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Davis Enterprise, The (CA)
Covell Vilage failure top story in Davis for 2005
Jeff HudsonEnterprise staff writer
Published: December 30, 2005
It was a year when Davis voters "just said no" — and said so loudly —
turning down the proposed Covell Village development by a lopsided
margin, along with all the propositions on the Nov. 8 ballot.
It
was also a year when gun-related homicide, racist graffiti and
vandalism, and other social ills struck several Yolo County locales.And
it was a year in which people worried about West Nile virus, which
caused 18 deaths in California; a year in which astronaut (and UC Davis
graduate) Steve Robinson performed heroically in space; and a year in
which Davis, Woodland and West Sacramento moved to cut longtime ties
with investor-owned energy provider PG&E and switch to SMUD, the
publicly owned Sacramento Municipal Utilities District.The
top stories of 2005, as selected by the staff of The Enterprise,
include setbacks and triumphs, signs of hope and incidents that raise
concern.1. Covell VillageBecause
Covell Village generated more letters the editor, more campaign money
and more vitriol than any other issue this year, Enterprise editors and
reporters unanimously voted it this year's No. 1 story.The
1,864 housing-unit development slated for the agricultural land at the
corner of Covell Boulevard and Pole Line Road was approved by the Davis
City Council on a 4-1 vote in June but was subject to a vote of the
people because it would be built outside city limits, triggering
Measure J.Supporters
and critics of Covell Village raised and spent more than $300,000,
making this the most expensive campaign in Davis history.The
project featured an array of amenities unprecedented in Davis history,
including a Trader Joe's specialty foods store, a new fire station, an
educational organic farm, a community recreation building, a performing
arts amphitheater, a farmland buffer, a huge wetlands habitat and sites
for the school district, a Rotary Hall, Yolo Hospice, Davis Parent
Nursery School, Davis Community Television and a mental health group
home.But
Davis voters — by a 60/40 percent margin — rejected the development as
being too big, too expensive, too much. Fears of long-lasting traffic
impacts and fiscal negatives for the city budget outweighed the
project's positives in many voters' minds.Stung by the defeat, Covell Village Partners indicated they have no plans for another project on the site at this time.Ramifications
of the vote may carry over into 2006, when Mayor Ruth Asmundson and
City Councilman Ted Puntillo — two of the project's biggest supporters
— are up for re-election. Puntillo has said he will not run again but
Asmundson has been forthright about her desire to seek another term.2. CHP murderLaw
enforcement agencies in Yolo County — and far beyond — mourned the Nov.
17 death of California Highway Patrol's Andy Stevens, the first local
CHP officer to be murdered in the line of duty in nearly 27 years.Stevens,
37, was shot during a routine traffic stop on County Road 96 near
Woodland. His death sparked a regionwide manhunt that ended with the
arrests of three suspects: Brendt Anthony Volarvich, the 20-year-old
alleged shooter; his girlfriend, Lindsey Jane Montgomery, also 20,
accused of harboring Volarvich from authorities; and 47-year-old
Gregory Fred Zielesch, who allegedly had hired Volarvich to kill
another man and provided him with the gun that was used to shoot
Stevens.More
than 3,000 people, from law-enforcement officers to Stevens' fellow
Harley-Davidson enthusiasts, attended the memorial service for the
slain officer, who left behind a wife, Michelle. Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger also attended the service.Two
of the suspects in the case, Volarvich and Zielesch, face murder
charges with special circumstances that make them eligible for the
death penalty if convicted. Despite several court appearances, neither
they nor Montgomery have entered pleas in the case.Meanwhile,
defense attorneys have hinted they may seek a change of venue as the
case moves toward trial. They say the amount of publicity the case has
received, including photographs of the shackled defendants being taken
to court in jail uniforms and bullet-proof vests, may make a fair trial
in Yolo County impossible.3. Conaway RanchIt
came as no surprise, but it was still big news when Yolo Superior Court
Judge Timothy Fall ruled at the end of November that Yolo County was
legally entitled to acquire the 17,300-acre Conaway Ranch northeast of
Davis through eminent domain proceedings.Later,
Fall set June 13 date for a valuation trial to determine how much the
county will have to pay the private owners of the ranch, the Conaway
Preservation Group. The Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians agreed in a
handshake deal with the county in May to finance the purchase.The
