for more than a year. It became Schwarzenegger’s key issue during that campaign, and it worked. No one remembered that Davis saved millions of people hundreds of dollars each over the preceding year. All they noticed was that they were paying more at the pump. Now comes Newsom, not exactly calling for a tax reduction. He recommends putting in abeyance indefinitely a 51-cent gas tax increase scheduled to take effect this summer. He has to know there will come a time when the state will need that money and either he or a subsequent governor will have to let the tax hike take hold. He knows this could lead to a second recall against him even if his likely reelection this fall goes smoothly. While Newsom acts unfazed about that possible
outcome, Sacramento’s other two top leaders hesitate to give Californians this little bit of inflation relief. In a joint appearance before the Sacramento Press Club, both state Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and state Senate President Toni Atkins expressed misgivings. Both said they think not charging the new tax, mandated by a years-old law, could cost jobs by reducing funds for transit operations, road maintenance and highway construction. Said Rendon, “I think that’s something that could potentially jeopardize a tremendous amount of jobs … it could inhibit economic growth in certain sectors in this state.” He and Atkins showed most concern about effects on members of building trades unions, outfits among the leading backers of Democratic legislative campaigns. But there’s no reality to this worry, and they both know it. The approximately
$500 million a one-year gas tax holiday would cost can easily be made up by tapping California’s current huge budget surplus. Said Senate Republican leader Scott Wilk of Santa Clarita, “Democrats are tone deaf if they think people don’t need a break at the pump.” In fact, California gas prices in late February averaged $4.82, highest in the nation. In some places, posted prices climbed well over the $5 landmark.
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ilk is correct. There’s no doubt the state can afford to give drivers — most Californians — a break when it is spending billions of dollars on the homeless, a highly visible but actually tiny portion of the populace. This is especially true now, when some legislators are actively considering a proposed new tax on the stuff owned by — not the incomes of — people with assets valued at more than $50 million. Even if they are not producing income, say these ultra-liberal Democratic lawmakers, those assets further the passing on of generational wealth and passively but steadily add value. Assets involved include homes and stocks that pay no dividends, but consistently gain market value. The measure is sponsored by Assemblyman Alex Lee of
San Jose, who aims at the 15,000-plus wealthiest folks in California. He would tax anyone with a net worth over $50 million at 1 percent and apply a $1.5 percent levy on those with more than $1 billion in net assets. “We want the obscenely ultra-rich to be paying their fair share,” Lee told a reporter. This, he says, would add about $22 billion to the revenues of a state which already sports a budget surplus almost double that amount, with legislators unsure what to do with all the money at their fingertips. The asset taxation plan, novel except in the property tax realm, would need voter approval to be effective even in the unlikely event legislators pass it. This is but one example of the kind of funding source the state could tap to replace any gas taxes it forgives. Which is just one more reason why it’s a good idea to give average people a break right now at a very visible place, the gas pump. — Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. His book, “The Burzynski Breakthrough, The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Government’s Campaign to Squelch It” is now available in a soft cover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, visit www.california focus.net.
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he measure includes strict accountability measures to ensure the funds are spent as intended — to directly benefit students. It prohibits schools from diverting existing funds away from arts and music education. Schools and school districts would be required to publish reports showing how the money was used, the specific arts programs funded and how they align with state standards. The Arts and Music in Schools measure, proposed for the November 2022 election, has support from a diverse coalition of educators, artists, entrepreneurs, community organizations and civic leaders who recognize the importance of an arts education. “Arts and Music education teaches collaboration and creative thinking that are essential in life and virtually every job,” notes initiative supporter will.i.am, Grammy Award-winning musician, producer and tech entrepreneur. This initiative is timely as our country seeks to create a more just and equitable future for all children. A boost in arts and music education will help ensure the future workforce in media and technology properly reflect the diversity of the children in our public schools. “This ballot measure will help define the promise of the next generation of storytellers by ensuring all California students get the high-quality arts and music education they deserve,” says Issa Rae, an actress, writer and producer who supports the ballot measure. “It will especially benefit students from communities of color, who often experience a lack of access and equity in access to arts and music education.” Years of excuses about the lack of support for arts education must sound like a broken record to public school kids and their families. With the support of voters across California, the next generation of public school students could be making new records and telling their own stories as they build the skills and experiences to gain jobs in the state’s vibrant creative economy. — Austin Beutner, former Superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District, is the proponent of the Arts and Music in Schools measure. Arne Duncan served as U.S. Secretary of Education from 2009 to 2015 and is the former CEO of Chicago Public Schools. They wrote this for CalMatters, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s Capitol works and why it matters.
Letters Housing element Interfaith Housing Justice Davis, an alliance of faith-based organizations advocating for fair and affordable housing, appreciates the work done by the staff and city council on the Housing Element for 2021-2029. Our group, like many others in Davis, took advantage of the opportunity to provide public comment on the document before it was submitted to the State Department of Housing and Community Development. Given the city’s assurances that it had completed the process and had met their deadline, we were therefore surprised and chagrined to read in an article published in the Davis Vanguard on Jan. 8, 2022, that HCD has not certified the city’s Housing Element. It was surprisingly difficult to determine what happened. The city has not posted any information from the HCD about this matter on our city website nor does it acknowledge in any way that our Housing Element has not been certified.
