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Resident criticizes city tree program after $24.3 million settlement in Slide Hill Park case
Summary
A member of the public told the Davis Police Accountability Commission the city's tree-management shortcomings contributed to a fatality and a $24,300,000 settlement, urging commissioners to push for stronger oversight and reinstatement of a tree commission.
During general public comment at the March meeting of the Davis Police Accountability Commission, a resident urged the commission to act as a watchdog after a recent jury trial and a $24,300,000 settlement tied to a fatality at Slide Hill Park.
The commenter said the city had delegated insufficient responsibility to its urban-forestry program, failed to heed repeated citizen warnings and allowed the tree commission to erode. "The city failed to keep our parks safe," the resident said, and urged the commission to "deliver the inconvenient truths" and lobby for reinstating the tree commission and restoring citizen oversight.
The resident cited long-standing citizen complaints about inadequate funding and management of the tree program and said three citizen-drafted revisions to a tree protection ordinance had been ignored. The speaker said the prior city arborist had been fired and the city was now "throwing more money at the problem," but said management failures and poor institutional responsiveness created the conditions for the lawsuit and settlement.
Commissioners did not take action on the comment but acknowledged the concern and directed staff follow-up on relevant channels as appropriate.
