Sacramento Area Council of Governments awards $8.1 million to Davis projects

On Dec. 6, the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) announced that three Davis transportation and green energy projects won grants totalling $8.1 million. The projects awarded include the I-80/Richards Boulevard Interchange Improvement Project, the Electrify Yolo Project and the County Road 32A Railroad Crossing Relocation Study.

The I-80/Richards Boulevard Interchange Improvement Project will receive $5 million through SACOG’s Regional Program, which is SACOG’s largest competitive program.

According to Mayor Brett Lee, the I-80/Richards Boulevard Interchange Improvement Project should bring welcome change for both drivers and cyclists. As the interchange operates now, traffic can at times back up onto the interstate.

“There is planned to be a small redesign in how cars exit and there will be a light there,” Lee said. “So, the traffic flow off [of] the exit should be a little better.”

City Manager Mike Webb explained that the city has been working with Caltrans in the project’s design phase for the last year and a half, meaning the changes are well on their way. Construction is expected to begin in 2020.

“The next stage really is to complete construction drawings, and get the remainder of the funds and funding package in place for going out to bid,” Webb said. “We [will] be going out for construction bids at the end of this year, 2019.”

In addition to reconfiguring the Richards Boulevard westbound I-80 ramps, the city and  Caltrans will work to add a pathway beneath the onramp to promote bicyclist and pedestrian safety and will close the Olive Drive exit to improve safety in the Olive Drive neighborhood. Changes will affect students and faculty who commute from outside of Davis as well as those who ride their bikes and drive to the UC Davis campus from South Davis.

“The redesign is really important because it will make [the interchange] a much safer way for people from South Davis to ride their bikes to the downtown or campus,” Lee said. “[The project] actually should improve the traffic flow as well.”

The other safety project, the County Road 32A Railroad Crossing Relocation Study, is a joint proposal between the City of Davis and Yolo County and will receive $200,000 through the community design program.

The study will consist of “developing a project scope and cost estimate for a potential crossing enhancement and/or relocation,” and “reviewing alternatives and identifying the preferred option,”according to a city press release. Presently, the road’s current sharp turns near the railroad crossing affect cyclists on their way to the Yolo Causeway bike path, cyclists commuting between Sacramento and Davis and vehicles including trucks driving to the landfill.

Accidents have occured, prompting relocation disputes and subsequently a memorandum of understanding between the Union Pacific Railroad and the city, wherein parties agreed to pursue a long-term solution to the railroad crossing problems.

Lee sees redesign as necessary for the crossing.

“The visibility is not ideal, and then also, cars try and go a little too fast for the turn,” Lee said. “Ideally, we would have a better way of slowing people down and having them stay in their lane.”

The Electrify Yolo Project will receive $2.9 million as a green region program grant. Valley Clean Energy — with the City of Davis, the City of Woodland and the County of Yolo — will use the grant funding for this project to add electric vehicle charging stations throughout Yolo County as well as an electric shuttle service in Davis.
Grant project lead and director of customer care and marketing, Jim Parks, anticipates that the project will promote green energy in the region.

“If people can see that there’s charging infrastructure around … [and] as more chargers become available in public locations, people will reduce the range anxiety and be more open to purchasing electric vehicles,” Parks said. “We want to lay the foundation for future growth, which we expect will then facilitate more people adopting electric vehicles.”

Electrify Yolo will install approximately 20 level two charging stations, up to 10 mobile, solar-powered chargers and two to five direct current fast chargers in Davis. The charging infrastructure in Davis, Woodland and Yolo County will be publicly available, networked and credit card enabled, although functionality details have not yet been decided.

The grant gives Electrify Yolo four years for completion, and has an 11.6 percent cost-share.

“It’s exciting for us to get a grant of this magnitude in our county,” Parks said. “Now that the grant has been approved, now the rubber meets the road.”

Webb feels positively about the success of these grant proposals as a whole.

“This recent round of grants — of grant funding we’ve received from SACOG — is a real testament to our commitment to leveraging our local dollars and stretching them and making them go as far as we can,” Webb said. “I’m really proud of the work that our staff and our supporters put into making these grants’ applications successful, really pleased to see the work result in a very positive [outcome.]”

Written by: Anne Fey — city@theaggie.org

Students to receive financial aid for only four years

New legislation for the California state school systems directly impacts students receiving state financial aid. On Jan. 1, a new law was enacted which requires that students be notified about timely degree completion status while receiving financial aid because Cal Grants are limited to four academic years.

