Davis Residents Upset State Of City Speech Came With Admission Fee

DAVIS (CBS13) — A state of the city speech given to the local Chamber of Commerce caused some controversy, as some residents were wondering why they would have to pay to hear the speech.

The paid luncheon on Tuesday was put on by the Davis Chamber of Commerce. The event was advertised as Davis Mayor Dan Wolk's state of the city address. For non-members, admission was $30 with lunch, $10 without.

The event drew criticism as residents were wondering why they would have to pay to hear something billed as the state of the city address from a publicly elected official.

But Wolk says the confusion lies in the fact that, unlike most cities, the city of Davis doesn't have an actual official state of the city event.

Sworn in last summer, Wolk says he speaks frequently to community groups on the state of the city and is always available to his constituents. But he understands the confusion over Tuesday's event.

"We have had discussions about doing our own state of the city," he said. "Other communities do that."

The Davis Chamber of Commerce says it may, as other chambers do, make free seats available to the public next year.

During Tuesday's speech, Wolk said downtown business is strong, and he's looking at ways in 2015 to diversify the economy. He wants to build innovation centers to help keep growing businesses from moving away, and not rely on UC Davis for the bulk of the city's job growth.