City News

Low income senior citizens, the blind and disabled will not be receiving their annual check for homeowner or renter assistance in the mail this year.

Due to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's decision to eliminate funding for the Homeowner and Renter Assistance programs in the state budget for the 2008-2009 fiscal year, 2008 claims cannot be paid by the Franchise Tax Board.

The city of Davis is currently discussing possible options for the renovation of Fifth Street between A and L streets.

The four-lane corridor currently serves several modes of transportation, including bikes, pedestrians, automobiles and delivery trucks. Many community members have complained about bike safety - there are no bike lanes - and traffic and pedestrian flow problems.

Fecal fury

An individual was in the process of picking up the feces after his dog defecated on a lawn on D Street when people came out of the residence and started screaming at him and threatening him.

The City of Davis took a step forward in its quest to lower greenhouse gas emissions in the city on Tuesday night. The Davis City Council unanimously approved a resolution establishing emissions reduction targets for the city and community through 2050. The reductions will be gradual, with a target of cutting emissions to 1990 levels by 2010 and a target of complete carbon neutrality by 2050.

English can be a tough language to learn, but the federal government hopes to make it easier with a free website intended to improve access to language instruction for immigrants.

The website, usalearns.org, is a free and easily accessible resource available to anyone seeking basic English language instruction. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, it meets one of President George W. Bush's immigration reform pledges from 2007.

California's community colleges might be just a little less accessible to students in the very near future.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed a $332.2 million mid-year budget cut to all California community colleges as part of a budget cut package he announced two weeks ago. This newly proposed reduction, along with a $290 million cut enacted earlier this year, brings the total to a potential $622.2 million cut from California community colleges.

Biking around Davis, many students may not be affected by gasoline prices, but those driving and running businesses around California are.

Gas prices in California have tumbled from an all-time high of $4.59 in June to an average of $2.37 currently, according to the California Energy Commission. Though the economy is taking a toll on businesses, the drop in gas prices has been a silver lining for some.

The Davis City Council will meet tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Chambers at 23 Russell Blvd.

The following are descriptions of selected agenda items the council will discuss at the meeting. To view the entire agenda and associated staff reports, visit cityofdavis.org.

THURSDAY

Get your bike out of the gutter

A bike was found in a drainage ditch on Mace Boulevard.

Yolo County Probation's juvenile program lost nearly $1 million in funding this year due to state budget cuts, a development that has probation officials worried about public safety.

The cuts will have a serious impact on juvenile offenders, said chief probation officer Don Meyer.

"That's about 38 percent of our budget," Meyer said.

Environmental consciousness was the theme of the 2008 Regional Green Summit in Woodland on Saturday.

The summit was held at the Woodland Community and Senior Center and lasted all day. It featured over 40 panelist speakers on topics ranging from environmental justice to water quality. Several of the panelists and moderators were members of UC Davis research units.

A large and colorful crowd gathered in downtown Sacramento on Saturday morning to rally for marriage equality for gays and lesbians.

Roughly 1,500 people took over Cesar Chavez Park across from Sacramento City Hall for a rally and demonstration led by Equality Action Now, a grassroots gay rights group in Sacramento. Many brought homemade signs with slogans like "Equal treatment under the law" and "Protect marriage - ban divorce."

On Dec. 31, the Davis Indoor Sports Center, better known as DISC, will close its doors for good.

The owners of the building where the DISC is located - Sam, Gwen and Jeff Harrison - have struggled to keep its doors open since interest began to waver in 2001.

Gang members convicted in attack

Four West Sacramento gang members are facing sentences of up to 15 years after being found guilty of a number of crimes Thursday.

The men were convicted of crimes related to an incident in April 2006 when they attacked the engineer and conductor of an Amtrak Capitol Corridor train.

FRIDAY

At least he has good taste

An individual came into a store on Anderson Road, took a bottle of Southern Comfort and then left the store.