Daily Republic: Friday, March 3, 2023

Todd R. H ansen

THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

TRAVIS AIR FORCE

BASE — Travis Air Force

Base officials reported the “petroleum” sheen that has appeared on Union Creek a number of times, usually after rain events, has not been seen since December.

That includes after the most recent storm, Capt. Jasmine Jacobs, with the base Public Affairs Office, said in an email response to the Daily Republic.

Jacobs led a site visit with the Daily Republic on Feb. 27. Leslie Pena, the civilian environmental element chief at Travis, was part of the tour.

This week the base confirmed for the first time that testing has shown that aviation fuel, motor oil, gasoline and diesel have been present, but the source of the leak is still under investigation.

“The drain that leads

into the outfall sites is a stormwater drain, which contains runoff from the main roadways. Travis (Air Force Base) continues to work with our environmental local, state and federal partners to conduct a thorough investigation and develop a conclusive determination of the source,” Jacobs said in the email sent Thursday.

The sheen was first reported to Travis officials on Oct. 22, 2021, by a contracting firm, Sierra Range Construction, that had been hired to fix culverts, a security grate, erosion problems and related issues to the perimeter road where it crosses the creek downstream from Outfall No. 4. That outfall acts as a drain to the entire northern area of the base and beyond, Pena said.

However, according

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Panel backs plan to limit

Todd R. H ansen THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Solano County Planning Commission on Thursday night took a step to further protect the mission at Travis Air Force Base by recommending the Board of Supervisors approve restrictions on future wind power projects.

“It’s a life safety issue,” said Commissioner Mike Reagan, who retired from the Air Force and had been stationed at Travis for part of his career.

Todd

FAIRFIELD — Sack Holdings LLC has proposed placing a green waste chipping and grinding operation – coupled with a soil blending operation – on its property located near the intersection of Pedrick and Tremont roads north of Dixon.

The Solano County Planning Commission, with Loretta Gaddies absent, on Thursday unanimously approved the use permit application and recommended the Board of Supervisors approve the rezoning and the zoning text amendment to move the project forward. It was the first meeting of new Commissioner Jack Batson.

“It represents a big step forward for our community and the county,” attorney Dana Dean told the commission, referring to the environmental and climate advantages of the project, and, in time, it could reduce the amount of organic material going into Solano landfills.

However, none of the 6,000 yards of daily material going to the facility at the onset will be from Solano; it will be landscaping waste out of Sacramento. The project does allow for agricultural waste.

Sack Holdings, with headquarters in Woodland, has requested to rezone 19.88 acres from Exclusive Agriculture, with a 40-acre minimum, to Commercial Service,

He wanted to extend the current moratorium on new wind projects, but county staff said the proposed changes will take care of the primary issues by prohibiting turbines in the line of sight of the base radar systems. The moratorium expires April 6.

“So we based a lot of what you

see here off of that,” Terry Schmidtbauer, director of the Department of Resource Management, told the commission.

He also said the changes were motivated in part by the legal issues involved with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.

The commission, with Loretta Gaddies absent, unanimously backed the staff guidance and recommended the supervisors support a General Plan amendment that would:

n Prohibit the development of new commercial wind energy generation facilities north of Highway 12.

n Explicitly require that any proposals for new or modified commercial wind energy generation facilities provide line-of-sight analyses demonstrating that each new or modified turbine within the facility is not within the line-of-sight of the base’s Digital Airport Surveil-

lance Radar.

n Explicitly recognize that larger commercial wind energy generation facilities can and do have adverse impacts on the surveillance radar and thereby negatively affect the operations and mission of Travis Air Force Base.

n Retain existing General Plan policies that generally encourage the development and use of renewable energy sources, but clarify as county land use development policy that the protection of the operations and mission of Travis Air Force Base takes priority over the development of new commercial wind energy generation facilities or the modification of existing facilities to increase their production capacity. Additionally, the action revises General Plan land use and resources text:

Todd R. H ansen THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Workforce housing –especially for agricultural labor – should be a high priority for Solano County moving forward, and the county needs to play a bigger part in that effort.

That was an underlying message from a discussion about housing Tuesday among members of the Board of Supervisors.

“If I was trying to buy my house today, like I did 30 years ago, I could not afford it, and that’s not fair,” said Supervisor Monica Brown, a retired schoolteacher of 39 years.

Brown noted the same is true for fire-

TRibune

WALTERBORO, S.C. — Alex

Murdaugh, the fourth-generation heir to a powerful South Carolina legal, law enforcement and political family, was found guilty Thursday of murdering his wife and son in a case that brought the glare of national and international media attention to a longsecluded but corrupt corner of the state’s Lowcountry region.

A jury of seven men and five women took less than three hours before unanimously finding Murdaugh, 54, guilty of two murders: the execution-style slaying of his son Paul, 22, with a shotgun

R. H ansen THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

ConTenT agenCy

Women face criticism for raspy speech; whales use it to survive

The WashingTon PosT

Kim Kardashian does it. So does Scarlett Johansson and Katy Perry.

And it turns out many whales also use “vocal fry,” the deep, gravelly vocal register these celebrities and a growing number of young American women have taken up.

Except the group of animals, which includes sperm wales, orcas, dolphins and porpoises, use “vocal fry” to help find their prey, according to the paper published Thursday. The study in the journal Science found the whales, like people, have three vocal registers: a normal voice, a falsetto and that creaky fry.

“The similarities we find are really striking,” said Coen Elemans, a voice scientist at the University of Southern Denmark who led the study. “This is the first evidence of broad register use in any animal, besides humans.”

Among Americans, vocal fry can be divisive. Some find the low, guttural voice to be grating. Others warn the raspy tone makes prospective employees less hireable. Radio stations get complaints about hosts who end their sentences with the scratchy voice.

But the ranks of vocal friers are growing, particularly among younger women. Many who speak with a creak view criticism of vocal fry as sexist social policing of women’s voices. And plenty of celebrities today – including Kardashian, Johansson and Perry – often talk in that gritty register, according to Elemans.

Among whales, the creaky voice is critical to the massive mammals’ survival.

Elemans and his colleagues found that toothed whales use the normal and falsetto registers to communicate with each other. They reserve the vocal fry register for navigation.

Able to dive more than a mile underwater, many of these whales hunt in

CORRECTION POLICY

Blanche Hartley was a local store in downtown Fairfield and a book

Coen Elemans, a voice scientist at the University of Southern Denmark

nearly complete darkness. The animals use sound to find their way underwater, sending out powerful pulses and listening to the echo to spot their meal.

Toothed whales rely on vocal fry to make their echolocation clicks, according to the study. Under the sea, air is precious – and whales likely evolved to use the lower register for echolocation since it uses air the most efficiently.

Vocal fry, according to Elemans, “has definitely brought toothed whales very far.” His team’s series of experiments showed that whales produce their wide repertoire of sounds with the same organ – the phonic lips in their nose, which vibrate much like a larynx does in humans. To reach that conclusion, his team filmed tissue motion on trained bottlenose dolphins and harbor porpoises with a high-speed camera, and also taped wild whales with a small sound-recording tags.

“They show, to some extent, that the physical mechanism is the same as the one we use,” said Andrea Ravignani, a comparative bioacoustician at Aarhus University in Denmark and the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in the Netherlands. He wrote an opinion article on whale vocalization in the same issue of Science.

He added, “The finding is quite unexpected and mind-blowing.”

It is the Daily Republic’s policy to correct errors in reporting. If you notice an error, please call the Daily Republic at 425-4646 during business hours weekdays and ask to speak to the editor in charge of the section where the error occurred. Corrections will be printed here.

DAILY REPUBLIC

There are numerous downtown Fairfield clothing businesses that now exist only in memory.

They include Hyde’s, Pink Poodle Dress Shop, Block’s Men’s Store, Freitas Toggery, James Sears, Phil’s Men’s Shop and many more. But Blanche Hartley Fashions was unique. I mean, of all the stores just mentioned, how many of their owners published a book about their establishment?

Mildred Hartley Craw was the owner of Blanche Hartley Fashions and named it after her mother. Blanche Hartley was a former designer in Chicago and she was encouraged by her daughter to come to Fairfield in the mid-1950s to start the new venture. It opened in March 1956 at 1215 Texas St. and moved four years later to a bigger spot two doors down at 1211 Texas St.

According to a 1981 article in the Daily Republic marking their 25th year in business, “the two of them used Hartley’s expertise in designing, pattern-making, sewing and selling and Craw’s growing sense of style to put together a small fashion store.”

Locals remember the store as the go-to place to shop for proms and other special events.

Mildred Hartley Craw in 1972 published the book “Blanche Hartley Presents: A Handbook of Fashion Shows and Specialty Store Operation.” Before I get into what’s in the book, I have to take issue with what is not.

On the back of the dust jacket there is an About the Author and here is part of what it says: “To Mildred Craw all things are possible, so it is hardly surprising that she has written a book. After all, at age six she talked her kidnapper into releasing her; she married her Prince Charming, then an aviation cadet, who became a pilot and holds three world flying records; she once served tea to (Academy Award-winning actress and grand-aunt of Drew Barrymore) Ethel Barrymore and held a confidential and highly responsible position with E. I. duPont de Nemours & Company (now just called DuPont).”

Now, to me as a guy, all that sounds a lot more interesting to read about than dresses and fashion, so I felt a little cheated when I discovered that none of the things in the About the Author are covered in the actual book.

The reason Craw gives for writing the book is that when they

BRIGHT spot

were first starting out, they looked for a how-to book on selling fashions and staging fashion shows and came up empty. So after figuring it out and being successful doing so for about 15 years, she wrote her own. In the dedication she mentions a Wilmere, which must be longtime Fairfielder Wilmere Neitzel, and in the acknowledgements she cites a few other names like Percy Neitzel and Clarence E. Monez that are familiar to Fairfield longtimers.

Special thanks are given to a Connie Collins and I didn’t know who that was until I saw the pictures of the model throughout the book. Collins was the maiden name of longtime Fairfielder Connie Lisec, retired Solano Community College voice teacher and cofounder of the acclaimed (but now defunct) North Bay Opera.

The book is extremely practical and lists just what is needed to stage a fashion show, from the theme to the commentator to the music to the publicity and myriad other tasks. There are step-by-step scripts throughout and photos of Lisec with different clothing from evening wear to a bathing suit to a wedding dress.

The section “Behind the Scenes in the Store” has useful info on everything from customer service to gift wrapping and is augmented by carton drawings. The information on shoplifters is extremely practical. It includes things like never leaving customers alone, watching their hands because that’s what they will use to pilfer merchandise and not being distracted by one perpetrator while another does the stealing.

The first line under “Handling Difficult Customers” made me laugh: “Customers can be irritating.” It then goes on to suggest being tactful and courteous but firm when handling situations with difficult customers. There is a section on fabrics and furs. The list of some of the most popular furs and their characteristics included beaver, chinchilla, ermine, fox, mink, muskrat, rabbit, squirrel, leopard and jaguar. Usually I would have slyly added muskrat and squirrel in there just to be funny, but they were actually listed. The final section is on advertising and includes several actual newspaper ads they ran over the years as well as the text of press releases. One of the press releases details how in 1960 Blanche Hartley Fashions dramatized the

opening of their larger store by replacing the usual mannequins in the show window with live Fairfielders, local volunteer housewives. In keeping with the tradition at the time, the housewives’ first names were not used so they are listed as Mrs. Robert Blair, Mrs. William R. Carter, etc.

Locals shared memories of Blanche Hartley Fashions:

Donna Woods Ingram: I only went into Blanche Hartley’s once as it was considered pricy. I needed a dress for the Junior/Senior Prom and I only had $50. I couldn’t find anything at that price elsewhere, so I went in there and they had some dresses on sale. I don’t know if the ladies were just being kind, but I found a dress and the charges were exactly $50. I’m thinking they probably dropped the tax or at least some of it so I could buy the dress. They told me to put my name and phone number on a slip of paper as they were having a drawing for reimbursement of whatever the winner had spent on her dress. When I went to pick it up after it had been hemmed, I was the winner and got my $50 back! I never forgot how exciting that was for me.

Zona O’Dowd: It was a nice store but too expensive for us. If Mom didn’t make our clothes, we went to Penney’s or the Base Exchange then Kmart when it opened. But we did like to look.

Shari Welsh Rutter: Blanche Hartley’s was one of my mom’s downfalls! She had her own account there and would write her check at the grocery store for cash back to pay off her bill! When the store closed, she bought a few of the racks to turn a tiny bedroom into a closet.

Donna Kilpatrick Stockebrand: Sadly, when our mom was killed by a drunken driver in 1984, my sister and I went in to Blanche Hartley’s to find a dress to bury her in. The lady there knew our mom and told us that she was in the week before looking at a dress but didn’t buy it. She showed us the dress and that was the one that we bought for our sweet mom.

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

Left, the cover of the 1972 book about Blanche Hartley, middle, three pictures of model Connie Lisec from the book, and right, the store that used to be at 1211 Texas St. in Fairfield.

‘The similarities we find are really striking. This is the first evidence of broad register use in any animal, besides humans.’

Solano, Yolo students can win prizes in Clean Air Art Contest

FAIRFIELD — Students within the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District can enter the 2023 Clean Air Art Contest for the chance to win Amazon gift cards.

The top artist in each grade category – kindergarten to second, third to fifth, sixth to eighth and

rep reintroduces Peace Corps reauthorization bill in House

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Legislation reintroduced this week would provide resources to advance the Peace Corps’ mission around the world and better support current, returning and former Peace Corps volunteers.

U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, along with Reps. Gregory Meeks, D-New York, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Garret Graves, R-Louisiana, who co-chairs the Congressional Peace Corps Caucus with Garamendi; and Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, R-American Samoa, filed the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act on Wednesday.