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It was not until we searched the HCD website that we found a letter dated Dec. 8, explaining the issues that Davis must continue to address. The December letter explains that failing to complete the Housing Element to the satisfaction of HCD puts city programs which receive government funding at risk. This is a very serious issue for our city’s bottom line. We urge the city to update the Housing Element page on its website to include the December letter from HCD, the timeframe for fixing the issues HCD has noted, and the city’s explanation of how it will engage the public. Ellen Kolarik Interfaith Housing Justice Davis
Ukraine Good news, folks. A third world war is avoided by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The world will be at peace once superpowers are balanced. Since the Soviet Union’s collapse, the U.S. and its allies have started filling the gap by invading and destroying countries and
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;
killing millions of people. The U.S. and its imperialist allies do not care about Ukraine at all. The only person held responsible for this war is the Ukrainian president, Zelensky. You cannot expect the West to keep its promises. It never did and never will. Zelensky didn’t take lessons from former Georgian President Saakashvili. NATO is not a protector at all; it is an occupational force. Once a country joins NATO, it loses its independence. NATO is like an abusive husband. It affects everyone in the country, from your wallet to the media, politics, education, defense... Thus, old people in Washington, D.C., never learned and never will. Can anyone tell me a successful U.S. foreign policy? No country can destroy the U.S. But U.S. government policy will eventually bring the U.S. into implosion. Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same mind that created them.” I would like to suggest that politicians get out of Washington and go fishing. We cannot afford you anymore. You are a burden to this nation and the world. Karahan Mete Davis
202-224-3553; email: padilla.senate. gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me
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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/
The Green Page
THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2022 A5
Where should we put our solar panels? S ome folks consider solar panels on residential roofs to be unsightly and argue that the panels should instead be sited on the top of warehouses where the panels are not in sight. To me, for lots of reasons, this is not an either/or issue. One reason being that solar on a home’s roof offers the opportunity to power an electric vehicle and to otherwise store electricity for when it is needed on the grid. This takes particular salience when considering the raft of reports that our current system of reliance on centralized power production leaves us vulnerable to disruption by hackers, terrorists, and unfriendly governments. Distributed power production can provide security against these nefarious actions. But, for the moment, we can agree that putting solar on flattopped warehouses seems like a potentially significant way to reduce our reliance on electricity generated from fossil fuels. In the Southern California region, for example, there are an estimated 34,000 warehouses with 1.17 billion square feet of rooftops. Assuming these roofs have been built so as to be structurally able to support the weight of solar panels, that’s a lot of
potential area. And this potential also exists right here in Yolo County, as anyone who flies into the Sacramento airport can attest. Of course, there’s an alternate way to use these warehouse roof tops, and that’s to paint them white. A white roof reflects rather than absorbs sunlight. According to researchers at Purdue University white paint currently on the market will reflect 80 to 90 percent of the sunlight that hits it. These same researchers have developed the “whitest white” paint that will reflect 98.1 percent of sunlight. And although white paint doesn’t produce any electricity, by reflecting sunlight back into space it can substantially cool the building and its surroundings, thereby reducing demand for cooling in the building and, if used by many buildings, also bringing down the ambient temperature thereby reducing the
“heat island effect.” Many cities are adopting building codes to require cool roofs in new construction and in some replacements. New York City has required reflective coatings on some building since 2014. Other cities with cool roof requirements include Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Miami, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. Where else can we put solar? Of course, there are vast swaths of desert with high annual levels of sunlight, and utilities have mostly favored this option since it enables either thousands of panels or a huge number of mirrors that focus sunlight on towers that convert light to heat, which in turn drives a turbine to produce electricity. The Ivanpah Solar Power Facility on the California-Nevada border, for example is listed as a nearly 400-megawatt facility. Some have even proposed turning the entire Sahara Desert into a giant solar farm. Sometimes big is not better. These gargantuan projects can come with serious environmental problems. More about that another time. So, where else to look? Many have proposed a “dual use” for some agricultural land. Offering farmers the option of growing
electrons on some of their property, particularly land not great for growing crops, is an opportunity. Indeed, some farmers are choosing to do just that: generating electricity to power pumps and other equipment, thereby reducing the amount of electricity they need to purchase from the grid.
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ut what got me really excited was an article from Gizmodo titled, “California will stick solar panels over canals to fight two disasters at once.” I think this is genius, and have been wondering (and writing) about it for years. The California State Water Project sends water from Northern California to farms in the Central Valley and over the Pacheco Pass to L.A. and parts south. It consists of more than 700 miles of canals including over 400-plus miles of the California Aqueduct. Anyone driving Interstate 5 from Davis to LA can see the aqueduct close up, the 110-foot-wide cement channel with water moving south under the blazing sun. The uniformity of the width of the aqueduct would seem ideal for a project to span the aqueduct with a standardized set of modules of solar panels. According to the article, “The
Turlock Irrigation District has secured a $20 million grant from the state to pursue the firstin-the-nation project, which could serve a beneficial double whammy: create renewable energy and save water in the process. It’s labeled the Nexus Project and according to the study that launched it, if we were to cover all the canals in the state we “could save 63 billion gallons of water annually” through reduced evaporation, enough to irrigate 50,000 acres of farmland. In addition, covering all the canals “could supply 13 gigawatts of solar energy, about a sixth of the state’s total energy needs.” Of course, the Nexus Project is not slated to cover 100 percent of the canals. Rather it will “cover two small segments of canals in Stanislaus County outside Modesto, generating, the utility said, enough power for around 100,000 homes.” This “proof of concept” project will allow for examination and testing of construction, installation, and maintenance that will guide expansion to larger projects. — John Mott-Smith is a resident of Davis. This column appears the first and third Wednesday of each month. Please send comments to johnmottsmith@comcast.net.
Shellfish in love: Scientists give ultrasounds to abalone By Kat Kerlin Special to The Enterprise The world’s abalone are threatened, endangered or otherwise vulnerable in nearly every corner of the planet. While captive breeding efforts are underway for some species, these giant sea snails are notoriously difficult to spawn. If only we could wave a magic wand to know when abalone are ready to reproduce, without even touching them. Scientists from UC Davis found that wand — although it isn’t magic, and it only looks like a wand. It’s an ultrasound transducer, and it can be used to quickly and non-invasively detect when abalone are ready to spawn, according to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. The technique is expected to help abalone farmers and captive breeding managers produce more abalone, with minimal stress to the animal.
Increasing abalone welfare Abalone suction onto surfaces and typically have to be pried off for gonad inspection before spawning.
