The Davis Enterprise Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Martin do nasciMento/ calMatters photo

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Local pandemic emergencies wind down

By Anne Ternus-Bellamy Enterprise staff writer

Nearly three years after Yolo County issued emergency declarations around the COVID-19 pandemic, those declarations have ended.

The Board of Supervisors last week voted to end the local emergency effective Feb. 28, the same day California ended its state of emergency.

COVID disparities up as state shifts gears

By Kristen Hwang CalMatters

When California recorded the first U.S. case of COVID19 more than three years ago, the news was met with fear, confusion and public ire. Schools and businesses closed. State and local officials ordered people to stay home and mask up. Hospitals overflowed with sick and dying patients.

Today, on the last day of the state’s emergency order, much of public life has returned to normal. But for many communities around the state, the disappearance of COVID-19 resources is merely a reminder that the health disparities highlighted during the pandemic are long-entrenched.

“People who were in the gap are going to go back into the

gap,” said Kim Rhoads, a physician and associate public health professor at UC San Francisco who has worked throughout the pandemic to make tests and vaccines more accessible to Black and brown neighborhoods in the Bay Area. “There’s going to be a noticeable difference in access.”

The end of the emergency order marks a drastic change in

the state’s strategy for managing a virus that has exacted a devastating toll: 100,187 deaths.

Moving forward, the state will lean on its $3.2 billion longterm COVID-19 plan, which involves stockpiling masks and vaccines, but public health agencies will no longer serve as the primary provider

Suspect arrested in 1980 Dixon homicide

By Lauren Keene Enterprise staff writer

For more than 40 years, a Solano County homicide case went unsolved. Until last week, when authorities arrested a suspect in the 1980 crime, according to the Solano County Sheriff’s Office.

Two laborers working in a Sievers Road cornfield in rural Dixon that August found the victim — a white female who died of multiple gunshot wounds to her head and neck. She remained a Jane Doe for the next 12 years.

In 1992, working with the National Missing Persons Unit, Solano County coroner’s officials identified the victim as Holly Ann Campiglia, a 21-year-old resident of New Jersey. Her death remained unsolved for

another three decades, until 2021, when Campiglia’s family asked Solano County investigators to submit evidence from the cold case for possible DNA analysis.

“Several months later, our office received a report from the Serological Research Institute (SERI) stating that male DNA was found on these pieces of evidence,” Solano County sheriff’s officials reported this week. “When that DNA was submitted into another database with the San Mateo Crime Lab, we learned that it belonged to 76-year-old Herman Lee Hobbs.”

At the time of the match, Hobbs was serving prison time for a 1975 Sacramento County murder for which he was

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 442 Yolo County residents have died from COVID-19, according to state data. And while the virus is still present, the tools available to fight severe illness and death — including vaccines and treatments — have improved conditions significantly, according to the county’s health officer.

“We have come a long way since the COVID-19 emergencies were declared at the local, state, and federal levels,” said Dr. Aimee Sisson.

“In March 2020, the world was turned upside down by a novel coronavirus that we knew nothing about, for which the only testing available took days to get results, for which

See LOCAL, Page A5

UCD counter-events planned for Turning Point

By Monica Stark Enterprise staff writer

At least two counterevents have been planned in protest of Turning Point USA’s scheduled UC Davis event on Tuesday, March 14, featuring co-founder Charlie Kirk, a controversial conservative activist and radio talk show host.

The leader of Turning Point USA, Kirk has compared gay people to a cancer on society. He has also called for the lynching of trans people.

The Phoenix Coalition announced a counterevent, Resist Bigotry: Stand up to Turning Point

USA event, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the International House Davis whereby a speaker will participate “as an act of resistance.”

Because Hate-Free

Together, a joint initiative between UCD, Davis and Yolo County is not fully active yet there is no plan for this entity to control a confrontation, explained Davis City Councilwoman Gloria Partida. “UC Davis has policies around this. DPC is encouraging people to gather away from this event at our counter event,” she said.

A flyer with the heading,

Eddie Daniels administers rapid COVID-19 tests at Greater St. Paul Church in downtown Oakland on Jan. 4, 2022.

Arrested after four decades

Was 21 when killed

Driver in pursuit-related crash identified

Yolo County coroner’s officials identified a 36-year-old woman as the motorist who died in a pursuitrelated crash Thursday night.

Sharon Speirs, whose city of residence has not been determined, was at the wheel of a stolen Toyota Scion that crashed on Fifth Street near G Street during the high-speed chase.

The pursuit involved a UC Davis police officer who observed the Scion speeding at Russell Boulevard and Sycamore Lane at about 9:30 p.m. Thursday.

“The officer engaged their lights and siren and attempted to catch up to the speeding vehicle to make a traffic stop, but they continued at high speed running red lights east on Russell onto Fifth Street,” UCD officials said in a statement about the incident.

East of G Street, the Scion struck a concrete median, crashed and caught fire, authorities said. First responders pulled Speirs from the burning vehicle and attempted medical aid, but she died at the scene.

The officer was treated for minor injuries. The incident remains under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.

About us

Looking for limits on free speech

In advance of an appearance at UC Davis by Turning Point USA co-founder and radio talk host Charlie Kirk, UCD will offer a campus-wide town hall on "Free Speech in Public Universities."

Whether the latter is in response to the former is unclear.

Kirk is described in one newspaper account as "controversial," but if a radio talk host is not controversial, he won’t be a radio talk host for long. Mr. Rogers need not apply.

The free speech event will be held March 7 at 3 p.m. in the multipurpose room of the Student Community Center on campus.

It will be moderated by Kevin Johnson, dean of the UC Davis School of Law, and will "discuss the role and responsibility of public universities in supporting free speech," according to a campus press release.

Johnson will be joined by a distinguished and highly credentialed panel of experts who know the ins and outs of this topic well.

Nobody asked me, which is why I’ll have my say here.

Freedom of speech is a straightforward concept that made its way into the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, but over the years most of us have come to accept certain limitations

that the Founders neglected to spell out.

We all know you can’t yell “fire” in a crowded theater. Unless, of course, the theater is actually on fire.

It’s similar to the guidelines that leaked out of Stanford University a few months ago saying you shouldn’t call a person "Pocahontas" unless the person’s name actually is Pocahontas.

In many settings, especially schools, courts have ruled that we are limited by time, place and manner, which basically means you can’t read the Book of Revelation aloud while your classmates are taking their calculus final.

But you can have a Bible Study Club at lunchtime if the school allows other such student-run clubs on campus.

In a recent YouTube video, UC Davis Chancellor Gary May hit all the high notes of the First

Suspect in homeless assault claims insanity

By Lauren Keene Enterprise staff writer

WOODLAND — The suspect in the brutal beating of a homeless woman in Davis has entered dual pleas of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity.

Joseph Michael Granken’s public defender, Joseph Gocke, had hinted at the plea change back in December, confirming it during a brief hearing Tuesday in Yolo Superior Court.

Under the insanity plea, a defendant contends that, due to mental disease or defect, they are not responsible for their actions because they did not understand the nature of the offense, or that was legally and morally wrong.

Tuesday’s hearing proceeded with Judge Peter Williams releasing a stack of Granken’s medical records to the attorneys in the case and scheduling a trial-setting conference for March 16.

Granken, 29, faces attempted murder, assault and battery

charges in connection with the April 27, 2021, assault on Heidi Young outside the Nugget supermarket in South Davis. Several good Samaritans thwarted the unprovoked attack and detained Granken until police arrived on scene.

Following his arrest, Granken underwent nearly a year of psychiatric treatment following several court appearances punctuated by loud vocal outbursts in which he demanded FBI intervention in his case and claiming authorities made alterations to his body from "illegal surgery."

His lawyer at the time questioned Granken’s mental competency to stand trial, and a psychologist’s evaluation led to his placement with the California Department of State Hospitals.

Granken’s court proceedings resumed in September following his hospital release. He remains in Yolo County Jail custody on a no-bail hold while his case is pending.

Davis police nab a pair of ‘ghost gun’ suspects

By Lauren Keene Enterprise staff writer

A Ring camera and an alert citizen aided in the arrests of two men suspected of possessing a “ghost gun” early Sunday morning.

Davis police Lt. Dan Beckwith said officers were summoned at about 2:30 a.m. to the Viking Apartments at Eighth and D streets, where the caller’s camera had captured footage of two men attempting to open vehicle doors in the parking lot.

“Officers arrived on scene and observed a Toyota Camry driving slowly on D Street with its headlights off,” Beckwith said. “Another man was walking along with the

Toyota next to the parked vehicles on D Street.”

Police stopped both the pedestrian and the vehicle, discovering in the car’s back seat a loaded 9mm “ghost gun” — defined as a firearm that is not serialized or registered.

Taken into custody were Abraham Ezekiel Banks Jr., 21, of Natomas, on suspicion of conspiracy, prowling and manufacturing a firearm; and 21-year-old Marteen Espinoza Galindo of Carmichael, on charges of conspiracy, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, possession of ammunition by a prohibited person and manufacturing a firearm.

Amendment when he said, "As a public university, the connection between fostering a teaching and learning environment and allowing free speech is something we are obligated to uphold. We are obligated under the First Amendment, but we are also guided by our Principles of Community, which calls for us to recognize that there are different perspectives and to commit ourselves to nonviolent exchange and the highest standards of conduct and decency toward all."

May goes on to rightly point out that "We can’t close off our campus to people some may disagree with," even those with "abhorrent views who choose to spread hate."

Years ago, as a UC Davis student ironically, I had a spirited debate with a fellow student who wanted to ban all sorts of hate speech, and as I disagreed with his point of view, he finally demanded, "Can’t we at least agree that people shouldn’t be allowed to advocate for something that is illegal?"

Of course I couldn’t agree to even that simple request. After all, if we couldn’t advocate for making something legal that is currently illegal, every law in place in 1789

would still be in place today. We might have all-mail voting, but we’d also have all-male voting as the Founders intended.

We hear a lot of talk these days about inclusivity, but that word in practice has rarely meant welcoming points of view contrary to our own.

As far as the Principles of Community go, they are a wonderful aspirational statement, but they have no force of law. They are not a legal document.

"We affirm the dignity inherent in all of us," the Principles begin, "and we strive to maintain a climate of equity and justice demonstrated by respect for one another."

Well, let’s just say both "yes" and "no" to that statement.

While I believe every human being is graced with God-given dignity, if George Santos is invited to speak at my alma mater, I reserve the right to withhold any semblance of respect for him.

I won’t boo or hiss or stomp my feet, but I won’t be cherishing my exposure to an abhorrent point of view or celebrating our differences. Dignity may be inherent, but respect is earned.

Reach Bob Dunning at bunning@davisenterprise.net.

Safety, facilities on trustees’ agenda

By Aaron Geerts Enterprise staff writer

The Davis school board will go over approvals of school safety plans, bond and facilities agreements as well as various district updates at Thursday’s meeting.

