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Downtown
Improving the vitality of the downtown has been a major focus of my work on the council. I promised to bring more arts, entertainment, dining and outdoor seating for restaurants. When I took office eight years ago, our downtown was lovely, but the streets were deserted in the summer and holidays. Today, Downtown Davis is humming with activity every night of the year.
I took the initiative to bring an independent film theater to the Varsity Theater, and was instrumental in bringing the 33rd Street Bistro use to the historic city hall. I have paid attention to details, like assuring that 3rd street was wired for lighting when improvements were made, so that we could have festive lighting accents throughout the year.
I do have some concerns for the future, however. Council members Ruth Asmundson, Don Saylor, and Steve Souza recently voted to allow all of the cottages which now line B street across from Central Park to be torn down and replaced with large, new buildings. I wanted to preserve these cottages, and hope to preserve many of our remaining downtown cottages, so that they can be reused as charming restaurants such as the delightful new Burghers and Brew restaurant at 3rd and C Streets across from Central Park, and Ciocolat at 3rd and B Streets. We have a number of very good, currently underused sites near downtown on which to build additional new high-density housing, such as the huge 27 acre PG&E site between 2nd and 5th Streets at L Street. There is no need to tear down all of our traditional downtown cottages with their front porches and small yards. The cottage restaurants bring tremendous vitality to our downtown, and play a large role in making Davis a regional destination. Our downtown is wonderful, and we must preserve its unique character.
Environment
Historically, Davis has been the environmental leader. We were the first U.S. city to institute a bike lane system. We had a solar testing facility that set the solar panel standards still being used today. We had the country’s the first ag mitigation ordinance, the country’s first green building code and a visionary general plan that emphasized neighborhood shopping centers, a strong downtown, and disallowed auto-oriented freeway malls and six lane arterials.
When I first took office, I ran on a platform of sustainable planning. Although Davis had been an environmental leader, we were then facing strong political sentiment in favor of cutting down street trees and widening our roads for autos. I worked hard for traffic calming, bicycle-friendly streets and our open space funding and ag preservation ordinance.
We must reaffirm our leadership by, for example, making Davis even more bicycle-friendly, attracting alternative energy research and development, instituting a solar panel loan program and building quality, and higher density housing on carefully chosen sites near downtown, while preserving our downtown’s uniqueness.
We should integrate our sustainability efforts with those of the University, and use the energy and resources of the UCD student population as we move forward. Our younger citizens have the most to lose as our environment degrades, and it is their energy and creativity and passion that we must tap.
It is with great satisfaction that many of the sustainability objectives that I have fought for over the last decade are now widely embraced by all the candidates. I only hope that we apply these principles wisely, and in such a manner that keeps Davis a great town. I look forward to joining my colleagues in our city-wide effort to retain our leadership in environmentally sound planning and green energy research and development.
Neighborhood Preservation
Neighborhoods are the heart of our town. We have a diversity of neighborhoods in Davis, from older to newer, and each is equally important and special. For eight years, I have listened carefully to the residents of our many neighborhoods, and have supported them in their efforts to shape their own destinies. I will continue to promote solutions that preserve the quality and uniqueness of each neighborhood.
Growth and Housing
Slow peripheral sprawl
Measure J, which allows citizens to vote on peripheral development, expires in two years. The council which you are now electing will decide whether Measure J is renewed as you know it, or whether it will be gutted or repealed.
I am committed to placing the Measure J renewal on the ballot as is, without weakening it in any way.
When I first took office, the city had grown by over 50% in only 16 years. Runaway peripheral development was making the streets less bicycle-friendly and the town was in danger of losing its friendly, University town feeling. I was the sole councilmember to vote against the massive Covell Village peripheral housing development (Measure X). With the huge new University subdivision coming on line and about 200 in-fill units already in the pipeline, there was no reason to vote for more peripheral sprawl.
As long as there are huge profits to be made from converting agricultural land to housing tracts, these growth pressures will be with us.
The current council majority talks of need for 1% growth per year, in additional to our affordable housing. One percent might sound small, but with the affordable requirement, it comes to about 325 houses per year – equivalent to the number of units in one new subdivision the size of Wildhorse every three years.
I have been a constant voice and vote for slow peripheral growth, and believe that our growth should be project, rather than numbers, driven. Unfortunately, history has shown that merely building more homes has failed to make homes more affordable.Because of this, I prefer to focus on specific projects that fill specific Davis needs. I have voted for student apartments in the City, senior projects, many single and multifamily infill projects, and have supported centrally placed student housing on campus.
