Dunning and Mazelis continue crusade against Councilmember Lamar Heystek

There were several major reasons that I started this blog, but one of them that continues to stand out for me is that ability to correct the public record about statements that Bob Dunning makes in his Davis Enterprise column that are potentially damaging to progressive office holders if left unchecked.

Yesterday, Dunning went into his mailbox and addressed some emails by commenting about them in his Enterprise column.

“Writes N.B. at aol.com, commenting on a recent bitter letter to the editor about the struggles of a certain City Councilman: “Seriously, Bob, doesn’t this bit about overcoming much hardship through genuine struggle apply to some 20-50 percent of the adults in this fair city? That category would include Officer Pheng Ly, whom Lamar … and the shadowy and cowardly CAROLE, spent months pillorying mercilessly.”

N.B. — Indeed, struggle is part of the human condition, and it doesn’t always have to do with which economic class the struggler finds himself in. If you wish to wear your struggles on your sleeve and openly brag about them to gain advantage, fine, but don’t discount the struggles of others, just because they keep them to themselves.”

Who is N.B.? None other than Noreen B. Mazelis–the writer of the original letter to Bob Dunning.

The recent “bitter” letter to the editor was from Bill Ritter. Is “bitter” a clever play on words?

Mr. Ritter sought to set the record straight in terms of the background of Councilmember Lamar Heystek.

Lamar does not come from a privileged background. He has overcome much hardship through genuine struggle in his life. Lamar grew up in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Oakland where violent crime was frequent. His family life is filled with adversity and tragedy. For Dunning and Mazelis to make belittling comments about Lamar’s life (which evidently they know little or nothing about) was appalling, careless and just plain mean.

The letter Dunning cites from Mazelis distorts a couple of key points. The letter to the editor was written in response to the exchange between Dunning and Mazelis in which Heystek’s credentials to speak at a talk on “struggle” were called into question by them.

Dunning at the time wrote derisively:

Dunning wrote: “Writes my friend Noreen: ‘… Lamar Heystek will be on a panel with three other privileged men to discuss ‘struggle.’ ” Dunning then adds: “… wow, nobody knows the trouble he’s seen, overcoming his college education and teaching position at UC Davis to become one of the youngest City Council members in Davis city history … struggle? … Lamar? … heck, he’s not old enough to have even struggled with a razor …”

That was the context for the letter and the complaint. Whether it applies to 20-50 percent of the adults in Davis is irrelevant. Dunning and Mazelis were questioning Councilmember Heystek’s credentials, not whether or not the others had struggled. If 20-50 percent of the adults in Davis could speak on the issue of “struggle” so too could Heystek. So why bring it up to begin with?

Secondly, the letter contains the assertion that Heystek “spent months pillorying mercilessly” Officer Pheng Ly. Never once did Heystek even mention or attack Officer Ly. Heystek only expressed general and moderate support for better means to oversee the operations of the police department including the establishment of a civilian police oversight board. I challenge Dunning and Mazelis to show a specific statement that proves otherwise.

Dunning himself then makes the assertion, “if you wish to wear your struggles on your sleeve…”

This is another false assertion. Heystek never mentioned his upbringing or his struggles at any time during this debate, during his campaign for office, or during his ten years of living in Davis. In fact, Heystek does not talk about his background. Even most of his close personal friends knew nothing of his upbringing and the adversity of it. The reason I found out about Heystek’s past was because of Dunning’s column. The only people who brought up Heystek’s background were people defending Heystek from Dunning and Mazelis’ attack. Heystek never mentioned his struggles, they are much too personal and too raw for him to discuss, let alone wear them on his sleeve.

Dunning and Mazelis have turned this into a personal crusade against Heystek, even though their facts were initially wrong and they now attempt to distort the argument.

—Doug Paul Davis reporting

About The Author

David Greenwald is the founder, editor, and executive director of the Davis Vanguard. He founded the Vanguard in 2006. David Greenwald moved to Davis in 1996 to attend Graduate School at UC Davis in Political Science. He lives in South Davis with his wife Cecilia Escamilla Greenwald and three children.

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16 Comments

  1. Richard

    Dunning and the truth cross paths periodically, but only as required so that he can distort it to serve his vindictive purposes.

    It is amazing that a newspaper would publish a newspaper column 5 times a week where the columnist frequently pursues petty personal vendettas, such as Dunning’s attacks upon Lamar Haysteck (another person of color, gee what a coincidence) and his own personal agenda (preventing his neighborhood school from closing so as to avoid having his kids bused elsewhere).

    Newspapers wonder why their subscriptions have declined. Well, the internet is one obvious answer, but there is also the more troubling question of content. The Washington Post and the New York Times have been devastated by their loss of credibility associated with the Iraq war, and locally, we see something similar happening with the Enterprise.

    I mean, really, does the Enterprise believe that it is going to retain, much less expand, its number of subscribers when it lets Dunning hijack the paper to engage in petty, fact free diatribes against people?