ranch is estimated to be worth anywhere from $60 million — the bargain
price the Conaway Preservation Group paid — to nearly $400 million as
estimated by former Rep. Doug Ose, R-Sacramento.The
county wants to buy the ranch to stop development. Ranch owner Steve
Gidaro of Sacramento said he does not intend to develop the property
but county officials repeatedly have said they do not trust him.The
county has been blasted by critics and members of property rights
groups for spending $1 million on the fight for the ranch and for not
being able to judge — or at least not discussing publicly — how much
the ranch might cost, details regarding how the county will pay for it
or, long term, how it will be run.Supervisor
Helen Thomson of Davis said the eminent domain ruling allows Yolo
County to preserve the most significant remaining open space and
agricultural lands in the county by protecting the land and water from
private land speculators and developers. Environmentalists also were
pleased with the ruling.Tovey
Giezentanner, CPG spokesman, has said he believes a compromise
settlement could be reached. He said the county's objectives could be
met if the supervisors will only agree to private ownership.At this point, however, that seems unlikely.4. West Nile virusWest
Nile Virus called Sacramento County home last summer, making the
neighboring county the nation's epicenter of the virus. Next year, Yolo
County could get the honor.But
this year was bad enough, with 18 people and 200 horses dying from
virus-related causes in California in 2005. In Sacramento County, 175
people tested positive for the virus and in Yolo County, 12 people
tested positive.West
Nile is passed to humans by mosquitoes that have fed on infected birds.
The disease has been making its way here from the East Coast since
1999, and after a few, scattered cases, settled itself comfortably into
the Sacramento area last summer.Aerial
pesticide spraying, at a cost of $600,000, was reported to be
successful in interrupting the cycle of West Nile transmission, but the
possibility of spraying in Yolo County was met with fierce opposition.A
late August presentation, organized by Mayor Ruth Asmundson and Yolo
County Supervisor Helen Thomson, to allow Davis residents to ask
questions of mosquito containment experts devolved into a shouting and
name-calling match with experts packing up their things and leaving,
unable to answer questions.5. D-Q University accreditationD-Q
University — California's only tribal college — lost its accreditation
on Jan. 14, when the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior
Colleges revoked its recognition of the school, after warning the
school in 2004 it had fallen out of compliance with several standards.As
a result, D-Q U, which was already struggling for financial stability,
became ineligible to receive federal financial aid for students, and
some grants.In
mid-March, students rallied at the state Capitol to save the school.
But by late March, students living in dorms at D-Q U were served with
eviction notices, and the campus was closed. A dispute ensued between
rival boards of directors seeking to lead the campus. The dispute ended
up in court.On
Sept. 19, D-Q University reopened with an enrollment of about 60
students. Officials, led by interim president Art Apodaca, are seeking
to re-establish full accreditation.On
Nov. 3, D-Q University marked its 35th anniversary. The school was
founded in 1970, when a group of about 25 Native Americans and Chicanos
scaled a fence to occupy an old Army communications site off County
Road 31, 7 miles west of Davis. The group set up a teepee and proceeded
to establish a two-year tribal college, unique in the state.6. Racial profilingIn
mid-November, Davis Police Chief Jim Hyde presented to the City Council
data he said showed his department does not engage in racial profiling.The
presentation was not enough, however, to sway some in the community who
say Davis police officers discriminate and that a citizen review board
is needed.That
idea arose this year at public forums in August and September. At the
latter, a meeting between the City Council and Human Relations
Commission, disagreement and arguments over the flow of the meeting
overshadowed substantive discussion."I
am nauseous with the number of complaints I've received from people of
all races," Jann Murray-García, president of Blacks for Effective
Community Action, said at the September meeting. "I believe this is a
serious problem and it's going to erupt."In
November, couple Ivy Anderson and David Johnson, who live adjacent to
the Royal Oaks Mobile Home Park near Davis, filed a federal
discrimination lawsuit against the Police Department and several
individual officers and supervisors. Anderson organized a protest
against the police in July.Anderson
and Johnson's attorney said racial profiling is common in Davis. Lt.
