The Davis Enterprise Friday, December 30, 2022

City Council to decide Tuesday how to fill vacancy

By Anne Ternus-Bellamy Enterprise staff writer

Will Arnold will be sworn in as mayor of the city of Davis on Tuesday, while Josh Chapman will take the oath of vice mayor.

The first City Council meeting of 2023 will also include a decision on how to fill the council seat being vacated Tuesday by outgoing Mayor Lucas Frerichs, who will be sworn in to the Yolo County Board of Supervisors earlier in the day.

The four council members left following Frerichs departure — Arnold, Chapman and Councilmembers Gloria Partida and Bapu Vaitla — will have to decide whether to appoint someone to fill Frerichs’s vacated seat or call for a special election.

That election would be for residents of District 3, which encompasses much of central Davis, including downtown.

Should the council favor a special election, city staff is recommending approval of a resolution calling for an all-mail ballot election on Tuesday, May 2.

During preliminary discussions earlier this year — following Frerichs’s election to the Board of Supervisors in June — council members

Students help seniors get digital

By Monica Stark Enterprise staff writer

About 18 local seniors got a personalized technology course taught by UC Davis students as part of a first-year seminar this last fall.

During her sabbatical, UCD professor of human development Lisa M. Soederberg Miller piloted a first-year course for students to work with low-income older adults on learning how to use a new laptop.

Miller tapped into an “amazing resource” that is the undergraduate population, where students are “motivated, engaged, sensitive, smart,” she said. She taught them how to work with seniors to understand and apply technology to achieve such goals as using YouTube, booking a flight, and organizing photos digitally.

While this course isn’t being offered for the winter course, Miller is working towards its return. By documenting her

write-up to “various facing audiences from academics to teaching,” Miller hopes the course will be easier to reproduce. “It doesn’t have to be hard each time. I learned a lot from doing this.”

“It is a lot of work to figure out where the academic side is (for the undergrads) and how to parse that out so that students are getting what they pay for, right? They’re paying money to learn about how to work with and design for older

No charges in fatal campus collision

By Lauren Keene Enterprise staff writer

The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office won’t pursue criminal charges in connection with the May death of a UC Davis student who collided with a garbage truck while bicycling on campus.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Raven said Wednesday his office reached the decision on Dec. 19 and met with the family of Trisha “Tris” Nicole Yasay to share that information.

Raven declined further comment. Officials at UC Davis, meanwhile, reiterated their condolences to Yasay’s family and say they’ve received the Davis

“multiple

uted

adults — and at the same time, they’re helping older adults. It’s a strange combination with a lot of moving parts, and I am responsible for ensuring that they’re learning academically.”

Meant to help combat ageism, the class naturally brings students in close contact with older adults resulting in intergenerational connections, which lack in today’s “agesegregated society,” Miller said. “So the idea (of the class) is to

California isn’t ready for Title 42 to come to an end

By Wendy Fry CalMatters

The Supreme Court’s latest move allows a short-term reprieve to an anticipated increase in asylum seekers trying to cross from Mexico into California and other states, but recent confusion at the border is a preview of what may soon come should a pandemicera measure known as Title 42 be lifted in 2023.

The situation, and its use as a political backdrop, has prompted local officials to ask what state resources will be available next year with California facing a potential budget

shortfall and the possibility that Title 42 will end.

Title 42 is a Trump-era immigration policy that has continued under President Joe Biden. It allows border agents to rapidly expel migrants at official ports of entry during public health emergencies. The policy has resulted in the expulsion of tens of thousands of people seeking asylum and has discouraged many others from crossing the border.

The policy states that if the U.S. surgeon general determines there is a communicable disease in

UC Davis students have been helping seniors get more computer-savvy at the Davis Senior Center.

Jael Mackendorf/ ca&e S and Public ScholarShiP and engageMent Photo

Police Department’s full report on the May 25 incident, which concludes that

factors” contrib-

to the deadly collision.

UCD plans to release the full report to the public at some point, although a specific date for that disclosure

caleb haMP ton/enterPriSe file Photo

A memorial on campus marks the location where UC Davis student Trisha Yasay was killed after colliding with a garbage truck in May.

It’s no secret that newspapers big and small are struggling these days. Have been for some time now.

But I did take heart while reading a recent opinion piece in The Washington Post written by Perry Bacon Jr. and titled, “America should spend billions to revive local news.”

Bacon got to his point quickly by saying “My vision for addressing the huge decline in local journalism involves hiring 87,000 new journalists for about 1,300 news organizations with more than $10 billion in funding.”

Anyone with an extra 10 billion stuffed under the mattress, please step to the head of the class.

In other words, Bacon seems to be saying, if we hire more journalists we’ll put out a better product and attract both readers and advertisers.

I suppose that may be true, but with millions of sources of information available 24 hours a day with a click on a keyboard, I don’t know if the problem is simply a lack of reporters.

I mean, Fox News — a living, breathing oxymoron if there ever was one — has way too many reporters as far as I’m concerned. Then again, Fox News is not a

newspaper and I think Bacon is talking strictly about newspapers.

Print journalism, we used to call it, as opposed to the electronic journalism the radio and TV folks practice. There has always been a bit of tension between the two, given that most of the “news” you see on local TV originated first with a story in the local newspaper.

Adds Bacon, “Such a massive investment in local news isn’t going to happen next week and probably not next year, either. But it is also not a pipe dream. There is a growing recognition that the collapse of local news and information is a crisis undermining the United States’ politics and communities.”

A bold statement, to be sure, but not far from the truth.

It’s interesting that the framers of the U.S. Constitution felt it necessary to enshrine freedom of

the press in the very first amendment.

Whether this had to do with life or liberty or the pursuit of happiness is unclear, but our courts, for the most part, have faithfully defended freedom of the press from the get go.

“Ten billion isn’t much money for the United States to spend on something the nation defines as a crisis,” Bacon goes on.

Pause here to add whatever unworthy “cause” we already spend $10 billion on — do hummingbirds actually hum? — that is nowhere near as valuable as employing 87,000 new journalists.

“There are five principles for local news that can and should be implemented as widely and quickly as possible: 1) News outlets in communities across the country; 2) More outlets with a well-defined, transparent point of view; 3) Coverage that is free for everyone; 4) A lot of in-depth reporting available in multiple formats; 5) News organizations that are nonprofit.”

Let’s deal with the first one and save the other four for another day.

“In every community. This is the

most important, fundamental principle,” Bacon contends. “A growing number of areas, particularly small towns, don’t have any news organizations.”

True enough. For instance, The Davis Enterprise does not have home delivery in Yreka.

“It’s hard to have real democracy in local decision-making when people have little information about what public officials are doing.”

This is so true, given that certain political groups have changed their focus from national and statewide elections to local school boards and city councils.

“Having well-staffed news organizations in every community isn’t just about making sure city council and school board meetings get covered. It’s a way to build stronger communities. News organizations should be a forum through which communities hash out their goals and priorities. They can, through their coverage and selection of writers and columnists, elevate voices who aren’t rich and powerful.”

Amen, brother.

Especially the part about columnists.

Reach Bob Dunning at bdunning@davisenterprise.net.

UCD unveils Emeriti Distinguished Winter Lecture

By Monica Stark Enterprise staff writer

New Emeriti Distinguished Lectures continue with a second quarterly engagement on Feb. 15, at the Putah Creek Lodge and online at 3 p.m.

Celebrating the accomplishments of the faculty who retired in 2021-22, the New Emeriti Distinguished Lectures was started by Distinguished Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Walter Leal.

He feels that these newly minted emeriti should not be forgotten after retirement but should be thanked for their dedication to making the

university a better place.

The first in the series featured Professor Harris Lewin on Dec. 7. The winter lecture will be presented by Professor Geerat Vermeij on Feb. 15. The series ends with the spring lecture by Professor Sharon Strauss on April 19.

The upcoming lecture by Vermeij, is based on a book of his that will appear late next year, titled “The Evolution of Power.”

