Daily Republic: Friday, February 17, 2023

Sheriff adds cowboy hats back to uniform A3

City crew works to fix 3rd water main break A4

Georgia grand jury investigating Trump, allies recommends perjury charges

tribune Content agenCy

ATLANTA — For nearly eight months, 23 Fulton County residents met in secret to investigate a hotly contested question: Did former President Donald Trump and his allies break Georgia laws by meddling in the 2020 election?

World events heighten readiness agenda at Travis

todd r. H ansen

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE —

Travis Air Force Base refueling crews assisted in the mission to shoot down what was believed to be a Chinese spy balloon over Billings, Montana about two weeks ago.

It was one of several balloons and other objects the Air Force, under orders of President Joe Biden, has shot down – actions that have been met by China with promises of retaliation.

Those heightened tensions in an already shaky U.S.-China relationship, as well as the Russia-Ukraine war, North Korea’s accelerated missile launch program, the Middle East and other global events have also heightened the readiness efforts at Travis, Col. Derek M. Salmi told a gathering Thursday at

the third annual State of the Base.

Salmi is the commander of the 60th Air Mobility Wing. He has been at Travis for about seven months.

Part of those readiness efforts are training missions that were highlighted during the program, which was a combination of Salmi’s remarks and several video presentations.

The event was conducted in Hangar 837 with a C-17 as a backdrop to the stage. About 125 people attended, including U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, who opened the program with a speech lauding the base and the community, state Sen. Bill Dodd and about a dozen elected county and city officials.

The program also highlighted profiles of seven airmen, six who attended. Salmi said they exemplify the driving mantra of “Airman, Team, Pride and Readiness.” One

M att Miller MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD —

Twenty Fairfield-Suisun School District students were honored Wednesday night with Good Character Youth Awards presented by the Fairfield-Suisun Rotary Club and NorthBay Health at The Salvation Army Kroc Center in Suisun City.

It was the eighth annual event that features recommendations from school principals, teachers, counselors, coaches and staff related to the actions of those who are deemed “out-

standing students.” They are honored for bringing service to others, uplifting the marginalized and standing up for justice without prompting.

Among the night’s recipients, one student made encouraging videos for his classmates during the Covid-19 pandemic; another brings breakfast to classmates in need.

“We’re here to shine a light on exceptional young people in our community,” Fairfield-Suisun Rotary Club President Gerry Raycraft said in his opening remarks. “These

Awards, Page A8

See

of those, Tech. Sgt. John Powell, a security leader with the 821st Contingency Response Squadron, was part of the Ukraine support response. That includes 1.8 million pounds of clothing and other goods.

“We went in support of Ukraine and our NATO allies,” Powell said in his video profile.

The first anniversary of Russia’s invasion is Feb. 24.

“Over 30% of all aid the U.S. has provided comes through Travis,” Salmi said of the missions to Ukraine. He also noted the training provided by California National Guard members and others tied to the state.

He said that in 2022, there were more than 160 flights and 2.6 million tons of cargo delivered.

In an interview after the

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On Thursday, the public got its first glimpse into what they found as a judge released five pages of their final report.

Members of the special grand jury agreed unanimously that there was no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election as Trump and his supporters had claimed. A majority of the panel also recommended that prosecutors should pursue perjury charges against at least one witness they believe lied under oath in their testimony.

But anyone looking

for juicy details about the probe came away disappointed. Besides dropping some tantalizing clues, the portions of the report which were made public raised more questions than they answered.

No witnesses were named and no new evidence revealed. There was also no mention of the panel’s highly anticipated recommendations for who should be charged with state crimes. Those portions are likely to be released only after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis makes indictment decisions, which could take weeks or longer.

Still, Thursday’s excerpts were being picked apart by observers seeking hints on what was proposed. Some expressed surprise that the final document might only be nine pages

Fearing return of dry conditions, Newsom seeks to waive environmental protections in Delta

los a ngeles tiMes

As January’s drenching storms have given way to an unseasonably dry February, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is seeking to waive environmental rules in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in an effort to store more water in reservoirs – a move that is drawing heated criticism from environmental advocates who say the action will imperil struggling fish populations.

In an executive order signed Monday, Newsom directed the State Water Resources Control Board to “consider modifying requirements” for California’s two water conveyance systems in the Delta, the State Water Project and the federally operated Central Valley Project.

have helped replenish the state’s reservoirs and boosted snowpack, drought conditions continue to have significant impacts on communities with vulnerable water supplies, agriculture and the environment,” an announcement of the order read. “Until it is clear what the remainder of the wet season will hold, the executive order includes provisions to

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Highlighting 2 local history

Iam a little leery of writing abou t local history resources because of my track record. I wrote in 2013 about the veritable treasure trove of material at the Solano County Archives on Chadbourne Road. It is no longer there.

The next year

I did a column about the Solano History Exploration Center located inside Lawler House in Suisun City. It has been shuttered.

But I’m confident the two I write about today will be there for many years to come.

Hopefully.

Microfilm

I often visit the Fairfield Civic Center Library to use their microfilm machines for research for my Back in the Day columns and my books. I’ve done so for many years and accumulated more than 10,000 images. The old machines they had were clunky and the printers were godawful so I used to just use my point-and-click digital camera (I told you I’ve been doing it a long time) and took a picture of the screen.

That was not optimal and in some of the images you can see the reflection of books behind me on the shelves or even me taking the picture. I was overjoyed when the library upgraded the system a few years back. Now you can crop and save images digitally as JPEGs or PDFs and email them, which makes it so much more user friendly.

So here’s the thing to know about microfilm searching in a Googlized world: they are not similar at all. I’m talkin’ not in the same galaxy.

Unless you have an exact date, prepare to do some

BRIGHT spot

have had people who moved out of the area ask me if I could please look something up for them in microfilm and send it to them. I’m more than happy to do that, but tell them they have to have an exact date.

If someone says there was an article about them in the Daily Republic sometime in 1971 or 1972, that ain’t gonna cut it. That are 365 papers times 20-plus pages each year, not counting special editions and inserts. Ain’t nobody got time for all that.

It can be maddeningly frustrating trying to find a certain item sometimes, but when you do find it, it’s like discovering a Willy Wonka Golden Ticket. Also, when I’m perusing microfilm and come across something I know locals will get a kick out of, I snag a copy. Often I just see something and on a hunch post it online. One time it happened to be the picture of a woman’s mom that she had been looking for for decades.

That kind of thing makes the tedium well worth it.

School stuff at the FairfieldSuisun School District

Looking for resources and relics related to local schools?

Then look no further than the archive at the Fairfield-Suisun School District building at 2490 Hilborn Road in Fairfield. The collection is on wooden shelves in the lobby outside the superintendent’s office.

I first visited there in 2016 with my friend Nanciann Gregg when we were still doing events for the Armijo Alumni Association. The obvious draw are the dozens of yearbooks. About 10 years ago the Vacaville Heritage Council digitized many Armijo yearbooks and they are available to view

Top left, Tony Wade using a digital camera to take a picture of the microfilm machine screen in 2012.

left, Fairfield High yearbooks. Right, Nanciann Gregg posing at the Fairfield-Suisun School District archives.

handling the physical book.

There are also copies of The Talon, Fairfield High School’s yearbook. They even have a copy of my all-time favorite (besides my own high school years of course) local yearbook, the 1972 Talon. It’s like a Grateful Dead-meets-IronMaiden-on-acid weird and wonderful high school annual.

The Fairfield-Suisun School District archive also has numerous old elementary school yearbooks. They include ones from Fairfield Elementary, Fairview Elementary, Bransford Elementary, Falls Elementary and many more.

Local middle schools are represented as well. I was overjoyed to find a copy of my eighth-grade yearbook at Grange Intermediate as I lost mine decades ago. There are yearbooks from Sullivan, Green Valley and others.

There are photo albums and

loose photos as well. I came across color photos there of the day in 1985 when the old Armijo Auditorium was demolished by a wrecking ball. There are mounted historic Suisun City photos with descriptions, including one of the waterfront Chinatown that was there in 1900.

Last fall I came across the portrait of Dr. Samuel Bransford that used to be hanging in the school that used to bear his name that is now the Fairfield-Suisun Adult School Jan Hannigan Education Center.

In that same visit last fall I came across a couple of cassette tapes. The staff were kind enough to allow me to borrow and digitize them. They were recordings of historian Tim Farmer interviewing local folks in 1989, Fairfield Mayor Gary Falati and longtime Fairfielder Ben “Chalky” Oliver.

I put Oliver’s interview on

YouTube (https://bit.ly/BenOliver1989). One of the interesting things he talked about was going to Armijo during the 1918 Spanish Influenza pandemic. He wore a mask and a bag of camphor around his neck in hopes of warding off the disease.

The satisfying part for me was that Oliver’s daughter, Judy Leetham, saw it and posted on Facebook that she learned some things that even she didn’t know.

Fairfield freelance humor columnist and accidental local historian Tony Wade writes two weekly columns: “The Last Laugh” on Mondays and “Back in the Day” on Fridays. Wade is also the author of The History Press books “Growing Up In Fairfield, California” and “Lost Restaurants of Fairfield, California” and hosts the Channel 26 government access TV show “Local Legends.”

Tony Wade Back in the day

Courtesy photos

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Sheriff’s Office adds cowboy hats back to uniform

FAIRFIELD — Solano County sheriff’s personnel are now able to wear black cowboy hats as part of their uniforms.

But it’s not the first time the Western ware was part of the sheriff’s look.

In fact, the hat longtime Sheriff Al Cardoza wore sits in Supervisor Mitch Mashburn’s office on the sixth floor of the county government center.

“I’ve been pushing (Sheriff Tom Ferrara) for that for 10 years,” said Mashburn, who worked in the Sheriff’s Office for 32 years and typically wears one of his felt hats to the Board of Supervisors meetings. He has several, but said he is looking to get one of the new hats, too.

It was at the request of the Deputy Sheriffs Association that did the trick,

according to a department spokesman.

Sgt. Rex Hawkins said there has been a trend among sheriff’s offices throughout California to add cowboy hats to the uniform options, so that is where the idea sprouted from this time.

However, the hat is not required.

The only hat that is actually an official part of the sheriff’s uniform is the rounded trooper hat, similar to what California Highway Patrol officers wear.

And before the budget watchdogs go crazy – the employees buy them, and there is no reimbursement or bump in the uniform allowance. The cost of the hat is reported to be about $285.

“(The cowboy hat) is just a personal preference. The only hat that is required is the ‘Smokey Bear’ hat, which is part of the Class A uniform,” Mashburn said.

Dodd looks to expand to-go alcohol law, adds bars to proposal

FAIRFIELD — State

Sen. Bill Dodd has intro duced legislation that would expand “to-go cock tails” legislation signed into law two years ago.

The new legislation would remove the meal requirement in order to carry out the alcohol at restaurants.

“Allowing flexibility to sell to-go cocktails was a lifeline to restaurants and bars during the pandemic,” Dodd, D-Napa, said in a statement. “To keep up the momentum during the recovery, we must expand this successful provision in ways that will make sense and be beneficial to all. My new proposal gives a boost to these small businesses and our local economy, helping to keep doors open and people employed.”

Dodd originally introduced this bill last year, but that legislation became, instead, a bill on Diablo Canyon.

Renumbered, Senate Bill 495 also extends the carry-out cocktail provision to bars. In addition, it allows for the delivery of to-go cocktails from both types of businesses.

“Finally, the bill increases oversight of alcohol delivery by Alcohol Beverage Control to prevent underage drink-

ing,” the statement said.

“Sen. Dodd has stepped up once again for California’s restaurant community at a time of when food costs, a labor shortage, mounting debt and supply chain delays are forcing restaurants to reduce operating hours, limit menu offerings or close altogether,” Matt Sutton, senior vice president of government affairs and public policy for the California Restaurant Association, said in the statement.

The state already has

County Family Health, STA get checks

off-site sales licenses for bars. It was not immediate clear what effect Dodd’s bill would have on those establishments that pay that license fee.

SB 495 was introduced Tuesday and is eligible for its first committee hearing and vote next month.

Dodd represents the state’s 3rd Senate District, which includes all of Solano County as well as Winters and Davis in neighboring Yolo County, Napa County and portions of Contra Costa, Sonoma and Sacramento counties.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic

Senior Sheriff’s Security Officer Greg Luthy wears a black cowboy hat at the Solano County Probation Office in Fairfield, Wednesday. The Solano County Sheriff’s Office adds black cowboy hats to their uniform.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic

The cowboy hat Sheriff Al Cardoza wore now sits in Solano County Supervisor Mitch Mashburn’s office, Wednesday.

Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic file (2017) State Senator Bill Dodd discusses policy at a Vacaville Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Forum at Travis Credit Union in 2017.

City crew works through night to fix 3rd Fairfield water main break

FAIRFIELD — A third failure of a 16-inch water main left more city residents without water service Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

The leak was found not long after a Public Works crew had fixed the second of two failures that left residents in the southwest

part of town without water service for more than nine hours.

“There was an additional leak they found . . . (and) they worked through the night,” Bill Way, communications manager for the city, said in a phone interview Wednesday.

The pipe began to be pressurized about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday and service

was returned to area residents by 7 a.m., Way said.

The latest failure affected Mankas Boulevard, from Barbour Drive to Interstate 80, plus Lighthouse Drive, Lighthouse Court, Clipper Ship Drive, Clipper Ship Court and Skipper Court; and on Barbour, from Waterman Boulevard to Hastings Drive.

The failures have been to a pipe the city said is older infrastructure, but has not yet reached its lifespan.

What plans the city may have to deal with the troubled pipe moving forward is unclear.

There was no immediate response to the Daily Republic’s request for comment.

Bay Area air district urges passage of cleaner air, whale-protection bill

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is sponsoring a bill to expand on the voluntary speed reduction and sustainable shipping program – a program officials say reduces air pollution and the risk of fatal whale strikes.

“The continued success of the Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies program provides ample justification for the need to build upon and expand the program,” Sharon Landers, interim executive officer of the air district, said in a statement released Thursday. “Air pollution, greenhouse gases and whales aren’t confined to the current slow speed zones, and neither should this program be limited to the San Francisco Bay and Southern California

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FAIRFIELD — The overall number of crimes went up ever so slightly in Fairfield in 2022, but the crime rate per capita and the number of violent crimes were down.