The reintroduction coincides with the 62nd anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s founding of the Peace Corps.

“My wife Patti and I owe so much to our service in the Peace Corps. It inspired a lifetime of public service that began in Ethiopia during the late 1960s and continued into state government in California, the Clinton Administration, and now the U.S. Congress,” Garamendi said in a statement. “Now more than ever, Congress must support the Peace Corps’ mission and realize President Kennedy’s vision of generations of young Americans ready to serve their nation and make the world a better place.”

ninth to 12th – will get a $30 gift card, and secondand third-place entries will receive a $25 card.

“Additionally, winners will receive a certificate of achievement, recognition in a future press release and winning artwork will be used in district outreach materials,” the district said in a statement. Participants are asked

to illustrate one of the following clean air messages: Walking and Biking to School is Good for the Air; Turn the Key, and Be Idle Free; Spare the Air –Leave Your Car at Home; and Clean Air is Important to Me Because. All entries must be submitted by 4 p.m. March 31. For more information on the contest, includ-

ing entry forms, visit www.ysaqmd.org/classrooms or send an email to Public Outreach Coordinator Karin Bloesch at kbloesch@ysaqmd.org.

The district spans the northeastern portion of Solano County, to include Vacaville, Rio Vista and Dixon. It also includes Winters in neighboring Yolo County.

Ceremony set to honor Vallejo women veterans

Women’s Military History Week in collaboration with the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum. There are almost 2 million women veterans in the United States, according to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, and nearly 163,000 women veterans make California their home, according to the California Department of

Suisun’s Wednesday Club offers nursing scholarship

SUISUN CITY — The Wednesday Club will offer a nursing scholarship again this year. The Doris Pelchat Nursing Scholarship was established in 1988 to

honor Pelchat for her donations and loyalty to the Wednesday Club. The $1,500 nursing scholarship is to assist people who are dedicated to the field of nursing. The scholarship is funded by the group’s various fundraisers.

Criteria for the scholarship include being a resident of Solano County

Veterans Affairs.

Vallejo’s women veterans are also being asked to participate in the “I Am Not Invisible” campaign by doing the Oral History Project, which is a part of the Library of Congress Veterans History Project and the CalVet Women Voices program. Both projects aim to increase visibility, and increase awareness

or a graduate of a Solano County school and having one year of RN training.

Anyone interested should fill out an appli cation, which needs to include a letter of reference from someone not a relative but acquainted with the plans and abilities of the applicant. The letter and application are due March 30.

Applications may be found at www.wednesday clubofsuisun.org.

and understanding about women veterans and open everyone else’s eyes to the contributions, needs and experiences of women who have served in the military.

Vallejo women veterans who wish to be presented with Certificates of Appreciation must email their name, address and phone number (to verify Vallejo residents) to nestor.aliga@ comcast.net.

The Peace Corps Reauthorization Act (House Resolution 1273):

n Expedites the return to service process for volunteers whose service ended involuntarily due to the Covid-19 pandemic and similar emergencies and allows volunteers to resume incountry service, once safe and prudent to do so.

n Directs the Peace Corps to provide benefits (readjustment allowance, noncompetitive eligibility status for federal hiring) to volunteers whose service ended involuntarily due to the Covid-19 pandemic and other comparable emergencies.

n Establishes protections against reprisal and retaliation for Peace Corps volunteers.

n Extends Peace Corps volunteers’ hiring preference for most federal job openings during any federal hiring freeze, government shutdown or public health emergency (such as Covid-19 pandemic).

n Directs the Peace Corps and U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security to update plans and protocols for Peace Corps volunteer safety and security. Congress last reauthorized the Peace Corps in 1999, which expired at the end of fiscal year 2003. The legislation awaits action by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

‘Where’s Jack’ contest opens in Benicia

BENICIA — Visitors to the downtown antique, vintage and collectibles merchants can enter a drawing to win $100 in Downtown Dollars, redeemable at dozens of downtown businesses.

The task is to locate the framed photograph of Jack London inside participating stores.

“London was known to frequent Benicia during his early writing career.

In fact, it was during his stay in this historic town that the author began writing two of his wellknown works: ‘Tales of the Fish Patrol’ and ‘John Barleycorn,’ ”

Benicia Main Street noted in a statement announcing the contest.

“Shoppers simply

find a framed photo of Jack and email the store name and the secret code word printed on the back of the frame to Benicia Main Street at info@ beniciamainstreet.org to enter the drawing. Earn one entry for each store –or score a double entry by purchasing an item at the store and showing the receipt to Benicia Main Street, located at 90 First St.,” the organization said.

The “Where’s Jack” promotion runs through March 31.

For more information, visit Benicia Main Street, go online at beniciamainstreet.org or call 707-745-9791.

HOPE Community Resource Fair, Wednesday.

G ARAMENDI

Emergency information campaign launches across Solano County

FAIRFIELD — A

“Know Your Zone” campaign has been launched to better prepare Solano County residents and businesses for emergencies and evacuations.

The campaign is a collaborative effort between Z onehaven and the Solano County Office of Emergency Services. The campaign went live Wednesday.

“To find their zone, residents can enter their address into the interactive map on Zonehaven AWARE at community. zonehaven.com using the search bar in the upper left. This will open a pop-up window, which includes the zone name and information about the zone,” OES said in a statement.

“Residents and businesses should record the names of all the zones they frequent – such as home, work, school or homes of loved ones – and keep them in a visible place. Use the

Subscribe to Alerts button, located under the Community Links section, to sign up for emergency notifications through Alert Solano,” the statement said. Zone names, in addition to the zone boundaries,

will be used in emergency notifications.

“In the event of an emergency, first responders and other public safety officials will use Zonehaven to assist in issuing evacuations. From there, officials

Rebuilding Together passing out safety kits to veterans

SUISUN CITY — Rebuilding Together

Solano County is giving away free Disaster Safe at Home Kits to veterans on Friday at the Suisun Veterans Memorial Building. Additional kits will be distributed March 18 in Benicia.

The kits include a first aid kit, hand-crank radio, LED flashlight, cellphone charger, a fire extinguisher, plug-in night lights, emergency blanket, glow sticks, emergency whistle, hand sanitizer, hand soap, face masks, a set of trash bags and disaster backpack with emergency information.

will publish evacuation orders and zone statuses to Zonehaven AWARE . . . and send emergency notifications via Alert Solano,” OES stated.

How much wildfire smoke can state’s wine grapes sustain? A new bill aims to find out

tRibune content agency

For five of the past six years, heavy smoke from nearby wildfires has engulfed vineyards full of grapes that Ashley Egelhoff depends on to produce her wine.

While some wine drinkers may enjoy a little smokiness in their Zinfandel, too much can render a bottle kaput. When grapes are exposed to wildfire smoke, they soak it up like a sponge. That creates a condition known as smoke taint, which can make a glass of wine taste like it’s been burnt – or worse, served directly from an ashtray, according to vintners and researchers.

Egelhoff, the winemaker at Honig Vineyard & Winery, has been forced to forfeit entire vintages and sell wine in bulk rather than bottle it, curtailing the company’s overall inventory and earnings. To limit the fallout, Egelhoff is using her own process to gauge the smoke exposure in her grapes.

Egelhoff’s team ferments a small sample of grapes in a mason jar for three days and then performs a taste test. Depending on the level of smokiness, they’ll decide whether or not the grapes are too damaged to meet the brand’s standards.

“It gives us as winemakers a comfort level, but the problem is that we don’t have a common language to communicate that to a grower and you can run into issues with insurance and contracts,” she said. “What we really need is a better screening method that allows everyone to be in agreement.”

As catastrophic wildfires become a norm across an extremely parched Golden State, vintners seek answers to help the state’s famed grape and wine industry sustain the effects of climate change. Specifically, they’re asking the state to invest in research to answer some of the industry’s most pressing questions, including how to know which grapes have suffered damage, what level of harmful compounds can the grapes sustain before they become tainted and whether there are any ways to prevent smoke taint ahead of a wildfire.

“The industry is in urgent need of these answers,” said Noelle Cremers, director of environmental and regulatory affairs for the Wine Institute. “Helping maintain the viability of the indus-

try and not having these significant losses from wildfires is important for the state.”

Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, is hoping to help California vintners gain that clarity.

Aguiar-Curry has introduced AB 54, which would require the state’s Department of Food and Agriculture to fund research on smoke taint in wine, including methods to alleviate and prevent damage to grapes and finished wine. The bill requests that the legislature sets aside $5 million in the budget to create a new funding source for this research.

The bill marks AguiarCurry’s second attempt at such legislation. Last year, her proposal died in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

“We’re seeing those losses repeated with every new destructive wildfire,” Aguiar-Curry said. “Our grape growers need to know how to prepare and mitigate. If we have more data tools and research, it helps us get in front of the problem.”

Research examines wildfire smoke impact on wine grapes

Some of this research is already taking place.

In 2021, a coalition of researchers at Oregon State University, Washington State University and UC Davis received a four-year, $7.65 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study the impact of smoke exposure on grapes.

Anita Oberholster, one of the lead researchers, is training students to help examine grapes in Napa and Sonoma counties and analyze how much exposure to harmful compounds renders the grapes tainted.

Although the federal grant may help answer some of the vintners’ questions, it’s not enough, she said, to cover them with the urgency deserved.

“When you divide (the grant) across three states and four years, then suddenly it’s not that much money anymore,” Oberholster said. “It limits the amount of progress you can make.”

With more funding, Oberholster said they could expand their trials beyond the Napa and Sonoma region – and likely speed up the time it will take to find solutions for vintners.

“I know that there are a lot of very important issues out there but the wine and grape industry is an important one for California,” she said. “I think they deserve more attention.”

The economic impact of California’s wine industry California produces more than 80% of the wine made in the U.S. The state’s wine and grape sector contributes $73 billion annually to California’s economy, according to a 2022 report commissioned by the Wine Institute and the California Association

of Winegrape Growers.

But the state’s wine regions, known for their ideal grape-growing climates, are now routinely facing threats of wildfires.

Damage caused by fires in 2020 – when an unprecedented burst of August lightning strikes sparked catastrophic wildfires across the state – cost California’s wine industry as much as $3.7 billion, according to an estimate from former wine industry executive Jon Moramarco, owner of the market research firm bw166.

The re-introduction of Aguiar-Curry’s bill comes as the state is eyeing a projected $22.5 billion budget deficit, which means any new funding request will be scrutinized closely. Even so, the assemblywoman said she will be working hard to educate her colleagues on the industry’s value and the importance of additional research.

“This industry employs thousands of people – the growers, producers, those trucking and shipping the products,” she said. “We want to help keep these people employed and give people the best quality products.”

Each kit is valued at $175, the organization said in a statement.

In addition, Rebuilding Together Solano County will have a drawing for grocery gift cards, raised garden boxes and garden hoses.

The giveaways are made possible through grants from Bank of America, Home Depot

and Wells Fargo. Additional donors include Bank of the West, Costco Vallejo, the California State Automobile Association, First Bank, the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, M&M Sanitation LLC, Medic Ambulance, Minuteman Press, Phillips 66, The Nimitz Group, the Valero Benicia Refinery and Vallejo Community Presbyterian Church.

The distributions in Suisun City and Benicia will take place between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The veterans building in Suisun City is located at 427 Main St. The Benicia veterans hall is located at 1150 First St.

Arlene Nichols

Arlene Carol Nichols (De Jong) passed away on Friday, February 10, 2023, at the age of 83. Arlene was born to Herman and Catherine De Jong in New Sharon, Iowa and had three younger siblings, Patricia, Marion, and Rose. She earned a degree in teaching from Calvin College in Michigan and, at 5’ 11”, was the center and Captain for the basketball team. Arlene raised three children, Landa, Jon and Bob, has seven grandchildren, Britany, Nickolas, Jacob, Michael, Shelby, Holly and Reagan, and one greatgrandchild, Nickolas Jr.

Arlene was a devout Christian and a provider before all else in life, implementing Jesus’ teachings to love and care for the needs of her children and others before herself. She was an avid lover of words: the Bible, novels, crossword puzzles, scrabble, Latin and Dutch. She was also born with a “Green Thumb”. A service and celebration of life will be held on March 18, 2023 starting at 11:00 am at the Fairfield Christian Reform Church, 300 Marigold Dr., Fairfield, CA 94533.

Roderick Loveless

Roderick Wallace Loveless, 66, of Seal Cove, passed peacefully away at the Connaigre Peninsula Health Care Centre in Harbour Breton on Wednesday, January 4, 2023.

Roderick leaves to mourn with fond and loving memories, his family: wife, Norma, married 46 years; daughter, Jill (Justin Wells) at Sandyville; son, Mitchell (Sherry) at Bay de Verde; special grandchildren, Coby and Carson Loveless; brothers, Robert (Michelle) at Paradise, NL and Tim (Karen) at Seal Cove; sisters, Bernice Matthews, Peggy (Donald Eveleigh), all at Grand Bank and Jane (Colin Morris) at Hermitage; brothers in law, Wayne Pierce (Gloria), Keith Pierce (Jane), Barry Pierce (Bonita), Terry Pierce (Stephanie) and Roderick Pierce (Terri Leigh), all at Harbour Breton; sisters in law Wanda Pierce (Paul) at Gambo and Collette (Brendan Hickey) at Harbour Breton; special friends, Ken and Wanda Loveless; all his close friends at Salmonier; as well as a large number of nieces, nephews, and many wonderful friends.

Roderick was predeceased by his parents, Wallace and Gertrude Loveless; parents in law, Norman and Rosalie Pierce; brother in law, Ivan John Pierce; sister in law, Rosemary Pierce; niece, Averee Pierce; brothers in law, Silas Baker and Maxwell Matthews.

Visitation was held from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 7, 2023 at the Salvation Army Church in Seal Cove. Family Service was held at 7:00 p.m..

