Campus joins the fight at Santa Barbara fire

State fire bosses drew on the campus Fire Department for help in battling the devastating Jesusita fire in Santa Barbara County.

An assistant chief remained in the fire zone at midweek, while a four-person crew has already returned, safe and sound, said Nathan Trauernicht, assistant chief in charge of the operations and training divisions.

Wes Arvin, the campus’s assistant chief for fire prevention, was expected to be on duty at the Santa Barbara fire through the end of this week, Trauernicht said.

The state put Arvin in charge of a five-engine strike team that left for the fire zone on May 8. The strike team comprises crews from the city of Davis, West Sacramento, Clarksburg and Willow Oak, all in Yolo County; and Salida in Stanislaus County.

Four other campus firefighters traveled to the fire zone in OES 251, a state Office of Emergency Services firetruck that is kept at UC Davis for use on and off campus. In return, the university provides the truck crew.

The UC Davis firefighters who went to Santa Barbara: Nate Hartinger, captain; Cess Mercado, engineer; and Scott Hatcher and Jennifer Nilsson, firefighters.

They drove to the fire on May 7 and immediately went to work on structure protection, Trauernicht said. Hartinger reported a night of “raining embers,” according to Trauernicht. The crew returned on May 11.

Aggie Cycling Club wins national title

With wins in the men’s and women’s team time trials on the final day of competition, the UC Davis Cycling Club captured the Division I overall team title at the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships in Fort Collins, Colo.

Division I and II teams raced over an 18-mile loop course on May 10.

Aggie cyclists Paul Mach, Phillip Mooney, Will Riffelmacher and Adam Switters posted the fastest men’s time of the day, 35:17; while Aggie cyclists Lisa Auchincloss, Amy Chandos, Larissa Fitchett and Danielle Haulman posted the fastest female time, 41:30.

More information: usacycling.org/ncca.

Cell phone tax policy applies to voice, data

The UC system’s new cell phone taxation policy applies to data service, if it is available on your university-provided cell phone, as well as voice service.

UC Davis officials, in explaining the new policy to deans and directors, originally advised that data service costs would not be taxed. However, late information from the Office of the President indicated that the cost of data service associated with cell phones will be taxed in the same manner as cell service.

The UC system is changing its cell phone policy to comply with an Internal Revenue Service rule that treats your employer-provided cell phone as a fringe benefit — because you may use the phone for personal reasons as well as business, and because the university does not ask you to keep detailed records of your business and personal use of the phone.

Such recordkeeping is time-consuming and therefore expensive for cell phone users and accounting staff — more expensive than if the university simply paid the IRS what it wants. And this is what the university intends to do, in a roundabout way that will affect your paycheck starting June 24 if you are paid biweekly and July 1 if you are paid monthly.

The new policy means that whatever the university pays for your cell service — for the phone itself, plus voice and data plans — will show on your check as taxable income. This is what accountants call imputed income, because it never goes in your pocket.

Because your taxable income goes up, so does your tax liability. This is where the university steps in, to give you a cash allowance to offset your extra withholding taxes.

More information: cellphones.ucdavis.edu.

Police caution campus on wallet, laptop thefts

The Police Department is advising the Davis campus community to be more vigilant about securing their wallets and laptop computers.

The warning comes in the wake of 10 such thefts — eight wallets and two laptops — from around campus from April 19 to May 10.

The Police Department advises: Lock your valuables. Never leave your purse, wallet, keys, briefcase or backpacks unattended. Do not carry your Social Security number. Do not leave laptops, cell phones or audio-video devices unattended.