For these animals — particularly endangered abalone — the less they are handled, the less opportunity for stress or physical harm. “There are not a lot of animal welfare methods applied to invertebrate animals, let alone for aquatic species,” said corresponding author Jackson Gross, an assistant professor of Cooperative Extension in Aquaculture with the UC Davis Department of Animal Science. “Here’s a way to increase the welfare of an abalone without bringing added stress to them.” The United States Navy’s Pacific Fleet funded the research as part of its efforts to conserve federally endangered black abalone and find better ways to assess their reproductive health. Because of black abalones’ low numbers and high vulnerability, the authors used closely related farmed red abalone to test the effectiveness of ultrasounds on abalone. Gross had used the technique for gonad assessments on sturgeon and catfish, but it had never been tested for sea snails until this study. When Gross saw a video of a veterinarian in Scotland conducting an ultrasound on a
Jackson Gross, UC Davis/Courtesy photo
Sara Boles of UC Davis gives a red abalone an ultrasound at Bodega Marine Laboratory. large land snail, he felt certain it would work for abalone.
monitored the lab-raised abalone for seven weeks to detect seasonal changes in their gonad size.
Testing the tech
They found that ultrasounds could differentiate reproductive tissues from digestive tissues. They were then able to create a gonad index score ranging from 1 to 5 that indicates the abalones’ readiness to reproduce. Abalone measuring in the 3 to 5 range could be ideal candidates for spawning. They also found the technology was sensitive enough to detect changes both before and after
With Gross’ background, the extensive knowledge of the white abalone captive breeding program at the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory, and first author Sara Boles’ experience studying red abalone, the authors tested the method on 12 farm-raised red abalone and about 100 red abalone raised at Bodega Marine Lab. They
spawning. “This is very helpful for broodstock managers when trying to select individuals for a spawning season, whether for production aquaculture or conservation,” said Boles, a postdoctoral researcher with the UC Davis Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute at the Bodega Marine Laboratory.
How the pros do it So how do you ultrasound an abalone? It’s fairly straightforward.
You submerge the abalone underwater in its tank and place the ultrasound transducer on the outside of the tank by the abalone’s foot. The sound passes through the tank and transmits the image. Routine assessments using ultrasounds can be conducted without touching the animal at all. Abalone do still have to be handled for spawning events, but ultrasounds can minimize the handling involved. See a video on YouTube at https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=mXJzu_ GbwFk. Abalone are an ecologically and culturally important keystone species for California’s coastal ecosystem. They face multiple, often intertwining threats — from warming ocean temperatures and disease to crashing kelp forests and habitat degradation. “We’re excited to see how much faster we can use this technology to assess the health of these animals, especially in a world where climate change is making an impact,” Gross said. The study’s co-authors include Isabelle Neylan and Laura Rogers-Bennett of UC Davis. — UC Davis News
Tuleyome hosts a celebration Special to The Enterprise WOODLAND — Tuleyome will host a nature-filled celebration from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.m Saturday, March 19, at the Woodland Regional Park Preserve in Woodland to celebrate and support Tuleyome’s programs and access to natural lands. This free event will feature experiences to inspire wonder of nature nearby and connect people to their backyard. The event will also feature live music, hands-on activities, nature exploration, guided bird and tracker walks, heritage talks, and more. Special guest participation includes Laura Sandage
and an interactive tree watering experience, UC Davis Bohart Museum of Entomology, and walking theater performances from Nature’s Theater. Along with inspiring nature booths, Tuleyome staff and board members will host a variety of presentations to share Tuleyome’s plans for the future and field ideas and questions. The event will conclude with a campfire, storytelling, and drums. Participants are encouraged to bring their favorite snacks, food and blankets to picnic by the preserve’s natural beauty — all while supporting Tuleyome to enhance, restore, and conserve a deep home place.
RSVP at https://bit.ly/ tuleyomespringthing. For questions about this experiential Tuleyome event, contact information@tuleyome.org. The event is free, but gratitude donations are welcomed.
About Tuleyome Tuleyome was founded in 2002 as a volunteer advocacy-oriented nonprofit conservation organization. Its mission is “to engage in advocacy and active stewardship with diverse communities to conserve, enhance, restore and enjoy the lands in the region.” The word Tuleyome (pronounced too-leeOME-ee) is a Lake Miwok
Courtesy photo
The Woodland Regional Park Preserve in Woodland will host a celebration of Tuleyome’s programs and access to natural lands. Indian word that means “deep home place,” exemplifying the connection to the environment, communities and regional public lands. Tuleyome lives its mission every day: it preserves and restore wild habitat, builds and repairs
trails, educates the public about local conservation and environmental issues, engages young people through youth programs, demonstrates a good “land stewardship” ethic by maintaining the easements and properties under the scope of its land trust
component, and runs campaigns that have a longlasting positive effect on the region. It aims to inspire members of the public to protect, restore and enjoy the natural landscape in the Northern Inner Coast Range.
Living
A6 THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2022
Five steps to master family meal planning Special to The Enterprise As you and your family embark on a mission to create delicious, nutritious meals all while saving money, it’s key to remember meal planning is essential for success. From tracking a list of ingredients you’ll need to noting your loved ones’ favorite foods, there are some easy steps you can take to make dinners at home enjoyable and budget friendly. Getting on track with your own plan can start with these tips from Healthy Family Project’s Mission for Nutrition, which aims to help families find weekly meal success with an internationally inspired e-cookbook including grocery lists, recipe ideas and cooking hacks. Work together. Before heading to the store or heating up the oven, sit down with your loved ones and make a list of easy-to-make recipes you all enjoy. Each time you discover a new favorite, add it to the list so you’ll have a reference guide when it’s time to plan a week’s worth of meals. Stick to a schedule. Set a day and time each week your family can meet and plan out dinners. This also offers an opportunity to bring to light any newfound favorites or fresh ideas while bringing everyone to the same room for quality time together. Plan time-saving processes. Think ahead while planning meals and consider the equipment you’ll need. Saving time while cooking can be as easy as sticking to recipes that call for hands-off appliances like a slow cooker or pressure cooker and using a food processor rather than a knife and cutting board. Schedule a “leftovers night.” When you prep dinners that call for crossover ingredients, it’s easier to turn one meal into two. For example, buying sweet onions and chicken breast to make Chicken Apple Enchiladas means you’ll have those ingredients on hand for Greek Chicken Bowls later in the week. Make a list. Once you’ve decided on recipes for the week, create a list of all the ingredients you’ll need. While you’re at the store, stick to your plan and avoid impulse buys to help stay on track while getting in and out quicker. Find more recipes and meal planning tips by downloading the free e-cookbook at healthyfamilyproject. com/mission-for-nutrition and join the conversation by following #missionfornutrition on social media. — Family Features
Chicken Apple Enchiladas Recipe courtesy of Healthy Family Project’s Mission for Nutrition. Ingredients: ½ sweet onion, diced 1 jalapeño, diced 1 Envy or Jazz apple, diced 2 cups cooked shredded chicken 8 flour tortillas 6 ounces shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided 1 can red enchilada sauce cilantro (optional)
Family Features photos
There are several easy, family meals, including, above, Greek Chicken Bowls, and, below, Chicken Apple Enchiladas. Putting it together: Heat oven to 350 degrees. In skillet, cook onions until translucent. Add jalapeño and apple; sauté 2-3 minutes. Add cooked chicken and mix well. Remove from heat. Lay out tortillas and sprinkle cheese on each. Add chicken mixture and roll. Place in baking dish and cover with enchilada sauce. Bake 20 minutes, or until heated throughout.