“In 2022, there was an overall reduction in crime in Fairfield, with violent crime decreasing by 7%. That decrease is a testament to the hard work being done by the members of our department and the community, together,” police Chief Dan Marshall said in an email response to the Daily Republic.

The exception to that was homicides, with 12 recorded last year compared to nine in 2021, according to the Fairfield Police Department.

The crime rate, crimes per 100,000 population, was 29.02 compared to 29.3 in 2021, the department reported. The total number of crimes reported was 3,474 last year, three more than in 2021. That is a 0.09% increase.

“With the continued use of the beat system, we’ll likely see a similar trend in 2023,” Marshall said of the crime rate, noting the assignment system by which officers are typically sent to the same areas for patrol.

aggravated assault (293304) – was reported at 540 in 2022 and 580 in 2021.

Property crimes went up 2% from 2,891 in 2021 to 2,934 last year, the department reported. Burglaries were down (351 from 368), while thefts, including vehicle burglaries, were up: 1,996 in 2022 and 1,906 in 2021. The number of stolen vehicles was down slightly, 533 from 538, and arson crimes fell substantially, from 79 in 2021 to 54 last year, the department reported.

The total number of arrests (3,173) was up 4% in 2022, from 3,058 in 2021. Felony arrests (1,011) were up 6% from 2021’s total of 950. Misdemeanor arrests in 2022 (2,162) were up 3% from 2,108 in the prior year.

coastal regions.”

Assembly Bill 953, authored by Assembly Democrats Damon Connelly and Gregg Hart, calls on shipping firms to voluntarily expand the slow speed zones that are currently in place.

The bill calls on the Ocean Protection Council – in coordination with California air districts along the coast and in consultation with the federal Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Navy and the California Air Resources Board – to create a statewide voluntary vessel speed reduction and sustainable shipping program for the California coast.

Proponents say since the program was initiated in 2021, 526,211 slow speed miles have been created, resulting in the reduction of “2,300 tons of oxides of nitrogen . .

. a reduction of over 76,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions and an estimated 50% decreased risk of fatal whale strikes during prime migration season in the targeted coastal areas.”

Ships in those zones travel 10 knots or slower, the statement said.

“Efforts at the local level have done an incredible job protecting marine wildlife and improving air quality,” Connolly, D-San Rafael, said in the statement. “It is crucial that we expand our work to cover all of our coastal regions. I look forward to working with the Ocean Protection Council and our locals to protect our vulnerable ecosystems.”

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District covers all or parts of the nine Bay Area counties including the Fairfield and Vallejo areas of Solano County.

Legislation aims to boost consumer protections with contractors

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — State legislation was introduced Thursday that would increase consumer protection through oversight and training of licensed contractors.

“Ensuring contractors work in a safe, competent and professional manner is at the heart of our commitment to Califor-

nia consumers,” Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, said in a statement. “We achieve that through better communication and education, as well as clear pathways for improvement when things go wrong.

My proposal advances these principles among the licensed trades to strengthen an industry that is essential as we continue to build out our state.”

The California Con-

Police lock up 2 Fairfield robbery suspects

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Two men the Police Department said are suspected of repeated robberies at a Gateway Boulevard retail store are in custody.

Anthony Andrew Muzio Jr., 28, of Fairfield, turned himself in Feb. 7, and Javion Artrez Holmes, 27,

was arrested Tuesday, the Fairfield police reported.

Each man was booked into Solano County jail on allegations that include robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy, the police reported.

The robberies reportedly took place Jan. 2 and

tractors State License Board regulates 44 types of contractors, including builders, plumbers, electricians and painters. Senate Bill 630 would streamline this probationary process, ensuring contractors meet licensing obligations with fewer delays.

Dodd said the bill would save money on mailing contractors “tens of thousands of educational bulletins and documents

by requiring submission of an email address with license applications so that communications can be sent electronically.”

The bill is expected to go to committee in March.

Dodd represents the 3rd Senate District, which includes all of Solano County, and all or parts of Yolo, Napa, Sonoma, Contra Costa and Sacramento counties.

“So far, the beat system has already helped us solidify our 24/7 staffing abilities. Under it, we’ve implemented a new deployment strategy for our sworn staff, which includes increased staffing during the city’s busiest hours,” Marshall said. “Each sergeant is assigned their own beat for which they’re responsible and we expect them to hold the officers assigned to those areas accountable.”

“For the officers, being assigned to an area for a longer stretch of time is meant to inspire pride in them and help them build even stronger relationships with the community – ensuring they are truly invested in and want to actively and proactively resolve any issues or concerns that arise in the neighborhoods they serve,” Marshall said.

Still, in general, 2022 looked a lot like 2021 on the crime scene, with relatively small changes in the various reporting categories.

Emergency 911 calls increased by 5% (51,114 compared to 48,792) and online reporting increased by 125% (1,274 from 477).

The number of calls for service was down 2% (64,591 from 65,974) and officer-initiated activity decreased by 23% (24,929 from 32,365), the department reported.

The number of violent crimes – homicide (12 in 2022, nine in 2021); rape (54-79); robbery (181-188); and

The department also broke out the numbers involving firearms, with the number of guns “booked for destruction” climbing 725%, from 16 in 2021 to 132 in 2022.

The 2022 report shows 176 firearms were used as evidence in 2022, down from 303. Nine guns were found (seven in 2021), three stolen guns were recovered (three), four were seized (six) and 127 firearms were kept by the department for “safekeeping,” compared to 82 in 2021, the department reported. Traffic statistics showed an increase in injury collisions, from 467 in 2021 to 548 in 2022. There were nine fatal collisions last year compared to six in 2021. Collisions with property damage only were up 3%.

Overall, the total number of collisions was at 1,387 in 2022, up 9% over the 1,275 in 2021, the department reported, and 3,405 citations for moving violations were issued in 2022 compared to 4,047 in 2021.

The top locations for collisions were spread across the city, with 16 at Beck Avenue and Highway 12; 14 at East Travis Boulevard and North Texas Street; 12 at Pennsylvania Avenue and Highway 12; 11 at Airbase Parkway and Health Drive; and 10 at Gateway Boulevard and Travis Boulevard, the department reported.

The top causes of collisions were improper turning (255); other improper driving (201); unsafe speed (200); impaired driving (155); and right of way violations (146), the department reported.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic

Mankas Boulevard and Clipper Ship Drive in Fairfield, Tuesday.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic file (2022) Fairfield Police Officers respond to the scene of a shooting in Fairfield, Nov. 10, 2022.

Water awareness video contest opens with $1,500 top prize

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD —

Middle and high school students in Solano County can submit videos on “Saving Our Water” and win up to $1,500.

The Solano County Water Agency, through the Solano Resource Conservation District, has launched the Water Awareness Video Contest.

“The contest is for original videos that express the theme ‘Saving Our Water is Saving Our Future.’ Students are challenged to explore the reasons and ways Solano County residents can conserve water to make the world a better place for their families and future generations of residents,” a statement from the agencies said.

“We are looking for videos that tell a compelling story about the need for water conservation, while also including information about everyday actions people can take to limit water use both inside and outside of their home.”

First prize is $1,500; second place gets $1,000; and $500 goes to the third-place winner.

“Additionally, the

9th Circuit sides with employers in dispute over California law barring forced arbitration

loS a ngeleS timeS

winning entry from each school with 10 or more submissions will be awarded a $100 gift card. The three teachers who generate the most student participation in the contest will each win a $200 gift card,” the statement said.

The entries will be judged by efficiency experts and community leaders for entertainment value and originality; videography, style and organization; audio/sound; movie content and accuracy; and response to the assigned theme.

Entries may be submitted by email to Education@solanorcd. org or on a USB flash drive by mail or in-person to the Solano Resource Conservation District office, 1170 N. Lincoln, Suite 110, Dixon, CA 95620.

The deadline is 5 p.m. April 3.

Complete information about the video contest, the entry packet, resources for more water conservation information and samples of past winning videos are available at www.scwa2. com/water-efficiency/ schools/2020-waterawareness-contest/.

Solano jury hands down murder conviction in Suisun pot deal gone bad

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD —

Derrick Dogan Jr. was found guilty Wednesday by a Solano Superior Court jury of second-degree murder and robbery.

The conviction follows a two-month trial with co-defendant Alfie Broussard being found guilty of robbery, the Solano County District Attorney’s Office reported. The jury also found true the enhancement against Dogan for the use of a firearm in the commission of his crimes.

Dogan and Armani Harper-Reed made arrangements Nov. 3, 2017, to meet at a Chevron gas station located at 1200 Anderson St. in Suisun City.

“Cellphone records identified at the hearing showed that . . . Dogan Jr. was setting up the sale of marijuana for someone in the city of Elk Grove. That person was later determined to be Broussard,” the District Attorney’s Office reported.

The victim, Armani Harper-Reed, arrived at the gas station with his girlfriend. Broussard and Dogan parked next to them and Dogan got into the back seat behind Harper-Reed. Broussard also got into the car. Harper-Reed then handed some marijuana to Broussard.

Harper-Reed then got out of the vehicle, along with both defendants. Shortly after, there was a commotion heard and shots were fired, killing Harper-Reed, the District Attorney’s Office reported.

Dogan is scheduled to be sentenced April 10 by Judge Jeffery C. Kauffman. Broussard is scheduled to be sentenced March 16.

Former Suisun City police Detective James Sousa investigated the case. Senior Deputy District Attorney Mary Nguyen prosecuted the case. Victim Witness advocate Cynthia Malloy advocated for and supported to the victim’s family.

A California law barring employers from requiring their employees to resolve serious workplace complaints in private runs afoul of federal law, a federal appellate court ruled Wednesday.

The 2 to 1 decision by a threejudge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals marked a legal victory for big businesses and employers, and a major blow to workers, labor advocates said.

Under what are known as mandatory arbitration agreements, employees are required to settle discrimination, harassment and other workplace complaints in private, closed-door sessions rather than in public court proceedings. Such agreements have proliferated in recent years and are often forced on workers as a condition of employment.

Proponents of such agreements, including national and state business associations, say they allow for swifter and less costly resolution to routine workplace matters and still provide protection for employees.

Critics contend such agreements intentionally veil abuses – including the sort of workplace sexual harassment that has been targeted by the #MeToo movement – and make it harder for workers to know if their mistreatment is isolated or part of a larger pattern.

California’s law, known as AB51, made it a criminal offense for employers to force employees to sign such arbitration agreements for claims they might make under state labor laws. Labor rights proponents hailed the legislation, and Gov. Gavin Newsom signed it into law in 2019 as part of a package of bills that he said would protect workers from sexual harassment and provide them with wage and health protections.

Similar legislation had been vetoed repeatedly by Gov. Jerry Brown, and business groups – including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the California Chamber of Commerce, the National Retail Federation and the California Retailers Association – promptly sued over the new law, alleging it violated their rights to arbitration under federal law.

A federal district court judge agreed with the business groups, issuing a preliminary injunction in 2019 blocking the law from

taking effect as their lawsuit moved forward. The state appealed that injunction in the 9th Circuit, and initially won.

However, the same three-judge panel that had ruled the law could take effect later took the case back up, citing an unrelated U.S. Supreme Court arbitration case. The panel Wednesday reversed itself.

Writing for the court, Circuit Judge Sandra Ikuta, a President George W. Bush appointee, ruled that the state law was preempted by the Federal Arbitration Act, which protects the binding nature of arbitration clauses in the face of challenges.

Ikuta wrote that the federal law’s authority “extends to state rules that discriminate against the formation of arbitration agreements,” which would include California’s law.

Ikuta was joined by Circuit Judge William Fletcher, a President Clinton appointee who had previously ruled for employees in the panel’s first decision in the case. Fletcher did not write in the case or explain his change of mind.

10th Circuit Judge Carlos Lucero, another Clinton appointee who was specially appointed to sit on the 9th Circuit panel, dissented.

Attorneys for the business associations challenging the state law praised the decision.

“We are pleased that the Ninth Circuit vindicated the strong federal policy favoring arbitration,” said

attorney Jennifer Dickey. “California’s law sought to evade that policy and, in doing so, would have denied employers and employees alike of the benefits of arbitration.”

Labor advocates blasted the decision.

“If corporations can force employees to arbitrate their claims, many of them know that they will never be held accountable for their systemic violations of employees’ rights,” said Shannon Liss-Riordan, an employee rights attorney who has litigated many arbitration cases in the state. “The California Legislature has tried many different approaches to remedy this situation, and the 9th Circuit has now rejected their most recent attempt to restore justice for workers.”

Lorena Gonzalez, who wrote AB51 as a California assemblywoman and now serves as head of the California Labor Federation, said labor advocates in California will continue working to protect the rights of employees – including by raising concerns about arbitration agreements and calling on Congress to rein them in.

“Not only is this a tool to hide bad actors, arbitration has historically been used to hide racist, sexist people in power and to keep workers from understanding that they are part of a whole system of discrimination,” Gonzalez said. “We know

See Law, Page A9

How does drought compare to last week?

tRibune content agency

California drought conditions haven’t changed since last week – but some precipitation is in the forecast.

About 99% of the state is still experiencing at least “abnormally dry” conditions, according to a U.S. Drought Monitor report released Thursday. The latest update shows 84.6% of the state remains in at least a “moderate drought” status and 32% in a “severe drought.” No areas are experiencing extreme or

exceptional drought.

The stable drought conditions may be due to the dry, but cooler temperatures that have swept over most of the West Coast, including California, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Most of Del Norte County is free of even abnormally dry conditions, and the Central Coast exited drought status after January storms.

An estimated 33.4 million Californians are currently living in a drought areas, based on

data from the U.S. Drought Monitor. Below is a map that depicts updated conditions in California. Take a look at where your area falls:

Possibility for rain

The National Weather Service tweeted on Wednesday a shift in weather “could bring widespread precipitation and mountain travel impacts” to the valley and the Sierra. It will know more in the coming days.