On top of the docket is the approval of comprehensive school safety plans. Education code and board policy require all school sites to maintain a comprehensive school safety plan to ensure that students and staff are safe and secure on campus and are free from physical and psychological harm. This past Sept, the Student Support Services Department worked with sites to update their plans, conduct safety drills and implement emergency communication drill procedures which will be reviewed, updated and approved annually by the governing board.

Further approvals include Amendment No. 1 for SitelogiQ for replacement HVAC units at Patwin Elementary School and Davis Parent Nursery School at Montgomery Elementary School. Back on Sept. 15, the board approved an energy services contract with SitelogiQ for the replacement of HVAC units at Patwin. After that, Capital Operations Department recommended 10 wallmounted HVAC units at

Patwin also be replaced as well as two HVAC units at the Montgomery DPNS building. If approved, the work would be completed in the summer of 2023 and the cost of these additional units would be $231,292.

The meeting will also feature an enrollment projection update from Davis Demographics & Planning Inc (DDP). Per the district’s contract with DDP since 2005-06, the organization has updated and analyzed demographic data relevant to the district’s facility planning efforts. This planning is used to make budgeting, staffing, programming and facility use decisions in the future with the three main factors affecting future enrollments being birth rates, local housing growth and mobility of resident students.

There will also be an update from the Multilingual Department. Back in October 2022, the Multilingual Department shared an update with the board regarding the English Learner Master Plan and program goals. The update on March 2 will be a continuation of this program’s goals and progress.

Following suit will be an update on the DJUSD’s Strategic Plan. This plan acts as a roadmap for the school district and aims to align the district’s communities of interest around a

shared vision, common goals and a unified direction for the district’s educational efforts.

Further updates include that from the second interim budget planning.

The report will include updates since the last budget, a review of actuals to date and projections for next year using the governor’s January budget.

Further along will be an approval of the district’s legislative representative to advance the development and legislative support and sponsorship of systems that support physical, social and mental well-being of students and staff, initiatives to dramatically improve the number of fully credentialed and well-qualified teachers and administrators, work that strengthens special education, programs and funding that expand and reinforce early childhood education and programs and funding that expand opportunities for experiential learning for students that reinforce the key tenets of the DJUSD graduate profile.

Finally, there will be multiple approvals acknowledging March as Women’s History Month, Arts Education month as well as Music in our Schools Month.

Open session will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Chambers located at 23 Russell Blvd.

Parole board grants releases in 2 Davis cases

By Lauren Keene Enterprise staff writer

Two inmates serving life sentences for Davis crimes received parole grants during recent hearings, according to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office.

Christopher Bryson, 39, went to prison in 2008 following his conviction on multiple counts of burglary and assault with intent to commit rape.

During a Feb. 15 hearing at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, parole commissioners considered the fact that Bryson was a “youthful offender” at the time of his 2007 offenses said he posed no unreasonable risk to

public safety, the DA’s Office noted in a news release.

Parole commissioners also granted release to 36-yearold Russell Buchanan, whose life term stemmed from two violent gangrelated crimes. Prosecutors said Buchanan shot a

woman in the leg in Solano County in January 2009, a day before he committed a robbery at gunpoint in Davis. Buchanan’s young age at the time of his offenses also factored into his grant, which followed a Feb. 14 hearing in Tehachapi.

Calendar

Today

n The Davis Flower Arrangers March 1 program will feature MJ Kelly. This program will not be a floral demonstration, but an educational one. Kelly’s goal is to teach how to use the key tools and items that are most helpful in designing floral arrangements. Kelly’s presentation will be at 2 p.m.

Wednesday, March 1, at the Stonegate Country Club, 919 Lake Blvd. If you are not already a member, but would like to join, send a $50 membership check to Davis Flower Arrangers, c/o Jo Anne Boorkman, 2205 Butte Place, Davis, Ca 95616; or bring it to the meeting. Include your name, address, phone number and email address to receive the monthly newsletter, current updates, and invitations for all special events, workshops, and field trips. Visitors are welcome and are asked to donate at least $10 in cash or check. Recordings of the meetings will be available for members. For information, contact Stephanie DeGraff-Hunt at sdegraffhunt@gmail. com.

Thursday

n The Genealogy Society of Vallejo-Benicia presents “Runnin’ Down Granny: Researching Female Family Members” on Zoom at 1:30 p.m. Send an email to GSVBzoom@gmail.com to get Zoom invite. The speaker will be Nancy Calhoun. She has been doing genealogy for 45 years and worked as a genealogy librarian for 15 years. All active GSVB members will receive a Zoom link. To attend as a non-member guest, send an email to GSVBzoom@gmail. com no later than 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 1, to request a Zoom invitation. More information on the event can be found on the Genealogy Society of VallejoBenicia’s website at www. gsvb.org and Facebook page at www.facebook. com/GSVB.org

n The Davis Odd Fellows Thursday Live! show welcomes Geoffrey Miller and his rockabilly band. Wear your dancing shoes! Doors open at 7 p.m. at the Odd Fellows Hall, 415 Second St., with music starting at 7:30 p.m. All ages are welcome. Thursday Live! shows are free, but donations are encouraged to support the musicians.

n UC Davis East Asian Studies will host James Millward as he discusses the Xinjiang crisis in China. This free event will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, March 2, at the International Center’s multipurpose room on the UCD campus. The Uyghur population is predominantly Muslim and, according to governmental and nongovernmental organizations, has been subject to imprisonment, surveillance, religious intolerance, forced labor and forced sterilizations, among many other abuses by the Chinese government since 2014. These organizations have described the abuses as genocide or crimes against humanity, while the Chinese government has denied all allegations of abuse. Millward is professor of inter-societal history at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where he teaches Qing, Chinese, Central Asian and world history.

n The Poetry Night Reading Series will feature Andy Jones and Siri Ackerman at 7 p.m. on the first floor of the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521

First St.; in Davis. An open mic will follow the featured performers. Open mic performances will be limited to five minutes or two items, whichever is shorter. Find out more about the Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis at http:// www.poetryindavis.com.

Friday

n The UC Davis Arboretum hosts a Folk Music Jam Session from noon to 1 p.m. Folk musicians can bring their acoustic instruments and play together informally during this jam session at Wyatt Deck (next to the redwood grove). Pull out your fiddles, guitars, mandolins, penny whistles, pipes, flutes, squeezeboxes (you name it) and join your fellow musicians for a little bluegrass, old-time, blues, Celtic, klezmer and world music over the lunch hour. All skill levels welcome and listeners are invited. Short-term parking is available in Visitor Lot 5 on Old Davis Road at Arboretum Drive. Hourly rates start at $1.75.

Saturday

n Christine Cohen will give a virtual presentation, “Immigration: Ports of Entry,” at the next meeting of the Solano County Genealogical Society. This presentation begins at 11 a.m. Guests are welcome to attend this free event. If interested, email the society at scgs@scgsca. org no later than 4 p.m. March 3 and request an invitation. More information on events can be be found on the society’s website at www.scgsca. org .

Sunday

n The Davis Odd Fellows’ Classic Film Festival continues with the the quintessential wartime comedy: “M.A.S.H.” The films are presented on the big screen in the spacious Upper Hall of the Lodge, 415 Second St. in downtown Davis. The general public is invited, and there is no admission charge (although donations in support of classic films are accepted at the door). Doors open at 6:29 p.m. and the program begins at 7:01 p.m. Enterprise film critic Derrick Bang will give a short talk about this film. The Odd Fellows Bar, with wine, beer, mixed drinks and soft drinks is always open before and during the film. Popcorn is always free. And before the film, audience members enjoy the live music of According to Bazooka (featuring Rene Martucci and Richard Urbino).

Wednesday, March 8

n Davis Science Café presents “Disrupting Amphibians, Bats and Fire Ants: the Hidden Costs of Ecological Shocks” by Prof. Michael Springborn of the UC Davis department of environmental science and policy from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at G Street WunderBar, 228 G St. in Davis. The event is free, with complimentary soft drinks courtesy of the UCD College of Letters and Science Each month, Professor Jared Shaw with the UC Davis Department of Chemistry hosts the Davis Science Café, featuring scientists who are studying some of today’s cutting edge topics. Contact Shaw for information at jtshaw@ucdavis.edu or https://twitter.com/ DavisSciCafe1.

Odd Fellows welcome rockabilly band

Special to The Enterprise

The March 2 Davis Odd Fellows Thursday Live! show will welcome Geoffrey Miller and his rockabilly band.

Doors open at 7 p.m. with music starting at 7:30 p.m. All ages are welcome. Thursday Live! shows are free, but donations are encouraged to support the musicians. The dance floor and the bar will be open!

Boogie woogie cheating songs, love-lamenting ballads, rockabilly country bops, and chicken pickin’ guitar solos — the tones of Geoffrey Miller’s style of country music tell a life’s story.

Miller’s latest release, “Leavin’ 101” (2022), is rooted even more deeply in the Bakersfield sound he grew up on.

“Fans of hardcore Bakersfield sounds will delight in Miller’s latest,” wrote Country Music People Magazine, giving the album 4.5 out of 5 stars. Lonesome Highway commented in review of the album, "There is little doubt that anyone with an affection for (what) the Bakersfield sound has come to mean ... will recognize Miller as a frontrunner in delivering it.”

Miller began making a name for himself as a country guitar player around Sacramento in the early 2000s. In 2008, he toured with the vintage honky tonk band, Rowdy Kate, in Europe and began playing with numerous roots country bands back home as his reputation grew.

The March 2 Thursday Live! concert will feature Geoffrey Miller and his rockabilly band.

Miller also began earning songwriter credits, contributing two original songs to Rowdy Kate’s 2007 EP.

In 2010, Miller formed the rockabilly trio Twilight Drifters as the guitarist and lead singer. The Twilight Drifters recorded three albums including numerous original songs by Miller, and were nominated for an Ameripolitan Award in 2018.

In 2015, Miller’s love for Western swing music led to him co-found the trio Sactown Playboys with Olen Dillingham and Zack Sapunor paying homage to legends such as Bob Wills, Billy Jack Wills, Les Paul, and Jimmie Rivers.

In 2018, Miller was inducted in the Sacramento Western Swing Society Hall of Fame.

Courtesy photo

DMTC’s ‘Pirates of Penzance’ opens March 3

Special to The Enterprise Davis Musical Theatre Company presents “The Pirates of Penzance” (underwritten by Dee Kolafa) from March 3 through March 26 at the Jean Henderson Performing Arts Center, 607 Pena Drive, No. 10, in Davis.

Set sail with this classic comedy, which boasts one of the most famous patter songs in musical-theater 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.

The action focuses on Frederic, mistakenly apprenticed to a pirate instead of a pilot, who is now 21 and chooses to abandon his profession to “lead a blameless life henceforth,” dedicating

himself instead to the eradication of pirates. Then Mabel enters his life, a daughter of a 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.