Greek Chicken Bowls Recipe courtesy of Healthy Family Project’s Mission for Nutrition. Ingredients: 1 cup cooked white or brown rice 1 grilled chicken breast, sliced 1 RealSweet onion, sliced 1 cup cherry tomatoes 1 cucumber, cut into quarters ½ cup black olives 1 tablespoon feta cheese 2 tablespoons tzatziki sauce Putting it together: Place cooked rice and chicken in bowls. Top each bowl with sweet onions, tomatoes, cucumbers and black olives. Sprinkle each with feta cheese. Drizzle each with tzatziki sauce.
Ukraine, George III, megalomania & the price of beer
Now that things have moved on to a shooting war in Ukraine, we each find ourselves involved in it; we are not merely noncombatant bystanders observing from afar. Though we cannot take up arms as Ukrainians have, earning our deepest respect and admiration, we each will be asked to play our part in the struggle to help them live in peace and freedom in their own independent country. Our part will be to tolerate willingly the inevitable
blows to our way of life when the sanctions imposed upon the Russian Federation ramp up to be effective deterrents. The most obvious expected change is the price of gasoline at the pump. That of course is already high in California approaching $5 per gallon. That is lot higher than the $3.50 (or so) national average price and the $3.09 I paid just a week ago in Austin, Texas. Because so many things come to us on trucks, doubtless that cost will perfuse the supply chain affecting many things including food prices. Of particular interest to beer drinkers might be an effect of the war and sanctions on the price of beer. Ukraine (and Russia for that matter) is a major producer of barley used to make malt for brewing. Malt supply in Europe may be most affected so brewers there and others
in the international arena may see things change. Because our craft brewers often use a proportion of special malts from Europe in their best beers, craft beers might also be affected. There is enough malting barley available in our North American world to avert impact on the overall availability of beer. However, any reduction in supply must ultimately bear on malt and beer prices
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f I think of gas, food and beer prices as my contribution to the battle for Ukraine and to deter further Russian aggression, I am content to pay it.
Small minds should not govern great nations. That idea is a ripoff from Edmund Burke, MP. He was speaking about the British parliament, Lord North and his ministers and George III at the time colonists in America sought to establish a mature relationship with Britain. He lamented the loss of magnanimity in politics saying “A great empire and little minds go ill together.” Putin is the new George III; he is making the same mistakes for much the same reasons. I observe the lack of magnanimity in our congress these days and all the small minds there. Now I have a major candidate for small-mindedness: the president of Russia, who is
showing the reaction of a small mind when thwarted: megalomania. George III redux. This would be a petty problem in a petty politician, but in the president of Russia it might be thought more than a character flaw; after all, he has rattled his nuclear weapons for no obvious reason. While I am willing to put up with increases in the price of gas, food and even beer to be supportive of Ukraine, threat of nuclear war brings me much closer to the center of things. That makes me less sanguine. As I watch on TV the long lines in Ukraine for gas, money, food and escape, I wonder if there are messages here for me. I think there are. Because I cannot stand
and fight a nuclear warhead, for the next couple of weeks my dearest friend and I shall build up a small reserve of stable foodstuffs, enough for a week or maybe a month. I shall carry much more cash than usual. I shall not allow my gas tank to fall below half-full so I can travel 250 miles or so and I’m tempted to have a spare gallon or two in reserve, although that may be dangerous. I know where we are going to escape to and intend to let the family know where to find us. I’m packing a small bag for emergencies and at the first sniff of a nuclear war we are off! — Reach Michael Lewis at waleslewis792@gmail. com. MEtro/Stock photo
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suppose, when there is a conflict of any sort anywhere in the world, every human is a part of it. That is simply because we are part of the human family, whether or not we understand the issues or the people or the society involved. The repercussions on us directly can be vanishingly small or dire or somewhere in between. Whichever it is, we are neither wholly innocent nor wholly unaffected.
YOLOgrows
Challenges of climate change Metro
Climate change poses an array of challenges. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration notes that the impacts of climate change on various sectors of society are interrelated, a connection that mirrors the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Scientists warn that a similar scenario could play out as a result of climate change. The agricultural sector could face considerable challenges in the years to come. The
Fourth National Climate Assessment is a government-mandated report that must be delivered to the United States Congress once every four years. Among the many aims of the report are to provide an analysis of the effects of global changes on the natural environment and agriculture. The most recent report, delivered in 2018, noted that changing precipitation patterns could intensify in the coming years, leading to more intense periods of heavy rain and longer dry periods.