A Service of Thanksgiving for Roderick took place on Sunday, January 8, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. at the Salvation Army Church in Seal Cove with Majors Richard and Trudy Mouland officiating.

Marvin Richard Conyers

Marvin (Bud) Richard Conyers, 90 of Fairfield, died Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at North Bay Hospital from a sudden illness. Bud was born in Flint, MI and raised in Buffalo, NY. He graduated from Riverside HS “Class of 1950.” Bud was married in 1952 to his predeceased wife Marilynn Ann Conyers. They left the Buffalo area with the USAF and settled in Fairfield after 12 years. Bud became a successful State Farm insurance agent in Fairfield and raised 8 children with his wife Marilynn. Bud was also involved in all sorts of civic activities including The Fairfield Police Activities League where he was the president for several years. In 1987, Bud was named the “Citizen of the Year” for Fairfield. He was Baptized in his late r years into the Catholic Church and was an active member of Holy Spirit Parish. Bud loved to play golf, enjoy a good cigar, and spend time with family and friends.

AIR FORCE VETERAN

He is survived by his 7 children, Michael Conyers (Kami), Kevin Conyers (Diane), Cynthia Conyers-Benson (Eric), William Conyers (Kathy), Christopher Conyers, Stephen Conyers (Gina), Jennifer Conyers-Baptiste (Randy). Also, 19 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren. He was preceded In death by his parents, his wife Marilynn Ann of 60 years, and his daughter Cathy Conyers-Eaton.

A visitation will be held on Sunday, March 5, 2023 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. with Rosary/Prayer Vigil at 6pm at Bryan-Braker Funeral Home, 1850 W. Texas St Fairfield, CA. The Mass o f Christian Burial will be held at Holy Spirit Catholic Church 1050 N. Texas St ., Fairfield on Monday, March 6, 2023 at 12:30 p.m.. He will be laid to rest next to his wife and daughter at Rockville Cemete ry

Friends may send their condolences to the family at www.bryanbraker.com. Arrangements by Bryan Braker Funeral Home, Fairfield. 707-425-4697.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic file

Fire Battalion Chief Marshall Turbeville explains the process for developing the proposed California Fire Hazard severity Zones map during a meeting at the solano County Events Center in Fairfield, Jan. 17, 2023.

Robinson Kuntz/ Daily Republic file Volunteers with Rebuilding Together s o lano County make repairs to the home of a local veteran, a p ril 12, 2019.

Paul Kitagaki Jr./The Sacramento Bee/TNS file scorched grapes remain on the vines at Chateau Boswell, which was destroyed during the Glass Fire, near st. Helena in napa County in september 2020.

It’s California residents’ last chance to publicly weigh in on reparations; here’s how

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

SACRAMENTO

—

Residents of Sacramento and visitors from nearby regions have an opportunity Friday and Saturday to join the conversation regarding reparations in California.

It’s the final pair of public meetings the reparations task force will hold anywhere in the state. The purpose of the gatherings are to hear public comments from everyday citizens about the effort toward creating a reparations plan.

Residents, particularly those of Black or African descent who have been impacted by the legacy of slavery and discrimination in the U.S., are encouraged to provide their own personal stories. They can also talk about how reparations would affect them positively or how the current recommendations have excluded them.

The meetings will take place in public 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days at the Byron Sher Auditorium at the California Environmental Protection Agency, 1001 I St. in Sacramento.

It can also be lives treamed on the California Department of Justice website or on YouTube through the Emend The Mass Media Group.

During the first hour, the floor will be open to members of the public who want to speak on any proposed agenda item to be discussed during the meeting.

The first 30 minutes will be time reserved for those able to attend inperson and the remaining 30 minutes will be for people who called into the meeting using a toll-free number, (844) 291-5495. The code to join the waitlist is 3968101.

Speakers will be given no more than three minutes to share their comments, concerns or suggestions regarding what reparations should consist of.

Any further comments or suggestions beyond the allotted time during the two-day meeting can be submitted by email to reparationstaskforce@ doj.ca.gov.

Residents provide feedback

Last December, Elk Grove resident Pamela Williams took a trip with her daughter to the Oakland City Council Chambers to participate in the task force’s public meetings. She gave her testimony explaining her concerns of the time frame for harms inflicted from roughly the mid-19th century through 1977, period under consideration by the task force. Williams, born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, moved to California in 1985.

“I am pleading, I am asking that when you make the decision for lineage

please (include) the people who have been here since 2000,” she said.

The task force will make recommendations to the Legislature urging for federal action on exploring – and disseminating – reparations nationwide.

The task force committee will continue to address key questions regarding reparations including eligibility, determining the beginning and end of harms committed, and potential forms of compensation that align with the damage inflicted.

Committee members will discuss the final recommendations on potential solutions such as remedial programs, incorporating laws, creating formal apologies, and education on the racial history statewide and nationwide.

How reparations conversation started

The reparations committee was first established through a 2020 law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The resolution urged the state to provide repa-

rations to descendants of enslaved people and Black families who can trace their lineage in America to the 19th century.

The reparations task force is made up of nine members total. Five members were appointed by Newsom, four were appointed by the Legislature.

The members of the task force are Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Los Angeles; Amos Brown; Cheryll Grills; Lisa Holder; Assembly member Reggie JonesSawyer, D-Los Angeles; Jovan Scott Lewis; Kamilah Moore; Monica Montgomery Steppe and Donald Tamaki.

An executive interm report was published last June by the task force and submitted to the California Legislature detailing lasting effects of enslavement and discriminatory policies, including presentday inequalities. The task force has until July 1 to submit its final report, which would include recommendations the state could adopt to address the lasting effects of discriminatory practices.

Los A ngeLes Times

LOS ANGELES —

A year and a half after a ruptured oil pipeline sent thousands of gallons of crude gushing into the waters off Southern California, the legal blame game is starting to wind down.

A group of international shipping companies and their subsidiaries tentatively agreed Wednesday to pay $96.5 million to Houstonbased Amplify Energy Corp. to dismiss one of the last remaining lawsuits over the oil spill, which sent at least 25,000 gallons of crude into the waters off Huntington Beach in October 2021.

Amplify’s lawsuit, filed last year, accused the shipping companies of improperly allowing their container ships, the MSC Danit and Cosco Beijing, to drag their anchors across the sea floor near the pipeline.

The ships were anchored near the San Pedro Bay pipeline during a storm in January 2021, about nine months before the oil spill. Movement data transmitted by the vessels showed that the vessels crossed over the pipeline repeatedly during the storm, driven by winds of up to 63 mph and waves of up to 17 feet, Amplify’s lawyers said.

The lawsuit alleged the shipping companies should have notified authorities about the pipeline damage but did not. Investigators later said the massive anchors moving across the sea floor and striking or dragging the oil pipeline could have weakened the conduit by stripping away its concrete casing and making it more vulnerable to future damage.

not include an admission of liability and that the firm plans to prove in “the remaining legal proceedings with Amplify’s insurers” that the ship was not responsible for the spill.

The company said its experts have concluded the Danit “maneuvered safely, and that Amplify simply failed to properly maintain and inspect the pipeline.” It was “reasonable” for the crew to believe the container ship “had not been involved in a marine casualty reportable to the Coast Guard,” a representative for MSC said.

Representatives for Capetanissa Maritime Corp. of Greece and COSCO Container Lines of China, which own and operate the Beijing, did not respond to a request seeking comment Wednesday, nor did lawyers representing the shipping companies.

The Marine Exchange of Southern California, which monitors and directs traffic in the busy San Pedro Bay, also agreed to settle with Amplify Energy Wednesday for “non-monetary terms,” the company said in a release. Amplify had alleged in its lawsuit that the nonprofit organization should have been aware of the anchor drags and should have notified the company.

It is not clear what the Marine Exchange agreed to as part of the settlement. Kip Louttit, executive director of the organization, said Wednesday that, while their attorneys finalized the settlement details over the weekend, he hasn’t seen the official document and was not prepared to comment.

Los A ngeLes Times

LOS ANGELES — California’s remarkably wet winter has helped ease drought conditions considerably, with large swaths of the state – including the coast of Humboldt County, much of the snowcapped Sierra Nevada and the Santa Monica Mountains north of Malibu – no longer considered to be in drought, according to federal officials.

The latest estimate from the U.S. Drought Monitor, released Thursday, shows almost 17% of the Golden State has exited drought conditions completely, with another 34% now classified as “abnormally dry.” That means less than half of the state remains under drought conditions, which range from moderate to exceptional drought, according to the monitor.

“It’s pretty amazing, the changes, not only over the past week but going back to December of 2022,” said Brad Pugh, one of the authors of the Drought Monitor. At the end of last year, no part of the state was classified as out of drought and less than 1% was considered abnormally dry.

Officials attributed the development to the recent winter storms that dropped heaps of rain and snow in several regions, including Southern California and the Sierra, as well as the series of 9 atmospheric river storms that hammered California in January.

“The Pacific weather systems of this week and last week added to copious precipitation that has been received from

atmospheric rivers since December 2022, especially over California and states to the east,” the latest update said.

According to their mapping, which includes data on hydrology, soil moisture and other climate indexes, “central California’s Sierra Nevada mountains and foothills are now free of drought and abnormal dryness for the first time since January 2020.”

The rain and snow arrived on the heels of California’s driest three years on record, which contributed to dramatically low reservoir levels, urgent conservation orders and a statewide drought emergency declaration. That declaration, issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom in Oct. 2021, remained in place as of Thursday.

But there is no denying the moisture made a difference. Statewide snowpack is 192% of normal, according to state data. In the Southern Sierra, it’s 232% of normal. Snowpack typically provides about

one-third of California’s water supply.

Snowpack was so substantial that the Yosemite Valley broke a 54-year-old daily record on Tuesday, when 40 inches of fresh powder fell, surpassing the 36-inch record set in Feb. 1960. As much as 15 feet fell in some parts of the park over the course of the storm. Reservoirs have also seen a boost this winter, with Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville now at 60% and 73% of capacity, respectively, up from 34% and 37% two months ago. More rain and snow are expected next week and possibly throughout all of March.

“The pattern through the next two to three weeks appears colder than normal, so we should be able to maintain the snowpack, and signs are good for even enhancing the snowpack over the next couple of weeks,” said Pugh.

Still, the Drought Monitor estimates that roughly one-quarter of California remains in the third-worst cate-

gory – severe drought. Those areas include portions of eastern San Bernardino and Inyo Counties, as well as multiple counties in the northern part of the state. About 24% of the state is under moderate drought, and 34% is classified as “abnormally dry.”

While the update reflects measurable drought relief, the report’s authors note that three years of dryness have further depleted some historically low groundwater levels, and that some aquifers may take “months to recover.”

Southern California’s other major water source, the Colorado River, also remains perilously low as the American Southwest suffers one of its driest two-decade periods in more than 1,200 years.

State water officials are expected to gather Friday for their third snow survey of the season and an update on how all the welcome white stuff will impact the state’s water supply.

“We are eager to move forward and turn the page on this unfortunate and preventable event,” said Martyn Willsher, Amplify’s president and chief executive, in a statement.

The tentative settlement agreement will require approval from U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, who has been overseeing the sprawling litigation into the 2021 spill.

T he agreement comes as the parties prepared for a first phase of trial next month that would have determined whether Amplify was solely responsible for the oil spill and whether the seaworthiness of the container ships or any negligence by the crews or owners caused the pipeline damage or the oil spill.

In an order setting parameters for the trial, Carter wrote that if evidence proved the vessel owners or operators were at fault, then they would be able to evade liability only if there were “extraordinary negligence by Amplify.”

The Mediterranean Shipping Co., the Swiss firm that operates the Danit, said Wednesday that the tentative settle ment agreement does

Last month, the same group of international shipping firms agreed to pay $45 million to settle a lawsuit brought by business owners and coastline property owners over the effects of the spill.

Amplify settled with the same business owners and property owners last fall for $50 million. That settlement agreement disbursed $34 million to commercial fishermen, $9 million to coastal property owners and $7 million to companies that rely on waterfront tourism, including surf schools and bait shops.

The oil spill occurred about four miles offshore and sent crude oil washing ashore in Huntington Beach and along other parts of the California coastline.

Though the spill was less severe than initially feared, beaches were closed for a week and fisheries for a month.

The spill also threatened coastal wetlands and affected local wildlife: Environmental scientists said last year that in the wake of the spill, they had recovered 82 dead birds and six dead mammals, including a bottlenose dolphin, three California sea lions and a wide array of birds, including coots

More than 16% of California moves out of drought, US report finds

Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Walter Foster, 80, of Los Angeles, raises a sign calling for a focus on financial compensation as the California Reparations Task Force takes public comment Friday.

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

A pedestrian crossing the street in downtown Los Angeles is silhouetted against the snow-capped San Gabriel mountains at sunset after historic rain and snow dumped on Southern California, Wednesday.

Shipping firms to pay pipeline company nearly $100 million in Calif. oil spill

California bullet train project still lacks needed financing

Managers of California’s bullet train project announced what they termed an “historic milestone” last month: “the creation of more than 10,000 construction jobs since the start of high-speed rail construction.” That takes a little explaining.

Government agencies that build public works projects and their contractors habitually overstate economic impacts, nowhere more obviously than in claims of job creation.

Each day, according to the High-Speed Rail Authority, about 1,000 men and women are working on the construction of an initial San Joaquin Valley stage of what is supposed to be eventually become a statewide system of very fast trains.

Letters to the editor

Letters must be 325 words or less and are subject to editing for length and clarity. All letters must include the author’s name, address and phone number. Send letters to Letters to the Editor, the Daily Republic, P.O. Box 47, Fairfield, CA 94533, email to gfaison@dailyrepublic. net or drop them off at our office, 1250 Texas St. in Fairfield.

