Daily Republic: Monday, March 13, 2023

Mushroom fettuccine offers delicious taste of Italy B2

This really might be the end of Jimmy G. with 49ers B1

State braces for another atmospheric river storm

Los A ngeLes Times

PAJARO — California was bracing for another round of rain beginning Monday as officials tried to assess the damage from severe flooding along the Central Coast and Central Valley, which left scores stranded and left whole blocks under water.

Who are the Daniels? Oscar-winning directors of the year’s best picture

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, who form the directing duo the “Daniels,” are Oscar winners

The pair won the best picture, won for best original screenplay and shared the director’s honor during Sunday night’s ceremony.

The co-writers, producers and directors of 11-time Oscar nominee “Everything Everywhere All at Once” etched their names in Hollywood history with wins at the 95th Annual Academy Awards.

Other big winners included Lead Actor Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Lead Actress Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Supporting Actress Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All at Once), and Supporting Actor Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once.)

Born in Birmingham, Scheinert attended Oak Mountain Elemen-

tary and Middle Schools before going to high school in Shades Valley. His parents, Ken and Becky, now live in Guntersville. His dad said Scheinert got into filmmaking through local competitions and musical theater during high school.

Humble Sidewalk beginnings

Scheinert recently threw a shoutout to his hometown Sidewalk Film Festival at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, where the film swept every category in which it was nominated and won the most awards for a single film in the 38-year history of the show. As they took the stage, the Daniels made sure to thank those who inspired them early in their artistic journeys.

After his filmmaking partner Daniel Kwan shouted out out a few names, Scheinert interjected with a mention of his hometown fest: “Everyone at the Sundance Labs,

the folks at the Spirit Awards, the folks at the Sidewalk Film Festival who believed in me.”

“But the film bug, it was 20 percent just me doing what my brother did, because he and his friends were all making movies for fun, and they had a public access TV show that they only made like two episodes of, but I loved it,” Scheinert told AL.com last year. “And Sidewalk Film Festival just blew my mind when I made a movie in high school with my best friends and it played for an audience and they liked it.

“I was like, ‘This is incredible.’ So we just started trying to make movies and do all the Sidewalk Scrambles and enter all the competitions. I interned at Sidewalk Film Festival for a while, and it became my favorite thing to do my last three years of high school.”

See Oscars, Page A8

Israeli couple, inspired by Solano rabbi, opens House of Heart in India

r ACheL r Askin-Zrihen

SPEICAL TO THE DAILY REPUBLIC

VACAVILLE — “Ahhh a home; ahhh tahini, ahh Hebrew. . . .”

That’s the reaction of most people when they first enter Beit Halev (House of Heart) in Varkala, India, its cofounder Maayan Klein Ashush said.

Inspired by their time at the Solano County Chabad House and the concept of something called Moishe House,

Klein Ashush, an Israeli military hero, and her family, have married their love of Judaism, travel and community, and opened Beit Halev (House of Heart) in far-off India.

And they’ve added an infant daughter to the mix.

While Chabad sets up religion-based “centers for Jewish life” all over the world, Moishe House is an international nonprofit comprised of homes

across the globe where young Jewish adults are provided a rent subsidy and program budget to create their ideal Jewish communal space.

Heart House is a little bit of both. The Ashushes say they believe God set them on this mission.

“We personally look at ourselves as emissaries of Hashem,” Klein Ashush said. “Everybody is in their personal way, and our way is being out there for our fellow Jews and

anybody who needs.”

Beit Halev, which is open 24/7, is a home away from home “for Israelis and Jews from all over the world to eat kosher food, experience Shabbat and Jewish holidays together, share experiences and stories and just be ‘a place to be,’ ” the couple says. “The center is funded solely by donations – so every donation counts.”

Travelers are welcome

See Couple, Page A7

Yet another atmospheric river will bring new flood concerns to Northern California beginning Monday and continuing through Tuesday night.

The Bay Area is now seeing bands of rain showers and thunderstorms, but “the focus is going to be on the next atmospheric river that arrives Monday evening,” said Patrick Ayd, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Flood and high wind watches are in effect for the Bay Area and Central

Coast starting Monday evening, he said.

The upcoming storms are expected to hit the same areas as the last round, Ayd said, with the worst impact at higher elevations.

In the aftermath of the recent storms, “we have very saturated soils, which will make us even more prone to flooding,” and power outages are expected, especially around Monterey, Ayd said. Rock and mud slides are also possible.

Jim Bagnall, a meteorologist with the weather service in Hanford, said some showers and thunderstorms occurred Sunday, mainly from Fresno County north-

Yellen pledges protections to quell bank run

bLoomberg news

WASHINGTON —

U.S. regulators are racing against the clock to find solutions for failed Silicon Valley Bank while Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said officials are focusing on protecting depositors, as officials seek to avoid a wider bank run.

After SVB collapsed into receivership on Friday in the biggest bank failure in more than a decade, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. kicked off an auction process for its assets late Saturday, as it aims to make a portion of clients’ uninsured deposits available as soon as Monday, according to people with knowledge of the situation. The agency and the Federal Reserve have also discussed a fund to backstop deposits if more banks fail as part of wider contingency planning, people said.

Those efforts are aimed at protecting depositors, rather than bailing out investors, Yellen said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

“During the financial crisis there were investors and owners of systemic large banks that were bailed out,” the Treasury secretary said. “And we’re certainly not looking — and the reforms that have been put in place means that we’re not going to do that again. But we are concerned about depositors and we’re focused on trying to meet their needs.”

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, whose California district is home to SVB, said the FDIC is working to find a buyer and urged the U.S. government to guarantee all of the bank’s deposits. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California,

See Storm, Page A7 A7

Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times

Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan accept the award for Directing at the 95th Academy Awards in the Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood. The duo also won for Best Picture.

My niece Cherry inspires me to legally change my name

Irecently found out that my niece, my wife Beth’s sister’s oldest daughter, legally changed her name. Her birth name was Charity Leigh Miller and she went by her middle name in college. Her new name is Cherry Kuykendall. There is some history behind it as her dad did a genealogy search and found out her grandfather changed his last name from Kuykendall to Miller.

I didn’t know anything about the ins and outs of changing your name, but in her state she did it online through the county court and it cost less than $50 all told. She didn’t have to appear in court because there was nothing shady about the change. She just never felt it was the right one for her.

Now, besides her birth name and her 2.0 name, my niece also has a pseudonym she uses on Facebook and Instagram, Cereza Bombastic. It was also the name she went by when she did roller derby for many years. Yes, my niece is a serious bada**. While she loved roller derby, she gave it up because getting hit in the face and spine got old.

