Analysis: Examining Parcel Tax Poll Results

The Vanguard ran two polls simultaneously from Thursday July 10, 2008 until Monday July 14, 2008.

The first poll asked people who they would vote for in the Presidential Election if the election were held now. 127 people voted in that poll, 95 of them (74%) voted for Obama, 19 (14%) for McCain, 7 (5%) for Nader and 6 (4%) were undecided.

The second poll was asking people how they would vote on the parcel tax. 117 people voted in that poll, 57% said yes and 35% said no with 8% undecided.

The second poll is actually the result we were most interested in. As some people figured out, we ran the Presidential poll in order to get some kind of baseline reading. The poll itself is not scientific, it is not a random poll, we have no idea who did or did not participate in it, we have no idea how representative it is off the population. However, having the Presidential election results give us some clues about the profile that make the second poll more useful than it otherwise would have been.

So now a few observations. I was actually a bit surprised there was only a 10 vote drop off in participation from the Presidential poll to the Parcel Tax poll. It makes it a little easier to evaluate with such a narrow gap. After all, while the blog is focused on Davis, people from outside of Davis also read this blog.

Despite the lack of scientific polling, the results for this poll were almost identical to the district's poll results when they polled for the $140 parcel tax. Theirs was 56% to 36% with 8% undecided.

What's interesting as well is that back in October we ran a poll on Measures P and Q and those numbers showed around 70% percent support, about the same percentage as voted in the actual election.

So the raw numbers of the Vanguard polling seems to be close to the actual results at least on this issue.

What was most important I think, is comparing the results of the Presidential poll to that of the Parcel Tax. The district is relying on the Presidential election and the enthusiasm for Obama to bring out a strong liberal vote that they hope will also support the parcel tax.

However, our results show a significant fall off from Obama to the Parcel Tax in terms of support. Yes on the Parcel Tax got 28 fewer votes than Obama. No on the Parcel Tax got 23 more votes than McCain. That indicates as much as a 33% fall from support to Obama to support for the parcel tax. That's a pretty sizable drop off and it is a drop off in a key group--people who are inclined to vote for a perceived liberal Democrat are less inclined to vote for a school tax increase.

Clearly if you are a strategist for the school board this is a group that you want to target. Ordinarily you would think that people inclined to support Obama would also be inclined to support the parcel tax. However, that is not what is occurring in this case. There appears to be a segment of Obama supporters who are not supporting the parcel tax.

A final observation, there is a lot of expressed opposition in the comments section of the Vanguard. It does appear that these comments represents a very vocal minority of the readership of the Vanguard. Unfortunately, it is a large enough minority to prevent the parcel tax from winning the poll with the super-majority that it needs to pass in an actual election.

As I have stated in the past, I think the school district has made it difficult on itself by putting the parcel tax on the ballot in November. They have also made it difficult asking for $120 rather than $80. Their logic for the latter is that $120 is what they actually need rather than necessarily what they believe they can easily pass. They also do not want to put teachers through a potential layoff process again, like they did last winter and spring.

I understand that rationale, but this election is clearly going to require a tremendous educational campaign. The district understands the concerns of the public and their desire for accountability. They have already built in protections for a number of the expressed concerns.

The district also believes, as do I, that they have no other reasonable choice but to try to pass a parcel tax. If the vote fails, and right now it looks like that is a distinct possibility, it means cutting core programs. I have asked opponents to suggest where they would make cuts--to this point no one's proposal has come anywhere close to the $2.3 to $2.7 needed to balance the budget that the parcel tax will provide. This last winter and spring, was an awful time, with students marching to save their classes and their teachers. The district does not want to relive that, but it will if this parcel tax does not pass.

Key questions still remain. We saw last week people passing around fliers trying to get renters to oppose the parcel tax. A few renters came to the school board meeting in opposition. The question is whether this reflects a larger movement to organize against the parcel tax or if this was an isolated incident.

Nevertheless, the district should be concerned about these results. This is going to be a long, hard and expensive battle and key constituencies may be surfacing in opposition. The next few months will be very critical for the district to organize a strong educational campaign to the public about why this parcel tax is necessary and why this is not a permanent tax increase and it does not represent a new tax every year.

---Doug Paul Davis reporting

2007 Year in Review--10 Biggest Vanguard Stories of 2007

As the first full year of the People's Vanguard of Davis comes to completion, we will countdown the top 10 stories from year. This is the second year we have done this.

Last year we counted down the 10 Biggest Stories in Davis.

This year we countdown the 10 biggest stories that we followed on the People's Vanguard of Davis.

We continue with the 6th biggest story: Measure P and Measure Q.

Two of the most important items on this past November's ballot was the renewal of the school district's parcel tax Measure Q and the library parcel tax Measure P.

Both of these measures funded vital services for their respective districts (the school district and the library district).

The parcel tax for the school district funds roughly 5 to 10 percent of the district's budget--$16 million.

The Vanguard sat down in August with Davis School Board Member Gina Daleiden and Interim Superintendent Richard Whitmore:

According to Board member Gina Daleiden:

"If we were going to have to cut 16 million dollars over four years out of our budget that would obviously be a huge and very painful change. I think it would lead to the elimination of a lot of the programs that make Davis Schools, Davis Schools."

The stakes for such an election were therefore very high. The district relies on the parcel tax to fund a large number of programs.

"A lot of the districts eliminated things that Davis kept because we have the parcel tax... And so things like the music program and its foreign language offerings, the extensive art offerings, those are made possible by the seventh period in the junior highs and the high school. If you go to [other] schools around the area they don't have seven period's offered, they have six, and so if your student wants to take orchestra and a foreign language or art and a foreign language, those opportunities are more available here. Class size reduction, that takes a lot of funding beyond what's offered around the state, and many districts they've eliminated that."

According to Interim Superintendent Richard Whitmore, without the parcel tax you would see a number of layoffs as the district would have to cut both regular and specialist teachers. We would have larger class sizes across the board and fewer elective offerings in the junior and senior high schools.