Dilbert is gone. So now what?

Dan Walters

An ordinary person –someone with no vested interest – would interpret that statistic as meaning the project supports 1,000 jobs. But in government-talk if 1,000 people have been working for 10 years, it means the project has created 10,000 jobs, which sounds much more impressive as political justification.

The celebratory press release quoted Amit Bose, who heads the Federal Railroad Administration, as saying, “Ten thousand jobs created is one of many milestones to come on this historic project, and the Federal Railroad Administration remains committed to strengthening state partnerships to advance even more progress and deliver the passenger rail benefits people want and deserve.”

However, it doesn’t mention that, a few days earlier, the federal government had rejected an application for $1.2 billion in grants the project needs if there is any hope of actually completing the San Joaquin Valley section between Merced and Bakersfield.

“There is no doubt that we want federal money, that we need federal money,” Brian Annis, the project’s chief financial officer, told the Fresno Bee.

The San Joaquin segment is being built with funds from a $9.95 billion bond issue approved by voters in 2008, a previous federal grant and some proceeds from the state’s auctions of carbon emission credits, but they are not enough. The 171-mile stretch is currently projected to cost $22 billion, roughly one-fifth of what the entire northsouth system would need.

When the bond issue was being presented to voters 15 years ago, the total cost was pegged at about $40 billion with an assumption that federal funds and/or private investors would complete financing. Since then, the projected costs have risen steadily to more than $100 billion and officials have searched in vain for additional money.

Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown were enthusiastic supporters. But when Gavin Newsom became governor in 2019, he was openly skeptical.

“The project, as currently planned, would cost too much and take too long,” Newsom said as he took office. “There’s been too little oversight and not enough transparency. Right now, there simply isn’t a path to get from Sacramento to San Diego, let alone from San Francisco to L.A. I wish there were.”

His critique was widely interpreted as a desire to cancel the project, but its supporters – particularly construction unions – ramped up pressure and Newsom quickly insisted he wanted to not only continue construction but expand it on both ends to connect Merced with Bakersfield. He later overcame legislative resistance and appropriated the remainder of the 2008 bond issue to continue work.

Nevertheless, the bullet train’s fundamental problem remains: how to get enough money to complete the San Joaquin segment and find another $80 billion or so to make it a statewide system.

The answer may depend on what happens in national politics since generally Democrats support high-speed rail as a tool to battle climate change while Republicans oppose it as a boondoggle – and one of the more vociferous opponents is House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, whose hometown is Bakersfield. 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.

Regular readers of the comics in the Daily Republic likely took note Wednesday that Dilbert is no longer part of the lineup. But many may not know what led to its elimination.

The cartoon’s creator, Scott Adams, is a regular podcaster and midweek last week made comments on a podcast that were derogatory toward Black people. Adams essentially doubled down over the course of the week and into the weekend as newspapers across the country began to drop Dilbert from their comics lineup.

We began internal discussions over the weekend about whether we should do the same. To be honest, there was some division. I recommended dropping Dilbert based on the comments made by Adams and the fact that he essentially stood by them. But there was also the argument that Dilbert the comic strip is different from its creator, and readers should not be deprived of a comic they may enjoy because the comic’s creator made racist comments on the internet.

The fact of the matter is this: It does not matter whether we decided to drop or keep Dilbert. That decision was made sometime Sunday when the syndicate that distributes the comic, Andrews McMeel Universal, announced it had severed ties with Adams due to his public comments.

So I scrambled starting Monday to find a new comic to fill the space in our lineup and settled on Candorville, which is offered through King Features Syndication.

The first two panels of Candorville published in Wednesday’s print edition. I received my first telephone message shortly after 7:15 a.m. Wednesday from a man who expressed his disappointment that Dilbert was not included in the day’s print edition. He noted that the DR had “caved in to the wokeness

in this country” and called into question the quality of the strip. The caller said he was not going to renew his subscription. The man chose to shield his number from our caller ID system, which is a shame. I would have liked to talk to him about how all of this transpired.

Back to the comics. In reviewing what’s out there, I decided to take a “big swing.” Dilbert was a known commodity with a loyal following. But in many ways it’s a dated comic: It launched in April 1989. I wanted to present something more modern and, in my view, more relevant to the times in which we live.

Candorville is drawn and written by Darrin Bell, a California native and a political science graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. It launched in September 2003. It centers around young Black and Latino characters and, according to promotional material from King Features, “reveals the humor in current events . . . through the stories of its protagonists who are just like you or me.” Candorville appears coast to coast in many of America’s newspapers. Bell won a Pulitzer Prize in 2019 for editorial cartooning, which should help address the question of the quality of Bell’s work.

The majority of the DR’s readers are in Fairfield, Suisun City and the surrounding county areas, although we have readers in Vacaville proper and rural Vacaville as well. Which means the demographic of Candorville seems appropriate for our area in 2023.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 29.3% of Fairfield’s estimated 119,705 residents are Hispanic or Latino; 15.9% are Black; and 17.7% are Asian. Another 1.2% are Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, while 0.6% are American Indian or

Alaska Native. That’s 64.7% of the city’s population that is something other than white. That remainder of the city’s population also includes 12.9% who are of two or more races.

Suisun City has a higher percentage of Black and Asian residents as a percentage of its estimated 28,111 residents, according to the Census Bureau, and a similar percentage of Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander and American Indian or Alaska Native residents. Vacaville is essentially a white-majority community, although just so with 25.7% of the city’s estimated 102,675 residents Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Black; 9.2% Asian; and again, a similar percentage of Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander and American Indian or Alaska Native residents. But the slim white majority includes 9.9% who are of two or more races.

We should take note that the percentages are estimates and, as the Census Bureau notes, include methodology differences that may exist between different data sources. That’s why if you add them up you do not get an even 100%.

So Fairfield and Suisun City are, in fact, minority-majority communities. That’s reflected in the makeup of the two city councils. And Vacaville is nearly so.

Back – again – to cartoons. We are testing Cantorville for the month of March in hopes of getting a read on it from our readers. We’ll switch to a different cartoon, from a different distributor, in April, again in the hopes of getting some feedback. We hope to make a more permanent decision starting in May, but if necessary will consider a third test run.

In the meantime, take a moment to enjoy the comics.

Glen Faison is managing editor of the Daily Republic. Reach him at gfaison@dailyrepublic.net or 707-427-6925.

What now for a Fed behind the curve

With several hotterthan-expected inflation numbers coming after two successive downshifts in interest rate increases, an interesting debate is raging as to what the Federal Reserve should do next: Go back to a larger rate increase (50 basis points) or maintain a slower pace (25 basis points) but keep higher rates for longer.

Mohamed A. El-Elrian

Already an analytically tricky issue, this has become even more complicated by the Fed now falling behind on its inflation fight for the third time in just two years and what that implies for its already damaged credibility. The argument for the Fed to return to a 50-basis-point increase later this month is based on the recent slew of macroeconomic numbers that suggest inflation is becoming stickier, and not just in the service sector.

From last week’s reversal in the downward movement in the core personal consumption expenditures price index, the Fed’s favorite gauge of inflation, to Tuesday’s notable move up in the “prices paid” component of the Institute for Supply Management’s measure of factory activity, there is now broad recognition that the Fed was too optimistic at its last policy meeting in suggesting that disinflation is becoming the dominant economic narrative.

At least three Fed officials have already publicly signaled their openness to a 50-basis-point increase after they all opted for a downshift to 25 basis points Feb. 1. Others have yet

to weigh in and may well be on the fence because of the counterargument that it is too early to evaluate the full impact of what, after a hesitant start, was one of the most frontloaded rate-increase cycles in decades. After all, the conventional wisdom among many is still that monetary policy acts with “long and variable lags” –a consideration that assumes greater importance in the light of forward-looking data that points to a potential slowing of the economy.

That hesitation favors the alternative of a longer journey up in rates at a consistent pace of 25-basis-point increases. In addition to providing more time for the Fed to assess the impact of its policy actions, that may also reduce the risk of destabilizing financial markets in a manner that could adversely spill back to the economy. But it risks giving inflation even more time to embed more deeply into the economic system, and it does mean that the Fed may have to continue raising rates into a weak and weakening economy.

Interestingly, the ultimate peak rate migrates higher under both policy alternatives. But the time at this peak rate is presumed to be longer for the slower journey.

Going into the last FOMC policy meeting, I felt strongly that the Fed should not downshift from 50 to 25 basis points. Now that it has, it is much harder to come up with a good policy option for the meeting that concludes March 22. This is not just about the balanced economic arguments cited above. It is

again?

also about policy credibility. Resuming 50-basis-point increases and essentially negating much of the previous forward policy guidance would constitute yet another significant hit to the damaged standing of the Fed. But not responding to a set of unfavorable inflation data surprises is also bad for its credibility.

These multiple dilemmas illustrate a much bigger, longer-lasting and consequential policy challenge – that of operating far from the set of first best policy responses. It is the result of the multistage policy error in which the Fed first mischaracterized inflation as transitory for a protracted period, moved too slowly in adjusting policy once it “retired” transitory from its vocabulary and then fell behind the policy challenge for a third time by downshifting its increases too quickly from 75 to 50 to 25 basis points.

It is often said the first rule of finding yourself in a hole is to stop digging. With the Fed having already dug itself a deep hole, it is no longer crystal clear to me what the right policy step should be now. I suspect I am not the only one.

This ambiguity is not just a problem for Fed policy but also for the well-being of both the domestic and global economy. As always, it is the most vulnerable segments that are most at risk.

Mohamed A. El-Erian is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. A former chief executive officer of Pimco, he is president of Queens’ College, Cambridge; chief economic adviser at Allianz; and chair of Gramercy Fund Management.

Glen Faison

Kotb’s enigmatic ‘Today’ absence finally explained

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Craig Melvin has assured viewers that his “Today” colleague, Hoda Kotb, is “OK” amid mounting concern over her prolonged absence from the morning program.

Melvin explained on air Wednesday morning that Kotb has been away dealing with “a family health matter.” The esteemed “Today” coanchor hasn’t appeared live on the show since Feb. 17.

“We know a lot of you have been wondering how she’s doing,” Melvin said while co-anchoring “Today” opposite Sheinelle Jones and Al Roker.

Prior to Wednesday’s show, the beloved newscaster, mother and

breast cancer survivor’s mysterious “Today” disappearance had gone unexplained, prompting anxious viewers to speculate about her wellbeing. Melvin, Jones, Tom Llamas, Willie Geist and other NBC News correspondents have been filling in for Kotb alongside “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie and “Today With Hoda & Jenna” co-host Jenna Bush Hager during her hiatus.

Guthrie was also missing from Wednesday’s broadcast after abruptly exiting the show and testing positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday. The veteran broadcaster, who is vaccinated and boosted, has contracted the respiratory illness twice before.

Pickles Brian Crane

Zits

Pearls Before Swine Stephan Pastis

Baby Blues Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott Baldo

Crime logs

FairField

MONDAY, FEB. 27

12:24 a.m. — Shots fired, NORWALK PLACE

6:47 a.m. — Battery, 2000 block of SAN GABRIEL STREET

7:26 a.m. — Residential burglary, 2000 block of SAN ANGELO STREET

8:02 a.m. — Forgery, 1000 block of HAWK LANE

8:57 a.m. — Brandishing a weapon, 1100 block of ALASKA AVENUE

9:19 a.m. — Reckless driver, EASTBOUND INTERSTATE 80

9:37 a.m. — Forgery, 1300 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD

10:19 a.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 300 block of HONEYSUCKLE DRIVE

11:22 a.m. — Vandalism, 1400 block of UNION AVENUE

11:29 a.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 1500 block of GATEWAY BOULEVARD

11:33 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 2600 block of STANFORD COURT

11:55 a.m. — Vandalism, 400 block of ACACIA STREET

1:01 p.m. — Trespassing, 1900 block of WEST TEXAS STREET

2:04 p.m. — Fight with a weapon, 2200 block of CORMORANT DRIVE

3:31 p.m. — Forgery, 1100 block of ALASKA AVENUE

5:10 p.m. — Forgery, 1700 block of SUNSET AVENUE

9:54 p.m. — Drunk and

disorderly, 200 block of JASMINE STREET

10:27 p.m. — Trespassing, 2200 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

TUESDAY, FEB. 28

2:24 a.m. — Reckless driver, SAN JOSE COURT

2:25 a.m. — Fight with a weapon, 2200 block of CHANNING COURT

7:27 a.m. — Vandalism, 100 block of STEPHEN STREET

8:06 a.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 600 block of VINTAGE VALLEY DRIVE

8:24 a.m. — Vandalism, 4900

block of PEABODY ROAD

8:59 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 1400 block of WOOLNER AVENUE

10:46 a.m. — Fight with a weapon, 800 block of WASHINGTON STREET

11:18 a.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, WEST TEXAS STREET

11:34 a.m. — Forgery, 700 block of PISMO COURT

1:06 p.m. — Trespassing, 2000 block of TILDEN COURT

2:54 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 3300 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

4:36 p.m. — Forgery, 700 block of SAN REMO STREET

4:52 p.m. — Sexual assault,

2900 block of PEPPERTREE DRIVE

5:11 p.m. — Trespassing, 2200 block of GATEWAY COURT

5:46 p.m. — Hit-and-run with injury, 2000 block of DOVER AVENUE

7:48 p.m. — Trespassing, 4300 block of CENTRAL PLACE

8:04 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 3000 block of DOVER AVENUE WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1

2:34 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 500 block of ARKANSAS STREET

8:46 a.m. — Sexual assault, 1000 block of WEBSTER STREET

9:35 a.m. — Trespassing, 2600 block of MAXWELL WAY

9:57 a.m. — Forgery, 2000 block of CORMORANT DRIVE

10:36 a.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 1100 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

2:24 p.m. — Fight with a weapon, 400 block of WATT DRIVE

2:58 p.m. — Reckless driver, EASTBOUND INTERSTATE 80

4:13 p.m. — Forgery, 3900 block of BUSINESS CENTER DRIVE

4:26 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 1000 block of WEBSTER STREET

4:29 p.m. — Trespassing, 100 block of EAST TRAVIS

BOULEVARD

5:04 p.m. — Forgery, 2000 block of BRISTOL LANE

6:30 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 800 block of BROADWAY STREET

7:15 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 1300 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD

8:06 p.m. — Battery, 1400 block of MONROE STREET

9:18 p.m. — Shots fired, 600 block of CAPRI COURT

9:30 p.m. — Trespassing, 300 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD

11:28 p.m. — Reckless driver, TRAVIS BOULEVARD

SuiSun City

MONDAY, FEB. 27

11:07 a.m. — Reckless driver, HIGHWAY 12 / WALTERS ROAD

11:37

inside the feed room at the family’s dog kennel, followed by the gunning down of his wife, Maggie, 52, with a high-powered rifle on June 7, 2021, at the family 1,770-acre rural Colleton County estate, called Moselle.