“AB 2248, authored by Assembly Member Kevin McCarty, refers to notifying higher education students receiving financial aid about how many units must be taken per semester or quarter to graduate within four years and also to clarify to those students that Cal Grant is limited to four academic years,” said Kristen Timarche, the media relations officer for the California Student Aid Commission.

The California Student Aid Commission and institution of higher education must provide those who receive state financial aid further information on the known prerequisites in order to graduate. Many students are under the impression that 12 units are necessary to be considered a full-time student, but aren’t necessarily aware that an average of 15 units are mandatory to graduate within four years.

Something many students may be unaware of, however, is that financial aid, including Cal Grants, are limited to four academic years. This could potentially leave a fifth-year student in debt or unable to attain aid for the extra year necessary to complete their degree.

“Currently, there is a disconnect between the 120 units or 15 units per semester, necessary for graduation in four years and the commonly used definition of ‘full-time,’ which is 12 units per semester,” Timarche said. “The new law requires both the California Student Aid Commission and institutions of higher education to provide this notification to recipients of state financial aid to avoid expanding their financial aid before being graduated.”

On average, a University of California student will have a net impact of $80,000 for one additional year of attendance, while California State University students will have an impact of $70,000.

“The Commission supports providing students with as much information as possible at the earliest time so that they understand that if they don’t take at least 15 units per semester to graduate in four years, they may not have financial aid for their fifth or sixth year,” said Lupita Cortez Alcalá, the executive director of the California Student Aid Commission.

This new law will assist students who were uninformed about precisely how many units are needed to graduate within four years. It will also enforce postsecondary institutions notifying Cal Grant recipients on the steps needed to graduate within the time restraint.

“With an impacted major and being practically the millionth person on a waitlist for a science class, I always assumed a fifth-year would just be a given for me when it comes to NPB,” said Hannah Sjolund, a second-year neurobiology, physiology, and behavior major. “It was not until after I could barely manage 12 units per quarter that I realized I needed to step it up and take more [units] to graduate on time and not have to take out loans with my financial aid leaving me no support for an extra year.”

Written by: Lauren Tropio — city@theaggie.org

Community opposition overturns unanimous decision to rename North Davis Elementary

The proposal to rename North Davis Elementary School in honor of Dr. Mary Ellen Dolcini has been tabled to allow for more discussion. On Dec. 20, after facing opposition from the community, the school board called for the formation of a committee to explore other ways of celebrating Dolcini’s contributions.

Dolcini held many administrative positions in the Davis Joint Unified School District, serving as assistant superintendent, principal of the then-East Davis School and North Davis Elementary School, which she successfully advocated to become a full inclusion site. The idea of renaming North Davis Elementary School emerged after Dolcini’s passing in April 2018.

“[Dolcini] was formative in the activity at the school, and we felt that it’d be an appropriate honoring of her,” said Janice Bridge, an organizer of the proposal and former school board trustee. “We also wanted the students in Davis to have some connection with her.”

Earlier, on Oct. 23, the Davis branch of the American Association of University Women hosted a public forum for discussion of the renaming, which was mostly in support of the name change. Bridge noted the abrupt shift in support, given the initial positive responses to the renaming.

“There was no conflict and no one from the school raised any objections whatsoever,” Bridge said.

The school board unanimously voted for the name change on Dec. 6. Between that initial meeting and the Board of Education Meeting on Dec. 20 — in which the renaming appeared on the Consent Calendar — opposition from parents and community members arose.

Parents took to posting on online forums such as NextDoor, emailing the BOE and attending school board meetings to voice their concerns over the necessity of the change and the anticipated costs.

“We absolutely want to recognize what Dr. Dolcini has done for the school and for the city, but there are many other ways to recognize her contribution without something as dramatic as changing the school name,” said Loris Degioanni, a North Davis parent.

Tricia Tomiyoshi-Marsom, another North Davis parent who attended the Dec. 20 meeting, expressed feeling left out of the decision-making process.

“Certainly the people who are the biggest stakeholders are the parents and teachers and staff members who work and attend North Davis elementary everyday,” Tomiyoshi-Marsom said. “So we would hope that our opinions would be taken into consideration before a move like that was ever even approved, but that was part of the source of frustration.”

With much of the opposition rooted in concern over the cost of a name change, the initial proposal group consulted an IT specialist. They concluded that if the change were made over time, the overall cost would not increase.

“Electronic media is what they use today,” Bridge said. “We don’t have to ditch whole bales of paper with the logo on it, you just make a major change to the logo.”

