Thread by @yolopeoplepower

We're off to the races again!

Tuesday September 15 6:30 pm Davis City Council meeting.

The zoom link is here: zoom.us/j/91246625235

#Davis #DavisCityCouncil #DavisCCMtg

Everyone here, agenda is approved.

City Manager announcements.

1. Closed captioning is available on city zoom meetings now. Click cc at the bottom of the screen

2. Election info

Mail in ballots only. There will be voter assistance centers and ballot drop boxes available around town and the county.

registertovote.ca.gov to register! Please register!!!!

3. Open Air Davis update.
- Continuing weekend closed of G st btwn 2nd & 3rd.
- Launched full time use of half of E st parking lot.
- Ended closure of 2nd st

4. Weather relief center update (aka the smoke center / cooling center now has a combined name). Still open, remains open. Until Friday the 18th at 6 pm. At the Senior Center A & 7th noon - 6 pm. COVID protocols in place to keep it safe

City Council brief announcements - none
City Council intent to pull items from consent - Frerichs wants to pull item D, Partida too, wants to comment on G too.

Public Comment

Commenter #1: [Very difficult to hear] Calling in about the rental issue in Davis where people are trying to leave their leases due to COVID. Asks City Council to agendize the issue.

Commenter #2: Supports approving proposal for a stronger commission system. Wants City Manager to work with the authors of the proposal. Thanks commissioners for their voluntary service.

Commenter #3: Calling in about a Colin Walsh a city council candidate for district 2. Says he has targeted and harassed young women in the past. Does not want him representing Davis.

Commenter #4: Also calling in about Colin Walsh. Similar comments to the above - harassing young women. Wants the City Council to take action about his past actions.

Commenter #5: [Why are all of these so quiet!] Calling about the proposal for improved decision making. Requests the discussion and report be placed on the City Council agenda for October 6

Commenter #6: Thanks city for continuing to embrace the policy work. Asks for decision making proposal to be on the city council agenda. Mentions Bright Night

Commenter #7: Calling in about Colin Walsh, his sexist and misogynistic comments in 2018. Wants city council to condemn the behavior.

Commenter #8: Calling in about Colin Walsh (city council district 2 candidate and city commissioner). He has made sexist attacks on two UC Davis women and activists who were engaged in civic democracy.

Commenter #9: Calling in about the decision making process proposal. More transparent city government. Encourages city staff to reach out to the proposal authors.

Commenter #10: Calling in about consent calendar J & K. No consequences for developers who do not manage trees and protect them over time.

Commenter #11: Calling in about the decision making proposal. Separately, wants vacancies on commissions dealt with because there are a lot and they sometimes cannot reach quorum.

Mayor Partida: Move to approve consent calendar minus item D.

People say Aye, Arnold registers no vote on J.

Frerichs: Staff proposal for committee made up of members from city commissions. Wants city council appointments to be on the committee too.

Carson: Prefers Lucas' outline. City council subcommittee that will make the people recs. Have a period for people to apply who are interested in this.

[A very quiet person was talking. Are they still talking?]

[Sherri is louder!]

Sherri: Very short term appointment. Want committees work to be done by the first of the year. Don't have a lot of time to consider who they want to add. On a fast track.

Frerichs: Reason for the suggestion is pretty straightforward. Specific people they're looking to appoint. Having an opportunity to have one or two at large members to represent other segments of the community. Could work to have those appointments made pretty quickly.

Partida: City council appoint or commissions appoint?

Frerichs is asking for city council appointments. 2 from CC, other is commissions choosing (staff recommendation).

Webb: First meeting mid October. 4 weeks to get the appointments. Council subcommittee on commissions could do it.

Partida: Is there public comment on this?

None. Now they vote

Passes.

Partida comment on Item G on consent calendar: Amendments to Landscape Maintenance Contracts for Service Reductions

Partida: Reduction in the amount of landscaping that happens in the city. Asks Webb to comment. They've moved to dryscape for a lot of the spaces.

Webb: Efforts in the last couple of years in esp greenbelts to more drought tolerant and low maintenance landscapes. This is a reflection of that. In lower traffic areas - can be mowed every other week instead of weekly.

Webb: Don't expect less beauty or upkeep issues in these areas due to this change

Item 4 - First Five Yolo Presentation: The CHILD Pilot Project and Road to Resilient Expansion

Webb: As part of the cannabis regulatory structure in Davis they have a money system where funds get put towards certain programs. First Five is one of them

Gina Daleiden is speaking.