Murdaugh, a disgraced lawyer who faces life in prison, stood stoic as the verdict was announced in the same courtroom where his father, Randolph, and his grandfather, “Buster,” brought cases as the circuit solicitor against thousands of

accused criminals over the years. Murdaugh’s greatgrandfather, the original Randolph Murdaugh, was solicitor from 1920 until his death in 1940.

After a poll of the jurors found the decision to be supported unanimously, Murdaugh’s defense team made one final move to have Judge Clifton Newman set aside the verdict and declare a mistrial.

Newman refused.

“The evidence of guilt is overwhelming and I deny the motion,” he said, telling the jury. “All the evidence pointed to one conclusion, and that is the conclusion you-all reached.”

Newman said he would delay sentencing until Friday morning, noting that “many people will likely have something to say.”

Newman can sentence Murdaugh from 30 years to life in prison for each count of murder. He is known as a tough sentencer who often comments on the crimes committed by those found guilty before him.

Murdaugh was remanded to the custody of the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office, who have held Murdaugh in the county jail throughout the sixweek trial. Deputies had Murdaugh put his hands behind his back, and then

in a short burst of metallic clicks heard around the courtroom, put handcuffs on the former millionaire now disbarred lawyer. For six weeks, lead prosecutor Creighton Waters pulled together a case with one major hurdle: no direct evidence. In the case brought against Murdaugh, the S.C. Attorney General’s Office had no direct evidence, such as fingerprints or DNA, that would have allowed the state to conclusively prove Murdaugh’s guilt. Even the weapons used to kill Paul and Maggie were missing – hidden or destroyed by Murdaugh, prosecutors contended.

county documents state. It would bring the zoning in line with the General Plan designation.

The new operations facility would sit on about 5.25 acres of that site.

The text changes would allow the chipping, grinding and soil blending uses in the new Commercial Service zone.

“Recycling operations involve the use of manufactured waste products that may be reused by converting or manufacturing them into a new or similar product. Composting is the conversion of

organic products such as grass clippings, leaves and food waste into alternative uses such as fertilizer or soil amendments,” the staff report to the commission states.

“Both processes are distinct from each other and ultimately aid in diverting waste from landfills. Under new state mandates required by the passage of (Assembly Bill 1383), there is a need to increase facilities that divert organic waste from landfills. Recycling or composting operations are extensive commercial operations and consistent with the land use types allowable in this zoning district,” the report states.

The property has a vehicle construction yard,

board Tuesday, as the supervisors provided input to staff and the consulting firm, BAE Urban Economics, for a Solano County Housing Plan.

a telecommunications tower, a small office and a 70-foot truck scale and scale house. The remaining 10 acres, located to the south of the chip and grind site, are in agricultural production with irrigated row crops. The farming piece will continue. No residential uses are adjacent to the site, which is surrounded by agricultural uses.

Sack Holdings anticipates a peak operation of loading 200 tons per day, resulting in fewer than 25 truck trips per day, with an average of three to four during the peak times of 7 to 9 a.m. The hours of operation are proposed to be 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. There will be six employees. The facility will use

investment (the county) needs to make . . . . I think the county is in the position to do that,” Vasquez said.

fighters and other middle class professions. The Board of Supervisors was told the median price for a single-family home in the county, as of October, was $575,000.

Moreover, the data presented show that 71% of those with extremely low incomes pays more than 50% of their household income for housing, while 50% of those with very low incomes spend more than 50% of their income toward housing, and 22% of low-income households spend 50% or more of their income on housing.

County Administrator Bill Emlen said he hopes the plan will act as “a springboard” toward pushing the housing envelope and developing workforce housing options. The county, using a $160,000 state grant, is paying the Berkeleybased firm $128,020 to develop the plan. Some of the information will be included in the Housing Element update for the General Plan to avoid duplication of effort.

n New commercial wind energy facilities and noncommercial wind turbines greater than 100 feet in height are inappropriate in areas north of Highway 12 and the Suisun Marsh Preservation Area.

n No wind turbine greater than 100 feet in height, measured at the apex of the blade at its highest point, shall be within a line-of-sight of the Travis Air Force Base Digital Airport Surveillance Radar Installation. All commercial wind turbine facilities and noncommercial wind turbines greater than 100 feet in height shall provide an individual radar line-of-sight analysis to demonstrate the placement of the proposed facility or wind turbine is not within a line-of-sight to the Travis radar installation.

n Existing commercial and noncommercial wind turbines may be replaced only if the replacement turbine has dimensions and materials similar to the original. Replacement tur-

bines that are significantly taller than the original, or built with materials that are significantly more reflective than the original, shall be subject to policy (review) . . . (and) will remain in effect through Dec. 31, 2028, unless amended prior to then by the Board of Supervisors due to changes in wind turbine designs, radar technology, or radar impact modeling methods.

n An applicant proposing installation or replacement of a wind turbine generator greater than 100 feet in height shall model anticipated impacts to verify there will be no net increase in radar interference above baseline to Travis Air Force Base, using a modeling methodology of proven reliability. The applicant must demonstrate the project will cause no measurable decrease in the ability of the Travis Air Force Base air navigation radar to detect targets. In addition, the applicant must demonstrate the project will not negatively affect existing or anticipated flight operations of Travis Air Force Base. The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to take up the issue March 28.

Those percentages drop significantly as the income increases, with 6% of moderate-income households paying above 50% of their income toward housing, 2% with upper-moderate incomes and 1% of those households with above moderate incomes carrying that housing cost burden.

More than 90% of those Solano households with the highest incomes pay less than 30% of their incomes toward housing, the board was told.

Finding ways to develop affordable workforce housing was the clear message from the

The foundation of the Housing Plan work is to accelerate and streamline housing production in the county, according to information presented to the Board of Supervisors.

“We understand in Solano County, most of the housing is going to be developed in the cities,” said Stephanie Hagar, a principal at BAE.

In fact, the voterapproved growth policies of the county General Plan direct housing to be developed in the urban centers.

However, board Chairman John Vasquez said he thinks there are opportunities in the unincorporated area as well.

“I think that is the commitment and the

That underflow dam has been completed, allowing water to flow downstream, but keeping surface contamination from advancing.

to a document provided to the Daily Republic, the base did not report the “sheen” to applicable environmental and wildlife agencies for about three months, on Feb. 4, 2022. However, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports it was notified in January 2022.

“The Air Force has placed oil spill collection booms in the creek, has hired a contractor to maintain the booms and collect and dispose of any contaminated material, and is currently constructing an underflow dam in order to better collect the sheen in Union Creek,” John Senn, a public affairs specialist with the U.S. EPA working out of San Francisco, stated in an email response to the Daily Republic.

“To date, petroleum contamination within Union Creek has only been detected on Travis Air Force Base, but offsite sampling within Union Creek has been limited. EPA is planning to conduct off-site sampling in the near future and has requested that the Air Force also conduct off-site sampling. The San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board issued a directive to the Air Force in December 2022, requiring the Air Force to perform certain assessment and response actions,” Senn stated.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency has been on site in December, January and in February, Jacobs stated in an email. State EPA, Fish and Wildlife and the

well water, though Solano Irrigation District serves the area, too.

The Dixon Resource Conservation District raised concerns about storm runoff from the site and called for a drainage plan to be required. However, the county staff stated that the project is conditioned so there can be no increase in drainage off the site. That would trigger the need for a hydrology study.

Agriman will be the facility operator. It will take the end product to its composting facilities. That material is then sold to agriculture and other interests.

ment of that housing on the ag producers, saying other industries are not asked to pony up to house their employees.

Still, Vasquez and Supervisor Mitch Mashburn mostly looked to county areas close to the cities where water, sewer and other services are already available. That includes transportation and school needs for families.

It was also suggested the county could work with the cities to help, including possible funding options, to develop the appropriate housing within the city boundaries.

One focus area of the plan is accessory dwelling units, including a review of fees and how to facilitate their use, possibly with incentives. The other focus area is agricultural employee housing, including surveys of ag producers as well as ag labor to determine wants and needs.

Supervisor Erin Hannagan said equity must be part of all the discussions, noting that Solano is one of the most diverse counties in one of the most diverse states, and many in those populations have the greatest need for lower-cost housing.

As for agricultural employee housing, Vasquez and Mashburn cautioned about putting the burden of develop-

Water Control Board are also involved in the monitoring of the situation.

Pena further stated there have been no issues with wildlife due to the leaks, and confirmed the creek is not a source for drinking water.

The base, in a letter to U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein dated May 6, 2022, stood by its response to the leak, one in which the base took direct and immediate action, though it does not address when reporting to outside agencies began.

“Our personnel immediately deployed containment and initiated sample testing on that day and at the reappearance of sheening after subsequent rain events. Through this sampling, the type of fuel was confirmed and communication with Air Force Civil Engineer Center began to award a contract to investigate the source of contamination,” states the letter to Feinstein and signed by Col. Corey A.

“We wouldn’t do this with a restaurant or a movie theater or a car dealership. We wouldn’t require them to provide housing for their employees,” Mashburn said.

Moreover, there are tenant rights issues involved, so what happens if an employee takes a different job or is dismissed. They cannot readily be required to move from housing meant for that ranch or farm. Even if they could, where would they go?

Vasquez suggested maybe the housing can be built on county- or other agency-owned land or even turning existing migrant housing into fulltime housing instead.

“And we have to be very focused on what that looks like,” said Vasquez, who emphasized the need for quality developments.

Supervisor Wanda Williams suggested looking into tiny home developments as well. Mashburn also noted mobile homes as an option, though Vasquez said he does not like that modular family homes are classified as mobile homes.

Simmons, who was then the commander of the 60th Air Mobility Wing at the base.

“Additionally, representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California Department of Fish and Wildlife have visited the installation and expressed satisfaction with our mitigation efforts. Finally, the installation has monitored and sampled at the installation boundary at Outfall 1 and have found no evidence of sheen or contamination exiting the installation,” the letter states.

The repairs to the culvert and other work orders have not been completed, and according to the document, the reason is tied directly to whether or not the work environment was safe for the contractor’s employees. The base has since terminated the contract.

Feinstein hospitalized with shingles; with Fetterman also out, Harris steps in to break tie votes in Senate

Los A ngeLes Times

WASHINGTON —

Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Thursday she’s been hospitalized in California with shingles and hopes to return to Washington to vote in the Senate later this month.

It comes two weeks after the California Democrat – the oldest sitting senator at age 89 – announced she would retire at the end of her term next year.

“I was diagnosed over the February recess with a case of shingles,” Feinstein said in a statement.

“I have been hospitalized and am receiving treatment in San Francisco and expect to make a full recovery. I hope to return to the Senate later this month.”

Feinstein is one of two Senate Democrats currently out with illness, prompting Vice President Kamala Harris to break three tied votes this week.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., 53, still recovering from a stroke last year, was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center two weeks ago for clinical depression and may be absent for weeks.

Democrats control the Senate by a only a twovote margin.

Feinstein has faced growing health challenges in recent years, including questions about whether she was up for the mental rigor of high-profile positions. Though she was in line to become the first woman to lead the Senate Judiciary Committee, the post ultimately went to a colleague.

There had been speculation that she would not serve out the entirety of her term, allowing Gov. Gavin Newsom to appoint someone else to the seat.

In 2021 he even publicly committed to naming a Black woman if Feinstein were to leave office early.

But repeatedly, including last month, Feinstein said she plans to fulfill

Plummeting salmon population could trigger closure of fishing season in state’s waters

Los A ngeLes Times

her term, which ends in late 2024.

A vacancy in the seat now would throw a new dynamic into the race to succeed her, a contest that got underway well before Feinstein officially announced she would not seek another term.

Democratic Reps. Katie Porter of Irvine, Adam Schiff of Burbank and Barbara Lee of Oakland have all announced campaigns for the coveted post.

In the short term, the absences of both Feinstein and Fetterman in Washington have forced Harris, as president of the Senate, to return to a familiar role.

She had to break three ties this week on votes related to two judicial appointments, including that of Araceli MartinezOlguin to be U.S. District judge for the Northern District of California.

In addition to Feinstein and Fetterman, also out this week were Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho.

For the last two years, the Senate was divided at 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats (including two independent senators who caucus with them). That meant any absence could change the outcome of a close vote. It also meant Harris was called to break 26 ties, far more than any other vice president in the modern era.

The responsibility kept Harris frequently tied to Washington, all but unable to travel – or sometimes just keep dinner plans – in case the Senate was split on a vote.

In the November midterm election, Democrats padded their majority by one vote, giving them slightly more breathing room and, in theory, eliminating the need to rely on Harris as much.