The Sacramento forecast is predicting dry

weather for the next five days. Temperature highs will reach 64 degrees over the weekend and dip to 33 degrees on Friday night.

Snowpack levels

According to the Department of Water Resources, 51 stations in the Central Sierra are reporting at 188% of normal on Thursday.

The National Resources Conservation reported that “deep snowpack in California, the Great Basin and Colorado River Basin continues to grow.”

She broke her neck hiking – then had to walk to the rescue helicopter

the WaShington poSt

As she hiked down from Cucamonga Peak in California’s San Gabriel Mountains on Christmas Eve, Ruth Woroniecki noticed the trail was starting to get slippery, ice coating the path she needed to take.

“Okay, you need to concentrate,” she thought to herself.

Woroniecki, 40, zipped her headphones into her backpack and pulled out her hiking sticks to help with the rest of the trek. But that’s where her memory goes blank.

The next thing she remembers is lying with her back against the ice, pain shooting from her head down her entire body, and seeing four hikers huddled around her. One of them held a satellite phone that he’d used to call for help.

Woroniecki didn’t know if she’d be able to stand, whether she’d broken any bones or how long it would take for a rescue team to find her. Struggling to process what had happened, Woroniecki recalled repeatedly thanking the hikers who’d stopped as they waited

hours for help.

When the rescue team arrived, she had no choice but to hike the roughly 60 yards around the mountain to a clearing where the helicopter’s cable could safely lift her out. She later learned that she’d walked to safety with a broken neck - and she needed 40 stitches to close the cut on her head.

In the days that followed her fall, news stories about the incident began appearing online. Woroniecki sent written statements to reporters as her vocal cords healed from the trauma.

Now, nearly two months later, she’s reflecting on it all – the fall, the rescue and the ongoing recovery.

“All of a sudden you’re going one way, and now your life’s turned upside down by just seconds,” Woroniecki told The Washington Post. “It’s crazy.”

Woroniecki has been hiking for most of her life.

Growing up just outside Denver, she and her sister, Sarah, especially loved visiting Estes Park, the base camp for Rocky Mountain National Park. They would set up a tent between

aspen trees, start a campfire and watch the stars at night.

“We were raised being able to go camping and hiking and just explore all the glory of God’s creation,” Sarah Woroniecki, 42, said.

So when Ruth left the campground where the family had been staying around 5 a.m. on Christmas Eve to hike up to Cucamonga Peak, it wasn’t a surprise. Sarah knew she would make it back in time to watch the Dallas Cowboys game with their family that afternoon.

On the hike up to the peak, Ruth texted a few pictures to her mom and sister of the view from the trail. She was making good time.

But by the time she got to the top, the wind had picked up. She sat at the summit for about 20 minutes before starting the hike back down.

It was then that she slipped on the ice and fell 200 feet, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, which received the emergency response dispatch. A fallen tree trunk broke her fall.

When she came to, Woroniecki

could feel a gash circling her head and blood spilling from the cut onto the snow.

“Is it bad?” she asked the four hikers around her, who’d stopped on the trail to help.

“It’s really bad,” one of them answered. “It’s down to the bone.”

As they waited for rescuers, one of the hikers put a ski cap on Woroniecki, who started scooping snow atop it in an attempt to numb the searing pain. She repeated a prayer over and over in her mind: “Jesus, help me. Be with me. Protect me.”

The winds were still heavy when a member of the helicopter crew rappelled down to find her. The only way the helicopter cable could be dropped to them, he told her, was if they moved to an area away from trees.

Woroniecki knew she didn’t have another option. She slowly stood up, and, with the rescuer in front of her and one of the other hikers behind her, walked the couple hundred feet to meet the helicopter cable - all while holding her neck still with both hands.

“I kept holding I think

because [of] the adrenaline,” Woroniecki said. “And there was so much going on to move, to walk, to get to the helicopter that my mind was just focused on survival mode, like we’ve got to get out of here.”

Back at the camp, Sarah Woroniecki had started to worry. Her sister was supposed to have gotten back hours earlier. It wasn’t until Ruth was in the helicopter that she had a signal on her phone and texted her family.

As soon as the text came in on Sarah’s phone, she and her family piled into their van as she tracked Ruth’s location using the Find My Friends feature.

The entire ride there, Sarah kept saying: “Jesus, please help her. Please be with her,” she recalled.

“I’m just imagining the worst, and I’m just praying and praying and praying,” she said. “Because I have no idea if she’s going to be conscious, how close she is to death.”

Her gash was stitched, she was fitted with a neck brace and, on Dec. 27, she had spinal

Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times/TNS file (2022)

California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks during a news conference in Playa Del Rey, April 28, 2022.

CALMATTERS COMMENTARY

Could Public Records Act be made more useful?

California’s Public Records Act, signed by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan in 1968, gives the public the legal right to examine governmental documents, with a few specified exceptions.

The state’s voters bolstered the Public Records Act in 2004 by passing a constitutional amendment placed on the ballot by the Legislature.

Having a law on the books, even one with constitutional backing, is one thing; making state and local officials comply with it can often be difficult as journalists, the law’s most active users, can attest. While some agencies and local governments comply readily with Public Records Act requests, others use a variety of techniques to avoid compliance. They will string out responses, demand more specificity on what is being sought, try to charge exorbitant fees for copying documents and sometimes just stonewall, forcing those seeking information to file lawsuits.

Dan Walters

A recent judicial ruling in Los Angeles demonstrates the difficulty that sometimes occurs when an agency doesn’t want to release information that could be embarrassing.

Consumer Watchdog, an organization that often intervenes in regulatory issues, has been fighting a running battle with Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara from virtually the first moment Lara took office four years ago.

The organization sued Lara’s office in 2020 seeking communications pertaining to news media reports that Lara or his underlings had met with lobbyists for a company seeking permission to change ownership. It alleged that the Department of Insurance had not adequately responded to a Public Records Act request.

The suit demanded records pertaining to “any individuals employed by or representing” Allied Underwriters, a worker’s compensation insurer. At one point, Consumer Watchdog submitted a sworn declaration by former Assemblyman Rusty Areias that he had informed the insurance department that he had been hired by Allied. Areias’ lobbying firm later sued Allied, alleging it had reneged on promised lobbying fees.

The department responded that it was unreasonable to ask for records of a broad nature and insisted it had released all of the records it could identify as pertinent.

The case eventually wound up before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff, who issued a ruling last month almost fully favoring Lara.

“The court’s ruling will likely embolden government officials to shield government records from the public view and raises serious questions about the state’s Public Records Act that may need to be addressed by the Legislature or at the ballot box,” said Jerry Flanagan, Consumer Watchdog’s litigation director. “Access to information concerning the conduct of the people’s business is a fundamental right of every person in this state and is a critical weapon in the fight against government corruption.”

There’s more than a little irony attached to the organization’s self-portrayal as an advocate of transparency. Through decades of intervening in regulatory cases, both at the Department of Insurance and the Public Utilities Commission, Consumer Watchdog has steadfastly refused to reveal the identities of its supporters.

One cannot discern whether Consumer Watchdog or Lara holds the moral high ground in their running feud. However, the case underscores how unwieldy the Public Records Act can be when an agency chooses to fight, rather than comply with, Public Records Act requests.

Governmental entities have an unlimited ability to fight legal battles with their platoons of taxpayer-financed attorneys while those seeking information must hire their own legal talent.

It raises a question: Is there a better way to handle disputes over Public Records Act requests?

Assemblyman Vince Fong, a Bakersfield Republican, believes there is. He has introduced legislation that would create an ombudsman within the state auditor’s office to settle such disagreements without involving judges. It’s a concept that could make the Public Records Act a user-friendlier law.

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more columns by Dan Walters, go to Commentary.

With the election season over for now, let’s take time to tell readers what we do on your behalf.

Our taxpayer group came into being in 1995, breaking off from an older organization because we believed, as our nation’s Founders did, that educated voters would best ensure responsible government. So we monitor local governments and, as our bylaws commit us, do what we can to reduce the burden of taxes and advocate for open and efficient government.

We initially focused on the Fairfield City Council and the Fairfield-Suisun School District, going further when the state of California, Solano Community College and Solano County put tax and bond measures on the ballot.

We analyze every ballot measure dealing with taxes and bonds, or affecting public policy. Over the years we actively opposed a number of ballot measures. Here are some prominent ones.

The Fairfield-Suisun School District in 1997 proposed a bond measure to catch up on maintenance that had been deferred for years. We opposed this on the grounds that maintaining facilities should be an annual budget item, not a long-term bond. Voters agreed and rejected

the measure. Fairfield put two measures on the ballot in 1999, the first promising to increase fire protection. The second, a general tax requiring just a majority vote, intended to pay for the first, but avoiding the requirement that tax measures for specific purposes get a two-thirds vote. We exposed this double-barrel scam and voters rejected the tax.

California’s Proposition 26 in 2000 would have approved school construction bonds with just a majority vote. We campaigned against it. It was defeated in Solano County and statewide.

Also in 2000, the Legislature put Proposition 39 on the ballot. It would have allowed school construction bonds to be passed with 55% voter approval if several conditions were met, among them a list of the specific projects to be funded by the bonds. It was approved statewide.

The Fairfield-Suisun School District in 2002 proposed Measure C, a $100 million school construction bond. We did not oppose the measure because it satisfied Proposition 39’s requirements. It passed.

Solano County in 2006 proposed a half-cent sales tax for road repairs that included Interstate 80 and Interstate 680. We campaigned against it because the federal and state gov-

ernments – not Solano County – are responsible for the interstate highway system. Voters agreed and rejected it. Fairfield had been adding an 8% surcharge to its water bills and transferring the money to its general fund. We challenged this in 2007 and the city agreed to place it on the ballot. Voters defeated it.

Solano Community College in 2012 proposed Measure Q, a $349 million school construction bond. We opposed it because it did not include the project list required by Proposition 39. It passed with a bare 56% vote. Solano County’s civil grand jury looked into irregularities we had identified; it issued a report highly critical of the measure. California proposed Proposition 3 in 2018, promising to fix the state’s water problems. We wrote the ballot arguments opposing the measure, noting it would not add one drop of new water – no dams or storage sites to alleviate our frequent droughts –but spread the money around to buy votes. It was defeated in Solano County and statewide. We acted on other measures, but these show what we do to protect taxpayers. God bless America.

John Takeuchi is a member of the Central Solano Citizen Taxpayer Group. Call 707-771-5487 for information about meetings.

How many more Black children must be sacrificed for the sins of a system that was created by white men with property for the benefit of white men with property and one to which the rest of us have been subjected for more than 400 years?

Ripped from their mothers’ teat, they were sold. Uprooted from their homes, they were lynched. Deprived of an equitable education, they are incarcerated. Feared because of the color of their skin, they are exterminated. And still their mothers turn the other cheek and pray for justice.

When did that beautiful Black baby boy who became the cute firstgrader grow into the 13-year-old threat to society? How many more Black mothers must plead for justice as they turn the other cheek to forgive their children’s killer(s)? The words on the hoody a mom I recently met read: “Black boy mom. We pray differently.”

It’s Black History Month, and I felt compelled to publicly ponder the term “woke” on which Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared war.

The term “woke” is the past tense and past participle of the verb “wake,” according to Webster’s Dictionary. As a transitive verb it means “to rouse from or as if from sleep.” As an adjective in today’s vernacular, it means “aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues. . . .” For better or worse, language, and its evolution, is one of the myriad miracles unique to humans. So, why sleep when we can expe-

rience woke, wokeness, wake, awake, awakened and awakening. Because they were “woke,” our Founding Fathers fled British oppression and grieved the usurpation of their rights in the Declaration of Independence. Frederick Douglass’ master warned that the worst thing you can do is teach a slave to read.

Why? Because he feared wokeness. The 13th, 14th and 15th amendments: “wokeness.” One may contend that every single amendment to the Constitution could be attributed to wokeness, including free speech, the right to bear arms, and let’s not forget suffrage. Women had to wake up to the fact that beyond the humiliation of slaves being counted as fractions, they weren’t counted at all.

Amid segregation and Jim Crow laws, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963, “I Have a Dream” speech awakened much of the United States and the world to the fact that a debt was due. The subsequent 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act would not have passed if we were asleep. The repudiation and reversal of the Korematsu case though inadvertent along with the Respect for Marriage Act are both attributed to an awakening by the Supreme Court and President Barack Obama, respectively. Throughout history, “woke” resulted in progress because the status quo did not work for AmericanIndians, slaves, women, LGBTQIA+, non-whites, immigrants, the poor, seniors, students or the working class. Every generation has their moment

of “wokeness,” whether it’s protesting the Vietnam War or disavowing hate groups such as the Taliban and the Ku Klux Klan.

However, in one of her first hearings, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia said, “CRT is a racist curriculum used to teach children that somehow their white skin is not equal to Black skin. . . .” What the What? Still others argue Critical Race Theory teaches white children to feel badly about themselves. The obvious argument is, “We didn’t own slaves.” That is accurate. What is also accurate is that the system created by our Founding Fathers was meant to benefit those who looked like they did.

Without wokeness, we would be living in 1776 where every single nonwhite and white working-class person without property would be a slave, indentured-servant, property, and if you were a Black woman, forget about it. You bred, and you toiled. By that standard, the only members eligible to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court in 2023 would be Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts.

To be “woke” is each generation’s check on the status quo. More salient is the fact that wokeness in the United States celebrates our heterogeneity an exceptionalism no other country can claim. We are Solano strong, the most diverse county in the nation; let’s lead. Stay woke, folk.

Ana Petero, a resident of Fairfield, is a trustee with the Fairfield-Suisun School District. This column represents her own views and not those of the school board.

THE TAX WATCHERS

SOLANO VOICES

If we weren’t ‘woke’ we’d be broke

Here’s what we do – for you

John Takeuchi

Ana Petero

Seacrest leaving ‘Live,’ Consuelos will replace him

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

NEW YORK — Ryan

Seacrest plans to leave ABC’s “Live with Kelly and Ryan” this spring, he announced on Thursday’s episode.

Seacrest has hosted the New York-set morning show with Kelly Ripa since 2017. Ripa’s husband, Mark Consuelos, will take over as her full-time co-host.