One thing that really impressed me was the amount of thought she puts into her name choices. She chose Cereza because it’s cherry in Spanish. Bombastic came from the Shaggy song “Boombastic.” Together they make cherry bomb like the song by K-pop group NCT 127 that she likes.

Now Charity . . . I mean Cereza . . . I mean Cherry speaks English, Spanish, French and Korean. I was superimpressed until she told me she didn’t speak any Klingon so my image of her was blown, but whatevs. She explained to me how she included clever wordplay in the choosing of her new moniker when you translate it into other languages. I could try to explain it, but it would literally lose something in the

CORRECTION POLICY

CHOCOLATE THUNDER

When I was a teenager, Philadelphia 76ers center Darryl Dawkins blew my mind when he shattered not one, but two backboards dunking in games. Eventually the NBA had to switch to breakaway rims because of his awesomeness.

Dawkins was flashy and gave his dunks names like the Rim Wrecker, the Go-Rilla, the Look Out Below, the In-Your-Face Disgrace, the Cover Your Head, the Yo-Mama, the Spine-Chiller Supreme and the Greyhound Special (for the rare occasions when he went coast to coast).

Stevie Wonder, a 76ers fan, gave Dawkins the nickname “Chocolate Thunder.”

Now, if I changed my name to Chocolate Thunder it would just be ironic because the only ferocious dunking I can do would involve Winchell’s donuts and a glass of milk.

SUPERHERO SECRET IDENTITIES

I thought of changing my

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moniker to the name of the secret identity, or alter-ego if you will, of a superhero. My short list includes T’Challa (Black Panther), Peter Parker (Spider-Man), Tony Stark (Iron Man), Clark Kent (Superman) or Bruce Wayne (Batman). The main reason would be so when I am in a waiting room and they call my name, to see how many heads turn. Oh, and I immediately scratched Shoeshine Boy (Underdog) from my list.

STYLIZED

I don’t know all the nuances of changing one’s name, so I wonder if you can just keep your name but change the way it is stylized. I would like to have it legally stipulated that whenever my name is printed on my driver’s license, registration, Social Security card or even my columns that it always be in all caps, underlined, in bold and in size 36 comic sans

font with an exclamation point at the end.

SUSAN PEIRCE THOMPSON

A few years ago my brother Scott came up with a term for someone who does Bright Line Eating like himself who never actually paid anything beyond just buying the book “Bright Line Eating: The Science of Living Happy Thin and Free” by Susan Peirce Thompson, Ph.D. The term he coined was a “Bright Booker.”

I posted it in a BLE group and stylized it as Bright Booker ™. Well, I got a friendly call from Susan as her lawyer saw it and was worried that I had actually trademarked it. I assured her I did not but thought it would look better like that online. Me telling her to stop threatening to sue me has now become a running joke.

I then told her I was thinking of legally changing my

name to Susan Peirce Thompson, Ph.D. and asked if it would be a problem. So people wouldn’t confuse us, I assured her that the Ph.D. would stand for Phineas Horatio Dilbert and that I would even go the extra mile and add a “Jr.” at the end.

THE PRINCE ROUTE

Remember when Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol? I loved that people had to start calling him The Artist Formerly Known as Prince or TAFKAP.

I’ve decided to go that same route when changing my name. From now on I will be known as @#%^$! While it isn’t official yet, it’s already catching on. Some guy rolled down his window on Air Base Parkway and called me that yesterday when I cut him off.

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.”

The World’s Ugliest Dog is now a celebrity; meet Mr. Happy Face

The WashingTon PosT

Minutes after wrapping up their interview on NBC’s

“Today” show, Jeneda Benally and her dog were about to step out of the set’s backstage area when Kesha approached them.

“OMG, is that him?! the pop star exclaimed. “Is that THE dog? Mr. Happy Face?”

“Yes,” Benally replied that early June morning. “You’re welcome to pet him if you’d like.”

The singer, who sported a beige cape suit and matching heels, stroked the few tufts of gray hair on Mr. Happy Face’s head as the Chinese crested Chihuahua mix, 17, looked her straight in the eyes, the kind of gaze he’d adopted since recently winning the title of world’s ugliest dog.

“This was the moment when perfection and perfect in his very own unique way met,” Benally told The Washington Post on Saturday.

Months earlier, the small canine – with a tongue longer than his head and wispy strands of hair covering his mostly bald skin – elicited strangers’ playful characterizations of gremlin, gargoyle, Quasimodo from “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.”

Now the winner of the 2022 World’s Ugliest Dog contest has turned into a celebrity with his own Instagram account, trips to live morning TV shows and appearances in dozens of interviews with publications around the world.

“He loves the attention,” said Benally, 48. “He actually has learned how to pose for pictures.” If it weren’t for her niece who on a lark encouraged her to submit Mr. Happy Face’s entry for the World’s Ugliest Dog contest, Benally probably never would have heard of the nearly 50-year-old competition celebrating the “imperfections that make all dogs unique.” Submissions for this year’s contest, which will

take place on June 23 in Petaluma, are now open.

Benally met Mr. Happy Face, named Matthias at the time, in August 2021 at an Arizona shelter, she told The Post. Her original plan was to leave the Yavapai Humane Society shelter in Prescott, Ariz., with a big protective dog, she said, but the animal she wanted had been adopted minutes before she arrived.

So Benally asked the no-kill shelter to show her some dogs who were less likely to be adopted.

Cue Mr. Happy Face, who a shelter employee said might be part alien.

Mr. Happy face, who has some deformities and tumors, hobbled his way to Benally and looked her in the eyes flashing, asking for a second chance.

“He had so much hope in his eyes,” Benally said. “He spoke to my heart.”

And that’s all it took.

Twenty minutes later, Benally left the shelter with Mr. Happy Face despite being told that he probably had six more weeks to live, if they were lucky. But they were more fortu-

nate than that.

With time, the dog who could barely walk and who shrieked when touched turned into one who runs after Benally

and woofs in his sleep. He no longer takes any medication, Benally said over the phone as Mr. Happy Face barked excitedly with his sister Chaos.

Since Mr. Happy Face won the contest, fans have contacted Benally to say his story inspired them to adopt the underdog, that friend who needs more care than others, senior pets who might not get immediate attention from pet adopters.

Benally, who submitted an entry for Mr. Happy Face on a whim last year, said those interested in participating should view the contest as a celebration of their dog’s uniqueness, not because of competition.

