Citizens’ Climate Lobby continues to advocate for Carbon Fee and Dividend in Washington

On Nov. 10, Michael Russell, a member of Yolo County’s chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, departed for Washington, D.C. Citizens’ Climate Lobby is a national organization celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

Elisabeth Robbins, a co-leader for Yolo Citizens’ Climate Lobby, noted how dedicated the volunteers and people in the organization are to the environment.

“It’s a group of very enthusiastic and dedicated people who care deeply about the environment to find a solution,” Robbins said.

Robbins explained that there is a yearly conference in Washington which Russell will take part this year.

“Every June, they have a national conference in Washington for the opportunity to lobby for members to represent the district from all of our chapters,” Robbins said. “They will also talk to their constituents in other ways than they would talk to the press. We take all our reports from last spring, and our national staff analyzes them looking at the trends.“

The organization hopes to build and gain momentum concerning the environmental legislation it is advocating for such as Carbon Fee and Dividend in Washington. The plan is a national revenue-neutral system that would place a predictable price on carbon and be returned to households as a monthly energy dividend.

“This is a chance for us to get feedback about what Congress is actually saying about Carbon Fee and Dividend,” Robbins said. “I think we’re working for a longer term, but not necessarily, as there are a number of steps that need to happen and those are happening now. We’re not waiting until the time is perfect.”

Ammon Thompson, a volunteer for Citizens’ Climate Lobby, elaborated on how the organization is taking action to solve problems with climate change.

“I like this approach best because we’re not going to solve this problem in a partisan way,” Thompson said. “There are diverse people with diverse values in this country, and I think the solution that will work will appeal to both conservatives and liberals.”

While Russell is taking action by leaving to Washington, Thompson is continuing to advocate in Davis.

“Just talking to citizens by setting up tables at the Farmers Market here in Davis has been pretty good,” Thompson said. “There’s diverse ways we volunteers advocate for this type of policy. But the message is consistent no matter where in the country. We try to get organizations and citizens to put more and more pressure on our Congress to act.”

Terry Beggs, the other co-leader for Yolo Citizens’ Climate Lobby, explained what Russell will be doing when he visits members of Congress as a representative of Yolo County’s chapter.

“[Russell] will be visiting members of Congress in the House including John Garamendi’s office,” Beggs said. “We have an international conference in June, and we lobby. We gather concerns and explain how viable Carbon Fee and Dividend will be. Then we go back in November and see if they have more questions. It’s an education day, so we can follow up.”

While Citizens’ Climate Lobby is a large organization, each chapter still advocates for the same idea concerning Carbon Fee and Dividend.

“Every chapter addresses a problem with the same information because Citizens’ Climate Lobby is a national organization with the same direction advocating for Carbon Fee and Dividend, which is a market-based solution.” Beggs said. “We work toward the same goal.”

Beggs elaborated on climate change and its effects.

“My great concern is that climate change is a huge issue, and we have to address it,” Beggs said. “I don’t regard it as a political issue. It’s an issue that affects everybody no matter your political background and no matter who you are. It affects everybody worldwide. It’s a big enough issue that we can’t ignore it, and we need to take positive action on it, rather than just expressing that we are concerned. I like that this group is working towards a solution.”

Carbon Fee and Dividend remains a policy proposal. Beggs noted the importance of keeping members of Congress up-to-date and educated about the plan.

“We are developing relationships with our members of Congress,” Beggs said. “We also educate the public on Carbon Fee and Dividend, and a lot of it is education for the Congressmen and women regarding solutions and important information about what their constituents think. Even though this is not a problem of politics, it’s a problem that will have take some part with the government, and the government will have to take action as well as all of us.”

Written by: Stella Tran — city@theaggie.org

Hazmat situation in downtown Davis

On Nov. 21, local firefighters and police officers blocked off and evacuated the west side of the University Lodge at First and B streets. The evacuation came as a result of a strange smell emanating from one of the rooms after an employee placed a call to the police department at approximately 1 p.m. Firefighters initially determined the strange smell was the result of some gaseous substance released in the lodge, and police evacuated and vented the rooms of the lodge prior to entering. When the police entered the room, they discovered a deceased adult male.

“We’re currently investigating this further as a suspected suicide,” said Lieutenant Paul Doroshov, a spokesman for the Davis Police Department. “Right now it’s a bit complicated with the collection of evidence and the cleanup. But, for public safety, right now the deceased suspect is the only person involved in the investigation. We don’t believe anyone else is involved.”

According to Sacramento CBS, hotel management said the deceased suspect checked into the room on Monday and was supposed to check out before 11 a.m. Wednesday. The gaseous substance is still under investigation, but the evacuation order has been lifted and the Best Western University Lodge is open again, according to Fox 40. Police stressed that there is no reason to fear damage to the area and that it was likely an isolated incident.

Written by: Ahash Francis — city@theaggie.org

Interfaith Rotating Winter Shelter to open after Thanksgiving

Davis’s annual Interfaith Rotating Winter Shelter (IRWS) is gearing up to open on Nov. 26, the Sunday following Thanksgiving. Every year, the shelter opens its doors to Davis residents who might need shelter for the night, particularly members of the homeless population, who may not have any other place to go.

“It’s always good when people of different faiths and backgrounds come together to work towards a common goal,” said Shoshana Zatz, a shelter facilitator for Congregation Bet Haverim. “It benefits us because we are doing the good work through this shelter […] also, I find it’s really helpful to have the kids, as well as adults, members of the congregation, interact with the guests. It dispels a lot of the fear and distrust of them comes from not knowing, not having interacted with these homeless people.”

The shelter emphasized that their goal is not to fix their lodgers, but to serve them in any way they can. Sleeping outside poses a health hazard to those who don’t have any place to go for the night. Rain and bitingly cold weather are problems homeless people face at all times of the year in Davis, but winter nights magnify these uncomfortable conditions. The shelter seeks to serve Davis’ homeless population by giving them a short respite from sleeping on the streets.

“We have 10 congregations that host the guests in the 15-week season,” said Mary Anne Kirsch, a member of St. James Catholic Church and one of the founders of the IRWS. “Some of the congregations host for two or three weeks, and some for one week. It goes around the city […] Last year we served about 2,000 meals and provided about 2,000 shelter spots during the 13 weeks, and that served about 124 individuals, because a lot of them come back for multiple nights.”

Kirsch also stressed that the shelter doesn’t consider sobriety or cleanliness when accepting guests. The shelter takes in potential residents at an intake center on D Street, separate from whichever church or congregation is hosting the shelter. There’s a short screening process where volunteers record some information about the guests and ensure that they will be respectful. Those who have completed the screening process before go through a shortened process. After passing the screen test, volunteers then drive the visitors to whichever church or congregation is hosting the guests for the week. There, patrons are given warm food and shelter provided by members of that church.

“There’s a lot of involvement — a lot of people in the community who care about this service,” said Michael Coleman, who supervises the high school interns involved in the program.

The shelter employs both high school and college interns and volunteers to intake and host its patrons. The intern application process for the shelter is closed for this year, but those interested can apply to the program next year.

“The spirit of the program is to provide a bridge between those with shelter and those without,” according to the shelter’s website. “We want to provide shelter in the physical, emotional and spiritual sense of the word.”

The Interfaith Rotating Winter Shelter will be up and running from Nov. 26 to Mar. 11. Hundreds of volunteers work at the shelter to take in, drive, feed and house guests over the four months it will be running. To find out more about the shelter, readers can visit its website, and potential volunteers can visit the IRWS’s online sign-up site to learn about the various volunteer roles the shelter needs to fill.

Written by: Ahash Francis — city@theaggie.org