May 23, 2013

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UC medical workers participate in two-day strike

UC medical workers participate in two-day strike

Nearly 13,000 workers at all UC medical centers push for wage increases, retirement security

Written by LAUREN MASCARENHAS
Aggie News Writer
Published on May 23, 2013
Filed under Campus News, Front page story

After many tumultuous months of stalled negotiations with the University of California, nearly 13,000 patient care technical workers went on strike at all five UC medical centers on May 20 and 21. UC has been in negotiations with AFSCME 3299 (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees 3299) since last June. After failing to come to an agreement, the union members decided to strike for increased wages and retirement security. They were joined by sympathy strikers from the UC Hospital Service Unit represented by AFSCME as well as health care professionals under the University of Professional and Technical Employees union (UPTE). “This has been a huge step for workers and it has been very successful. UC needs to get the picture that they need to treat their workers right,” said Jelger Kalmijn, UPTE president. A recurring theme in the conversations surrounding the strike is patient safety. “One of the things that can’t get lost in all of this is that these are devoted hospital workers who care about their... ...

Tour de Cluck to celebrate chickens, bikes, local artists

Tour de Cluck to celebrate chickens, bikes, local artists

Tour de Cluck May 25 in Central Park Art Auction and Exhibit Free Bicycle Chicken Coop Crawl 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sold out With over a month left until the start of the 2013 Tour de France, Davis residents looking to get their fix of a tour de something are in luck — the fourth annual Tour de Cluck will take place on May 25. The two main components to Tour de Cluck include the Art Auction and Exhibit and the Bicycle Chicken Coop Crawl, although additional events are ongoing throughout the month of May, according to Neil Ruud, Tour de Cluck event coordinator. The proceeds from the art auction will go to the Davis Art Center, which offers support to local artists, sponsors art-related events and maintains a close relationship with the local arts community in Davis, Ruud said. Tickets for the event are sold out. Seven hundred people are expected to attend the coop crawl, according to Gilbride, and 17 coops are being showcased. “It’s a fundraiser... ...

California ranks low in small business friendliness, survey finds

California ranks low in small business friendliness, survey finds

Thumbtack.com, in partnership with the Kauffman Foundation, released results from their second annual Small Business Friendliness Survey, and California was rated with a D grade, an improvement from last year’s F grade. Based in San Francisco, Thumbtack.com operates as an online marketplace for local service providers. According to its 2013 study, the Bay Area was rated as the top region in California for small businesses, and San Francisco was the state’s highest-ranked city. California is among the lowest-ranking states in the U.S. for its overall friendliness to small businesses, along with Maine and Illinois. Some of the highest-ranking states are Idaho, Utah and New Hampshire. According to the U.S. Small Business Association website, a small business is defined as “a business that is organized for profit … makes a significant contribution to the U.S. economy through payment of taxes or use of American products, materials or labor; [and] is independently owned and operated.” Approximately 8,000 out of 275,000 small business owners nationwide who use Thumbtack.com were surveyed over a course... ...

Davis baseball to end season against the Gauchos

Davis baseball to end season against the Gauchos

Teams: UC Davis vs UC Santa Barbara Records: Aggies, 19-34 (5-19); Gauchos, 31-22 (14-10) Where: Dobbins Stadium — Davis, Calif. When: May 23 at 2:30 p.m.; May 24 at 2:30 p.m.; May 25 at 1 p.m. Who to watch? Coming off their final road games of the season, the Aggies are stinging from the sweep from Hawai’i last weekend. The Aggies must rebound as they are headed back home to play their final games of the season against UC Santa Barbara. One significant contributor to the Aggies has been sophomore Tino Lipson. Lipson moved from shortstop to outfield at the beginning of the season, and his versatile offensive and defensive skill set have been a significant contribution to the team. In fact, Lipson has seen much playing time at many different positions, including shortstop, left field, designated hitter and second base. Over Lipson’s last 14 games, he has improved his batting average to .340 — second best on the team — and is hitting a team-best .407 in conference play.... ...

Regents evacuated after union workers interrupt meeting

Regents evacuated after union workers interrupt meeting

The UC Board of Regents meeting at the Sacramento Convention Center was momentarily interrupted on May 15 after union healthcare workers from AFSCME 3299 began chanting loudly during a sit-in. Thirteen arrests were made and AFSCME 3299 president Kathryn Lybarger was among the group. The protesters, wearing stickers reading “Patients not profits,” chanted phrases such as “What’s this about? Patient care!” and “Whose university? Our university!” The building was heavily patrolled by Sacramento police. The meeting reconvened after approximately 25 minutes. The demonstration follows a UPTE (University Professional & Technical Employees, CWA 9119) announcement that UC health care workers at all five UC health centers will participate in a strike calling for retirement security and fair wages. AFSCME 3299 has also scheduled a strike at the UC medical student health centers on May 21 and 22. “This strike is about standing up for the students, patients and taxpayers the UC Medical System was intended to serve … We will not rest until UC gets its priorities straight,” Lybarger said in... ...