Jan Isaacson will direct and choreograph, with Steve Isaacson providing musical direction. The cast features Lucas Dunn as Frederic, Carolyn Poutasse as Mabel, Brian McCann as the Pirate King and Joe Akire as Major-General Stanley.

“The Pirates of Penzance” plays on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are

$18 general, $16 for students and seniors (55 and over), and $14 each for groups of 10 or more. There is a $2 facility fee per ticket on a purchase, cash, charge, phone, internet, or in

Mabel (sung by Carolyn

falls in love with Frederic (tenor Lucas Dunn) in DMTC’s production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance.” Courtesy photo

person. Purchase tickets at http://dmtc.org or https:// app.arts-people.com/ index.php?show=134385 For information, visit dmtc.org or call 530-7563682.

From left, Brian McCann (as the Pirate King), lectures Lucas Dunn (as Frederic) and the Pirate King’s right-hand man, Jesus J. Madrigal-Wicky (as Samuel) in DMTC’s production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance.”

Poutasse)

COUNTER: University looks to head off trouble ahead of speech

“Fascists Off Campus,” advertised a separate counter-event to begin at 5 p.m. on campus.

Retweeted by groups like Cops

Off Campus, the flyer, in the style of a wheat paste street poster features an outline of Kirk’s head with a tiny face and big lettering, including a choice expletive. The maker of the flyer has retained an anonymous identity.

In preparing for the Turning Point USA’s event, the campus is working with the organizing student group to create an environment where freedom of speech can be exercised, including for those wishing to protest the speaker, explained UCD news and media relations specialist Julia Ann Easley. The UC Davis Police Department has developed a comprehensive safety and security plan.

Easley said as part of the plan, student organizers decided to cap attendance at 1,000. Only the first 1,000 people who register in advance will be permitted entry upon presentation of evidence of

Davis resident and passionate community contributor Matthew (Matt) Blake died Feb. 20, 2023, blindsided by a brief fight with a rare and aggressive cancer. He lived a bold, joyful 48 years with family who adored him, and among friends, colleagues, and neighbors who loved his thoughtful, creative approach. They’re all devastated at having lost him. Matt charted a course throughout his life toward a variety of experience and discovery, which included an unconventional series of experiments, wins, fails, highs, lows. His boldness was tempered with kindness, and his brilliance glowed with humor.

Because he engaged in all his chosen activities with intensity and dedication, those of us left behind will notice pronounced gaps across the Davis school communities, One Health Institute, Davis Live Music Collective, Davis Music Festival, Davis Media Access (particularly KDRT), Odd Fellows and the many other groups who loved Matt.

the registration and appropriate identification. “We recognize there is the potential for conflict in settings where individuals are especially passionate about differing points of view. We are prepared to do our best to de-escalate potential incidents,” she said. “The wellbeing of our community is our priority.”

While the Fascists Off Campus event is being held on campus, the DPC, which focuses on uplifting and supporting marginalized communities, offers its event off campus. “We hope to both pull the curtain back on this play that Turning Point and their ilk run again and again and provide space to discuss and think about effective counter-measures to this strategy,” explained Anoosh Jorjorian, director of Yolo Rainbow Families, a project of the Davis Phoenix Coalition. With this strategy, Jorjorian said people can gather in a supportive environment at a safe distance from an event that seeks to promote a hateful message and draw people who resonate with that hateful message.

“Right-wing organizations such as Turning Point exist only to make

Across every endeavor, though, this fourthgeneration Bay Area native poured himself into making sure that his wonderful wife and twin daughters knew how deeply they were loved.

Matt is desperately missed by his wife Sarah; daughters Delilah (13) and Charlotte (13); parents Anne Horgan of San Mateo, and Patrick and Mickey Blake of Aguilar, Colo.; sister Christine Harkin and nephews Huck and Beckett Harkin of Berkeley; brother-in-law Joe Harkin; Sarah’s parents, Carol and Paul Altuna of Pennsylvania, and Michael Brown and Phyllis Clark of New York; sister-in-law Jenny Brown Knoche; brother-in-law Christof Knoche; and nieces Aya and Isa, both of New York; and the friends, colleagues, neighbors and family who adored him.

The Enterprise publishes brief death notices free of charge. These include name, age, city of residence, occupation, date of death and funeral/memorial information. Make submissions to www.davisenterprise.com/obit-form/.

communities unsafe,” she said.

“For all their talk of ‘free speech,’ their real agenda is to spread hateful speech and ideas and try to goad counter-protesters into a ‘violent’ response that they can video, clip, and push out on their social media to feed their narrative. These organizations promote false facts and narratives to feed division, fear, and anger. Dividing communities and provoking violence is their primary purpose.”

Partida agrees, saying that free speech is critical but when speech crosses over to inciting violence it is more than just hate speech and should be shut down. “Some of the Turning Point USA speakers have openly called for the lynching of trans people. This is a clear incitement of harm. I don't know if UC Davis has a policy for its speakers that draws a line at what can be said but I feel that events held on public spaces should at least control speech that specifically calls out violence against groups of people.”

Easley said that the university is committed to the First Amendment and is required to uphold it. “We do not condone hate speech,

Daniel J. Dykstra Jr. was born in Madison, Wis., on Oct. 13, 1947. He died Jan. 4 in Davis. Dan’s many accomplishments, include an immensely distinguished career as the deputy district counsel for the San Francisco District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (“the Corps”). Dan often expressed a desire to make a difference, and without reservation, that is precisely what he did in both his personal and professional life.

Dan had an incredible thirst for knowledge, as evidenced by his lifelong love of learning and academic achievements. He began his academic career by earning a bachelor’s degree in history at Ripon College while serving in ROTC, where he was commissioned to the rank of second lieutenant. He earned his law degree from the University of Arizona College of Law. Hungry for more academic enrichment, Dan earned a master’s degree in labor law from George Washington University Law School.

Upon graduation, he served as an Army judge advocate general (“JAG”) captain, where he worked as a claims JAG for the U.S. Army Claims Service, Fort Meade, Md., and then for the Claims and Medical

but hate speech is constitutionally protected. Protecting freedom of expression means allowing people to speak from a variety of different perspectives, including those we may disagree with or even abhor,” she said. “The freedom of expression protected by the First Amendment has the potential to offend and cause suffering.”

Easley said the campus offers services to help students cope with this distress, including counseling services, student resource centers and more.

Kirk’s arrival on campus coincides with the Phoenix Coalition’s 10-year anniversary.

Celebrating a decade of service to marginalized communities, the Phoenix Coalition started after the brutal beating of Lawrence “Mikey” Partida on March 10, 2013, in a hate crime targeted for his sexual orientation. “Having grown up in Davis it was disheartening for Lawrence to find that even in this very progressive community he was not safe,” Gloria Partida said.

She explained that a group of community members came

Counsel’s)

Care Recovery Judge Advocate, 9th Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

He began his distinguished career with the Corps in the Norfolk District in 1978, transferring to the South Pacific Division in 1987. In 2004, he began his career in the San Francisco District where he served as deputy district counsel and served in Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Dan’s eloquently written legal opinions fill the San Francisco District’s digital library, so very emblematic of his legal scholarship and his noteworthy contributions to the Corps.

His awards include the De Fleury Medal and Commanders Award for Civilian Service, three times. Of his numerous accolades and awards, his most coveted was the San Francisco District’s “Gallery of Distinguished Civilians,” that Dan received in 2017. In that citation, he was described as “a learned scholar, a deep-thinker, and a great mentor who inspired his colleagues and peers to improve the quality of their legal work. He exhibited uncommon courage and competence during three tours of duty to Afghanistan where he was bestowed the (Chief

together and formed the coalition to coalesce the various efforts of social justice happening in Davis.

“Our mission is to gather and engage the community against intolerance for the purpose of preventing hate-motivated violence. We try to support all efforts that raise visibility around vulnerable groups. Our biggest focus has been on the LGBTQ+ community because until recently we were the only nonprofit working on this outside of the UC Davis LGBTQIA center, which mainly served the university. Over the last 10 years, we have really tried to engage all aspects of the community in examining ways they can be more inclusive.”

The coalition has supported the city's Pride Festival in June and a resource fair for anti-bullying known as the UpStander carnival in October. They’ve also held rallies and vigils for everything from gun violence to the Roe decision, and have opposed speakers at UCD that promote bigotry, the latest being the upcoming March 14 Turning Point USA speaker.

Bert P. Pettinato (Pride in Public Service)

Award for his characteristically selfless devotion to public service. He was widely recognized as humble and gentle in success, and as having the open mind of true wisdom.”

Beyond his love of the law and public service, Dan deeply loved his wife, Moira (Mitty) Whelan. Dan’s father, Daniel J. Dykstra and Mitty’s father were both professors at UC Davis Law School in the early years of the school’s formation. Dan and Mitty got to know each other poll-walking for Robert Kennedy. After several years of courtship, he proposed in his favorite place, McCall, Idaho. They married in

1972. Dan and Mitty raised two sons, Jack and Sam, in Rohnert Park. Dan was much beloved in the community where he served as a volunteer soccer coach for years, traveling with his team throughout Northern California. After Dan retired, he and Mitty moved to the community of El Macero. Always having a heart to serve, he joined the HOA board, eventually serving as president. He made the most of his retirement years by traveling the world with Mitty, playing golf at the local country club, summering in McCall, and relishing quality time with his wife, his children and his grandchildren. He will be sorely missed by his family; Mitty, Jack (Teresa), Sam (Julia), and grandchildren Mira and Liam. A celebration of life will be from 11 to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 11, at the El Macero Country Club.

dnpoulos@urcad org

LEGAL NOTICE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS SUMMARY OF

ORDINANCE

NOTICE is hereby given that the Yolo County Board of Supervisors will consider adopting an ordinance at its public meeting on Tuesday March 7 2023 beginning at 9:00 a m at 625 C o u r t S t r e e t R o o m 2 0 6 W o o d l a n d C A 9 5 6 9 5 T h e p r oposed ordinance is amending Chapter 1 of Title 4 of the Yolo County Code regarding emergency services The chapter is now outdated and no longer fully reflects the operations structure, and goals of the County emergency service The ordinance updates the chapter to reflect the re-establishment of the Disaster Service Council and includes other updates to des c r i b e c u r r e n t e m e r g e n c y s e r v i c e s s t a ffi n g a n d o p e r a t i o n s Th e s e c h a n g e s w i l l h e l p t o e n s u r e a w h o l e c o m m u n i ty a pproach to emergency services and create a safer more resilient Yolo County Persons interested in this matter are encouraged to appear at the public hearing on Tuesday March 7 2023 and to offer comments during the course of the hearing Those wishing to a p p e a r m a y d o s o i n - p e r s o n o r b y s u b m i t t i n g w r i t t e n c o mments by 4:00 p m the Monday prior to the public hearing to provide Board Members and interested members of the public a reasonable opportunity to review comments in advance of the meeting Any written comments received by 4:00 p m will be available as an attachment corresponding with the agenda item; the agenda and staff report will

Daniel J. Dykstra Jr. Oct. 13, 1947 — Jan. 4, 2023

DYKSTRA

Matthew P. Blake d. Feb. 20, 2023 BLAKE

running out for organizations

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of COVID-19 care.