According to the Princeton Review, the publisher of “The Evolution of Power,” the book “takes readers on a breathtaking journey across history and the natural world, revealing how the concept of power

unifies a vast range of phenomena in the evolution of life — and how natural selection has placed humanity and the planet itself on a trajectory of ever-increasing power.”

The author of several books, including A Natural History of Shells and The Evolutionary World: How Adaptation Explains Everything from Seashells to Civilization, Vermeij is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences.

Despite being blind, science and natural history have always attracted him. In a YouTube video, Vermeij said despite disadvantages,

like not having enough literature available in Braille or audio formats, he’s used his sense of touch to discover features of shells that “others who are sighted have overlooked, or just simply never bothered to record.”

At the fall lecture, Lewin was introduced nontraditionally with a slideshow of colleagues from around the world who praised his work. The last video in the slideshow featured his daughter Sara Lebwohl, granddaughters Halle and Elianna, and granddog Prince. He faced the camera and gave a thumbs-up before heading to the podium.

For the record

Quotes attributed to Schroedter Kinman in Wednesday’s Peet’s Coffee unionization story should all have been attributed to Alyx Land. Schroedter is an undergrad at UC Davis, not a graduate student. The workers filed to unionize but haven’t voted yet. The election will be held in person on Jan. 17 and 20.

Pets of the week

Special to The Enterprise

Lots of animals are waiting for “forever homes” at the Yolo County Animal Shelter, 2640 E. Gibson Road in Woodland.

Among them is Gemma (A139296), an active, playful but shy and affectionate 7-yearold female white-andgray cat. She has lived with another cat and will tolerate a calm dog, but is wary of them and may do best in a home without dogs. Gemma is a sweet girl who becomes a lovebug once she has time to get comfortable.

Also hoping for a good home is Mars (A199846), a shy, but very energetic and curious and 2-yearold black-and-white male cat. Mars can be a little shy but is an independent guy who likes to be in the same room as you, but world rather play than cuddle. Mars lived with a calm older dog and cat. Mars will show great affection when it comes to mealtime and enjoys playing with toys.

For information on adopting, contact adoptycas@gmail.com. All shelter animals are upto-date on vaccinations, microchipped, and spayed or neutered.

Staff is available to assist via phone during business hours at 530668-5287. Shelter hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. To meet any adoptable YCAS animals, visit friendsofycas.org. To volunteer, sign up at tinyurl. com/yolovolunteerapp. Follow the shelter at

@ycas.shelter and Instagram at @yoloanimalshelter.

At Rotts of Friends Animal Rescue, you’ll find Pistol, a lovely, purebred 1½-year-old spayed female Rottie. She is super-sweet, smart and loving. On warm days Pistol loves swimming and water play. She is house-trained, cratetrained and walks well on leash.

Remington is a purebred medium-sized Rottweiler who is about 10 month old. He is cratetrained and is a very moldable young dog. He has completed the obedience training classes so he knows his commands. Remington is a super friendly rambunctious puppy with a tail.

ROF is not doing its typical Saturday adoption this week. It has so many wonderful animals needing forever homes that Rotts of Friends is doing adoptions daily through Dec. 31 by appointment. Call Renee at 530-681-1326 to set up a time to come out and find a perfect dog for you.

Bring proof of homeownership, such as a mortgage statement or property tax bill. If you rent, bring proof that you are allowed to have a dog in your home, such as a pet clause in your lease or a note from your landlord.

All dogs adopted from Rotts of Friends are healthy, microchipped, up-to-date on their vaccines and come with free lifetime obedience-training classes. For information, visit facebook.com/ rottsoffriends.

COUNCIL: Can’t act before Tuesday

appeared to favor an election rather than an appointment process, something that has also been urged by many residents of District 3.

An appointment process would be less expensive than an election, with costs primarily associated with staff time, and ensure a five-member council going forward, rather than a four-member council for four or more months where some council votes could result in a tie.

A special election in May, according to the Yolo County Elections Office, would cost the city approximately $263,000, but ensure District 3 voters are able to choose their own representative.

Should the council split 2-2 on an appointment, the matter would default to an election process.

Whoever succeeds Frerichs — whether through appointment or election — would serve out the remainder of his term, which runs through the end of 2024. The District 3 seat will be back on the ballot during the November 2024 election.

Should the council go with an appointment process, eligible candidates must meet the following qualifications:

n 18 years or older n United States citizen n Resident of District 3 n Registered voter in the district n Not disqualified from holding a civil office by the Constitution or state laws.

Back in 2011, the City Council chose to fill a vacancy by appointment.

That appointment occurred when Don Saylor also vacated his seat following election to the Board of Supervisors. The council members at the time — Rochelle Swanson, Stephen Souza, Joe Krovoza and Sue Greenwald — ultimately appointed Dan Wolk (one of 10 applicants) to the council.

Wolk would go on to win election to

the seat in 2012 and served as mayor for two years.

The appointment process includes a formal application period with a candidate statement of up to 1,500 words; a public outreach period, including online surveys and public input forums; and a special City Council meeting where council members question candidates, narrow the field through five rounds of votes, and approve a final motion to appoint.

A potential timeline for an appointment process this time around includes a deadline of Jan. 27 for applications; public outreach through the first week or two of February; and appointment made in February, according to city staff.

If the council chooses Tuesday to go with a special election, that election must occur at the next regularly established election date at least 114 days after calling the election. Those potential dates include May 2; Aug. 29; and Nov. 7.

The potential timeline for candidates for a May 2 election includes a filing deadline of Feb. 3 with ballots being mailed out at the beginning of April. At least two District 3 residents have filed initial papers with the city clerk indicating they would run in a special election -- Donna Neville, chair of the city’s Finance and Budget Commission, and Francesca Wright, recipient of the city’s Thong Hy Huynh Memorial Award for civil rights advocacy in 2021.

Meanwhile, another option council members can consider on Tuesday is an interim appointment until an election is held, ensuring a five-member council.

However, members of the public speaking on the matter back in July voiced concern that an interim appointee would have the advantage of incumbency should he or she choose to run for the office in the election.

Council members were somewhat split when discussing an interim

appointment back in July.

Arnold noted that a four-member council for as long as five months could result in 2-2 splits on important matters.

“I anticipate we will have some significant decisions to make in that amount of time,” Arnold said in July.

“I can’t imagine we’re going to go five months without some weighty decisions to make and I also anticipate that anyone who opposes a decision in that time will imply at the very least, if not outright say, that that decision is somehow invalid… which basically means we’ll have one hand tied behind our back.

“We can’t as a deliberative body take a break for five months from important decisions,” he noted.

Chapman said in July he was open to all options, but said his least favorite would be appointing an interim council member to serve until a May special election.

He noted the potential of three different individuals representing District 3 over an 18-month period if an interim appointment is made — that appointee for five months; whoever wins a May special election; and whoever wins when the District 3 seat is back on the ballot in November 2024.

State law prohibits the council from calling for a special election until a vacancy is created — in this case on Tuesday when Frerichs is sworn in as a county supervisor — so while the city has known since Frerichs’s election in June that a vacancy was coming, the council has had to wait to act. That wait will end on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s City Council meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the community chambers, 23 Russell Blvd.

The meeting takes place in person but can be viewed remotely on city of Davis government channel 16 (available for those who subscribe to cable television) and via livestream at http://cityofdavis.org/city-hall/ city-council/city-council-meetings/ meeting-videos.

Highway Patrol plans DUI checkpoint near Woodland

By Lauren Keene Enterprise staff writer

The California Highway Patrol's Woodland-area office plans to conduct a sobriety checkpoint Friday night west of Woodland.

Setup for the CHP's operation begins at 5:30

Obituary

Douglas Vernon Duncan was born on June 23, 1926, in Stockton, to parents Robert and Lorene Carver Duncan. He passed away peacefully on Dec. 17, 2022, at the age of 96.

Doug attended Berkeley High School and went onto college at UC Berkeley. He married the love of his life, Mary Kimber, in 1949 and had three children, Robert (Bob), Elizabeth (Betsy), and Edward (Ed).