“It was a tough, tough decision,” Seacrest said. “Last year, we spoke and I made the decision to make this my last season as co-host with Kel here on ‘Live with Kelly and Ryan,’ which is bittersweet.”

The 48-year-old Seacrest didn’t announce his final day but says he’ll return to Los Angeles

once the latest season of “American Idol” begins airing its live shows there. Season 21 of the ABC singing competition series, which Seacrest hosts, premieres next week, beginning with the audition episodes. Seacrest joined “Live” as a permanent host alongside Ripa after Michael Strahan’s departure for “Good Morning America.” Ripa previously hosted the show with the late Regis Philbin.

“This has been the greatest ride for me,” said Seacrest, who plans to fill in as a guest host after stepping down from his permanent role. Consuelos, who married Ripa in 1996, has frequently appeared on “Live” as a guest host.

Pickles Brian Crane

Zits Jerry Scott and Jim

Pearls Before Swine Stephan Pastis

Dilbert Scott

Baby Blues Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott Baldo Hector

Crime logs

FairField

TUESDAY, FEB. 14

6:40 a.m. — Commercial burglary, 4400 block of CENTRAL PLACE

8:08 a.m. — Hit-and-run

property damage, WESTBOUND

AIR BASE PARKWAY

8:52 a.m. — Vandalism, 200 block of ALASKA AVENUE

10:32 a.m. — Sexual assault, 1200 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD

10:34 a.m. — Battery, 1500 block of GATEWAY BOULEVARD

10:59 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 4300 block of CENTRAL PLACE

11:26 a.m. — Battery, 3400

block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

1:30 p.m. — Grand theft, 2800

block of MONTCLAIR WAY

1:33 p.m. — Vandalism, 900 block of MISSOURI STREET

1:42 p.m. — Trespassing, 1700 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

2:46 p.m. Trespassing, 300 block of PITTMAN ROAD

2:54 p.m. — Robbery, 1300 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD

3:36 p.m. — Hit-and-run property

damage, 800 block of WASHING -

TON STREET

3:38 p.m. — Shots fired, HARBOR COURT

3:47 p.m. — Hit-and-run with

injury, NORTH TEXAS STREET

3:56 p.m. — Trespassing, 2400

block of WATERMAN

BOULEVARD

4:35 p.m. — Grand theft, 400

block of SAN JOSE STREET

5:17 p.m. — Forgery, 1300 block of WOOLNER AVENUE

5:34 p.m. — Battery, 2000 block of CADENASSO DRIVE

6:10 p.m. — Hit-and-run property

damage, 5100 block of BUSINESS CENTER DRIVE

6:59 p.m. — Drunk and disorderly, 3500 block of NELSON ROAD

7 p.m. — Hit-and-run property

damage, 2300 block of HEATH

DRIVE

8:28 p.m. — Trespassing, 1000

block of HARDING STREET

10:10 p.m. — Battery, 1200

block of TABOR AVENUE

10:27 p.m. — Battery, 400 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15

4:22 a.m. — Reckless driver, EAST TABOR AVENUE

6:10 a.m. — Vehicle burglary, 2200 block of GATEWAY COURT

6:13 a.m. — Grand theft, 2200 block of GATEWAY COURT

8:13 a.m. — Forgery, 2200 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

8:32 a.m. — Battery, 100 block of BODIN CIRCLE

local high school students demonstrate good character in the things they do and say.”

Students received certificates of achievement from congressional, state, city and school officials as well as a cash reward from the Rotary Club, the school district and an anonymous donor.

Kris Corey, superintendent of the school district, was the keynote speaker.

“This is one of my favorite events, to honor students of good character,” Corey said. “You are part of a small, elite group. What you do is not always tangible but what everyone knows when they see it.”

Kelly Rhoads-Poston of NorthBay Health and a past Rotary president added, “You have done right when it counts. Character and integrity in our youth is what tonight is all about.”

Rotarian and owner of Full Life Balance, William K. Wesley, served as emcee for the ceremony. Suzanne Bragdon, Rotary District 5160 governor, shared words on the work of the service organization.

8:52 a.m. — Trespassing, 200 block of PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE

8:54 a.m. — Battery, 1900 block of GRANDE CIRCLE

9:29 a.m. — Hit-and-run with injury, 200 block of ATLANTIC AVENUE

10:06 a.m. — Vandalism, 2900 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 11:04 a.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 1300 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 11:35 a.m. — Battery, 200 block of DE SOTO DRIVE 11:44 a.m. — Vandalism, 1200 block of TABOR AVENUE 12:26 p.m. — Shots fired, COVENTRY LANE 1:05 p.m. — Reckless driver, 2900 block of GULF DRIVE

2:01 p.m. — Reckless driver, WALTERS ROAD

2:45 p.m. Trespassing, 2500 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

3:22 p.m. — Trespassing, 300 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD

3:28 p.m. — Trespassing, 1200 block of TABOR AVENUE

4:01 p.m. — Trespassing, 400 block of UNION AVENUE

4:09 p.m. — Vehicle burglary, 5000 block of BUSINESS CENTER DRIVE

4:19 p.m. — Vandalism, 1600 block of SAN DIEGO STREET

5:15 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 100 block of SERRANO DRIVE

6:49 p.m. — Battery, 1200 block of B. GALE WILSON BOULEVARD

8:42 p.m. — Vandalism, 300 block of UTAH STREET

11:16 p.m. — Battery, 2200 block of CUNNINGHAM DRIVE

SuiSun City

TUESDAY, FEB. 14

11:22 a.m. — Assault, 1500 block of CASA LOMA WAY

2:29

From Page One

program, Salmi also addressed what some area residents believe is another threat to the base, but much closer to home.

Some have suggested the Flannery Group is a mechanism of China or some other foreign interest. The group, which has been secretive about themselves, has only indicated publicly that it is comprised of real estate investors.

Flannery, according to the county, has purchased more than 28,000 acres in proximity to Travis and in the Montezuma Hills area. They have typically paid a price far exceeding the land value, county officials have said.

That acreage figure is as of July. Activity after that has not been processed for valuation by the Solano County Assessor’s Office, which is transitioning into its new software program, Assessor Glenn Zook said.

The Department of Resource Management also tracks Flannery activity, but officials could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Salmi said he and the base command are very much aware of the Flannery Group and its purchase of large swaths of land near the base. He said the security of the base is one of his top

From Page One

long, not the expansive look at the election that the Jan. 6 committee on Capitol Hill took late last year.

“It’s certainly not definitive on whether Trump should be charged,” said attorney Norm Eisen, who co-authored a report on the Fulton probe for the Brookings Institute. “But the declaration that they

responsibilities, adding that he is briefed by the federal agencies that are directly handling the matter and tracking the situation. That includes the FBI, according to one of the colonel’s aides.

Salmi did not provide any additional details, but said there “is a lot that has to be sorted out.”

Garamendi and Salmi each noted the future of the base is secure largely due to the support it gets from the community, a commitment the congressman seemed to suggest may have saved Travis a decade ago.

“The security of our nation, and around the world . . . is dependent on this base,” Garamendi said, “and the security of this base is dependent on the community.” But he also said the future of the base is secure for decades to come.

Salmi emphasized that point by addressing some of the projects planned for 2023 and beyond. Those projects include the arrival of the first KC-46 Pegasus refueling tanker in July – a mission that has meant a $230 million projects at the base. A two-year renovation of one of the runways – adding 80 years to its use – is also planned.

In all, nearly $500 million is being spent at the base for new projects and upgrades, Salmi said.

But Salmi noted the base faces challenges

found that no widespread fraud took place in the Georgia 2020 presidential election is another nail in Trump’s coffin.”

Trump, however, cast the report as a win.

“Thank you to the Special Grand Jury in the Great State of Georgia for your Patriotism & Courage,” Trump posted on his platform Truth Social. “Total exoneration. The USA is very proud of you!!!” It is possible other parts of the report, which remain under seal, could

similar to the community at-large, and topping that list is the need for affordable housing for its airmen to live close to Travis. He said 70% of the nearly 20,000 active, reserve and civilian workforce at the base live in the surrounding communities – and many volunteer their time to those communities.

That workforce represents a gross payroll of $970 million, with an annual expenditure budget of $816 million and a total economic impact of $2.7 billion, the Air Force reported.

And despite having David Grant U.S. Air Force Medical Center on base, a jewel in the Air Force medical inventory, the commander noted health care, the need for child care and spousal work matters are other challenges.

There were

5,379 sorties flown out of Travis in 2022; 36,256 tons of cargo moved; 77.8 million pounds of fuel delivered; and 8,709 passengers airlifted.

The passenger list includes two Peruvian sailors who suffered burns over 70% of their bodies when their ship caught fire during a training near Hawaii, as well as taking then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, with a stopover at Travis. Salmi said in the interview the “missions of hope” mark the work of which he is most proud, including 90,000 pounds

implicate Trump.

Eisen, who was President Barack Obama’s ethics czar and helped lead House Democrats’ first Trump impeachment, noted that Trump’s defense has been that something amiss happened during the 2020 election in Georgia.

“That defense has now been eliminated, not by a prosecutorial adversary but by 23 members of the grand jury who unanimously explained this is their view,” he said.

In the report, grand

of food delivered as part of the base humanitarian missions.

Travis personnel and aircraft are also part of the current earthquake recovery efforts in Turkey. Salmi also noted the involvement Travis has in space. That includes delivering an $84 million French satellite to Space X. The satellite will record and track global water resources and ocean levels. The base also has supported missions involving the James Webb Space Telescope.

The program carried a general theme of “Leveraging our Legacy,” so there was an omnipresence of the base history, and plans to celebrate milestones this year.

Among them are the 50th anniversary, in March, of bringing back 600 prisoners of war from Vietnam, many through Travis; the 75th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, in June, and specifically the “Candy Bomber,” Col. Gail Halvorsen, who lived in Solano County. He died Feb. 17. He was 101.

Other celebrations will include, in October, the 50th anniversary of Nickel Grass, when the U.S. delivered weapons and supplies to Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

Perhaps the biggest party, however, will come in July when Travis celebrates the 75th anniversary of the 60th Air Mobility Wing.

jurors wrote that they heard “extensive testimony on the subject of alleged election fraud from poll workers, investigators, technical experts and state of Georgia employees and officials, as well as from persons still claiming that such fraud took place.” But they said they were unanimous in finding “no widespread fraud took place in the Georgia 2020 presidential election that could result in overturning that election.”

Rotarians Dave Dacus of State Farm and Charlotte Rojas of Kaiser Permanente presented awards to students.

Students shook hands with community leaders as they took the stage to receive their honors.

The students who were honored were Maria Abueg (Fairfield High School), Sophia Ammons (Early College High School), Jeimy Alvarez Castillo (Armijo High School), Skylar Craft (Armijo), Valerie Salazar Duran (Fairfield), Brandon Gamboa (Public Safety Academy), Jimmy Green (Fairfield), Jalia Her (Armijo), Pia Nhadine Velasco Ibrahim (Early College), Harbeen Kaur (Public Safety), King Hasanni Leonard (Fairfield), McKenzie Mack (Fairfield PAL Teen Center), Madison Meabon (Public Safety Academy), Rio Willen Melido (Public Safety Academy), Jimmy Mosby (Fairfield PAL), Rocco Palombo (Fairfield PAL), Dean Ramos (Early College), Claudia Vazquez Rodriguez (Matt Garcia Career and College Academy), Damian Romo (Armijo) and Ezekiel Salandanan (Fairfield).

From Page One

protect water reserves.”

As part of the governor’s effort, the state Department of Water Resources and the federal Bureau of Reclamation have submitted a petition to state water regulators seeking an “urgent, temporary change” in water-quality and outflow requirements in the Delta “to ensure the availability of an adequate water supply while also ensuring protection of critical species and the environment.”

The agencies are requesting an easing of requirements that would otherwise mandate larger flows through the estuary.

The aim is to hold back more water in Lake Oroville while also continuing to pump water to reservoirs south of the Delta that supply farmlands as well as Southern California cities that are dealing

with the ongoing shortage of supplies from the shrinking Colorado River.

“In Oroville, we want to conserve storage, and south of the Delta in statemanaged reservoirs, we want to build up storage,” said Karla Nemeth, director of the state Department of Water Resources.

The extreme weather swings over the last two months make this approach necessary, Nemeth said. This approach “provides flexibility for water supplies” if California stays dry in the coming months and achieves a “balance” in managing water while protecting the environment, she said.

Environmental and fishery advocates condemned the state’s approach. They say it will be harmful for such species as chinook salmon, longfin smelt and endangered Delta smelt.

“We are watching the demise of our native fish and wildlife in the Delta in real time,” said Doug

Obegi, a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council. “And it’s these kinds of decisions by the governor and the State Water Board to waive the rules, the rules that we already know are inadequate, that are leading inexorably toward this ecological crisis in the Delta.”

Obegi, along with leaders of The Bay Institute and San Francisco Baykeeper, wrote to the State Water Board last week expressing alarm that state and federal agencies were about to violate minimum flow requirements in the Delta. They were referring to requirements for sufficient flow to keep the saltwater-freshwater boundary near a western point in the estuary after high-flow events, such as the torrential rains in January. The requirements, part of 1995 water-quality standards, call for enough flows through the estuary

to keep salinity at levels that benefit fish including longfin smelt and Delta smelt.

Obegi and the other Delta advocates wrote that this requirement aims to ensure “a more natural outflow pattern of a gradual decline from a peak flow” to prevent declines in fish populations. And they said state and federal agencies have been violating those requirements since Monday.

“Why do we have rules if we’re not going to actually follow them?” Obegi said.

Obegi said the Newsom administration is effectively giving a “get-out-of-jail-free card to allow the state and federal water projects to steal the environment’s water” and send much of it to the agriculture industry in the Central Valley, along with cities.

Parole board denies killer’s bid for freedom

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — A man convicted nearly three decades ago of killing his estranged wife was denied a bid for freedom this week, the District Attorney’s Office reports. Paul A. Estrada, 60, is serving a life sentence for second degree murder and use of deadly weapon.

A parole hearing for Estrada took place Wednesday at California State Prison-Solano.

