Davis mayor shares updates on city developments

On April 20, Mayor Dan Wolk gave a State of Davis address before a Davis Progressive Business Exchange at the International House. Wolk aimed to update business leaders and community members about ongoing projects in the city that have drawn both praise and criticism.        

Before delving into the official speech, Wolk joined the luncheon and spoke about his personal experience living in Davis.

“I grew up here and then, like every good high school student, couldn’t wait to leave upon graduation,” Wolk said at the meeting. “I returned because I missed the area and wanted to give back to the community.”

As mayor of Davis for two years and member of Davis City Council since 2011, Wolk is now running for California State Assembly, and hopes to use his familiarity with Davis to help better the community.

At the beginning of the report, Wolk focused on current developments in Davis that would positively affect the community. One of the issues that he addressed was Davis’ water quality, which has been criticized for posing a health hazard due to its hexavalent chromium-6 content. In response, the city announced that Davis would be receiving water from the Sacramento River, a cleaner and healthier option.

“There was a real need to go to the river to get the surface water, and we did. It will be great when we finally start drawing water this fall,” Wolk said.

In addition to the positive changes in water quality, Wolk addressed another common concern in Davis. Despite residents largely relying on biking and walking, Davis roads have been in a state of disrepair for years, a safety issue for both drivers and pedestrians alike.

“We’re in the midst of a two year, $12 million road reinvestment program. You’ve seen it on A Street, you’ve certainly seen it on Covell, and we’re doing quite a bit in terms of our roads,” Wolk said.

Wolk also shed some light on the much awaited Nishi Gateway Project, stating that the measure will be on the November ballot. Similarly, Wolk addressed concerns about the proposed Mace Ranch Innovation Center, which has been temporarily put on hold. He expressed that City Council is in contact with the developers about its future plans.

To conclude the State of Davis address, Wolk talked about the city’s recovery from the recession.

“One thing that we noticed about the great recession is that you notice how much we rely on UC Davis and Sacramento government for our employment base,” Wolk said. “And when those took a hit, you really saw how that affects our community.”

Despite the downturn the Davis economy saw in the past, Wolk highlighted the continuously growing economy of Davis.

Several community members were happy with the mayor’s statements and how he handled the issues in Davis.

“He knows what needs to be done to make it an inclusive society with people that share values, that work together and help each other,” said Lyon real estate agent Bob Bockwinkel.

However, there were some who speculated that the progress in Davis is not quite what it seems.

“Affordable means affordable depending on your income, and there’s a lot of criticism going around and groups forming saying that the Nishi housing is not affordable to certain people, and nor is The Cannery,” said Davis resident Julia Hunter-Blair.

The mayor took Hunter-Blair’s concerns into account, explaining the relationship between new housing and affordability.

“The reality of Davis is that if you’re building new housing, there’s no covenant put on it that makes it affordable, that requires it to be affordable,” Wolk said. “The idea is that if you build these apartments, the hope is that they’ll help in terms of addressing affordability.”

Written by: Samantha Solomon – city@theaggie.org

Katehi apologizes to assemblymembers for moonlighting activities

On Monday, April 4, UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi and members of the state legislature met in Sacramento for an ethics hearing to discuss her involvement on boards of for-profit companies.

“It felt like a trial on Katehi, but it was just technically an ethics review. It wasn’t a place where anything was decided,” said fourth-year sociology major and member of the Fire Katehi protests Kimberly Reyes.

Reyes, along with other protesters from the Fire Katehi group, were present at the hearing in Sacramento, voicing their concerns at the podium as well as from the stands.

“The whole Fire Katehi group was very respectful. We snapped when we agreed with something but it’s not like we ever interrupted, it’s not like we yelled or anything. During the public comment we stuck to the issues at hand,” said Ruben Gil, a fourth-year English major and member of the Fire Katehi group.

At the Monday hearing, assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), who has previously called for Katehi’s resignation, led the questioning. McCarty also plans to review the UC’s moonlighting policies in coming legislative hearings. At the hearing, McCarty advocated for reform of campus codes regarding paid positions outside university employment.

“I thought [McCarty’s] vocal support was justified and I felt like he really understood why we were here,” Gil said. “I think he sees the moralistic conflicts that there are in taking these positions on these boards, because he wouldn’t let Linda Katehi get away with just spewing out PR and prepared speeches on the subject matter.”

The cause seems to have garnered support from administration and lawmakers alike.

“We basically felt like [McCarty and fellow lawmakers] were on our side, and they’ve come and spoken to us and vocalized with us and agreed with us and called Katehi out,” Reyes said. “So I thought it was a good hearing. It was the most amount of time we’ve gotten with Katehi since all this started, which is really funny.

Katehi has been under scrutiny since last month for accepting a board member position with the DeVry Education Group, a for-profit corporation that operates several higher education institutions, and for her past involvement on the board of textbook publisher John Wiley and Sons.

“Dr. Katehi was approached because of her outstanding academic and administrative credentials. She was one of many university leaders who have sat, or currently sit, on DeVry Group’s board,” said Ernest Gibble, DeVry’s senior director of global communications.