Colleen Turay, public information officer for the police, said just a
few people have made that allegation and the department prohibits
racial profiling or other discrimination and investigates any claims.Later
that month, a group of people connected with UC Davis — although not
representing the school officially — released the results of an
Internet survey of students, faculty and staff. The questions, which
were part of a nonscientific study and report, polled people who were
invited by e-mail list serve to participate on their interactions with
city and campus police.The city continues to weigh the creation of a citizens review board for racial profiling claims.7. SMUD annexationIf
the issue gets through a decision-making body now reviewing it, many
Yolo County voters could be weighing in next year on whether to switch
electricity providers.In
May, the board of directors for the Sacramento Municipal Utility
District voted 5-2 to annex Davis, Woodland, West Sacramento and parts
of unincorporated Yolo County into its service area. First, the issue
must be approved by the Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission,
which reviews all boundary changes within its jurisdiction.SMUD
filed an application with LAFCO, and the commission will host hearings
and workshops in 2006 to study the matter and decide whether to allow
the annexation. If it approves of the move, Yolo County voters will
have the final say at the ballot box.Pacific
Gas & Electric Co., which has powered Yolo County for a century, is
a strong opponent of the move. The bitter fight over the issue has
included negative advertising that has prompted public criticism from
some on the county Board of Supervisors and the SMUD board, and a
petition to allow Sacramento residents to vote on the matter.For
now, the issue has boiled down to a battle of numbers. Discrepancies
amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars exist between PG&E's
and SMUD's estimates on costs and benefits and the value of PG&E's
equipment.8. Aggies beat StanfordIn
what is being called the greatest game in Aggie football history, UC
Davis engineered a last-minute touchdown drive on a magical night under
the lights in Palo Alto and beat Stanford 20-17.Though
the Aggies came into the much-hyped Sept. 17 game against their first
Division I-A foe in nearly two decades with an 0-2 record, UC Davis
players and coaches were confident they could make it a respectable
game. But a win? Aggie fans could only hope.The
Aggies clinched the victory when Blaise Smith caught a three-yard pass
from quarterback Jon Grant with eight seconds remaining on the clock.It
was the first Division I-A win for UCD since 1986, when it beat Pacific
in the previous "greatest game ever." But that was in the Division II
days, back before there were big-time aspirations. This win? This was a
springboard for the transitioning program, proof that the Aggies belong
on the biggest of stages."I've been here 39 years and nothing compares to this," UCD defensive line coach Fred Arp told The Enterprise.Enterprise
columnist Bob Dunning wrote that the Aggies could have beaten "any
number of Division I-A teams — Idaho, North Texas, Rice, SMU and
Arkansas State come to mind — and not have raised an eyebrow.""But
Stanford is different," he wrote. "Stanford has won Rose Bowls.
