END OF AN ERA … for years, the Davis Religious Community for Sanctuary has made itself known in this community by selling Guatemalan crafts at the Farmers Market, by putting on an annual dance featuring Mumbo Gumbo and by sending thousands of dollars to various human rights projects in Central America and Haiti … the group has been led over the last 30 years by a small, but dedicated band of volunteers, all of them working to provide a better life for many folks in that part of the world …

Now, however, it is all coming to an end … in a letter sent out to supporters and signed by Walt Sherwood, Will Lotter, Jane Lotter, Jean Becket and Terry Turner, the DRCS notes that “Sadly, this is the last letter you will receive from us. Times have changed, we have gotten older, our numbers have diminished, and we have decided to turn our attention to other challenges.” … their work, however, and their many years of dedication, will not be forgotten by the many thousands in Central America who have been helped in sometimes desperate situations …

This community owes them all a strong vote of thanks for all they have accomplished … well done, good and faithful servants …

ELECTORAL INTEGRITY … as folks continue to weigh in on the merits or demerits of our recently completed all-mail balloting, my friend Bill at gmail.com has a different take on the issue … writes Bill: “While it is certainly possible that electoral integrity is being compromised in the county, I cannot see how mail balloting can be responsible for said compromise.” … I’m with you all the way, Bill … fraud is always possible no matter what manner of voting we employ, but I’ve seen absolutely no evidence it’s a problem of any kind … especially in Yolo County …

“Indeed,” Bill adds, “if you vote absentee, the likelihood of the U.S. Postal Service delivering the ballot to the wrong individual seems to be less than that of the wrong individual voting at the poll.” … hadn’t thought about that … “No, it seems that the electoral system is most vulnerable during the registration process, as we currently perform it in California. No photo ID is required to register, nor any verification of citizenship, which seems crazy. Isn’t the integrity of the voting process at least as important as opening a bank account or buying a firearm, both of which require a positive ID in the state?” …

I wouldn’t have a problem if the state suddenly required me to show an ID either to register to vote or to actually cast my vote … but absent any evidence of voter fraud, this may simply be a solution in search of a problem … the notion that non-citizens are trying to vote is simply not true … most folks who aren’t citizens — especially those who are in the country illegally — stay as far away as possible from any contact with officialdom … it’s extremely unlikely than any of them will show up at the polls and demand a ballot …

However, if voter fraud can be demonstrated to be real, then sure, I have no objection to a stricter verification process when someone registers or actually votes, but it can’t be designed in such a way as to deter fully eligible citizens from participating in the electoral process out of misplaced fear … we’ve been down that ugly road before with poll taxes and literacy tests and the like, all designed to keep certain groups from voting … that history should never be repeated …

CONFLICT OF INTEREST … I was both thrilled and devastated to see that the Women’s NIT had selected UC Davis and Oregon State, the only two schools that allowed me to sign up for classes long ago, to play each other in a first-round game last Thursday night in lovely Corvallis … my home state against my home sweet home … I was thrilled, of course, that these two favorites of mine had been honored with post-season berths, but devastated that one faced a certain first-round defeat … then again, one was guaranteed a second-round berth …

The clear favorite here was Oregon State, a team on the rise under a new coach and playing in the Pac-12, a much stronger conference than the Big West … that, plus the home-court advantage at historic Gill Coliseum, the Hickey Gym of the Pac-12 …on the other hand, the Aggies haven’t been known to back away from any challenge, and their new coach is on her way up as well …

The game was close for a half – a 23-20 Beaver lead at intermission — before the home team pulled away for a comfortable 66-48 decision … a great year for both schools, even as OSU’s season came to a halt last night in a loss to Washington … Go Ags, Go Beavs …

— Reach Bob Dunning at [email protected]

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