An All-American football nose tackle at Cal, he played with "Pappy's Boys" under renowned coach Pappy Waldorf, and helped take the team to the Rose Bowl in 1949. His love of the game never died, and he continued to be a lifelong Bears and football fan. For years he never missed a Cal game, whether he was bringing kids, grandkids or friends to Cal Stadium, or watching on TV. Go Bears!

He proudly served in World War II and was stationed in the South Pacific.

p.m. today on westbound Highway 16 east of County Road 97, and the checkpoint runs from 6 to 10 p.m.

During that time, CHP officers equipped with state-of-the-art, handheld breath-testing devices will assess motorists suspected

of driving under the influence of alcohol. CHP drugrecognition experts will assess drivers suspected of being impaired by drugs — including prescription medications and medicinal or recreational marijuana.

In the event of inclement

weather, the checkpoint will be canceled for safety reasons, with officers assigned to roving DUI patrols.

Funding is provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Following the war, he graduated from Cal with a degree in Criminal Justice and began a career with the U.S. Secret Service. His first assignments involved providing security for the president, other dignitaries, and investigating counterfeiting and forgery. As a dedicated Agent and Agent in Charge, he would serve during eight presidential administrations.

One of his more notable assignments was protecting President Ford during an assassination attempt. The candid photo of Doug and his colleagues with the President landed on the cover of Life magazine and was featured in the Smithsonian Museum for many years. He would often talk about one of his favorite assignments, which was guarding ex-President Dwight Eisenhower after the finish of the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Ga.

It seems that Ike had a

“tee time” every spring just after the finish of the Masters.

Doug loved to reminisce about the times he walked the Masters course with Ike and he would never miss watching the Masters on television. He retired in 1980 after 30 years of loyal service. After retirement he remained active, belonging to numerous law enforcement retirement organizations.

In retirement, he and Mary enjoyed years of camping, exploring and fishing, particularly in Montana, Wyoming and Oregon. He went on to share this love of the outdoors with his children and grandchildren, and loved family camping trips to the Tetons; and family ski trips to the Sierras. A special place for Doug was Ketchikan, Alaska. He drove there from Davis with his trailer, fishing gear and canner for 20 years, until

he was 90, in search of the best salmon. He loved bringing friends and family to his little slice of Alaska.

Doug was also an active volunteer and friend at the Davis Lutheran Church. He spent retirement keeping his mind sharp and staying up to date on the latest news so that he could converse with all generations.

Throughout his decades in retirement, he loved regaling his children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren with stories from his extraordinary life.

Doug is survived by his wife of 73 years, Mary; son Bob Duncan, daughter-inlaw Wendy and grandchildren Laura, Sara and Tyler; daughter Betsy GrovhougSmith, son-in-law Kent, and grandchildren Shannon, Carly and Whitney; and son Ed Duncan, daughter-in-law MaryAnn, and grandchildren Daniel and Rosanna. He was immensely proud of his legacy of 16 great-grandchildren.

The family will host a celebration of life at El Macero Country Club at 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24.

Douglas Vernon Duncan June 23, 1926 — Dec. 17, 2022

DUNCAN

Gemma

Pistol

Toy distribution aids 612 Yolo County families

By Anne Ternus-Bellamy Enterprise staff writer

The annual toy distribution by the Yolo County Children’s Alliance brought extra holiday joy to 612 families earlier this month, not to mention winter resources and even flu shots.

The giveaway held on Dec. 17 featured toys, music, food, and more for local families.

“Our organization works tirelessly throughout the year to ensure families receive the services they need to strengthen, empower, and build stronger family and community connections” said Jeneba Lahai, executive director of the children’s alliance.

“This event is a celebration of our families, staff, volunteers, sponsors, donors and supporters who dedicated their time, energy, and resources to bring holiday cheer to the children and families.

“Without YCCA heroes like Sutter Health, this event would not be possible at such a large scale due to the growing need in our community,” she added.

The holiday toy distribution also provided an opportunity for no-cost COVID-19 and flu vaccines.

“Many families served at this event don’t have the option to visit a provider for their flu vaccine, thus leaving them more vulnerable to catching and

‘Timeout Radio’ reviews World Cup

Special to The Enterprise

The FIFA World Cup is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world. The 2022 Men’s World Cup was held in Qatar and 32 countries competed, with Argentina emerging as the winner.

On the latest episode of “Timeout Radio,” host Rohan Baxi traces the history of the World Cup from its kick-off in 1930 to its 22nd tournament in 2022 with Smart Balls, a folding stadium, a thrilling finale, and allegations of bribery and corruption. Sports journalist and Da Vinci High School teacher Evan Ream shares his perspectives as he returns from a World Cup that was surrounded by controversy from the getgo.

In this episode’s travel segment, listeners will learn about Qatar, the host of the 2022 World Cup, where its citizens make up only 10% of the population, robot jockeys race camels, and the desert meets the sea.

“Timeout Radio” is a radio show and podcast based in Davis for youths. It airs on KDRT 95.7 FM from 5:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and 8 to 8:30 a.m. Saturdays. All episodes are archived at https://kdrt.org/program/ timeout-radio. You can follow Timeout Radio on Instagram @timeout.radio and Facebook @TimeoutRadio.

spreading the virus,” the alliance noted in a press release.

“Sutter Health, Sutter Davis Hospital and Sutter Medical Foundation worked with YCCA to bring no-cost flu vaccines to the community, which were staffed by physician residents within the Sutter network.”

Sutter was happy to be a part of it all.

“We’re grateful to work alongside Yolo County Children’s Alliance all year round, but especially during the holiday season as they work in many ways to lift the spirits of those they serve,” said Tammy Powers, chief administrative officer of Sutter Davis Hospital.

“The gift of good health is very precious. As we continue through the holiday season, we are proud to support efforts that encourage the public to access available vaccines, such as the flu shot and COVID-19 bivalent vaccine/booster that can help keep them and their loved ones healthy.”

Sutter wasn’t the only partner for the annual toy distribution event. Other partners and volunteers included Yolo County; the city of West Sacramento and the West Sacramento Police Department; West Sacramento Mayor Pro Tem Quirina Orozco and West Sac Kids Give Back; Washington Unified School District; West Sacramento Chamber of Commerce; Travis Credit Union; Yolo

Federal Credit Union; Habitat for Humanity; Waste Management; Kaiser Permanente; First 5 Yolo; PG&E; Walmart Foundation; Union Pacific; Hawkins Home Loan Inc.; Bogle Vineyards; Nugget Markets; and Five Star

Bank, along with individual donors, community groups and local businesses.

Learn more about the children’s alliance at https://www.yolokids. org.

COLLISION: Civil lawsuit continues

has not been determined, spokeswoman Amy Quinton said.

“We will be examining the report so that we can address these factors,” UCD officials said in a written statement released Wednesday evening. “Chancellor (Gary) May has asked for a work group to review our policies, procedures and programs that pertain to vehicle and bicycle education and safety, and to make recommendations for any changes needed to minimize the possibility of future accidents.”

The statement also notes that UCD has mandatory driver-safety training programs for employees who use the university’s vehicles on campus and off, as well as bike safety and education programs for the wider campus community.

“We will continue to invest in these important programs and are committed to constant evaluation and improvement of our practices,” officials said.

Yasay was riding an electric bicycle to class when she collided with the garbage truck on Hutchison Drive near the Dairy Road intersection at about 8 a.m. The 19-year-old plant science major succumbed to multiple traumatic injuries after being transported to the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, according to a Sacramento County

coroner’s report.

UCD police officers initially responded to the collision scene but soon turned over its investigation to the Davis Police Department’s Major Accident Investigation Team, which had advanced technology available for what was expected to be a complex probe.

While that investigation was underway, Yasay’s parents, Reuben and Therese Yasay, filed a wrongfuldeath lawsuit in Yolo Superior Court, naming as defendants the Regents of the University of California and Francisco Gonzalez.