While council majorities have voted to approve developments of large houses over the last few years, I have advocated for smaller, less expensive houses instead.
We could benefit from a non-profit senior continuing care facility, and more condominiums and townhouses and apartments near our downtown and more affordable student housing on the central campus.
Focus on innovative infill projects and workforce housing.
We currently have over 700 moderately priced houses in the pipeline -- 500 for University staff and employees, and about 200 total at the Verona, Chiles Ranch and the Grande sites, if built at moderate densities acceptable to most neighbors.
We also have a tremendously exciting opportunity to bring a stellar townhouse and condominium development to the underused 27-acre PG&E site at L Street between 2nd and 5. This site is large –- the size of our entire commercial core downtown, and is within walking distance to downtown and Amtrak. The project would bring substantial urban housing options for seniors, empty-nesters, young people starting out, and even couples with children who would like to live a more car free lifestyle near the activity and amenities of downtown. The City is in discussions with PG&E, and PG&E is interested. This project IS feasible, and I would like to see it accomplished.
Condominiums near downtown would be environmentally sound, would provide new housing options, and would help provide business for our downtown merchants, restaurants and theaters during the summers and holidays when University classes are not in session.
SCHOOLS
Although the City Council has no direct authority over the schools, our excellent schools define the City of Davis, and I pledge my full support for solving the current school funding crisis.
Ten years ago, I expressed public concern that the school district was not applying for facility matching funds, and that a proposed $55 million facilities bond was unnecessarily large for the planned facilities. I cautioned that the resulting tax burden, disproportionately placed on post-prop 13 homes, could jeopardize passage of future taxes needed for programs and teachers, as well as future high school facility needs.
The $55 million bond failed, and a bond half its size subsequently passed. As I predicted, the $26 million bond was sufficient to build and modernize the number of schools that we have today.
Ten years ago, I emphasized the importance of balancing facility and programmatic needs. Today, I pledge to support our teachers and programs.
Budget
In order to keep Davis a wonderful city, we need to keep our fiscal house in order.
And to do that, we need more straight talk about the city’s fiscal situation. The City currently faces a significant structural deficit in addition to addition to a $6 million plus shortfall in “identified unmet needs”, including over $2 million in annual roadway, bike lane and sidewalk maintenance. In addition, we are facing a potential expenditure of well over $350 million for wastewater and surface water projects.
Revenue generating options are important, but are limited—even cities dominated by freeway malls are facing fiscal crises. Building more housing doesn’t help, because new housing is net fiscal drain to the city’s operating budget. We have to start prioritizing our expenditures, and making responsible decisions. And sometimes, we have to learn to say “no”, even if it might cost us a few votes on the next election.
For example, I was the only councilmember who voted against lowering the age for full retirement benefits for our city desk workers to the age of 55 years. The city’s current retirement age is lower than that of the University, State, Federal government or school district – and this cost is permanent.
I have a good understanding of the budget, will level with the citizens and say “no” when necessary.
Neighborhood Preservation
In order to keep Davis a wonderful city, we need to keep our fiscal house in order.
Neighborhoods are the heart of our town. We have a diversity of neighborhoods in Davis, from older to newer, and each is equally important and special. For eight years, I have listened carefully to the residents of our many neighborhoods, and have tried to support them in their efforts to shape their own destinies. I will continue to promote solutions that preserve the quality and uniqueness of each neighborhood.
I have worked to protect our older neighborhoods from the adverse impacts of growth, have fought hard for the completion of the promised parks and facilities in our newer neighborhoods.
High- technology industry
We are quickly losing the opportunity to attract high-technology business to Davis. Genentech has recently chosen to locate a large research facility in a Dixon business park. Davis did not have the zoned land on the market. We are currently out of usable high-tech zoned land for anything but a few small start-ups.
When I first was elected to council, I took the initiative to rezone the vacant Hunt-Wesson site from general industrial to a residentially compatible, attractive, clean, high-tech business park. But the council majority has never taken a firm stand to keep our high-tech zoned land from being rezoned to housing, so the land speculators are holding out for more profitable housing rezoning. Between the University and the City, we already have about 700 for-sale housing units planned without housing at Hunt-Wesson.
We must give a firm message that our high-tech zoned land will remain zoned high-tech.
Otherwise, Dixon will become the U.C. Davis high-tech spin-off center.
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