Davis Farmers Market features local vendors, restaurants

Davis Farmers Market features local vendors, restaurants

Every Wednesday evening and Saturday night, Davis residents flock to downtown Davis for the Davis Farmers Market. The market is located at Central Park between Fourth and D Streets. It is a beloved tradition for the City of Davis and is known for selling various types of food and drink. People of all ages attend to try naanwiches from Raja’s Tandoor, hot dogs and lemonade from The Hotdogger, Fat Face popsicles and many other diverse dishes. Vendors from Davis and the surrounding areas set up stalls to sell their various produce and goods. In addition to the numerous stalls of fresh fruits and veggies, certain vendors sell wine, almonds, honey and breads. The Aggie profiled the most popular and unique vendors from the Farmers Market and asked them what motivates them to continue coming back. Henry’s Bullfrog Bees Henry’s Bullfrog Bees is a family-owned business located in Winters known for their PURE honey products. They sell honey at both the Wednesday and Saturday Farmers Market and the UC Davis campus... ...

MU, Silo renovations bring reorganization of ASUCD units

MU, Silo renovations bring reorganization of ASUCD units

The ASUCD Unit Relocation and Space Allocation Committee (URSAC) will be making an unprecedented number of decisions in the coming weeks, as imminent renovations to the Memorial Union and Silo spur displacement. “It’s new territory. Our spaces are completely changing,” said ASUCD President Carly Sandstrom, a voting member of URSAC along with ASUCD Business Manager Anne Myler, Controller Eric Evans, Senator Miles Thomas and Senator Maxwell Kappes. URSAC determines office space allocation for units. The third floor of the MU, which is where many units are housed, will be completely rearranged. Sandstrom envisions having ASUCD Student Services and its receptionists closer to the elevators — currently they’re hidden in the back — and creating an open space called the Bullpen, with couches and the ability to house informal unit events. Sandstrom hopes student government officials utilize the space as well. “I would love to see senators more in the bullpen than in their offices where the doors might be closed,” she said. Sandstrom also hopes to hold ASUCD Senate meetings... ...

Beer culture expands in Davis

Twenty students are completely silent, brows beneath sunglasses furrowed in deep concentration as they scribble notes on a scorecard. They sniff, swirl, sniff, gulp and ponder. They’re tasting beer. Earlier in the evening, Brad Titus, an officer of the Food Science Brewing Club (FSBC), proposed a question: Without sight, can we discern different beer styles, and do we actually like what we claim we do? He explained anticipatory bias, citing a 2006 MIT study. Club members then engaged in an hour-long blind tasting session, cleansing their palates with water and saltines between brews. They attempted to guess eight beers, ranging from Sierra Nevada’s Ruthless Rye to Mammoth Brewing’s Double Nut Brown. “The first time is really hard,” Titus said, referencing his first blind tasting where he only guessed one beer correctly. “I remember thinking a double IPA [India Pale Ale] was a pilsner.” Still in its first year, the FSBC is made up of about 30 students dedicated to promoting beer in all its scientific glory. They meet for analytical... ...

Unitrans fleet strives to be green

Unitrans fleet strives to be green

With UC Davis’ eco-friendly biking community, some cringe at the thought of climbing aboard a diesel-guzzling city bus. But with Unitrans now operating 44 of its 49 vehicles on alternative fuels, students can hitch a ride without worrying too much about excessive emissions. For the past 20 years, Unitrans has been slowly building a sustainable fleet of classic buses, London double-deckers and Tipsy Taxis through a methodical process of replacing outdated diesel engines with ones that burn compressed natural gas (CNG). “There have been many people pushing [for CNG use] in the transit world,” said Unitrans Maintenance Manager Andrew Wyly. Natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel. It is composed mainly of methane, and products of natural gas combustion are carbon dioxide and water vapor. Coal and oil energy sources are composed of more complex molecules, making more harmful products such as sulfur dioxide, in addition to ash and other particulate matter. Compressed natural gas produces 70 percent of the CO2 compared to gasoline. In the United States, over... ...

Divestment resolution fails in ASUCD commissions, will not move forward

Divestment resolution fails in ASUCD commissions, will not move forward

On May 7, the ASUCD Business and Finance Commission voted against passing Senate Resolution 30, which supported the University divesting funds from corporations that profit from the occupation of Palestine. Many people on both sides of the issue have expressed the belief that this will not be the end of the issue on the UC Davis campus. “I don’t see any suspension of dialogue happening. I see this as just a start of things to come,” said Matt Hamou, a Business and Finance commissioner. Members of the Business and Finance Commission rejected the resolution with a vote of two in favor, five against and two abstentions. “Going in, my personal goal was to make sure that both sides left feeling that they had been treated respectfully and equally, independent of the vote count,” said Rylan Schaeffer, Business and Finance Commission chair. “Abstentions are rare. While the reasons two commissioners had for abstaining were complex, a key aspect definitely had to do with the controversial nature of the resolution, as well... ...

