Davis City Council Meeting Summary – March 3, 2026
Davis City Council Meeting – March 3, 2026
On Tuesday, March 3, 2026, the Davis City Council met at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Chambers, 23 Russell Boulevard, Davis, CA. The meeting opened with a moment of remembrance, ceremonial proclamations, and a Sister City presentation from Sangju, South Korea, followed by approval of the consent calendar, a presentation and approvals related to the Economic Development Strategic Plan, introduction of amendments to the Affordable Housing Code, and planning for future agenda items.
Ceremonial Presentations & Sister City Update
- Mayor Donna Neville opened the meeting by expressing condolences for Julie Varess, a 60-year-old Davis resident and Davis Aquatic Masters member who died in a bicycle accident in Davis on March 2, 2026. The Mayor said the incident remains under investigation.
- The Council approved the meeting agenda unanimously at the start of the meeting.
- Proclamations recognized March 7–14 as Arbor Week, March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, March as National Nutrition Month, Cathie Bullis as the Brinley Community Volunteer Award winner, Brodie Hamilton and Sharon Schauer as Citizens of the Year, and the late Dr. John Lofland with a Special Recognition Award.
- Arbor Week: The City of Davis was recognized as a Tree City USA for 45 years. Tree Davis Executive Director Yael Franco invited the community to a tree planting event on March 7, 2026, at 9 a.m. in the Cannery neighborhood.
- Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month: Team Davis and Community and Employment Services accepted the proclamation. A Team Davis member, AJ Van Der Vanderpan, shared how moving to Davis helped him feel welcomed and included.
- National Nutrition Month: Demcina Babazade and Dr. Francine M. Steinberg accepted on behalf of Davis registered dietitians and highlighted the 2026 theme, “Discover the Power of Nutrition.”
- Cathie Bullis was honored for founding Davis Picks It Up. The proclamation cited 734 community volunteer members as of September 2025 and 58,400 pounds (29+ tons) of litter collected; Bullis later said the effort has grown to more than 850 members and over 32 tons removed.
- Dr. John Lofland was honored for chronicling Davis history; his partner, Barbara Summer, accepted the award.
- Leo Bach, a dispatched civil servant from Sangju, South Korea, presented on the Sister City relationship. He highlighted annual youth exchanges, 10 students from each city, 20 Sangju students attending UC Davis summer programs, and bike club exchanges. Ruth Asmundson, Davis Sister Cities ambassador, praised Sangju as one of the most successful sister city relationships.
Consent Calendar
- The Council unanimously approved the consent calendar with no items pulled. The Mayor thanked staff for their work on Picnic Day 2026 safety measures included in Item 4B.
- Consent items included a geotechnical services task order for Chiles Ranch Subdivision, Picnic Day 2026 safety enhancement zones and temporary park alcohol exception suspension, a second reading of municipal code clarifications, approval to continue emergency well cleaning and rehabilitation with Eaton Drilling, and commission minutes.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Councilmember Bapu Vaitla gave a personal statement during Council announcements, saying he had been called the N-word by occupants of an SUV near UC Davis the previous Wednesday. He said he was infuriated but not surprised, and described Davis as both a caring community and a community with racism reflected in housing policy and public discussions that avoid race, class, and equity. Several Councilmembers responded with support and apologies.
- Matt Williams thanked Councilmember Vaitla for sharing his experience and also raised concerns about the timing and completeness of the city’s annual financial statement being presented to the Fiscal Commission.
- A representative of Aggie Skate Club thanked the Council for revising municipal code related to skating in public parks.
- A speaker who identified as a mobile home park resident said she had been evicted and locked out, and expressed concerns about police involvement and broader fears about AI and discrimination.
- Dima Tamimi, speaking as a Davis community member and Human Relations Commissioner, provided an update on the sanctuary city ordinance process, noting the city attorney and police chief had agreed to incorporate community-developed principles.
- Multiple public commenters discussed e-bike safety after the fatal March 2 bicycle crash. Some urged stricter e-bike regulation, including banning Class 3 e-bikes and prohibiting e-bikes on greenbelts; another cautioned against overreacting before the investigation is complete.
- A recorded public comment on Picnic Day urged non-police code enforcement, income-based fines, water stations, and Narcan availability.
- A recorded public comment urged the city to consider a bus line to help unhoused residents reach appointments and services.
- During discussion later in the meeting, Councilmember Chapman criticized a public commenter’s earlier description of the Council as “monkeys” and Councilmember Partida thanked Councilmember Vaitla for his courage.
Discussion Items
- Economic Development Strategic Plan: Economic Development Director Katie Yancey presented a five-year plan with six economic development objectives: improving the business climate, attracting investment and growing key industries, supporting small businesses, advancing strategic partner and capital development projects, building a skilled workforce, and fostering collaborative partnerships. She described the plan as addressing the city’s fiscal crisis through revenue generation, business-friendly policy modernization, asset repositioning, and partnership building. Public commenters included the Davis Chamber of Commerce, Davis Downtown Business Association, a Mace Ranch Business Park developer, and community members. Councilmembers discussed prioritized implementation, performance metrics, reducing planned development (PD) overlay barriers, leveraging UC Davis, and branding. Director Yancey said staff can return with a more detailed work plan in about 60 days.