The complaint doesn’t specifically identify Gonzalez as the garbage-truck driver involved in the collision. UCD officials said the driver was placed on leave following the incident and remained so as of Thurs-

day, but is still employed by the university.

Attorneys in the civil case made their initial appearances Nov. 14 before Judge Dan Wolk, who ordered the case back to court on May 1, 2023, for a status conference.

The lawsuit seeks damages for medical, funeral and burial expenses, legal fees and further compensation for the loss of their child and for the pain and suffering Yasay suffered prior to her death.

Sacramento attorney Jason Sigel, who represents Yasay’s parents, said the DA’s decision regarding criminal liability clears the way for his firm to depose the driver and continue the forensic analysis of the collision.

“We’re looking forward to moving ahead with the civil case and finding out

for the family the circumstances of how this happened,” Sigel said Thursday.

A tribute to Yasay posted on the UCD Department of Plant Science’s website shortly after her death said she will be “remembered for her vision, energy and enthusiasm for taking what she was learning at UC Davis and using it to better the world.”

“My heart hurts to have learned about Tris’s passing. She was truly a sweet and kindhearted soul,” Nancy Thurlow, one of Yasay’s undergraduate advisors, wrote in the tribute. “As a student, Tris showed immense passion for plant sciences, sustainability and design. …I am sad we won’t experience the impact she would have had. Rest easy, Tris. We will miss you.”

DIGITAL: Participants are eager to keep going

From Page A1

“So the idea (of the class) is to break down all sorts of barriers and biases and address negative biases through people working together.”

Using a “user-centered design” approach, Miller conducted the first three classes solely with her students, teaching them about older adults as “end users” whose reading abilities, vision, and hearing have changed, what that entails, and the effects on their abilities to operate laptops. She also taught her students about the extent of some older adults’ understanding of technology, including topics such as broadband or wi-fi. Lastly, they learned about the Digital Divide.

“I gave them what they needed to know for this particular task (i.e., training older adults), which is a lot about aging. It’s a lot about inequality, inequity,” It’s also about design thinking and getting to know the older adult they were assigned to work in the subsequent eight weeks, Miller said. She added her students went into the senior center, understanding they would be training an older adult based on his or her technology needs and goals.

She said the course's “critical” element is getting to know the older adults so they learn to trust their trainer and fully engage in the learning process.

The students began teaching the technology skills and got to know them through structured exercises. “It was very organic in that sense,” Miller said.

The seniors get to keep the laptops

and have a two-year internet connection. The students also provided the seniors with a personalized booklet of how-tos.

After eight weeks, most groups talked about wanting to keep in touch.

“You can’t grow that in a petri dish, right? That is just something that happens with time,” she said.

Nearly all of the older adults who took the class asked whether it was to continue, an observation which impressed Miller. “They wanted to continue or knew someone who wanted to take it. Super cool, right? I am thrilled.”

Even some students told their friends how much they enjoyed the class. “The students loved it, not all of them, but the majority really loved it. It’s great to hear that there is a desire for community engagement.”

The Community Engaged

Learning Faculty Fellows program — a program offered by UC Davis Public Scholarship and Engagement to promote community-engaged teaching and research — made the class possible. The Senior Center donated the space, and the Yolo Healthy Aging Alliance worked with Miller to obtain Yolo County Recovery Act funds, which included the free laptops and two-year internet connections. “The laptops for the training were free, the students’ labor was free, and my labor was free to them. It was an amazing opportunity for all of us and a really good deal for older adults.”

Miller added her capacity as a person is limited. "I need the support system to keep going or build it up. I believe we should do much more to give to low-income older adults, and I’m not alone. A lot of people feel like we could do more.”

TITLE 42: Court keeps rule in place

From Page A1

another country, health officials have the authority, with the approval of the president, to prohibit “the introduction of persons and property from such countries or places” for as long as health officials determine that action is necessary.

The measure had been set to lift last week by order of a federal court, which would have allowed many asylum-seekers waiting in limbo at the border to go ahead and cross into the United States. Some experts say that because smugglers in Mexico use any shift in U.S. immigration policy to exploit migrants, mere conversation about the possibility of lifting Title 42 triggered even more people to try to cross into the U.S. in recent weeks.

The Supreme Court’s brief order Tuesday stayed — meaning delayed — the trial judge’s ruling that would have lifted Title 42 until the high court hears arguments in the case in February. The political and legal ping-pong in the case is hard enough for U.S. audiences to follow, making it nearly impossible to explain south of the border.

The Supreme Court’s order is a response to a request filed by 19 Republican-led states that they be heard in the case. It does not overrule the lower court’s decision that Title 42 is illegal; it merely leaves the measure in place while the legal challenges play out in court.

ACLU lawsuit

The federal court order that was supposed to lift Title 42 came as a result of a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of asylum-seeking families. Asylum is a protection codified in international law for foreign nationals who meet the legal definition of “refugee.”

The United Nations 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol define refugees as people unable or unwilling to return to their home country, and who cannot obtain protection in that country, due to past persecution or a well-founded fear of being persecuted in the

future “on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.” Congress incorporated this definition into U.S. immigration law in the Refugee Act of 1980.

For those stuck in Mexico because of Title 42, waiting can be perilous. Human Rights First has documented more than 13,000 attacks on asylum seekers waiting in Mexico during the Biden administration.

Delayed reaction

Because it takes time for news of shifts in U.S. immigration policy to reach areas in rural Mexico and Central America, the numbers of migrants arriving in Tijuana and San Diego this week in anticipation of the end of Title 42 could be elevated right now — and it may take some time before those numbers drop off as news travels, experts said.

Migration numbers typically increase through the first half of the year before dropping off in the summer.

San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson, a former Republican state senator, was among a group of political leaders who recently complained that the state and federal governments have not provided the funds local leaders have requested to handle the expected influx of asylum seekers and other migrants.

“We’re not even talking about whether these are good policies or not,” he said. “But whatever the policy is, we become the targets of it.”

He joined several local Republican and Democratic leaders in San Diego in urging in letters and news conferences that the state and the feds should provide more support ahead of the expected end of Title 42.

Local officials pointed to needing more funding for schools, hospitals, and police services, among other resources, if Title 42 eventually lifts. The near constant legal back-andforth has also provided a convenient conversation starter for politicians wanting to debate

larger immigration pol-

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Trisha “Tris” Yasay died in May when she was struck by a garbage truck on the UC Davis campus.

Jael MaCkendorf/Ca&es and publiC sCholarship and engageMent photo

The Community Engaged Learning Faculty Fellows program made the class possible and he Senior Center donated the space.

arts

Natsoulas presents

Special to The Enterprise

Join the John Natsoulas Gallery in Davis to see selected sculptures and prints from the 50-year career of the legendary artist Mark Bulwinkle, the Oaklandbased innovator of graphically cut steel.

The exhibition will be open from Jan. 11 to Feb. 26. A public reception with music and refreshments will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13.

Known for his manic steel silhouettes of dog-faced flowers and perverse, joyful figures with electrified grins, Mark Bulwinkle’s nutty artwork can be spotted across the Pacific coast, displayed proudly in windows, overgrown gardens, and small businesses. Bulwinkle’s graphically cut steel propelled him into fame, influencing the creation of Burning Man in the 1980s and even leading him to reject an interview with Oprah in 1991.

However, lesser-known but equally impressive is his extensive

work in diverse media: ceramics, silkscreen, papier-mâché, and even digital illustration. His mastery acquired from 100-hour work weeks as a ship welder for Bethlehem Steel was important to the development of his cutsteel works, but equally key was his early training as a skilled printmaker and graphic artist.

Bulwinkle received an MFA in Printmaking from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1974, making hundreds of fabulously intricate industrial enamel silkscreens and woodcuts. In these early years, he also learned ceramic slipcasting techniques from the renowned trompe l’oeil artist Richard Shaw.

