THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE
SERVING THE UC DAVIS CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY SINCE 1915
VOLUME 133, ISSUE 10 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2014
ROSA FURNEAUX / AGGIE
The Folsom Lake Marina (seen in the foreground) is used to launch ships. Currently, the Marina sits on dry earth due to record low water levels. The water (seen in the background) is currently at one fifth of its capacity.
State asks citizens to conserve water GABRIELLA HAMLETT
city@theaggie.org
2013 has been declared the third consecutive dry year for California. Though Gov. Jerry Brown has not officially declared a drought, governmental entities such as the California State Board of Food and Agriculture, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the
State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), among others, are collaborating to come to consensus on solutions. The California Department of Water Resources is planning to draft emergency legislation to present to Gov. Brown within the next few weeks. While there is still a possibility we can get enough rain in the next three
months, many cities in the greater Sacramento area have already taken initiative in water conservation efforts. Folsom was the first to mandate a 20 percent water conservation effort from its citizens on Dec. 23, 2013. Sacramento County followed a few days later asking voluntary reductions in water use by 20 percent. Davis has already instilled a water conservation goal of 20 percent for 2020. The Water Advisory Committee has made efforts to give advice on how to conserve.
“Our citizens are already being asked to conserve. The City Council also will be discussing our ongoing Water Conservation Plan at an upcoming Council meeting. Initial concepts were introduced on Dec. 17,” said Dianna Jensen of the City of Davis Water Advisory Committee. Mayor Joe Krovoza ensures that the City of Davis is less at risk due to reliance on groundwater. “The City of Davis is still 100 perdrought on 4
New year, new DMV traffic laws Innovative, specific road rules affect motorists, cyclistslocal issues
Maureen Mai / Aggie
AB 1371
COURTESY / DESIGN FOR AMERICA - UC DAVIS
Three Feet for Safety Act states that a car or other motorized vehicle must leave three feet of space between itself and any bicycle.
SB 194 Drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from reading, sending or using a text-based device while driving, even if the device is hands-free.
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Students brainstorm at Design for America’s “Understand Workshop”.
SB 266 and SB 286 Clean Air vehicles or vehicles with HOV stickers to operate in carpool lanes without meeting the minimum occupancy requirement.
Design for America comes to UC Davis Students, faculty, communities collaborate to address local issues
SEAN GUERRA features@theaggie.org
Thanks to the efforts of engineering and design students, UC Davis has become one of 17 universities nationwide to be part of Design for America (DFA). DFA is an interdisciplinary network of student-led teams that use the design process to solve problems in their communities, with the help of faculty, mentors and sponsors. Founded in 2009 by Dr. Liz Gerber of Northwestern University, DFA has spread coast to coast and to other UCs like Berkeley and UCLA. Following the national DFA design process, the organization advocates a three-step system: first understanding problems in their communities through interviews and research; then creating solutions and prototypes via collaboration, teamwork, and feedback from mentors; and finally implementing those solutions in trial-runs within the communities. “The general mission is to have students and people from the community
come together to solve problems using human-centered design,” said Max Bern, a fifth-year mechanical and aerospace engineering double major and co-founder of DFA-Davis. “Human-centered design is different than design from a business standpoint because you’re focused more on getting feedback from the specific user group during the entire design process instead of relying on how much money you’re going to get in a marketplace.” In order to become a campus studio of DFA, universities must first go through a competitive three-phase application process. The process is orchestrated and judged by DFA alumni and fellows who work at Northwestern University, the national DFA hub. Throughout the 2012-13 academic year, teams were required to compile signatures from the student body to determine campuswide interest in the organization. They then completed a four-week prototype development assignment to illustrate their design on 5
SHANNON SMITH city@theaggie.org
With the beginning of the new year, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has implemented new road rules for 2014. “Many of these new laws are a combination of ideas by the state legislature and the DMV,” said Artemio Armenta, public information officer for the DMV. “New ideas are continually introduced and moved through the process.” Of the seven new rules, the most relevant to the City of Davis and UC Davis students is the updated law for Bicycle Passing Distance [AB 1371]. Alternatively named the Three Feet for Safety Act, effective Sept. 16, this rule states that a car or other motorized vehicle must leave three feet of space between itself and any bicycle. “Everyone is responsible for making sure that all who share the road [are] kept safe,” Armenta said. “The base fine for violating this law is $35, and can
range to $200. If someone is hurt, the fine can go up to $1,000, in addition to other legal issues.” This law has been established in hopes of creating a safer environment for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists and preventing dispute or injury. However, this law may affect motorists negatively because they would be the party responsible for keeping the three feet of distance, even if cyclists are performing the malpractice. “I think that’s ridiculous,” said Sally Sandoval, purchasing manager of the UC Davis Evolution and Ecology Department. “I don’t think I have time to pay attention to the road and judge the specific distance between myself and a biker. I have been on this campus for 29 years and sometimes, bikers just keep going and don’t look or stop.” There are six other new laws affecting roads on 5