- Affordable Housing Code Amendments – Land Dedication: City Manager Daryel Dunston and City Attorney Inder Khalsa presented proposed amendments to Section 18.05.050 of the Affordable Housing Code. The amendment would require ownership projects choosing land dedication to provide “adequate resources to realistically allow for the total number of units required” to be constructed, with an exploratory review of supporting financial information. The City Attorney clarified that the land dedication option was already discretionary and subjective, and that the proposed language would not change the city’s legal position under the Housing Accountability Act. Public comment was divided: some opposed the amendment as a new subjective barrier, while others supported it as closing a loophole. Councilmember Vaitla said the amendment closes a loophole that allowed developers to dedicate land without providing enough resources to build units. Councilmember Deos expressed concern about creating barriers, but ultimately supported the motion after discussion.
Key Outcomes
- Approved the agenda and consent calendar unanimously.
- Approved the Economic Development Strategic Plan unanimously.
- Approved staff’s request to prepare an analysis of the property tax and sales tax base and make recommendations on fiscal improvements, unanimously.
- Directed Economic Development Director Yancey to return in approximately 60 days with an implementation work plan and decision points for Council prioritization, unanimously.
- Introduced amendments to Affordable Housing Code Section 18.05.050 as presented and directed the inclusionary housing subcommittee to work with staff to bring back options for a broader overhaul of the ownership affordable housing ordinance. The motion passed with no announced no votes.
- Under AB 1234 reporting, Councilmembers reported no meetings attended at city expense.
- Long Range Calendar: The Council agreed to fold sidewalk maintenance policy into budget discussions and defer street tree maintenance to a later date. Staff was directed to pursue a presentation from the county on animal services before the contract ends in June. Staff will bring the MAPA item back on April 21, 2026.
Meeting Transcript
I think we need just a moment. We're getting our okay. Very good. Welcome everyone to the March 3rd regular meeting of the Davis City Council. Welcome everyone. It's a great crowd. I wish we could do awards every night. This is wonderful. I'm going to note for the record that all of my colleagues are here at the Dice. And our first order of business is to approve the agenda for this evening. Is there a motion to approve? So moved. Moved by Councilmember Chapman and a second by Councilmember Dios. All in favor of approval of the agenda say aye. Aye. Aye. Any no's. Hearing none, the agenda is approved unanimously. We um have a series. We have we have a series of ceremonial uh presentations this evening. And for those of you who maybe haven't been here for those before, um, each one of us will read the proclamation, and then whoever's here to accept that will have the opportunity to come up to the podium while it's being read and then offer a few brief comments. And after we've finished with all the proclamations, we usually take a short break to do some photos. You can assemble with your group and have some photos, and then we'll um come back up here at the dice. And some of you who are celebrating more will go into the break room there for some further celebrations. Um before we move in to that part of agenda, the agenda this evening, I do want to take a moment um to make a very brief statement about the very tragic incident that occurred in Davis yesterday. As many of you do know, there was a bicycle accident involving um two bicyclists. One of those tragically lost her life. That was Julie Varess, uh neighbor of mine, a 60-year-old woman who had been very, very involved in our community for many years. Many of you who are swimmers may know her very well. Uh, she was very active in Davis Aquatic Masters and many other events in our community. Um, on behalf of the Davis City Council and the city, I want to extend my deepest condolences to her husband Dawn and her sons and to the rest of our family who are grieving her untimely loss. We are all deeply sorry for for this tragic loss. Um it's still the incident's still undergoing investigation, so we have no further details about it at this time. But I wanted you to be aware of that. So with that, I'm gonna transition and move into our proclamations. And our first one is going to be read by uh Councilmember Vitler regarding Arbor Week. Thank you, Mayor Neville. Uh, I like to invite Yael Franco, the executive director of Tree Davis, and Charlie Murphy, our urban forest manager for the City of Davis. Hi, welcome. In 2011, the California State Assembly and Senate officially designating March 7th through the 14th as California Arbor Week. This weeklong celebration highlights the importance of trees and our communities, fostering awareness, engagement, and appreciation for the natural world around us. The City of Davis recognizes the contributions a healthy urban forest has to clean the air and water, reduce stormwater runoff, enhance energy conservation, and provide habitat for wildlife. And has been recognized as a tree city USA for 45 years by the National Arbor Day Foundation. The City of Davis utilizes public-private collaborations for the care of the public urban forest through partnerships with local advocates and nonprofit organizations, and along with Tree Davis, we'll be hosting a special tree planting event on March 7th, 2026 in the Canary neighborhood to honor nature where we live, work, and play. Now, therefore, we the Davis City Council on behalf of the citizens of Davis do hereby proclaim March 7th through the 14th is Arbor Week in the City of Davis and urge all citizens to support efforts to protect our trees and woodlands and to support our city's urban forest. BP further proclaimed that we urge all citizens to properly care for urban forests to help create and promote a healthy environment for the well-being of present and future generations. Um on behalf of Tree Davis and the Tree Davis Board. Um we appreciate uh our partnership with the City of Davis and the opportunity that we have to jointly celebrate um trees on Arbor Day. So our community benefits from our collaboration to ensure that we plant more trees and care for the existing ones we have. We all benefit from a healthy and resilient urban forest.
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