The parole board heard from a prosecutor from the District Attorney’s Office and from six of

the eight of Ann Michelle (Garay) Estrada’s family members, who objected to Estrada’s release. The board denied parole. Estrada is eligible to petition for parole in seven years.

Estrada was convicted of attacking and killing his estranged wife early May 27, 1992, as she slept with their 2-year-old son. Specifically, he violated a restraining order, broke into the home and bludgeoned his estranged wife with a hand weight, fracturing her skull, and stabbed her with a knife in her heart. He then took their son to Marine World

for the day to mark the boy’s second birthday. Estrada later released the boy to a family friend.

He was sentenced April 5, 1993, to 16 years to life in prison.

Estrada has now been denied parole four times since becoming eligible for consideration in 2006.

The parole board commissioner said Estrada “has not internalized his guilt and the reasons behind his hideous crime” and that Estrada “continues to represent an unreasonable risk to safety of the community,” the District Attorney’s Office reports.

“While Mr. Estrada tried to show the parole board that he has taken classes, read books, etc., in order to understand his motivations for his crime, it was clear to me that he had just ‘gone through the motions,’ and hadn’t truly accepted the gravity and inexcusable nature of what he did to Michelle and her family,” Pedersen said in a prepsred statement. “I agree wholeheartedly with the board in its finding that he remains an unreasonable risk to the community if released and I believe justice was served.”

Survey: Black Californians more likely to experience inequities in health care

A ngeLes Times

Los

LOS ANGELES — More than half of Black Californians said there was a time in the last few years when they thought they would have received better health care if they had belonged to a different racial or ethnic group, according to a report released Thursday.

By comparison, 27% of Latinos, 12% of Asian people and 4% of white people responded the same way, the report said.

The report from the California Health Care Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on health issues in the state, summarized results from a survey that asked more than 1,700 Californians about their views on health equity, health costs, health access, housing, their experience in the health system and more. The results come as lawmakers, health providers and public health agencies grapple with how to explain and curb longtime racial health inequities.

Kristof Stremikis, director of market analysis and insight at the California Health Care Foundation, said he was “not surprised at all” by the report’s findings.

“We’ve known for years that there is unequal treatment within the system and there are certainly unequal outcomes within the system that should be news to absolutely no one at this point,” Stremikis said. “There have been years and years of data points and studies on this very issue . . . it’s deeply and profoundly disappointing.”

The survey also found racial differences in how people interacted with health providers.

Overall, 54% of Californians had experienced at least one negative provider interaction, including 64% of Californians with low incomes and 50% of those with higher incomes, according to the report.

But even when controlling for geographic region, income, gender, language and age, Black Californians were twice as likely as white Californians to report any negative experiences with health care providers in recent years.

Californians were asked about their general experiences with the health care system, including if they ever felt that a doctor or other provider didn’t listen to what they had to say, talked down to them, didn’t treat them with respect or didn’t believe they were telling the truth.

They were also asked if a provider had refused to order a test or treatment they thought they needed, suggested they were personally to blame for a health problem they were experiencing, unfairly prioritized others over them or did not respect their privacy.

The survey found that 69% of Black respondents and 62% of Latinos reported these experiences,

while 48% of white people and 48% of Asian people reported the same.

Black Californians most commonly experienced a health provider not listening to them, assuming something about them without asking or not believing they were telling the truth. Meanwhile, Latinos experienced similar issues to Black people but across all races were more likely to experience a provider blaming them for their health problems.

“After you use statistical methods to hold all of those things constant, race is still an extremely important predictor of someone’s experience with a health care provider and unfortunately there is inequality there,” Stremikis said.

Trust in primary care providers also varied across racial groups. Black Californians were almost twice as likely as white Californians to report that they did not trust their primary care provider’s judgment, according to the survey.

While the majority of Californians surveyed said they were worried about medical debt and health care affordability, the foundation survey found that the level of concern also varied by race.

More than half of Latinos and 48% of Black people surveyed said they had medical debt, compared with 28% of white people and 27% of Asian people. The survey also found that 40% of Latinos experienced problems paying for medical bills, compared with 36% of Black people, 20% of white people and 17% of Asian people.

Black and Latino people were more likely to skip medical and dental care altogether because of the cost, the survey found.

In the last year, 55% of Black people and 49% of Latinos skipped dental care or check-ups due to costs.

Compared to other races, Black Californians more often skipped dental care, postponed medical treatment

Rescue

From Page A5

surgery to repair the two vertebrae she’d fractured in her neck.

After the procedure, Woroniecki’s nurses checked on her every few hours.

“Can you move your hands?” they would ask. “Can you move your feet?”

For three days, she couldn’t move anything.

But on Dec. 30, she lifted herself off the bed –and, with the help of her nurses, took her first steps since the fall.

“It was definitely deeply grateful, deeply full of joy,” Woroniecki said.

She’ll have to wear the neck brace for about

or cut pills in half and skipped doses of medication due to costs. Cost concerns caused Latinos to more often skip recommended medical tests or not fill a prescription. The survey found 31% of both Black and Latino Californians postponed getting mental health treatment due to costs, while Asian people were least likely to skip treatments for that reason.

Two-thirds of Black people and 53% of Latinos reported that postponing treatment due to costs led to their conditions getting worse, compared with 47% of white people and 35% of Asian people.

Dr. David Carlisle, president of Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Willowbrook, said the survey results were unsurprising. But he said in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis in 2020, more people became “attuned to issues of discrimination, prejudice and disparities” in communities and in the health care system.

He said California has made progress by expanding access to Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, and signing people up for various health insurance plans. But people are still having trouble accessing care and needed medications because their coverage does not go far enough to cover costs, he said.

Carlisle said people seeking treatment often think that they’re covered, “only to discover that they’re not covered as well as they thought they were” when a bill arrives. He said it’s common for patients worried about the cost of a copay to skip getting their medication.

“It’s like people are taking a quilt, and they’re pulling it from every corner and stretching it out,” Carlisle said. “As a result, more and more people are falling through the cracks.”

Police

From Page A4

Jan. 24. During the latter of the two, witnesses reported the men involved “grabbed and threatened to shoot an employee while demanding money from the cashiers,” the police said. The California

Checks

From Page A3

government spending bill allocations had been previously reported, and now U.S. Rep. John Garamendi delivered the checks.

Law

From Page A5

now more than ever that workers are being victimized by wage theft, by illegal practices at work, by employers that quite frankly brazenly break the law.”

five more weeks, being careful about not moving it too much. Feeling still hasn’t returned to the left side of her head, which now bears a scar from her stitches.

But on Tuesday, in her most recent follow-up appointment, Woroniecki learned that the alignment in her spine is looking right. It was a relief, she said, to hear good news as her healing continues. She doesn’t know when she’ll hike again. But she does know she wants to share her story, hoping others are inspired by the strong faith and kindness of others that helped her along the way.

“You just reevaluate everything and what matters in life – the moments, the times,” she said.

Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Apprehension Team helped in locating Holmes, who police said was at a relative’s apartment in San Leandro. No cases had been filed against either Muzio or Holmes as of late Thursday afternoon, according to online court records.

“I was pleased to work with Solano Transportation Authority and Solano County Family Health Services to secure this new federal support to reduce traffic congestion on I-80 and improve healthcare services throughout Solano County,” Garamendi said in a statement.

It’s unclear what will happen in the case next. California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office, which represented the state in the case, could petition for the case to be taken up by a larger, 11-judge “en banc” panel of 9th Circuit judges, or could seek to have it taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times/TNS file (2021)

People receive the Covid-19 vaccine at Lincoln Memorial Congregational Church UCC in Leimert Park in 2021.

Giants, A’s spring into training, and it’s about time

Dieter Kurtenbach

BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

Folks, welcome to baseball season. I, for one, couldn’t be more excited.

Pitchers and catchers are officially reporting to spring training this week,. The A’s arrived Wednesday and the Giants did so Thursday.

We are only a matter of days away from games featuring neverto-be-heard-from-again players wearing Nos. 83 and 67. That’s the good stuff. It’s also when the reality that the 2023 season is truly upon us will hit.

In the meantime, let’s celebrate the fact that two offseasons from hell in the Bay are over. Let’s lean into this optimism a bit.

It can’t hurt, right?

The new face of the franchise

We’re now nine years separated from the Giants’ last World

COMMENTARY

Series win.

Yes, Brandon Crawford is still at shortstop, but Brandon Belt is a Blue Jay, Buster Posey is a part-owner, Hunter Pence is in the broadcast booth, Madison Bumgarner is hanging with his horses (I suppose he also pitches for the Diamondbacks), and no one can really tell us where Tim Lincecum is.

Also, the baseball is no longer dead, pitchers don’t hit anymore, the Padres spend money, and the Giants will open up the 2023 season in New York . . . against the Yankees.

Some things have changed, my friends. It was time to emotionally move on from that era of greatness a long time ago, but that transition finally feels like it is here, in no small part because the team has a new lead voice.

Rodriguez girls fall, Dixon rolls on in high school soccer playoffs

FAIRFIELD — The last two northern Solano County high school girls soccer teams in the SacJoaquin Section playoffs had split results Wednesday night in their division quarterfinal matchups.

Rodriguez lost on the road in Loomis 1-0 to Del Oro in Division II. Dixon rallied for a 4-3 win in Galt against Liberty Ranch in Division IV. For Rodriguez, a tight defensive showdown was broken when Ella Hyde of Del Oro scored in the second half off of an assist from Izzy Scott. The Mustangs finished the season 9-3-2 and head coach Jeffrey Herman was thrilled with the late-season performance of his team.

"This Rodriguez team performed better in the playoffs than any team in Rodriguez history," Herman said in an email.

Vanden, Rodriguez, Vacaville Christian win in boys playoffs

M att Miller MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Vanden High School’s boys basketball team needed a half of basketball Wednesday night to really put away visiting Casa Roble before pulling away for a 55-37 win in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III tournament.

INSIDE

Girls basketball results from opening round matches on Tuesday. Page B2.

day to Loomis and came away with the upset victory. The road journey continues Friday night with a trip to Shingles Springs to take on No. 6 Ponderosa.

INSIDE

Boys soccer results from opening round matches on Tuesday. Page B2.

"I am beyond proud of the season we had and honored to coach for the Mustangs. This year we surprised a lot of teams and we seemed to get better and better as the season progressed."

Rodriguez reached the quarterfinals by winning Monday at Tracy in the first round. The score was 1-1 after two overtimes in that game before the Mustangs won the penalty kick shootout 4-3.

Dixon kept its season alive by scoring three second half goals. The Rams trailed 2-1 at halftime before outscoring Liberty Ranch 3-1 in the second half. Dixon (17-4-1) will now head Friday to top-ranked Placer for a semifinal match in Auburn.

Rodriguez and Vacaville Christian were the other big winners Wednesday night. Vacaville, Dixon and Rio Vista were all eliminated from their division tournaments with first round defeats.

The No. 14 Mustangs’ run has been nothing short of magical after winning twice this week, including Tuesday’s 56-55 upset win in Division II over No. 3 Del Oro. Rodriguez (17-12) is the lowest seed of the quarterfinalists in Division II and the only play-in winner

to advance.

For Vanden, the Vikings held a 29-23 lead before outscoring the Rams 26-14 in the second half. The Division III top seed (20-9) earned a quarterfinal matchup at home Friday night against No. 9 East Union of Manteca. “They were tough and gritting,” Vanden head coach Micheal Holloway said by telephone of Casa Roble, “but we held them to 14 points in the second half. We switched up our defense and I think we just wore them down.”

Sterling McClanahan led the Vikings with a game-high 23 points.

Edric Dennis added 10.

For Rodriguez, the Mustangs made the 66-mile drive Wednes-

Despite the 66-mile drive from Fairfield to Loomis, the Mustangs got off to a great start and led 21-7 after the first quarter. Del Oro outscored Rodriguez 19-12 in the second quarter and 16-9 in the third to tie it 42-42 going into the final period.

Jerel Victor led the Mustangs with 29 points and 10 rebounds. KJ Franklin had 10 points and five rebounds. Joe Gould also contributed six points, five rebounds and seven assists.

“It wasn’t a last second shot that won it,” Rodriguez head coach Jaquree Sankey said in a text message. “We made some big

See Boys, Page B6

Strong northern Solano County field competing in Section Masters wrestling

Daily r epublic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Northern Solano County will be represented by 27 boys and nine girls who will compete at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters wrestling tournaments beginning Friday at the Stockton Arena.

The competition in both events will feature the very best the section has to offer. The top six individuals in each weight class advance to the CIF State Wrestling Championship Feb. 23-25 in

Bakersfield.

The Vacaville boys will battle for a team championship after winning the Division II title last week at Laguna Creek High School in Elk Grove.

Vacaville has qualifiers in all 14 weight classes with Elijah Almarinez (106 pounds), Wyatt Sandoval (113), Landen Borchers (120), Casey Roberts (126), Isaac Padilla (132), Qusai Marini (138), Aydan Ducharme (145), Arjun Nagra (152), Carson Howell (160), Caleb Borchers (170), Thomas Sandoval (182),

Brady Wight (195), Jai Guerra (220) and Pablo Lopez (285) representing the Bulldogs.

Armijo offers up Manuel Khangab Jr. (113), Justice Grimmitt (182) and Kendrick Salcido (285) in the competition. Rodriguez features Samuel Goodwin (120), Gilberto Rodriguez (152), Munther Saleh (170) and Deven Lakhan (285). Jimmy Green (220) and King Leonard (285) will represent Fairfield.

Will C. Wood has Timothy Ahn (106), Andres Maldonado (126)

What’s new in NASCAR heading into the Daytona 500?

John cherwa

LOS ANGELES TIMES

NASCAR continues its unique position in the sports landscape Sunday when it holds its biggest event at the beginning, rather than the end, of its season with the running of the 65th Daytona 500. Wait, you say, isn’t this the 75th anniversary of NASCAR? Indeed, it is, but more on that later.

Daytona isn’t even the first 500mile stock-car race because the Southern 500 at Darlington preceded it. But it was on the sands of Daytona Beach, Fla., that Bill France Sr. started an auto racing circuit where drivers were in cars that looked and acted like the ones

people drove to work, except faster.

