Davis again.....good grief > Rexroad.com

I am getting calls and letters from people in Davis saying that they don't want a re-entry facility built seven miles from them.

When I point out that the Monroe Detention Center is within seven miles of Davis they are stunned. We also have schools close by.

Tonight I plan to be at the Lillard Hall. I am looking forward to speaking with the Davis NIMBYs that plan to attend about the re-entry facility.

The guy I spoke to on the phone admitted that he was fine with it being built -- just not anywhere near Davis.

The last call on my cell phone was from a lady in Davis indicated that the person had absolutely no idea what was going on in the world. She thought "all those services stay in Woodland where they belong". She thought I represented Davis.

Tonight is going to be fun.

Comments

By griffith @ Thursday, September 04, 2008 9:36 PM

Matt,

This wasn’t a community meeting. It was a mob looking for a lynching. If the BOS has any common sense at all, you will nix the whole idea of a reentry facility. If the county need money for the jail expansion look elsewhere…

In my opinion the community meeting was a total failure.

By JK @ Friday, September 05, 2008 8:12 AM

griffith,

You should have seen the other meetings then. This was certainly the most orderly. I think it also worked well for the attendees, they raised many valid points and facts about the site rather than just straight NIMBY-complaining.

I attended as a Davis resident who wouldn't mind it being there, though I don't think it's the best option. We'll see what happens, eh?

By Cynthia M @ Friday, September 05, 2008 9:00 AM

Maybe Davis plays nicer than Esparto/Madison because you have not been hit with the casino project which changed the community -- now you are asking us to take on the burden of a PRISON.

Davis has more infrastructure and resources to protect the community and assist in the rehabilitation of the Prisoners.

YES, we are "NOT IN OUR BACK YARD"!

By Cynthia M @ Friday, September 05, 2008 9:12 AM

Posting for JD

Your implication that the Davis meeting was the most organized indicates that they had MUCH more notice than "some of the other" communities and thus might have had more time to organize their thoughts and possibly calm down to insure that they didn't sound like NIMBYs. Also indicates that they were shown a higher level of respect. Although, Davis sits fairly well on the subject, being incorporated and all, as you know. JD

By DMGreenwald @ Friday, September 05, 2008 9:21 AM

As I understand it they had two days of prep time. I talked to Sup. Thomson's staff yesterday morning and they didn't even know if she was going, they didn't think they could get CDCR staff there, it somehow came together. I talked to Matt in the early afternoon and he had to scramble his schedule to make it. I personally had to rustle up Davis City Councilmembers to make it. They were not happy about the lack of communication between the county and City.

I know Matt disagrees with me on this, but this is a bad pattern by the county.

There are a lot of things I disagree with Matt on, one of the things we agree on is open government, I think this process has been poorly done. I'm becoming more and more skeptical of the overall project based on what I've seen.

By JK @ Friday, September 05, 2008 9:34 AM

Cynthia,

You're right, it's obviously total bias. Matt Rexroad is known for favoring Davis and its population, he absolutely loves the town. In fact, he has talked about legally changing his name to Matt Davisville Rexroad while on his way to vote for Ralph Nader.

By Cynthia M @ Friday, September 05, 2008 9:57 AM

They had more notice of the meeting because they reserved the Scout Cabin which barely hold 100 people (which again, showcases that they weren't expecting a large turnout because they didn't tell anyone). The meeting was moved the day of the event to the high school because they found out that the entire community was mailed notification by a group of concern "local" citizens at their own expense to get the word out.

Do you think anyone of them posted or walked down to the "old" location to post a sign about the new meeting location -- Hell NO (and this was "their" meeting) they didn't want the community to know. Of couse, we took it upon ourselves again to inform our citizens and made signs to redirect the community.

By Cynthia M @ Friday, September 05, 2008 10:05 AM

POSTING FROM JD

We, in Esparto heard about the meeting for Davis on Tuesday at our meeting, maybe the Davis meeting was in response to our overwhelming opinion that this facility should be placed in a more urban area than Esparto/Madison, or at least closer to more urban areas and thereby closer to the NPOs that they will depend on as well as public transportation, more housing, better roads, etc. etc. and so forth.

In truth, or at least my view, the BOS picked the rural areas because it is less of a battle for them. Regardless of our feelings, opinions and valid points they are going to do put the damn thing wherever they want, and the rural communities can't do anything about it, only the incorporated cities have a voice in this matter, as was stated not in so many words by the BOS.
JD

By Matt Rexroad @ Friday, September 05, 2008 10:14 AM

Cynthia:

It was not a county meeting at all. If it was run by the county we would have done it much differently.

Matt

By Cynthia M @ Friday, September 05, 2008 10:37 AM

It sure wasn't Esparto Advisory Committee Meeting? So who's meeting was it, Department of County Corrections?

By JK @ Friday, September 05, 2008 10:49 AM

Actually, the woman leading the meeting (her name escapes me) in Esparto specifically said it was NOT a joint Esparto-Madison-Capay Advisory Committee meeting, specifically because they are not legally allowed to hold a meeting like that without due notice. It was just an unofficial meeting of the public.

The Esparto Advisory Committee met on Wednesday, Madison met last night.

By Cynthia M @ Friday, September 05, 2008 10:59 AM

JK

Yes, I went to Esparto meeting Wednesday. I'm just courious who is taking responsability for the lack of communication of the proposed PRISON in Esparto/Madison and the very carefull timing of the release of this proposed project -- Thursday just before a holiday and Monday when the post office is closed.

All very sneaky.

By Cynthia M @ Friday, September 05, 2008 11:00 AM

Are we going to get the same amount of notice when the sex offenders are turned loose on our streets?

