California Aggie Endorses Sue Greenwald, Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald, Stephen Souza

For some inexplicable reason the California Aggie decided to have their endorsement interviews on Sunday and announce their endorsement the day of the election. To put this into perspective, students at UC Davis had early voting last week. Talk about diluting their influence.

Nevertheless the student newspaper makes their three endorsements which oddly enough includes neither twentysomething candidate.

For Sue Greenwald they write:

"Davis is one of the last true college towns remaining in California, and its uniqueness and charm are treasured by virtually everyone who lives here. No other candidate has demonstrated such a resolute commitment to preserving that character.

This does not mean she is anti-growth. She understands there is a severe lack of housing in Davis for many segments of the community, especially students. She is the only candidate who has actively sought to pressure the university to provide more on-campus housing for students, which is a fundamental part of the solution."

For Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald:

"A labor organizer, UC Davis graduate and community activist, Escamilla-Greenwald will bring a fresh voice and a unique blend of qualifications to the council.

Of all the candidates, she is the most qualified to act as a voice for students. Escamilla-Greenwald and her husband rent an apartment in Davis, so she is well aware of the need for a renters' bill of rights. She has made strides to connect with students, coming to campus to meet with a range of student groups.

She is not just the students' candidate, however. Her experience as the chair of the Human Relations Commission demonstrated her commitment to hearing from underrepresented groups. Her training in mediation and conflict resolution will enable her to bring together the many constituent groups in Davis."

Finally for Stephen Souza:

"Souza is a bona fide environmentalist and has a passion for incorporating green practices into public policy. His proposal to expand a solar production site outside of Davis to meet or exceed the electricity needs of the city is particularly intriguing. This would not be a simple undertaking, but he clearly has the drive to make it happen in his next term.

Perhaps Souza's most appealing characteristic is his enthusiasm. He clearly enjoys his job as a councilmember and is probably the friendliest and most approachable. This personality draws people in and engages them in the political process, something of which a town like Davis can never have too much."

Each of the newspapers that cover the Davis area have made their endorsements now.

• The Davis Enterprise went with the straight developer ticket: Stephen Souza, Don Saylor, and Sydney Vergis
  
  
• The Sacramento Bee surprisingly went away from a developer ticket for the most part endorsing only one developer candidate (Saylor): Sue Greenwald, Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald, and Don Saylor.
  
  
• Now the Aggie has made their selection: Sue Greenwald, Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald, and Stephen Souza.

It is time for everyone to vote. Win or lose, the Vanguard will be back as usual tomorrow.

---Doug Paul Davis reporting