Palindromic preposition

agreed to a tax-sharing agreement, another component of the process required for annexation, that divides property and sales taxes from the project between the two jurisdictions. City and county officials, along with DiSC developers, also signed a memorandum of understanding related to traffic mitigation.

Those agreements satisfied the concerns of the two Yolo County supervisors who represent Davis residents — Jim Provenza and Don Saylor — who earlier this year had voiced reservations about putting DiSC on the ballot without having reached agreements first.

On Friday, Saylor said LAFCO’s actions, “coupled with the recent approvals by both the Davis City Council and the Board of Supervisors of a revenue sharing agreement and additional mitigations, (addressed) the concerns earlier expressed by Yolo County… I greatly appreciate the commitments made by the city and the project applicants.”

Saylor, who serves as LAFCO commissioner, also said the DiSC project “brings many opportunities to the Davis community and our larger region.

“The approval of the modified sphere of influence by LAFCO is another significant step in the planning for this area near the city of Davis.”

DiSC project manager Dan Ramos called LAFCO’s approval “an important step forward for DiSC.”

“We look forward to coming back to the LAFCO with an annexation application after Davis voters approve Measure H. We’re also appreciative of the leadership of Supervisor Saylor and Supervisor Provenza on the tax-share agreement and Mace Boulevard traffic improvement plans,” Ramos said.

According to LAFCO staff, the DiSC site, given its proximity to the Mace Boulevard/I-80 interchange, means, “there will be ongoing development pressure at this location and urbanization would be appropriate to take advantage of this freeway access and visibility.

“The city of Davis has not grown significantly in the last 20 years, and growth at the (DiSC site) would be relatively controlled because the site is surrounded to the north and east by land in dedicated conservation easements …

“The area also represents a sensible place for growth that does not extend beyond the easternmost and northernmost portions of the city,” LAFCO staff said.

Whether the project itself is sensible to voters remains to be seen.

Many DiSC opponents remain skeptical that the proposed traffic mitigation will do exactly that and argue a large development at that location will only exacerbate congestion on I-80 as well as on Mace Boulevard and other surface streets.

Objections also remain over the loss of farmland, greenhouse gas emissions and other issues.

AI predicts life threatening disease in dogs

By RoB WaRRen Special to The Enterprise

Leptospirosis, a disease that dogs can get from drinking water contaminated with Leptospira bacteria, can cause kidney failure, liver disease and severe bleeding into the lungs. Early detection of the disease is crucial and may mean the difference between life and death.

Veterinarians and researchers at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine have discovered a technique to predict leptospirosis in dogs through the use of artificial intelligence. After many months of testing various models, the team has developed one that outperformed traditional testing methods and provided accurate early detection. The groundbreaking discovery was published in Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation.

“Traditional testing for Leptospira lacks sensitivity early in the disease process,” said lead author Krystle Reagan, a board-certified internal medicine specialist and assistant professor focusing on infectious diseases. “Detection also can take more than two weeks because of the need to demonstrate a rise in the level of antibodies in a blood sample. Our AI model eliminates those two roadblocks to a swift and accurate diagnosis.”

The research involved historical data of patients at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital that had been tested for leptospirosis. Routinely collected blood work from these 413 dogs was used to train an AI prediction model. Over the next year, the hospital treated an additional 53 dogs with suspected leptospirosis. The model correctly identified all nine dogs that were positive for leptospirosis (100% sensitivity). The model also correctly identified approximately 90% of the 44 dogs that were ultimately leptospirosis negative.

The goal for the model is for it to become an online resource for veterinarians to enter patient data and receive a timely prediction.

“AI-based, clinical decision making is going to be the future for many aspects of veterinary medicine,” said Vet-Med Dean Mark Stetter. From Page A1

indication of any change in severity for BA.4/BA.5 compared to previous Omicron lineages.”

Locally, the BA.2 Omicron variant remains dominant, responsible for 92 percent of the 959 positive cases screened by the UC Davis Genome Center during the twoweek period of May 8-21. Six percent were caused by the original BA.1 Omicron variant and the remaining 16 cases possibly caused by BA.4 and BA.5. Four of those cases were detected during the week of May 8-14 and 12 during the week of May 15-21.

On Thursday, Santa Clara County public health officials confirmed to the San Francisco Chronicle the presence of BA.4 and BA.5 in wastewater samples in that county.

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Forty-two percent of on-campus isolation and quarantine housing units on the UC Davis campus were occupied on Thursday, up from 30 percent just a few days ago.

Those units are being used by some of the 227 UC Davis students who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last seven days.

Rising cases at other University of California campuses have prompted the return of indoor mask mandates: Both UCLA and UC Santa Barbara announced Thursday mask mandates would return the following day. Masks are not currently required at UC Davis.

Meanwhile, the Davis Joint Unified School District in the last week has reported 109 new student cases and 19 new staff cases. Since May 1, the district has reported 415 student cases and 55 staff cases.

Countywide, the COVID-19 case rate continued to rise this week, up from 30.5 cases per 100,000 residents on Tuesday to 34.6 on Friday.

The number of COVID19 hospitalizations in Yolo County also increased from one on Monday to four on Friday. No new deaths were reported, however.

