About Julie Partansky Pond
Who was Julie Partansky?
Julie Partansky Pond honors Julie Partansky, who was an artist, musician, handywoman, and mayor of Davis. Julie passed away of lung cancer in 2009 at the age of 61.
Julie ran for and was elected to City Council in 1992, became known throughout Davis for her diligence, her interesting ideas and her ability to stretch the City Council in new directions. The construction of a toad tunnel under Pole Line Road and the passage of a “dark-sky” ordinance brought her — and Davis — international fame. She was re-elected to the City Council in 1996 and served as the city’s mayor from 1998 to 2000.
The “dark-sky” ordinance, intended to reduce glare from street, landscape, and building lighting and preserve the view of the night sky, was proposed by Julie after an evening of watching shooting stars.
Julie was an avid environmentalist, always exploring new things and coming up with new ideas, pushing the City Council and the community to try new things.
According to former mayor Ken Wagstaff, “No one I ever knew had such a deep sense of the magic, the happy unpredictabilities of life, yet was very organized and focused.”
She loved to spend time enjoying the outdoors, particularly in the wildlife pond area of Northstar Park, where she spent time gazing out at the birds and the dark night sky. After her death in 2009, the City Council dedicated the pond in her honor.
Information for this story was generated in part from a January 11, 2009 Davis Enterprise story by Claire St. John.