Stanford has beaten Notre Dame and USC. Stanford has had Heisman Trophy
winners. Bill Walsh coached there. Put simply, Stanford is Stanford."9. Grande propertyAfter
years of discussion, and decades of daydreams, the Davis school board
voted on Nov. 22 to approve a property exchange agreement with
developer BP Equities of Oakland for the Davis school district's
8.4-acre property on Grande Avenue.The
school district acquired the North Davis site in 1971 for use as an
elementary school, anticipating that Davis would grow north. The
district paid $57,388 for the land — an amount now roughly equal to a
10 percent down payment on a single median-priced Davis home in today's
market.Nothing
was ever built on the property. Most growth in Davis during the 1970s,
'80s and '90s occurred in the north, south and west quadrants of the
city.In
1998, the Davis school district began quietly exploring options for
selling or exchanging the Grande property. Serious negotiations got
under way this year.Some
Grande neighborhood residents opposed the infill development, and at
one point Davis City Attorney Harriet Steiner held out the possibility
that city government might go to court to block the deal.In
October, the school board tentatively agreed to an exchange with BP
Equities. The company offered $4.5 million, and pledged to help the
school district acquire a 10-acre site west of Davis, owned by the
University of California, in exchange for the Grande land. The UC
property is the longtime home of the rural Fairfield Elementary School.On
Nov. 22, BP Equities raised its offer to $5.5 million, and the deal was
locked in. Discussions about the Fairfield site are ongoing. If that
aspect cannot be finalized, BP Equities may provide an alternative
parcel to be determined.The
school district will use the $5.5 million toward construction of a new
student commons building at Davis High School, replacing the aging
multipurpose room. BP Equities will seek city approval for a yet-to-be
determined number of homes on the Grande property.10. Racist/hate graffitiOn
the morning of Feb. 28, employees at four Davis area schools and
churches arrived at work to find the buildings severely vandalized and
covered with racist, anti-religious graffiti. The incidents, classified
as hate crimes, caused tens of thousands of dollars' worth of damage to
Fairfield Elementary School, Holmes Junior High School, First Baptist
Church and the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.They
also opened old wounds in the Davis community, which the year before
had debated whether local authorities were responding appropriately to
hate-crime reports. The outcry led to reforms by Davis police and the
school district.Two
local boys, ages 16 and 17, were arrested and charged with the church
and school crimes. The acts again sparked outrage in the Davis
community, where citizens — including Davis High School students —
organized marches and condemned the acts of vandalism.Because
of their ages, the boys' court hearings were closed to the public.
However, sources familiar with the case told The Enterprise the boys
admitted to charges of felony burglary and vandalism, with a hate-crime
enhancement dismissed on a Harvey waiver, meaning it could be
considered when rendering their sentences.Honorable mention*
Cache Creek wild-and-scenic status: Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis,
pinned a lot of political capital on her bill designating a 31-mile
stretch of Cache Creek in Yolo and Lake counties as "wild and scenic."While
a watered-down version of her bill was signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger in
October, the fight divided local farmers and environmentalists. When
the dust settled, both Wolk and the governor took credit for protecting
the environment and preserving the state's natural beauty.Davis
residents largely supported Wolk while voters in more agricultural
parts of the county were dubious about the bill's claims and worried,
for instance, that the state protections along Cache Creek might limit
flood control options in the future, which are of particular concern to
Woodland residents.Designation
of this portion of Cache Creek as a state wild and scenic river — the
16th body to receive this designation since 1972 — means that no dams
will be built on this portion of the creek.Designation
will not affect the operation of upstream and downstream water
projects, private property and farming along the creek, mercury
pollution remediation or the management of non-native vegetation — all
issues originally raised by the bill's opponents.*
Tsunami/Katrina relief: Although the Indian Ocean tsunami and
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita happened far from our shores, Yolo County
residents donated money and supplies, traveled to the stricken regions
to help and watched the news closely for reports on the damaged areas.The
Yolo County chapter of the Red Cross reported that local people gave
$130,566 for tsunami victims and $358,560 to Katrina and Rita victims,
not including donations called or e-mailed in.Several
Davis people, including Enterprise staff writer Beth Curda, went to the
Gulf Coast region with charitable groups to do what they could.Gamani
Jayaweera worked with the Davis and Sri Lankan Rotary clubs to build
new homes for tsunami victims in his home country of Sri Lanka. And
several Davis doctors traveled to Galle, Sri Lanka, to train and heal
in the local hospital.*
Aggie astronaut: UC Davis graduate Stephen Robinson was among the crew
that blasted into space in July on the space shuttle Discovery, NASA's
first space mission since the Columbia tragedy in 2003. A Sacramento
native, Robinson graduated from UCD in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in
mechanical/aeronautical engineering. He had flown two other shuttle
missions before Discovery.Robinson
completed a daring space walk during which he performed some repairs to
the shuttle's heat-resistant tiles, which were damaged during liftoff.