Aside from concerns over digitally altering the school’s logo, the other major cost would have been altering the various physical badges bearing the North Davis name.

“North Davis school has a large number of ceramic plaques and installations throughout the campus that have been done over time with involving a local ceramic artist,” Bridge said. “We would have applied for grants to pay for that.”

Despite accounting for such costs, parents were still dissatisfied with the decision.

“Any amount of funding that would be diverted to a name change or signage that would have benefited the teachers and the students was also a sore point for some members of our community,” Tomiyoshi-Marsom said.

On Dec. 20, trustee Alan Fernandes proposed the formation of a committee that will return later with a recommendation. The meetings will be public and hosted by board-appointed representatives.

While the name change is technically still in contention, Bridge sees it as highly unlikely given the circumstances.

“We’re not interested in engaging in that kind of battle, nor would [Dolcini] have been interested in that,” Bridge said.

Ongoing discussions include implementing a Mary Dolcini Day celebrated by the District, a statue of her likeness or naming the new multipurpose room at North Davis after Dolcini. The proposal group hopes that Dolcini can be celebrated by all — not just North Davis students — which may not be fulfilled by only renaming the multipurpose room.

“It really opens up possibilities where we can come to a compromise,” Tomiyoshi-Marsom said. “Hopefully with this committee they’ll be able to hear other opinions and make a thoughtful decision that will make [all] sides happy.”

Written by: Renee Hoh — city@theaggie.org

Signs to be posted for designated smoke-free areas

Yolo County declared on Jan. 1 that county-owned properties throughout the county will be smoke free, following approval by the Board of Supervisors in Aug. of 2017. These properties will include “outdoor areas of the property, such as walkways and parking lots.”

The new policy prohibits “smoking any product on property owned or leased by the county, including cigarettes, little cigars, marijuana and all electronic smoking devices.” Steven Jensen, the health program manager for the Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency, stated that the move to a smoke free county was right.

“Ultimately, the goal was to reduce the amount of second-hand smoke that both employees of Yolo County and clients are exposed to,” Jensen said. “[For] employees, the policy [enforcement] is the responsibility of the employees’ direct supervisor first. There are other policies in place where there can be negotiations and talk[s]. For clients to come, the enforcement is basically self-enforcement. The manager, department head or whatever department works in the building can ask the client of customer to stop smoking.”

Yolo County ensured that the rules would be made clear and areas would be clearly designated.

“There will be signs posted on all the buildings that clearly designate which areas are smoke free or that the property is smoke free and cite the ordinance numbers so people can access it to see what the legislation is,” Jensen said.

The current rule states that smokers can only smoke 20 feet away from the entrance of a county building or they must move to a designated smoking area. However, employees, clients and visitors were being impacted by the second-hand smoke under this old rule. This prompted the Yolo County Tobacco Prevention Program to research smoke-free policies in other counties and eventually adopt them in order to “protect people from breathing in unwanted smoke.”

Yolo County has been working toward an easy and informative transition for residents.

“Most likely, there will be questions and confusion about this,” Jensen said. “Before passing this policy, we have been advertising. The policy was adopted a year and a half ago. It was adopted with the language that it would be implemented now. We’ve had a year and a half to prepare employees and the community through press releases, email, banners on our websites so that people can prepare. We’ve been distributing where people requested tobacco ‘quit kits.’ We have website setup where people can get help quitting.”

Jensen continued to explain the support for the new policy.

“We did do a lot of survey before this was adopted, and it was overwhelmingly positive,” Jensen said. “We met with all the union [representatives] so that they were aware of it. All those parks supported [it].”

Yolo County health officer Ron Chapman explained the harmful effects second-hand smoke can have.

“Disease caused by second-hand smoke continues to kill over 40,000 people in the United States each year,” Chapman said. “Smoke-free policies that address both indoor and outdoor spaces are some of the best ways to protect our community, reduce that number and keep our county healthy.”

UC Davis has been a smoke free campus since 2014. Matt Ko, a first-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major at UC Davis, expressed his satisfaction with the long standing smoke-free campus.

“I have noticed that not as many students smoked in college compared to high school,” Ko said. “I actually didn’t know UC Davis tried to enforce a smoke-free campus. Now it makes sense why less people smoke.”

Other counties across California have also adopted this smoke-free legislation. The nearby counties of Solano, Contra Costa and Placer have made their properties smoke free, while West Sacramento made its city-owned buildings and parks smoke free in 2017.

“The best way [to enforce the policy] is to follow the policy,” Jensen said.

Written by: John Regidor — city@theaggie.org