B ut the recent absences underscore the delicate nature of the Democratic Senate majority.

California Chinook salmon populations have fallen to their lowest levels in years, according to new estimates released by state and federal scientists – a decline that could trigger a shutdown of the commercial and recreational fishing season along the coast.

“The salmon are struggling,” said Chuck Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “And we have great concern about their future, knowing we are fully committed to rebuilding them and saving them.”

Bonham said the decline is part of a decades-long trend, and the past three years of record drought “only further stressed our salmon populations.”

The department said scientists estimated that the number of 3-year-old fall-run Chinook likely to return to the Sacramento River this year to spawn would be fewer than 170,000, one of the lowest forecasts in 15 years. They also estimated that fewer than 104,000 are likely to return to the Klamath River, the second-lowest estimate since 1997.

In its announcement Wednesday, the department said returning fall-run Chinook “fell well short of conservation objectives” in the Sacramento River last year, and may now be approaching a point of being declared overfished.

“In response, federal and state agencies are expected to take a conservative approach when approving 2023 salmon seasons to provide additional protective measures to these stocks, and very limited or no fishing in 2023 appears possible,” the department said.

The new population estimates appear to reflect the variety of threats weighing on Chinook salmon. While the construction of numerous dams on ancestral rivers decades ago dealt a serious blow to the species’ survival, global warming and drought have also exacted a toll – even as state and

federal hatcheries rear and release millions of salmon each year.

Salmon, which begin their life cycle in streambeds, migrate to the ocean as juveniles, and then return to their birthplace to spawn before dying. In recent years, scientists have identified yet another threat to the species’ survival – a deficiency of thiamine is harming Chinook populations, and researchers suspect salmon may be feeding too heavily on numerous anchovies in the Pacific Ocean.

In light of the new population estimates, the Pacific Fishery Management Council will consider alternatives for the ocean fishing season during meetings next week.

The options will probably include a limited fishery, a complete shutdown or something in between, Bonham said. A decision is expected during meetings in early April.

California has banned coastal salmon fishing only once before. That closure occurred in 2008.

Last year’s commercial season included a range of permitted dates from May to October in different zones along the coast, while the Klamath zone in far Northern California was closed.

Recreational anglers catch fall-run Chinook on the Sacramento and other rivers, and members of Native tribes traditionally fish for salmon.

Decisions on inland recreational fishing will be

made in May by the California Fish and Game Commission.

Data from previous years shows that three years after dry conditions will typically bring low estimates of returning salmon, Bonham said. The low numbers this year reflect the extremely dry conditions of 2020, he said.

Salmon numbers are sporadic and tied to flows in rivers, with wetter conditions helping the fish flourish.

Bonham said the extremely wet winter this year should benefit the salmon. In 2010, for example, ample rainfall led to higher estimates of returning adults in 2012 and 2013.

“That gives you some optimism that in three years from now, you could see the same kind of thing,” Bonham said. “This can turn around.”

Salmon fishing advocates, however, said the dire outlook for this year shows that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration should do more to prioritize river flows for fish.

The forecast of too few fish to support a fishery “will hurt not only those who make a living tied to salmon but also the many Californians whose dinner tables would normally be supplemented by salmon,” said John McManus, pres-

ident of the Golden State Salmon Assn.

McManus and other leaders of the association criticized Newsom’s water policies, noting that while salmon numbers have declined, water has flowed to almond orchards that have expanded substantially in recent years.

“We’ve still got good water resources in California. They just need to be managed right, in a little bit more fair and balanced way, so we don’t crush the native salmon runs that the state has been blessed with. And this year, we can see they’ve been crushed,” McManus said.

He said the association’s members support responsible stewardship.

“Fishermen and women throughout the state want to see this stock rebuilt,” McManus said. “We know it can be. It just takes a little bit of fairness, compromise and balance.”

Last month, environmental and fishing advocates condemned a request by the Newsom administration to temporarily waive environmental water-quality rules in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in an effort to store more water in reservoirs. They argued that the request, which was approved by the State Water Resources Control Board’s executive director, will be harmful for Chinook salmon, longfin smelt and endangered delta smelt.

State officials have defended the approach, saying other existing protections are adequate.

Department of Fish and Wildlife officials said they are working toward plans aimed at rebuilding fallrun Chinook populations in the Sacramento and Klamath rivers.

But environmental advocates argue the state’s efforts are insufficient, and this year’s low numbers reflect a trend of continuing declines.

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS file Alex Arrow, a biological science technician, pours a bucket of juvenile Chinook salmon back into Battle Creek near Coleman National Fish Hatchery, in Anderson, last year.

Friday, March 3, 2023

An unlikely combo could prove huge for the Warriors

DieTer KurTenbACh

THE MERCURY NEWS

The Warriors’ season is winding down – only

20 games remain going into Thursday night’s tilt with the Clippers.

Yet this team is still searching for its best lineups and rotations.

A steady diet of injuries and absences has hindered the Warriors’ quest for self-actualization. With veterans like Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins, and Andre Iguodala missing significant chunks of time (all but three games this season, in the case of Iguodala), Warriors coach Steve Kerr and his staff have leaned on young players and even guys on

two-way contracts to play major minutes.

And amid all that forced experimentation, an exceptionally useful combo might have been found.

Anthony Lamb is an unassuming wing on a two-way contract, a minor-league deal that limits him to 50 NBA games per season.

Jonathan Kuminga just turned 20 years old. He’s a raw talent. But he’s also one of the NBA’s most athletic players and is learning the pro game fast. These are two players who, in ideal circumstances, would only play for the Warriors in garbage time.

But the Warriors haven’t seen ideal cir-

Vacaville boys tennis edges out Vanden 5-4 in season opener for both teams

FAIRFIELD — The

boys tennis teams at Vanden and Vacaville high schools opened the season Wednesday with a Monticello Empire League match as the Bulldogs came away with a 5-4 victory on the Vikings’ courts.

Vanden won four of the six singles matches.

James Remeticado, C.J. Hongo, Romelo Felix and John Figueroa came away with victories.

Trenton Hill and Jaxson

Ivie earned victories for Vacaville.

The Bulldogs pulled off the sweep in doubles for the win. Riley Evanger and Eli Blaettler, Adam Olson and Trino Alvarez, and Max Hawkins and Ryder Ruiz came away with the wins in straight sets.

“We played very well, especially given the lack of experience many of our players have,” Vanden head coach Stan Lewis said in an email.

Lewis said seven of his players had never played a high school match before.

Vacaville was scheduled Thursday to host Armijo and Vanden was at Rodriguez.

Solano softball loses pair of games at Butte

ROCKVILLE —

The Solano Community College softball team dropped a pair of games Thursday in a doubleheader at Butte with both lasting only five innings apiece. Solano lost the first game 14-3 and dropped the second 15-1. The Falcons are now 3-10 overall. Solano has a doubleheader Tuesday at American River College in Sacramento.

Lindsay Feinberg had a pair of hits in the first game. Naiya Watts doubled and drove in two runs. Azaria Sanchez singled and drove in a run. Madelyn Bruce and Alexis Certeza also singled.

Watts and Certeza had the only hits for Solano in the second game. Certeza drove in the Falcons’ lone run.

ANALYSIS

cumstances all season, so Kuminga and Lamb have played 338 minutes together.

And when that duo is on the court, especially as of late, the Warriors have played some terrific basketball, all in the Dubs’ trademark style.

The duo is going to receive more opportunities to play together in the days and perhaps weeks to come. If this level of play proves sustainable, Kerr would be a fool not to use it in the playoffs, too.

Since Steph Curry injured his knee on Feb. 4, the Warriors have played Lamb and Kuminga together five

Vacaville baseball opens season with win at Davis

VACAVILLE — The Vacaville High School baseball team opened the season Wednesday with a 1-0 win at Davis.

Bennie Dyer hit a triple on offense and threw a runner out at home on defense.

Cal Elvis doubled and Nathan Schnell drove in the only Vacaville run in the fourth inning. Drew Carrington, Drew Lammon and Brenden Murphy also singled.

Nick Viera earned the win on the mound. He pitched four innings, allowed five hits and struck out two. Drew Ferrier pitched two innings and struck out three. Fin Chapman earned the save by pitching one inning, allowing one hit and strikeout out one.

Vacaville plays again Friday with a game at Lincoln of Stockton.

Armijo badminton wins MEL opener at Will C. Wood

FAIRFIELD — The Armijo High School badminton team opened the season Tuesday with an 11-4 Monticello Empire League victory at Will C. Wood.

Armijo won six of the seven doubles matches and took five of the eight singles.

The Royals earned singles wins from Kaden Vang, Sharon Vuong, Ally Weston, Carisma Carrion and Rianna Rivera. Doubles winners included the teams of Vang and Vuong, Rivera and Lesley Silva, Erin Cruz and Carrion, Aaliyah Watson and Gabby Magat, Anna Aguilar and Alayna Galos and Bella Aweau and Gabby Mendez.

Winning for Wood in singles was Jimena Roque, Kyra Lee and Alani Hays-Henry. Lee and Hays-Henry won in doubles.

Armijo plays Tuesday at Rodriguez. Will C. Wood was scheduled to compete Thursday at Rodriguez.

times, totaling 51 minutes. The Warriors have outscored their opponents by 32 points during those minutes. When those two play together, the offense flows and the defense is stout.

The wings’ games mesh so well, one can’t help but score when the other passes him the ball. Lamb has assisted Kuminga 11 times this season on only 95 total passes. Kuminga has assisted Lamb 11 times on 72 passes. That’s absurd efficiency, particularly for two players who aren’t known as passers.

“They can play off each other,” Draymond Green told me. “You space Lamb, you get Kuminga working in the dunker (just to the side

of the basket), you get Kuminga working in the pocket (just inside the 3-point line, around the key). That’s where he’s going to be most effective at this point in his career.”

On defense, playing

Kuminga and Lamb together gives the Warriors strength and length in the front-court in a switching defense. Kuminga and Lamb both have wingspans that are

See Combo, Page B6

Vanden boys roll on into NorCal regional semifinal

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy General manager John Lynch hit the right notes Tuesday while addressing Brock Purdy’s status at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

While the delay in repairing Purdy’s right ulnar collateral ligament isn’t ideal, an extra week or three to reduce the swelling and make for a better outcome is the right call. That is both the company line and the truth.

It also presents an opportunity for Trey Lance, the presumptive starter a year ago at this time, and he’s got a small window to assert himself.

“We have a team that’s ready to go now,” Lynch told reporters. “He has to get out there and play. Brock got that opportunity this year. He grabbed it. He did great things. We’ll see at some point how we get Trey that opportunity. Because we very much believe in who he is as a person and who he is as a quarterback.” What the 49ers aren’t

saying publicly is that having Purdy rehabbing and on the sidelines into late August and into September isn’t necessarily a bad thing in terms of 2023 and beyond. It may in fact be a good thing as the 49ers hit a crossroads at the most important position in professional sports.

Purdy provided nothing but answers in his whirlwind nine-game stretch beginning with a relief performance against Miami after

Jimmy Garoppolo left with a broken foot. Lance remains nothing but question marks to coach Kyle Shanahan and his staff.

Let’s assume the elbow rearranged by Philadelphia edge rusher Haason Reddick can be repaired with the less invasive option and allow Purdy to take the field at some point in early or mid-September.

That gives the 49ers a chance to assess whether their decision to part with two first-round picks and

a third-round pick in order to move up to No. 3 overall in 2021 and take Lance is a decision which can pay dividends with a dual-threat quarterback of the future.

Or if they made a bad decision and then got incredibly lucky with their final pick in 2022 to cover for their mistake.

It’s a do-over for Lance, who had moments both good and bad in the offseason and training camp a year ago. Yet there were concerns, otherwise Garoppolo wouldn’t have been brought back on cutdown day on a reduced deal. The 49ers at that point had no idea what they had in Purdy.

Can Lance thrive from the pocket and take advantage of weapons such as Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk in a conventional way? We still don’t know.

Is Lance fast enough to get to the boundary like Jalen Hurts or Josh Allen on running plays rather than exclusively sticking

Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group/TNS Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) slam dunks against the Portland Trail Blazers in the second half at Chase Center in San Francisco, Tuesday.

Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group/TNS file San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Trey Lance (5) scrambles against the Seattle Seahawks in the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Sept. 18, 2022.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic Vanden’s Edric Dennis, center, shoots the ball during the boys basketball game against Bellarmine College Prep at Vanden High School in Fairfield, Thursday. Vanden beat Bellarmine 74-60 and will host the NorCal regional semifinal Saturday at 7.

Columns&Games

My husband is so rude to my children, waiters, cashiers

Dear Annie: I have been married for almost 20 years. My husband used to be very jealous and controlling, but we have navigated through that, and he has gotten over these issues. However, his sarcasm is cutting me to the bone. He is very rude to everyone in public –waiters, clerks, cashiers, etc. He embarrasses me so badly. He isn’t rude to his family, but he is with my children and grandchildren. I have tried to talk to him about it, but he gets even more hateful and denies being rude or offensive. Everything I do is picked apart or criticized by him. Still, he doesn’t see a problem with his actions.

I am at my wits’ end with it. Help! ‚ Frustrated by Rudeness

Dear Frustrated: The good news is that your husband is capable of improving his behavior – and if he can do it once, then he can do it again.

Next time he does something rude, pull him aside and tell him in private that you found his behavior offensive. Do so gently – as if you are making a polite request rather than accusing him of a crime. Hopefully, he is able to respond in kind – but if he blows up at you,

ARIES (March 21-April 19).

With so many unhealthy distractions around, it’s a love tap from the universe when you’re most attracted to what also happens to be very good for you. You’ll be energized by correct action.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20).

There’s an element of unpredictability in today’s game. People won’t behave or react as expected. Even your best plans will not quite prepare you for unexpected developments, but your improvisations will be brilliant.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21).