The parcel tax will go up during the four year period 34 dollars per year over the parcel tax in the previous four year period.

Board Member Gina Daleiden said the increases are there primarily to cover inflation, however there are two new programs funded as well.

"It mostly is to cover the cost of inflation—programs cost more, people cost more. It mostly covers that. There are two new components that are relatively small percentage-wise out of the parcel tax. One is to increase the offering of fresh fruits and vegetables in the school lunches and the other is for math support for students who need it. And that would be elementary school, 4th through 6th grades for the math support to help kids be ready to take algebra."

In late September, the Vanguard sat down with Yolo County Supervisor Helen Thomson, retired librarian Mary Stephen Stephens and Measure P Campaign director Rich Peterson.

Back in 1989, the city of Davis passed a $42 per parcel library tax to help fund the library. In 2007, Davis residents still pay the exact same amount despite the fact that inflation has greatly reduced the purchase power of that tax. Measure P proposes to increase that parcel tax to $88 which still would not equal the amount of the tax from 1989, however it would enable the library to maintain its current level of service, to refurbish some of the library building, and to restore some programs that have been cut over the years due to lack of funding.

According to Mary Stephens,

"For me the most important thing is to sustain at a minimum sustain the current level of service including hours. The library has been using reserves since about ’92 off and on depending on how the funding came through to make up for the shift of local property taxes by the state. The reserves are running out, so if there isn’t an increase in the funding, there will be a significant reduction in the hours, materials, and programs."

Measure P will also allow the library to hire additional staff--positions that have been eliminated over the years due to having effectively less money over time.

"It will also allow us to add some additional staff, I think there are two positions to work with kids after school which have been eliminated over the years due to the tightening of the budget."

Over 1000 people use the library per week and the library has a high volume of book circulation--over one million dollars worth of books are circulated.

For both of these measures, the stakes were high. The school district faced a big cut back in programs and the library a big cut back in hours should they not pass.

Amidst low turnout on election day, Measures P and Q pulled away as the night went on to easily pass both pulling in well over 70 percent of the vote in an election that required a two-thirds vote. Davis renewed its commitment to schools and libraries on election day despite an overall lack of interest in the off-year election.

We caught up with the some of the principals after the election.

The Vanguard spoke to Board Members Sheila Allen and Gina Daleiden who were the coordinators for Measure Q.

Sheila Allen told us:

"I am extremely pleased that the community of Davis has once again come together to support our schools and children. When the task of the Parcel Tax renewal was given to Gina and I we decided to take a very different tact than previous campaigns. The prior strategy has always been a "stealth" campaign: keeping below the radar, talking only to parents and supports, no lawn signs or public campaign, etc. This is not the way Gina and I and the current board do business. We wanted to communicate to the community what it is they pay for with their parcel tax dollars and what they get in return. We were very pleased that an informed (although low turn out) agreed that Davis students need to continue to have the programs that Measure Q pays for in the classroom."

Gina Daleiden said:

"I am heartened by the confirmation that the vast majority of people in Davis hold children and education as a top priority.

From the very beginning of the campaign, our biggest concerns were the economy and complacency. When headlines screamed of a weak economy, higher fuel prices, foreclosures, we knew we had to work harder. And we had to get the word out about what the tax actually funds---many of the critical programs that we all have come to expect as Davis Joint Unified. We had an amazing all-volunteer effort on this campaign---a broad coalition of people united in support of our schools.

We did have a little drama as we watched the early returns. While polling and phone banking and walking can show 78 or 80% support, that only translates into real votes if people turn out at the polls. In a very low turnout election like the one last night, the "no" votes will show up and the "yes" votes you need to dilute those don't materialize to the extent you would like in a tax election. All that said, nearly 73% is a reminder that education is a priority in Davis, even for those without students in the schools. In the end, this is about our kids and our classroom programs across the entire District. Our kids are the winner in this election."

We also spoke with campaign manager of the Measure P effort, Rich Peterson:

"We are absolutely delighted at the outcome of the election. Once again, Davis has shown itself to be a truly giving and caring community. On behalf of Supervisors Thomson and Yamada, I would like to thank everyone who worked so hard to help Measure P pass, in particular Jay Johnstone, the Friends of the Davis Library led by Erik Vink, and Sandy Briggs - who walked precincts with a broken collar bone!! We truly are indebted to the hard work of countless dedicated individuals, named and unnamed. Above all else, we would like to thank the Davis voters."

As I mentioned previously, without a doubt these were the two most important items on the ballot and also for the most part two of the least controversial. For that Measure P and Measure Q are the 6th biggest Vanguard story for 2007.

---Doug Paul Davis reporting

Commentary: Elections, Messages and Commitment

The tragedy in Tuesday's election did not come from Davis, but rather West Sacramento. Measure S would have brought in $59 million in desperately needed bond money for a district that is struggling to survive.

The Measure received a bare majority at 50.4 percent of the vote but needed 55% for it to pass.

I am consistently troubled by the power that a minority of voters are given to block the will of majority.

One person quoted in the Sacramento Bee delivered the "we have sent a message" line:

"The residents of West Sacramento have sent the school board a message: You must be accountable to the people first and for the money that has already been given to you in the three prior bonds before asking for more."

Actually the majority of the citizens in West Sacramento who voted said the opposite, it was a minority that was able to block it.

This got me thinking to the city of Davis' generosity and commitment to education. Davis approved not one but two tax bills by very wide margins, garnering over 73 percent of the vote and failing even to generate organized opposition.

On the surface you would look and say that Davis has a very strong commitment to education. In fact, if you look at the comments from officials in charge of these measures, they said as much.

But I look at this a little differently.

Does Davis really have a commitment to education? By two measures there is a clear commitment. First, the shear magnitude of the vote. And second, the fact that there was no organized opposition.

However, a third measure has troubled me really since Election Day and before. The low voter turnout. The low voter interest in this race. The fact that other than the "scandal" involving envelopes, most articles on education on this blog drew relatively little interest.