Already, the state has closed all but six OptumServe testing and vaccination centers, according to its appointment website. In an unsigned email, state public health officials acknowledged the “very real toll the pandemic has taken on Californians,” but remained confident its long-term strategy would be sufficient.

“California is equipped to manage the spread of COVID-19, and to continue to limit hospitalizations and deaths as much as possible,” the email stated. Health department officials refused an interview request. Other resources have dried up as well. Community organizations and local public health departments told CalMatters that money for COVID-19 outreach and response has either already run out or will be gone by summer. Federal support will also expire when the nationwide emergency ends in May.

“After the (state of emergency) ends, there’s not going to be any more substantial money given to COVID-19,” said Bernadette Boden-Albala, dean of UC Irvine’s public health program. “All of the attempts to get information out, to vaccinate folks in harder-to-reach communities, is going to get much harder and at best will be forced into other programs.”

‘Gaps’ in COVID19 care likely

Traditionally, public health departments have never been direct service providers. Mass vaccine clinics and test-to-treat sites were a modern-day anomaly necessitated by the virus’ aggressive infection rate. Absent funding, much of that work will stop.

During a monthly meeting with county health officers, Assistant State Public Health Officer Dr. Rita Nguyen acknowledged there will be “gaps” in services as public health steps back.

“There will be a big transition. I don’t think it will be smooth. I think we’re all doing the best that we can to help with that transition, but (for) a lot of the services we will not be able to support at the level that we have before,” Nguyen said. “That’s where we’re trying to engage our partners and say ‘We won’t be in this space in a few months. What else can you do to keep work going in this space?’”

At the county level, much of the work involving COVID-19 care has already “significantly scaled down,” said Lizelle Lirio de Luna, director of family health services in San Mateo County. Her division oversaw the vaccination program for the county and doled out more than 185,000 shots. San Mateo’s vaccine clinics will end in March, and COVID-19

grants will be used up by June.

“It’s still evolving what our role will be, but our primary role will not be how it has been where we deliver the direct vaccination service,” De Luna said.

Public health will largely return to its typical role of monitoring infectious diseases of all types, investigating outbreaks, communicating the importance of vaccination and supporting medical providers when necessary — similar to the role it plays during flu season. But local officials, while cautious, were quick to assure that some level of service will be available.

“Because there is an end of a public health emergency doesn’t mean our work ends,” said Rosyo Ramirez, deputy director of community health in Imperial County. “We’ll continue to work as we have been in trying to prevent serious illness.”

The last state-funded testing and treatment sites in Imperial County will close in the beginning of March, Ramirez said, and people will need to go to their medical provider for care. Statewide, the majority of sites closed in January. Imperial’s COVID-19 money will run out in July.

The message to the public is clear: Go see a doctor for your COVID-19 needs.

That message, however, is fraught with uncertainty, about who, if anyone, will step up to fill health care gaps that predated the pandemic. Although medical providers have far more built-in infrastructure to conduct tests and give vaccines than they did three years ago, many people struggle with regular access to health care — particularly those living in rural areas of the state, those who are uninsured and those who can’t afford outof-pocket charges.

“Everything is moving towards commercialization,” Rhoads with UCSF said. “All of the resources for COVID are getting pushed into your doctor’s office, so you have to have a doctor…We’re shoving a public health function into health care, and public health and health care are two totally different things.”

Disparities largely unchanged

Though the state poured billions of dollars into COVID-19 emergency response and economic relief efforts — much of which focused on equity — many underserved communities are ending the pandemic in the same way they started: with an acute awareness of unmet need.

Early in the pandemic, the virus swept through the ranks of Latino farmworkers, low-wage factory employees, Filipino nurses, undocumented immigrants, Black and Pacific Islander communities, families living in multigenerational housing or cramped quarters, and others unable to work from

home or without adequate access to health care. Of the more than 100,000 COVID-19 deaths to date, Pacific Islanders have the highest mortality rate, followed by African Americans and Latinos.

Vaccination rates among these groups continue to trail far behind the state average. Latino residents fall nearly 15 percentage points below the state vaccination rate when it comes to receiving the first two COVID-19 shots. Native American and Black populations fall behind by 13 and 10 points respectively, while white and Asian groups exceed the statewide rate.

When it comes to the booster and bivalent booster doses, the gap widens significantly. Latinos, with the lowest booster rate, fall 10 points below the state average, 18 points behind their white counterparts and 24 points below Asians. White Californians have the highest bivalent booster rate. (Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have been excluded from this analysis due to anomalies in the state data, including more people reporting vaccination than are estimated in the total population.)

Similarly, the state’s vaccine equity metric shows that as subsequent doses of the vaccine were recommended, those in the most disadvantaged group became less and less likely to get additional shots compared to those in the most advantaged group. The equity metric takes into account socioeconomic variables like income and education as well as race.

The growing vaccine disparity is a reflection of decreased access, community organizers and experts say.

“Everyone wants to throw these health problems back to individuals and individual choice. That doesn’t help us serve the population,” UC Irvine Public Health Dean BodenAlbala said. “Disparities are not about the choices you make but about problems in infrastructure.”

In Delano, Loud For Tomorrow, a youth-led civic engagement group, was instrumental in hosting vaccine clinics and disseminating information by knocking on doors and phone banking. But the group’s funding for COVID-19 outreach ended last summer, said Jose Salvador Orellana, co-founder and lead organizer.

“From the beginning we knew state resources were still not at the level that we needed, and our community, specifically Spanishspeaking Latino communities, needed a different approach” including resources to combat disinformation, Orellana said.

While the state health department was an “amazing partner” in supporting Loud For Tomorrow and other groups’ efforts, most of the collaborations have since ended, Orellana said.

HOMICIDE: Authorities look for other links

From Page A1

convicted in 2005. California Department of Corrections online records show he had been eligible for parole in December 2025.

Following a positive comparison with DNA obtained directly from Hobbs, a Solano Superior Court judge issued a warrant for Hobbs’ arrest and transfer from Valley State Prison in Chowchilla to the Solano County Jail.

Hobbs arrived at the jail last Thursday and appears in Solano Superior Court on March 13 for further arraignment on felony charges of murder and use of a firearm.

Now, Solano County sheriff’s detectives are collaborating with other Northern California law-enforcement agencies to potentially link Hobbs to other unsolved cases in their jurisdictions.

LOCAL: ‘We have learned a lot’

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there was no vaccine nor any specific treatment, and we didn’t have enough gowns, masks, gloves, or goggles to protect healthcare workers, yet alone masks for the general public.

“Contrast those dark early days of the pandemic with today’s COVID-19 reality,” she said. “We have learned a lot about the SARS-CoV-2 virus; antigen tests are widely available and provide results in 15 minutes; safe and effective vaccines are available; safe and effective oral treatments are available; and we have enough PPE for healthcare workers along with high quality masks for the general public. We are in a very different place than we were in March of 2020, and one where it is appropriate to end the COVID-19 emergencies.”

Nevertheless, COVID19 continues to infect people in Yolo County, and residents are encouraged by Sisson to continue taking actions to protect themselves and their community by getting vaccinated and staying up-to-date with COVID19 boosters; wearing a

highquality mask indoors; washing their hands regularly; and staying home when they are sick.

While the local COVID19 emergency is ending, many COVID-19 resources will continue to be available in Yolo County for at least the next several months, including antiviral treatments, antigen tests, and vaccines. Options include:

n Free Treatments — Individuals without a regular healthcare provider or who aren’t able to reach their provider quickly can access free virtual COVID19 telehealth services and medications from Sesame Care online (https:// sesamecare.com/covidca) or by calling 833-6865051. Paxlovid or molnupiravir are free and can either be mailed or picked up at a pharmacy.

n Free Antigen Tests — Individuals with health insurance can receive eight free antigen tests

each month through their insurance providers. Additionally, tests are available at local public libraries during business hours and via vending machines available 24 hours a day. Those vending machines are at the Davis Branch Library (315 E 14th St.); the Esparto Regional Library (17065 Yolo Ave.); the West Sacramento Community Center (1075 W. Capitol Ave.); Winters City Hall (318 1st St.); and La Superior Market in Woodland (34 W. Court St.).

n Free Vaccines — Yolo County continues to host walk-in clinics as well as its DOORVAX in-home vaccination program. Clinics are held in Woodland and West Sacramento. Visit https:// www.yolocounty.org/ government/generalgovernment-departments /health-human-services/ adults/communicabledisease-investigationand-control/covid-19 to find dates and times.

To schedule an in-home vaccination, call 530-9023230. In-home vaccinations are available for ages five and up, including any dose or booster.

“We are grateful to the Campiglia family for their patience and assistance, to the labs whose new technology allowed additional testing of older evidence and to the staff who worked tirelessly to help bring closure to a lifetime of waiting,” sheriff’s officials said.

The arrest announcement noted that the original detective in the murder case, Deputy Jose “Joe” Cisneros, was killed in the line of duty in 1985, five years after the homicide.

“His hard work is still helping solve cases over 40 years later,” officials said.

The case remains under active investigation, and anyone with information regarding the case is urged to contact the Solano County sheriff’s investigations unit at 707784-7050.

— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@ davisenterprise.net. Follow her on Twitter

Sue Peri/HealtHy DaviS togetHer PHoto

An Aggie Public Health Ambassador gives a gift card to someone who got tested for COVID-19 in August as part of Healthy Davis Together, an award-winning public health partnership of UC Davis and the city of Davis.

SISSON

Thankful for our representatives in Congress

We have been blessed lo these many years to have a congressional rep resentative, John Gara mendi, who clearly and persuasively fought for our interests in the climate cri sis.

Then, along came reap portionment and Mr. Garamendi was moved to different turf. We will miss him. Fortunately, we appear to be blessed once again with our new representative, Mike Thompson, who can arguably be called a climate champion.

Most notably, he was one of the original sponsors of the Green New Deal, and apparently one of its authors. The Green New Deal (GND) was a resolution, rather than a law. It set forth broad principles of what a plan would look like to seriously tackle climate change. It grew out of a 2018 Special Report on Global Warming by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as well as the Fourth National Climate Assessment mandated by Congress and consisting of input from 14 federal agencies.

It’s worth remembering the substance of that resolution. As with all such resolutions, it began with several “whereas” sections to document the reason for the resolution and frame the necessity for the subsequent provisions. It noted the potential looming consequences of a 2 degrees C increase in global temperature, including wildfires, deadly heat waves, increases in extreme weather events, devastating economic losses due to infrastructure damage in coastal areas due to sea level rise.