This retrospective exhibition showcases Bulwinkle’s mastery of color and form in two and three dimensions throughout the last five decades, tracing the development of his art through diverse materials and revealing the stories embedded in his work. On display are a selection of his woodcuts and screen prints,

built around a modest townhouse that became a landmark in Oakland from 1975 to 1991. Recent cut-steel works painted with colorful enamel will also be featured, which are often imitated but unmistakably Bulwinkle’s. The John Natsoulas Gallery is delighted to exhibit half a century of works from this rather singular artist. In addition, it will present “Freedumb,” a brand-new 18-foot steel piece by Bulwinkle, installed on the gallery façade.

DMTC set to open ‘Cabaret’ on Jan.

Special to The Enterprise

Davis Musical Theatre Company presents “Cabaret” (Underwritten by Suzy Goldschmidt, in honor of David Goldschmidt) from Jan. 6 through 29 at the Jean Henderson Performing Arts Center, 607 Pena Drive, No.

10, in Davis.

“Cabaret” is a 1966 musical (the performance will be the original 1966 version) with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and book by Joe Masteroff. “Cabaret” explores the dark, heady, and tumultuous life of Berlin's natives and

Jan

“Cabaret” plays on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., Jan. 6 through 29. Tickets are $18 general, $16 students and seniors

(55 and over). There is a $2 facility fee per ticket on a purchase, cash, charge, phone, internet, or in person. Purchase tickets at http://dmtc. org or https://app.arts-people.

com/index.php?show=134046

For information, visit dmtc.

including several gorgeous prints from his time at the San Francisco Art Institute.

Bulwinkle’s flamboyant ceramic works from graduate

school will also be featured, as well as papier-mâché works that once decorated the walls of his iconic Manilla St. House, a towering steel assemblage sculpture

expatriates as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich. Musical numbers include "Willkommen," "Cabaret," "Don't Tell Mama" and "Two Ladies."

Isaacson will direct and choreograph, with Steve Isaacson providing musical direction.

The cast features Kelvin Bates as the Emcee, Morgan Bartoe as Sally Knowles, and Christopher Travlos as Cliff Bradshaw.

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Morgan Bartoe stars as Sally Bowles, in DMTC’s production of the original 1966 version of Kander & Ebb’s “Cabaret,” Jan. 6 to 29.

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The Girls of the Kit Kat Klub — back row from left, Natalie McCosker and Kat Fio; bottom row from left Emily Landerman, (on floor), Arianna Manabat and Rachele Wurr — hit the stage in DMTC’s “Cabaret.”

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“The Future is Not Ours to See,” by Mark Bulwinkle, 1973, industrial synthetic enamel silkcreen, 20 by 30 inches.

‘Glass Onion’: Layers of delight

Daniel Craig’s eccentric sleuth makes a welcome return

By Derrick Bang Enterprise film critic

Rian Johnson reminded me how much I miss wellcrafted murder mysteries.

The writer/director garnered well-deserved admiration for 2019’s “Knives Out,” which — among its many other delights — gave star Daniel Craig an opportunity to craft a memorable character far removed from a certain shaken-notstirred secret agent.

“Glass Onion” is just as clever — and engaging — as its predecessor. Although driven by a tantalizing whodunit and whydunit, those features almost take second place to the fact that this film is pure fun. At a time when numerous recent releases have run far too long in the hands of self-indulgent directors, this one earns its 139 minutes. Goodness, I wanted it to keep going.

The story begins as identical, elaborately carved wooden boxes are delivered to scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.), Connecticut Gov. Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), fashion designer Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) and macho streaming celebrity Duke Cody (Dave Bautista). Editor Bob Ducsay’s sleek split-screen montage reflects the fact that these are (of course!) large puzzle boxes, which the quartet ultimately solves via phone

and drug content

collaboration.

Inside: an invitation to a murder mystery weekend hosted by longtime friend and tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton), at his private island in Greece. His estate’s stand-out feature: a massive, glassenclosed conservatory shaped like an onion.

Elsewhere, the recipient of a fifth box extracts her invitation via hilarious oldschool methodology. (Whatever works, right?) She turns out to be Cassandra “Andi” Brand (Janelle Monáe), co-founder and former CEO of Bron’s tech company Alpha, unfairly ousted — not long ago — via some acrimonious legal maneuvering.

Everybody — most particularly Bron — is astonished when Blanc turns up, identical invitation in hand. The detective, unswervingly polite to the core, is embarrassed by having unwittingly crashed the party; Bron sets him at ease. After all, the cunningly conceived weekend will be far more successful if he’s able to outfox the world-famous Benoit Blanc.

Norton is sublime as a condescending show-off in the mold of Elon Musk; the actor’s arrogant sneer reeks of smarm. We loathe him on sight, and fervently hope — in true Christie fashion — that he’s not long for this world.

Blanc quickly learns that Andi isn’t the only guest with an ax to grind; everybody has ample reason to hate Bron’s guts. Then why, Blanc wonders aloud to Bron, would he fill his palatial home with so many people eager to really kill him?

Birdie has long viewed herself as the world’s trendiest mover and shaker: an image constantly damaged by her frequent bouts of foot-in-mouth disease. Hudson makes her cheerfully clueless, clinging to a remnant of sexuality quickly obliterated when she gets an eyeful of Duke’s bodacious girlfriend, Whiskey (Madelyn Cline), present as a “plus one.”

Although Bautista is (as always) a hulking presence, Duke’s machismo evaporates in his host’s presence; he becomes nervous and twitchy. Matters aren’t helped by the fact that Whisky seems perfectly willing to share her, um, free-spirited carnality.

Claire is an emotional train wreck, given to explosive bursts of surprise, dismay and outright fury: pretty much the template for most of Hahn’s performances. She’s this film’s sole disappointment, as her range — all the way from A to B — is a very weak link in an otherwise excellent acting ensemble.

Odom’s Lionel is cool and calm, with a scientist’s careful precision in word and action. He’s nonetheless dismayed by what Bron has done with Alpha, and has ample reason to worry about the company’s future.

Andi, finally, has the chill, ice-cold stare of a

person badly wronged: not only betrayed by Bron, but subsequently let down by all these others, once regarded as close friends.

Monáe exudes regal pride and bearing, with a touch of calculation. Whereas Claire, Lionel, Birdie or Duke could behave rashly, in the heat of a strained moment, any nefarious act by Andi would result from long-gestating scheming.

Jackie Hoffman, Hugh Grant and Ethan Hawke pop up in fleeting cameos, as do real-world celebs such as Serena Williams, Yo-Yo Ma, Kareem AbdulJabbar, Stephen Sondheim and — in her final film appearance — Angela Lansbury.

Craig swans through these heady proceedings with an impish blend of intuition, savoir faire and razor-sharp perception.

Blanc’s manner, often lamentable wardrobe choices and (to borrow a character’s line from “Knives

Out”) “Kentucky-fried Foghorn Leghorn drawl” immediately set him apart from everybody else, almost to the point of ridicule.

That’s deliberate, of course, as it encourages others to under-estimate him; he’s Christie’s Hercule Poirot by way of Peter Falk’s Columbo.

It’s possible — if unlikely — that attentive and mystery-honed viewers will anticipate one or more of Johnson’s sly plot twists, but that’s not the way to approach this cheeky romp. Just sit back and have a great time, knowing that you’re in the hands of a consummate storyteller and filmmaker.

Johnson and Craig apparently have a third Benoit Blanc entry planned for 2024. I can’t wait.

— Read more of Derrick Bang’s film criticism at http://derrickbang. blogspot.com. Comment on this review at www. davisenterprise.com.

Logos hosts pair of watercolorists

Special to The Enterprise

Logos Books in downtown Davis will present an exhibition of watercolors by Betty Berteaux and Dana Merry Richards. “California Scenes” will run Jan. 7 to Feb. 3 at the bookstore, 513 Second St., with a reception for the 2nd Friday ArtAbout from 6 to 8 p.m. on Jan. 13.

Artery presents mother-daughter exhibit

Special to The Enterprise

The Artery is pleased to present the second installment of a special motherand-daughter art exhibit: “Continuing on the Path.”