Let's put this another way--if Davis was so committed to education--why would 70% of the eligible voters stay home from the polls? As many pointed out, this is normal, as though that exonerates the low interest. All that tells me is that Davis never has great interest in school issues. Whereas a city council election will draw 67 to 100 percent higher voter turnout.

I am sorry but a city where 70 percent of the electorate stays home during school board elections, does not demonstrate commitment to education. Other communities rally against taxes and Davis does not do that. That again does not prove a commitment to education. Instead I see apathy. It's not that Davis voters are against education--we see that and we get that. It's that Davis voters are not interested in what is going on at the school board. It is apathy.

To me apathy is a very dangerous thing because it leads to complacency and eventually it leads to a deterioration in governance of the board. Given the level of disinterest and apathy, Davis is lucky to have strong and well-funded schools. But taking that for granted is dangerous and will eventually catch up to us.

As I have said previously, I am very glad that the parcel taxes passed, but let us not take that to mean a commitment to education.

---Doug Paul Davis reporting

Measures Q and P Pass Easily After Some Early Worry

I have to admit it, when I saw the absentee numbers, I knew immediately that the school board race was effectively over. However, I was also a little bit concerned about both Measures P and Q. Measure P, the library tax was narrowly over the two-thirds vote number, however Measure Q was four votes under the two-thirds vote mark. Which way would the same-day vote take us?

The first possibility was that the votes at the polling place would simply mirror those of the absentee. A second possibility is that those who voted absentee are the always voters who are most likely to support schools and libraries. The final possiblity is that the voters on election day are more liberal than those who vote absentee.

The people at the County Election Office suggested that while absentee votes have moved closer to the average, they still tend to be more conservative and less supportive of tax measures. This turned out to be the right analysis. And slowly as the tallies came in, Measures P and Q pulled away. They ended up getting 79% of the vote on Election Day compared to just 66.6 to 66.7% of the absentee vote that arrived before election day.

During the last few months, we laid out the importance of these tax measures. Without Measure P, the library would have had to severely cut back on its hours and services. Without Measure Q, schools would have seen a lot of the key programs cut.

Some have suggested that we needed to send a message to the school district about a variety of issues. I tend to agree that there are a variety of issues that the new school board and the new superintendent need to address. However, this was not the way to do it. A no vote, would not have led to a reassessment and addressing of issues, it would have been met with widespread cuts, layoffs, and mass panic. Not the atmosphere to achieve the delicate reform that some wanted.

The Vanguard spoke to Board Members Sheila Allen and Gina Daleiden who were the coordinators for Measure Q.

Sheila Allen told us:

"I am extremely pleased that the community of Davis has once again come together to support our schools and children. When the task of the Parcel Tax renewal was given to Gina and I we decided to take a very different tact than previous campaigns. The prior strategy has always been a "stealth" campaign: keeping below the radar, talking only to parents and supports, no lawn signs or public campaign, etc. This is not the way Gina and I and the current board do business. We wanted to communicate to the community what it is they pay for with their parcel tax dollars and what they get in return. We were very pleased that an informed (although low turn out) agreed that Davis students need to continue to have the programs that Measure Q pays for in the classroom."

Gina Daleiden said:

"I am heartened by the confirmation that the vast majority of people in Davis hold children and education as a top priority.

From the very beginning of the campaign, our biggest concerns were the economy and complacency. When headlines screamed of a weak economy, higher fuel prices, foreclosures, we knew we had to work harder. And we had to get the word out about what the tax actually funds---many of the critical programs that we all have come to expect as Davis Joint Unified. We had an amazing all-volunteer effort on this campaign---a broad coalition of people united in support of our schools.

We did have a little drama as we watched the early returns. While polling and phone banking and walking can show 78 or 80% support, that only translates into real votes if people turn out at the polls. In a very low turnout election like the one last night, the "no" votes will show up and the "yes" votes you need to dilute those don't materialize to the extent you would like in a tax election. All that said, nearly 73% is a reminder that education is a priority in Davis, even for those without students in the schools. In the end, this is about our kids and our classroom programs across the entire District. Our kids are the winner in this election."

In the meantime, the Measure P folks finally were able to pass their parcel tax to improve and maintain the library.

On Election night County Supervisor Helen Thomson told us:

"I'm glad to see the community cares about schools and libraries."

County Supervisor Mariko Yamada added,

"I'm glad we minded our Ps and Qs!"

We also spoke yesterday to campaign manager of the Measure P effort, Rich Peterson:

"We are absolutely delighted at the outcome of the election. Once again, Davis has shown itself to be a truly giving and caring community. On behalf of Supervisors Thomson and Yamada, I would like to thank everyone who worked so hard to help Measure P pass, in particular Jay Johnstone, the Friends of the Davis Library led by Erik Vink, and Sandy Briggs - who walked precincts with a broken collar bone!! We truly are indebted to the hard work of countless dedicated individuals, named and unnamed. Above all else, we would like to thank the Davis voters."

This election is just the first of four elections in the next 365 days. We will talk more about the school board races in upcoming installments.

---Doug Paul Davis reporting

Sights from the School Board Races

The Vanguard went around to the all of the community events and parties. Here are a collection of pictures from each of the school board candidates and then a collection from other events.

Susan Lovenburg at the home of Ruth Asmundson on September 8, 2007:

Richard Harris at the home of Jay Ziegler on September 28, 2007:

Bob Schelen at the Odd Fellows Hall October 7, 2007 (running an old fashioned "straw hat" campaign):

Joe Spector at his home, November 5, 2007:

And here is a who potpourri of photos from around the community...

---Doug Paul Davis reporting

Editorial: Vanguard Election Choices

The Vanguard is not making formal endorsements for the school board race. However, it is supporting the Yes Position on Both Measure P and Measure Q. We do not think it is our place to tell voters which candidate to vote for. Instead what we have done for our election coverage is we have allowed each of the school board candidates to have 250 words. In those 250 words the candidate can make their own pitch and tell the citizens of Davis why they are the best candidate and deserving of the public's vote.