Your image can be so lighthearted but those who know you well know that you are a serious person whose life is a testament to the power of determination and perseverance. Today brings an occasion to apply vigilance.

CANCER (June 22-July 22).

You know the journey well and have executed these same twists and turns hundreds of times. Even so, take it slower today to avoid the sort of mistakes caused by overconfidence and speed.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22).

Your fire sign energy is strong now, and many are mesmerized by your flame. They’ll come in closer to get warm and to watch you dance unpredictably. You create excitement.

Daily Cryptoquotes

couples therapy may be in order.

Dear Annie: I’ve been with my boyfriend for three months now. In the beginning, it was great. But I’ve noticed as time goes on that I’m feeling miserable. He tells me I can talk to him about anything, but when I do, he turns it into something I never even said. For example, if I tell him how I feel about something, he thinks that’s me wanting to leave him. If I tell him I don’t feel comfortable doing something, like giving him my bank account passwords, it’s automatically “I don’t trust him” and I think he will steal from me even though I’ve never said that. If my depression and anxiety flare up and I tell him, he turns around and tells me that those are just excuses and I need to “do better” and “try” to get over them. Don’t get me wrong, he is super sweet and loving, but I’ve been fighting my thoughts for a while now, debating if this is normal or if I should leave. I hate hurting anyone’s feelings or having anyone be upset with me, but I’m kind of at the end of my rope here. He always says he’ll never hurt me and he’ll always be here, but the truth is,

Holiday Mathis

Today’s birthday

You exude fun and sparkle with creativity in this year of amped-up charisma. You’ll soon find yourself on a mission. The goal compels you on an uphill climb, but this is how you get to the beautiful views. Though you have your own reasons for going for what you want, you will elevate the collective spirit in the process.

Virgo and Scorpio adore you.

Your lucky numbers are:

22, 19 and 40.

You catch on.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).

If you go a little dark with your humor or discourse, maybe you’re just painting with shade.

It’s the shadows that make an experience compelling. We can’t see what’s going on without darkness around the edges to define it.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).

There’s nothing to fear in an ending. Just as the death of a star creates new stars, planets and celestial bodies, the end of one event will be the beginning of your whole new system.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).

It’s wonderful to remember that, despite what most of us have been taught, suffering is

when he talks to me sometimes, the way he speaks hurts, and when I tell him that, he starts going on about how everything is his fault and I’m never to blame. To be upfront, I always try to own up to any mistakes I make, or if I make him feel bad, I try to fix it so it won’t happen again. Should I give it more of a chance, or should I leave? —

Having Second Thoughts

Dear Second Thoughts: If you have to ask these kinds of questions this early on into your relationship, I think you already have your answer. This man sounds insecure, and to deflect his insecurities and instances of what seem like healthy confrontation, he gaslights you. I’d bet my bottom dollar that his behavior will continue, if not worsen, in the future. The way he belittles your anxiety and depression is also greatly telling of how supportive you can expect him to be in other sensitive areas. I’d say you’ve already given him more than a fair chance to change his tune – now’s your time to find a different melody. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@ creators.com.

not creative, noble or necessary. You are allowed to win without going through anything hard first.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21). Seek relationships that naturally fall into a balance of mutual respect. You’ll know you’re giving too much when togetherness feels like a light panic, or when you feel you must impress, help or fix things to be accepted.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19). Bold is a word usually reserved for the loud, fast and flamboyant, but yours is a subtler hue: quiet, stealthy and fierce. Your aim itself is audacious, but you are catlike as you quietly observe before the pounce.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 18). You’re not afraid, but you’re cautious. Your steadiness isn’t hesitation or timidity; rather, it comes from a place of respect and care. Your approach earns trust and wins you a new and important friendship.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). It is said that a car is quieter without an engine, but it’s of little use. Be careful about what you “fix.” The essential things might be a pain to maintain, but no progress will be made without them.

Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

Word Sleuth

Crossword by Phillip Alder

Bridge

effect for the whole Tri-State area until 6 p.m. Full details on the News at Ten.”

At the bridge table, you may have to find a play that intentionally misleads an opponent. If you succeed, it is doubtful your opponent will find it funny. Hope that he is graciously appreciative of your expertise. Perhaps North’s jump to five clubs was a tad precipitate or ambitious, according to choice, but he did have a good hand.

When the dummy came down, it was obvious to East that their only chance was to rope in three major-suit tricks: one in spades and two in hearts. So he won trick one with the spade jack and whistled back the heart three. However, declarer got it right, playing low from hand.

“You were too transparent,” said West to his partner.

“What do you mean?” asked East.

WHEN INFORMATION MUST REMAIN HIDDEN

News broadcasts, newspapers and magazines occasionally contain items that have a serious, informative intent but are unintentionally funny.

Once when the weather was wet, wild and woolly in the northeast, across the bottom of the television screen appeared: “There is a tornado watch in

“Well, not you, of course, but your play. When you won trick one with the jack, it was obvious you were loaded with spade honors. Therefore, I was likely to have the heart ace. You should have won the first trick with the spade ace. Placing the spade king with me, declarer will assume you have the heart ace and misguess the suit, going down in his game.”

COPYRIGHT: 2023, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

Sudoku by Wayne Gould

by creators.com

3/3/23

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

© 2023

Difficulty level: SILVER

Yesterday’s solution:

Horoscopes by

Annie Lane Dear Annie

On the road with ‘Daisy Jones & the Six,’ with echoes of Fleetwood Mac

NiNa Metz CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Based on the popular 2019 novel about a fictional rock band that became huge in the late ’’70s and then just as quickly fell apart, the 10-episode Amazon adaptation of “Daisy Jones & The Six” is structured (as is the book) like an episode of VH1′s “Behind the Music.”

Fleetwood Mac is author Taylor Jenkins Reid’s obvious inspiration, with her two main characters emulating, with some important tweaks, the combative push-pull that defined the personal and professional collaborations of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.

The Six is a band led by Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin), a working-class guy from Pittsburgh with Jim Morrison cheekbones and a chip on his shoulder. His insecurities and massive ego give way to addiction when the band goes on their first tour. So it’s off to rehab for Billy, who returns committed to doing right by his young wife (Camila Morrone) and baby. The band just needs something extra to take it to the next level.

When an avuncular and endlessly patient music producer (Tom Wright) pairs Billy with a singer-songwriter named Daisy Jones (Riley Keough) –a free spirit and quintessential Los Angeles girl who masks her own insecurities with bravado, booze and pills – their duet goes to No. 1 and, after some grumbling from Billy, she’s invited to join the band.

The group records one “Rumours”-esque album and then embarks on a stadium tour fraught with interpersonal issues plaguing the entire band (except for the blissed-out, Ringo-like drummer played by Sebastian Chacon). It all comes to a head at a sold-out show at Soldier Field in Chicago.

Daily Cryptoquotes

Here’s how to work it:

STREAMING Review

‘Daisy Jones & the Six’ On Prime Video Friday HH (OUT OF FOUR)

It would be their last time on stage together. Twenty years later, they’re sitting for interviews and looking back at their origin story.

Created by the screenwriting team of Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (whose credits include ”(500) Days of Summer”), the series falls into a number of expected traps. It’s the “same old tired rock and roll tale,” as Billy puts it, and he’s not wrong. But the episodes have a cumulative power, even if the storytelling often feels like it’s cutting corners rather than digging in.

Musically, Keough and Claflin are a good match. She has a strong, clear voice that bolsters their harmonies, but he can hold his own too, and they’re credible as performers. Keough is the granddaughter of Elvis Presley and, fairly or not, is perhaps shouldering certain expectations about her presence as a singer. But she looks at home onstage and finds a way to channel some of Nicks’ physicality and flowy-wispy stagewear without mimicking her outright. The music itself really does sound close enough to Fleetwood Mac, especially “Regret Me” and “Let Me Down Easy.” All of that works.

It’s the offstage drama that the show struggles with. As a pair, Daisy and Billy are supposed to feel like a musical inevitability fueled by mutual friction and attraction. But the fireworks just aren’t there. When Billy goes home after their first recording session and makes love to his wife, we’re meant to think it’s because he’s turned on by spending all day with Daisy; there’s just nothing

onscreen that even suggests this is the case. As a viewer, you’re being asked to make all kinds of leaps.

Some of this comes down to casting. Billy is a pill, but Claflin’s performance isn’t charismatic enough to transform that into: He’s a pill but I get it. Often he’s shot as if he’s posing and these moments feel like a workaround: Our lead is handsome, so if we lean into that maybe we can generate something that will read as “rock star.” Keough’s role is just as underdeveloped; the script tells us she’s into Billy – that she feels a unique connection with him – but that chemistry never shows up.

When the pair go off to write their first song together, he asks, “So how is this going to work?”

Daisy: “What do you mean?”

Billy: “What’s your process?”

Daisy: “You’re looking at it.”

That’s a frustrating dodge because a show like this should show us their process. That’s part of the fun of going behind the scenes. What does creative collaboration look like? Is it too boring to film? Maybe. But I would argue Peter Jackson’s 2021 “Get Back,” the documentary made from old footage of The Beatles working on their final album, suggests the opposite.

The series is primarily the Billy and Daisy show, with the other members of the band relegated to supporting status, including Suki Waterhouse as a character based on Christine McVie. While the keyboard can clearly be heard on the tracks, the character’s actual musical contributions are rendered invisible. She exists to be the woman who ends up falling into bed with one of her bandmates. There’s also Daisy’s one and only friend in the world, played by Nabiyah Be, who goes from

See Daisy, Page B5

Word Sleuth

Crossword by Phillip Alder

Bridge

literature of the game, you will find one play that is always made by a woman, never by a man: the unintentional brilliancy.”

The SLM passed around the diagram, then continued.

This deal really happened as I shall relate. Sitting West was Portia Rowls-Bently. Against the final contract of four spades, she led the diamond queen. Declarer ruffed the third round of diamonds, drew trumps in three rounds and ran the heart queen. East won with the king and returned a low club.

Planning to bank everything on the heart suit, South put up the club ace –and Portia dropped the king!

Suddenly the situation had changed. Four club tricks had apparently dropped into South’s lap. He played a heart to dummy’s ace and ran the club 10. When Portia produced the jack to defeat the contract, South was distraught.

DEFLECT THE COURSE OF THE CONTRACT

Sitting in our bridge club bar, someone asked the Senior Life Master, “Do you think there’s sexual discrimination in bridge?”

“Yes . . . and no,” replied the SLM.

“Nowadays, there is reverse discrimination in favor of women as we have women’s events, but no men-only events. However, if you read the

“Did you start with jack-third of hearts?” he asked aggressively.

“Yes, I believe I did,” replied Portia patiently.

“Did you drop the club king by accident? Did it slip out of your hand?” demanded South disrespectfully.

Portia produced an enigmatic smile that placed her alongside the Mona Lisa and the Sphinx, no questions asked.

COPYRIGHT: 2023, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

Sudoku by Wayne Gould

Bridge

3/4/23

Difficulty

Yesterday’s solution:

© 2023 Janric Enterprises Dist. by creators.com

DEFLECT THE COURSE OF THE CONTRACT

or box. Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com

Sitting in our bridge club bar, someone asked the Senior Life Master, “Do you think there’s sexual discrimination in bridge?”

“Yes . . . and no,” replied the SLM.

“Nowadays, there is reverse discrimina-

Lacey Terrell/Prime Video/TNS

Sam Claflin, center, and Riley Keough, right, in “Daisy Jones & The Six.”

Randy Fenoli helps satisfy demanding clients on “Say Yes to the Dress.”

Prince Harry, Meghan have been asked to ‘vacate’ Frogmore Cottage

The WashingTon PosT

LONDON — Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, have been asked to give up the royal residence gifted to them to use by Queen Elizabeth II.

“We can confirm The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage,” a spokesman for the couple said in an email.

It’s unclear exactly why they are now being asked to clear out the five-bedroom property in Windsor, which was their primary home in Britain before they decamped to California.

In a “world exclusive” on Frogxit, the Sun tabloid, citing unnamed sources, said the five-bedroom property had been offered to Prince Andrew. The tabloid also said that King Charles III plans to ax his younger brother’s royal allowance. Andrew’s spokesman did not respond to The Washington Post’s emailed questions. The reports come

Daisy

From Page B4

background singer to disco sensation when she moves to New York and gets her song played in a club that resembles Studio 54. Her story may feel tacked on – being a Black gay woman means record labels are playing all kinds of games diminishing her talent – but Be is terrific.

I wish the studio sessions with Daisy and The Six were more complex narratively, but there’s a funny moment as the camera pans from the guitarist playing with a cigarette dangling from his mouth to the drummer playing with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. Or when Daisy says she wants a “swampy” sound and we see the band make that adjustment. More of those details would have given the show a richer sense of the group dynamic and what producing a song actually looks like – the tinkering and adjustments. The show feels most

ahead of Charles’s coronation in May – and ahead of a major review of royal household finances. Every five years, the British government reassesses the formula for the taxpayer-funded “Sovereign Grant” – used to cover the operating costs of the royal household, including staff salaries, palace renovations and travel. Any changes to that formula are expected to come into effect next month.

Frogmore Cottage was the subject of much controversy after $2.9 million of taxpayer money was spent on renovations. Harry and Meghan repaid the money in full after they announced they were quitting their jobs as working royals.

If the reports are true, then Andrew, the disgraced younger brother of the king, would be moving into a property with extensive renovations paid for by Harry and Meghan. It would also amount to an effective downgrade of his current living arrangements.

alive whenever Timothy Olyphant shows up as their droll tour manager. And Morrone, as Billy’s other half at home, is more than just the beautiful, long-suffering wife. She’s a three-dimensional character with her own point of view, and she pushes Billy to collaborate with Daisy because she can see the way they ignite each other. Too bad the rest of us can’t.