Painter and sculptor Cathie James-Robinson and painter Amanda Cadelago each bring their unique style to this show.

James-Robinson offers

her interpretation of nature in all forms, from 2D to 3D. She exhibits detailed paintings with companion clay sculptures, focusing on local habitats and wildlife.

Cadelago’s vibrant paintings span the outdoors from trails to waterways.

Primarily set in the Sacramento region, each piece invites the viewer to go on an adventure or just sit and

take in the splendor.

The Artery, 207 G St. in downtown Davis, is open seven days a week; Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Meet the artists at a reception for “Continuing on the Path" from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13 to coincides with the Davis Second Friday ArtAbout.

Berteaux earned a BA in Art at Pomona College in 1955. She received a Covell Award as Citizen of the Year from the City of Davis in 2006 for service to the community in the arts and the environment. She currently organizes weekly paint outs in Yolo County. Berteaux has worked on the committee that organizes the art show and benefit auction at the Yolo County Fair since 1992.

“I am interested in the abstract qualities of the landscape,” Berteaux said, “from panoramic views down to individual plants. I seek to create a representation of the essence, rather than the reality, of any given scene. The ‘facts’ do not matter to me as much as the ‘feeling’. Therefore, everything that I see is interesting and worthy of painting.”

Reach her at email birdtrax@dcn.org.

“I have sketched and painted watercolors for many years in the countryside near Stevenson Bridge in Solano County,” Richards said. “I paint a wide variety of subjects including ramshackle barns, old farm machinery, animals, portraits, landscapes, still life setups, and whatever captures my imagination.

“I have enjoyed painting en plein air with Betty Berteaux and a group of other enthusiasts. We have been exploring the backroads and small towns of Solano and Yolo counties. My work has been shown locally at the Davis Art Center, the Pence Gallery, and in various restaurants

and other locations around the Sacramento Valley. More of my work can be seen on Instagram at @danemerry.”

Reach Richards by email at danemrichards@ gmail.com

You can meet the artists at the Jan. 13 reception. Light refreshments will be available.

Public receptions for local artists will also be held at various venues on that same evening in conjunction with the Davis Downtown 2nd Friday ArtAbout. Find more details and a map of venues at

davisartabout or https:// theartery.net/2nd-fridayartabout.

DMTC auditions for ‘Pirates of Penzance’

Special to The Enterprise

Set sail with this classic comedy that boasts one of the most famous patter songs in musical theatre history. The wit and whimsy of Gilbert and Sullivan's classic score is suffused with a modern sensibility in “The Pirates of Penzance,” a swashbuckling musical journey.

Frederic, mistakenly apprenticed to a pirate instead of a pilot, is now 21 and choses to abandon his profession and “lead a

blameless life henceforth,” dedicating himself instead to the eradication of pirates. Then Mabel enters his life, a daughter of the Major-General and with soft-tempered pirates, lily-livered police and fair maidens, this 1879 Gilbert and Sullivan comic light opera bears up well for 2023.

Auditions for the Davis Musical Theatre Company’s production of “Pirates of Penzance” begin at 7:30 p.m. Sunday Jan. 8, and the 7:30 p.m. Monday,

Jan. 9, at the Jean Henderson Performing Arts Center, 607 Pena Drive, No. 10, in Davis. Callbacks will be on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 7:30 p.m. at the same location. The show will be directed and choreographed by Jan Isaacson. Bring a prepared

Tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton, center) and several of his guests — from left, Claire (Kathryn Hahn), Whiskey (Madelyn Cline), Lionel (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Birdie (Kate Hudson) — are quite surprised by the identity of their gathering’s newest arrival.

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song (not from “Pirates of Penzance”), and sheet music, with piano accompaniment (piano accompanist is provided). There will be cold readings. The show opens Friday, March 3.

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“Ladies’ Night” by Cathie James-Robinson.

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Logos Books will feature two watercolor artists in January, including the work of Dana Merry Richards.

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“Walk in the Park” by Amanda Cadelago.

Starring: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Janelle Monáe, Leslie Odom Jr., Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline Available via: Netflix

State falls short on right to water

By Jenny Rempel and Kristin Dobbin Special to CalMatters

Ten years ago, Californians impacted by unsafe and unaffordable water secured legal recognition of the human right to water. Since then, activists have leveraged California’s vital water law to promote safe, affordable and accessible water for all. But we are still far from achieving its intended purpose.

More than 1 million Californians still face water insecurity caused by ongoing contamination, high water rates and groundwater well failures, among other challenges. When the state Legislature reconvenes next week, it is time to make good on the decade-old promise under Assembly Bill 685.

As with many symbolic declarations, some viewed California’s human right to water law as inconsequential because its strongest demand is that state agencies “consider” that every human being is guaranteed safe, affordable and accessible water. But a closer look reveals that the law has helped shift the water policy landscape in California along three lines: safety, affordability and accessibility. In the face of persistent inequities, water justice advocates are continuing to demand better.

With regard to safety, drinking water investments in underserved communities have substantially increased since 2012. Through one-time investments like water bonds and ongoing commitments like the Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience program, California has made a down payment on drinking water infrastructure and planning. But these investments are far from the estimated $10.3 billion needed to fully address the drinking water needs in low-income communities over the next five years.

State tracking tools created to monitor progress toward the human right water law confirm how far we have to go. At least 346 community water systems are failing to meet drinking water standards, and this health risk is unevenly distributed. Lowincome communities and communities of color are more likely to be at risk or in violation of the human right to water due to structural challenges created by political decisions and historical disinvestment.

State agencies have helped with bottled and hauled water deliveries to communities in need, but long-term, sustainable solutions like water treatment will take longer to realize. California must expedite lasting solutions with the care and urgency that toxic tap water demands.

While water safety has received significant state attention in the past decade, affordability challenges are growing. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Newsom administration and the Legislature halted water shutoffs and provided relief for unpaid water bill debt, but those crucial programs have ended. To address skyrocketing water rates, advocates proposed and the Legislature passed what would have been the country’s first statewide low-income water rate assistance program, but Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed the bill.

All Californians are not yet guaranteed basic notification and payment plan protections before having their residential water shut off, which advocates hope to address through Senate Bill 3.

Additional gaps are growing with respect to water accessibility. New tools and incentives have helped 200 neighboring communities implement regional drinking water solutions in the form of water system partnerships, but more work is needed.

From investments in low-income communities to water shutoff protections and local drought response planning, there’s no doubt water advocates and state leaders have accomplished a lot over the past 10 years. But until California fully delivers on its promise of the human right to water, it must remain a top priority.

— Jenny Rempel is a doctoral student in the UC Berkeley Energy & Resources Group and is a board member at Community Water Center. Dr. Kristin Dobbin is an assistant professor of cooperative extension in the UC Berkeley Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management.

State usurping key power

All over California last fall, hundreds of the civic minded spent thousands of hours and millions of dollars running for posts on city councils and county boards.

Some of them may now be wondering why they bothered. For over the last three years, state government has gradually usurped almost full jurisdiction over one of the key powers always previously held by locally elected officials: The ability to decide what their city or county will look like and feel like over the next few decades.

That’s done via land-use decisions which control how many housing units and commercial sites can be built up in a given time.

Via a series of laws mandating new levels of density everywhere in the state, whether or not they are needed and justified, this key local power now belongs to largely anonymous state officials who know little or nothing about most places whose future they are deciding.

It’s being done through the elimination of single-family, or R-1, zoning. It’s being done via the new requirement that the state Department of Housing and Community Development approve housing elements for every locality. If HCD does not approve such a plan for a city, developers can tar-

get it with virtually no limits, if they choose.

It’s all based on a supposed need for at least 1.8 million new housing units touted by HCD. This, despite the fact that the state auditor last spring found that HCD did not properly vet the documents and other instruments on which that estimate was based.

What’s more, only three years earlier, HCD was claiming more than 3.5 million new units were needed. Less than one-eighth that many have risen, yet HCD has cut its need estimate considerably.