It called for a 10-year Green New Deal national mobilization that would address the climate crisis and form a foundation for across-the-board social benefits in terms of jobs, health, clean water, and a sustainable environment.

Without detailing how to accomplish various goals, it indicated that among those goals was meeting 100 percent of power demand with renewable energy, building a smart grid, making new and existing buildings energy efficient, overhauling the transportation sector to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions, and, presciently, any infrastructure bill considered by Congress address climate change.

Overall, the Green New Deal proposed a comprehensive redirection of priorities and resources to effectively and urgently respond to the climate crisis while also building a new economy full of good jobs with a right to organize, protection of public lands, waters and oceans. In addition, the GND would ensure fairness and equity for all, high-quality health care, affordable, safe and adequate housing, economic security, access to clean water, air, healthy and affordable food, and nature.

Our new congressional representative covered all the bases.

The Green New Deal was not enacted into law. It was immediately attacked not just for its climate provisions, but also, and perhaps more so, for the breadth of its provisions. Britannica ProCon. org produced a side-byside description of the pros and cons of the Green New Deal proposal, inviting eight noted experts or advocates to opine either for or against. Here are a couple of snippets from the “con” side:

A writer from the

Climate trends today and 11,000 years ago

By Kat Kerlin Special to The Enterprise

People often say things like Phoenix has always been dry; Seattle has always been wet; and San Francisco has always been foggy. But “always” is a strong word.

A study from UC Davis synthesizes climate trends across the Western U.S. during a relatively young period of Earth’s history — the Holocene Era, which stretches from the present day to the past 11,000 years. This look at the really Old West shows that the hallmarks of California’s climate — the foggy coastlines that gave rise to towering redwoods, the ocean upwelling that spawned productive fisheries, the warm summers and mild winters — began around 4,000 years ago.

It also reveals a time when the Pacific Northwest was warm and dry and the Southwest was warm and wet. Published in Climate of the Past, a journal of the European Geosciences Union, the study provides a baseline against which modern climate change in the region can be considered. It also sheds light on a lesser-studied geological epoch — the current one, the Holocene.

“We kept looking for this paper, and it didn’t exist,” said lead author Hannah Palmer, who recently earned her Ph.D. from the UC Davis Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. “There are many records of past climate for a single location, but no one had put it all together to

Heartland Institute says the GND, “calls for economically destructive and environmentally toxic extremist policies” and sprinkles in the terms “radical,” “impractical,” and “huge socialist, government-run or managed programs that would be controlled by an army of bureaucrats in Washington.” A writer from the Hoover Institution chimes in with, “The dominant source of energy for the foreseeable future for both the US and the world will be fossil fuels, chiefly in the form of oil, gas, and coal”; ending with, “The major challenge of sound energy policy today is to find ways to make the production of

fossil fuels both cheaper and safer.”

These arguments, along with much hyperbole many distortions, sank the Green New Deal.

But along came the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA), signed by President Biden on Aug. 16 and much of Thompson’s (and others) Green New Deal policies were resurrected. The new law provides $369 billion to tackle climate change and put the U.S. on a path to cut greenhouse gas emissions nearly in half by 2030. The law is not perfect, but nothing perfect ever comes out of Washington.

Some of the provisions in the law include a 30 percent tax credit for installing residential solar panels; a

credit of up to $7,500 for buying an electric vehicle; up to $8,000 for installing a heat pump and up to $14,000 for home energy efficiency; $3 billion for the Post Office to electrify its vehicles; $3 billion for clean school and transit buses, garbage trucks, and other heavy-duty vehicles; removing barriers to community solar to enable renters and homes with shaded roofs to also benefit from solar.

Also, investing $60 billion for solar panels, batteries, and other clean energy technologies; more than $20 billion for farmers to adopt sustainable practices; $50 million to protect forests and oldgrowth trees; and $2.6 billion for projects to protect and restore coastal

communities.

These are just a few of the provisions in the IRA that will help us with the climate crisis. It’s a huge step forward, but it’s not the last step. There is much more to do. We owe it to Representative Thompson to thank him for his efforts thus far, and to support him, and other members of congress, in continuing to lead the effort to get the United States to meet its responsibilities to securing a livable future.

— John Mott-Smith is a resident of Davis. This column appears the first and third Wednesday of each month in the print edition of The Davis Enterprise. Please send your comments to johnmottsmith@ comcast.net

understand the big picture. So we decided to write it.”

The authors analyzed more than 40 published studies, examining the interplay among land and sea temperature, hydroclimate and fire activity across three distinct phases.

The study found:

n Compared to preHolocene conditions (the last Glacial period), the Early Holocene (11,7008,200 years ago) was a time of warm seas, a warm and dry Pacific Northwest, a warm and wet Southwest and fairly low fire activity.

n By the Middle Holocene (8,200-4,200 years ago), that pattern reversed: The ocean’s surface cooled, the Pacific Northwest became cool and wet, and the Southwest became drier.

n The Late Holocene (4,200 years ago-present) is the most climatically variable period. It marks a period when the “modern” climate and temperature patterns are established. The study noted a defined interval of fire activity over the past two centuries that is linked to human activity.

The study also considered the impact of humans on environmental changes at the time, noting that the Era of Colonization (1850-present) represents an unprecedented environmental interval in the climate records.

“Humans have been living here throughout the entire Holocene,” Palmer said. “The climate impacted them, and they impacted the climate, especially in recent centuries.”

Students worry about families living in crisis

By lily Schroeder & naneh grigor

HUB Staff

Students from countries experiencing conflict, such as Ukraine, Libya, Turkey and Israel struggle with being apart from their families who live in those countries.

Junior Iryna Monastyrska has family in Ukraine who is affected by the war every day. “It feels like every other day that I hear my parents talking about an old family friend or an old high school friend that died fighting in battle,” Monastyrska said. She finds that the war is not always taken seriously and her classmates sometimes don’t understand the severity of the situation. “People still don’t understand that (Putin) is this generation’s Hitler,” Monastyrska said.

Being in America, Monastyrska is away from immediate danger, but also separated from her family. The war in Ukraine causes power outages across the country that make it difficult for Monastyrska to always keep in contact with them.

“It’s a mix of relief and sadness because I’m glad that I am safe here in America but it’s sad that I can’t really help out,” Monas-

tyrska said.

Junior Batool Aboud has family in Libya who live in the midst of a civil war, but are lucky to live in a “good area,” according to Aboud, and are not as affected.

Similar to Monastyrska’s family, Aboud’s family has their electricity cut out due to conflict. This is especially dangerous in the summer when it is very hot in Libya and the family has no access to air conditioning.

Aboud feels fortunate that she is able to visit her family in Libya, but still sometimes goes multiple years without visiting. Even so, she values the options that she has in America.

“I am really thankful that I have the opportunity to go to school in the United

States and have a good life here,” Aboud said. “A lot of people don’t get that.”

Junior Ece Midillioglu’s family in Turkey recently experienced the effects of the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that hit near the town of Uzunbag on Feb. 6. Fortunately, Midillioglu’s immediate family and friends were not in areas directly affected by the earthquake but she knows many others who were harmed.

“It is difficult to be so far away from your home country when something so unexpected

and devastating has happened… because it doesn’t feel like there is much you can do to help,” Midillioglu said.

Since her family was slightly removed from the disaster, Midillioglu has been able

to keep in contact with them. “The past two weeks have gone by with endless phone calls and messages making sure they are safe and healthy,” Midillioglu said.

In Davis, the Turkish community came together in the weeks following the earthquake to mourn and fundraise for the victims.

“It has been very heartening to know that there is such a strong community of Turks here that can come together in times of need,” Midillioglu said.

Sophomore Shai Kol is originally from Israel and still visits her family there when possible.

The decade-old conflict between Israel and Palestine has created a difficult history for Kol. “The Palestine and Israel conflict is complicated and horrible so I find it hard for me to answer questions about it,” Kol said.

Kol feels that the lifestyle she sees her family living in Israel is similar to the one she has in Davis. “Every house does have a bomb shelter and there are places in the country that can be dangerous but daily life is normal,” Kol said.

Rotary youth exchange brings international students to Davis

By declan Fee

HUB Staff

Rotary District 5160 sponsors

international students each year who come to Davis, Vacaville and Dixon for an immersive American experience.

Coordinator Bob Poppenga has handled the logistics for this year’s batch of students. He supports both the student who traveled to Davis from France and the one who traveled to Switzerland from Davis.

Though a newcomer to the youth exchange program, Poppenga has immersed himself in the process and has grown to love the exchange program.

“An exchange program is really meant to develop the understanding across cultures and countries,

and hopefully just make the world a little bit of a better place,” Poppenga said. “It is a great way for us to interact with other cultures.”

Poppenga reviews the applications for students hoping to leave the United States and embark on a youth exchange in another country.

Feeling the enthusiasm that students feel before taking off on their journey is the most rewarding part of the whole process for Poppenga.

“It is great to see the excitement before the exchange year and to see how they grow throughout the course of the year,” Poppenga said.

Students submit quarterly reports to Poppenga, talking about what they have been up to and how they are feeling about the whole experience in general. Over the 11-month period where they are

abroad, he notices a lot of change and a new sense of understanding in the students.

When reviewing applications for future exchange students, Rotary looks for a certain type of person.

“The important thing is to get students that want to experience new things and are just curious,” Poppenga said.

Travel experience varies among students: some have never been out of the state, and some are very experienced in other cultures.

“The spirit of adventure is something that we look for. (We also want) students who really just want to learn more about the world,” Poppenga said.

Influx of students from El Salvador

By Sophia young & Stella Maze

HUB Staff

Senior Katherine

Lara Torres came to Davis almost two years ago from El Salvador.

“In the first month everything is different. Everything’s in a new language and when you get to school, it feels like ‘what do I do here?’,” Torres said.

She immigrated to be with her mother and because of the danger she and her brother faced in El Salvador.

While in El Salvador, two of Torres’s close friends were killed. She said that being in El Salvador was like a constant reminder of what had happened to them.

“Being (in the United States) it is easier to forget what’s happening there,” Torres said.

Overall, Torres is happy to be in the U.S. In addition to being in a safer environment, she is happy to be with her mother after 14 years apart.

“I am happy to be here because I wanted to be with my mom,” Torres said. “But I miss my grandpa and my cousins.”

Kimberly Arellano, lead tutor at the Academic Center, noticed an influx of Latin American migrants last March.

“A lot of them are from the Dixon migrant camp. They go to school here and there’s a service that provides them with transportation to come here,” Arellano said.

On a larger scale, there has been a significant increase in migration from Latin American countries in the past 10 years, particularly from countries in the Northern Triangle

(El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras), according to UC Davis professor of political science Bradford Jones.

“Much, if not most, of this immigration is what we call ‘irregular migration’ or more commonly referred to as undocumented immigration,” Jones said.

