South Davis "Walnut Park" Library on the Agenda Tomorrow

The Yolo County Board of Supervisors will be considering whether to move forward with the high priority South Davis Library project at the Board of Supervisors meeting on February 21st. The specific question they will be answering is whether or not to accept a once-in-a-generation opportunity to accept a $8,783,400 grant from the California State Library's "Building Forward" program. A yes vote will accept the money and move the project forward.

The vision of building a county library in Walnut Park dates back more than 20 years and has never been closer to becoming a reality thanks to this grant opportunity. The need is clear, Southeast Davis is one of the most socioeconomically disadvantaged communities in Yolo County and youth in that area are separated from the Mary L. Stephens Library by the I-80. In addition, the Stephens Library was found to have reached maximum capacity by the 2014 Strategic Space Utilization Study, meaning that Davis has been facing a library capacity shortage for almost a decade. Construction of the Walnut Park library would bring a much needed increase in library capacity to Davis and would help uplift one of our most disadvantaged communities.

The Board welcomes interested community members to express their views at the Board of Supervisors meeting on the 21st. The item is Time Set for 9:00 am, though it will likely be heard closer to 9:30 or 9:45 am. Public comments can be made in-person at the County Administration Building at 625 Court Street Room 206, Woodland, CA 95695. Public feedback can also be submitted via email by sending comments to clerkoftheboard@yolocounty.org.

Our District 4 Office is also on standby to answer any questions community members might have about the project or to help facilitate any community members who wish to make public comment. Please reach out any time to oliver.snow@yolocounty.org or to (530) 757-5553.

Go All In For Yolo Youth

On January 26th, Supervisor Provenza joined Supervisor Frerichs and multiple county agency heads at the Davis Veterans Memorial Center to talk to community stakeholders about the ambitious Roadmap to the Future plan. With this project, the Yolo County Office of Education is committed to mapping out the state of Yolo County children and Youth.

While many of you are aware of the post-pandemic “learning loss” experienced by children, we have seen much more than just learning loss affecting Yolo County youth and families post-pandemic. Young people in Yolo County are no exception to the mental health crises that our nation’s youth face with 22% of Yolo county youth only accessing mental health care when they are at a crisis level and nearly 36% of Yolo County youth experiencing some kind of hopelessness or sadness while at school.

The pandemic also left parts of our community economically and medically vulnerable. Shuttered opportunities and pandemic fears inflicted burdensome financial stress on Yolo County families. With 15% of children experiencing some kind of poverty at home, the economic instability of families has detrimental effects on some of our most vulnerable. Along with the economic stress inflicted on families, families and children suffered physically not only from the deadly effects of the pandemic but also from the significant drop in pediatric and vaccination visits, important for a healthy Yolo county.

We need your input. While the county and stakeholders play an important role in making sure that this project is a success, your help is necessary to making sure this project achieves its full potential. The Board of Supervisors has set aside $3.1 million in American Rescue Plan funding that will be allocated in large part based on your community feedback and shape the future for the next generation in Yolo County.

Please join us on March 2nd, 2023 at the Veterans Memorial Center in Davis (Note: Free childcare along with Spanish translation will be provided). You can find more information and the dates about the community engagement sessions at this link.

Taking a Stand Against Gun Violence

Supervisor Provenza joined together with community leaders from across Yolo County recently to attend a vigil in honor of those who were murdered earlier this year in Half Moon Bay, Monterey Park, and in other shootings all around the United States. These tragedies are the latest in a long history of violent incidents that plague our nation. In 2023, there have been more shootings than days so far and there have already been more shootings in the United States than there will be in most other countries all year.

In recognition of the horror gun violence casts upon our society, Supervisor Provenza brought a resolution to the Board of Supervisors on February 7th to designate the first week of February as "Gun Violence Survivors Week." It is important to recognize that not all victims of gun violence die and those who survive are often plagued with both physical and emotional scars from their experiences. Supervisor Provenza presented the resolution to a coalition of volunteers from Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action gun violence prevention groups, but simply marking these tragedies is not enough.

A continuous push is required at the local, state, and federal levels to combat gun violence and restrict firearm ownership to those responsible enough to handle such weapons safely. In 2022, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors passed two new ordinances governing the safe storage of firearms in both houses and vehicles.

Moving into 2023, Supervisor Provenza will continue seeking opportunities to combat gun violence and is always eager to hear ideas from the community. As always, you can contact our office at (530) 757-5553 or by emailing jprovenza@yolocounty.org or oliver.snow@yolocounty.org.