Some even drove their race cars to the track in the beginning.

There is little stock in stock car racing now. The cars are precision crafted and tested and cost a quarter-million to more than a halfmillion dollars. Since the cars can wreck, the big teams have plenty of extra motors and bodies.

Speaking of teams, the little single-car guy is at a disadvantage because there are 17 teams on the circuit, including Hendricks Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing, which have four cars each, the maximum allowed by NASCAR. In addition to the research and development

and Vaea Salt (195) competing. Tyler Morey (152) of Dixon also qualified. In the girls competition, Rodriguez has Citlali Curiel (126), Eliza Goodwin (131) and Annilynn Martinez (150) who all qualified at last week's north regional tournament in Natomas. Armijo has Karissa McDaniel (101) and Grace Mercado (189). Will C. Wood offers up Sophia Villoria (101), Levi Crabtree (116), Madison Devalle (121), Josie Mays (131) and DJ Emerson (189).

pluses, drivers from the same team often help their partners in drafting, pushing and blocking situations. So, what makes this season different? Here are a few expected storylines in this year’s version of NASCAR.

NASCAR’s 75th season

It won’t take long before the constant mention of the 75th season will start to sound like an old LP with a scratch in it. NASCAR has a few tricks, including the unveiling of its 75 greatest drivers, a 25-person addition from the list they did 25 years ago. Even something as fan-friendly

See Spring, Page B6 See Racing, Page B6

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic

Vanden High School’s Luka Radovanovic, center, shoots the ball during the boys basketball playoff game against Casa Roble at Vanden in Fairfield, Wednesday. The Vikings earned a 55-37 win in the Division IV opener.

James Gilbert/Getty Images/TNS

Ty Gibbs, driver of the No. 54 Monster Energy/Interstate Batteries Toyota, looks on during qualifying for the Busch Light Pole at Daytona International Speedway, Wednesday.

CALENDAR

Friday’s TV sports

Baseball College

• Alabama vs. UCLA, ESPN2, 1 p.m.

Basketball College Men

• Dayton at Loyola Chicago, ESPN2, 4 p.m.

NBA

• All-Star Celebrity Game, ESPN, 4 p.m.

• Jordan Rising Stars Game, TNT, 6 p.m.

Golf

• Champions, Chubb Classic, GOLF, 9 a.m.

• PGA, The Genesis Invitational, GOLF, 1 p.m.

• DP World, Thailand Classic, GOLF, 9:30 p.m.

Hockey

NHL

• L.A. Kings at Anaheim, ESPN, 6 p.m.

Saturday’s TV sports

Basketball College Men

• Notre Dame at Virginia, ESPN2, 9 a.m.

• Illinois at Indiana, ESPN, 9 a.m.

• Seton Hall at Connecticut, 2, 40, 9 a.m.

• Saint Joseph’s at Davidson, USA, 9:30 a.m.

• Tennessee at Kentucky, 5, 13, 10 a.m.

• Iowa State at Kansas State, ESPN, 11 a.m.

• Florida at Arkansas, ESPN2, 11 a.m.

• Fordham at Virginia Commonwealth, USA, 11:30 a.m.

• Baylor at Kansas, ESPN, 1 p.m.

• Southern at Grambling, ESPN2, 1 p.m.

• Villanova at Providence, 2, 40, 1:30 p.m.

• Duke at Syracuse, ESPN, 3 p.m.

• Texas A&M at Missouri, ESPN2, 3 p.m.

• Pepperdine at Gonzaga, NBASBA, 4 p.m.

• Colorado at Arizona, ESPN2, 5 p.m.

• Michigan State at Michigan, 2, 40, 5 p.m.

• BYU at Saint Mary’s, ESPN2, 7 p.m.

College Women

• Army at. Lafayette, NBCSBA, 11 a.m.

• UConn at Villanova, 2, 40, 11:30 a.m.

• BYU at San Francisco, NBCSBA, 2 p.m.

NBA

• All-Star Saturday Night, TNT, 5 p.m.

Football XFL

• Dallas at Vegas, 7, 10, Noon.

• Houston at Tampa Bay, ESPN, 5:30 p.m.

Golf

• PGA, Genesis Invitational, GOLF, 10 a.m.

• PGA, Genesis Invitational, 5, 13, Noon.

• Champions, Chubb Classic, GOLF, Noon.

• DP World, Thailand Classic, GOLF, 9:30 p.m.

Hockey NHL

• Washington at Carolina, 7, 10, 5 p.m.

• Buffalo at San Jose, NBCSCA, 7:30 p.m.

Soccer EPL

• Aston Villa at Arsenal, USA, 4:30 a.m.

• Nottingham at Manchester City, USA, 7 a.m.

• Newcastle at Liverpool, 3, 9:30 a.m.

Vacaville, Rio Vista, Dixon advance in boys soccer playoffs

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Alex

Verdugo scored twice and Elias Ordonez added another as the Vacaville High School boys soccer team earned a 3-0 playoff win Tuesday night at home over Lodi.

Vacaville came in ranked No. 4 in the SacJoaquin Section Division II playoffs and were able to extinguished the No. 13 Flames with a shutout. The Bulldogs improved to 16-2 overall and were set for a quarterfinal matchup Thursday night back at Tom Zunino Stadium against No. 5 Cosumnes Oaks of Elk Grove.

Dixon picked up a 2-0 win Tuesday over Liberty Ranch in Division IV to advance.

Rio Vista defeated Colfax 3-0 in Division VI and will move on. Armijo fell to Rio Americano 4-0 in Division II and Will C. Wood lost to Vista del Lago 3-0 in Division III to face elimination.

Verdugo scored two first-half goals to give Vacaville a 2-0 lead at halftime. Christian Brenes ran through the Lodi defense in the second half and sent a cross to the back post that Ordonez was able to put away for the third score.

Vacaville head coach Tony Bussard said Monticello Empire League MVP Nathan Beltran

HOCKEY

controlled the midfield. The Bulldogs' defense was led by Max Galeano, Elijah Cline and Edwin Castaneda. Goalkeeper Colby Moore also saved a penalty kick late in the game to earn the shutout.

"The Vaca boys came ready to play this evening," Bussard said in an email. "It was very cold but the boys were on fire. It was super enjoyable for the fans."

Dixon improved to 11-7-2 overall and earned a date Thursday night in the Division IV quarterfinals at No. 3 Kimball of Tracy. The Rams were the No. 11 seed and came away with the upset in Galt against No. 6 Liberty Ranch.

No. 4 Rio Vista headed right to the semifinals in Division VI with a scheduled matchup Thursday at top-seed Denair . The Rams are now 12-3-3 after the victory over No. 5 Colfax.

For Armijo, the 16thseed Royals allowed goals to four different Rio Americano scorers in the Division II match. The top-seeded Raiders also got two saves from goalkeeper Nate Heron. The Armijo boys completed the season 10-11 overall.

No. 14 Wood allowed a first half goal and two others in the second half to No. 3 seed Vista del Lago in its Division III loss in Folsom.

overall.

BASKETBALL NBA

Vanden, Wood girls basketball teams net wins in playoff debuts

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Vanden High School girls basketball team opened the playoffs Tuesday night just like they had been playing in the Monticello Empire League, rolling to an 88-13 win over visiting Casa Roble.

Vanden overpowered it MEL foes all season and earned the top-seed in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs. A late arrival by the 16thseed Casa Roble delayed the game 30 minutes but after the first eight minutes on the floor, it was over. Vanden was up 21-2.

"I was a little concerned the late start might leave us with no energy," Vanden co-head coach Jake Johnson said, "but it had no effect whatsoever."

COLLEGE

In other action, Will C. Wood enjoyed a 57-39 win Tuesday over El Dorado, also in Division III. The Rodriguez girls lost in Division II to top-seed Christian Brothers 71-27, the Vacaville girls lost in Division II to No. 2 Vista del Lago 69-41, Dixon lost in Division IV to No. 2 Calaveras 68-22, and Rio Vista lost to No. 5 Millennium in Division V. Vanden had a 45-4 lead at halftime and followed it up with a 31-4 run in the third quarter for a 76-8 lead. All 15 Vikings saw action, including four players who were called up from the junior varsity squad for the playoffs.

Alyssa Jackson led the Vikings with 21 points. Jackson was recently named the three-time MVP of the MEL. Kalyn Harris and Jakayla Gilmber had

10 points apiece.

Jaylen

Kuehnel added eight.

Vanden improved to 22-7 overall. The Vikings were scheduled Thursday night to host No. 8 Pioneer of Woodland in the quarterfinals.

Wood was the No. 5 seed in Division III and had its own strong start in defeating visiting El Dorado. The Wildcats finished the first quarter with a 13-4 lead.

Athena Brombacher led Wood with 26 points and was 10 of 13 from the field. Natalie Sanchez had 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Wildcats, now 16-9 overall, were scheduled Thursday night to play at No. 4 Kimball of Tracy in the Division III quarterfinals.

Vacaville was No. 18 in Division II and had a slow start on the road at Vista del Lago. The Bull-

dogs trailed 21-4 after the first quarter and couldn't make it up.

Brynlie Headrick led the Bulldogs with 21 points and Allyssa Shafer had nine. The Bulldogs finished the season 15-11 after playing their way into the first round of the tournament with a 56-49 play-in win Monday over Lodi.

Rodriguez had the 16th seed in Division II and drew top-ranked Christian Brothers. The Mustangs finished up 11-18 overall and played their way into the first round with Monday's 45-44 win over Granite Bay.

Dixon was No. 15 in Division IV and couldn't slow No. 2 Calaveras. The Rams finished the season 15-13 overall. Rio Vista was No. 12 and fell to Millennium to finish the season 8-11.

Solano women’s basketball secure decisive win against Contra Costa

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

ROCKVILLE — The Solano Community College women's basketball team maintained a steady lead and closed strong Wednesday night in a 70-55 win over Contra Costa in San Pablo.

Solano was up 53-37 after three quarters and finished with a 17-8 advantage in the final period. The Falcons are 18-9 overall and 11-2 in the Bay Valley Conference.

The regular season finale is Friday night at Los Medanos in Pittsburg.

Julia Wright led the Falcons with 12 points and eight rebounds in the win over Contra Costa. Jaslyn Woods scored 11. Genesis ErnieHamilton contributed 11 points and eight rebounds.

Solano clinched second place in the BVC behind unbeaten Lane. The regional playoffs begin next week.

Solano baseball plays the hits in win over De Anza

ROCKVILLE — Dylan Snider hit a three-run home run and Conner Ross delivered a two-run shot as the Solano Community College baseball team enjoyed a 9-6 victory Thursday afternoon over host De Anza in Cupertino. The Falcons collected 14 hits in the win and improved to 4-7 overall. The two teams meet again at 1 p.m. Saturday at Solano. Ross finished 4-for-5 at the plate with his home run, a double and two RBIs. Miles Meadows and

Victor Vega had three hits apiece. Meadows doubled in the game and Vega drove in a run.

Joshua Petrill pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits, four unearned runs and two walks to go with three strikeouts. Jacob Reguera and Dylan Trammell worked in relief.

Solano gave up 10 runs in the first two innings Tuesday to host Skyline and could never recover in a 16-9 loss in Oakland. Solano did manage to collect 12 hits for the nine runs. Ross went 3-for-4 with a double, home run and four RBIs to lead the Falcons' offense. Snider had two hits and drove in two runs. Kevin Parker was also 2-for-3 and James Larson doubled.

Joseph Guttmann pitched one inning of scoreless relief.

Kings’ Murray seeking out All-Star fun

JaSon a nDeRSon THE SACRAMENTO BEE

Kings rookie Keegan Murray will take his place among the NBA’s best young players in the Jordan Rising Stars tournament Friday at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City.

Four teams comprised of NBA rookies, sophomores and G League players will compete in a three-game tournament as part of NBA All-Star Weekend. The games will be broadcast live on TNT.

Murray was recently asked what he expects from the weekend.

“Just to have fun,” Murray said. “It’s just a time away from competitive basketball, I guess, to just be away and hang out with my family. It’s something I’m excited about when I get there. . . . I don’t even know what to expect, so I’m just going in there with a clear head and just

trying to have a good time before I head back here.”

Former NBA All-Stars Pau Gasol, Deron Williams and Joakim Noah will serve as honorary coaches for the rookie-sophomore teams. Jason Terry, a Utah Jazz assistant who once coached the G League’s Grand Rapids Gold, will

lead the G League team.

Gasol, Williams and Noah selected their teams in the Rising Stars draft Feb. 7. Gasol selected Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year, with the No. 1 pick. Williams selected Magic forward

Franz Wagner with the No. 2 pick and Noah chose Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley with the third pick.

Team Pau selected Murray with the 18th overall pick in the Rising Stars draft. Murray will be part of a loaded sevenman squad featuring Banchero, Indiana Pacers shooting guard Bennedict Mathurin, Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey, Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado and Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard. All three games in the Rising Stars tournament will be played Friday. The two semifinal games will be played to a final target score of 40, meaning each game will end on a made basket or a free throw. The winners of those two contests will face each other in the championship game with a target score of 25.

Hector Amezcua/The Sacramento Bee/TNS file (2022) Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) drives to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0), Oct. 9, 2022.

Columns&Games

Is it too late now to say I’m sorry for the way I handled things?

Dear Annie: I was in a long-distance relationship with a girl for several months. The relationship ended at my insistence and in the most cowardly way possible: a text. I have wrestled with the shame of that for quite some time. I have also wrestled with whether or not to reach out to her and apologize. The biggest problem is that this was 12 years ago.

Annie Lane Dear Annie

I don’t wish to reconnect to try and get back together but rather to apologize for the immature, nay, dirtbag way I ended things. This has bugged me off and on for years. I did not give her the respect that she deserved. At this point, is it selfish to reach out and attempt this? What I do not want is to cause distress or anger on her part. Last I heard, she was married and happy as far as I could tell. — Torn in the Midwest

Dear Torn: It’s long been said that time heals all wounds, and after a decade-plus, I’m sure this woman has completely recovered from the damage you caused 12 years ago. That said, everyone appreciates an apology when they’ve been wronged. This has weighed on you many times over many years, and reaching out in the form of a letter or an email could serve as a

final dose of closure for you both.