Campus to celebrate Whole Earth

Campus to celebrate Whole Earth

Since 1969, UC Davis has celebrated the annual Whole Earth Festival from Friday to Sunday the second week of May, promoting wellness, art and the environment. The UC Davis Quad will be filled with arts and crafts tents, live music, food vendors and educational spaces from May 10 to 12. The free, zero-waste, student-run festival is a self-sustaining ASUCD unit and made possible by a large team of volunteers, who have been working since January. “We have entertainment from throughout the county, including educational speakers, yoga masters, artists and crafts vendors,” said Chris Hong, a UC Davis alumnus and Whole Earth publicity spokesman. “Our event invites a diversity of visitors from children to the elders, mixed races and ethnicities, and people with various religions and traditions. We love the diversity that the festival brings, and how we all share a common viewpoint or ideology and love for this Festival.” Though the weekend is alcohol-free and advertised as drug-free, some festival goers are known to partake in illegal drugs. “We are... ...

Drug initiative in Davis targets unused prescription pills

Drug initiative in Davis targets unused prescription pills

To curb prescription drug abuse, the Davis Police Department (DPD) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have collaboratively held pill collection events to encourage the public to dispose their unused, unwanted and expired prescription medication. A collection event, also know as the Take Back Initiative, took place on April 27. This is the sixth year the DPD has participated. “During the span of those four hours that we did the event, we collected 315 pounds of unused, unwanted or expired medication,” said Lt. Glenn Glasgow. Unused prescription medications are a public safety issue because they can lead to poisonings, accidental overdoses and in some cases, abuse of the narcotics, Glasgow said. Additionally, a survey done in 2011 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that more than 70 percent of prescription medication abusers got the medication from friends or relatives. “This is a way of removing the opportunity for people who may have an addiction to these pills, [it is a way] to get [the pills] out of... ...

Women’s lacrosse team finishes the season strong

Women’s lacrosse team finishes the season strong

There’s an age-old saying in sports: it is not how you start, but how you finish. The UC Davis women’s lacrosse team, although finishing with a 6-9 record overall and going 3-5 in conference play, was able to finish the season out strong. Replacing former head coach Elaine Jones, first-year head coach Kate Henwood understood the expectations heading into the 2012 season. “This was a transition year for us with a new coaching staff. It was our job to try and find a way to harness the talent of our five seniors and use the energetic underclassmen into a system that could work for us,” Henwood said. “Elaine did a phenomenal job, turning lacrosse from a club program to a Division II program and then to a Division I program. I’m not here to be mediocre, but for us to be the best in the West.” Although the Aggies lost their season debut to the third-ranked team in the nation, Florida, they claimed their first win of the 2012-13 campaign... ...

Restaurant chains branch out to Davis

Restaurant chains branch out to Davis

A number of restaurant chains are opening new locations in Davis. These include Huong Lan Sandwiches, Jack’s Urban Eats, The Melt, Wingstop and Yogurtland. Huong Lan Sandwiches opened in early 2013 in the space previously occupied by International Bistro at 213 E St. in downtown Davis. The restaurant serves fresh Vietnamese bánh mì sandwiches, bubble tea, assorted fried food and customizable pho. The Davis location is the sixth Huong Lan store, with the others located in San Jose, Newark, Sacramento and Milpitas. Jack’s Urban Eats opened on May 2. Jack’s Urban Eats is a Sacramento-based chain with about seven locations in Sacramento and the greater Sacramento area. The Davis location will be located in The Marketplace in North Davis. The restaurant serves American food such as sandwiches, salads and specialty sides including sweet potato fries, mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. Owner of Dos Coyotes and Jack’s Urban Eats Bobby Coyote said they are famous for their urban fries. Coyote said he saw an open space and that gave him... ...

ASUCD Senate passes resolution condemning Islamophobia

ASUCD Senate passes resolution condemning Islamophobia

After approximately five hours of discussion, the ASUCD Senate passed Senate Resolution 21 on April 25 with a 7-4-1 vote. The resolution condemns Islamophobic speech at the University of California. The resolution defined Islamaphobia as “the irrational fear of Islam, Muslims or anything related to the Islamic or Arab cultures and traditions.” Authors stated that it was written due to the concerns for students’ well-being, safety on campus and the administration’s failure to address issues. During public discussion, some members of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) and other students spoke in support of the resolution. Members of the Ayn Rand Society (ARS), the group that held the April 11 “Islamists Rising” event on campus, spoke in opposition of the resolution. The event held by the ARS, which featured panelists such as author Daniel Pipes, sparked a conversation about freedom of speech on campus and with the administration. Kriti Garg, an author of the bill and a second-year international relations and community and regional development double major, said the April 11... ...