City News

In the midst of an economic downturn it might seem like businesses would be closing, but that is not the case for many new businesses that have recently opened in Davis. “Davis is a great environment for a business because the UC brings so many college students into town,” said Allen Nguyen, general manager of Davis Sushi Buffet at 707 Second St., which opened June 1.

SUNDAY Day in the life Two male transients were drinking alcohol, urinating and rummaging through garbage bins on Fifth Street. Inside voices, please Neighbors were outside talking loudly on their balcony on Drew Circle.

This is the first major election since the Davis City Council changed the city’s political sign rules in January, and the change in policy has led to some serious confusion among apartment managers. As part of the ordinance passed in January, the council added the following language to city code: “Not withstanding any lease to the contrary, no landlord or lessor shall prohibit a tenant lawfully in possession from posting political signs.”

The Yolo County Board of Supervisors‘ plan to locate a re-entry prison facility in the county has faced strong local opposition. The Yolo County Farm Bureau,which represents farmers in the county,recently filed a lawsuit against the Board of Supervisors opposing plans to locate the facility in a rural part of the county near the town of Madison.Members of thefarm bureausaid there are several flaws with the proposed location of the prison facility.

A presentation hosted by Davis Students for Nader two weeks ago raised questions about the possibility of harmful microbes in local soil,but public health officials say the claims are unfounded. The presentation featured the mother of former Sacramento resident David Bell,who claimed he became ill after working with biopesticides for Davis biotech firm AgraQuest in the late1990s.

After a year of struggling for a way to pay for everything without cutting programs,the Davis Joint Unified School District is turning to residents. Measure W on the Davis ballot is a parcel tax that would require homeowners to pay$120per year and apartment owners to pay$50per unit per year.The tax would last for three years,and the district’s board of trustees could vote to eliminate the tax if they felt it was unnecessary.

In a community that values free speech and open debate,recent political sign thefts have outraged some community members. The controversy over Proposition8,which would amend the California Constitution to allow marriage between only a man and a woman,has spilled over into petty theft and vandalism of lawn signs.

It’s not the hottest topic on the ballot,but it could have serious implications for local government. If passed,Measure N would change the city of Davis from a general law city to a charter city. The charter under consideration is a broad charter that comes as the result of several years‘ discussion by various task forces and subcommittees of the Davis City Council.

THURSDAY Obviously not a marketing major An individual was asking people on F Street if they wanted to buy marijuana.The individual was subsequently arrested for possession with intent to sell.

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.