The impacts of COVID-19 sharply impact cities, and still there are things like municipal measures (such as MeasureJ/R)  and local elections to consider. We talk about that and more with Davis Mayor Brett Lee.  Today's conversation included an overview of how the pandemic is impacting the city's budget as it prepares for a new fiscal year starting July 1, 2020.  We also heard from Jessica Hubbard of Yolo Community Foundation about this week's local giving program #BDOG2020 for the Big Day of Giving, which is this Thursday, May 7, and the foundation's donor engagement program.  The Yolo Community Foundation is spearheading an effort to raise awareness and funding for our region's hard-working nonprofit organizations with the Yolo COVID-19 Relief Initiative.  This initiative is made possible through the partnerships with Yolo County and the cities of Davis, West Sacramento, Winters and Woodland.  

Episode 13 features two rock stars of the local nonprofit scene: Sheila Allen of Yolo Healthy Aging Alliance, and Chris Granger of Cool Davis. What challenges is each organization and its constituent population facing? How are they meeting those challenges  now, and how will those challenges change as we begin to plan for an uncertain future?

One of the new programs launched this month by Yolo Healthy Aging Alliance is Phone Friends for Seniors. They match seniors who would like to receive check-in phone calls with volunteers who can also assist with linking to services such as food/meal and prescription medication deliveries, and provide an important chance for social contact. Over the past 10  years, their network of organizations and service providers for local seniors has grown to  97!  

My guests on today's show are Brett Marasca, executive director of Davis Downtown; and Sandy Holman of The Culture CO-OP, discussing their new documentary, "The Cost of Darkness." We'll be talking about economic stimulus for downtown businesses, and the systemic structural inequality that has left communities of color much more vulnerable to the virus, respectively. 

Called the Gifting Stimulus Program, the Davis Downtown Business Association (DDBA) recently launched this program to infuse $100,000 into our city's core - its downtown. Using this link, you can choose businesses you'd like to support and your gift card purchase amount will be matched by the DDBA gifting program.  

On Tuesday's Episode 11, we'll find out what it's like to run our community's largest health care provider in a conversation with Rachael McKinney, CEO of Sutter Davis Hospital. We'll also chat with David Lichtenhan, of Yolo Interfaith Immigration Network (YIIN), which recently launched the ApoYolo Project to support immigrant families in Yolo County during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We hear about the large-scale daily communication network that Sutter Davis Hospital is involved with, their infectious disease preparation timeline, and their ongoing adaptations to keep all safe and still be available to the community via their tele-medicine program and other resources available on their website.