Poet Nikki Giovanni once said: “Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts.” Keep any correspondence to this woman brief and don’t expect any sort of reply. Better late than never.

Dear Annie: I’ve noticed that you often, if not always, tell your readers to try counseling. I thought it might be helpful if your readers heard from a believer.

I spent some time in counseling during the late stages of my marriage and the early stages of my divorce. The best part of counseling for me was that no matter what I told my therapist, I knew she had heard worse from someone else, so I wasn’t embarrassed to tell her everything she needed to know to help me. She was not invested in my real life, so she wasn’t predisposed to picking sides, like what happens when you vent to a family member. You can tell them everything. She listened and walked me through the process of accepting my faults and encouraging and cheering me on when I started making good choices.

Sadly, as it sometimes happens, she left the practice that accepts my insurance. I was scheduled with a new therapist, but I didn’t like her, so

Horoscopes by Holiday Mathis

You do not have a sheltered view of the world. You have been in the mix of it, and you know the frailty of the human condition. You do not desire a pristine version of reality, but to find peace in the one you know.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20).

Sensitivities are up. Handle it practically. For instance, snacks for the irritably hungry, efficiency for the rushed, reasonable expectations set for children and those who act like them, mindfulness of tone for all.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21).

You’ll start the work before you feel like starting. Once the creativity kicks in you can do no wrong. The messes are not mistakes; rather, they are building materials, remixes or problems to be solved.

CANCER (June 22-July 22).

You’re not getting what you want out of a situation. You now have the option of leaving, changing what you want or recalibrating. In any case, getting distance from the scene will be key to making the right decision for you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You feel stumped, but it’s a better place to be than thinking you know it all. You’ll find solace in the things that have no ultimate answers, like love, beauty and other things with value that

Daily Cryptoquotes

You’ll be met by bright-eyed smiles and the spark of connection in like minds. Knowing that influence matters immensely, you’re more careful with what comes into your life, from news to friends to food. You’ll be inspired by noble qualities then embody them. You’re offered a sense of belonging and offer it to others in return. Taurus and Gemini adore you. Your lucky numbers are:

linger in unresolve.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).

Your domestic life is in a state of flux, and consequently so are you . . . until you get out of the house. You will notice immediately that you seem to be someone different – someone who will calm and solve all.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).

You may discover that you have been right all along, only to understand that you were also wrong for most of it, and the contradictory foolishness of attempting to stay on either side of the equation is straightup pointless.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).

You are careful in love and

they moved me to another therapist. I didn’t realize switching was an option if I didn’t click with my appointed therapist. I kept changing until I found one I was comfortable with.

I’m sure there are others who don’t know they can change either. When I eventually stopped going to counseling, I took the basic tools I learned with me – coping skills, grounding techniques, the knowledge that sometimes I need to make myself get off the couch but sometimes it is OK to stop and allow myself to cry. My time in counseling was short. The list of basic tools I took away from it is endless. — A Believer Dear Believer: Thank you for your perspective. Oftentimes, people expect counseling to be an automatic cure-all, and they are disappointed when they don’t have immediate “breakthroughs.” As you say in your letter, sometimes it takes a hefty amount of work to even find the right therapist. Once that happens, it takes even more work to identify your obstacles and build the skills to cope with them. My message to readers is to push through that frustration. If you want to make a change, you will have to put in the work. The payoff will be priceless. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@ creators.com.

relationships. You pace things well, knowing that if things happen too fast, you might miss the cues that let you know how everyone is feeling. You’ll manage expectations as you go.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21). In the noisy world, the way to be heard is to be distinct so others can differentiate your voice from the others. Remind yourself and everyone else what makes you unique and look for new ways to highlight it.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19). You are handed a piece of the puzzle, though you’re not sure where it goes. You will tune into the shape of it and try to fit it here and there to no avail. No need to force it. The space will soon open for the perfect fit.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 18). Some renounce earthly indulgences to loosen the bodily attachment to the physical world and free the true self. It won’t work for you today. Denying pleasure will mute instead of liberate you. So, enjoy fully what can.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Love is wanting to be the best version of yourself for the other person. You’ll have the sensation of interests quite naturally aligning as you slowly become entirely invested in each other’s success.

Word Sleuth

Crossword by Phillip Alder

Bridge

HE FLOATED OUT OF BED

On some days we babble to anyone who will listen how glad we are to be alive. On others, though, we mutter darkly about wishing we had stayed in bed. Why is this? Biorhythms?

Genetics? Planetary alignment? Who knows? But on today’s deal, the wind was blowing favorably for

North-South – and for South in particular. It occurred during the match between Poland and Iceland at the 1963 European Championships in Baden-Baden, West Germany. Something went badly astray with the Polish auction. Let’s leave speculation and fact in the mists of antiquity. If West leads the club king, even four spades will be defeated. East, after winning trick two with his ace, plays a third round of clubs, and West must collect two trump tricks. However, against a slam, West wasn’t going to be so brazen as to lead from king-doubleton, especially as it was dummy’s first-bid suit. West, thinking that he had two trump tricks coming, sought safety in his heart sequence. Declarer won with his ace, ruffed a heart in the dummy and cashed the three top diamonds, discarding his two club losers. Next came a club ruff, a heart ruff, a club ruff and a heart ruff, bringing everyone down to four cards. West and South had only trumps remaining. Declarer led a club from the dummy and ruffed with the spade eight. West overruffed with the nine, but now he had to lead away from his Q-10-7 into South’s A-K-J. Six spades bid and made! Is it fair to say that the South Pole was hot that day?

COPYRIGHT: 2023, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

Sudoku by Wayne Gould

HE FLOATED OUT OF BED On some days we babble to anyone who will listen how glad we are to be alive. On others, though, we mutter darkly about wishing we had stayed in bed. Why is this? Biorhythms? Bridge Here’s how to work it: WORD SLEUTH ANSWER

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 grid contains the digits 1 through 9, with no repeats. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box. Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com

creators.com

Difficulty level: SILVER

by

©

ARIES (March 21-April 19).

Today’s birthday

English digs into history, fallacies of ‘The War on Drugs’ in podcast

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

ATLANTA — The phrase “war on drugs” was invented by Richard Nixon in 1971 and has retained its power for five decades. But if this is a war, is there an actual winner or just a whole lot of losers?

That’s the premise behind a new podcast “The War on Drugs” that features Atlanta comic and actor Clayton English and attorney Greg Glod.

Over 10 episodes, the podcast explores the fallacies and misconceptions stemming from a bruising battle that has often penalized victims as much if not more than the protagonists. The result: broken families and millions in prison.

The pairing of English and Glod is not an obvious one.

Glod, a fellow at Americans for Prosperity Senior Criminal Justice and advisor to Stand

Together on Criminal Justice and Drug Reform, first hooked up with podcast company Lava for Good to do this podcast. They needed a co-host and approached English, a “Last Comic Standing” winner who has addressed the war on drugs in his comedy.

“I’m a policy nerd,” said Glod, who is based in Washington, D.C. “We needed someone with a lived experience. Clayton’s act was hilarious and thought provoking. He grew up in the inner city and his interactions with the police were different from mine. My dad was a cop. I grew up in a white suburb. But we get along and understand the issues coming from different sides. We make each other laugh.”

In each of the 10 episodes, the pair interviews experts and historians. English is like a surrogate for the listener, asking questions from a layman’s viewpoint, while Glod provides an insider’s view on how criminal justice and drugs are intertwined.

“This isn’t a war on drugs,” English said. “This is a war on people . . . I’ve been pulled over and harassed by the police. I

Daily Cryptoquotes

FIND IT

smoke weed. I’m ducking and dodging every day. This podcast makes sense. I just love learning stuff. I would probably seek out this information anyway in a documentary or a podcast I wasn’t a part of.”

The opening episode shows the war on drugs precedes the name itself, outlining how Harry Aslinger, the first commissioner of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Federal Bureau of Narcotics, fueled the false narrative of “reefer madness.”

Aslinger focused his animus on racial and immigrant groups, specifically targeting jazz musicians like Billie Holiday.

“He weaponized this woman’s addiction,” English said. “Just demonized her for the drug thing all because she was a little powerful.”

Over the years, “if you have a minority group you want to oppress or suppress,” English added, “assign a drug to them. Look at crack cocaine in the 1980s.”

There is a discussion of mandatory minimum sentences, which ended up incarcerating millions who may have only carried a minor amount of drugs. There is another podcast episode focused on how hundreds of thousands of Americans are still in prison for pot possession when so many states have fully legalized marijuana.

They interviewed a man who has been in prison nearly a quarter century despite the fact he didn’t technically have any drugs on him when the cops arrested him but was imprisoned based on testimony of a criminal trying to reduce his own time in prison.

“It’s crazy people are currently incarcerated for things that others are making millions in profits off of,” Glod said.

“This man was only harming himself with his prior drug use,” English said.

One episode has a specific Atlanta focus: a talk with comic Eric Andre, who was stopped in 2021 by Clayton County police before boarding an airplane at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport as they were seeking illegal contraband in what is dubbed “civil asset forfeiture,” which gives police wide berth to seize any property allegedly connected to a crime.

When English heard about André’s incident, he reached out to his friend to tell him of a similar experience he had a few months earlier.

The two last year sued Clayton County and its police department for this “jet bridge interdiction program,” claiming racial profiling, which Clayton County has denied.

Glod hopes if the podcast does well, they have plenty of ideas for a second season. “We want to explore solutions and what’s happening now in places like Switzerland and in Oregon, where there is a drug decriminalization experiment going on,” he said.

Sadly, he said, there are few signs this “war on drugs” is ending any time soon.

“It’s too big to fail at this point,” Glod said. “There is too much money and manpower wrapped up in the drug war. There’s a bill in Arizona trying to give the death penalty for those who provide fentanyl to someone else. It’s the same [expletive] stuff that has not worked in the past.”

He noted that fentanyl is the hottest drug and illegal pills are flowing in from Mexico and China. At the same time, politicians still feel pressure to be “tough on crime,” even if it means punishing addicts.

“I want to get the dialogue going,” English said. “People need to call their congressmen, their governor if things aren’t working. If enough people get upset, things can get done.”

Word Sleuth

Crossword by Phillip Alder

Bridge

THE SIMPLE CAN BE SUBTLE

“I hate the cold of winter,” grumbled the Senior Life Master.

“Why don’t you migrate to Florida?” asked someone.

I will answer that question for you, young man (began the SLM). Here, look at this deal. Some 40 years ago, I had

gone to Florida for a couple of weeks in February. On the beach one day, I met a truly beautiful young woman, Blanche Sandys. You can imagine my feelings when I discovered she was a keen bridge player and would have a game with me at the local club. However, it turned out that her ambition was much greater than her ability. She gave us one bad result after another. That deal was the final straw. She did well not to pass out seven spades, but in seven no-trump Blanche won the first trick with the diamond jack, cashed the spade king and played a second spade to my ace almost before I had had a chance to write down the contract in my scorecard. When the spades broke 3-1, she couldn’t recover. As you have noticed, I am sure, she should have played a spade to the ace and a spade back to her king. If they break 2-2, she claims. However, when they split 3-1, she must fall back on the clubs. She plays a club to dummy’s jack, cashes the king, returns to hand with a diamond and takes the club ace. When they divide 3-3, she has 13 tricks. Much as I was physically attracted to Blanche, I knew we couldn’t be bridge partners for life. I returned north with so much pain in my heart that I determined never again to winter in Florida.

COPYRIGHT: 2023, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

Sudoku by Wayne Gould

Bridge

Difficulty level: GOLD Fill

Yesterday’s solution:

CAN BE

That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box. Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com

“The War on Drugs” is available on various podcast platforms including Apple, Google and Spotify.

Arvin Temka/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS file (2022)

Actors and comedians Eric André, left, and Clayton English stand in front of the Richard B. Russell federal courthouse during a press conference in Atlanta, Oct. 11, 2022.

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Bryan Cranston’s acting range has taken him from inept dad on FOX’s “Malcolm in the Middle” to menacing meth dealer in AMC’s “Breaking Bad.”

Now, he’s thinking out loud about playing a Texas icon – Willie Nelson.

In a recent interview, NME posed the question: Is there a musician or rock star you’d like to play in a biopic?

“Willie Nelson comes to mind,” Cranston replied. “The hair and the beard. I think there’s some physical resemblance. He’s very old and wrinkled, and I can relate to that [laughs]. So I wouldn’t have to wear a lot of makeup.”

It’s not all about looks, Cranston said.

“Willie’s had a fascinating career – as a writer and as a performer, and as a free speech person, being anti-war and on the forefront of hemp [culture],” Cranston said.

“That’s kind of interesting to me, even though I don’t vibe with that stuff. I don’t like smoking, it just doesn’t do it for me.”

Last month at the Sundance Film Festival, a five-part documentary, “Willie Nelson and Family,” told Nelson’s story with interviews and archival footage.

Directors Thom Zimny and Oren Moverman told Variety that Nelson was also open to the prospect of a narrative feature about him.

“He’s had time to reflect over the pandemic,” Moverman said. “He’s been very careful. He’s almost 90 years old. He lost his sister, who

was 91, recently. She’s in the movie and she’s a huge part of his life.

“So he believes in a lot of inspiring things, and he is a big reincarnation guy. He’s seeing something right now that makes sense to him, and I think he’s very open to a biopic.”

This year is a landmark one for Nelson.

Nelson will turn 90 in April and plans a two-day all-star celebration at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. In March, he’ll release a studio album, “I Don’t Know a Thing About Love.”

This month, he was announced as one of 14 nominees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He also won Grammy Awards for best country album for “A Beautiful Time” and country solo performance for “Live Forever.”

Cranston has been busy, too. He and former co-star Aaron Paul got together again as their “Breaking Bad” characters recently for a Super Bowl ad for PopCorners.

Cranston is also reprising his role as a New Orleans judge gone bad in Showtime’s “Your Honor,” which is streaming on various platforms. He’s also open to jumping back into his role in a “Malcolm in the Middle” reboot.

