California is currently facing many challenges such as a stagnating economy, high unemployment, and massive state deficits. These are general and widespread issues that require the bulk of our government’s attention. So what great dilemma does our state legislature try to tackle? You can thank your elected officials for making the gallant effort to eliminate the scourge of California citizens: free parking.

If Senate Bill 518 becomes law then you will no longer have to worry about pulling up to a parking spot, eagerly jumping out of your car with a fistful of quarters in hand, only to have your hopes dashed by the tragic absence of a parking meter.

The state government will enforce the new law by forcing local governments to comply with a points system that could be used in a future program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Local governments with more points would have an advantage in competing for future grants from the state. Cities and counties would receive points by attaching fees or adopting policies that reduce the total amount of parking available.

There is more to this law than simply giving us more bothersome and expensive inconveniences. The bill’s author, state Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), gave a few notable reasons for proposing it. First, he claims that by eliminating free parking we will reveal the “actual cost” of parking. So it is basically designed to transfer costs from one group of taxpayers to another.

This might seem fair, after all somebody must pay for our services. However, the cost gets placed heavily on the consumer of the parking space. There is no comparable tax reduction in other sectors that coincide with this bill, so it’s a roundabout way of increasing revenue.

Roads and parking spaces are constructed with the purpose to make travel easier, and thereby allowing people to travel to places and businesses that would otherwise be difficult to reach.

The main reason for implementing SB 518 is to reduce the number of cars on the road and thereby also reduce carbon emissions. Section 1(f) of the bill states that employer-provided free parking increases the rate of employees driving to work by 22 percent. It also states that taking 10 percent of the vehicles off a congested street can result in free-flowing traffic. The bill then goes on to claim that parking is under-priced and over-consumed.

The hope is that people will be forced to walk, ride bikes, or take public transportation when traveling. This is misguided because it applies to such a large and diverse state of California.

Perhaps in a highly urban area with tightly packed stores and ample public transportation, limiting vehicle travel is effective. Keep in mind, however, that California has large areas with sparse populations and undeveloped public transportation. Forcing them to adapt policies that are already used in many urban areas could damage many communities. In some areas vehicle transportation is necessary for the convenience of the citizens and vital to the businesses that they patronize.

Of all the people who will be affected by the elimination of free parking, it is likely that the policy will hurt people who have great economic difficulties the most.

Many of the people who already have to live with a strict limitation to their spending would no longer be able to afford parking either at the stores they shop or the establishments where they work. The economic opportunities that are produced by expanding employment locations to places outside of their immediate community will be lost.

The greatest problem with eliminating free parking is not simply that there will be more parking meters. Many cities and communities already have large numbers of parking meters that they use to increase revenue. They have made the decision based on what they believe is right for their community.

By passing laws that make travel, shopping, and daily activities more frustrating and inconvenient, California will lose the good will of the people. As frustrations mount the people’s willingness to accept the laws and actions of the state will erode. Instead of changing their behavior as the government intends to do with SB 518, people will just leave the state entirely.

JARRETT STEPMAN likes to walk but appreciates the freedom of movement that a car provides. You can reach him at jstepman@ucdavis.edu.

Somebody told me The Aggie ® is doing its “Best of Davis ©” piece soon. That same somebody also told me I couldn’t fit in a ® or a © in my article. Well, I just did. So suck it.

Anyway, I figured I should write my own “Best of DAVE-is™” in true Big D Karimi style.

Normally, said style means profanity-laden, unintelligible drivel packaged neatly into 600 words. This week is no exception. (Actually, it’s more like 900 words. My editor has given up trying to hold me to my word count.)

Best sushi buffet: Jusco takes the cake here because the fried calamari is GODLY. Also, that dude with the hat who comes to pick up the ironclad, laminated, permanent-marker-impenetrable menu is really nice.

Notice I said sushi buffet, rather than sushi “joint.” I don’t know who the FUCK pays for sushi by the piece. I only eat sushi when it’s guaranteed to never stop … floating on those little boats.

Best place to see a bike accident: The bike circle in front of Chem 194 and Outdoor Adventures. Apparently, there’s like a ceremony or something in which seniors bring bagged lunches and watch the freshmen get into accidents on the first day of classes.

That’s bullshit. Why would you purposely bring lawn chairs to watch people get injured? No less in front of fucking OUTDOOR ADVENTURES, where they teach CPR and EMT classes? Talk about mixed signals.

Most ubiquitous/annoying Davis Wiki editors: JabberWokky, BrentLaabs and StevenDaubert. These people edit/contribute/comment on EVERY FUCKING THING ON DAVIS WIKI.

