City News

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 was a purpose to all those persistent democracy enthusiasts, and their ceaseless efforts have paid off.

Proposition 12, also known as the Veterans' Bond Act of 2008, will appear on the ballot on Nov. 4. Approval of the proposition provides for a bond issue of $900 million to provide loans to California veterans to purchase farms and homes.

Since 1921, the voters have approved a total of about $8.4 billion to finance the veterans' farm and home purchase program, also known as Cal-Vet. As of July 2008, there was about $102 million 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's 1st Congressional 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 Prop 9 say 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. [Prop 9] gives them a right to have their voice heard."

Among the propositions on the November ballot, the one that deals with the environment and renewable resources is Proposition 10, the alternative fuel vehicles and renewable energy initiative.

Prop 10 is a bond measure that would provide $5 billion 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 Proposition 8, the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. Professors from Rutgers University, UC Berkeley, UC Riverside and USC conducted the study.

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

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.