May 11, 2023 by The California Aggie

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THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

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VOLUME 146, ISSUE 26 | THURSDAY, MAY 11, 2023

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Innovation and Research Lab created to increase STEM representation in ASUCD

The new unit was introduced to both analyze data and develop software for UC Davis students and organizations BY LILY FREEMAN

campus@theaggie.org A new unit within ASUCD, the Innovation and Research Lab (IRL), was established through ASUCD Senate Bill #96 at the April 27 Senate meeting. This bill was co-authored by two ASUCD senators, first-year computer science major Shrey Gupta and fourth-year cognitive science and computational statistics double major Stephen Fujimoto. Gupta outlined the purpose of IRL. “We want to build robust applications that apply software developments to the evolving needs of ASUCD bodies,” Gupta said. “We are developing software for the students. We see other UC schools making really nice software, and that’s something that we don’t have at UC Davis. That’s the kind of stuff we want to see, and we want to be the top UC that is making technology and leading the change in software.” Gupta said that IRL will not only create applications and software in collaboration with various ASUCD units but also plans to hold luncheons, hackathons and technology events to increase the representation of the STEM community within ASUCD. IRL is also going to integrate the work that the Research and Data Committee (R&DC) currently does into the new unit, according to Fujimoto. R&DC is an ASUCD committee created

ASUCD headquarters is located on the third floor of the Memorial Union. (Aggie file) in 2020 that will be absorbed by IRL. “[R&DC] was established to incorporate and elevate more student voices into the ASUCD student government by providing data to student representatives on issues that impact the student body,” Fujimoto said via text. “The committee has worked to obtain student input through surveys on a variety of issues, including but not limited to the prevalence of equitable access, the prevalence of food insecurity and physical accessibility of campus for students with disabilities.”

Gupta talked about how R&DC’s work will be included in IRL moving forward. “We are essentially taking what the Research and Data Committee did in the past, and giving them more autonomy and more freedom,” Gupta said. “We will generate and analyze data from different sources, and use that to elevate student voices and provide recommendations as to topics of interest for ASUCD bodies. The two operational parts of this unit connect, where we want to hear back-

Yolo County district attorney’s restorative justice partnership to receive $2.1 million grant

Grant funds will go toward maintaining the existing Restorative Justice Partnership, developing two new positions

and-forth and understand how we can use technology to improve the everyday lives of students.” Nitin Kanchi, a first-year data science major and a previous R&DC committee member, shared his thoughts on IRL. “It’s a fantastic initiative,” Kanchi said. “I am thrilled to witness the transformation of R&DC into IRL, as it broadens the horizons and capabilities of our committee. The IRL establishment allows us to exercise creative control in building applications and analyzing data. By combining computer

science with data science, we unlock a powerful synergy that can drive a significant impact.” Fujimoto also said that he and others are hoping that by IRL becoming a unit, R&DC’s projects will be able to receive more financial support, increasing the amount of paid students working on STEM projects in ASUCD and growing the group’s marketing capabilities. IRL will employ students in a variety of positions, including a unit director, as well as associate directors, software developers and researchers. Applications for these roles will be available on the ASUCD vacancy website soon, according to Gupta. “We are going to be hiring for a unit director at the end of this year,” Gupta said. “I think that anyone should apply if [they] have experience in the research and data aspect or the software development aspect. The researchers and software developers are going to be hired late summer or early next year.” The unit will officially begin operations during the 2023-2024 school year. “This unit is essentially a look into the future of ASUCD with technology,” Gupta said. “It’s time that we invest into the technology that we’re using every day as a university, as a student association and as people.”

City council candidate Donna Neville leading in unofficial election results

With 100% of precincts reporting, Neville has received a majority of votes BY CHRIS PONCE

BY MADELEINE YOUNG city@theaggie.org Last month, the California Board of Community Corrections approved a grant of $2,145,000 over the course of three years that will go toward the Yolo County District Attorney’s Restorative Justice Partnership (RJP). Nicole Kirkaldy is the director of Yolo County’s Restorative Justice and Diversion Partnership and manages the program. She spoke about where the District Attorney’s office will allocate the grant funds. “This grant will maintain the existing RJP by funding a paralegal, legal process clerk, social services assistant and social worker practitioner, along with a modest allotment for equipment, supplies, and training,” Kirkaldy said. “The new grant replaces RJP’s outreach specialist and a second legal process clerk, funded by the prior grant, with a behavioral health case manager and a second social services assistant. The two new positions will allow RJP to provide clients with mental health and/or

