The Davis City Council met on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Chambers, 23 Russell Boulevard, Davis, CA. Councilmember Josh Chapman was absent due to an unexpected death in the family. The meeting agenda was approved 4-0.
Hello, everyone. Welcome to the City Council meeting here on August 19th. It is 6:30. Councilmember Josh Chapman had an unexpected death in the family, so he had to um leave. So he won't be here with us tonight, but I will say that the rest of my council members are here. And present. Is there a motion to approve the agenda? Councilmember Deos, is there a second? Second. Vice Mayor Neville. Any discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. Motion passes four to zero. We have an agenda. We'll start with our ceremonial presentations. We have two presentations tonight, and then we'll take a brief recess to do any pictures, and then we'll get back to the meeting. We'll start with August as breastfeeding month, and I'll turn it over to Councilmember Partida. Thank you. Can Jasmine Marquez is she here? Yes, awesome. Great. The American Academy of Pediatrics and World Health Organization recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. The vast majority of new parents want their efforts to receive human milk but face significant barriers in community health care and employment settings. Some people may elect not to breastfeed or are unable to do so. However, all parents can benefit from access to education on infant nutrition and wellness, including information on pasteurized donor human milk. In Yolo County, home to the City of Davis, approximately 95.3% of infants born in 2021 were ever breastfed, with only 35.4% exclusively breastfed through six months, reflecting the need for greater lactation support to sustain breastfeeding outcomes across communities. National Breastfeeding Month and World Breastfeeding Week provide important opportunities to address barriers to human milk feeding faced by families across the United States and around the world. Now, therefore, we the Davis City Council, on behalf of the citizens of Davis, do hereby proclaim August 2025 as breastfeeding month in the City of Davis, and supports the goals of National Breastfeeding Month, which aims to ensure that all pregnant and postpartum people and caregivers in Davis can access a full range of culturally appropriate support from health care providers, community organizations, employers, early care and education centers, researchers, and government entities. Thank you. So thank you, Mayor Vela and the rest of the City Council for this proclamation. I know some folks may be wondering why we even need a national breastfeeding month in YOLO County, as you just read, has over 95% of folks who start off breastfeeding in the community. So the buy-in is there. Yet that number drops pretty significantly when you look at the families who are still breastfeeding at 12 months, and that confirms the systemic challenges and barriers that families are facing and that are keeping them from reaching their infant feeding goal. So my nonprofit, other breastfeeding coalitions across the state and organizations, are working in YOLO County and in Davis to ensure that all families have access to evidence-based lactation support, that families are utilizing paid family leave so that they can stay at home longer and bond and get breastfeeding off to the best start. And that should moms return to work, they're met with accommodation so that they can continue to pump and provide milk to their babies. So I'm grateful that Davis is a lactation supportive environment and that you all see the importance of this work. I want to say thank you to the California WIC Association who is here today, the Necrotizing Intercolida Society, or Neck Society, the California Department of Public Health WIC program, whose leaders like me also call Davis home. Thank you. Thank you for all your work, Jasmine. We'll turn to Vice Mayor Neville for September as National Recovery Month. Great. Thank you, Mayor Vitla. If Zachariah Oquenda, if you'd like to approach, that would be great. This is a proclamation recognizing September as National Recovery Month. In 1989, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration launched National Recovery Month to celebrate the gains made by individuals in recovery from substance use and mental health conditions, and to highlight the importance of evidence-based treatment and recovery practices. Now in its 36th year, National Recovery Month remains a highly anticipated annual event that promotes awareness of recovery, honors the contributions of treatment and support providers, and affirms the strength and resilience of individuals in recovery and their families. Substance use disorder and mental health conditions affect millions of individuals and families across the United States, including many residents of Davis. Recovery is a personal journey supported by accessible services, peer networks, family, and community, and should be recognized with dignity, compassion, and hope. Davis joins communities across the country in reducing stigma, encouraging treatment and support, and celebrating the strength and dignity of people in recovery.