I’ve been here almost four years, and these guys will not stop spreading their edits all over the Davis Wiki-sphere. Oh, an article about hot air balloons in Davis? Neat. Oh…wait…StevenDaubert NEEDED to put his two cents in, saying “I’ve always seen balloons in the early morning looking west, it’s good times.” GOOD TIMES BALLOON WATCHING?! GODDAMN YOU, DAUBERT. STOP COMMENTING ON EVERYTHING. THERE ARE ONLY SIXTY THOUSAND PEOPLE IN DAVIS!

Best place to see grown men beat each other with PVC pipes wrapped in pool noodles and gratuitous amounts of duct tape in the shape of medieval weapons: Just meet me at the west side of the Russell Field at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Bring your war face.

Best bar in Davis: Sophia’s is the best bar in this town, although that’s really not saying much since the bars here suck.

First of all, it’s right next to Vito’s – a.k.a. the best pizza in Davis. (Sorry, Woodstock’s. Your pizza sauce is too sweet. It’s like I’m eating a snickers bars laden with mushrooms and pepperoni.) Second, it’s got a fucking fish tank. There is nothing I’d rather look at while I’m drinking White Russians. Nothing.

Best place to see awkward sexual tension: This one’s a tie. The first one: any bar that has a line to get your ID checked – no exceptions. Just pay attention and you’re bound to eavesdrop on a classic line like, “Oh you’re into yoga? Noy-ce, noy-ce. I’ve got so many yogas at my place … you should, uhh, come see them.”

The second one: The gym, near the ellipticals where attractive girls are usually flanked by meatheads looking to potentially impress some toned hottie on his way in so she’ll casually watch him do bicep curls for the next 45 minutes. Nice try, bro. She’s not going to pay attention. You did yourself a disservice with the swoop-in because she probably didn’t want anybody to see her sweaty.

Best Unitrans bus line you never knew goes to north Davis besides G or J: The B line does. In fact, if you play your cards right and get off at the right stop (Drake Apartments), you can pretty much eliminate the need to pack yourself like a sardine on the G or J line.

(Here’s a tip: Don’t be afraid of taking off your backpack and getting closer to your neighbor. Do you realize how much time a bus driver wastes trying to coax stupid sheeple to burst their imaginary personal-space bubbles? I once had to drive a W line after the last final of spring quarter last year. It was absolute torture – there were over a 100 sheeple in there. And this one prick kept hitting the handicap stop button so I had NO IDEA WHO WANTED TO STOP BECAUSE EVERY STOP WAS BEING REQUESTED SO I JUST STOPPED AT EVERY STOP AND ASKED IF ANYONE WANTED TO GET OFF.)

((I’m in the library right now, and there are a bunch of creepy people walking around telling me the library closes soon. I don’t know what the hell they’re talking about because I thought today was the fucking study-in, but maybe I was misinformed. It’s Sunday night. Apparently, the protest was Friday and Saturday night and they left the signs up. Holy shit, they’re turning off the lights. They always do that bullshit where they turn them off and then on. Stop scaring me, you ASSHOLES. I THOUGHT WE WERE PROSTESTING ALL NIGHT. Just for that, next time I’m going to bring in a cup with a non-sealable lid. That’ll stick it to the regents.))

(((No more parenthesis – this week, at least. I promise.)))

Stay tuned next week for DAVE KARIMI’s “Worst of DAVE-is™.” It’ll definitely include annoying townies that don’t want you to use profanities around their children at Guad’s. E-mail him at dkarimi@ucdavis.edu for any suggestions.

When the UC Board of Regents voted in November to raise student fees 32 percent – with part of the hike beginning spring quarter – students were justifiably angry.

It was the most aggressive move the regents have made in recent history. Past fee hikes were scheduled to begin at the start of the next academic year, and they were always much smaller than 32 percent. Students expressed their anger statewide, occupying buildings and holding rallies.

Sen. Jeff Denham (R-Merced) has proposed a bill that would prevent dramatic fee hikes like this in the future. Dubbed the Student Protection Act, it would require UC and CSU to cap their fee increases to 10 percent each year. It would also require a waiting period of 180 days before any fee hike could take effect.

Had Denham’s bill been law in 2009, the regents would have only been able to raise fees by 10 percent, and the increase wouldn’t have started until this summer.

The bill needs to pass.

It doesn’t matter whether your grandma is fully financing your education or you’re struggling to get by on Pell grants. When the bills go up, it takes time to rearrange finances and find new scholarships or new jobs. Students deserve the security of knowing their fees won’t be jacked up mid-year.

Moreover, the sheer size of this year’s fee hike for UC students means many students will drop out entirely. A 32 percent increase is too much for many to absorb in one year. Limiting fee increases to 10 percent would help students who are struggling financially stay in school. It would also force the regents to ration their fee increases more wisely.