Measure Q and Measure P have both opted to stand by their previous commentaries and articles which will be linked at the end of the article.

Individuals are encouraged to make brief endorsements of the candidates in the comment section. Ordinary rules of conduct apply however to be honest, anonymous endorsements will not be taken seriously.

Stayed tuned to our election coverage, we'll have a special noon story on the campaign and then tomorrow night will be our live coverage from the County Elections Office.

School Board Endorsements

Susan Lovenburg

By now, most are familiar with my background and experience. If not, please visit my website at www.SusanLovenburg.org. In addition to descriptions of both, you will find my written replies to the many questions posed at forums, and letters from others written in support of my candidacy.

Our District is facing major challenges in the immediate future. The budget is not in balance, with ongoing income not sufficient to cover ongoing expenses. This, combined with the decline in enrollment we’re experiencing, will necessitate budget cuts in the coming months. Negotiations with the Davis Teachers’ Association are ongoing.

Into this mix, we must factor closing Valley Oak as a K-6 campus, with the subsequent relocation of GATE classes and redrawing of District boundaries that requires, as well as consideration of the petition for a Valley Oak Charter School. All this, as we welcome a new Superintendent.

It is imperative that new Board members get up to speed quickly. As a fully engaged parent volunteer with ten years of service in Davis schools, I have the relevant experience. As a candidate, I have increased my knowledge through dialogue with administrators, teachers, classified staff, students, parents, and community leaders. I have considered how we meet the challenges ahead together.

I have a vision for this District that includes sound financial management and student-centered decision making. I have demonstrated my willingness to devote the time and focus it takes to do this job well.

I offer these qualities in service to the community.

Bob Schelen

I bring to the School Board the following:

• Budget Experience for tough times
• A pro-active K-12 mental health program.
• Closing the Ethnic Achievement Gap

I have hands-on budget experience at City, County and State levels, including education budgets for the State of California. We face daunting financial times, that’s why I’d like to see the district use zero-based budgeting (yearly justification for programs).

There is state funding for a pro-active K-12 mental health program that has mental health oversight, while keeping local control. The program should reach students at all levels including over-achievers, at risk individuals, special education students, and kids who are caught in the middle. If kids have less stress in school, they stay in school, learn more, and can get better jobs.

I’d like to see Davis take a national lead in reducing the Ethnic Achievement Gap. Overall, Asian and Caucasian students grade-out better than African-American and Latino students. We should bring the success of our GATE and Spanish Immersion programs to our “forgotten students.” We need to immediately implement the Achievement Gap Task Force Recommendations. We need to hire more diverse faculty and staff, and give parity to Career Technical Education.

In that light, I fully and enthusiastically support the Valley Oak Charter.

Regarding Planned Parenthood’s questionnaire – voters have a right to know where I stand on issues.

• Protecting rights starts at the school board.
• Age –Appropriate comprehensive sex education works.

I hope I’ve earned your vote.

Joe Spector

Of the many forums that I have spoken at during the last few months, the Diversity Forum stands out in my mind. I say this, because I spent more time thinking about the forum afterwards, than before. The forum really pressed us to think about what we, as a city and school district, stand for. I left, reflecting on how far we are from giving all students access to education and opportunity.

I support the expansion of magnet schools, k-12, with emphasis on career/technology. This would give access to ALL students. I recommend a plan of intensive language development instruction, mentoring, and expanded summer school, to help address the achievement gap.

I've worked in education for over 25 years.I've advocated for students and teachers throughout that time, as a teacher and special education/school psychologist. In this campaign, I've pressed to bring ideas about students and teachers into the public forums. I've achieved moderate success on this count (but, take a look at the frequency of the words "students" and "teachers" in the the forums and other public discussions....)

Which, brings me to the issue of the Valley Oak Charter. I have expressed support for the Charter, from the start. As the process has evolved, it has grown from quiet discussions among a small group of teachers and parents, to the biggest campaign issue. Having spoken to dozens of folks about this, I have come to believe that the Valley Oak Charter represents what we stand for in Davis, and who we will stand up for.

My thanks to the Vanguard, to the Valley Oak teachers, parents, and students, and to other Valley Oak Charter supporters, who have guided us on this path............Joe Spector

Richard Harris

With many tough decisions ahead, the Davis School Board needs proven leadership. I’ll bring a parent’s perspective and 30 years of government experience to the challenge. I’d appreciate your vote.

I’m a parent representative on the School Site Council at Pioneer Elementary where our two children attend fifth grade. I’ve written a column for the Davis Enterprise the past two years, speaking my mind about community issues but taking the time to listen too.

We need a school board that’s fiscally responsible and a school district that’s managed professionally. I’ll make those my priorities because I want every child to have the opportunity to reach his or her full potential. Through sound fiscal management, innovation and community partnerships we can achieve great things for our children and our schools.

I’ve also proposed a Green Schools Initiative to save energy, save money and show leadership on climate change. I support Measure Q to fund vital education programs and Measure P to preserve library services.

I’m proud to be endorsed by hundreds of Davis parents, many local leaders and top state educators, Delaine Eastin and Jack O’Connell, the former and present State Superintendents of Public Instruction.

I'm pro-choice and once served on the Board of Directors of the Yolo County Planned Parenthood affiliate.

Thank you for your consideration.

Library and School Parcel Taxes

Measure P

Vanguard Editorial on Measure P from August

Vanguard Interview with Helen Thomson and Mary Stephens

Measure Q

Guest Commentary by School Board Members Sheila Allen and Gina Daleiden

Vanguard Interview with Gina Daleiden and Interim Superintendent Richard Whitmore

Stay tuned to the Vanguard for continuing election coverage.

---Doug Paul Davis reporting

Commentary: Election Day is Upon Us

Tuesday is Election Day here in Davis. There has not been a lot of excitement about the school board races or the two taxes, but frankly these are three very important elections.