By Matt Rexroad @ Friday, September 05, 2008 11:11 AM

Cynthia:

If you don't trust me that is fine. You should take it up with your Supervisor then.

We have let people know as soon as we know it.

So under your comments above -- we should have held it until Tuesday after the holiday?

By mdjordan @ Friday, September 05, 2008 11:56 AM

I would like to thank Supervisors Rexroad & Thomson and Sheriff Prieto for attending each community meeting held to discuss the California prison reentry facility. I appreciate their attendance and wiliness to give his take on the facility and its impact to Yolo County. I appreciate that Supervisor Rexroad went to the Woodland City Council to try to get their buy in for the reentry facility. Perhaps if Esparto had been approached with information prior to finding out (Aug. 19) we were on the short list there would have been a more positive consideration of the facility.

Regarding the Esparto meeting, the Esparto Citizen's Advisory Committee (ECAC) tried to hold the meeting as a joint area advisory committee meeting. We were told by county counsel that the meeting did not need an agenda despite my assertion that the meeting would be more orderly if it was a planned meeting. I was led to believe the "county" would run this meeting after I made introductions of our invited guests. Because county counsel nixed an agenda county staff DID NOT send out notice of the Tues., Sept. 2 meeting but did send out notice of the Wednesday, Sept. 3 meeting.

Esparto - Capay Valley & Madison communities had to rely on our own email distribution lists for notification of the meeting. Cynthia herself paid for the mailing (thank you Cynthia). As I said at the meeting, I am in favor of the concept of the reentry facility but had strong issues with the "back room meeting" aspect of hearing about being on the short list.

Melissa Jordan, Chair
Esparto Citizen’s Advisory Committee

My concerns for building the reentry facility in Esparto-Madison remain:

• BOTH sites flood, 1 – 4 feet. At the BOS meeting Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 9:30 a.m. I will be providing a Cal Trans aerial photo of the Dec. 31, 2005 flood showing the flood water between our towns. Of the two sites there is more flooding in Madison. On that date I 505 was shut down. I believe it was closed for more than one day but I’m not certain of that as I we were locked into Esparto by flooding. I do not know of one county road in our area that did not have a road closed sign. Building on flood lands causing “down stream” repercussions should to be considered before county money is spent on site studies.
• Water/sewer – at any location for the facility will require additional water & sewer BUT the impact to a small community is exponentially greater.
• The Esparto site (County Road 86A & St. Hwy 16) is the only open land already zoned Light Industrial/Commercial (1996 Esparto General Plan) . In exchange for the county allowing the reentry facility being built the developer will ask (and has already drawn up maps as though this is a done deal) the county to change the surrounding zoning to residential. This zoning request had been turned down by ECAC several years ago.
• Despite several Cache Creek Casino expansions thousands of people coming through Esparto daily only one way in and one way out of the Capay Valley and access to the casino. One of the State Corrections Facility officers at the Tuesday meeting arrived late due to traffic. He got a sample of what “we” face daily, major delays in crossing our small town streets & clogged traffic. On ‘event’ nights traffic can be backed up three miles south on I 505 waiting to get to the St. Hwy 16 off ramp. That’s 14 miles FROM the casino.
• WE STILL DON’T HAVE A CALIFORNIA STATE BUDGET AS OF TODAY, SEPT. 5, 2008. TO CONSIDER SPENDING $12 BILLION DOLLARS OF ‘MY’ MONEY WHEN OUR ECONOMY IS IN THE TOILET DOES NOT MAKE SENSE TO ME.
• When prison spending exceeds educational spending something is wrong within our state. I would like to see more early intervention programs in our public schools.

Melissa Jordan, Esparto & California resident.

By Cynthia M @ Friday, September 05, 2008 12:04 PM

Matt,

Actually, I found out that some were told about this two weeks prior and could not talk about it until the county released the press release which was Wednesday 27th (I stand corrected Wed/not Thur).

And you are right Matt, I do no trust you after seeing your arrigance at the meeting on Tuesday. I'll get a chance to meet you this Tuesday as well.

By Cynthia M @ Friday, September 05, 2008 12:14 PM

Thanks Melissa for the acknowledgement but it was a collective group of local citizens that came together to make this happen.

By Charlie in Esparto @ Friday, September 05, 2008 5:09 PM

Matt, pertaining to the above Esparto 'add hock' meeting Tuesday. Our good Sheriff basically told me they have 60 to pick a site and that time line cannot be changed.

So if the above is true…. Do you plan to force that facility on to a community regardless of community objections?

I feel like showing up to the next Sups meeting with a bucket of 'tar' and a bag of 'feathers' ...if you get my drift. But I am sure I will behave in a much more civil manner (but others might do similar!).

Charlie-san

By Matt Rexroad @ Friday, September 05, 2008 8:48 PM

Charlie:

I will vote in the best interests of the people of Woodland and Yolo County.

After listening to the discussion on Tuesday I am likely to support a re-entry facility proposal in Yolo County.

Matt

By Charlie in Esparto @ Friday, September 05, 2008 11:48 PM

Matt,

From your many public comments I think everyone realizes you will vote in favor of this thing. I guess there are two questions a lot of folks want to know. 1. Which community do you plan to force this 'waste of tax funds' on? and 2. Have you ever thought about changing your voter registration to Democrat? (Homeless shelters, social programs, re-entry facilities????)

Don't miss read me, I am not mad...Just disappointed in a fellow Republican.

Charlie-san

By YoloCalVet @ Saturday, September 06, 2008 10:08 AM

Put it next to the CHP academy, close to W. Sac PD, Sac PD & SO....put is a bus stop.

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