    Singleton has already bought up many of the papers of the Bay Area (The Oakland Tribune, the San Jose Mercury News and other, smaller ones in East Contra Costa County), and one could easily see him casting a covetous eye in this direction.

    Singleton is a notorious shark, and I always thought that the McNaughton papers were better off out of his hands, but now, I’m not so sure.

  2. Richard

    Dunning and the truth cross paths periodically, but only as required so that he can distort it to serve his vindictive purposes.

    It is amazing that a newspaper would publish a newspaper column 5 times a week where the columnist frequently pursues petty personal vendettas, such as Dunning’s attacks upon Lamar Haysteck (another person of color, gee what a coincidence) and his own personal agenda (preventing his neighborhood school from closing so as to avoid having his kids bused elsewhere).

    Newspapers wonder why their subscriptions have declined. Well, the internet is one obvious answer, but there is also the more troubling question of content. The Washington Post and the New York Times have been devastated by their loss of credibility associated with the Iraq war, and locally, we see something similar happening with the Enterprise.

    I mean, really, does the Enterprise believe that it is going to retain, much less expand, its number of subscribers when it lets Dunning hijack the paper to engage in petty, fact free diatribes against people?

    Singleton has already bought up many of the papers of the Bay Area (The Oakland Tribune, the San Jose Mercury News and other, smaller ones in East Contra Costa County), and one could easily see him casting a covetous eye in this direction.

    Singleton is a notorious shark, and I always thought that the McNaughton papers were better off out of his hands, but now, I’m not so sure.

  3. Richard

    Dunning and the truth cross paths periodically, but only as required so that he can distort it to serve his vindictive purposes.

    It is amazing that a newspaper would publish a newspaper column 5 times a week where the columnist frequently pursues petty personal vendettas, such as Dunning’s attacks upon Lamar Haysteck (another person of color, gee what a coincidence) and his own personal agenda (preventing his neighborhood school from closing so as to avoid having his kids bused elsewhere).

    Newspapers wonder why their subscriptions have declined. Well, the internet is one obvious answer, but there is also the more troubling question of content. The Washington Post and the New York Times have been devastated by their loss of credibility associated with the Iraq war, and locally, we see something similar happening with the Enterprise.

    I mean, really, does the Enterprise believe that it is going to retain, much less expand, its number of subscribers when it lets Dunning hijack the paper to engage in petty, fact free diatribes against people?

    Singleton has already bought up many of the papers of the Bay Area (The Oakland Tribune, the San Jose Mercury News and other, smaller ones in East Contra Costa County), and one could easily see him casting a covetous eye in this direction.

    Singleton is a notorious shark, and I always thought that the McNaughton papers were better off out of his hands, but now, I’m not so sure.

  4. Richard

    Dunning and the truth cross paths periodically, but only as required so that he can distort it to serve his vindictive purposes.

    It is amazing that a newspaper would publish a newspaper column 5 times a week where the columnist frequently pursues petty personal vendettas, such as Dunning’s attacks upon Lamar Haysteck (another person of color, gee what a coincidence) and his own personal agenda (preventing his neighborhood school from closing so as to avoid having his kids bused elsewhere).

    Newspapers wonder why their subscriptions have declined. Well, the internet is one obvious answer, but there is also the more troubling question of content. The Washington Post and the New York Times have been devastated by their loss of credibility associated with the Iraq war, and locally, we see something similar happening with the Enterprise.

    I mean, really, does the Enterprise believe that it is going to retain, much less expand, its number of subscribers when it lets Dunning hijack the paper to engage in petty, fact free diatribes against people?

    Singleton has already bought up many of the papers of the Bay Area (The Oakland Tribune, the San Jose Mercury News and other, smaller ones in East Contra Costa County), and one could easily see him casting a covetous eye in this direction.

    Singleton is a notorious shark, and I always thought that the McNaughton papers were better off out of his hands, but now, I’m not so sure.

  5. davisite

    I am sure that everyone( including his editor) recognizes that Dunning’s value to the Enterprise, absent his usual “cheap shots” and pandering to the basest instincts of his readers ,is nil. Rehashing attacks on Lamar Heystek is the act of a jounalistic bully, searching for a safe venue for his venom while the Enterprise is defending itself in court against the Buzayans.

  6. davisite

    I am sure that everyone( including his editor) recognizes that Dunning’s value to the Enterprise, absent his usual “cheap shots” and pandering to the basest instincts of his readers ,is nil. Rehashing attacks on Lamar Heystek is the act of a jounalistic bully, searching for a safe venue for his venom while the Enterprise is defending itself in court against the Buzayans.

  7. davisite

    I am sure that everyone( including his editor) recognizes that Dunning’s value to the Enterprise, absent his usual “cheap shots” and pandering to the basest instincts of his readers ,is nil. Rehashing attacks on Lamar Heystek is the act of a jounalistic bully, searching for a safe venue for his venom while the Enterprise is defending itself in court against the Buzayans.