Talking about child development. 90% of a child's brain development happens before age 5.

Disparities and inequities happen before birth and after

Gina: The earlier the investment, the higher the return. Key goals - prevent child abused and maltreatment, improve child development and safety, event or mitigate adverse childhood experiences

*prevent or mitigate

First Five Yolo as a City Partner

Matching support and services to the needs and strength of children, looking at quality of implementation, developing new intervention strats

Pilot project identified highest risk women at clinic in Davis, immediate connection to resources, access to home visits and parenting skills education

Key findings from pilot project - engaging higher risk families reqs innovative stats, in clinic nav builds trust & engagement and access to services. Majority of women who qualified for home visits accepted them

Expanded services for Davis residents, reaching out to pregnant women with histories / current substance use

Expanded to clinic countywide in Jan 2020. Have a partnership network now. Shared database

Key highlights from R2R launch
92% of clines receive an in-depth family assessment and connection to appropriate resources

100% parents reported using stats learned to prevent kid exposure to substances

96.4% of participants avoided entry into child welfare services while using services

100% of clients in home visit had a reduction in substance use

100% of clients in home visit reported improved parents skills

80% of kids were up to date on immunizations

Annual budget ~1 mill, has a collaboration chart. 120 families served thus far

Carson: 2 questions

1) Is in home visits the critical factor? Was it a combo of stuff?

Gina: It is a combo of factors incl intensive home visiting services. They open access

Gina: Biggest surprises, a very sophisticated approach to in clinic nav piece to connect to home services. Important moment of fusion. Need a longer time than just on the spot ask.

Gina: Following up with the client at the next appt

Carson:

2) How has COVID affected a home visitation program?

Gina: New ways and also changed stuff. Service providers at the beginning of COVID found more women wanted services. Easier to begin a relationship virtually. National protocols from a national childcare org were put out quickly

Gina: Missing in clinic connection now. Have to do a phone handoff now

Arnold: What was the big success here? Heartening to hear stories on how they managed and thrived during COVID

Arnold: Maybe these strategies can be used in the future.

Lee: Thanks Gina too

Frerichs: 2 quick questions

1) Majority $ coming from state, what more need is there? What more could be done if there were more resources?

Gina: Going to see how project expands and then see the need as they expand esp home visiting.

Got additional funding from county cannabis $

Gina: First Five has a grant coming next month that will allow them to give electronic devices to families that need them

Frerichs: [Missed his second question] It was about funding and timing

Gina: Several counties / places were looking in to it. Funding first 5 years is important.

Partida: Scaling the timeline question. Do you follow families for a year or until the kids are in the school system?

Gina: City of Davis grant was for 5 years. 3 year horizon from federal gov. A new frontier to cross in terms of talking to health plans and thinking about what funds could be spent on services like home visiting

Public Comment

Commenter #1: Someone from the cannabis industry calling in to say the work they're doing is great. Asking council at a future date to look at teens as well. Vulnerable age, looking at prison statistics

Gina: To be able to say we have started a pilot helps them get funds. One of the few projects on this in the state who actually have data

Item 5 now

UC Davis presentation - COVID response for the Fall Term

Campus Ready Plan Update

Vice Chancellor Kelly Ratliff

Kelly: Info is dynamic, changing all the time but wanted to give them an update

Plan expects and assumes personal responsibility.

Guided by public health and science and data

A lot of safety protocols and mitigation measures.

Broad communication plan with extensive signage, use of social media etc, partnering with city and county

Kelly: 250 students part of education and outreach

Just completed Day 2 of a comprehensive screening and testing program

Supporting out of plant genomics lab, using saliva samples

Kelly: Close collaboration with Yolo County Public Health, contact tracing team in partnership with them, quarantine spaces available for all students based on medical advice.

Kelly: Robust flu vaccine program for students and employees

[I got mine yesterday! Go get yours!]

Kelly: A lot of work on spaces to dedensify them, reduce interactions. A lot of campus buildings are locked. A lot disinfected. Events and gatherings aren't allowed. Mandatory face coverings

Kelly: Predominantly remote education Fall 2020

> 50 people classes all remote. < 50 big review process, 34/3,600 (1%) will be approved for in person. Clear reason - lab, art studio, clinical. Mandatory training and screening for them

Kelly: Engaged in research ramp down and ramp up process. 10% occupancy across the entire campus rn. A couple buildings higher. Review process, clearly defined plan before research could resume.