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Injured students’ experiences give insight into accessibility By Ayisi Ni HUB Staff After injuring her leg in volleyball last fall, junior Olivia Dirksen became aware of the physical challenges that being disabled poses. She underwent surgery, which put her in a wheelchair for a week. Even now, Dirksen has to use crutches to get around. However, Dirksen says that she was pleasantly surprised that navigating the school campus was not that difficult. “When I first started out, I was really nervous about it. Going to school in a wheelchair, I was like ‘I don’t know how this is going to work’,” Dirksen said. But that is not the experience of all students. Sophomore Dylan Spatz, who injured himself over the summer, had to use crutches at school for several months. While over time he got used to getting around campus, he struggled inside his classrooms. “The desks weren’t that great, since you couldn’t elevate my leg. Some teachers did offer a chair, but other than that: pretty uncomfortable,” Spatz said. It was especially cramped in his science class, where Spatz had to sit at a desk that did not allow room for his leg to be properly extended or elevated. “The lab tables had a lot of tall chairs so it would have been even more uncomfortable, so I just kinda propped up the other leg,” Spatz said. Some science classes have accessible lab tables, which are several inches lower than normal ones, but Spatz did not see one in his class. Science teacher Johnathan Langberg has an accessible lab table in his
classroom but was not aware of it until recently. “(Disabled students) pretty much can’t use the desks, since they are pretty small and the space I have for them is small as well. So they have to be stacked close together,” Langberg said. Dirksen also faced challenges with her desks, but particularly struggled with the doors and door handles. “That was probably the trickiest part of it, just because the doors are really heavy ... I would try to open the door, then hold it open with one hand and someone else would push me in,” Dirksen said. Eric Richardson, the performing arts facilities coordinator, says that heavy doors are a safety measure to prevent fires from spreading. “They are designed to prevent fire from going one way or the other ... If you can divide the building up into sections, it’s easier to contain the fire,” Richardson said. Richardson, who manages the Richard Brunelle Performing Hall, says that the Brunelle conforms to accessibility standards. The theater has two elevators for wheelchairs, wide doors, a stage on street level and lighting in the audience area to guide people when it is dark. “If someone has any kind of mobility issue, we need to make sure ... that they can get to their seats without having to go up or down stairs,” Richardson said. Another resource in Brunelle Hall is emergency wheelchairs, which can also be found in the two-story buildings and gyms on campus. These are folding yellow wheelchairs that ensure that in the case of an evacuation staff are equipped to carry disabled people down the stairs when elevators cannot be used.
For those who need access to elevators on a regular basis to reach secondstory classrooms, the administration loans students a key with the caveat that they will be fined for failing to return it. Ozana Milisic, a special education teacher, has overseen the needs of physically disabled students throughout her tenure at Davis High. She says that accessibility is something that DHS has handled well. “Doors are wide enough, it’s flat, there are ramps available,” Milisic said. “We’ve had students before who required special seatings, so we installed that, and once they graduated, we removed it to ensure more space.” Milisic also says that there are automatic doors at critical places on campus. “(The) places that are highly frequented ... do have better accessibility. There’s (an automatic door) in the cafeteria, there’s one in the library,” Milisic said. Another important aspect of accessibility on campus is larger bathroom stalls, which according to Dirksen were necessary for her in a wheelchair. Her friends would push her chair in, which would not have been possible in the regular stall. “I kinda always took (accessible stalls) for granted, since I’ve never needed to be in a wheelchair before,” Dirksen said. Dirksen also emphasized how important it was for her to have support from her peers and teachers. “I had people willing to push me around, which was really, really nice. All the teachers were really accommodating ... I don’t think I could have done it by myself,” Dirksen said.
Ayisi Ni/hub photo
An emergency wheelchair on the second floor of the library, ready for use in an emergency without a working elevator.
District expands resources to support English learners By Xochitl Armién and Stella Maze HUB Staff
Rachel Wong/hub graphic
Beginning and intermediate English learners make up just 3.7% of Davis High students, but are provided with a wide range of supports. A junior who prefers to remain anonymous is one of DHS’s newer English learners. He recently immigrated from Latin America and has been learning English for about two months. “At first it feels uncomfortable not understanding English but as you go on learning it at school, it starts to feel better,” the student said, speaking in Spanish. One of the ways that English language learners are supported is through inschool English Language Development classes. Students who are in the beginning stages of learning English take the English Development 1 class, and students who have been speaking English longer take ELD 2 and 3. ELD 1 is slow paced and comparable to French 1 or Spanish 1 courses. The class focuses on teaching students the basics on how to speak and read to get through each day, what ELD 1 teacher Pernia Hassan calls “survival English.” The ELD 2 and 3 classes are combined, and focus on explicit grammar instruction to reinforce English Language arts skills. They also work to support students in their regular English classes and provide verbal practice. “The ultimate goal is that they’re successful in their other classes and that they pass the state test called the ELPAC (English Language Proficiency Assessments for California),” Hassan said. On a district level, connection with families is the priority. The Language Justice and Family Partnership coordinator, Ximena Diez-Jackson, has taken on the responsibilities of improving communication with families, especially Spanish speaking families. “At the base our focus on strengthening relationships with families is really the key,” said Kate Snow, the district’s coordinator of school climate.
There is an English learner specialist for on-site student support at every elementary school, and at the secondary level there is an English learner coordinator. The coordinator’s job includes case managing each English learning student’s needs including academic, social and anywhere else students and families might need assistance. Ricardo Perez, the Director of English Learner, Immersion, and World Language Programs, explains, “They’re responsible for case managing and overseeing support services, social, academic, you name it for every English learner in the district.” At DHS, English Language learners now take college prep classes with the rest of DHS students. In the past, DHS had “sheltered classes” specifically for English learners where they would learn modified versions of the classes. The reason for the switch is that English learning students are more likely to pick up English if they are fully immersed in it. According to ELD 2/3 teacher Kelly Wilkerson, the current system “is kind of sink or swim.” But, she added, billingual aides provide support. The Academic Success Center is one of the resources created to cushion the transition to English classes. The ASC’s first job is to directly provide support and aid to English Language learners. The ASC uses a practice called “push in,” ending individual tutors into classrooms for every English learner on a daily basis. In order to get more students into the center for help, Wilkerson’s Wednesday block period ELD class visits the center every week to get help from tutors. “I think (the current system) is effective to an extent,” said Mayra Chavez-Alcarez, ASC Coordinator.