The contest, held annually as part of the Sonoma-Marin Fair, isn’t intended to make fun of “ugly” dogs, according to its website. Its organizers hope to teach that all animals can be loved, no matter how they look.

Tony Wade’s niece Cherry Kuykendall legally changed

Jeneda Benally courtesy photo

Mr. Happy Face, 18, is the reigning champion of the World’s Ugliest Dog contest.

52 feet and counting: Lake Tahoe grapples with huge snowpack

Jakob RoDgeRS

BAY AREA NEWS GROUP TRUCKEE — Rather than use a yardstick, Deanne Maas measures each new snowstorm at her house atop Donner Summit by carefully examining the widening cracks in her drywall.

Some of them now reveal the underlying studs – signs that more than a dozen feet of snow piled outside her house are buckling the walls and roof of her home. She can hardly see outside anymore, as snow covers almost all of her windows.

“I feel like I live in a snow cave,” said Maas, 46. Even for a place so accustomed to receiving some of the highest seasonal snowfall totals in the continental United States, this winter is a doozy. The Lake Tahoe area is buckling under hundreds of inches of snowfall amid one of its most powderfilled seasons on record, all part of a historic run of atmospheric rivers and

punishing arctic blasts that have filled reservoirs, flooded cities and eased drought conditions across California.

The latest storms this weekend pushed the snowpack atop Donner Summit into fourth place on the list of snowiest seasons for the area, topping 624 inches since Oct. 1 at UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab, just a few miles from Maas’ house.

For her and other residents in the northern Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe areas, this winter represents a study in extremes, whipsawing between outright fatigue and unbridled joy at seeing the region finally blanketed in shimmering powder. While many homeowners voice deep anxiety about their roofs collapsing underneath the mounds of snow atop them, they also crack smiles while praising one of the best ski seasons in years.

“I’m tired – my back is killing me,” said Nelson Rodgers, 25, after shov-

eling three feet of snow from the front deck of his Tahoe City home. “I’ve been here 15 years and I’ve never seen anything like this. The snowpack is ginormous.”

Same goes for Maas, whose husband has done almost nothing over the last two weeks besides plow their football fieldlength driveway along Towle Mountain Drive near the crest of Interstate 80. Routinely-impassable road conditions have often forced the couple to miss work as a waitress and builder.

“I always say: Living on Donner Summit is like childbirth – you forget the pain in the summer,” Maas said.

That pain has been exceptional across the Sierra Nevada this year.

Storms this winter hit the southern Sierra Nevada with particular ferocity, piling snowpack to more than 250% of its seasonal average, according to the California Department of Water Resources. At times,

those storms have turned deadly – a late February blizzard in San Bernardino County trapped residents for weeks, forcing families to ration their food, according to local media reports. In the northern Sierra, a half-dozen buildings, including airport hangars, collapsed in recent weeks near Nevada City, said Mary Eldridge, a Cal Firespokeswoman. In South Lake Tahoe, two commercial buildings recently collapsed, along with the overhangs for a couple of gas stations. The roof of another flat-roofed warehouse in Tahoe City also

recently gave way.

As of Saturday morning, 52 feet of snow had fallen at the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab atop Donner Summit, tying the 1981-1982 season for the fourth-highest total since the lab was created in 1946, said Andrew Schwartz, the lab’s manager and lead scientist.

Given forecasts for even more precipitation over the Sierra Nevada in the coming weeks, Schwartz expects this season to end up second only to the 1951-1952 winter season when 812 inches – or nearly 68 feet – of snow fell.

Stefanie Olivieri, 79, remembers that record winter in 1952 well. She recalled schools being shut down for an entire month when she was 9, and the “City of San Francisco” steam train getting stuck trying to cross the Sierra amid 12-foot snow drifts. The situation became so dire for passengers on that train – which quickly froze to the tracks after becoming wedged in the snow – that sled dogs were used to ferry a doctor to them, Olivieri recalled. “We loved it as kids

See Tahoe, Page A8

Visit Fairfield offers up new Jelly Belly scavenger hunt

FAIRFIELD — Visit Fairfield and the California Welcome Center have launched a new scavenger hunt around the Jelly Belly Factory.

“The Jelly Belly Sweet Trail experience aims to drive traffic to the California Welcome Center and get people excited to learn about all there is to see and do in Fairfield and the Northern California region,” Visit Fairfield said in a statement.

Anyone wishing to participate can sign up at visitfairfield.com/explore, then head to Jelly Belly and purchase a ticket for the self-guided tour.

“Along the tour you can search for four-digit codes through prompts and hints given in the mobile pass. Then enter each code as you go (or at the end of your tour) and get awarded points. Once you have collected the codes from various stops throughout the tour, new museum, café, and retail areas, head to the California Welcome Center. Here. you can redeem your accrued points for California- and Fairfield-themed prizes at three different point levels. Once you sign up for the pass, you’ll have 48 hours to complete the scavenger hunt and redeem your points,” Visit Fairfield stated.

The Jelly Belly Sweet Trail is the first of two experiential passes sponsored by Visit Fairfield. This summer, another pass will launch featuring the entire area, including wineries, restaurants and attractions.

Rush Ranch program teaches how to understand cattle

FAIRFIELD —

Learn how to understand cows better at the Communing with Cattle workshop Saturday.

The session will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Rush Ranch.

Venture into the world of animal behavioral science by learning how to read and interpret cattle body language and recognize how the actions of people can affect cattle behavior.

Registration is required at https://solanolandtrust. org/event/communingwith-cattle-workshop.

For more information, send an email to Jasmine WestbrookBarsukov at jasmine@ solanolandtrust.org.

Ceremony set to honor Vallejo women veterans

VALLEJO — Vallejo

women veterans will be recognized this week with a special ceremony.

The event will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum, 734 Marin St. It is the culmination of California Women’s Military History Week in collaboration with the 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 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 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 residence) to nestor. aliga@comcast.net.

SafeQuest goes green for St. Patrick’s Day fundraiser

Nelson Community Center. Proceeds support the agency’s domestic violence shelters and related services.

“SafeQuest has served victims of sexual and domestic violence since 1976. As one of Solano County’s most long-standing community-based nonprofits, it remains after 47 years the area’s only state-certified rape crisis center and state-designated domestic violence agency,” SafeQuest said in a statement.

“The agency offers trauma-informed, comprehensive, appropriate response to the needs of victims of violence and their families, providing immediate access to critical community-based services including crisis stabilization, emergency housing and supports to regain self-sufficiency. SafeQuest currently offers emergency shelter in both Fairfield and Vallejo and is in the process of developing a third shelter in Benicia.”

