The Davis Enterprise Sunday, June 12, 2022

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SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 2022

Commission seeks changes to Chiles Ranch agreement

UC Davis graduates, right, line up at UC Davis Health Stadium to pick up their diplomas Friday as the sun and the mercury kept climbing. Above, families of the graduates take a seat on the grass in the stadium.

By Anne Ternus-Bellamy Enterprise staff writer

She left her seat in search of water and shade, began to feel dizzy and decided she had to leave. “It was disappointing,” said Mojica, who is also a firstgeneration college graduate. “I really wanted to do this for my family.” Meanwhile, in the stands, friends and family sat in direct sunlight. Outside food and drinks, including water not in a sealed, unopened bottle, were prohibited, and the lines in the stadium for water quickly lengthened. Before long, many people were hugging the walls, which offered a thin strip of shade.

It’s been 13 years since the city approved plans for 96 single-family homes at the Chiles Ranch property on East Eighth Street. But the large lot remains vacant except for fencing, weeds, rubbish and the occasional coyote sighting. Several factors delayed construction after the project was approved in 2009, according to Lydia DelisSchlosser, project manager for the developer, Fouts Homes. First there was the Great Recession that was already underway when the project was approved by the city in 2009. Then, as economic conditions were improving, Fouts acquired the land at Grande Village and the El Macero Villas and, for a number of reasons, Delis-Schlosser told the Davis Planning Commission on Wednesday, they decided to move forward with those two projects first. Both were completed and in 2019, the focus returned to Chiles Ranch. “And then, at that time, COVID came,” Delis-Schlosser noted. “And because of the extensive uncertainty about how the worldwide pandemic would affect the overall economy and, specifically, the housing market, we made the business decision to not break ground on Chiles Ranch in 2020. “Who would have predicted that

See HEAT, Back page

See CHILES, Page A4

Caleb Hampton/ Enterprise photos

Heat scrubs commencement UCD forced to cut ceremony short

into the stadium by 7:30 a.m., start the ceremony at 8 a.m. and end it before 10 a.m.

By Caleb Hampton

But by the time graduates had taken their seats, it was after 9 a.m. and the temperature had climbed above 80 degrees. By 10:30 a.m., the ceremony still far from over, it surpassed 90 degrees. The graduates sat in unshaded rows on the synthetic turf football field.

Enterprise staff writer Tariq Azim, a political science major at UC Davis, arrived early to the 6 a.m. commencement check-in Friday at UC Davis Health Stadium. “I was really excited,” he said. Azim proudly donned a blue and gold stole indicating he was part of the first generation in his family to graduate from college. His parents and three siblings drove six hours from Southern California to attend the ceremony.

In past years, UC Davis held undergraduate commencements as seven separate indoor events. For the first time, the ceremonies were planned this year as three outdoor events, scheduled to take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The campus expected roughly 12,500 people at each event. On Friday, however, the ceremony did not go according to plan. With high temperatures forecast, UC Davis had announced a strict schedule. Organizers aimed to have graduates file

“The gowns and crowding made it ten times worse,” said Monica Mojica, a political science major who graduated Friday. “I had to get up because the heat was becoming unbearable.”

King High honors grads’ journeys

Yolo’s COVID case rate increases By Anne Ternus-Bellamy Enterprise staff writer

She also went on to talk

Two more Yolo County residents have died of COVID-19, the state reported Friday, and four were hospitalized in the county’s hospitals as virus transmission remains high locally. The county’s case rate, which had dipped to 30.4 cases per 100,000 residents on Tuesday, increased to 34.6 on Friday. Fourteen counties have even higher case rates than Yolo, including neighboring

See KING, Back page

See COVID, Page A4

By Aaron Geerts Enterprise staff writer Although the road may not have been the smoothest for these students, Marin Luther King High School’s graduating class of 2022 let their resiliency shine bright on stage Wednesday as they accepted their diplomas ... and showed the odds who’s boss. After the pledge of allegiance, principal Cristina Buss expressed the pride

VOL. 124, NO. 70

INDEX

Business ���������� A5 Forum ��������������B2 Op-Ed ��������������B3 Classifieds ������B5 Living ���������������� A3 Sports ��������������B1 Comics ������������B5 Obituaries �������� A4 The Wary I �������� A2

Rachel Kreager/Enterprise photo

King High School’s graduating seniors and teacher Helke Farin enjoy Wednesday’s graduation ceremony at Davis High’s Brunelle Theater. she has in the class of 2022. From all that they’ve been through to where they

WEATHER

are now, she hailed their resolve and dedication to their education.

HOW TO REACH US

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