sports THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE — WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2022
DAM tops in national swim-off
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t looks like Davis Aquatic Masters triumphed in its crosscontinent race to have more swimmers in the one-hour U.S. Masters swim than its larger rival New England Masters. DAM had 130 swimmers compared to New England’s 108. Nationwide, a total of 1,050 swimmers participated. Forty-one of the DAM swimmers finished in the top 10 U.S. Masters swims, which is 22 women plus 19 men. Another 68 made their way into the All-Time DAM Top 20, which is 37 women plus 31 men. DAM had two national champions by age group, Helene Nehrebecki (40-44), 4,500 yards, and Amy Rieger (60-64), 4,575 yards. DAM club records were set by Amy Rieger, 4,575 yards; John Dickey (65-69). 4,300 yards; Andy McPherson (75-79), 3,965 yards; Jack Horton (85-89), 2,200 yards; and Murray Gardner (90-94), 800 yards. Abandoning caution, the club has ordered a long-sleeve national champion T-shirt to go on sale early this month. Still in design mode, the back of the shirts prominently lists names of all the participants who contributed their yards to the cumulative team title. n POTM: DAM brought back its Performance of the Month and the first winner is Murray Gardner, 93. The organizations newsletter praised Murray as “personifying and embodying the spirit of DAM and masters swimming. He cares greatly for DAM and his teammates, and he brightens the day of all those around him. “During DAM’s last-day push to take the national one-hour swim title, Murray didn’t bat an eye when asked to do an hour swim instead of his regular practice. Murray wasn’t asked to set a DAM team record, but he went ahead and did that, too.” n Brute Squad: A celebration for Brute Squad finishers will be Sunday, March 13, 3:30 to 5 pm at the Stonegate Country Club. There will be beer, snacks and certificates. Applications for DAM’s head coach are rolling in. The deadline to apply is March 15. n Masters Water Polo: My attendance at our Wednesday 7:30 p.m. practices at Schaal Aquatic Center collapsed during the last cold snap. I promise to do better. — Mark Braly’s Masters Swimming column is published the first Wednesday of each month. Contact him at markbraly@sbcglobal.net.
Arya Lalvani/Enterprise photo
UC Davis second baseman Sommer Kisling gets ready to throw the ball to first baseman Sarah Starks to get out Stanford’s Johnna Schroeder on Tuesday.
Young Aggies fall to Stanford By Mike Bush Enterprise sports editor One hit early seemed to have given the UC Davis softball team momentum playing against one of the best programs in the country. But visiting Stanford let its bats speak loudly and often. That led to an 11-1 win over UCD (5-8) at LaRue Field. The game was called after five innings because of the mercy rule. “Obviously, we’re pretty disappointed by the way we came out today,” said UCD head coach Erin Thorpe. “It’s very uncharacteristic of what we’re capable of doing. It’s more of a Next games: bummer.” Saturday vs. Dixie The State, 9 a.m.; vs. Aggies Sac State, 2 p.m. played their first Tuesday game of the season against a Stanford squad that is ranked No. 35 among Division I college softball teams in the country. “So great to get to play these teams and get challenged,” said Thorpe of Stanford and the teams the Aggies played at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. “It exposes things that we need to work on ... we have a really young group.” Stanford held a 3-0 lead entering the bottom of the second inning. That is when the Aggies, with two outs, got their first hit of the game when third baseman Bella Pahulu singled to right field. But a strikeout ended the inning.
Cardinal 11, Aggies 1
Arya Lalvani/ Enterprise photo
UC Davis softball pitcher Kenedi Brown goes into her windup in the first inning of Tuesday’s nonconference game against Stanford. Then Stanford upped its lead to 4-0 in the top of the third frame, thanks to the Aggies. A fielding error put Stanford’s Emily Young on first base. Then teammates and left-handed batters Kaitlyn Lim and Emily Schultz produced back-to-back singles, as Schultz’s hit drove Young across home plate. UCD scored its only run in
the bottom of the inning to make the score 4-1. Left fielder Sarah Nakahara walked and moved to second on Anna Dethlefson’s infield single. Dethlefson was thrown out at second base, but Nakahara moved and rounded third base and slid safely into home plate. That was the last time that the Aggies generated any type of
Emotional win for UCD men’s team
Blue Devil rally comes up short on diamond By Rebecca Wasik
good first game for us.” A leadoff double for the Trojans in the first inning A single run was responwas followed by a two-run sible for Davis High’s basehome run to give Lincoln ball team’s season-opening an early lead. loss against Lincoln High The Blue Devils’ first basof Stockton at home on erunner came in the third Tuesday. inning when A late offenReyan Islam sive showing by drew a walk. the Blue Devils Lincoln (0-1) was not recorded its enough to Next game: Today third run of the answer early at Granite Bay, game in the offense from the 3:30 p.m. fourth inning Trojans (1-0). after a single, hit Despite fallby pitch and another single. ing to Lincoln 3-2, DHS Davis’ first hit came in head coach Ethan Guevin saw strong potential from the fourth inning with a double from Koen Carston. his team in the game. Blue Devils starting “We just made a few mistakes early,” said Guevin. pitcher Brian Chin was “It’s the first game, so finished for the day after a maybe we came out a bit wide pick-off throw to first tight and they made us pay. base in the fifth inning sent We responded well after See RALLY, Page B3 being down early. It was a
offense. UCD went down in order in the fourth and fifth innings. Meanwhile, Stanford scored three more runs in the top of the fourth inning for a 7-1 advantage. Three singles from leadoff hitter Sydnee Huff — a slaphitter — Ellee Eck and Taylor Gindlesperger, plus an Aggie error, contributed to the runs. Stanford, which had 10 hits in the game, produced three more hits in the top of the fifth frame that led to four more runs. Singles from Eck, Huff and Gindlesperger, plus another Aggie error that was their third in the game, played a role in the inning. “We just have to get back at it and practice,” Thorpe said. “We’ve had two days off because we had a long weekend (in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, where the Aggies played Tennessee, San Diego State, Arizona, Utah and California Baptist). We needed to take a day off during the week; we didn’t practice Sunday or Monday coming into this game.” Stanford scored two runs in the top of the first inning, and another run in the second for its 3-0 lead. UCD returns to action Saturday, hosting two games at LaRue Field. The Aggies welcome Dixie State at 9 a.m. and Causeway rival Sacramento State at 2 p.m. On Sunday, the Aggies play on Sacramento State’s field. UCD will play Dixie State again at 11:30 a.m. and the Hornets at 2 p.m. — Contact Mike Bush at mike@davisenterprise.net. Follow on Twitter: @MBDavis Sports.