He showed slides and talked about his space journey at two sold-out
presentations at UC Davis this fall.*
Powell homicide in Woodland: Woodland recorded its first homicide of
the year when the bludgeoned body of Yvonne Marie Powell, 50, was
discovered July 21 in the living room of her Fourth Street home.Police
arrested Powell's son-in-law, Eric Hudson, on suspicion of committing
the murder. Powell's daughter, Amy Hudson, and Eric Hudson's
stepfather, Robert Schreiber, are charged with being accessories to the
crime.* County shakeup: It all began with a critical interim Yolo County grand jury report released in January.The
report focused on the county Department of Employment and Social
Services and the hostile work conditions that existed there. Further,
the report suggested that the misappropriation of funds may have taken
place and complained that a poisonous relationship existed between DESS
and the District Attorney's Office.The
report recommended that DESS Director Jerry Rose and Assistant
Directors Renee Craig and Dana Johnson be fired. An independent
investigation commissioned by the Board of Supervisors found no fiscal
wrongdoing, but did find examples of a hostile work environment.
Sources said many of those incidents involved Johnson.The
day after the report was released, County Administrator Vic Singh
announced he was leaving Yolo County for a job in San Joaquin County.
Johnson resigned soon thereafter, and two months later it was Rose
bidding Yolo goodbye. Disciplinary measures were taken against other
managers, although the nature of the actions and the names of those
disciplined were not made public due to the confidential nature of
personnel actions.Craig is the only one named in the grand jury report still employed at the county.Pamela
Miller, formerly deputy director of the Riverside County Department of
Public Social Services, takes over Jan. 30 as the new Yolo director.*
Vet school regains accreditation: The UC Davis School of Veterinary
Medicine was restored to full accreditiation on March 7, thanks to its
ambitious $345 million construction plan for new and updated buildings.
The decision came after a full review and site visit by the American
Veterinary Medical Association.The
Vet School had been operating with limited accreditation since the
summer of 1999, when the AVMA cited it for inadequate facilties for
teaching, research and clinical care. Other than citing aging buildings
and equipment, the Vet School passed the 1999 review.* Hirschfield
pleads not guilty: More than a year after his first court appearance in
connection with the 1980 murders of UC Davis couple John Riggins and
Sabrina Gonsalves, Richard Joseph Hirschfield pleaded not guilty in October to homicide and other charges in Sacramento Superior Court. DNA evidence identified Hirschfield as a suspect in the case in 2002.2005
also saw the publication of a book about the murders. "Justice Waits:
The UC Davis Sweetheart Murders" was written by former Davis Enterprise
staff writer Joel Davis, who was a Davis High School student and an
acquaintance of Riggins when the crime occurred.*
Middle-income housing ordinance: To provide more housing for people who
work in Davis, the City Council in December passed an ordinance that
requires housing developments of 26 or more units to include a certain
percentage of houses to fall in a range affordable to middle-income
people (those who earn between 120 and 180 percent of the average
median income).Homes
will be distributed by a lottery system, wherein people who qualify by
income and work in Davis will have the best chance of getting a unit,
seniors and disabled people will come next. All others who qualify by
income also will be included but will be less likely to be drawn for a
house.Some have warned the City Council that such a system leaves the city wide open to discrimination lawsuits.— Staff writers Beth Curda, Lauren Keene, Elisabeth Sherwin and Claire St. John contributed to this story.
Copyright, 2005, 2006, The Davis Enterprise. All Rights Reserved.
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