City News

At their meeting Tuesday, 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 Dirk Brazil 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 Proposition 6, 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. Opponents attack the measure's lack of an identified funding source.

Since 1996 UC Davis has been working closely with the Department of Energy to clean up the off-campus Laboratory for Energy Related Health Research Center and rid it of all toxic chemicals.

THURSDAY

Soccer moms revolt

Two mini-vans were abandoned for several weeks on Hanover Drive.

Blame it on the "war on drugs," blame it on insufficient funding for rehabilitation programs, blame it on whatever you want - most Californians agree that the criminal justice system for drug offenders is broken.

The problem is finding a solution.

Twelve people were arrested Wednesday in a sting operation to put unlicensed and uninsured employers out of business, according to a District Attorney's Office press release. Seven were fined civil assessments totaling $9,500 for not having workers' compensation insurance or for paying their employees under the table.

The operation is aimed at contractors who are not complying with labor and contracting laws. Wednesday's arrests were part of a broader operation that has resulted in 112 people who have been cited, arrested or fined for operating without a license, not providing workers' compensation insurance and paying employees under the table, authorities said.

Religious leaders from around Davis came together Thursday at the Davis United Methodist Church to speak in opposition to Prop 8. If approved by voters, Prop 8 would amend the California Constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Historically a controversial issue, the bill has elicited both support and opposition from religious and secular groups.

Higher education policy hasn't exactly been a hot-button issue this election season, but it finally came up after Wednesday's presidential debate.

In the last of three presidential debates this fall, Democratic candidate Barack Obama and Republican candidate John McCain briefly touched on the issue of college affordability at Hofstra University in New York.

SATURDAY

Bike bandit

A UC Davis police officer noticed a suspicious pickup truck driving on campus on Saturday night with a truck bed full of bicycles. The officer made a traffic stop on the vehicle and determined that the bikes had recently been stolen on campus.

The driver, a resident of Hercules, was arrested and booked at the Yolo County Jail on charges of grand theft, possession of stolen property, possession of burglary tools and violation of probation.

The UC Davis Police Department has stepped up enforcement in response to bike theft on campus, including plainclothes officers patrolling on campus, according to a press release. Prior to this weekend's arrest, there have been twice as many reports of bike theft this year as there were last year. UCDPD asks the community to report any suspicious activity on campus.

The battle between abortion rights and anti-abortion is back on the California ballot.

Proposition 4 would require a doctor to notify at least one parent before performing an abortion for minors. The pregnant teenager can choose to notify certain adult relatives instead of a parent, but the law would require the doctor to report the parent to law enforcement or Child Protective Services.

In the Oct. 10 story "Food, fun and compost," Michael Siminitus was mistakenly identified as Michael Seminitus. Furthermore, the quote that read, "When compostable organics decompose naturally, they release methane, which is an essential greenhouse gas," was incorrect. The correct quote reads: "Landfilling compostable organics produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas." The Aggie regrets the error.

At Tuesday's City Council meeting, councilmembers and the public were treated to a detailed presentation on employee compensation in the city of Davis.

With the current national, state and local budget issues, people want to know where their money goes. Lately, this has led to heightened scrutiny across the nation of the compensation of public employees, from custodial staff to fire fighters to the city manager.

Among many fiscally controversial measures on the California ballot in November is Proposition 3, the children's hospital bond act.

The proposition authorizes $980 million in bonds, to be paid from the state's General Fund, to fund the renovation and expansion of children's hospitals throughout the state.

Los Angeles to San Francisco in two and a half hours?

Proposition 1A promises the first step to an exhilarating 220 mph high-speed train running between San Diego and Sacramento, with connections to the Bay Area, fully functional by 2030.

Proposition 2 aims to give California livestock a bit more legroom.

The proposition, if passed, would require farmers to keep egg-laying hens, cows raised for veal and pregnant pigs in areas where they are able to stand up, lie down and fully extend their legs.