The event runs from 6 to 9 p.m. and includes traditional St. Patrick’s Day fare, craft beer and live music with the Breedloves. Every ticket includes entry into a door prize chance to win an all-inclusive Caribbean trip for up to eight people. Airfare is not included. A prize drawing and silent auction also are on the activities list.

Tickets are $45 and are available at https://safequestcheersandbeers2023. eventbrite.com. Tickets, tables and a limited number of sponsorships are available.

The Joseph A. Nelson Community Center is located at 611 Village Drive.

For additional information, call Michalle Hoehn at 775-815-3200 or send an email to development@ safequestsolano.org.

Vacaville Rotary gambles on Texas Hold ‘Em tourney

VACAVILLE — The Vacaville Rotary Club is planning its annual Texas Hold ’Em Tournament on Friday at the Vacaville Opera House, 560 Main St.

All proceeds from the event will fund outreach efforts of the club within the community. The tournament, which has a St. Patrick’s Day theme, will kick off at 5 p.m. with appetizers and a no-host

bar featuring microbrewery beer.

Poker games begin at 6 p.m. A number of tables will be set up and professional dealers will deal the cards. Over the course of the night, losing players will be eliminated until there is one table left. Awards will be given for first, second and third place. There will also be a second-chance bracket for people who lose in the first round to try again. The buy-in for the game is $100. There will also be a door prize, prize drawings and a silent auction.

There are three options to purchasing tickets: through Eventbrite at htt ps://2023vacavillerotar ypoker.eventbrite.com, by sending the buy-in of $100 per person to the VVRotary Venmo, or tickets may be purchased Friday at the door.

For more information about the event, call Shawn Paschal at 707-592-1398. For more information on Vacaville Rotary, visit vacavillerotary.org.

Chuck E. Cheese site of Pizza with a Cop gathering

FAIRFIELD — Coffee with a Cop is back, but this time with a pepperoni twist.

The Fairfield Police Department will host its first Pizza with a Cop event Tuesday.

“In honor of National Pi (3.14) Day, come out and enjoy a hot slice of pie at Chuck E. Cheese. . . . It’s still the same concept as Coffee with a Cop: No speeches; no agendas; just pizza and conversation. It’s yet another opportunity for police officers to get to know their community and the members they serve, discuss concerns and learn from one another,” the department said in a statement. The free event will run from 3 to 6 p.m. Chuck E. Cheese is located at 1037 Oliver Road.

Fairfield Garden Club to hear talk on native plants

FAIRFIELD — California native plants are not only beautiful, they are naturally drought tolerant, help support local ecosystems and provide habitat

for birds, butterflies and pollinators.

They also will be the subject at the next Fairfield Garden Club meeting with Master Gardener Maureen Clark discussing drought-tolerant and native California plants.

The meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Fairfield Adult Recreation Center, 1200 Civic Center Drive.

For more information, call Mary Colridge at 707-330-9920.

SBDC hosts training on social media

FAIRFIELD — The Solano/Napa Community Small Business Development Center is starting business training sessions and a new three-part series, “Social Media Zero to Hero,” this month.

The first training session is Thursday. Others sessions are planned March 23 and March 30. All trainings will occur remotely using Zoom. Learn more about all the offerings at solanonapasbdc.org/events.

Additionally, the SBDC is co-hosting a Growth and Recovery capital event Thursday in Davis. All business webinars and roundtables are free to business owners.

Saturday Club sets table for Floral Fantasy Luncheon

VACAVILLE — The Saturday Club of Vacaville on Saturday will host its first Floral Fantasy Luncheon.

The event, slated for noon, will raise money for local cultural arts and arts education. It will be held at the Saturday Club clubhouse, 125 W. Kendal St.

“Ticket holders will be treated to a live flower arrangement demonstration given by Caryn Mikich,

owner of Stems Florist in downtown Vacaville . . . . She will share her tips and tricks for arranging beautiful bouquets, creating centerpieces and more. Her creations will be auctioned off to the highest bidder,” the club said in a statement.

Lunch from Pietro’s No. 2 will be served. Tickets are $35 per person and seating is limited. All ages are welcome. Reservations must be made by calling Pat Dennis at 707-4550646. Street parking will be available on the blocks surrounding the event. A free public parking lot is located two blocks away on the corner of Main and Cernon streets in front of Maximum Fitness.

3 government meetings dot week’s calendar FAIRFIELD — Three government meetings will take place this week. They are all open to the public with some online and others in-person. Check each agency’s website for more information.

The meetings include:

n Solano County Board of Supervisors, 9 a.m. Tuesday, County Government Center, 675 Texas St., Fairfield. Info: www. solanocounty.com/depts/ bos/meetings/videos.asp.

n Vacaville City Council, 6 p.m. Tuesday, City Council chamber, City Hall, 650 Merchant St. Info: ci.vacaville.ca.us.

n Fairfield-Suisun School District, 6 p.m. Thursday, first floor board room at Central Office, 2490 Hilborn Road, Fairfield. Info: https://go. boarddocs.com/ca/fsusd/ board.nsf/public.

John Christopher (Chris) Leins

John (Chris) Leins went to be with his Lord Jesus on Februar y 15, 2023 in Prescott Valley, Arizona due to complications of diabetes. Chris was a veteran of the US Air Force and the US Army ser ving honorably Chris is survived by his loving wife of 32 years Danella (Dee) Leins of Prescott Valley, his son Alex of Phoenix, AZ, his parents John and Mary Leins of Fairfield, CA, his sister Michelle Wellner and brother Matthew Leins of Fairfield, CA, and various nieces and nephews. Chris loved history and his countr y. Ser vices will be

March 13 2023 at 10:30 a.m. at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery all who wish to come are invited to attend.

Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group/TNS file

Working inside a nearly 18-foot-deep snow pit at the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab, left to right, Shaun Joseph, Claudia Norman and Helena Middleton take measurements of snow temperatures ahead of an atmospheric weather storm in Soda Springs, Thursday.

How bank’s collapse reflects broader anxiety in Silicon Valley

A dAm LAshinsky SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON POST

Most Americans were probably familiar with Lehman Brothers when the storied investment house collapsed in 2008, a victim of bad bets on soured mortgage-related investments.

But relatively few would ever have heard of Silicon Valley Bank, the country’s 16th largest, before it was seized Friday by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, a banking regulator.

Silicon Valley Bank’s demise on one level is a straightforward tale of a financial screwup. A massively bad bet on interest rates caused painful paper declines in its investments, forcing the bank to sell securities at an actual loss. This could have happened to any bank. Once depositors learned they might lose access to their cash, they panicked and began withdrawing en masse. Poof: Silicon Valley Bank incinerated in two days. In purely technical terms, this had nothing to do with the tech industry clients it served.

