City News

For the past several weeks,students at UC Davis have complained about being asked if they‘re registered to vote three times a day.But there wasa purpose to all those persistent democracy enthusiasts,and their ceaseless efforts have paid off.

Proposition12,also known as the Veterans‘ Bond Act of2008,will appear on the ballot on Nov.4.Approval of the proposition provides for a bond issue of$900million to provide loans to California veterans to purchase farms and homes. Since1921,the voters have approved a total of about$8.4billion to finance the veterans‘ farm and home purchase program,also known as Cal-Vet.As of July2008,there was about$102million left to support new loans.

The former Laboratory for Energy-Related Health Research at UC Davis has been a site of controversy for several years with regards to the potential contamination left in the soil on site. Government officials presented a proposed final cleanup plan for the site at a public meeting Thursday.

If you think midterms are rough,try running for Congress at the same time.Zane Starkewolf,a UCD alumnus and current graduate student in chemistry,is the Republican candidate for Congress in California’s1stCongressional District.

MONDAY Gimme the meds! An individual left a clinic on West Covell Boulevard upset and making threats after he could not get medications from his doctor.

California law gives victims of crime the right to speak out at sentencing and parole hearings,but supporters of Prop9say crime victims‘ rights cannot stop there. “Victims should have the right to be involved in all the proceedings,” said Patricia Wenskunas,attempted murder victim and founder and CEO of Crime Survivors Inc. “A lot of times right now the families are not even notified. [Prop9] gives them a right to have their voice heard.“

Among the propositions on the Novemberballot,the one that deals withthe environment and renewable resources is Proposition10,the alternative fuel vehicles and renewable energy initiative. Prop10is a bond measure that would provide$5billion to fund research into alternative fuel technology.The funds would also go toward helping consumers purchase high fuel economy or alternative fuel vehicles,including natural gas vehicles.

A comprehensive survey of Asian American voters in California released last week found that a majority of Asian Americans oppose Proposition8,the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.Professors from Rutgers University,UC Berkeley,UC Riverside and USC conducted the study.

San Francisco MayorGavin Newsom was at UC Davis on Wednesday for meetings with campus Democrats as well as area agriculture leaders.

At their meetingTuesday,the Yolo County Board of Supervisors received a presentation and report on how the statewide measures on the November ballot will affect the county from a fiscal standpoint. County staff analyzed each measure to determine whether it would have a negative fiscal impact on the county by taking away funding from county programs and services,according to the report. The county has struggled to preserve services in the face of significant cuts coming from the state. “Staff recommends supporting only new programs with a dedicated revenue source,” said deputy county administrator DirkBrazil in a memo to the board. The following is a summary of the staff findings.

Gangs,guns and meth:They’re problems inextricably tied to street crime in California. Backers of Proposition6,also known as the Safe Neighborhoods Act,say the way to combat these problems is to guarantee a certain level of funding for police and prosecutors.Opponentsattack the measure’s lack of an identified funding source.

Since1996UC Davis has been working closely with the Department of Energy to clean up the off-campus Laboratory for Energy Related Health Research Center andrid it of all toxic chemicals.