For comparison’s sake, watching this video of Fleetwood Mac performing the song “Silver Springs” feels like something very complicated and private is happening between Nicks and Buckingham (who had long broken up by this point) when she sings the chorus. She’s staring her old lover dead in the eye, and he’s holding her gaze, and it’s almost like a curse:

I’ll follow you down ‘til the sound of my voice will haunt you, You’ll never get away from the sound of the woman that loves you.

Crucially, “Daisy Jones & The Six” is missing that intensity.

Brian Crane

Zits Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Pearls Before Swine Stephan Pastis

Candorville Darrin Bell

Baby Blues Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

Baldo Hector Cantú and Carlos Castellanos

Friday’s TV sports

New Orleans at Golden State, NBCSBA, (Fairfield and Suisun CIty, 7 p.m.

Golf

PGA, Puerto Rico Open, GOLF, 7 a,m.

PGA, Arnold Palmer Invitational, GOLF, 11 a.m.

LPGA, HSBC Women’s World Championship, GOLF, 6:30 p.m.

Motor sports

F1, Bahrain Grand Prix, practice, ESPN2, 3:25 a.m.

F1, Bahrain Grand Prix, practice, ESPN2, 6:55 a.m.

NASCAR Trucks, Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200, qualifying, FS1, 1:30 p.m.

NASCAR Xfinity, Alsco Uniforms 300, qualifying, FS1, 3:30 p.m.

NASCAR Trucks, Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200, FS1, 6 p.m.

Saturday’s TV sports

Basketball College Men

Alabama at Texas A&M, 5, 13, 9 a.m.

Iowa State at Baylor, ESPN2, 9 a.m.

Seton Hall of Providence, 2, 40, 9 a.m.

Ohio State at Michigan State, ESPN, 9 a.m.

George Mason at Richmond, USA, 9:30 a.m.

St. John’s at Marquette, 2, 40, 11 a.m.

Tennessee at Auburn, ESPN, 11 a.m.

Louisville at Virginia, ESPN2, 11 a.m.

49ers

From

his nose inside where 300-pound tackles are waiting for him? We still don’t know.

On a related matter,

Kentucky at Arkansas, 5, 13, 11 a.m.

Kansas at Texas, ESPN, 1 p.m.

Stanford at Oregon, 5, 13, 1 p.m.

Florida State at Virginia Tech, ESPN2,

1 p.m.

VCU at George Washington, USA< 1:30

p.m.

Oklahoma State at Texas Tech, ESPN2,

3 p.m.

Duke at North Carolina, ESPN, 3:30

p.m.

Butler at Xavier, FS1, 4 p.m.

Connecticut at Villanova, 2, 40, 4:30

p.m.

Creighton at DePaul, FS1, 6 p.m.

Arizona at UCLA, ESPN, 7 p.m.

Arizona State at USC, FS1, 8 p.m.

NBA Philadelphia at Milwaukee, 7, 10, 5:30

p.m.

Minnesota at Sacramento, NBCSCA, 7

p.m.

Golf

PGA, Arnold Palmer Invitational, GOLF, 9:30 a.m.

PGA, Arnold Palmer Invitational, GOLF, 11:30 a.m.

Champions, Cologuard Classic, GOLF, 2 p.m.

Hockey NHL

Boston at N.Y. Rangers, 7, 10, 10 a.m.

Dallas at Colorado, 7, 10, 12:30 p.m.

Motor sports

F1, Bahrain Grand Prix, practice, ESPN2, 3:25 a.m.

F1, Bahrain Grand Prix, qualifying, ESPN2, 6:55 a.m.

NASCAR Cup Series, Pennzoil 400, qualifying, FS1, 11 a.m.

NASCAR Xfinity Series, Alsco Uniforms 300, FS1, 1:30 p.m.

soccer EpL

Manchester City at Newcastle, USA, 9:30 a.m.

Wolverhampton at Tottenham, USA, 7 a.m.

Southampton at Leicester, 3, 9:30 a.m.

ML s Los Angeles FC at Portland, 2, 40, 1:30 p.m.

can Lance stay healthy? We still don’t know. Does Lance have enough experience to be dependable in terms of decision-makinginrunning Shanahan’s offense? We still don’t know. None of this is a knock on Lance. He seemed to connect with

his teammates and there are no red flags concerning his character. It’s easy to trust Shanahan and Lynch and their judgement but even good coaches and personnel evaluators have made mistakes on quarterbacks.

Yuba College’s baseball team rallies late to beat host Solano 5-2

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

ROCKVILLE — The Yuba College baseball team scored five runs in the top of the ninth inning to beat host Solano 5-2 Thursday afternoon.

Solano had scored one run in the fourth inning and one in the sixth for a 2-0 lead

From Page B1

just shy of 7 feet, despite being 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-6, respectively.

“You always hear ‘Those guys are too small,’” Green said. “Quite frankly, when you have length, it’s important. It covers up not being 7 feet. It covers up not being 6-foot-10. Those guys have length.” Green would know about that.

“Both are really strong,” Kerr said Tuesday. “In the modern NBA, you want as many different guys as can stand up to different players over and over again. You’re going to have to guard in space, and you can’t let guys run through you. Both guys do a really good job of holding people up defensively.” Behind that strength, the Warriors have played both Kuminga and Lamb as smallball centers in recent games. The tactic worked. But it worked best when both were on the floor.

It’s reminiscent of 2021, when the Warriors committed to smallball late in the season and made the play-in tournament with a late winning streak that helped them surge in the standings. A two-way player, Juan ToscanoAnderson, played as an undersized, floor-spacing center and unlocked the Warriors’ best lineups then.

The parallels are clear, though the Warriors’ goal is higher than the play-in tournament this time.

Kuminga and Lamb

late in the game. But Yuba rallied for the win. The Falcons fell to 6-9 overall and are scheduled to play Friday at Los Medanos in Pittsburg.

Miles Meadows had a pair of hits for Solano. Ryan Mitchell doubled, Kevin Parker singled and Alex Gaela drove in a run. Josh Petrill pitched a strong eight innings. He gave up nine hits on three runs and had one walk and seven strikeouts. Parker pitched the last inning and gave up two earned run on three hits to go with two strikeouts.

provide balance for each other on the floor. Kuminga brings athleticism that Lamb doesn’t possess, while Lamb can bring the instincts Kuminga currently lacks.

The combination has led to some big offensive performances from Kuminga in the Warriors’ last two games. Kuminga scored 13 points Sunday and 16 points Tuesday. In both games, the youngster – who is two years younger than Sacramento rookie Keegan Murray – looked incisive and confident.

“Lamb is a point-five player,” Kerr said. “When the ball hits his hands, he either dribbles passes or shoots immediately, because he recognizes what’s happening on the floor. It’s instinctive for him. He helps JK gets some easy buckets.”

“When he’s getting downhill, [and] using that athleticism,” Warriors guard Donte DiVincenzo said of Kuminga, “we get anything we want.”

The positive pairing should earn Lamb a full NBA contract, too. While the Warriors’ other two-way player, Ty Jerome, has done well in recent weeks, Golden State’s need for the point guard to play significant minutes goes away when Curry returns.

Meanwhile, the Warriors’ need for Lamb to play might continue into the postseason, given this newfound connection with Kuminga and the Warriors’ renewed commitment to smallball following the trade of James Wiseman and amid JaMychal Green’s recent struggles.

Plus, there’s a way to supercharge the Kuminga and Lamb combination.

On Tuesday, the Warriors added Draymond Green to the mix.

Three power forwards on the floor, all with the ability to defend at least four positions, with Green and Kuminga capable of going 1 through 5. The Blazers didn’t know how to handle it, and the Warriors came back from a 23-point deficit to win by 18.

The triumvirate only played seven minutes together, but those minutes were spectacular. Green, Kuminga, and Lamb posted an offensive rating of 150 (points per 100 possessions), with a defensive rating of 93. That’s a margin of 56 – a number so big it can turn a game in a short period of time.

The success of the trio shouldn’t be a surprise. It has played 83 minutes together this season and posted a plus-30 net rating. It’s not a frequently used lineup, but it’s been the Warriors’ best three-man combination this season.

With Kuminga and Lamb, the numbers are undeniable. They’re acing the eye test, too.

Who cares if it’s a kid and a minor-league player? It works. And for a team looking for answers, the pairing of Kuminga and Lamb is providing them. The Warriors can’t turn away from that. Not now.

“It’s going to keep working well,” Green said of the combination. “We want to keep getting good stuff out of it.”

PUBLIC NOTICES

Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/LeisaWynnJohnson 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.2023000236 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00061271 Published:Feb.10,17,24March3,2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT THE FOLLOWING PERSON (PERSONS) IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS SNIK APPAREL LOCATEDAT5130FultonDrSte#N, FairfieldCA94534Solano.Mailingaddress2401WatermanBlvd,A4-247,FairfieldCA94534.IS(ARE)HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)AllCityEmbroideryCA.THIS BUSINESSISCONDUCTEDBY: aLimitedLiabilityCompany Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusiness nameornameslistedaboveonN/A. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.)

/s/Saman-Owner INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONFebruary27,2028.

THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE).

FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: February28,2023

NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000362 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00061721 Published:March3,10,17,24,2023

Tiffany Taylor filedapetitionwiththiscourtforadecree changingnamesasfollows: Present Name: a. Tjayden Benefield Proposed Name: a. Tjayden Taylor THECOURTORDERSthatallpersonsinterestedinthismattershallappearbefore thiscourtatthehearingindicatedbelowto showcause,ifany,whythepetitionfor changeofnameshouldnotbegranted. Anypersonobjectingtothename changesdescribedabovemustfileawrittenobjectionthatincludesthereasonsfor theobjectionatleasttwocourtdaysbe-

bepublishedatleastonceeachweekfor foursuccessiveweekspriortothedate setforhearingonthepetitioninthefollowingnewspaperofgeneralcirculation,printedinthiscounty:DailyRepublic Pleasefileproofofnewspaperpublication atleast5businessdaysbeforehearing (newspaperdoesnotfilew/court)zoom ok.zoominvitewillbeemailed1-2days beforehearing

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME PETITION OF: ELESIA SUMMERS CASE NUMBER: FCS059635 TOALLINTERESTEDPERSONS: Petitioner: Elesia Summers filedapetitionwiththiscourtforadecree changingnamesasfollows: Present Name: a. Joshua Boyakins Proposed Name: a. Joshua Summers THECOURTORDERSthatallpersonsinterestedinthismattershallappearbefore thiscourtatthehearingindicatedbelowto showcause,ifany,whythepetitionfor change ofnameshouldnotbegranted. Anypersonobjectingtothename changesdescribedabovemustfileawrittenobjectionthatincludesthereasonsfor theobjectionatleasttwocourtdaysbeforethematterisscheduledtobeheard andmustappearatthehearingtoshow causewhythepetitionshouldnotbegranted.Ifnowrittenobjectionistimelyfiled, thecourtmaygrantthepetitionwithouta hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING Date: April

Street Fairfield, CA 94533 Old Solano Courthouse AcopyofthisOrdertoShowCauseshall bepublishedatleastonceeachweekfor foursuccessiveweekspriortothedate setforhearingonthepetitioninthefollowingnewspaperofgeneralcirculation,printedinthiscounty:DailyRepublic Pleasefileproofofnewspaperpublication atleast5businessdaysbeforehearing (newspaperdoesnotfilew/court)zoom ok.zoominvitewillbeemailed1-2days beforehearing

Date:FEB16,2023 /s/ChristineA.Carringer JudgeoftheSuperiorCourt FILED:FEB242023 DR#00061719 Published:March3,10,17,24,2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME PETITION OF: SARAH JEAN EDMONDSON CASE NUMBER: FCS059642

TOALLINTERESTEDPERSONS:

Petitioner: Sarah Jean Edmondson filedapetitionwiththiscourtforadecree changingnamesasfollows:

Present Name:

a. Jashaun Patrick Marcel Edmondson

b. Jakobe Marshaun Edmondson

c. Jionni Chance Edmondson

d. JayLah Rae Grace Edmondson

Proposed Name:

a. Jashaun Patrick Marcel Bray

b. Jakobe Marshaun Bray

c. Jionni Chance Harold Bray

d. JayLah Rae Grace Randolph Bray THECOURTORDERSthatallpersonsinterestedinthismattershallappearbefore thiscourtatthehearingindicatedbelowto showcause,ifany,whythepetitionfor changeofnameshouldnotbegranted. Anypersonobjectingtothename changesdescribedabovemustfileawrittenobjectionthatincludesthereasonsfor theobjectionatleasttwocourtdaysbeforethematterisscheduledtobeheard andmustappearatthehearingtoshow causewhythepetitionshouldnotbegranted.Ifnowrittenobjectionistimelyfiled, thecourtmaygrantthepetitionwithouta hearing.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT THE FOLLOWING PERSON (PERSONS) IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS SAINT SAVAGE HOUSE LOCATEDAT7013ESamuelCtVacavilleCA95687Solano.Mailingaddress 7013ESamuelCtVacaville.IS(ARE) HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)JaniceCueva7013 ESamuelCtVacaville95687.THISBUSINESSISCONDUCTEDBY: 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 THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: January30,2023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000183 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00061382 Published:Feb.17,24March3,10,2023

behalf

Singh Mangat, a

courtforadecreechangingnamesasfollows: Present 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 HEARING

Date: APRIL 5, 2023; Time: 8:30 am; Dept: 12; Rm: I The address of the court is: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SOLANO 580 Texas Street Fairfield 94533 Old Solano Courthouse AcopyofthisOrdertoShowCauseshall bepublishedatleastonceeachweekfor foursuccessiveweekspriortothedateset forhearingonthepetitio ninthefollowing newspaperofgeneralcirculation,printedin