“We had such a great family on that, and I certainly would be open to that if there was a good idea that came up like, ‘Oh, that would be fantastic to explore what happened to this family 20 years later,’” he told E! News. “I can’t believe it’s already that, but that would be fun to do.”

Brian Crane

Zits Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Pearls Before Swine Stephan Pastis

Dilbert Scott Adams

Baby Blues Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

Baldo Hector Cantú and Carlos Castellanos

Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Bryan Cranston/TNS file (2021) Bryan Cranston attends the 93rd Academy Awards in Los Angeles, April 25, 2021.

racing

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as this can rile up its passionate fan base. At the Rose Parade, NASCAR caught some blowback from fans when its float had depictions of Dale Earnhardt Sr., Richard Petty and Jeff Gordon but left Jimmie Johnson off the float.

NASCAR also has an inaugural street race in Chicago over July 4th weekend that includes the iconic Grant Park and Lake Shore Drive.

NASCAR is returning to North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway for its AllStar Race on May 21.

The short track has been mostly shuttered since 1996 until Dale Earnhardt Jr. and civic leaders made it a project to reopen the track.

Parity on the track

A sport rarely knows which is better, to have a dominant performer whom everyone can root for or against week after week, or an anyone-canwin sense of equality that brings the excitement of unpredictability.

NASCAR seems to be traversing the path of parity. Last year, it had a record-tying 19 winners over 36 races. Five were first-time winners. A lot of the credit to this newfound sense of equality comes from the Next Gen cars that were introduced last year. The goal was to make it more about the skill of the driver instead of the money behind the R&D of the teams.

Steve Phelps, NASCAR president, offered evidence to NBC Sports, which broadcasts the second half of the schedule after NFL Sundays. Fox has the rights to the first half.

“We had a meeting with one of our race teams, who some people consider to be back of the [starting] grid,” Phelps said. “And this principal said to me when I go to a racetrack, every single time, I believe we can win. I’ve never felt that before this Next Gen car, which is terrific. The

underdog can come in here and win.”

What’s going on at Joe Gibbs Racing?

First answer, yes, it’s that Joe Gibbs, who won the Super Bowl three times as coach of Washington. That’s two times fewer than he’s won the NASCAR Cup series as an owner. A lot has changed since last year. Most importantly, twotime NASCAR champion Kyle Busch has left the team to join Richard Childress Racing. That leaves veterans Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex, Jr. and up-and-comer Christopher Bell.

Busch is being replaced by Ty Gibbs, the grandson of the owner. It does not appear as if the move is swaddled in nepotism as Ty is incredibly talented despite the fact he has the baby face of a 20-year-old who is just learning to shave. Last year he won the Xfinity Series, the Triple-A for NASCAR.

He has some growing up to do. At Martinsville’s Xfinity playoff race last year he made contact with teammate Brandon Jones’ car on the final overtime lap, eliminating his teammate, even though Gibbs had already qualified for the final. After the race he compared himself to Jesus in a radio interview. At the spring Martinsville race, he was eliminated from competition on the last lap by Sam Mayer. During the cool-down lap, Gibbs ran into Mayer’s car, resulting in a fist fight on pit road.

Is Kyle Busch in trouble?

In short, not as far as NASCAR is concerned. The two-time NASCAR Cup champion was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in a Mexican prison and fined $1,100 earlier this month for “carrying a firearm without a license and possession of cartridges for the exclusive use of the armed forces” while boarding a private plane in Cancun to return to the United States.

spring

From Page B1

Logan Webb didn’t grow up a Giants fan in the Sacramento area, but he has become the face of a team that desperately needed one. More importantly, he’s become the guy who tells it like it is, and whose words actually carry some weight in the public sphere.

It’s hardly a coincidence that he’s also the team’s best player.

At least we think.

I’m excited to see what Webb does as his role unambiguously transitions from being a guy to “the guy” on the Giants. I’m interested in seeing if his game can transform the same way.

Webb was excellent last year – certainly worthy of a Cy Young award vote or two – but one could view his 2022 as a bit of a regression. Strikeouts were down, hits allowed were (slightly) up.

But a monster season from Webb – one where he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball from Opening Day onwards — could go a long way for this team in more than the obvious ways.

Webb represents the new guard. He wasn’t drafted by Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, but his ascent to the big leagues and a big role aligns with the Zaidi era.

Can Webb take that next step? Can he go from an unquestionably good

Boys

From Page B1

stops in the end when we needed to.”

Rodriguez beat visiting El Capitan of Merced 70-57 in the play-in game Tuesday night. The Mustangs led 36-31 at halftime before pushing the lead further in the third quarter with an 18-9 edge that made it 54-40.

Victor led Rodriguez with a game-high 22 points in that one. Victor also

pitcher – one any team would take – to a great one? If he can, the Giants might just come along with him and surprise a few people in the process.

The A’s new market inefficiency?

The A’s stuck with their plan to pawn off an entire baseball organization, one piece at a time, this offseason. Alas, major league rules demand they must field a team.

And while I certainly don’t expect the A’s to do anything interesting in the American League West, there are some players on this roster that make me wonder if they might just be better than last year. It’s not a high bar.

Shintaro Fujinami is a few years removed from being a hot shot in Japan, but the big right handler still has some strikeouts in that three-quarters delivery, the A’s reckon. He’s on a one-year deal and

had five rebounds, three assists, one blocked shot and two steals. Gould contributed 17 points, three rebounds and two assists. Cameron Brewer added 10 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots.

Wednesday’s other winner was Vacaville Christian. The No. 3 Falcons took care of No. 14 Hughes Academy of Stockton 71-35 in a Division V game. Vacaville Christian (21-3) will host Western Sierra of Rocklin on Friday night.

Landen Graves had a team-high 21 points

Oakland looks like it’ll give him every opportunity to pitch a ton of big-league innings. I’m excited to see what those look like.

I also love the fit of Jesús Aguilar – a perennially underrated first baseman –in the cavernous Coliseum. I know we’re playing in the launch-angle era, but doubles are pretty effective ways to score runs, too.

The A’s also brought in Trevor May to close games. That’s a nice signing. And while I don’t know much about Esteury Ruiz and JJ Bleday (OK, I didn’t know anything about them) the A’s seem pretty confident in both, and I can imagine a world where one of them breaks out in a big way.

Maybe the A’s have found a new market inefficiency. The new Moneyball is old guys, Japanese guys looking to prove a point, and former top prospects who are still young.

OK, that seems a lot like old Moneyball. It’s also the plot of

in the win over Hughes. Brian Laxamana added 16 points. Garrett Kuch contributed 11 points, eight rebounds and an impressive 10 assists.

Vacaville Christian led 16-6 after the first quarter and really put the game away in the second with a 19-7 run that made it 35-13 at halftime.

Western Sierra was coming off a 56-38 win over Rio Vista. The Rams (16-7) got off to a slow start and got outscored 18-4 in the second quarter to to trail 35-15 at halftime. Victor Reyes and Ashlyn Rhett

Major League. (Please, no one create a cut-out of John Fisher.)

At the very worst, the A’s will have young catcher Shea Langeliers in the lineup – he has a chance to be special. And who knows, maybe they’ll officially start building that new ballpark in Oakland this season. Now that would be something to celebrate.

Rules changes

This is what really has me amped for the 2023 Major League Baseball season: The game is changing for the better.

The shift is dead. Thank heavens. The worst play in baseball was a groundout to right field.

The bases are bigger –“pizza box” big, per Red Sox manager Alex Cora. That could create more baserunners and actual running of the bases. Pickoff attempts will be limited as well. Someone might actually steal a base this season.

Pitch clocks are in, too. Pitchers now have 15 seconds to throw the ball when there’s no one on base and 20 seconds with runners. Umpires are on the watch for balks. (Good luck to Mr. Kevin Gausman and other mound bouncers.)

Tradition? That’s just an excuse for slowly dying. Did anyone complain about tradition when baseball lowered the mound after 1968? (Don’t answer that question.)

It’ll be a different game in 2023. I think it’ll be a better game.

led Rio Vista with nine points apiece in the team’s final game of the season. No. 10 Vacaville, the co-champions of the Monticello Empire League with Vanden at 8-2, fell in the first round of Division II to No. 7 Whitney with a 52-46 lose in Rocklin. The Bulldogs finished the season 20-8 overall. Dixon’s season also came to an end with a 97-37 loss at Marysville in Division IV. The Rams were the 14th seed and Marysville was No. 3. Dixon finished the season 12-16 overall.

John Medina/Bay Area News Group/TNS file (2022)

san Francisco pitcher Logan Webb delivers a pitch during a spring training game against the Chicago Cubs at scottsdale stadium in Arizona, March 18, 2022.

TOALLINTERESTEDPERSONS: Petitioner: Dominic Eslamian filedapetitionwiththiscourtforadecree changingnamesasfollows:

Dominic Eslamian

a. Dominic Viteri

terestedinthismattershallappearbefore thiscourtatthehearingindicatedbelowto showcause,ifany,whythepetitionfor changeofnameshouldnotbegranted. Anypersonobjectingtothename changesdescribedabovemustfileawrittenobjectionthatincludesthereasonsfor theobjectionatleasttwocourtdaysbeforethematterisscheduledtobeheard andmustappearatthehearingtoshow causewhythepetitionshouldnotbegranted.Ifnowrittenobjectionistimelyfiled, thecourtmaygrantthepetitionwithouta hearing.

AMENDED ORDER TO

PETITION OF: HARPREET MANGAT & GURPREET SINGH MANGAT ON BEHALF OF ROHAN SINGH MANGAT, A MINOR

NUMBER: FCS059384 TOALLINTERESTEDPERSONS: Petitioner: Harpreet Mangat & Gurpreet Singh Mangat on behalf of Rohan Singh Mangat, a minor filedapetitionwiththis courtforadecreechangingnamesasfollows:

Name: a. Rohan Singh Mangat Proposed Name: a. Rowan Singh Manga t THECOURTORDERSthatallpersonsinterestedinthismattershallappearbefore thiscourtatthehearingindicatedbelowto showcause,ifany,whythepetitionfor changeofnameshouldnotbegranted. Anypersonobjectingtothenamechanges describedabovemustfileawrittenobjectionthatincludesthereasonsfortheobjectionatleasttwocourtdaysbeforethematterisscheduledtobeheardandmustappearatthehearingtoshowcausewhythe petitionshouldnotbeg ranted.Ifnowrittenobjectionistimelyfiled,thecourtmay grantthepetitionwithoutahearing.

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: BERNICE WHITE CASE NUMBER: FPR051839

Toallheirs,beneficiaries,creditors,contingentcreditors,andpersonswhomay otherwisebeinterestedinthewillorestate,orboth,of: Bernice White APetitionforProbatehasbeenfiledby: Michan Evonc intheSuperiorCourtofCalifornia,County of: Solano

ThePetitionforProbaterequeststhat: Michan Evonc beappointedaspersonalrepresentative toadministerthe estateofthedecedent. ThepetitionrequestsauthoritytoadministertheestateundertheIndependentAdministrationofEstatesAct.(Thisauthority willallowthepersonalrepresentativeto takemanyactionswithoutobtainingcourt approval.Beforetakingcertainveryimportantactions,however,thepersonal representativewillberequiredtogivenoticetointerestedpersonsunlessthey havewaivednoticeorconsentedtothe proposedaction.)Theindependentadministrationauthoritywillbegrantedunless aninterestedpersonfilesanobjectionto thepetitionandshowsgoodcausewhy thecourtshouldnotgranttheauthority.

A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows:

DATE: APRIL 19, 2023; TIME: 9:00 a.m.;

DEPT.: 22

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, County of Solano Old Solano Courthouse, 580 Texas Street, Courtroom 3, Fairfield, CA 94533

If you object tothegrantingofthepetition,youshouldappearatthehearingand stateyourobjectionsorfilewrittenobjectionswiththecourtbeforethehearing. Yourappearancemaybeinpersonorby yourattorney. If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, youmustfileyourclaimwiththecourtand mailacopytothepersonalrepresentative appointedbythecourtwithinthe later of either(1)four months fromthedateof firstissuanceofletterstoageneralpersonalrepresentative,asdefinedinsection58(b)oftheCaliforniaProbateCode, or(2) 60 days fromthedateofmailingor personaldeliverytoyouofanoticeunder section9052oftheCaliforniaProbate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may wantto consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court.Ifyouareapersoninterestedinthe estate,youmayfilewiththecourtaRequestforSpecialNotice(formDE-154)of thefilingofaninventoryandappraisalof estateassetsorofanypetitionoraccount asprovidedinProbateCodesection 1250.ARequestforSpecialNoticeformis availablefromthecourtclerk.

AttorneyforPetitioner: EstavilloLawGroup 42617thStreet,Suite200 Oakland,CA94612 510-982-3001 DR#00061192 Published:Feb.10,13,17,2023

anIndividual Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusiness nameornameslistedabo veonN/A. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/JaniceCueva INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYC HANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONJanuary29,2028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE

IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS YOUNGER STATE OF MIND, THE BOSS CON LOCATEDAT2977MillerDr.,FairfieldCA 94534Solano.Mailingaddress2977 MillerDr.,FairfieldCA94534.IS(ARE) HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)YoungerStateof MindLLCCAFairfield,94534.THISBUSINESSISCONDUCTEDBY: aLimitedLiabilityCompany Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefi ctitiousbusiness nameornameslistedaboveon 01/25/2023. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/TaylorGarcia INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b) OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONFebruary6,2028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: February7,2023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000234 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00061251 Published:Feb.10,17,24March3,2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT

THE FOLLOWING PERSON (PERSONS) IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS MARSHALL'S ART WORK LOCATEDAT1132NotreDameCircle, VacavilleCA95687Solano.Mailingaddress1132NotreDameCircle,Vacaville CA95687.IS(ARE)HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)MarshallLeeDayrit1132Notre DameCircleVacaville,95687-4662.THIS BUSINESSISCONDUCTEDBY: anIndividual Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessundert hefictitiousbusiness nameornameslistedaboveonN/A. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/MarshallLeeDayrit INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONFebruary13,2028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: February14,2023