The school district has faced a tumultuous two years. They have spent a good deal of that time cleaning up some of the financial messes from past regimes and getting their affairs in order. They face an ongoing challenge in attempts to close the Achievement Gap--a goal that every candidate running for election shares. A small but sizable minority student population that at times have felt disconnected and disaffected from school. Stung by administration decisions and an inability of the district to attract even a nominal number of minority faculty.

The district faces declining enrollment. Last spring, their solution to this problem was to close a neighborhood elementary school. This despite strong support from the neighborhood, the parents, the teachers, and the community at large. That decision will not solve the problem of declining enrollment. It was the wrong solution to the wrong problem. The problem is not too many schools, the problem was lack of good alternative ideas to closing down a school that was quite frankly working where many others in the same situation might not have worked.

The Valley Oak Charter Initiative, which will be turned in tomorrow, quite frankly scuttles that plan. The district will have to come up with new ideas. And there are ideas, some of these ideas emanating from the very people running for the board.

At the same time the district faces a shortage of money, they will be hoping to pass their school parcel tax. Some have suggested the need to play football with this tax measure and send a message to the district. I think it is wrong to send a message to the district that will harm students and student programs. The only problem I see with the parcel tax is that even with this money the district is hurting for money.

Finally, for those of us who value lifelong learning, the message is clear--we need to re-up the library tax. The library tax has not gone up in nearly 20 years. They need the money to be able to modernize the library, maintain the hours and the staff services. If you support lifelong education and public access to books and other resources, this is a no-brainer for the cost of less than 10 dollars per month, we have to renew the library parcel tax and keep our libraries strong.

As I have mentioned, the Vanguard does not formally endorse candidates for office. However, tomorrow will be our election special. The morning story will feature statements from each of the candidates and hopefully Measure P as to why we should vote for them. We already ran our op-ed on Measure Q co-written by Sheila Allen and Gina Daleiden. We will link to that article.

Then in the comments, members of the public are encouraged to endorse their favorite candidates. Of course, anonymous posts are allowed, but an anonymous endorsement of your favorite candidate means almost nothing.

On election night, the Vanguard will be live blogging from the County Elections office in Woodland. And we will have roaming bands of reporters reporting into the community. Anyone in the community who wants to, is encouraged to write in and let us know what is going on. We plan to cover the major parties and perhaps get reactions from the winners--if the winners are declared before we have to go to sleep.

---Doug Paul Davis reporting

Commentary: Davis' Support for Schools and Libraries

The polling has closed on the non-scientific, non-random sample poll on the Vanguard for Measures P and Q, and once again, the polls seem to track with other polling that has been done. 76 percent of those voting on the Vanguard support the library tax while 73 percent of those voting on the Vanguard support the schools parcel tax.

Permanent absentee ballots have arrived to residents on Davis--which means that voting has begun and the election is on. Think about this folks--because even as a pretty keen election observer, I was floored by the sheer number of people in the Davis area that are permanent absentee voters--according to Tuesday's Davis Enterprise, there are a little over 14,000 permanent absentee voters in an area with just over 30,000 voters overall. I am surprised they do not have the statistics on the turnout for permanent absentee voters, but it has to be much higher than the general population. My wife is one of them. I, on the other hand, have always been a person who has liked to vote on election day and get my sticker to parade around town.

There is at this point a fairly good chance that Davis will pass both the school and library taxes this fall. That is an amazing accomplishment. This blog, the Vanguard, has tended to focus on some of the darker aspects of Davis, looking at the dark underbelly of a city known for its progressive politics, and frankly I have never ever been short on material to write about. I do this because I believe the people of this district need to know what is really going on in their government and their community. I do this because I do not feel that other media outlets are properly reporting these issues.

But today, for a few minutes, we are going to put that on hold. We are not going to talk about declining enrollment, closing schools, contract disputes, achievement gap, racial tensions, poor administrative policy. We are not going to talk about efforts that are underway to hopefully fix many of these problems. We are not going to talk about the lack of county funding for basic social services because the state does not allow enough money to flow to counties and cities even as it expects them to pick up the slack for budgetary cuts at the state and federal level. We are not going to talk about the number of children living below the poverty level and not getting proper nutrition. We are not going to talk about seniors who do not have access to basic services.

Today we are going to talk about the basic value of learning in our society and why Davis is a good place because of its continuing commitment to learning and investment in learning.

There are many cities across the state, that have schools that are in need of major capital improvements. They need infrastructure overhauls. They are falling apart. Some are old and worn and some just need to be knocked down and built up against from scratch. And yet I know places where they place school bond, after school bond, after school bond on the ballot and they get to 58%, 62%, 64%, sometimes even 66.1% and they cannot get to the two-thirds vote needed to get the money to fix their schools.

Stop and think about that for a second. What message does that send to children? What message does that send to those who go to work or learn in buildings that are falling apart knowing that their community cannot provide the money to fix them? What message does it teach our children about democracy when we live in a state where a minority of people can block the will of the majority?

Is there any doubt that it sends a message to children, teachers, and district staff that the community does not care and therefore it is okay for them to be complacent? Is there any doubt that it makes it difficult to instill civic pride in children who grow up knowing that a minority of 34% can thwart the will of 66%?

Yet we do not have to worry about that here in Davis. The parcel tax is regularly renewed. It looks like the libraries will get the funding that they desperately need. For all of the complaints and the bellyaching that I have done about this community with regard to some issues, and the government of this community that I think at times has taken advantage of that generosity, taken it for granted. Local government, has if you read yesterday's edition, at times misappropriated that funding, has at times if you read about the Montgomery Elementary School fiasco misplaced public faith. Despite all of that the electorate of the city of Davis has stood by its commitment to education. And for that we should all be eternally grateful.

Without education, people have no chance in society to learn about it and to make a difference. Without education, people have little chance to make a good living. And without an early commitment to education, it is difficult to create the conditions necessary for lifelong learning.