By Bob Dunning
Enterprise correspondent
12-8 overall. CSUN, formerly known as Cal State Northridge, drops to 7-20 After bidding an emo- and 3-11. tional farewell to three Although the Aggies have departing teammates on been mathematically elimiSenior Night, the UC Davis nated from winning the men’s basketball team took regular season care of busichampionship, ness on the they are still court before fighting for the largest seeding posicrowd of the tion in the Big season Satur- Next game: Thursday West tournaday night at at Long Beach State, ment that runs 7 p.m. University March 8-12 at Credit Union Listen: 105.5 FM the brand-new Center. Watch: ESPN+ Dollar Loan Leading Center in Henfrom start to derson, Nev. finish with never a hiccup in All 10 conference teams between, the Aggies overwhelmed CSUN, 68-49, in will participate in the touran important Big West Con- nament that determines the ference game before an Big West’s automatic bid to appreciative and enthusias- the NCAA tournament, tic throng of 1,549. however, only the top six The win moves UCD to 5-4 in conference play and See WIN, Page B3
Enterprise staff writer
Aggies 68, Matadors 49
Trojans 3, Devils 2
Arya Lalvani/ Enterprise photo
UC Davis guard Leo DeBruhl (10) shoots over a CSUN’s Fidelis Okereke in Saturday’s Big West Conference game.
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Multiple winners for Davis High By Mike Bush Enterprise sports editor LODI — On Saturday, the Davis High boys and girls track and field teams opened the season against Turlock and host Lodi. The Blue Devil boys took first place, which included one triple winner and a double winner. Ray Oldham took first place in the 100-meters dash with a time of 11.38 seconds and the 200 meters at 24.49. In the high jump, Oldham leaped to 6-02. Andrew Baum was a double winner for the Blue Devils. The senior won the shot put with a toss of 43 feet, 11 inches and the discus at 145-08. Jacob Schaal won the boys 400-meters race at 53.71. Long distance runner Gavin Lynch won the
boys 3,200-meters race at 11:7.24. In the hurdles, Blue Devil Scott Inouye won the 110-meter hurdles at 16.53. Luke Chale took honors in the triple jump, flying to 38-02. The Davis boys 4x400 relay team also took first place, clocked at 3:40.51. Girls Norah Dulaney, a junior, was a double winner in the 800 meters at 2:25.36 and the 1,600 meters at 5:25.21. Nellee Bitners won the discus at 116-02. Sophia Ballard won the triple jump at 33-5. She also took third place in the high jump at 4-6. Michelle Kang took second place in the high jump. Kang cleared the bar at 4-10. The Davis girls 4x100 relay team won at 50.54.
RALLY: Bats go quiet From Page B2
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Davis High’s Ely Wikenson and the Blue Devils competed against Turlock and host Lodi in a nonleague tri meet Saturday.
Lincoln’s runner from first to third base. Chin gave up three runs and six hits in the outing. “Brian did a really nice job of settling in after that first inning,” said Guevin. “He executed pitches and gave us a chance to win the game, which was great to see.” Both defense and offense shined for the Blue Devils in the sixth inning. Lincoln’s first runner, who reached on a single, was picked off by relief pitcher Jaiden Temple. After being issued a walk, another Lincoln player was caught attempting to steal second base. The Blue Devils led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a double from Grafton Shorts. Shorts moved to third base on a single from Chin. A single from Carston allowed Shorts to score Davis’ first run of the game. A sacrifice bunt by Will Ackerman moved Chin to third base and Carston to
second. Chin scored on a sacrifice fly by Carter Stoltz. Davis went three up, three down in the seventh-andfinal inning with a groundout and two strikeouts. Lincoln finished the game with seven hits, while Davis finished with five. Carston was responsible for two of the Blue Devils’ hits. Chin, Shorts and Temple each had one hit. Last season, the Blue Devils finished 18-10 overall and 8-10 in Delta League play. On Wednesday, the Blue Devils play at Granite Bay in another nonleague opponent at 3:30 p.m. “Granite Bay is another good team,” said Guevin. “We just need to execute at a high level and good things will happen. That is what we’ll look to do.” Davis’ next home game is on Saturday against Del Campo of Fair Oaks at 11 a.m. — Follow Rebecca Wasik on Twitter: @BeccaFromTheBay.
WIN: Aggies finish on the road against conference’s top two squads From Page B2 receive a first-round bye. Teams that finish from seventh through 10th will have to play an extra game and win four straight to claim the tournament title. The Aggies and UC Santa Barbara are both vying to remain somewhere within the top six. UCSB, which beat the UCD in a tense overtime game Thursday night, took a 97-90 double overtime win from UC Riverside Saturday night. UCSB is now 6-5 in league play with two games to go. UCD finishes on the road next
week against the top two teams in conference, taking on Long Beach State on Thursday and Cal State Fullerton on Saturday. Cameron Ba and B.J. Shaw saw their last action on their home floor, while starter Caleb Fuller, who will also been gone next season, sat out the game with an injury suffered a week ago. Fuller is expected to be ready for action next week. “It’s a tough time of year, because these guys become a part of your family, and then that changes in an instant,” said Aggie head coach Jim Les.
“A part of you is sad because you’re going to miss them, but a part of you is proud as they go out into the world. We tell them ‘once an Aggie, always an Aggie,’ and that they’re an Aggie for life. If they ever need anything at any point in the future, just give us a call. These are high-class guys with great character who are going to go out and represent this university well.” As for the game itself, a stifling UC Davis defense frustrated the Matadors all night long, allowing the Aggies to breathe easily after three straight nail-biters.