Compared to other types of migration, irregular migration results in an increase in child and family unit apprehensions at the border.

“What this means is that for a variety of reasons, things are so bad for so many that families are making the choice to take the risk to migrate to the U.S. or remain in a location where they may face existential threats,” Jones said.

Some families leave to escape the dangerous political scene, others leave due to violence of the drug trade.

“But there are other factors at play,” Jones said. “Some leave because of domestic violence, others because of state violence and still others because of climate-related issues.”

Jones believes climate change will

“It is really difficult to be so far away ... when something so unexpected and devastating has happened.”

Ece Midillioglu Davis High junior

Declan Fee/hub photo

Bob Poppenga, Declan Fee, Erwan Merlin, Michael Fee, Owen Sheppard and David Murphy at the Sacramento airport in August when Merlin arrives from Nancy, France.

Sophia Young/hub graphic

California could solve homelessness

By Sharon Rapport Special to CalMatters

Fourteen years ago, Vikki Vickers was diagnosed with schizophrenia and eventually became homeless. She lived for years outside the Santa Monica Library until an outreach worker connected her with medical care at the Venice Family Clinic. That led to voluntary mental health treatment and a bed in an emergency shelter.

Eight months later, Vickers moved into supportive housing at the Downtown Women’s Center. The stability of a roof over her head and supportive services allowed her to work. She is now a case manager helping others, and has lived stably in her own apartment without government subsidies for the past two years.

Stories like hers remind us that solving homelessness in our state is possible. The California Homeless Housing Needs Assessment in December concluded that California can solve homelessness through investments of $8.1 billion in housing, shelter and supportive services every year for the next 12 years.

Through a combination of extensive research, focus groups led by people with lived experience, and conversations with 125 people working in the field, the analysis found that California needs to build 112,527 affordable homes at a cost of $5.7 billion per year.

The state also needs to help subsidize rent in 225,053 homes for $1.8 billion a year. And supportive services, like case management and employment assistance, would provide an essential foundation for 62,966 households with disabilities to heal and stay housed, with an average outlay of $488 million per year.

And finally, California needs an additional 32,235 interim interventions, such as shelters, to help people stay safe while they wait for housing, at a total cost of $630 million.

Homelessness in California is a systemic issue rooted in decades of inadequate investment in deeply affordable housing. It requires a systemic response that provides ongoing funding at scale.

State investment in combating homelessness increased dramatically, spurred in part by our urgent, collective response to COVID-19. Those efforts expand on local initiatives supported by voters, such as Los Angeles’ Proposition HHH. Until recently, California had never examined its spending, or the scale of investment needed before the assessment.

Numerous examples demonstrate the value of setting clear goals based on data and investing ongoing funding in housing. The federal government reduced homelessness among veterans by 55% from 2010 to 2022. Houston reduced homelessness by upwards of 63%. Finland cut homelessness by 40% and is projected to eliminate homelessness entirely by 2027.

California can set an example of progress, but only with an honest analysis of the reality it faces.

An $8.1 billion price tag is strikingly high at first glance, but it amounts to just 2.7% of California’s state budget.

The status quo is more expensive. One study in Orange County estimated that the average annual cost of municipal, health, justice system and other services for people experiencing homelessness totaled $45,000 per person. Even these costs leave out the state’s disproportionate spending on MediCal, prisons or state hospitals, let alone the immeasurable cost for people caught in the trauma of experiencing homelessness.

California is not starting from zero, either. Expected state and federal resources have already committed $1.2 billion to create housing, leaving lawmakers to allocate $6.9 billion on average each year.

The data California leaders need to make informed decisions is available now. With continued investment, there can be more success stories like Vickers closing a difficult chapter of history for good.

— Sharon Rapport is the California state policy director at the Corporation for Supportive Housing. She wrote this for CalMatters, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California's Capitol works and why it matters.

Mass transit merits its budget cuts

From the moment Gov. Gavin Newsom announced in January that his next budget plan would include a $2 billion cut in funding for building mass transit, there was bleating from many of California’s leading liberal legislators.

The budget reduction, warned Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco, “could lead to significant service cuts, which is a downward death spiral for some (transit) agencies.”

Oakland Democratic state Sen. Nancy Skinner added that “I think everyone in the Legislature would not want to have any funding shift, for example, for a public service like transit.”

But a look at the numbers gives a pretty good idea why Newsom chose transit for about 10 percent of the cuts needed to make up a predicted $22 billion deficit.

They show Californians are not as enthusiastic about either light or heavy rail commuting as their elected lawmakers.

Figures from the American Public Transit Assn. demonstrate that neither the extensive Bay Area Rapid Transit system nor Southern California’s Metro Rail have come close to recovering the ridership they lost during the coronavirus pandemic, when two things happened:

One saw many whitecollar workers begin staying

Where was everybody?

home to work. The other was that thousands of commuters daily chose to use private cars rather than public transit in order to avoid possible exposure to the many, ever mutating variants of COVID.

By the fall of last year, BART was carrying just 55 percent of its pre-pandemic passenger load, while Metro Rail was at 71 percent of prior ridership. Partly, that’s because San Francisco saw a greater shift than Southern California toward remote work. The change also saw that city lose about 6 percent of its population, many workers moving to less expensive areas once they no longer needed to live close to their jobsites.

The specific numbers, available most recently from last July, August and September, saw both systems carrying tens of thousands more persons in those months of 2022 than a year earlier. But still not nearly enough to make either system break even financially.

That’s one reason the Newsom budget proposal seeks to cut much more

are arming Ukraine.

money for new lines and equipment than for operations.

But any reduction in new rail construction offends folks like Wiener and Skinner for other reasons, even though they rarely mention it.

Wiener, in particular, has been the legislative point person for the recent spate of state laws that encourage far denser housing than California has previously seen.

Proximity to mass transit lines and stations is written into some of those measures, with high-rise construction permitted almost automatically in areas close to “major transit corridors” and light rail stations.

So the more new rail lines are built, the more dense housing will be permitted over the next few years.

The fact that not very much of the development authorized so far has actually taken place has less to do with transit access than with high interest rates and skepticism on the part of lenders. They see high vacancy rates where new construction has risen. Current vacancy rates in commercial and multi-family housing run about 27 percent in San Francisco and 20 percent in Los Angeles.

In short, just because legislators authorize something does not mean it will automatically occur, especially

when the average cost of creating a new one-bedroom apartment or condominium reportedly is about $830,000.

None of this will dampen the enthusiasm of Wiener, Skinner and other legislators for ever-denser housing.

As a result, and if transit ridership gradually creeps back toward pre-pandemic levels, expect pushback from the lawmakers over the cut in transit construction funding, putatively slashed by Newsom from $7.7 billion in 2022-23 to $5.7 billion in 2023-24.

For the fiscally conservative governor had to find places to cut his budget that would impact the fewest possible Californians.

Since ground has not even been broken yet on rail lines that were to be financed by the funds at issue, let alone have them in operation, this is a cut that affects no one right now.

Which makes it a logical category to reduce, unless there’s a sudden and unexpected upturn in the state’s finances.

— 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.

There have been two reports in the Enterprise of a man shot to death by a member of a SWAT team in Dunnigan.

The report points out that he was brandishing a 12-inch kitchen knife.

What neither report mentions is that he was inside the trailer when shot. Was the SWAT team member inside the trailer, too?

If not, it’s hard to understand why he might have feared for his life.

What are the facts?

The articles do mention that the Davis Police are investigating the shooting.

Gabe Lewin Davis

Ukraine war

It has been one year since Russia invaded Ukraine so perhaps we should remind ourselves why we

Speak out

President

Ukraine is one of three countries that voluntarily gave up nuclear weapons. The others are Kazakhstan and the white government of South Africa. If we are going to convince other countries to give up their nuclear weapons we must protect those that have already given them up.

Russia, the U.S., and the UK provided guarantees or assurances to Ukraine in the “Budapest Memorandum” that Ukraine would not be invaded if they gave up their nukes. Our aid to Ukraine is a fulfillment of that assurance.

Furthermore, we have a policy that countries can not simply invade other countries and seize their territory. This gives those countries the security to not build nuclear weapons.

North Korea has built nuclear weapons. There are over a hundred countries with larger economies than North Korea. So many, perhaps most, of those countries could also build nuclear weapons.

Currently, there are nine nuclear powers. If we allowed countries to invade one another we might have closer to ninety.

Building, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202224-3553; email: https://www.padilla. senate.gov/contact/contact-form/

A major reason we do not want a lot of countries to have nuclear weapons is that their leaders might get drunk and use them. There are rumors that Nixon and Brezhnev of the Soviet Union had problems in this area.

A friend of mine, Vladimir Simunek, told me he witnessed Brezhnev getting so drunk that he tried to start World War 3.

The other Soviet leaders wrestled Brezhnev to the floor in the middle of a state dinner. Simunek was a high official in the Czechoslovakian government at that state dinner, and a distinguished economics professor when I knew him.

Finally, we supply the Ukrainians with arms because we are afraid Russia will attack NATO countries if we show weakness over Ukraine. China also might be emboldened to attack Taiwan or one of its other neighbors.

Supplying weapons to Ukraine is dangerous. Russia has a lot of nukes. We do it because we think not supplying weapons to Ukraine would be more dangerous.

Richard Bruce Davis

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: https://www. feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/ e-mail-me

Sen. Alex Padilla, 112 Hart Senate Office

House of Representatives Rep. Mike Thompson, 268 Cannon Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20515; 202225-3311. District office: 622 Main Street, Suite 106, Woodland, CA 95695; 530-753-5301; email: https:// https:// mikethompsonforms.house.gov/contact/ Governor Gov. Gavin Newsom, State Capitol, Suite 1173, Sacramento, CA 95814; 916-4452841; email: https://govapps.gov.ca.gov/ gov40mail/

Happening here? East Palestine to East Davis

There is a lot going on in this world of ours and we have a whole cadre of reporters to tell us all about it, often in sufficient detail and with enough repetition to make us want to scream.

I soon tired of the that wretched Chinese balloon and eventually thought the object of the venture was not as a surveillance weapon but for psychological warfare. Nevertheless, there is a lot to be learned from things that are happening around us, not so much for what is happening to others with whom we sympathize, but how such events might affect us in similar situations.

Now I do not expect Russian Z-marked tanks to come rumbling and grumbling down Highway 113 in the foreseeable future, though I am considerably less sanguine about Russian missiles.

I do have a plan for that eventuality because, under such circumstances, I am way too close to the Bay Area, which is likely one of the Tsar’s targets. I do hope those in charge have a plan for that. I’m sure they do. After all that is what the military does and they do it well.

Closer to home, I observe with some dread the train wreck in East Palestine, Ohio, that is too reminiscent of our East Davis. We share, with that little Ohio town, railway lines that carry a lot of freight, including many tankercars that contain well — stuff. Goodness knows what stuff that might be, though it certainly is not such stuff as dreams are made on.