Despite the swarm of criticism, Katehi maintains that her choice to accept the position with DeVry was in order to improve their education programs.

“I believed I could help DeVry improve its educational outcomes and programs and come up with an effective way to measure their success,” Katehi said in an email interview. “I believe all of us in higher education need to think about alternatives for trying to balance educational aspirations with family and work obligations. That was my thought process when I agreed to serve on the board.”

Although Katehi resigned shortly after DeVry announced her position on their board, she was critiqued on her initial choice to consider the position.

“She kept talking about how her position on the board of Wiley and Sons was to reduce textbook costs, and that’s completely contradictory to the nature of sitting on a board. When you’re on the board of a company, you’re there to help them increase their profit, you’re there to help their stockholders,” Gil said.

And yet Katehi has shown no signs of stepping down from her position as chancellor, despite protests and calls for her resignation.

“I am committed to this university, to all our students, faculty and staff, and am hard at work every day on their behalf,” Katehi said in her email.

On the fifth floor of Mrak Hall, fourth-year sociology major Kimberly Reyes and other protesters have stated that they continue to seek Katehi’s resignation.

“Personally, we don’t feel safe with Katehi as our chancellor,” Reyes said. “There are so many things that show she’s not qualified, so we don’t see why she feels like she should be our chancellor or what she has done to earn our trust.”

Recently, the Fire Katehi movement has faced scrutiny in their approach, from both the administration and the public.

Katehi said she understands and respects the student’s right to protest, even though they disagree with her decision to stay at UC Davis as chancellor. However, Katehi admits that the protests have taken a toll on the staff at UC Davis.

“[Staff] are working around the protesters and their disruptions, but it has put extra stress on them. Some of the staff in Mrak Hall have been subjected to inappropriate treatment, including bullying, harassment and verbal abuse from the protesters. That’s not right,” Katehi said in her email.

When asked where she sees the movement going, Reyes was optimistic.
“I do see it escalating, absolutely,” Reyes said.

Written By: Sam Solomon and Ivan Valenzuela – city@theaggie.org

Business model connects production, service

On Saturday, April 16, Identity Coffees opened the door of its over 4,000 square ft. store, located on 28th and O streets in Midtown Sacramento. The grand opening celebration included food and samples of select menu items, including cold brew and cascara coffees, as well as live music by Julio Mina and a projected art screening by Kevin Zee.

The grand opening was a very emotional day for co-owners Ryan Rake and Lucky Rodrigues. Vanessa Bautista, who is married to Rodrigues and is working on public relations for Identity Coffees, explained that the two have dreamt of opening a business together for many years.

“The guys got up and spoke. Lucky attempted to not cry, then he ended up crying. It is kind of a dream come true. Lucky and Ryan wanted to do a business together many years ago, then life came and went and this is the first time they have been able to realize this dream together,” Bautista said.

Bautista adds that Rodrigues and Rake have complementary personalities, encouraging a positive working relationship. Rake and Rodrigues have been friends since they met as teenagers. Both share a passion for music, which they hope to incorporate into the business through special events. Rake is a graduate of the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, which is helpful for business operations at Identity Coffees. Additionally, Rodrigues brings sixteen years of experience in the coffee industry to Identity Coffees, and has curated most of the menu.

“It is a really good fit because running a business is hard, it is like running a party everyday, all day long,” Bautista said.

The Identity Coffees menu includes classic espresso drinks including lattes, mochas and cappuccinos among others. Rake explains that employees call their signature espresso blend the “bees’ knees” because it is sourced from a farm with a bee colony that pollinates the coffee plants.

Rake commented that the cold brew and cascara coffees are what sets Identity Coffees apart from its many competitors in the Sacramento area. He explains that cascara tea is made from coffee cherries, the fruit of the coffee plant, which is brewed as a tea and served on tap. It is slightly carbonated and is only brewed in small quantities.

“Our cold brew is also on tap. It is very smooth and delicious. I say that no one does cold brew better than us. We brew it for 24 hours at once, rather than using a concentrate then adding water afterwards,” Rake said.

Another unique aspect of Identity Coffees is its business model. Rather than designating employees to roast beans, source the coffee, or work as baristas, all employees contribute to multiple aspects of the business. The Sacramento location hosts not only a coffee bar and cafe, but also a training center, roasting area and a space dedicated to shipping wholesale coffee. Employees also travel to South America during coffee harvests and meet the families involved in the agricultural production of the coffee. Thus, the entire Identity Coffees operation, with the exception of farming, is run under one roof, and the coffees served in store is roasted on-site.

“Through the years I have realized that there is a lot of segregation between the growing and production of the coffee and the export logistics, all the way to the coffee makers and the consumers,” Rodrigues said. “Those have been very segregated areas of the industry.”

The Identity Coffees Kickstarter page, which raised over $10,000 in less than one month early this year, explains the store’s philosophy that “when the person serving you the coffee is the same person who sourced and roasted it, [they] will serve you better than anywhere else.”

Identity Coffees attempts to give every employee, including the owners, the opportunity to work in all areas of the company, with the concept of identity interwoven into all aspects of the business model and inspiring the business name.

Written By: CAROLINE STAUDENRAUS – city@theaggie.org