ASUCD Senate passes resolutions calling for UC Regent Jay Sures’ resignation, university action on sexual violence

The Oct. 29 meeting also saw the return of the Tipsy Taxi program, though its rollout remains unclear

By LILY KENROW — campus@theaggie.org

At their Oct. 29 meeting, the ASUCD Senate passed two Senate resolutions: one calling for the resignation of UC Regent Jonathan Sures and one responding to the recent Cornell Seven case. 

SR#3, which calls for the condemnation of sexual violence and the actions of Cornell University over it’s mishandling of the rape allegation, as well as increased support for sexual violence survivors, was passed unanimously. The resolution cites survey data showing that 21.8% of the UC Davis population reported experiencing sexual violence. 

SR#3 also criticizes the lack of a statement from Chancellor Gary May and the university in response to sexual violence cases at campuses across the country and points to the lack of adoption of the pillars of consent — a framework for safe social and sexual encounters — by UC Davis fraternities.

“We call on all fraternities on the University of California, Davis campus to install the Frat Pillars of Consent,” the resolution reads. “An initiative developed by the Sexual Assault Awareness Advocacy Committee and the Gender and Sexuality Commission that standardizes tailored practices and procedures to enhance a culture of consent and student safety against sexual assault, in coordination with the Sexual Assault Awareness Advocacy Committee and the Gender and Sexuality Commission.”

SR#4, calling for Sures' resignation, passed with three “no” votes from Senators Aaron Heth, Mia Oscanoa and Madeline Nadel.

“I do believe we need to have a more stringent standard for when we consider whether we want someone to resign or be removed from office,” Heth said. 

ASUCD’s resolution came after the University of California Student Association signed a petition calling for Sures’ resignation following his attendance and speaking role at the Jewish American Summit held earlier this year on Aug. 30. 

At the summit, Sures spoke in his capacity as a UC Regent on the power of policing protests. He said that “Republican-leaning states tend not to have this problem [on student protests], primarily because they empower their police to do their jobs.”  

The resolution also takes issue with the fact that he did not denounce the “blatantly Islamophobic remarks” of Mosab Hassan Yousef, another speaker at the event.

The resolution alleges that Sures’ conduct does not align with his role as a regent in a “position of public trust” and is not in line with UC Regent Policy 4400, which outlines diversity, equity and accessibility within the UC system.

Other notable legislation passed included Senate Bill (SB) #2, which allocates $2,500 from Senate Reserves to revive the Tipsy Taxi program — an initiative to provide rideshare vouchers for students to use on weekends. The bill was originally removed from consideration after multiple commissions that had reviewed it declined to recommend it; however, Senator Genesis Arroyo revived the bill for review by the Senate table.

Most discussion during the Senate meeting about SB#2 focused on its implementation and cost-effectiveness. The bill would have created a system for issuing $20 Uber vouchers, and the ASUCD Executive Office also committed to matching the $2,500 allocation from Senate Reserves with funds from its own office budget. Each $2,500 contribution would supply an estimated 120 vouchers for students.

Senators noted that implementing the Tipsy Taxi program would likely require hourly drops throughout the night and the selection of specific weekends for the vouchers to be valid to ensure they last throughout the year.

The Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission chair, Emily Contreras, also brought up ethical spending concerns about funding Uber vouchers. Contreras noted that Uber insures its drivers through AXA, a French insurance company with investments in Israeli banks that are “complicit in Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise on occupied Palestinian land,” according to the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. 

The bill was ultimately passed by the Senate, but has since been placed under review by the ASUCD Judicial Council for potential violations of the ASUCD Constitution. The Council noted that the bill was introduced by ASUCD President Luis L. Garcia, which appears to violate Article III, Section 3 of the ASUCD Constitution. The section prevents the president from introducing any legislation to the ASUCD Senate, except for the Annual ASUCD Budget and the Annual ASUCD Priorities Resolution. 

The Judicial Council is set to hold a hearing over SB#2, though a date and time have yet to be announced. Until the petition process is complete, the Council has ordered that the bill not be enforced.

Other Matters

ASUCD Director of Marketing Mitchell Borges presented the quarterly report for Creative Media and Aggie Studios. He noted the continuation of the ASUCD Trading Card program, which they plan to give out throughout the year. 

There will be 22 cards representing different ASUCD units and bodies for the 2026-27 year, one more than last school year. The new design was made in collaboration with Aggie Deals and promotes the partnership with the Downtown Davis Business Association that offers UC Davis students discounts at participating businesses. 

Unitrans General Manager Jeff Flynn also presented on behalf of his unit, sharing updates on double-decker bus purchases. In 2023, Unitrans received funding for the purchase of two battery-operated double-decker buses to add to the fleet, which were not expected to arrive until 2028. 

The addition of battery-operated buses requires more bus charging infrastructure; however, federal funding that was supposed to support that infrastructure was revoked. Flynn also noted that an ongoing recall has limited bus deployments.

“All of our electric buses are under a year-plus-long recall, which limits their use,” Flynn said. 

Given the challenges facing the electric bus order and current electric buses, Flynn shared that Unitrans has changed its order to three diesel buses. Flynn also noted that Unitrans only uses renewable diesel and not diesel derived from traditional fossil fuel sources. 

There is also still no permanent replacement for the retirement of the ZipPass, the mobile app that was used as a Unitrans transit pass through this summer. Flynn shared that the university and Unitrans are working with SacRT and the app developer to finalize an agreement on a mobile transit pass for UC Davis students. 

The meeting was called to order at 6:17 p.m. and adjourned at 8:37 p.m.

What is the ASUCD Senate? As the legislative body of UC Davis’ undergraduate student government, the Senate makes decisions on the use of student funds, oversees units that employ over 1,000 people and makes statements and resolutions on behalf of the student body. The California Aggie covers its weekly meetings and compiles Senate Reports to keep students informed.

Written by: Lily Kenrow — campus@theaggie.org