Elijah Pepper hit three early 3-pointers as the Aggies raced away to a 20-10 lead and never looked back. Late in the half a bucket and free throw by Ade Adebayo pushed the count to 32-16, leading UCD to a 36-24 lead at the break. “Our zone really kept then offbalance, and with Caleb not able to play, I thought Ade Adebayo really stepped up,” Les added. “There were times when I thought he was guarding two guys at the same time.” Christian Anigwe, meanwhile,
had a night to remember, going 6 of 7 from the floor, including a 3-pointer, and hitting his first seven free throws to lead all scorers with 20 points and all rebounders with eight. “The rim looked really wide to me tonight,” said Anigwe with a smile. “We want to carry this momentum into the final two games and then make a deep run in the tournament. We have a great team, and we know what we’re capable of.” — Contact Bob Dunning at bdunning@davisenterprise.net.
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MANDATE: Officials reassess latest data From Page A1 UC Davis will continue to require masking indoors at least through the end of the winter quarter in three weeks, according to Dr. Cindy Schorzman, medical director of Student Health and Counseling Services. Yolo County, meanwhile, will align with state masking policy, but the county's health officer strongly recommends that everybody continue to wear a mask indoors. “Yolo County continues to see a decrease in both cases and hospitalizations since the Omicron peak on Jan. 9,” said Dr. Aimee Sisson. “I continue to strongly recommend that everybody wear a mask indoors because the case rate in Yolo County remains high. Choose the best mask in terms of fit and filtration that you can consistently wear. An N95, KN95, or KF94 mask is the most protective mask available.” Sisson's message on Monday noted that people have different levels of comfort with recent masking changes based on personal circumstances. "As we move away from requirements to recommendations, respect for an individual’s masking choices is paramount. This respectful approach is supported by state guidelines, which indicate, 'no person can be prevented from wearing a mask as a condition of participation in an activity or entry into a business.'” In discussing the changes Monday, Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s secretary of health and human services, outlined the progress the state has seen with COVID19, including a drop in the case rate from 300 cases per 100,000 residents at the height of the Omicron surge to below 20 on Monday. “Around the 11th of March, we anticipate we’ll be somewhere between five and 15,” Ghaly said. Both hospitalizations and, specifically, pediatric hospitalizations, have dropped by half from two weeks ago, he added. Earlier this month, Ghaly had said a decision on K-12 masking would be announced Feb. 28 after the state reviewed data related to case rates, hospitalizations, vaccination rates and more. And while case rates and hospitalizations have continued to decline since then, vaccination rates for children ages 5 to 11 have not increased and remain lower than for any other age group in California. In Yolo County, just 38 percent of children in that age group are fully vaccinated, though numbers are higher in the Davis Joint Unified School District, where nearly every school has student vaccination rates above 50 percent. But given low rates for children overall, “we have our work cut out for us,” said Ghaly. Meanwhile, the news about lifting the K-12 school mask mandate followed publication of a recent study showing the Pfizer vaccine — the only one authorized for children ages 5 to 11 — is far less effective at preventing infection in younger children than in older adolescents and adults. The shot is effective at preventing severe illness, the study found, but offers significantly less protection against infection within a month of full immunization. The Pfizer dose given to children ages 5 to 11 is about one-third the dose given to those ages 12 and up. See the study at https:// www.medrxiv.org/content/ 10.1101/2022.02.25.2227 1454v1.
Speaking about the study on Monday, Ghaly said, “that data is … not what any of us want to see." “The good news,” he said, “is we’re making this decision (about lifting the mask mandate in K-12 schools) with the knowledge that we have more to do on vaccinating 5- to 11-year-olds.” As for lifting the mandatory mask mandate for the unvaccinated in indoor public settings, Ghaly said the decision is based in part on “the reality that tracking vaccination status among the masked and unmasked is really operationally difficult in certain settings.” ———— As the Davis school board considers whether to align with the state's decision to lift the indoor mask mandate in K-12 schools, COVID cases in the district are declining but remain higher than they were throughout most of the pandemic. During the month of February, the district reported 161 COVID-19 cases among students and 32 among staff members. Both numbers are higher than at any other point during the pandemic except January, when there were 959 student cases and 142 staff cases. On Tuesday, there were 13 active cases among students and six among staff members. But community transmission is markedly lower in Davis right now than just a month ago. Healthy Davis Together reported 74 new cases between Feb. 22-27 and a test positivity rate of 0.76 percent, well below what was seen at the height of the Omicron surge. Likewise, cases among UC Davis students and staff have declined dramatically, with 42 new cases reported over the past week and a test positivity rate of 0.23 percent. The county as a whole has shown marked improvement, with the case rate dropping to 18.6 per 100,000 residents on Tuesday and the test positivity rate hitting 1 percent. The county's case rate, however, is higher than the statewide rate of 16.7. On Tuesday there were 10 COVID-19 patients in Yolo County's two hospitals, three of them in intensive care. Last Friday, the county reported four more COVID-19 deaths, bringing to 25 the number of county residents who have died from the virus in the month of February. ———— The Yolo County Sheriff ’s Office resumed its transportation of inmates to the Yolo County Courthouse in Woodland on Tuesday, a week after pausing transports due to a jail Covid outbreak. At its peak, the outbreak sickened 32 inmates at the Woodland facility, sheriff ’s spokesman Lt. Juan Ceja said. As of Tuesday, the jail had 23 active in-custody cases, 86 recovered in-custody cases and 13 active cases in which the inmate gained release. During the transportation pause, inmates made their court appearances via Zoom from the jail. The outbreak also hampered attorneys’ abilities to meet with their clients. The jail experienced its first significant COVID outbreak back in September, more than a year and a half after the start of the pandemic. Those testing positive have been placed in isolation for monitoring and treatment, while others exposed to the virus have undergone testing every three days, sheriff ’s officials previously said. — Reach Anne TernusBellamy at aternus@ davisenterprise.net. Follow her on Twitter at @ATernusBellamy.
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