Kelly: In a holding pattern now in Phase 2 - time-sensitive research activities

Kelly: This week 650, next week ~1000 students moving in. Usually ~6200 students.

Kelly: Rec facilities are closed like the arc

Kelly: Support for the most vulnerable members of the community. Identifying childcare options and flexible work schedules.

Kelly: For sports no activities allowed to happen except individual training opportunities. Setting up tents for outdoor wifi and weight lifting.

Kelly: Get question - how will you know when to scale back? Don't have a set number, working with county, will be publishing the data.

Brad Pollock talking now. Pollock is chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences - UC Davis School of Medicine.

Chairs UC system COVID 19 working group

Project is called Healthy Davis Together - joint project between campus and city to prevent spread of COVID 19

- Promote diversity and equity in health and education
- Focus on at risk and vulnerable pops
- Holistic approach
- Tech innovation to meet challenges of rapidly changing world

Big slide.

2 themes - epidemiology and health behavior change

Epidemiology approaches incl screening, contact tracing, quarantine, modeling, flu vax

Health Behavior Change approaches incl health education content development, mass communication for health messaging, incentives

For both themes - targets are city of davis pop, UCD students and employees, schools, businesses and employees

Con't targets are unions, city and county gov, faith orgs, community orgs

Cores are informatics and evaluation, innovation & tech, admin, legal and regulatory, enabling environment

Slide showing how they do saliva testing

Incentive Examples:

- Gift cards to Davis businesses
- Advertising at UCD student events
- Blue Devils (the hs) Public Health Ambassadors

Brad: Expanding green check program for businesses in the city to show they were involved in more COVID standards (adding a plus)

Aggie Ambassador program - Kelly talked about it. 250 undergrads get academic credit work with Brad and other public health people

Special populations: farmworkers, K-12, homeless they are aware have vulnerable status

Org chart

City manager and Chancellor oversee advisory committee (provost & city manager chair), executive committee (project director chair), technical advisory committee (chair tbd)

Brad: Timeline - fastest Brad has ever worked in his career. People are dying. No time to waste. Implementation phase started today

If Healthy Davis Together is successful there will be measurable impacts - lowered burden of COVID 19 through lower incidence and morbidity, improve economic environment, increased community resilience, expanded infrastructure to sustain health improvements beyond COVID 19

Carson: 1850 / 6200 students on campus are coming back. What's your expectation of the normal number of students living in the city? At least to start

Kelly: 39,000 is usual fall enrollment. Survey wrapped up August 31. 32% response rate then extrapolated. 11,000 students already here predominantly grad & professional. Sept 1 another 12-14,000 coming. In community pop of 23-25,000

Carson: 20 mill revenue loss because of COVID to the city, how much will this cost?

Kelly: Campus has losses and extra expenditures as well. Healthy Davis Together is campus funds & federal and state funds. And philanthropy.

Brad: Apartment owners are donating places for people to quarantine in. Also what is the economic consequence of not doing this?

Arnold: What's the protocol if we see a big outbreak?

Brad: Wide range of messaging targeted at individual students as well as student orgs and greek life. Knows epidemiology people at NC Chapel Hill

Brad: We are helping out Yolo County enormously. Did not have enough contact tracers before this program

Kelly: Asking each frat & sorority with a living component to prepare a safety plan

Kelly: Changed student code of conduct to reflect current circumstances

Arnold: If a member of the community sees a party, or sees unsafe behavior, what is the move they should make?

Kelly: If there is a call about a party, we have mechanisms to follow through student affairs. Calls will come into the city, calls will come into the campus

Arnold: Police department is the proper entity to be triaging these types of calls

Arnold: Can you discuss business protocols and how to be a good consumer?

Brad: Not too many deets right now. Developing them right now

Brad: In an intense planning process in the next couple of weeks. Ex: education is needed. Provide folks who can go in and make businesses safer.

Looking for creative solutions, incentives reward you for them!

Lee: Hopeful there will be broad education on reporting covid stuff. Have received frantic calls from people who see people without masks. Don't assume the worst.

