Today we talk with two accomplished people at different stages of life about their experiences of Davis: Ken Wagstaff, a former mayor who moved here in the 1960s, and Adithi Sumitran, who just graduated from UC Davis and heads to law school at UC Berkeley this fall.
The subjects include Davis, the recent defeat of the Measure V housing measure, and what they think the community needs more of, and less of. Davis has a “big issue of safety, and the feeling of safety in Davis, that maybe we don’t talk about enough,” Adithi says. She cites the sense of menace created by the fatal stabbings (article might be paywalled) during her freshman year, and more recent incidents like the indecent exposures along Olive Drive, where she lived. Davis needs to improve street lighting, improve late-hours transit, and add policing in areas, she says. Ken says Davis’ dark skies ordinance is a point of pride, but supports adjusting it when needed for safety.
We also talk about what drew each to Davis (“it’s a lovely place to live,” she says), what Adithi will miss about the community, and Ken’s concluding appreciation for “people like [her], who comes here and sees the benefits and sees the things we’ve created, and we sort of take it for granted. So I hope you come back, Adithi, I hope we’ll have places for you and your friends to enjoy.” She says yes.