And yet … cities and counties must do what they’re told by this demonstrably incompetent agency, or risk lawsuits and big losses in state grants for everything from sewers and road maintenance to police and fire departments. State Attorney General Rob Bonta even set up a new unit in his Justice Department to threaten and pursue noncompliant cities.

This leads localities to approve developments in

LettersMax Benson

Thank you for reporting on Davis Joint Unified School District’s role in the death of Max Benson in your article of Dec. 12: “Years after student’s death, school district revises policies.”

The actual findings of the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights are shocking and deserve to be reported in detail. OCR’s Dec. 7 letter to Superintendent Best reads like an autopsy and proves that the negligence and incompetence of the DJUSD bureaucracy played a direct role in Max Benson’s death.

After four long years, we now know that DJUSD did not even have a current contract with the now infamous Guiding Hands non-public school: “Although the District continued (Benson’s) placement at (Guiding Hands) during the 2018-2019 school year, the District did not have a contract with NPS A for the 2018-2019 school year,” the letter said. (p. 13.)

We also finally learned that Guiding Hands staff physically restrained Max

enterprise

A McNaughton Newspaper Locally owned and operated since 1897

Foy S. McNaughton President and CEO R. Burt McNaughton Publisher

Sebastian Oñate Editor

Official legal newspaper of general circulation for the city of Davis and county of Yolo. Published in The Davis Enterprise building, 325 G St., Davis, CA. Mailing address: P.O. Box 1470, Davis, CA 95617. Phone: 530-756-0800. An award-winning newspaper of the California Newspaper Publishers Association.

Speak out President

ways they never did before, including some administrative approvals without so much as the possibility of a public hearing.

It leads to the absurd, as with Atherton trying to get state approval of a plan forcing almost all local homeowners to create “additional dwelling units” on the one-acre lots long required in the city. That’s instead of building almost 400 townhouses or apartments in a town of barely 7,000 people.

And in Santa Monica, because the city council did not get its housing element approved, developers can probably not be stopped as they make plans for at least 12 large new buildings. So much for bucolic seaside living.

Santa Monica is also an example of a city buckling to state pressure to allow huge projects opposed by most of its citizens, a majority of whom are renters. That city has done nothing to stop or alter the largest development in its history, to be built on a property at a major intersection now occupied by a grocery and several other stores.

Despite heavy community interest, evidenced by the more than 2,000 peeople on a Zoom call about the project last winter, the city will hold

no fewer than five times for a total of 145 minutes in the time preceding his death. Three of those restraints were “prone,” the position in which Max ultimately died. More shocking, when Guiding Hands staff emailed the District an emergency report regarding one of these restraints, DJUSD bureaucrats did not even bother to read it: “Program Specialist 1 and Program Specialist 2 revealed that neither had read the (redacted content), 2018 emergency report because each person thought the other person had read it.” (p. 15.)

One of these unnamed “Program Specialists” was not alarmed by the pattern of violent, physical restraints inflicted on Max in the weeks leading up to his death, believing such restraints were “innocuous.” (Ibid.) The other claimed s/he believed it was necessary to call a meeting of Max’s Individualized Educational Program (IEP) teams to address the restraints, but Max was killed before the “specialist” could bestir him or herself to action.

The citizens of Davis should know that DJUSD’s incompetence and complacency was a direct and substantial cause of Max’s death. DJUSD’s Board of Trustees should hold a public meeting to

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

House of Representatives

no public hearings and does not respond to most written communications from its citizens about the development. All because it fears the state will sue if it objects.

Several cities have begun to fight parts of today’s state domination of land use. Four Los Angeles County cities –Redondo Beach, Torrance, Carson and Whittier — are seeking a court order negating the 2021 Senate Bill 9, which allows single-family homes to be replaced by as many as six units, with cities unable to nix any such project.

As city councils and county boards see their constituents objecting loudly to much of this scene, it’s inevitable that other lawsuits will follow. No one can predict whether or not courts will find the state Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom have vastly overreached in their power grab, which is all for the sake of increased density and based on unfounded predictions by bureaucrats who answer to no one.

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 softcover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, visit www.californiafocus. net.

Putin’s war

Reading Winston Churchill’s speeches made during the dark months of 1940 to rally the English against the peril of Hitler’s war, still ring true today regarding the Putin’s attack on Ukraine:

“This wicked man, the reposity and embodiment of many forms of souldestroying hatred, this monstrous product of former wrongs and shame, has now resolved to try to break our famous Island race by a process of indiscriminate slaughter and destruction. What he has done is kindle a fire in British hearts, here and all over the world, which will glow long after all traces of the conflagration he has caused in London have been removed.” (Sept. 11, 1940)

Slava Ukraini!

Steven Tracy Davis

We welcome your letters

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;

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/

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.

review OCR’s findings and to demand the resignations of all staff involved in this eminently preventable tragedy, beginning with Superintendent Best. Brendan White Davis

Pearls Before Swine

By Stephan Pastis

Classic Peanuts

By Charles M. Schulz

AGGIE: Team back in action

From Page B6

traded leads through the second quarter.

Then the Aggies took the lead when Baker drove inside the paint and scored with 1;56 remaining for a 31-29 lead.

Burns and guard Evanne Turner had nine points each for the Aggies. Center Megan Norris, a 6-foot-3 redshirt freshman from Menlo Park, had seven points, and guard Nya Epps and forward Mazatlan Harris had three each.

Hawai’i edged UCD in rebounds 39-36.

Norris had seven boards, Burns six and Turner five. Hawai’i forward Spiller

had a double-double night, as she had 13 rebounds.

Gross and Baker and the rest of the Aggies were glad to be back on the court after taking time off for Christmas.

“It was a balanced of both,” said Baker of taking time away from the court and still focused. “I know that, mentally, I needed to take care of my mental health. Get ready. Just watched some film.”

UC Davis is back in conference action Thursday, Jan. 5 when it plays at UC Irvine. Game time is 7 p.m.

— Contact Mike Bush at mike@ davisenterprise.net. Follow on Twitter: @MBDavisSports.

VICTORY: Devil girls get payback

From

double-digit scoring game with a 3-pointer.

This put Davis on top going into the second quarter, 14-11.

In the second quarter, the Blue Devils held the Warriors to only six points. This was in part thanks to several solid defensive steals.

Schouten struck first offensively for Davis in the second quarter, making a basket at 7:37 for a 16-11 score. She finished out the quarter with three field goals in a row, one of them on a steal.

Sophomore Izzy Cherry also scored a basket in the frame, while Abrenica added a field goal and one made free throw to the tally.

The Blue Devils held a 27-17 lead over West Campus at halftime.

The Warriors found some momentum in the beginning of the second half, holding DHS to only two points in

the third quarter.

One point was scored by Schouten on a free throw, while the other was scored by Abrenica on a free throw.

Entering the fourth quarter, Davis’ lead had been cut to 29-23.

But Davis (4-8) refused to quit however, holding West Campus (3-4) scoreless in the final frame whilst scoring 20 points of its own.

Schouten went on her own 8-0 run to begin the fourth quarter with four baskets made in a row.

Junior forward Jiana Trotman joined in the fun for the Blue Devils, scoring back-to-back field goals of her own.

After another basket from Schouten, Abrenica and sophomore Kiera Williams each hit 3-pointers to seal the win for the Blue Devils.

Schouten had 26 points for the Blue Devils.

Abrenica, a senior, finished with 12 points.

“Tessa had a huge game

for us, and it was great to see Malia knock down some shots,” said Highshoe. “Our three guards played the whole game and defending West Campus’ two best players was not an easy task, so I was really pleased with their overall discipline.”

Trotman had six, Williams finished with three and Cherry scored two.

“Our team did a great job sticking to the game plan and we were able to capitalize on opportunities today,” said Highshoe. “I’m really happy for our team to have got this win and hope to carry the momentum into our game tomorrow.”

West Campus beat Davis 47-40 in the third-place game of Christian Brothers High’s Le Salle Classic Tournament on Dec. 17.

Today at 9:30 a.m., Davis will play host Dixon for the consolation championship.

