Davis Media Access produces local election coverage throughout election night

A local, non-partisan media center highlighted candidates and propositions on the ballot that don’t reach mainstream media

By OLIVIA HOKR — city@theaggie.org

On Nov. 5, a date you might recognize as Election Day, Davis Media Access (DMA) created a program to discuss the local aspects of the election. They hosted interviews with various candidates for local positions, such as the Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD) School Board Trustees and Davis City Council, and they discussed the pros and cons of local ballot measures.

DMA is a non-profit community media center that has been around for over 30 years. They have incorporated projects such as Davis Community Television (DCTV) as well as a low-power FM radio station, KDRT, which just celebrated its 20th anniversary.

DMA has always placed an emphasis on strengthening the community and keeping Davis residents informed. As part of this mission, they used this Election Day to highlight the various aspects of the election that wouldn’t be covered by mainstream media. This year’s election night programming was co-hosted by Don Shor and Autumn Labbe-Renault on KDRT.

Labbe-Renault has been the executive director of DMA since 2007 and has worked as the executive producer on election coverage ever since. She emphasized DMA’s discussion of local elections and the importance of community media.

“National elections get the attention, but typically most smaller communities lack coverage of local races,” Labbe-Renault said. “DMA has prioritized this kind of civic information for more than 35 years. The service is always free. Each election season, we cover contested races for Davis, for county-wide offices, and also for Assembly, State, Senate and House of Representatives. If there are enough local races to warrant a show on election night, we will do that.”

In her position as executive producer, Labbe-Renault executes the “Meet the Candidates” portion of the program where she plans and helps record various candidates’ statements for their campaigns. These brief videos allow candidates to address the community without a host and simply speak to the people.

“Election night provides an opportunity to hear from candidates and others about the tenor of the season and to ask questions about their campaign priorities and experiences, and sometimes to tease out issues that have arisen in weeks leading up to the election,” Labbe-Renault said. “It’s also a moment for them to thank everyone who supported them.”

One of the positions on Davis residents’ ballots this year was the DJUSD Governing Board Member Trustee Area 2, with Elizabeth (Lizzy) Griffith running against incumbent Lea Darrah. Darrah has been re-elected to the board, according to the unofficial results uploaded by the Yolo County Elections Office. Darrah took part in DMA’s “Meet the Candidates” and shared a video with voters discussing her platform.

“It’s my job as a trustee to listen to my constituents,” Darrah said in her video for DCTV. “It’s important to me that people feel heard, acknowledged and validated. When people come to me seeking help, I either direct them to the appropriate resource or I take action myself if appropriate. I want them to know that I understand their desire to help their students [and] I do too.”

DMA plays a significant role in shining a spotlight on local politics and ensuring unbiased production. To help keep citizens fully informed, they provide a platform for candidates to share the goals of their campaign and for different local organizations to discuss the possible impacts of ballot measures.

“We’re completely non-partisan, and our staff doesn’t endorse or take positions on local issues,” Labbe-Renault said. “I’ve had candidates tell me they didn’t think they’d be treated fairly at DMA because ‘it’s Davis,’ and they’ve been pleasantly surprised by our even-handed treatment. Our job isn’t to play a role in politics, but to use media tools and infrastructure to help illuminate local issues.”

Written by: Olivia Hokr — city@theaggie.org