It is unfortunate that some in the reform movement at UC Davis are rejecting this bill. Associate Professor Joshua Clover said the bill was “scandalously indifferent to actually funding public education.” It may be true that this bill doesn’t directly address the critical higher education funding issue, but its provisions are valuable and necessary nonetheless.

Let’s not let good become the enemy of perfect. We can and should support Denham’s bill and demand more concrete action from the state at the same time.

This weekend’s library study-in focused on the fight at hand: education.

The event’s organizers encouraged students to bring their schoolwork to the library; teachers held study groups and guest speakers held teach-ins.

The study-in was a successful instance of student activism. Students who participated displayed a mature understanding of the crisis, which can broadly be defined as the apparent lack of concern for higher education.

Through the study-in, demonstrators publicly showed that they value their studies. Likewise, professors who attended sent the same message.

Whether administrators like Chancellor Linda Katehi and Provost Enrique Lavernia authorized keeping the library open simply to subdue a disobedient protest or whether they were truly committed to reclaiming study areas, they made the library a safe educational space. There were no police forces present, which eliminated the tension present in past demonstrations.

Keeping the library open during the weekend also encouraged the typically inactive to become more connected to the university. While those 40 individuals wearing red bands of solidarity led the study-in, most of the students in the library were simply there to study. Knowing they could stay past usual open hours may not have encouraged these students to drop everything and write to their state representatives, but it nonetheless increased awareness overall.

The event caught the attention of thousands of students in a non-aggressive and academic way. Few students are willing to get arrested at a riotous sit-in, but significantly more will volunteer their time to study at a student protest.

Furthermore, the library staff members who volunteered their nights brought attention to their own budgetary struggles. For years, librarians have been struggling to attain more funding for academic material. The combination of these two groups was not only sensible, but it also made both messages more powerful.

To those outside the university and the voting public, the students at UC Davis appear rational and committed. The event went beyond frivolous and aggressive means of gaining attention and accomplished a specific point of awareness.

As college students, we’re all commuters – to an extent, at least. Unless you were raised in Davis and go to college here, too (bless your heart), odds are you’re from some other part of California. Depending on your location of origin and transportation means, how enjoyable your trip to and from school is can vary.

Nothing can be more frustrating than a 60-mile trip that takes well over an hour. Whether you’re coming or going, it’s hell when traffic hits the 80.

I was once stuck going home (in case you didn’t guess it, that’s the Bay Area) from Sacramento during rush hour. Plus, I had no music to listen to. Not a radio, not an iPod, not even an mp3 on my cell phone. I cringe while I reflect on that experience.

In the meantime, some of us will take planes to and from our hometowns. There are pros and cons of this, too. Just so people don’t think I’m so negative all the time, here are some pros: It’s a hell of a lot faster, it’s really exciting being in the sky and people come by pushing a cart full of food and ask you if you want anything. (Is it just my dirty mind or does the first two parts of that sentence make you think of the mile high club? Actually, the last two parts could, too. Okay, add mile high club to the list of pros.)

Cons include children, sitting in the middle seat, smelly people, layovers and plane crashes.

Children! They show you all the cool stuff they have. A pacifier, sippy cup, the gum in their mouth – what do you do in that situation? Just smile, pet him a little, then go back to your book. A mom once actually asked if I could hold her son for a little bit. She sends the kid my way. There I am, cradling this little boy in my lap while he stares at me. The mother is ecstatic. Then the little poop starts crying! And I feel it’s my responsibility as the apparent caregiver for this child to console him for the duration of the plane ride. So I start patting his back a little and rocking him and stuff. The mom says to give him back. Take him!

Amtrak is easily the best mode of transportation to the Bay and back. The best part is the lack of children and the fact that sleep comes easier than in the congested seating of a plane. The scenery changes quickly, so before you know it, the cows are gone and the familiar and comforting maze of overpasses and highways is back.

However, not knowing the exact time of arrival can be irritating, especially when time is short. The train won’t really speed up. Rather, it usually slows down before anything.

Something I didn’t know before this weekend: A train is not allowed to cross a bridge with a boat going under it. Not a drawbridge or anything – a suspension bridge.

All the delays happen when we’re in a rush. Tick-tock-tick-tock – the 9 a.m. westbound train with station stops of Suisun/Fairfield, Martinez, Richmond, Berkeley, Emeryville and Oakland/Jack London waits for this tiny yacht-looking boat to make its merry little way under the Benicia Bridge!

And everyone on the train is mentally trying to add minutes to the original time of arrival, imagining themselves swerving through lanes, going 90 mph, not taking shit from some tiny yacht.

We know how that can turn out, though. It’s a vicious circle, this commuting stuff. However, regardless of your mode of transportation, anyone can appreciate getting out of Davis for a weekend.

SARA KOHGADAI wants to know your commuter horror story. E-mail her at sbkohgadai@ucdavis.edu.