I hope somebody in charge knows what is in those tankers on rails that pass through our town and that they have a plan for that. I’m sure they do and, if we should share the East Palestine experience, the planners know where to find the plan and remember how to implement it. However, I would feel better if those in charge would tell me why our condition here in Davis is differ-

ent from that in East Palestine and why, therefore, such a calamity could never happen here.

I view with sorrow and dismay the effects of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, and gasp as the death toll rises towards 50,000 souls. We live alongside a region that is earthquake prone, and not just little ones, so that recent experience in the Middle East might give us some useful heartburn. I do not worry too much about my own little home as it is built just one story high; on the other hand, my home was built many years ago when the regulations about earthquake-stable construction may have been different from and less effective than today.

Of course, having regulations and enforcing them is two different things, as the Turks found out, and enforcement can vary over time. Davis does contain multi-story apartment houses and some other high-rise buildings, and I wonder if they would pancake during a hard enough shaker? Hope not.

We have heard about floods in many parts of the world, perhaps most dramatically in Pakistan, where recent floods affected

many tens of thousands. I am pretty sure that, at one point in its geological history, the great valley in which we live was a lake. It strikes me as only remotely possible that the 1,000-year flood in California, that some predict, will bring back such conditions. However, more localized flooding such as we recently experienced with our sequence of atmospheric rivers is much more likely though it could be much more widespread.

We shall soon have a mini test of that potential as we watch our rivers, levees and dams handle the snowmelt this spring. Let’s just hope it doesn’t warm up too quickly and too much. Doubtless this threat will go away soon because we have such effective action to control global warming. Maybe. I don’t want to mention fires, as we are already the market leaders there.

The general point I want to make is that we, here in California and in this comfortable small town if ours, can ogle at events taking place around the world and think no part of that can possibly touch us. We think we live

so high on the dog that we are protected from mayhem in the many forms it can take, some natural and others man caused:

The “It can never happen here” syndrome. And that leads to complacency.

We get sloppy with regulations and enforcement, or careless or forgiving or looser about things, easier to say yes to requests at the edge, or pay less attention to routine information in which some detail may rescue a situation.

In the brewing industry when something goes wrong the investigation as to why that happened always reveals a chain of events in which no single action caused the breakdown: There was not one great blunder causing the calamity. It’s always an accumulation of small errors. This does not just apply to brewing calamities, but to every calamity that ever happened in any place on the planet. There may be a failure to plan ahead for a chain of reasons or a breakdown in those plans for a chain of reasons. We might say that eternal vigilance is the price of safety.

—Reach Michael Lewis at waleslewis792@gmail.com.

March Bicycle Madness motivates us

By Russell Reagan Special to The Enterprise

People in Davis know that bicycling is for everyone who is able-bodied, not just the athletes. But it takes motivation to ride.

A bicyclist I met who had ridden many 200mile rides once described how on some days she found it hard to motivate herself to get on her bike just to ride across Davis for an errand. We may recognize the many health benefits of bicycling, not to mention the benefits for the planet. Yet even for the athletically inclined, sometimes that’s still not sufficient motivation to get on our bikes.

Encouragement is an important element in the Bike Plan of the City of Davis and other communities. In the broader challenge of switching to more sustainable transportation modes, activities of groups like the Davis Bike Club have a role to play in encouraging more people to get on their bikes.

Of the activities DBC offers, March Bicycle Madness is one that I enjoy especially because it’s so effective in motivating me to ride more. Participants sign up and pay a registration fee like for many bicycling events; they select a goal for their miles to ride during March using their bike odometers. Proceeds from this year’s registration fees will go to biking education in local schools.

March Madness began in the early 1990s as a contest between three DBC members who obsessively pedaled thousands of miles during March. It was described as an event where you do nothing but ride your bike and sleep

the BiCyCle CampaigN

for a whole month. As the years passed, easier mileage options for the rest of us have been added. First timers only may sign up for the 50-mile goal, and first timers under 18 can ride the 10-mile goal. The less crazy among us can join in and still lead a mostly normal life!

I strongly doubt that I would ride so many miles without setting my goal, or without the camaraderie of other bicyclists on group rides organized by DBC. When I’m riding alone for exercise, somehow, I find myself struggling to keep pedaling. In the company of others on group rides, however, the social glue overrides such doubts about whether I will make it to the destination.

For example, one cold January day, I rode with two others for 30 miles to a winery in the Dunnigan Hills north of Esparto against a fierce headwind. A few times I said I almost couldn’t stand it, and maybe I would turn back. But especially when the third rider joined us, it became more of a slam dunk. I joyously remarked, “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this!”

Meeting my mileage goals, especially my first time riding the Madness, proved to be easier than expected. As the month progresses, I gain a sense of well-being from all the exercise I’m getting. Riding those miles becomes almost an addiction, and DBC provides an online mileage tracker where participants can record their progress and view all the

miles logged by other participants (identifying themselves mostly by nicknames).

The hard core cyclists riding 2,000 miles and up have received much of the attention and the glory.

But let’s not overlook the achievements of less experienced, low mileage riders who also serve as an inspiration to the wider community. They lead the way for even more to discover the joy and health benefits

of bicycling — not to mention adopting positive habits by overcoming one’s natural hesitancy to ride a bike for basic transportation.

To participate in March Madness, join the DBC

Courtesy photo

($30), and register for the event ($25) at davisbikeclub.org and click on “March Bicycle Madness.”

— Russell Reagan is a member of the Davis Bike Club.

Chancellor awards UCD Medal to philanthropist Maria Manetti Shrem

Enterprise staff

UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May announced Feb. 14 he will award the 2023 UC Davis Medal, the university’s highest honor, to international arts patron and philanthropist

Maria Manetti Shrem.

Manetti Shrem is the largest supporter of what is known as the UC Davis arts renaissance, funding visionary projects such as the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, artist residencies and new arts curricula in the College of Letters and Science.

Name Droppers

“Maria’s profound arts legacy and passion for creating opportunities for exploration, learning and engagement with art and artists has enriched the lives of everyone in our community, and will continue to do so over the years to come,” May said.

“We’re thrilled to honor her with this exclusive award.”

The medal puts Maria Manetti Shrem in company with 2020 Nobel Laureate Charles Rice,

artist Wayne Thiebaud, former President Bill Clinton, and fellow philanthropists Robert and Margrit Mondavi in recognition of extraordinary contributions that embody UC Davis’ vision.

“It means the world to me. I am elated and humbled to receive such a high honor and recognition from UC Davis,” Manetti Shrem said. “I owe this connection to my very much missed great friend and mentor, Margrit Mondavi. The Manetti Shrem Museum and the College of Letters and Science are

groundbreaking institutions. I am very proud to consistently support them.”

Maria Manetti Shrem and her husband, Jan Shrem, have long given to philanthropic causes supporting education, fine arts, performing arts, medical research and cultural organizations in the U.S., Italy and the United Kingdom.

The couple achieved their dreams through independently successful careers: Maria Manetti Shrem as the principal force behind Gucci’s

integration into American department specialty stores, and Jan Shrem as the founder of an international book publishing firm and Clos Pegase winery. Their shared love of the arts inspired the couple to connect to UC Davis, with its legacy of excellence as the home to world-famous artists such as Thiebaud, Robert Arneson and William T. Wiley.

In the years since, the Manetti Shrem couple have become increasingly involved, expanding the vision for and reputation of UC Davis arts programs.

Dean Estella Atekwana of the College of Letters and Science adds that Manetti Shrem’s support means even more because of Maria’s personal love for the university.

“Maria is an Aggie, full stop. She has a deep affinity with UC Davis and refers to us as ‘our’ or ‘my university’ when speaking with others,” Atekwana said.

— Do you know of someone who has won an award or accomplished something noteworthy? Email it to newsroom@davisenter prise.net.

Russell Reagan pauses in the Siskiyou Mountains on a Davis Bike Club trip in May.

Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

UC Davis men home this week

By Bob Dunning Enterprise staff writer

The mad scramble that is the Big West Conference men’s basketball race comes to a conclusion this

weekend.

UC Davis hosts UC Santa Barbara Thursday at 6 p.m. and Long Beach State Saturday at 1 p.m., both at the University Credit Union Center.

The top six teams receive firstround byes in the Big West tournament that begins Tuesday in Henderson, Nev.

The tournament winner goes on to represent the Big West in the NCAA tournament.

The Aggies are currently alone in sixth with a 10-7 mark, just ahead of Long Beach at 10-8. Long Beach hosts Cal State Bakersfield, 6-12, Thursday night.

UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine and UC Riverside are all tied for first at 13-5, followed by Hawaii and Cal State Fullerton at 12-6.

If the Aggies and Long Beach both win on Thursday night, then the winner of Saturday’s game will claim the sixth spot. If both teams lose on Thursday night, the winner of Saturday’s game will still determine the sixth spot.

However, if the Aggies win on Thursday and Long Beach loses, the Aggies will get the sixth spot no matter what happens on Saturday night.

If the Aggies lose on Thursday and Long Beach wins, it will once again go to Saturday night’s winner.

The seventh through 10th place teams open play Tuesday at the Dollar Loan Center, with the two winners advancing to the second round on Thursday. The title game is Saturday.

UCD 58, Cal Poly 52

SAN LUIS OBISPO — Eli Pepper erupted for 18 points in the second half as injury-riddled UC Davis

came back late to take a critical 58-52 Big West men’s basketball win over Cal Poly Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 2,184 at the Mott Athletics Center.

The win, UCD’s second straight, gives the Aggies a 10-7 mark in Big West play and 17-12 overall. Hardluck Cal Poly lost its 17th straight conference game to fall to 1-17 and 7-23. The Mustangs opened Big West play with a 67-57 win over Cal State Northridge on Dec. 29 and have not won since.

The Aggies used just seven players in the game and one of those — little-used 6-11 sophomore Francesco Borra — came up with the play of the game with the score tied entering the final minute.

Borra, seeing significant action in place of the injured Christian Anigwe, blocked a shot from a driving Trevon Taylor with the score tied at 52. The Aggies grabbed the rebound and Pepper was fouled attempting a 3-point shot with 57 seconds remaining.

Pepper sank all three foul shots and then added two more at 0:29 to seal the win.

“He was coming down the paint and I just moved toward the ball,” said Borra of his game-saving block. “It was just the right move at the moment.”

Borra has been used sparingly all season after suffering a wrist injury in a bicycle accident last fall, but saw 21 minutes of action against Cal Poly.

Noted teammate Leo DeBruhl of Borra, “It’s no surprise he made that play. He works hard in practice every single day.”

Added DeBruhl, “We’re playing for each other right now. It’s tough, because sometimes you’re super exhausted, but you look down the bench and there’s no one able to come in.”

