Today, Judge David Rosenberg of the Yolo Superior Court will decide whether there is enough evidence for Clayton Garzon to stand trial for the March 10 beating of Lawrence “Mikey” Partida on I Street. Authorities have classified the beating as a hate crime. According the The Davis Enterprise, Garzon pleaded not guilty to multiple charges against him, including felony counts of assault, battery and criminal threats. All the charges additionally carry hate crime enhancements. Witnesses have testified that Garzon yelled out what appeared to be homophobic slurs at Partida and his cousin Vanessa Turner. However, according to The Davis Enterprise, defense witness Brigham Young University linguistics expert William Eggington said that such slurs tend to be used to challenge masculinity and aren’t always used in terms of homophobia. Partida was hospitalized for two weeks after the beating, suffering fractures to his skull and rib cage, and undergoing surgery to remove a piece of wood from his right eye socket. Garzon’s arraignment is arranged for May 31. — Claire Tan ...

Dutton Hall is currently being occupied in a 24-hour sit-in, which began yesterday, to commemorate Nakba Day. The annual remembrance day commemorates the displacement of Palestinians, that came about following the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. About 20 students are present, discussing the Nakba. Walls of the building’s lobby are plastered with small colored signs highlighting phrases in support of Palestine. Another sign outside reads “Building is closed. One day occupation.” Chairs are also blockading the exterior doors of the building. Students also expressed their disapproval in ASUCD’s recent vote failing Senate Resolution 30, which urged for a divestment from companies that profit from the Palestinian occupation. — Muna Sadek   EDITOR’S  NOTE: Updated for accuracy 05/17/13 ...

  The UC Board of Regents is scheduled to meet at the Sacramento Convention Center tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. The meeting will continue to Thursday, beginning at 8:30 a.m. as well. The meeting agenda includes discussion of Department of Energy Laboratories, the 2013-14 budget, academic performance indicators at UC and a special report on the state of the UC. A closed session will also be held to discuss the search for the next UC president. A full meeting agenda can be found at regents.universityofcalifornia.edu. — Muna Sadek ...

The Sutter Davis Hospital Farmers Market will be reopening this Thursday. The market will continue to be at the hospital entrance every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. until August 29. Opening day will feature cooking demos and tastings, a visit by Dinger and Sacramento River Cats players and giveaways. This will be the third year the Farmers Market will be at the hospital. Randii MacNear, Davis Farmers Market’s executive director and manager of the Sutter Davis Hospital Farmers Market, said in a press release that nine sellers have been confirmed for opening day. — Claire Tan     ...

Mayor Joe Krovoza and Mayor Pro Tem Dan Wolk announced on May 10 that they will both be running for State Assembly in June 2014, as current Assemblymember Mariko Yamada will term out next year. Yamada, D-Davis, represents the Fourth District, which includes Colusa, Napa, Lake, Yolo and parts of Solano and Sonoma Counties. Lake County supervisor Anthony Farrington and Napa County planning commissioner Matt Pope will also be competing for Yamada’s seat. Councilmember Rochelle Swanson also announced that she plans to run for one of the two seats on city council that will become vacant. According to The Davis Enterprise, if Krovoza wins the State Assembly candidacy, Wolk would remain on city council and two slots would be open for the June 2014 city council election. However, if Wolk were to win, two city council seats would still be open in addition to Wolk’s seat, as Krovoza will not be participating in next year’s council election. — Claire Tan ...

A number of students, faculty and organizations will be honored today for their contributions to community service, today at the Community Service Resource Center’s Community Service Awards. The awards, scheduled today at 4 p.m. in Gunrock Pub, will include students who have had a hand in organization such as Bottles for Poverty, The Pantry and the Women’s Resources and Research Center. Members of University administration will be present to distribute awards. More information on the awards and past recipients can be found at iccweb.ucdavis.edu/cs/CSA. — Muna Sadek ...

With new water rates implemented on May 1, the City of Davis introduced a Water Assistance Program that will help low-income homeowners offset water costs. The first 250 eligible homeowners will receive a $5 discount to their water bill every month. Eligible homeowners must meet the income qualification requirements and present proof that they are enrolled in the PG&E CARE (California Alternate Rates for Energy) Program, which provides discounts to energy bills for income-qualified households. According to a city press release, currently, the income levels are $30,000 for a household of two and $46,000 for a household of four. To apply for the Water Assistance Program, households must submit an application to the city. Eligibility will be re-certified every year. According to the press release, the city estimates that the monthly bill for a typical single family home will be about $30.86. Beginning May 1, 40 percent of a water bill will be determined by a monthly base rate determined by water meter size and the rest will vary based... ...

In honor of Physical Activity Month, The Student Health & Counseling Services’ Health Education and Promotion (HEP) is hosting Work It Week on campus, until Wednesday, May 8. The event aims to encourage UC Davis students to engage in at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day, according to a HEP news release. The events throughout the week are free and include prizes and fitness classes, taught by Campus Recreation and Unions instructors. Classes include introductory Yoga and Zumba classes at the ARC, Gardening Day and Bike to Campus Day. A physical activity tracker is also available at the HEP office at the Student Health and Wellness Center. More information can be found at shcs.ucdavis.edu/hep/workit. — Muna Sadek ...

Many University of California campuses plan to withdraw from the UC Student Health Insurance Plan, after a $57 million deficit was detected in the UC Health Insurance Plan (UC SHIP) . This decision was made after the Council of Chancellors, including UC Davis chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi, met yesterday and endorsed the move. Other UC representatives were present, as well. The deficit has been accumulating since 2010. According to Todd Atwood, Insurance Services supervisor at UC Davis, the deficit occurred because of several factors, including not implementing proposed increases to premiums, utilization of the plan increasing and monthly monitoring of the plan was not done to the level that it had previously. The UC SHIP director at UC Office of the President (UCOP), Heather Pineda, was responsible for day-to-day managing of the plan in association with the consultant firm, AonHewitt, according to Atwood. In January 2013, it was decided that AonHewitt was no longer providing services to UC SHIP and a new firm was hired. “It was a decision not... ...