Of all the things that have touched me about the library campaign, the one that hit me the most was the story that Helen Thomson told about being the oldest of eight and having her mother who was not an educated woman, nevertheless understand the need for her children to get an education both in and out of school and understanding that reading is the basis and the building block for that education. It is a story that my wife as the youngest of eight could relate to, for it was her mother that instilled the need for her to get her degree and become only the second member of her family to graduate from college.

It is a story that I too can relate to, even though unlike Supervisor Thomson or my wife's mother, my mother was teacher with many degrees, my mother would take me every week to the library and when I was young I would sit and listen to the librarian read stories to the children. When I grew older, I used to go to the library and check out my own books and read them. As an adult, I have never forgotten these lessons, as I sit in a small room writing this surrounded by a large number of my own personal collection of books.

You do not get a second chance to instill these values into children at a young age and it requires both a good library and a good school system to do so. At the end of the day, it does take an entire community to raise a child. It takes a community that works in concert with the values of parents. It takes a community that works to support its schools. It takes a community that works to support its libraries.

It takes a community that sends a message to our children from day one on that learning is the most important thing that you can do and we will do our best to provide you with the best possible environment for you to do so. If that means we need to pass a tax, then that is what we will do. It is a powerful message to every student in this community, that we believe so strongly in the value of education that we are willing to put our money where our hearts are and support you.

That is the message that Davis can send on November 6 and that is the message that voters can begin to send today as they turn in their permanent absentee ballots.

---Doug Paul Davis reporting

County Leaders Clarify Issues and Concerns Regarding the Library Tax, Measure P

Back in 1989, the city of Davis passed a $42 per parcel library tax to help fund the library. In 2007, Davis residents still pay the exact same amount despite the fact that inflation has greatly reduced the purchase power of that tax. Measure P proposes to increase that parcel tax to $88 which still would not equal the amount of the tax from 1989, however it would enable the library to maintain its current level of service, to refurbish some of the library building, and to restore some programs that have been cut over the years due to lack of funding.

The Vanguard was able to sit down last week with three key supporters of the library. Helen Thomson, one of Davis' representatives on the Yolo County Board of Supervisors who along with Marik Yamada is helping to spearhead this effort. Mary Stephens was a long time valued and honored librarian who just this year retired as the county librarian. And Rich Peterson has been hired as the day-to-day Measure P campaign manager.

One of the goals of this article is to clarify a variety of issues and questions that arose on this blog and within this community as to what Measure P does, what it funds, and why the tax increase is needed to maintain the library as a modern and vital institution.

As we have discussed previous, Measure P will enable the library to maintain its current level of service.

According to Mary Stephens,

"For me the most important thing is to sustain at a minimum sustain the current level of service including hours. The library has been using reserves since about ’92 off and on depending on how the funding came through to make up for the shift of local property taxes by the state. The reserves are running out, so if there isn’t an increase in the funding, there will be a significant reduction in the hours, materials, and programs."

Measure P will also allow the library to hire additional staff--positions that have been eliminated over the years due to having effectively less money over time.

"It will also allow us to add some additional staff, I think there are two positions to work with kids after school which have been eliminated over the years due to the tightening of the budget."

Over 1000 people use the library per week and the library has a high volume of book circulation--over one million dollars worth of books are circulated.

Supervisor Helen Thomson expressed surprise at how many people use the facilities.

"If you’re over at the library, which I was recently and I was pretty surprised at how many people use the library on Saturday and Sunday, it’s just phenomenal."

Supervisor Thomson talked about the additions for the children's area and the community rooms.

"[They will] have two rooms instead of the one Richard Blanchard room. That will be able to be divided into two so there will be one large one or two smaller ones. It’s going to have a sound system which it desperately needs. The kitchen will be nicely fixed up so that can be the continuation of pot lucks and things. It’s a very used community room. We’ve contacted all of the community organizations that use that room for support and nobody has turned us down."

She also spoke about the need for computers to insure computer literacy, but for her this comes down to a central belief in the need for a library that began early in her life experience.

"For me I believe so strongly in a public library, I was the eldest of eight children and my mother took us all to the library once a week and said you get books. She made sure we read them and at the end of the week they all went back. My mother was not an educated person beyond high school and she was a very big library user who read continuously and thoroughly, through all of her life and she made sure the kids all had an appreciation of the public library. So I really think that it’s important that our library in Davis be an up-to-date much used, much loved, and it certainly is that. It now needs to be fixed up a little because it is so loved and used. It needs to have some additional space and some more equipment."

Computers are a vital service that some of us take for granted.

Rich Peterson pointed out:

"I think when your talking about computers, I think it’s really important, although your readership all have computers, there are still a significant number of people who live in apartment buildings all throughout Davis that just don’t. And it’s hard for us to imagine. Whenever you go in there after school there are kids of all types that are there using computers."

Supervisor Thomson followed up on that pointing out that in addition to a place where people can learn, it's also a place for people to socialize and a place for community.

"And when we were moving into this building, one of the maintenance men was asking, what are you going to be doing in there? We told him about the library election and he said, oh I go to the library everyday, when I have time, that’s where I go. I was really pleased to hear that because it’s also I think a place for all of us who are so busy with so many things that we don’t think about the fact that there are people who aren’t as connected and who don’t have family or friends close by and so they do spend time sitting in there and reading magazines and the newspapers. It’s a kind of socializing if you will as much as they can with other people who come in. It is that kind of place as well now.

The new libraries of the 21st century, the librarian doesn’t go around saying “shh, shh, shh.” They are encouraging people to be involved and active. They encourage the kids, there are some wonderful groups of teens at the library and some young people and they have reading times and book clubs."

One thing that I learned from this interview is that the library is a special district, it is its own tax entity, and therefore it cannot receive money from the county general fund. So the only way that the library can increase its funding is by raising the taxes that it levies.

Mary Stephens told me:

"The library is its own tax entity, it’s a special district administered by the board of Supervisors so it has a dedicated property tax. The challenge always for the county library was to do the best you could with the money the tax generated."