Yet, at another level, the bank’s swift fall had everything to do with its clubby clientele of Silicon Valley start-ups and the venturecapital and private-equity firms that fund them. That its collapse coincided with a moment of intense anxiety in the tech industry is no accident.

Silicon Valley was, in many ways, just a normal bank. It held deposits for companies and their wealthy executives, made loans and provided cashmanagement services. These are the workaday tasks banks perform for their customers.

Begun in 1983 – about a decade after the term “Silicon Valley” began to be applied to the area at the base of the mountains around San Jose – the bank developed a powerful niche catering to techfocused start-ups. Just as venture capitalists (VCs) built a new financial industry investing in companies with few physical assets that couldn’t have attracted capital elsewhere, Silicon Valley Bank followed in the VCs’ wake by offering itself as the preferred bank for newly funded entrepreneurs.

It became an article of faith among start-ups that once you secure funding, you put that money in SVB, as everyone here calls it.

There was no reason that young companies couldn’t have placed their money at JPMorgan Chase or Bank of America, though both were longtime players in Northern California. But they generally didn’t. As with so many other aspects of the tech ecosystem, start-ups did exactly what successive generations of their forebears did by banking with the institution that understood them best.

The bank flourished for 40 years, particularly during the pandemic, when a flood of investments in tech companies associated with the success of

Letters to the Editor

remote-work applications caused its assets to peak at $198 billion.

The bank’s collapse, then, had nothing and everything to do with its eggs-in-one-basket reliance on local tech firms. With deposits rushing in during the pandemic, the bank had to invest more and more money in bonds, typically U.S. bonds. As interest rates spiked, bond prices declined. That would have been fine but for the bank’s sudden downturn in deposits. After rising robustly in 2021, deposits fell 13% in the first three quarters of 2022. This meant that tech companies were pulling cash from the bank as their outlooks dimmed. Forced to sell securities to meet withdrawal demands, the bank said Wednesday it would record a large loss and seek to raise fresh capital. This was a signal to customers that their deposits might not be safe.

A classic and chaotic run on the bank ensued.

The bank might have been saved had its high-rolling customer base – faddishly accustomed to following each other for good reasons and bad – joined forces to remain calm. That wasn’t likely in an environment of plunging stock prices, mass layoffs at Bay Area companies large and small, and a broadly dyspeptic mood among the typically peppy tech crowd.

“More in the VC community need to speak out publicly to quell the panic about [Silicon Valley Bank],” Mark Suster, a respected investor with Upfront Ventures, tweeted Thursday. Suster went on to tweet he had spoken to many VCs who were not encouraging their portfolio companies to yank funds. That was either wishful thinking or he was speaking to the wrong VCs. No bank ever has enough funds to allow every customer to pull out its money at once. All it took to do in SVB was the legitimate concern among enough customers that they would never see their money again.

The implosion is only the latest example of a generation of executives used to operating in a lowinterest-rate environment getting caught in a crosswind with which they had no experience. Once the shareholders of what was Silicon Valley Bank are partially or totally wiped out, the bank’s business likely will be a tasty target for an established player wanting to invest for the long haul in the technology industry.

The bank’s overnight demise is a reminder that the valley is bruised and shaken – but holds too much potential to be written off.

Adam Lashinsky is former executive editor of Fortune magazine, the author of “Inside Apple: How America’s Most Admired – and Secretive – Company Really Works” and at work on a biography of William Safire. He lives in San Francisco.

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 downtown Fairfield.

gone from Golden State to pot metal

Winston Churchill said: “I no longer believe what people say. I merely watch what they do. Behavior never lies.” I am sure we all are growing more and more uneasy about what our so-called leaders, at the state and national levels, are or are not doing.

Let’s just look at our state leaders from Gov. Gavin Newsom to the Legislature. We Californians were overtaxed by $97.5 billion-plus in 2022. The result is our leaders went on a spending spree. Fast forward to 2023 and now we are told we’re $25 billion in the red. Great fiscal management from Gavin and his, as I call it, Democrat Socialist Progressive Peoples Party Legislature as usual. This is a one-party state so don’t blame Republicans. You Democrats own this mess exclusively.

California lost 182,020 residents, according to the 2020 Census report. This marked the first time a population decline was recorded in our state’s history. This underscored trends in a variety of areas in California, ultimately leading to the loss of a congressional seat for the first time in history, bringing the total down to 52 – but it’s still the largest in America.

Now, was this examined by our politicians to find out why? I do not know but ever since, the policies, attitudes and behaviors that brought the loss continues.

A study by the Public Policy Institute of California shows that King Gavin I, and his band of merry followers in the Democratic Party, obviously do not care. Why do you suppose that is? I think it’s their collective belief in the Democratic Party’s dogma, factual data notwithstanding.

Interestingly, the states led by Govs. Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis, Texas and Florida, respectively, which are loathed by King Gavin and his Democratic Party followers, are prospering. Indeed, both states have not only picked up a congressional seat, Texas now has 38 and Florida has 29, thereby increasing their representation and influence within Congress. Texas has topped 30 million. Their states enjoy diverse economic opportunities along with increased tax revenue while California’s declined. Would not one think this would be something to get the attention of leadership?

Perhaps it has. Our once aptly named “Golden State,” which I have now dubbed “Bronze State,” is fast headed to “Pot Metal State” due to the Democratic Party. Does anyone remember former Gov. Jerry Brown’s explosive comments when he said he wanted to drive all Republicans and conservatives from California?

So, who is leaving and why? if you look at the Public Policy Institute of California report closely along with Census data, those

leaving are mostly lower middle class, midlevel middle class, with some upper-level middle class and some wealthy class.

As the 2021 Public Policy Institute of California study noted and Census Bureau data show:

“The exodus to other states where housing is affordable and jobs are available in the building trades, energy industry, retail. etc. . . . The forces pushing these people out of the state also changes who is coming in. Those moving to California are far more likely to be employed, earn high wages and have higher education levels than those moving away . . . . The state’s high cost of living, driven mainly by high housing costs and the highest income tax in America at 13.3%, remain an ongoing public policy challenge, one that needs resolution if California is to be a place of opportunity for all its residents.”

Former Republican candidate John Cox, who is a large-scale builder/developer stated: “Newsom and the Democrat(ic) Party policies are driving thousands of working-class people from California.” The state Finance Department stated they expected to add population in 2022. Interestingly, 113,649 more Californians departed. Is it deliberate or mere incompetence? Probably both.