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substance use needs additional support in the areas of mental health services and connections to social/behavioral/ physical/health services.” This grant amount awarded to Yolo County ranked #1 out of 10 midsized counties competing for funding. Kirkaldy said that the RJP, and many other innovative and collaborative programs that they work closely with, rely on grant funding. “Like RJP, the majority of these programs rely on grant funding for their staffing and operations,” Kirkaldy said. “This can present a unique challenge to program development and sustainability. When funding opportunities arise, we work incredibly hard to pursue the resources needed to allow our programs to continue. The grant process took long hours and countless meetings, but we knew success was the only thing that would enable us to continue RJP’s work. The BSCC uses scoring panels to rate and rank JAG proposals based on specific criteria and scoring matrices. Scoring panel members bring their own professional expertise to bear in reviewing proposals”. Kirkaldy also said that much of the funding will be put toward mental health services, which require staffing. “ RJP-CM currently has only one social worker practitioner and one social services assistant assigned to support these clients,” Kirkaldy said. “Their caseload is constantly growing, often in excess of 100 individuals, and includes a population that can require a very high level of support. Doubling our staffing for this program area will allow for a reduction in caseload per staff and an increase in time spent per client which we believe will result in improved success

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in connecting clients to services and a better ability to track/monitor ongoing engagement.” The Yolo County DA’s office also plans to use these funds to help RJP reach individuals who haven’t been able to get the support they needed in the past. “Many are unable to access the benefits of diversion due to their inability to engage with or complete program requirements due to their struggles with mental health, substance abuse and socioeconomic issues,” Kirkaldy said. “By creating supported pathways to successful completion with the help of staff whose focus is on stabilizing and improving performance in those specific areas, these grants go a long way to reducing some of the historical barriers to successful community reintegration and recidivism avoidance for systemimpacted individuals.” The RJP project has been demonstrated to prevent recidivism. An independent evaluation in 2017 found that RJP graduates were 37% less likely to recidivate and only 5.9% of the program participants were rearrested within one year of completing the program, according to the District Attorney’s press release on the grants. The new funds will allow for the program to not only continue, but to improve moving forward. “It was a great honor for Yolo [County]’s proposal to be ranked so highly amongst our peers, and reflects the years of work, critical thought, reflective analysis and data-driven decision-making that have informed this program’s growth and development in its nearly 10 years of operation,” Kirkaldy said.

The Davis District 3 election is held at Davis City Hall. (Kayla Bruckman / Aggie)

On May 9, the Yolo County Elections Office updated the precinct reports from the District 3 city council special election. The two candidates who ran to fill the seat vacated by Supervisor Lucas Frerichs were Donna Neville and Francesca Wright. The current election results have Neville leading with 60% of votes with 100% of precincts reporting. Davis District 3 has a population of over 13,000 residents, but only 2,401 votes were recorded in the election as of May 5. Neville received 1,448 (60.31%) votes across both precincts while Wright received 953 votes (39.69%). Wright made a comment regarding the current unofficial election results. “I loved meeting so many District 3 voters and am sorry I won’t have the opportunity to realize my visions for reinvigorated governance of Davis,” Wright said via email. “Thank you to the 40% who believed in me. I learned how important the support of the political establishment is to win a district election.” In a statement, Neville discussed the unofficial election results and her campaign, but first she wanted to take a moment to address the recent stabbings in Davis. “Before commenting on the election, I want to publicly extend my deepest condolences to the families and friends of David Henry Breaux and Karim Abou Najm,” Neville said via email. “Our entire community grieves the loss of these two extraordinary men. I also send words of support to Kimberlee Guillory who was able to survive her attack but will have a long recovery. These events left our community shaken and full of questions. [...] Our response showed that in times of tragedy we pull together and do what it takes to support one another, including those who are most vulnerable.”

In Wright’s comment, she also talked about Neville’s campaign and wished support for Neville as a council member. “Donna Neville is a smart hard worker who wants to address our housing shortages, to revitalize our downtown, and to address fiscal responsibility,” Wright said. “I wish her the courage to make tough decisions that are rooted in a vision of an equitable and creative community.” Throughout the campaign, Neville has expressed respect for Wright as well. Neville talked about Wright’s campaign and stated she was a dedicated candidate. “I want to give well-deserved praise to my fellow candidate, Francesca Wright, who ran a great campaign, and stayed true to her commitment to make this race about the issues,” Neville said. “Hopefully anyone who observed the district 3 city council race recognized that there were two candidates who are both truly dedicated to Davis and to making a positive impact.” Neville was a popular candidate, receiving several endorsements from local leaders and organizations such as Rep. Mike Thompson, Mayor Will Arnold, Councilmember Gloria Partida, the Davis Enterprise, the Yolo County Democratic Party and Davis College Democrats. “We were impressed by the thoughtfulness of her answers to our questions and her vision for the future of Davis,” Davis College Democrats said in an Instagram post. “We have faith that Donna will continue to stand up for students and the issues that matter as a member of City Council!” Mayor Will Arnold announced his support for Neville in a letter to the Davis Enterprise. DAVISELECTION on 2