  8. davisite

    I am sure that everyone( including his editor) recognizes that Dunning’s value to the Enterprise, absent his usual “cheap shots” and pandering to the basest instincts of his readers ,is nil. Rehashing attacks on Lamar Heystek is the act of a jounalistic bully, searching for a safe venue for his venom while the Enterprise is defending itself in court against the Buzayans.

  9. 無名 - wu ming

    the only value left in the enterprise is in the letters to the editor battles, and the local news if you’ve got a kid playing soccer or tee ball and want to see their picture in the paper. i used to deliver that paper, and now i wouldn’t take it if it were free. why they keep a columnist on that does his best to repeatedly insult the paper’s readership is utterly beyodn me.

    dunning used to be moderately funny in a crusty old timer davisite kind of way, but he’s just gotten mean in the past decade or so.

  10. 無名 - wu ming

    the only value left in the enterprise is in the letters to the editor battles, and the local news if you’ve got a kid playing soccer or tee ball and want to see their picture in the paper. i used to deliver that paper, and now i wouldn’t take it if it were free. why they keep a columnist on that does his best to repeatedly insult the paper’s readership is utterly beyodn me.

    dunning used to be moderately funny in a crusty old timer davisite kind of way, but he’s just gotten mean in the past decade or so.

  11. 無名 - wu ming

    the only value left in the enterprise is in the letters to the editor battles, and the local news if you’ve got a kid playing soccer or tee ball and want to see their picture in the paper. i used to deliver that paper, and now i wouldn’t take it if it were free. why they keep a columnist on that does his best to repeatedly insult the paper’s readership is utterly beyodn me.

    dunning used to be moderately funny in a crusty old timer davisite kind of way, but he’s just gotten mean in the past decade or so.

  12. 無名 - wu ming

    the only value left in the enterprise is in the letters to the editor battles, and the local news if you’ve got a kid playing soccer or tee ball and want to see their picture in the paper. i used to deliver that paper, and now i wouldn’t take it if it were free. why they keep a columnist on that does his best to repeatedly insult the paper’s readership is utterly beyodn me.

    dunning used to be moderately funny in a crusty old timer davisite kind of way, but he’s just gotten mean in the past decade or so.

  13. Anonymous

    Like Bob Dunning, I’m a Catholic. I usually go to the 11:30 Mass at St. James. The Mass is enhanced by a group of young singers, mostly high school or college girls. I wonder — just wonder, if Ms. Buzayan had been one of those sweet Catholic girls; if she had perhaps taken her evening shower and finished praying the rosary with her family, and then had Officer Ly had beat on her door, hand on gun and demanded that she get in the back of the car in her jammies — I just wonder if Bob Dunning would be kissing Ly’s ass more than a year later. I just wonder — what if it had been a white Catholic girl instead of “just a Muslim girl.” I suspect that Dunning and the Davis Enterprise would be just a tad less enthusiastic about Pheng Ly and the Davis PD.

  14. Anonymous

    Like Bob Dunning, I’m a Catholic. I usually go to the 11:30 Mass at St. James. The Mass is enhanced by a group of young singers, mostly high school or college girls. I wonder — just wonder, if Ms. Buzayan had been one of those sweet Catholic girls; if she had perhaps taken her evening shower and finished praying the rosary with her family, and then had Officer Ly had beat on her door, hand on gun and demanded that she get in the back of the car in her jammies — I just wonder if Bob Dunning would be kissing Ly’s ass more than a year later. I just wonder — what if it had been a white Catholic girl instead of “just a Muslim girl.” I suspect that Dunning and the Davis Enterprise would be just a tad less enthusiastic about Pheng Ly and the Davis PD.

  15. Anonymous

    Like Bob Dunning, I’m a Catholic. I usually go to the 11:30 Mass at St. James. The Mass is enhanced by a group of young singers, mostly high school or college girls. I wonder — just wonder, if Ms. Buzayan had been one of those sweet Catholic girls; if she had perhaps taken her evening shower and finished praying the rosary with her family, and then had Officer Ly had beat on her door, hand on gun and demanded that she get in the back of the car in her jammies — I just wonder if Bob Dunning would be kissing Ly’s ass more than a year later. I just wonder — what if it had been a white Catholic girl instead of “just a Muslim girl.” I suspect that Dunning and the Davis Enterprise would be just a tad less enthusiastic about Pheng Ly and the Davis PD.

  16. Anonymous

    Like Bob Dunning, I’m a Catholic. I usually go to the 11:30 Mass at St. James. The Mass is enhanced by a group of young singers, mostly high school or college girls. I wonder — just wonder, if Ms. Buzayan had been one of those sweet Catholic girls; if she had perhaps taken her evening shower and finished praying the rosary with her family, and then had Officer Ly had beat on her door, hand on gun and demanded that she get in the back of the car in her jammies — I just wonder if Bob Dunning would be kissing Ly’s ass more than a year later. I just wonder — what if it had been a white Catholic girl instead of “just a Muslim girl.” I suspect that Dunning and the Davis Enterprise would be just a tad less enthusiastic about Pheng Ly and the Davis PD.

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