Helen Thomson followed up saying:

"I think it’s really important to understand that because the library is its own taxing entity just like special districts that are fire districts, or community service districts, or any of these other special purpose, special districts. The general fund of the county can’t be used for adding on for those purposes."

To make matters worse, the legislature in its efforts to mitigate funding problems for schools and elsewhere has shifted money from the library to schools.

As Mary Stephens pointed out:

"What has happened is the property tax shift has just really hurt us badly and we’re shifting between 30 and 40 percent a year forever... It’s shifted locally from county property taxes to the schools to reduce the state’s reimbursement. It’s called ERAF—Education Revenue Augmentation Fund. People don’t understand it because it’s so convoluted. And there was a proposition about a year ago to stop any additional ERAF shifts in funding. But the shift that is going on continues. The library has shifted over $5 million from I think."

For a library that's a huge amount of its operating expense being shifted. Now a proposition recently passed has stopped the expansion of that shift, but the shift still remains.

We talked about the services that Measure will help maintain if it passes. The big thing is hours. Hours could be reduced down to 40 hours per week from 60 unless Measure P can increase the funds available.

Mary Stephens suggested this will lead to a 30 percent reduction in the programs and hours.

"I know from our other discussions, in all likelihood, it would be to close Friday. And do a six day a week schedule. And probably work one shift. Right now it’s a shift and a half."

Rich Peterson added:

"They would also likely curtail the morning hours because the evening hours are so important. What happens if you start cutting away from the morning hours, then you lose the young children’s programs."

One of the big services that this would add would be after-school programing for kids, that includes story times, book clubs, homework help, and an expanded children's area.

Measure P represents an increase of $46 per parcel, per year. That works out to be just under $4 per month over what people are paying now. Remember, the library tax is a permanent tax, there is no sunset date, so the real choice for voters is $42 or $88 per year, zero is not an option. Measure P would simply override the current measure on the books.

Supervisor Thomson said:

"It goes from $42 to $88 per parcel. That $42 was set in 1989. It’s a significant amount if you say it doubles. At the same time, if you look at the value of the dollar, and what it purchases, it’s even so a significant amount but it’s not near the purchasing power of the dollar in 1989. We feel pretty strongly as a committee that we looked at… what was the absolute minimum that we needed to continue the programs that were existing and add some of the things that we felt the committee wanted because when we did a poll about… at least two years, all of the things that we are adding on are things that community said it would really like to have. Plus just the fact of the librarians being there day in and day out, they see and hear and talk with the patrons that come in, and they know what some of the needs are. Those of us who use the Blanchard Room on occasion, we know that that certainly can be expanded. There can be some amenities added there."

So why is the increase needed? As some have complained, perhaps Measure P goes too far beyond simply maintaining what we have in the libraries to include things such as expanding the Blanchard Room, adding multi-functional self-service check out kiosks, expanding bookshelf space, among other things.

Mary Stephens informed us that part of the need for the change in the check out area is a health concern.

"There is a big issue with repetitive stress with the current set up of the circulation area and this would permit us to bring it up to date and take care of a lot of those issues. The library was designed before the internet took off, even though we did a pretty good job of anticipating wiring and things for more computers but the volume coming through that desk, particularly returning. All the books have to be put back on the shelf regardless of the technology you have, so just the picking them up and putting them back on the shelf has led to a lot of repetitive stress. And this will help."

Rich Peterson also clarifies that the Blanchard Room expansion and reconfiguration is not really the bulk of the expense.

"The comment was made that the reconfiguration of the Blanchard Room was going to be the bulk of the money. That’s not true. The reconfiguration of the Blanchard Room is allowed because we’re trying to protect worker safety."

More crucially, Davis libraries will actually increase the amount of their operating budget spent on books.

"We’ll actually spend more money (proportionally) on books. Right now the Davis Public Library spends a fewer percentage on its book collection than any other of the county libraries. With this measure they’ll be able to expand both the adult and the children’s. Especially when you have the governor cutting $15 million out of the public library system—which for us means a thousand books—and that’s huge for Davis."

Many have also suggested that our library is outdated and does not provide as many resources as other city libraries.

According to Helen Thomson, Measure P fixes that.

"Yes it will. That’s why we want people to vote for Measure P because 67 percent is tough to get to even when you have a wonderful project and a reasonable amount of money and a lot of supporters. 67 percent is hard to get to. So yes, the money that will come from the tax measure will help to modernize, rehabilitate, add computers and books, continue the hours that we currently have, give us a more updated look, modernizing, and professionalizing. "

They are also looking into bringing library services to South Davis.

According to Supervisor Thomson:

"It does [help to bring library services to South Davis]. The city has a parcel of land down there in South Davis which they had agreed with the Board of Supervisors to hold [they deeded it] until such time as there is enough money to do a South Branch of the Davis Library. One of the reasons that it’s not been another year is that we were looking at going for an election last year, is we looked into very thoroughly, and had a community committee as to how much it would take, what kind of branch we could put there, how much money it might take, how we might be able to manage it within the context of the amount of money that people in polls said they were willing to spend, which was the maximum of $90. We couldn’t get beyond the $90 and still get a facility in South Davis."

Until they can build the facilities they are looking into some kind of store front or kiosk. Mary Stephens suggested the big issue for many was a place for people to drop of their books. People do not mind coming in to pick up books, but having a convenient place to return the books would greatly add to the usage for the library.

For people on fixed incomes, there will continue to be a hardship waiver.

Mary Stephens said,

"People will have to file annually. It’s announced at the end of April for a June 1 filing. Forms will be made available throughout the community. "

In closing, Helen Thomson argued that libraries remain vital for the functioning of Democracy.

"They have to think about how important the library is to democracy, and maybe that’s a great big vision thing. But in today’s world, where there is so much assault on democracy, keeping the library free and accessible, having the most up-to-date computers and technology, and access to information, is critically important in an educated citizenry and an educated citizenry is what challenges and questions the decisions being made nationally, locally and internationally. I strongly believe that’s an incredibly important principle to preserve. So people should ask the question as to whether this is a value to me and I would hope that Davis citizens would say yes, this is a value--$88."