Jim McCully is a former chairman of the Solano County Republican Central Committee and former regional vice chairman of the California Republican Party.

Rubio wants to wean US off its China addiction

The Washington consensus at the dawn of this century that unfettered trade would propel China toward democracy, free enterprise and human rights turned out to be wrong. So did the theory that intertwining the U.S. economy with China’s would avert superpower conflict. The coronavirus, which originated in China, offered an early taste of how dangerously dependent the United States has become on cheap exports and supply chains that require Chinese inputs.

Among congressional Republicans, Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) was ahead of the curve in rejecting “market fundamentalism,” criticizing CEOs for prioritizing short-term profits over long-term costs, lamenting corporate consolidation and highlighting the scant concern that too many multinationals show for America’s national interests.

“Capitalism didn’t change China. China changed capitalism,” Rubio said in an extended interview. “Now you have a rich Chinese Communist Party that has tightened its grip, and we’re vulnerable to blackmail and coercion.”

These positions have become fashionable among rank-andfile Republicans, though they’re still contested at the elite level.

“Much of our vocabulary and instincts on the right, and a lot of our think tank infrastructure, is still based on the old consensus that the market, left on its own, is always going to give us the best outcome,” Rubio said. “More Republicans are willing to challenge that, but we still have work to do, and we’ve got to be careful too because the overcompensation for that is socialism.”

As the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Rubio says he sees a national security imperative to diversify

the economy beyond Wall Street, Silicon Valley and Hollywood. In the event of conflict, America’s ability to feed, power and cure its citizenry will matter more than its ability to produce good movies, food delivery apps and novel financial instruments. “The pandemic was like a preseason game,” Rubio said.

He argues that China is “far more dangerous” than the Soviet Union ever was because, in addition to a growing stockpile of nuclear weapons, Beijing has significant leverage and influence across U.S. society. That includes investors who were among the winners from China’s economic rise and who advocate on the country’s behalf. “They have an army of unpaid lobbyists,” he said.

Rubio plans a series of Senate floor speeches in the next few weeks about how America can wean itself off China. “This is about a lot more than just banning this and stopping that,” he said. “It’s not just about ‘taking on’ China. It’s about changing the way we think. It’s not 1999 anymore.”

The senator was an early booster inside the GOP conference of using industrial policy to compete with China. But he was not among the Republicans who voted last year for the Chips Act, aimed at boosting domestic semiconductor production. He expresses concern that there’s insufficient safeguards to prevent China from stealing intellectual property created with government funding. “It was two steps forward but one step back, and the one step back is a dangerous one,” he said. Rubio is even more critical of the Inflation Reduction Act, which he warns will ultimately make the United States more dependent on rare earth minerals that China controls in the name of producing solar panels and electric car bat-

teries to combat climate change.

“In essence, we’re funding them,” he said. Rubio also worries that China can easily evade technology bans through white labeling, in which restricted products get rebranded and resold under different names.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year further undermined the 1990s hypothesis that two countries with a McDonald’s would never go to war with each other. It’s true that interconnection gives the United States leverage to threaten China with serious sanctions if it begins actively arming Russian troops fighting in Ukraine. That same dynamic, however, means that taking punitive steps against China’s economy could push our own into recession.

CIA Director William J. Burns said last month that Chinese President Xi Jinping has instructed his country’s military “to be ready by 2027 to invade Taiwan.” Rubio believes it’s vital for the United States to continue supporting Ukraine in part to deter Xi from invading the island that China claims as its own.

Policymakers can disagree about tactics, but both parties should rally behind a strategic goal of resiliency in case an invasion happens. “Even now, people who agree that we have to do something about this will tell you, ‘We can’t because it will hurt exports or they’ll put a tariff on some industry,’ “ Rubio said. “None of this is going to matter in five or six years.”

James Hohmann is a Washington Post editorial writer and columnist specializing in domestic policy and politics. He is also chief commentator for The Washington Post’s video team, offering analysis during all live coverage. And he is a Stanford University lecturer, teaching courses on campaigns and Congress.

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Jim McCully

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Lauren Daigle delivers gorgeous first single from new album

Jim H arrington BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

Lauren Daigle fans has released the first single from her upcoming studio album.

It’s called “Thank God I Do” and, well, it’s absolutely amazing.

Of course, that’s pretty much what fans have come to expect from this immensely talented singer-songwriter, who is known for the platinumplus singles “You Say,” “Rescue” and “Look Up Child” and many other winning songs.

“Thank God I Do” was released Wednesday and immediately went into heavy rotation on contemporary Christian music station K-LOVE.

The song definitely should get fans even more excited about hearing the rest of

Daigle’s upcoming fourth full-length studio effort, which follows the charttopping “Look Up Child” album from 2018.

“This is my most precious project,” Daigle reportedly said in a news release. “It’s got fun moments, solemn moments, extrovert moments and introvert moments. And I’m just thrilled about taking my songwriting further on this record than anything I’ve done previously.”

Daigle reportedly plans to release this eponymous new project in two batches, with the first 10 songs being made available to fans on May 12 and the second 10 arriving later in the year.

“Thank God I Do” is available to stream on Spotify and other music sites.

Pickles 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

Columns&Games

Husband’s smartphone addiction taking a toll on our marriage

Dear Annie: My husband is constantly on his phone, scrolling through social media, playing video games or chatting with friends. I feel like I’m always competing for his attention, and it’s driving me nuts.

I have complained many times, and he promises to pay more attention to me, but his addiction to his smartphone takes priority every time.

This past weekend was the worst, which is why I am writing. He promised to take me to a hotel by the sea as a romantic getaway, and I was so looking forward to it. The hotel was a two-hour drive from our home, and he drove, and we were able to have the beginnings of a conversation. Of course, every time he received a text message, he would glance at his phone. One time, he wanted to reply, and I said, “No! It’s too dangerous,” so he waited until we had arrived.

I checked us into the hotel, and of course he spent the

ARIES (March 21-April 19).

It will save you time, money and energy to rigorously check your facts. An opinion you took for fact might be nothing more than an unsubstantiated feeling, and to act on it would be a waste at best.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20).

The way things are now is how they have always been and not how they will always be. Slow change is change. Keep the faith and keep going, even if it’s a tiny step, or even just a lean in your desired direction.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21).

Completion gives you energy because it reduces the amount of open loops running at the back of your mind. When you finish something today, it will be the push that helps you gain a whole new momentum.

CANCER (June 22-July 22).

