David Jenson waters one of the large Plumas Street planters outside Sopa Thai Cuisine on Thursday, July 3, in Yuba City, where he has been working to beautify the downtown corridor.

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - Local business owners are praising the efforts of David Jenson, often dubbed the “unofficial mayor of Plumas Street,” for his work to help beautify the downtown Yuba City corridor one planter at a time.

Since taking ownership of Sopa Thai Restaurant on Plumas Street in 2024, Jenson has worked to improve the look of his own storefront and patio area. Now, he is hoping other businesses will be inspired to do the same.

“I wish everybody would just take care of the front of their business and not worry about the city,” Jenson said. “Even just sweeping up and clearing the trash can make a big difference and will attract more people.”

Those familiar with Plumas Street may have noticed the large basin-style planters that line the roadway — 19 in all. Jenson said the planters were originally built with a watering system, but over the years, that system has stopped working. He is now communicating with the city about how to get the water turned back on.

“Every one of these planters, the city, when they redid Plumas Street, they plumbed them for sprinklers,” Jenson said. “So I’m gonna go around and replace whatever broken sprinklers there are, but I gotta find the timer in order to turn them on. Then people won’t have to carry around buckets.”

For now, Jenson has taken on much of the watering himself. About once a week, he fills roughly five buckets and drives them down Plumas Street, stopping to water the planters along the way. He has also invested in a long, durable hose that can reach several of the planters in and around his restaurant.

One of the Plumas Street planters revived by David Jenson is filled with drought-resistant plants, colorful blooms and a small American flag Thursday, July 3, on Plumas Street in Yuba City.

“I’m the only one with water at the front of the restaurant, so this hose lets me do all five of the planters near my patio,” Jenson said.

In addition to serving as the neighborhood waterman, Jenson has taken it upon himself to replant many of the planters with drought-resistant foliage, including succulent clippings from his own yard. He has also added faux blooms to bring in extra color without increasing the need for water.

“I’ve always been a garden guy, and I enjoy making the place look nice,” Jenson said.

So far, Jenson has revived all but five of the 19 planters. In the early morning hours, he can often be spotted outside watering the beds and tending to the plants before the day’s business begins.

“This man put in a lot of work, he basically runs Plumas Street,” said MJ, an employee at Gaiser Pets, a neighboring business. “We do appreciate what he’s done.”

While the planters have been one of his main projects, Jenson said he is also concerned about the amount of trash that builds up in the public trash cans along the street.

“You can see that people are picking up the trash, but the cans are so full there’s no room,” Jenson said. “That’s what really concerns me right now.”

For Jenson, the work is about more than flowers or storefronts. It is about pride of place and showing what can happen when business owners take small steps to care for the block around them.

“If everybody did a little bit,” Jenson said, “it would make the whole street look better.”