Frerichs: 1) launch of public info campaign - when will we see release of info / launch

Brad: Did an interview with @D_Enterprise, probs coming out tomorrow. Controlled roll out happening right now.

Frerichs: 2) Tents on campus maybe also put in downtown for businesses

Brad: Still working with city manager's office. @RobbCA running an arm of that

Brad: Trying not to send message of getting people together

Kelly: Learned a lot in a short period of time (re safety, ada compliance, etc), info is available for that type of implementation in the city

Frerichs: 3) Cost? Happy can collaborate with campus but want to know more about cost itself. Hearing this won't cost the city? Bc listed funding sources.

Brad: That's the idea. Don't intend to cost the city but city can implement stuff if they want. Going to do things as efficiently as they can

Webb: Tremendous collaboration. Understanding is not going to cost the city. Do not have funds to undertake these endeavors. Will take some staff time.

Partida: Have a plan in place for contact tracing students who live in homes with families? Procedure in place for giving info to county?

Kelly: + result will be contact directed by human services by a person from campus. Assess student's ability to isolate

Kelly: Same person who does initial contact will start contact tracing process. Who they live with, hand off to county public health

Brad: Doing contact tracing legally under auspices of county.

Brad: County reached out and said they couldn't do county and campus. Campus is provide and rounding out their services

Partida: Harm reduction model where people register gatherings she saw. Reality is people do gather.

Brad: Decision like that will be made at a county level. At least in CA.

Brad: There are ways of gathering where people are relatively safe. Yolo County doesn't have the resources to run that registration model. Better to do education on how to do those things safely.

Kelly: A lot of our messaging is what you can do or how you should do it. Virtual gatherings, using the tents, etc.

Public Comment:

Commenter #1: @ConnorForDavis Wants to discuss worker rights and bargaining. Important for UC to accept demands of campus workers unionized or no. Important aspect of COVID 19 response.

Commenter #1: Campus employees are currently negotiating, they know what is best for their needs. Including childcare

Commenter #2: Director of local nonprofit about climate change. Happy to see new programs rolling out that will continue after COVID. Community ambassadors like the student program.

Commenter #3: Thanks presenters. What or where is the weak link that they haven't touched upon that people should be aware of? What is the Plan B? Campus and community need each other for success.

Commenter #4: Former microbiologist. Concerns about how UCD is handling the situation with returning students. Numerous parties. Where does the community call when they see a social gathering? Where do they house students who need to quarantine? At some point that will happen

Partida: A couple questions addressed during the presentation or earlier. Where people are supposed to call - David PD? Right Mike?

Webb: Yes and have email for COVID related inquiries.

Forgot to tag @Dillan4Davis in this one!

Partida: Final comments?

Frerichs: Large demand for ambassadors. Community ones a good idea. Funding is an issue tho. Individ behaviors important

Carson: Dashboard and also rumor control comments. We all have an obligation to engage in rumor control and limit false information

Arnold: Talking about COVID long term effects, young people have a feeling of invincibility, false sense of security. We should make sure to ensure everyone in community is taking their own health and the health of others into account. Comforted by this project

Lee: Thank you for the presentation. Looking forward to seeing program roll out.

Partida: Thank you, impressed with robustness and thoroughness.

Partida: Also important to ensuring everyone's mental health is kept intact too

[5 min break I am going to eat a bagel]

Item 6 - Natural Resources Commission on leafblower ordinance

Stan Gryczko presenting commission report

Arguments for and against leaf blower ban

Challenges with banning leaf blowers

Direction requested by staff

Hannah Safford*: Draft report, draw from other cities but unique aspects to Davis obvi

*Natural resources commission co chair

Hannah: Want to know where city priorities are, how to ensure robust maintenance of park space in town

Hannah: Doing something about leaf blowers is not new. List 100 cities in the report that have done something about them

Hannah: Don't want to dismiss Davis worries out of hand but other communities have done a lot of things.

Hannah: Not a theoretical issue. Leaf blowers have adverse impacts right now

Public Comment:

Commenter #1: Happy city finally implemented temporary ban on leaf blowers. Language confusion from authorities. Provide info about composting on site. Temporary ban continue for leaf blowers

Commenter #2: Thanks NRC for report. Negative air quality and intrusive noise of gas powered leaf blowers

Commenter #2: When blowers are used (shouldn't be during spring or summer) should be electric / quiet

Commenter #3: Recovering leaf blower [lol]. Supports ban. 1. cleaner air. 2. quieter days. 3. happier gardens.