If the things that concern you are unpredictable and out of your control, worrying is pointless. Today, your favorite distraction is not so much an indulgence as a tool to get you thinking along a more positive track.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Stick around too long in one place today and you’ll get advice, directions and maybe more bossing around than you’d prefer. Get busy on your own thing so the know-it-alls can’t catch you. The best directions to follow are the ones you give yourself.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). “I have been a cloud, a river, and the air,” says Thich Nhat Hanh. You have also taken many forms in this lifetime and will

Daily Cryptoquotes

entire time with his phone. The room and view were beautiful, but I don’t think he even noticed; he was so busy with his phone.

After a while, I get tired of complaining, and I have started to wonder what it would be like with someone else – someone who wasn’t so addicted to their phone. We want to have children, but I am afraid that he will be one of those fathers who ignores his kids because he is obsessed with his phone.

When we were at dinner in a very nice restaurant, he pulled out his phone and told me that I should talk and he was listening, even though his eyes were on the phone. He only put it down in between bites of food! I was furious and started crying. He acted like this was my problem, not his, and he played innocent.

He later apologized, but at the same time he pretended as if I was the one with the problem, and he doesn’t know what I am talking about when I

Today’s birthday

Welcome to your year of amplification. You’ll feed energy to the best things you’ve got going – your talents, the most sustaining relationships and other high-yielding investments. You’ll connect with your body and emotions at a level you haven’t experienced before and become increasingly powerful over your circumstances. More highlights: an adoption of sorts, reinforcements when you need them and applause for something so simple for you. Sagittarius and Aquarius adore you.

benefit from reflecting on a few of them today. Give yourself credit for how far you’ve come.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).

Self-discovery is different from other quests. It’s not like you set sail to see what’s out there in the big world. Rather, you set sail assuming you’re in a boat and are surprised to find out this vehicle can actually fly.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).

Giving back is the theme, though it should be noted that if you can’t return help, favors or goodwill to the same ones who gave it to you, giving forward is the best way to give back.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21). When you’re around people who don’t understand what you do, you have to do more inner work to stay confi-

say that he is an addict. I get so mad I could scream! I do love him, and he says he loves me. He has promised to pay more attention to our relationship and not to look at his phone so much, but it’s as if he has no control. He constantly feels compelled to check his phone.

The bottom line is that his addiction to his smartphone is threatening to ruin our marriage. Do you have any suggestions? — Ignored for a Phone

Dear Ignored: Smartphones are a valuable tool as a source of instant information, but they are designed to be addictive. The Addiction Center has a toll-free number (866-3400608) that I suggest you call. Your husband is addicted to his phone, and it could cost him his marriage. The fact that he promises you he will pay more attention to you – and then breaks his promise –would sound very familiar to spouses of alcoholics or gambling addicts.

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@ creators.com.

dent. Remind yourself every so often that your skill set is valuable and your contribution is significant.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19). Though fantasy versions of your goals may feel inspiring, ultimately, you’re most motivated by what’s doable. It’s the step just above you that has you feeling willing to take a small risk or make a reasonable effort. Those will add up to your next win.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 18). You know a subject very well and are able to see meaning in even the small things about it. The opposite is also true. Things you don’t know well will bore you – an invitation to either dive deeper or keep moving.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You strive to stay current and endeavor to keep freshening up your knowledge. Don’t forget to include knowledge of yourself. Like the ocean, you are deep and ever-changing, and there is much to be discovered.

CELEBRITY PROFILES:

Known for his portrayal of downtrodden characters, William H. Macy is anything but. With over 100 movie and television credits, countless awards and the A-list clout to direct and produce his own projects, he must project his Piscean empathy to embody complex “lovable loser” types. Look for Macy next in “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.”

Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

Crossword by Phillip Alder

Bridge

applying the right basic at the appropriate moment.

Take today’s deal, for example. You are sitting West. Against four spades, you lead the diamond eight. Partner wins with the queen, cashes the diamond ace and continues with the diamond king, which declarer ruffs with the spade queen. How would you continue the defense? You have two diamond tricks in the bag, so you need two more tricks to defeat the game. The powerful dummy makes it clear that these must come from spades.

Did you overruff with the spade king and try to give partner a club ruff? It might work, but it isn’t likely. South started with two diamonds. If he has eight spades for his vulnerable overcall, he cannot have four clubs as well. Also, with a club void, East should play his diamonds in ascending order: queen, king, ace; not queen, ace, king.

GO BACK TO SQUARE ONE

The other night I ate some Chinese food. My fortune cookie message was: “Apply yourself to the basics and progress will follow.” I never realized Confucius was a bridge player! It is true, though – if you apply the basics correctly, you will get at least 95% of deals right. The hard part, of course, is

Instead, you must apply the axiom that unless you have something vital to do, don’t take an overruff with a card that will always win a trick. Here you should discard a club or a heart. Then, as partner holds the singleton spade 10, however declarer wriggles, he must lose two spade tricks. Your eight has been promoted into a winner. Erudition in the essentials produces progress.

COPYRIGHT: 2023, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

Sudoku by Wayne Gould

3/13/23

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

Difficulty level: BRONZE

Solution to 3/11/23:

Horoscopes by Holiday Mathis

Word Sleuth

Annie Lane

Dear Annie

Storm

From Page A1

ward, but forecasters are already looking to the next storm system that will roll in starting Monday, bringing as much as six inches of rain at higher elevations in the region.

Rivers and creeks “are already running high,” Bagnall said, “so this additional water on top of that makes flooding our main concern,” especially in the Springville area in Tulare County northeast of Porterville.

“Anywhere up there in the hills is going to be of concern,” he said. Bagnall urged residents to “pay attention to the forecast. Listen to the local officials. And if they are told they need to get out, heed the advice of the local officials there.”

Southern California will see rain Tuesday and Wednesday, with flooding possible in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, according to the National Weather Service.

“This next atmospheric river event is not looking like it’s going to be as strong, but when you have a flood on top of a flood, it just makes a bigger flood,” said Cindy Kobold, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “That means this next one could be more impactful, because the ground is way overly saturated, and we’re going to have additional rainfall, with gusty winds.”

The biggest impact from the recent storm was in the small town of Pajaro in Monterey County.

A levee failure on the Pajaro River – three miles upstream from the town of Pajaro – triggered massive flooding in and around the

town and prompted hundreds of evacuations. The levee breached late Friday night, said Nicholas Pasculli, a Monterey County spokesperson. Patrols noticed “bubbling up in the adjacent farmland” at 11 p.m., the first sign of trouble.

