City of Davis

The City of Davis is pleased to announce that Mercedes Ibáñez was selected as the City’s sixth poet laureate on Sept. 17 (ratified by Council) and will be formally inducted as poet laureate during the City Council meeting on Oct. 15. Her term will run from October 2024 through September 2027. Mercedes Ibáñez was born in Perú and has lived in Davis since 1976. A mother of two daughters and a grandmother of four, Ibáñez is an active Davis community member, having volunteered at numerous local organizations such as the Mondavi Center for the Arts and the Yolo County Library. The author of five books of poetry, Ibáñez won the National Award in Literature (Perú) in 1971 and her translation of Ezra Pound’s “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” was published in 1973. She recently published a poetry book, Poems from the Roof, recounting her time at local poetry night readings. “I look forward to being the City’s poet laureate and enriching poetry interests by finding activities that bring out poetry in everyone,” said Ibáñez. “Poetry is a way to educate, to entertain and to uplift. There are wonderful poets in Davis and maybe more will join us! As a poet laureate, I will have a great opportunity to help make this happen.” “We welcome Ms. Ibáñez, an accomplished poet and playwright, as the City’s new poet laureate,” said Mayor Josh Chapman. “Poetry adds a reflective dimension to City events, communicating important messages and emotions like no other art form.” Ibáñez was selected for recommendation by a review committee consisting of members of the former Civic Arts Commission and the general public. The poet laureate position, established by the Davis City Council in 2009, is a liaison, advocate and leader who is tasked with leveraging their artistic excellence and literary achievements to inspire the diverse residents of the Davis community to read, write, perform and appreciate the written and spoken word. This honorary, three-year position celebrates the art of poetry and its impact on the Davis community. For more information about the poet laureate program, contact Rachel Hartsough at rhartsough@cityofdavis.org.

For this week's NEW SPECIAL VIDEO from "What Do You Do," Jenny interviews two staff from Recology Davis, Oscar who is a sorter and Gustavo who is a driver! Both share what they do and why they love their job! They also share some tips for customers of Recology Davis. https://lnkd.in/dKSEQR2c The City of Davis has a franchise waste agreement with Recology Davis to collect trash, recyclables, organics and yard material piles and perform street sweeping within the city limits.

Covid vaccines for 2024 are starting to become available at local health care providers and pharmacies. This updated vaccine helps protect against Covid strains currently circulating. Vaccines are recommended for anyone 6 months and older. If you have had Covid recently, it is advised that you wait two to three months after your negative test to get the vaccine. You are able to get your flu and Covid shots at the same time if you wish. CVS: https://buff.ly/3cYxITQ Rite Aid: https://buff.ly/3TI4ewe

The City of Davis invites the community to the groundbreaking of the Central Park Improvements Project, which includes Natalie’s Corner in honor of City of Davis Police Officer Natalie Corona who was killed in the line of duty in 2019. The event will take place on Sept. 14 from 10-10:30 a.m. near the stage by the carousel at the park. Members of the Davis City Council, the Corona family and the Natalie Corona Committee will be on site to share an update and celebrate this milestone. The project will create a splash pad surrounded by lawn, picnic tables, benches, shade structures, art tiles reflecting the spirit of Officer Corona, landscaping and a pollinator garden. The construction will run through June 2025 and work hours are scheduled between 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The active construction zone will be fenced off. The new Central Park features will include the following: •Free splash pad water feature and gathering space for all ages •Ultraviolet water treatment and landscaped bio-filtration system •Water-efficient landscaping, including new pollinator gardens •Native and drought-tolerant plant identification signs and an educational display •Added benches, picnic tables, low-wall seating, shade structures and public art •Drainage improvements to the Great Lawn area •Educational signage In December 2021, the City of Davis was awarded a grant in the amount of $2.784 million by the Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Grant Program, Proposition 68, to renovate Central Park and create a water play feature near the existing universal play structure and restroom. The water feature will be accessible to persons with disabilities and will complement the existing universal playground located adjacent to the new water feature. In 2020, the Natalie Corona Committee was formed to recommend a place of remembrance for Davis Police Officer Natalie Corona and to secure the necessary funding to complete the remembrance. The Committee is a community-based group led by former Mayor Lois Wolk and has been actively raising funds to support the project. To learn more about the ongoing fundraising effort and Natalie’s Coroner, visit: https://buff.ly/3AQEQzu. To visit the City’s Central Park improvement project page, visit: https://buff.ly/3AQEMzJ.

Happy Labor Day! Thank you City of Davis employees for your service and hard work!

Great work Davis! The City of Davis announced today that the City’s Recycling Program received the prestigious Outstanding Zero Waste or Recycling Program Award from the California Resource Recovery Association. This award is given annually to a business, government agency or community-based organization that has excelled in implementing comprehensive programs and services to reduce, reuse, recycle or compost resources that would otherwise have been wasted. “This award is especially meaningful for the City of Davis because this year the City is celebrating 50 years of having a curbside recycling program,” says Mayor Josh Chapman. “The City received this same award 30 years ago for the program’s 20-year anniversary, so to receive this again as we recognize 50 years of recycling is very special.” Thank you Recology for your awesome service! Visit www.DavisRecycling.org for more details on City’s recycling program. The Public Works Utilities and Operations Department can be reached at PWWeb@CityofDavis.org or 530-757-5686. Full press release: https://lnkd.in/g-bhuSsC Photo: Tracie Bills, California Resource Recovery Association Executive Director Jennifer Gilbert, City of Davis Conservation Coordinator Kayla Rodriguez, Recology Government Affairs and Community Relations Manager

Outside Magazine has named Davis one of the 10 Best Bike Towns in the U.S.! https://lnkd.in/gtGtAhkE

The City of Davis has a very cool job opportunity open - theatre manager for the Veterans Memorial Theatre! Final filing date is 9/5. For more information or to apply, please visit: https://buff.ly/46vHQgl

The G Street Activation Project is a go! The area is set to be clear of outdoor dining items this month, and construction of a boardwalk will start at the end of August. We are so excited about this new civic space for community gatherings, and we hope you are too! Watch City social media for upcoming news or business meetings. Thank you to the business community for its feedback and to over 500 people who responded to the G Street Design Survey (that occurred last year). Check out the new project webpage that tells you everything you need to know! https://buff.ly/3sgwayw

Watch Jenny interview PIO Barbara Archer in the newest "What Do You Do" episode! You don't want to miss it! #whatdoyoudo https://lnkd.in/g4BBTV3n