Commenter #4: Public health should be prioritized as well as air quality. Supports ban on gas leaf blowers

Commenter #5: Bikes to their job in Davis for 30 years. Akin to 2 times around the earth! If they don't get seen, have to ride through pollution cloud. Itchy eyes

Commenter #6: Supports banning gas leaf blowers. Concerned about ban during summer months of all of them. Supports electric leaf blowers

Commenter #7: Not happy about leaf blowers. Good to have electric or battery operated leaf blowers.

Commenter #8: Leaf blowers contribute to air pollution. Offers up a couple ban options.

Commenter #9: #1 complaint about the city is the leaf blowers. Pollution and noise levels.

Commenter #10: Thinks they should ban them, won't miss them when they are banned

Commenter #11: Supports ban. Urge city council so that they are all banned

Lee: Prepared to make a short term ban based on the AQI index we're experiencing. 100 or 150 triggering a prohibition on leaf blowers.

Lee: Support staff rec on getting Council feedback and come back with another staff report

Arnold: Interested in tying ban more directly to air quality rather than just a date. Short term emergency versus what they do for the long term more permanently. Not the only time we will have air emergencies like this.

Is it an air quality issue or a noise issue?

Arnold: Open to a ban on gas blowers during crisis we're in. Spare the air days is AQI of 100. Long term could be template for policy

Arnold: Def supports NRC rec to work with staff and finalize report. Stakeholders - commercial and residential. Rec and park commission too.

Arnold: An outright ban on the ability of folks to use this tool has effects beyond yard look - pests, fire safety, small businesses. If folks use water has environmental consequences too.

Arnold: Supports phase out and helping folks transition. This issue comes on the heels of yard material pick up and street sweeping. Folks see this as an assault on their ability to maintain their property. Take a step back and be more holistic in the way they're approaching this

Carson: Opinions all over the map, not a consensus on this. Noise big feedback, times of days. Aggravated by people sheltering at home, at home a lot more now.

Carson: Haven't looked at this ordinance in 10 years. Reasonable to look and change. What does the tech allow us to do not to reduce air emission and green house gas while still allowing people to use necessary tools.

Carson: Supports 150 AQI as benchmark. Best impact if we get people to back off using these things when the air is bad. If there is ash present you should never use these devices - message from the air board.

Carson: Should reach out to the hispanic landscape alliance, see how they can help them move. 100 landscape firms registered to the city, starting point to reach out.

Carson: Gun exchange program, people turned in their old devices. Half the cost to people willing to make the exchange. Explore ideas like that. Need more info, hearing info all over the map in terms of cost of new devices.

Carson: Should really focus on professionals out there doing this. Overwhelmingly hearing about folks doing these at apartments. Focus on them and the noise issues.

Frerichs: Immediate ban on leaf blowers during the current air crisis - agrees with using air quality, probs at 100. Stricter restrictions on leaf blowers in the long term.

Frerichs: Tech has vastly improved in terms of electric and battery powered. Other exchange program is going to do 1500 this year. Further work and research into state actions.

Frerichs: Some of the key scientists happen to live in Davis. Utilize homegrown expertise. AQI - attached to this. Enforcement - not meant to be punitive initially.

Frerichs: Air impacts in the future a much larger chunk of the year. Will have to really cut down on adverse air impacts that are under our control.

Partida: Seems like people are in favor of a temporary ban. Recently it said air quality was moderate but a lot of ash falling out of the sky - how are those two things tied together?

Stan: Share screen for airnow.gov. In 75 range rn. PM2.5 is particulate matter. If you see ash not necessarily part of the AQI number. As a council can decide AQI but if you don't put a date on it people could use leaf blowers rn.

Partida: So provide dates to let people know when we might be banning leaf blowers?

Partida: For emergency ordinance, ban from now to Oct 31?

Stan: Yes until this date or until the AQI is below 100 for x time.

Carson: Just doesn't agree with the halloween date, may have horrible fires in Nov. Thinks it should extend for a longer period of time. Don't use blowers to clean up ash.

Ok y'all it is 10:30 which is my usual cut off time. This is the last item for tonight except for long range calendar / communications. Sleep well!

If anyone wants to @ us with the outcome of this I can update the thread tomorrow morning.