Women’s water polo squad tame Lions

Aggie coach Jim Les also had enthusiastic praise for Borra, a native of Italy.

“That play was huge. The adversity we’re going through, the ups and downs, maybe playing a game, maybe not, but he (Borra) was just such a presence down there.”

Borra had just three points, but pulled down six rebounds and had two blocks.

The Aggies were forced to cancel a Thursday night date at Cal State Fullerton because of injuries and weren’t certain until Friday that they would even be making the trip to San Luis Obispo.

The Aggies made just one field goal in the last 11 minutes — a 3-pointer by Kane Milling that tied the game at 50 with 2:56 remaining — but Pepper’s seven-for-seven effort from the foul line allowed them to pull away down the stretch.

When UCD and Cal Poly met earlier this winter in Davis, the Aggies overcame a late 13-point deficit by scoring the last 15 points for a memorable 65-63 win. This time around, it was an 8-0 run at the end that produced another victory.

Pepper, the leading scorer in the Big West, had 20 points to lead all scorers, while Ty Johnson had 12 points, DeBruhl 11 and Milling 10. Milling added 11 rebounds to his day’s work.

“Kane was battling his tail off on the boards,” said Les.

Noted Les, “I said before the game that we just had to will ourselves a win. Our intensity, our competitiveness and our concentration got it done. We need a good 24 to 48 hours of rest to tell us how many guys we can go into battle with. We’ll just keep plugging along and we’ll be ready to go on Thursday and Saturday.”

— Contact Bob Dunning at bdunning@davisenterprise.net.

Enterprise staff

IRVINE — The UC Davis women’s water polo team wrapped up the BK Invite with an 11-7 victory over Loyola Marymount on Sunday, tallying its third straight win.

UCD (10-8) concluded the weekend with its wins coming against ranked opponents.

The Aggies out-shot the Lions 31-28 and were much more clinical with their chances to edge the victory.

Ally Clague shined with her third multi-goal game of the season, finding the back of the cage three times to lead the Aggies offensively.

Hailey Williams continued her excellent weekend with a pair of goals in the contest. Sam Yoo led UCD with four total points, dishing out three assists and notching a game-sealing goal in the closing stages of the match.

Sophia Noble was reliable as ever in goal, making eight saves with a save percentage of .533.

Next for UCD is beginning Big West Conference action at Northridge to take on CSUN on Friday, March 10 at noon.

AGGIES: Double-digit scorers

From Page B6

had 14 points each.

Guard Victoria Baker had seven points for the Aggies, and guard Makaila Sanders six.

Forward Megan Jones had five points, guard Evanne Turner four, guard Nya Epps two and Campbell Gray one.

Turner, along with Sanders and Sussman, had six rebounds each.

Turner accounted for five of the Aggies’ 15

assists.

Cal Poly had three players in scoring double figures.

Forward Natalia Ackerman had 14 points, guard Taylor Wu 12 and another guard in Annika Shah 10.

Ackerman and guard Sydney Bourland had seven rebounds each.

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

BasketBall

Sabel, Aggies too much for the Mustangs

By Mike Bush Enterprise sports editor

Tova Sabel has also been one of the UC Davis women’s basketball team’s hot shooting hands this season.

Two more Aggie teammates also contributed to Saturday’s Big West Conference home game against Cal Poly. Combined, UCD posted a 70-56 over the Mustangs at the University Credit Union Center on Saturday in front of 802 fans.

This was the last conference home game of the season for UCD (10-7 in the Big West, 14-13 overall).

On Thursday, the Aggies will play at UC Santa Barbara at 7 p.m.

Then UCD concludes conference action at Long Beach State on Saturday. Game time is 2 p.m.

“There’s a lot that can happen this last week in terms of seeding and moving up and down,” said UC Davis head coach Jennifer Gross. “We focus on these last couple of games on the road and be prepared for whatever we face.”

The Big West Tournament is scheduled to start on Tuesday, March 7 at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nev.

The Aggies are currently in fifth place behind Hawaii (11-7), UC Santa Barbara (12-6), UC Irvine (14-2) and first place Long Beach State (16-2).

The Aggies raced to a 21-7 lead in the first quarter on Cal Poly (6-11 in the Big West, 9-16).

“We talked about bringing the energy,” Sabel said. “We showed that in the beginning, a lot of energy.”

Clearly, the Aggies’ defense set the tone in the first 10 minutes of the game. The Mustangs 3-14 from the field

Wrestling

for 21.4%. They ultimately finished going 18-55 for 32.7%.

“That was our key for the game was to come out with tons of energy,” Gross said. “We really wanted to be sure that no matter what happened on offense, we’re bringing a lot of urgency on defense.”

The Aggies forced the Mustangs into 23 turnovers.

On top of that, UCD had 13 fast break points. The Aggies pulled down 38 rebounds and the Mustangs 29. Sabel, a 5-foot-11 junior guard from Stockholm, Sweden, was finding her shots en route to being the game’s highest scorer.

“She came out firing,” said Gross of Sabel. “She was really focused. Anytime that they were giving her an open look, she was ready to knock it down. She’s an inside and outside presence. Today, she got it going from the outside.”

Cal Poly started the second quarter with a 7-2 run, which trimmed the Aggies’ lead to 23-14.

But the Aggies’ defense got back to pressuring the Mustangs’ offense into turnovers in the middle of the quarter. That led to a remarkable 20-1 run for a 41-14 halftime lead.

The visiting Mustangs made the third quarter interesting with an 8-7 run. But the Aggies still controlled the game, sitting on a 50-23 lead with 4:43 remaining on the game clock. UC Davis led 58-36 after three quarters.

Cal Poly outscored UCD 20-12 in the fourth quarter.

Aggie center Megan Norris and forward Tess Sussman

See AGGIES, Page B5

soCCer playoffs

Chris Mora/inside the open Mat-Courtesy photo Davis High wrestler Avangeline Turner works pinning an opponent at the CIF State Wrestling Championships last weekend. Turner is one of five DHS wrestlers in the program’s history to have earned a medal the state championships.

Turner pins down fourth place at championships

Enterprise staff

Avangaline Turner is one of 15 Davis High wrestlers who has qualified for the California Interscholastic Federation State Championships in the program’s history.

Now she is the fifth Blue Devil to earn a medal at the championships.

Turner, competing in the 150-pound, took fourth place at the state wrestling championships at Mechanics Bank Arena on Saturday. The junior finished the tournament with a 4-2 record.

The Blue Devil won her first three matches — by pins. But her fourth match had lose by a pin. That gave her a 3-1 record.

Turner finished the state tournament with a split in her final two matches. She won the fifth match by pin, and fell in the third place by pin.

“California has the most female wrestlers, the best female wrestlers, the most difficult high school championship tournament in the country, and Cubi (Turner’s nickname) nine years of grinding are paying off,” said Davis head coach John Rosendale. “The entire Davis community can be incredibly proud of Avangeline’s fourth place finish.

“I am looking forward to brining home a first place medal next year.”

Andrea Gonzalez (111) also competed at the tournament. But the junior lost her first two matches of the double-elimination tournament.

The duo are also the two of nine Blue Devil wrestlers who have advanced to the state meet.

James Davis earned a berth in 2022.

Adrienna Turner, Avangeline’s older sister, took fourth place in the 2020 tournament. Zach Brooks was eighth and Ethan Rosendale also competed.

Adrienna Turner took third place at the 2019 meet. Brooks also wrestled at the meet.

Turner first competed at the tournament in 2018.

There was no state meet in 2021 because of the pandemic.

DHS boys win NorCal opener

By Mike Bush Enterprise sports

editor

Rigo Guerra walked off the turf at Ron and Mary Brown Stadium feeling good.

Davis High boys soccer head coach Alex Park gave the senior forward a big hug. Then Blue Devils junior varsity head coach Danddy Jebri fist-bumped Guerra.

All with good reason. Guerra became the second Blue Devil to tally a hat trick in the playoffs. This time, in the opening round of the California Interscholastic Federation NorCal Boys Soccer Championships Division I against Clayton Valley Charter, as top-seed Davis (21-0-2) grounded No. 8 Eagles by a 5-0 score.

“It’s great,” said Park of DHS winning its first-ever NorCal home game. “I want to see it all the way through. I want to see the boys have a perfect record.”

Now Davis, competing in the NorCal playoffs for the first time ever, advances to the semifinal round game on Thursday. The Blue Devils will host No. 4 Monte Vista, which posted a 1-0 victory over No. 5 Alisal of Salinas. Game time is 5 p.m.

The other semifinal game has No. 2 Clovis North welcoming No. 3 Mountain View. Clovis North

beat Vintage of Napa 2-0 and Mountain View beat No. 6 Whitney 6-5 in a shootout.

The winners of Thursday’s semifinal games will play for the regional D-I title on Saturday.

Davis, which is ranked No. 3 in the nation and No. 2 in California according to MaxPreps, beat Whitney 4-0 in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship game at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento on Feb. 23.

The Blue Devils have shutout their five playoff opponents by a 22-0 margin.

“That is amazing,” Park said.

Guerra score two of his three goals in the first half, which gave DHS a 2-0 halftime lead.

His first goal came at the 20th minute. Then he scored again seven minutes later.

Clayton Valley Charter (19-2-3), which took second place in the Diablo-Foothill League this season, played with only 10 players early in the first half until the end. That was because an Eagle player received a red card for retaliation after hitting a Blue Devil player following a handball.

“We were all getting riled up,” said Guerra of the Eagles’ red card. “So, the team had to relax a little bit. Know that they are a man down, we had to capitalize on it.

Overload on one side (of the field).”

Davis midfielder Nicolas Montano recorded the next goal six minutes into the second half. Taking the ball from teammate and another midfielder in Oliver Fleet, Montano, without hesitation, fired the ball into the back of the twine for a 3-0 score.

Guerra’s final goal came in the 52nd minute of the contest. He took the ball on the left side of net at the south end of the field, and sent the ball into the back of the net for a 4-0 Blue Devil lead.

Guerra felt he was going to get more touches in the game, as the Eagles were marking up forward Simon Vaca-Lorenzi, who scored three goals in the section title game against Whitney.

“I just really took my chances,” Guerra said. “I felt really good on all of my shots. I had a really good shooting day.”

Park added on Guerra, “He’s getting better too.” Davis’ final goal came in the 60th minute of the game.

Blue Devil defender Emanuel Tames-Kaimowitz got the loose ball, set up the shot that landed into the corner of the net.

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

arya lalvani/enterprise photo

UC Davis forward Tess Sussman (1) goes up for the shot in Saturday’s Big West Conference home game against Cal Poly at the University Credit Union Center.

Christoph lossin/entperise photo Blue Devil forward Rigo Guerra (right) scores one of his three goals in Tuesday’s CIF NorCal Regional Soccer Championship Division I game at Ron and Mary Brown Stadium. Guerra is one of two DHS players who has recorded a hat trick in the playoffs in the past week.