As 2023 comes to a close, some members of the Yolo County Board of Supervisors looked back to reflect on the year.
Since 2008, Supervisor Jim Provenza has represented District 4, encompassing parts of Davis, El Macero, Willowbank and other nearby unincorporated areas. Earlier this year, Provenza announced he would not seek reelection in 2024, citing a desire to spend more time with his family, especially his wife Donna, his children and four grandchildren.
Below is the response from Provenza and his staff as he enters his final year on the board:
I am so excited to see so much positive change happening throughout Davis and Yolo County.
As the elected representative of District 4 on the Yolo County Board of Supervisors, I have the privilege of serving the city of Davis, as well as the unincorporated communities of El Macero, Willowbank, Davis Creek and the Yolo Wildlife Area. As 2023 comes to a close, I am grateful for the opportunity to reflect on all the positive changes that have come to my district and to Yolo County over the past year.
Building a library in South Davis has been one of my top priorities since I was elected. Even a year ago, the dream of a new Davis library seemed like a distant vision, yet earlier this year, the Board of Supervisors was able to set aside enough money to fund the construction of a library in Walnut Park fully.
This library will, for the first time, provide a full-service library, and dedicated community meeting space in South Davis, as well as alleviate the overcrowding at the Mary L. Stephens Library. I am grateful to our Yolo County Library team for helping us secure almost $9 million from the State Library's "Building Forward" program. I appreciate my board colleagues and the City of Davis for joining me to make this project a reality.
I look forward to the groundbreaking for the new library next fall.
One project that already broke ground this year was the new Yolo Crisis Nursery facility, which will be built in District 4. I have been a longtime supporter of the Crisis Nursery and was proud to work with my fellow supervisors to raise over $1.1 million towards construction of the new facility. Addressing the urgent needs of children in our community has been a long-standing focus of my time in office and the services the Crisis Nursery provides make a critical difference in the lives of families and children going through difficult times. In fact, over 95% of families served by the Crisis Nursery never need to enter the child welfare system.
In 2023, final steps were taken to provide sustainable funding for Welcome Baby and Road to Resilience, two Yolo First 5 Yolo Projects that assure that Yolo County children receive the health care and developmental services they need to thrive throughout their lives. I was fortunate to be able to work with Yolo First 5 Director Gina Daleiden, her top-notch staff and a hardworking and caring board of directors to accomplish this important objective.
On the other side of the age spectrum, my office and I have been working hard to continue meeting the needs of older adults. This year, we expect to break ground on a new expanded Adult Day Health Care Center, a facility that serves seniors throughout the county. This will enable us to double the number of seniors provided daytime care while reducing the number who are forced to move into skilled nursing facilities and other congregate care facilities. I was instrumental in obtaining over $2.5 million for this project.
As chair of the Commission on Aging and Adult Services, I facilitated town halls for caregivers of those impacted by intellectual and developmental disabilities, worked with county staff to improve emergency alert communications for older adults and supported the delivery of meals to seniors throughout the county.
2023 has also been a banner year for the closeout of long-term projects that my office has focused on. I obtained approval to use American Rescue Act funds to support construction of Paul's Place transitional housing. This state-of-the-art facility opened earlier this year in Davis.
A local flood project was also completed this year and funding was obtained to sustain the Yolo Wildlife area. Also, after many years of work, a memorandum of understanding was approved between the city of Davis and County of Yolo which will allow for proper fire abatement along the North Fork Putah Creek between Davis and Willowbank.
When I reflect upon the challenges our community faced in 2023, I also remember some very difficult times, not just because of the pain our community suffered but because of the strength we found in each other. In the spring, our community faced down the violence which led to the deaths of David Breaux and Karim Abou Najm. We came together in mourning and remembrance and pledged to push for a brighter future in the memories of those taken from us.
When our library and schools became victims of bomb threats, our community gathered to proclaim that we will not tolerate discriminatory acts. I am proud to represent a community that remains so united in the face of adversity and strife. Recently, Yolo County joined with the city of Davis and UC Davis to create the Hate Free Together initiative to work together on creating a welcoming community for everyone.
Yolo County also funded the creation of a full-time Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator to help implement this vision. We also expanded our efforts to stamp out gun violence in our communities by providing funding to the Advance Peace Project.
As I enter my final year on the Board of Supervisors, I will remain steadfast in my commitment to serving Yolo County and to promoting peace and justice in our community. I look forward to another productive year.
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