— Follow Rebecca Wasik on Twitter: @BeccaFrom TheBay.

SQUAD: DHS boys take on Fairfield

From Page B6

Thursday’s game

Davis knocked off Liberty Ranch, Galt’s second high school, 55-54 in Thursday’s consolation game.

The Blue Devils will

play host Fairfield in the consolation championship game today at 5 p.m.

Delta League

Davis starts Delta League action after Friday’s final game of the

classic.

The Blue Devils host Pleasant Grove inside the North Gym on Friday, Jan. 6 at 7:30 p.m.

— Contact Mike Bush at mike@davisenterprise. net. Follow on Twitter: @ MBDavisSports.

UC Davis guard Tova Sabel (14) drives around a Hawai’i guard Kelsie Imai (1) in Thursday’s Big West Conference opener at the University Credit Union Center.

Christoph Lossin/ EntErprisE photo

AngELA sChoutEn/CourtE sy photo

DHS guard Izzy Cherry (15) and a Chico player position themselves to rebound the basketball.

BasketBall

Blue Devil boys squad split games at classic

By Mike Bush Enterprise sports editor

FAIRFIELD — Two down and one to go.

The Davis High boys basketball team is one game away from finishing its preseason schedule.

On the first day competing in the Ronald D. Thompson Holiday Classic at Fairfield High on Wednesday, the Blue Devils opened against Benicia. The Panthers won the battle with a 79-66 victory.

“Knowing that they are a high-quality team, I was hoping we’d be more competitive earlier,” said Davis head coach Dan Gonzalez. “It was nice to see that we made it a competitive game. It just took us too long to get to that point. But I think we showed that we can play with any of these teams. They (Benicia, 7-1) have only one loss for a good reason, and they are blowing teams out.”

The loss put Davis (6-5) into the loser’s bracket of the classic. The Blue Devils played Liberty Ranch (5-8), which fell to Natomas in their opener 60-51.

Davis trailed 63-45 entering the final quarter. Then the Blue Devil guards Noah Salmon and Aidan Crawford took charge in the final eight minutes of the game.

That is when the duo scored a combined 12 points, accounting for Davis’ 14 points in the quarter. Crawford had 10 points and Salmon four.

Salmon was deadly in shooting in the third quarter for Davis, which saw

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Benicia enter the quarter with a 40-30 lead. He scored nine points that included a 3-pointer, making two free throws and two field goals. The guard finished the game with 19 points.

Both Salmon and Crawford were the only double-digit scorers for the Blue Devils. Salmon finished with 19 points and Crawford 14.

The Blue Devils’ scoring was spread out through the game.

Forward Will Ackerman and guard Matt Cossu each had nine points. Cossu nailed three 3-pointers.

Brandon Robers followed with three points for Davis. Jadyn Coaker and Marcell Gentles had two points each.

Davis showed signs of playing solid defense against Benicia (12-1) throughout the game. But the Blue Devils were inconsistent at times.

The inconsistency was displayed in the early minutes of the second quarter.

Benicia led 20-16 entering the quarter. Then the Blue Devils were guilty of many turnovers and not pulling down enough rebounds during a stretch in the quarter. That helped the Panthers to a 32-23 lead at 4:25, wrapping up an 11-2 run.

“We had a lot of turnovers in that first half,” Gonzalez said. “We weren’t taking advantage of when we would cause a turnover, we would just turn it right back over. Then there were possessions where they were just empty; we wouldn’t get a shot up.”

Big West conference

DHS girls get the victory this time

By Rebecca Wasik Enterprise correspondent

DIXON — Solid offensive performances from Tessa Schouten and Malia Abrenica paced the Davis High girls basketball team at the Dixon High Steve Cauchi Ram Jam on Thursday.

After falling to Chico High on Wednesday in the tournament 54-38, Davis dug deep to defeat West Campus with a 49-23 victory in a consolation game inside Dixon High’s gym. This was the second meeting within two weeks between the Blue Devils and Warriors.

The Blue Devils displayed great defense and strong ball passing right from the start of the contest.

“I thought the team did a great job of executing on both ends of the floor today,” said Davis head coach Heather Highshoe. “I feel we played four quarters of great defense and three quarters of patient offensive execution. We’ve talked about how we need to work towards having four consistent quarters. West Campus switched up their defense in the third quarter and we had difficulty scoring in that quarter, but our defense is what kept us in the lead.”

Schouten, a junior forward, made four field goals and a free throw in the opening quarter. Abrenica began her

Aggie women lose opener

By Mike Bush Enterprise sports editor

Victoria Baker and Tova Sabel enthusiastically went back on the court for the UC Davis women’s basketball team toward the end of the fourth quarter of Thursday’s Big West Conference opener against Hawai’i with good reason.

The Aggie guards had the hot hands in scoring the previous three quarters.

But the visiting Rainbow Wahine had the clutch shots at the end. That led to posting a 70-62 win over UCD.

“We needed a couple of shots to drop,” said UCD head coach Jennifer Gross. “Our shooting percentage (36.2 percent) wasn’t great. Our focus has been on getting each other great shots. We need to continue to work on that.”

Hawai’i held a 59-56 lead with 3:16 remaining in the final quarter. Then Baker and Sabel returned to the court for UCD (0-1 in the Big West, 4-7 overall) in hopes of contributing more points as they did in the first three quarters of the game.

The dynamic duo had scored 28 of the Aggies’ 45 points after three quarters. Baker, a redshirt freshman from Austin, Texas, already

had a team-high 16 points and Sabel 12.

“When Victoria first got here, we were seeing a lot of that,” said Gross of Baker’s athletic skills and enthusiasm on the court. “When you’re new to a program, you’re sort of learning and going ups and downs. I think that’s just her figuring out how to play. She was tremendous today.

“I thought she (Baker) provided a real big spark for us. We couldn’t take her off the floor. She really stepped up, and that’s what we need from her.”

Hawaii (1-0 in the Big West, 3-7) was able to break free after UCD completed a three-point play that made it a 61-59 score with 1:04 left on the game.

Aggie guard Sydney Burns took a pass from Sabel, went coast-tocoast and flew into the center of the paint for two of her nine points. Burns was fouled en route to the basket, getting a free throw that went through the net for a twopoint advantage and completed the three-point play.

“It was a good team effort,” Baker said. “We had a couple of plays here and there. It came out as an L but we definitely came back.”

Then Hawai’i went on its scoring

spree in the final minute of the contest. That included guard Lily Wahinekapu hitting a bucket for two of her team-high 17 points for a 63-59 score.

But UCD continued to battle in the final seconds of the conference opener.

Sabel (15 points) was fouled at 39 seconds, and made 1-of-2 free throws for a 63-60 score.

The Rainbow Wahine finished the game with a 7-2 run that included making six free throws a 3-pointer from center Kallin Spiller (12 points), who was fouled after taking her shot. Hawai’i teammates in forward Olivia Davies and guard Daejah Phillips (10 points) made their shots at the charity stripe.

“Basketball is a very momentum, driven game,” Baker said.

Burns’ offensive rebound and put back with 14.2 seconds left in the contest was the Aggies’ only basket.

The Aggies held a 35-32 lead entering the third quarter. Hawai’i chipped away at the Aggies’ short lead and finally took a 37-34 advantage at 6:40 when forward Jacque David hit a bucket.

UCD led 23-12 after the first quarter. But the Aggies and Hawai’i

Mike Bush/enterprise photo

Davis guard Matt Cassu tries to get the basketball back into play against Benicia in Wednesday’s game at the Ronald D. Thompson Holiday Classic at Fairfield High. To view more photos, visit www.davisenterprise.com, click on the Sports tab and look for the story.

angela schouten/courtesy photo

Blue Devil forward Jiana Trotman (4) gets ready to take a shot over a Chico player in Wednesday’s game.

christoph lossin/enterprise photo

UC Davis guard Victoria Baker (23) soars into the paint to score two of her team-high 16 points in Thursday’s conference opener against Hawai’i.