This is of course not really $88 but rather $46 on top of what people are currently paying.

Mary Stephens said from her perspective,

"I look at the library as just the core of lifelong education."

For Rich Peterson it's a matter of equality of opportunity for rich and poor, young and old.

"Libraries are truly a great equalizer, it provides an opportunity for those that don’t have what most of us have, to be similarly educated."

The residents of Davis have a decision, for the increase of $3.50 to around $7 per month, they can insure that our libraries remain open, remain modern, remain vital in our community to all of our residents. This is a resource that small children use when they are first learning to listen to stories and then read. It is a resource that teens use to learn how to do research and gather information on computers. And it is a resource that adults and seniors use as they continue the learning that began when they were children. It is a small price to pay for an institution that so many get so much out of.

---Doug Paul Davis reporting

Charlie Brown and Other Key Electeds Highlight the Yolo County Democratic Bean Feed

Last night, was the 31st Annual Democratic Bean Feed at the Davis Veteran’s Memorial building. Just over 100 people gathered at this annual event that serves as a prime fundraiser for the Yolo County Democratic Central Committee. The audience included a large number of Democratic elected officials as well as a number of candidates for political office for November as well as for 2008.

The event also featured four main speakers. It was Christopher Cabaldon who noted the relatively small number of attendees this year as compared to previous bean feeds.

“I know we need a rah-rah speech but first I have to tell you, we've got to do better. We have a very important election coming up, not just the one in both of our cities in West Sacramento and Davis and elsewhere in the county, but next November is critical and we have to do better than we did tonight. I've been on the central committee now for almost 15 years and if we don't turn out to vote more people next November than we brought to the bean feed tonight, we are not going to win back the White House and we are not going to win the most contested senate race in all of California.”

The highlight of the evening came from a guest to Yolo County, but certainly one of its adopted sons, Charlie Brown who will be waging a fierce battle in the foothills as he attempts to unseat incumbent and embattled Congressman John Doolittle. Charlie Brown, a retired Air Force Lt. Colonel led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance and then remarked:

"I thank you for letting me lead the Pledge of Allegiance and I would like everyone, when you say the Pledge of Allegiance, to stop and think about what it means to you. You get too used to saying these things by rote, but I view this as when I, 35 years ago, became an Air Force Officer and I took my oath of office to support and defend the constitution of the United States, and when we say the Pledge of Allegiance -- I Pledge Allegiance to the flag and to the republic for which it stands -- it is everything this country stands for and that is liberty and justice for all. It is not to a political party, it is not to special interest groups, it is not to large donors, but it is for everything this country stands for. Now the trick here is to get people to think about that because when they think, they are going to realize it is the Democrats who upholding those values."

County Supervisor Mariko Yamada who is running for the 8th Assembly District offered this moment as a call to action for local Democrats.

“This is the annual call to action for all good Democrats, as was mentioned earlier, we may not always agree, we may not always exactly come to the same point of view, or support the same candidates, but in the end we are all Democrats and we all know what we stand for, and we all know what is the left thing to do in our country not the right thing to do...”

State Assemblywoman Lois Wolk will soon be facing a tough battle for the State Senate against Republican Assemblyman Greg Aghazarian.

“My opponent will likely be Greg Aghazarian from Stockton. [Crowd boos loudly]. And you don't even know him yet. But I'll just give you a hint, virtually every single piece of legislation for which I've been recognized statewide--mandated reporting of elder financial abuse by banks and by financial institutions, the wild and scenic river designation of Cache Creek, the flood protection of our region, he's voted against all of those things and plenty of others. So I'm looking forward to the race, I know you'll all be there, it's going to be a great November I can feel it.”

But again it was West Sacramento Mayor and candidate for the 8th Assembly District Christopher Cabaldon who really embodied the call to action as he juxtaposed his success as Mayor of West Sacramento against the realities of the limitations of his lifestyle and sexual orientation in this country.

“I know many of us feel it here, but we may be leading comfortable lives in prosperous communities, doing very well, but we know something is fundamentally wrong with our country and with our state and we know we should be doing something about it. Maybe we just become numb, all of the lies about the war and weapons of mass destruction, or clear skies, or arsenic's not so bad in the water supply really, the patriot act... And time after time after time, I think Americans and so many of us in our own communities become numb to what this whole Republican arrogance has done to our nation and to our society and to our government. To our expectations about what democracy and justice are all about.

I certainly feel it every day, I have an opportunity to lead an exciting city, and during the daytime I make decisions about what happens to our police department, but in this country I don't get the opportunity when I go home after figuring out what we do with the police force of the city and marry the person that I love. And when I get up the next day, and try to figure out whether or not we need save levee breach number 8 or levee breach number 9 in West Sacramento first, those are the kind of decisions that I'm charged with in our community, fundamental issues of public safety, but if I go to the Davis Blood Bank tomorrow to offer to donate blood to save someone, I will be turned away. And anyone like me will be turned away for the rest of our lives. So the paradox of what it means to be in this country, to be successful, to have some amount of power and prosperity and yet to know that there is something still fundamentally wrong with who we are as a nation and who we are as a society is compelling, it's powerful. For me it's what motivates the work that I do in public service. It's why no matter how dynamic and exciting my little town gets to me, I know that the challenges that we're facing in California and across this country that we step up and that we get serious about what's facing us.”

The Yolo County Democratic Bean Feed has been a hallmark event for a number of years. It serves as a rallying point for the local Democratic leadership as well as a key fundraiser for the party to engage in critical activities. There are key races facing this community and this nation. We all know about Measure P and Measure Q which will help to fund libraries in Davis as well as the schools. West Sacramento has a critical bond measure for its schools as well, funding nearly $60 million, it will be critical for that school district to obtain those funds as well as Davis to be able to sustain the high level of services that this community is accustomed to. But the two-thirds threshold is very high and it will require mobilization and coordination to pull that off.

---Doug Paul Davis reporting