As of Friday, just 10 of California’s 58 counties had higher case rates than Yolo. — Reach Anne TernusBellamy at aternus@ davisenterprise.net. Follow her on Twitter at @ ATernusBellamy.

The Enterprise publishes brief death notices free of charge. These include name, age, city of residence, occupation, date of death and funeral/memorial information. Submissions may be made via www. davisenterprise.com/obit-form/

Obituaries

Gerald ‘Jerry’ Adler

Dec. 7, 1931 — Sept. 29, 2021

Gerald Jay “Jerry” Adler died in his El Macero home on Sept. 29, 2021, surrounded by family.

Jerry was born in Brooklyn, New York on December 7, 1931, to loving parents, Jack and Ann (Chuven) Adler.

From an early age, lifelong values were set — family, honesty, education and service. He excelled as a student, played stickball and chess, collected stamps and coins, and particularly enjoyed traveling by trolley car with his father to watch the Brooklyn Dodgers play at Ebbets Field.

Jerry attended Cornell University, receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in 1953. He was active in his fraternity, Tau Delta Phi, and joined the Air Force ROTC.

Following graduation, Jerry proudly served his country in the United States Air Force, rising to the rank of captain as a senior navigator.

In 1954, he married Sonya “Sonnie” Clairfield of Houston, Texas. The life of a military officer kept them on the move. During their first 12 years of marriage, they were stationed at 16 air bases.

Jerry’s military career was cut short on January 24, 1963, when the B-52 aircraft he was aboard crashed in rural Maine, killing seven of the nineman crew. Jerry was able to eject from the plane, although his parachute failed to open. He came through tree branches landing upright in deep snow. He was rescued by helicopter 24 hours later after spending the night in temperatures that dropped to 30 degress below zero. He sustained significant physical injuries and was hospitalized for 14 months. As a result of his injuries he retired with full disability in 1964.

Jerry continued his pursuit of higher education at the University of Houston. He earned his juris doctor, was editor-in-chief of the Law Review and graduated magna cum laude. At New York University and Columbia University he received additional advanced degrees. Recruited by the founders of the newly formed UC Davis King Law School, he joined the faculty in 1968 and moved his young family to Davis. In 1974, he entered private practice with the Crow Law Firm. For 34 years he worked on difficult and complex cases, primarily representing victims (or their families) in cases of product liability or medical malpractice.

Jerry loved Davis. He was active in local government. On the Planning Commission he was among the visionary leaders who formulated a long-term General Plan for the city. It focused on controlled growth which helped to preserve Davis’ small-town character. He was elected three times to the City Council (19801992) and presided one term as mayor. Jerry was active in many civic and community groups including the Rotary Club, Mealson-Wheels, Chamber of Commerce, Senior Center, American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, Citizens Who Care and Sutter Health’s Cardiac Rehab program. He was a member of Temple Bet Haverim (and served as President in the early days of the Jewish Fellowship of Davis).

Jerry and Sonnie were married nearly 54 years and were devoted parents to their three children. They frequently crisscrossed the country in the old station wagon to visit family or see the sites. Following Sonnie’s death in 2007, Jerry married college sweetheart, author Nancy Tesler. They cherished 12 loving years together, years filled with theater, travel and family.

Jerry is survived by wife Nancy Tesler; children Sheree Adler Blundell (Bill) of Edmond, Okla., Karen Adler (Susan Simpkin) of Placerville, and Jonathan Adler (Vikki) of Long Lane, Mo. Jerry leaves five grandchildren — Kristen Blundell Burns (Matt), Billy Blundell, Matthew Blundell, Torri Adler Ernst (Allen), Alexis Adler Gilbert; and five great-grandchildren. Jerry is also survived by stepsons, Ken (Bianca), Bob (d. Inga) and Doug (Leslie). He was much loved and respected and will be forever missed by family, friends and colleagues.

Jerry was preceded in death by first wife Sonnie; parents Jack and Ann; sister Elaine (Adler) Smith; and infant daughter Felicia.

On October 3, 2021, Rabbi Greg Wolfe presided at Jerry’s burial and graveside service at the Davis Cemetery. He received full military funeral honors.

Bob Dunning penned a tribute in the Davis Enterprise: “Goodbye to My Friend, Jerry Adler.” The article concluded, “As always, Jerry Adler should have the last word in this discussion of his life. Asked once to respond to the topic ‘What I like about Davis,’ Jerry replied simply, ‘Everybody always tries to do the right thing about everything. The interesting aspect of that is nobody agrees to what is right.’ Well done, good and faithful servant. This town (and your family) will miss you dearly and remember you always.”

ADLER

Robert H. Alton

Nov. 1, 1946 – April 26, 2022

Robert H. Alton, a resident of Davis, lost his battle with bone cancer on April 26. He grew up in Lafayette and Oakland where he attended Skyline High School. In 1968 he graduated from UC Davis. He was a big fan of Cal sports and anything to do with UC Davis.

After graduation, Robert spent many years in Sweden exploring the country, learning the language and making new friends. He worked there as a medical clerk and researcher. Eventually he returned to the U.S. and spent the rest of his life in his favorite town, Davis.

He is survived by his brothers, Byron and Bruce, and by his niece Christina.

ROBINSON