Thirty minutes later, the levee failed, Pasculli said. As of Saturday morning, he said, “the failure is approximately 100 feet wide.” Pajaro – with a population of 1,700, mostly farmworkers – is underwater.

Andres Garcia, 39, said this was his third evacuation from Pajaro because of the flooding river; in addition to January, there was one in 1995, when the town was flooded “even worse” than it is now.

He and his wife and 8-year-old daughter left the city early Saturday, after they got a knock on the door from a sheriff’s deputy who urged them to evacuate. Garcia said they left before the water got too high, and he had no idea about the condition of his house.

His neighbor Laura Garcia left after dawn. She showed a video of water sloshing through her house — lapping against a crib, dining room set and shelves.

Andres Garcia said many farmworkers will be out of a job for as long as the water stays high and fields are submerged.

“They can’t do anything while it’s like this,” he said.

Elsewhere in Monterey County, the Salinas River flooded around the community of San Ardo, prompting evacuation orders Friday night.

Major flooding was reported in Tulare County’s Springville area – where officials conducted dozens of water rescues Friday .

8 reported dead after suspected smuggling boat capsizes off coast

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

SAN DIEGO — A suspected smuggling boat capsized in the ocean off Black’s Beach in the Torrey Pines area late Saturday, dumping eight to 10 people into the water, eight of whom died, officials said.

A second panga carrying eight people made it to shore successfully, officials said.

Officials learned of the incident when a woman on the boat that arrived safely called 911 around 11:30 p.m. to say the second boat had capsized and people were in the water. According to San Diego

Couple

From Page A1

24/7, but “we are not a hotel and we do not have travelers sleeping here regularly,” Klein Ashush said. “On the other hand, if someone is stuck, arrived late, has a train early morning, etc., they are very welcomed to crash on the couch and feel at home. This is a house for everyone and everyone is welcome. We’ve had nonJews here and they felt comfortable and loved and we don’t treat them differently.”

But it is a Jewish center and therefore most times it’s mostly Jews, she said.

Klein Ashush, her husband Ashriel Ashush, and her former military dog/partner, a Belgian Malinois named Benzi, were living and traveling the United States, vagabond hippy style, in 2019 in their van, when not staying and volunteering at various Chabad houses. It was their time in the Bay Area – Vacaville specifically – that made it clear what God wanted them to do, they said then.

“We are Ashriel, Maayan and our little treasure Odeh – a Jewish nomad family for over five years and Shlichim (emissaries) in our essence,” Klein Ashush said in an email. “We have traveled to almost half the world and volunteered in many Jewish communities. We realized that this is what the world needs from us.”

Bank

From Page A1

told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” he’s “hopeful that something can be announced today to move forward.”

Concern about the health of other smaller banks focused on the venture capital and startup communities is prompting regulators to consider extraordinary measures. Officials have discussed the new fund to backstop deposits in conversations with banking executives, in the hope that setting up such a vehicle would reassure depositors and help contain any panic, said the people. They asked not to be identified because the talks weren’t public.

Final bids for SVB’s assets are due Sunday afternoon but a winner may not be known until late in the day, other people with knowledge said.

In her CBS interview, Yellen renewed assurances that the U.S. banking system is safe, well-capi-

talized and resilient. “I simply want to say that we’re very aware of the problems that depositors will have,” she said. “Many of them are small businesses that employ people across the country and of course this is a significant concern and working with regulators to try to address these concerns.”

U.S. regulators are under time pressure to sell assets of SVB Financial Group, the bank’s parent, prompting offers by some investment firms to provide financing to companies with cash trapped at Silicon Valley Bank.

Asked whether the FDIC might be open to a “foreign bank” coming in as a buyer, Yellen said, “I’m sure they’re considering a wide range of available options that include acquisitions.”

While the FDIC insures deposits of up to $250,000, the vast majority of funds held in at SVB far exceeded that. The agency has said it will make 100% of protected deposits available on Monday.

police, the woman told the dispatcher she had traveled into the U.S. from Mexico in the boat.

A lifeguard dispatcher used GPS coordinates from the woman’s cellphone to pinpoint the location to around 800 yards north of the base of Black Gold Road, south of Torrey Pines Gliderport, San Diego FireRescue officials said.

State and city lifeguards, firefighters, San Diego police as well as officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Coast Guard and the University of California, San Diego police responded to the beach.

The first San Diego lifeguards

to respond were not able to access the beach because of high tide, and ended up wading north through knee- to waist-deep water, officials said.

“After a couple hundred yards, lifeguards on the beach reached dry sand and then began to find lifeless bodies and two overturned pangas spread over an area of about 400 yards,” a statement from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said. “Several life jackets and fuel barrels were also found.”

Lifeguards found seven bodies and an eighth was discovered by Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations officers.

The pair said they learned what they needed to know after landing in Solano County, literally at the doorstep of Chabad of Solano County Rabbi Chaim Zaklos and his wife, Aidel.

“Our longest (volunteer effort) was at our mentors for the concept of (service) Rabbi Chaim and Aidel Zaklos who have a Chabad House in Vacaville Northern California,” she said in the email. “We got there while traveling in our van and somehow stayed there for six months volunteering, and came back two more times after. Northern California was the place that gave us the inspiration to do what we are doing today.”

Before coming to America, Klein Ashush, whose mother is American and whose father is from Zimbabwe, served in an IDF K-9 unit that helped discover and dispose of an extensive cache of Iranian weapons believed destined for Sudan, and doubtless saved countless lives. They received recognition from the Israeli prime minister for their service.

But, Klein Ashush always knew she was going to travel, and once her military stint was over, set out to personally adopt Benzi and set sail, so-to-speak.

The IDF was not immediately ready to surrender the dog, though they eventually did, and Klein Ashush got a place in Jerusalem that would allow dogs and a job in a nearby restaurant while she mapped out her plans. This is where she met the man who would become

her husband and traveling companion.

Klein Ashush and Ashush, a teacher and massage therapist with Tunisian Jewish roots, discovered a mutual love of traveling and decided they would do this together henceforth. They were married and have traveled extensively. They have since had a daughter who has already been more places than many adults.

“This is an amazing journey. It’s the people we meet along the road where we find community and inspiration,” Ashush said in an earlier interview. He said he’s come to believe the Jews’ earthly mission may be to learn how to get along with each other so “we can teach (that secret formula) to the world.”

The idea of hosting Jewish spiritual searchers came up between the couple before they were even married, they said.

“We spoke about one day when we’re older we would love to build a center, a space for people to go through a journey,” Klein Ashush said. “Through the years this dream came with us everywhere we went, but we felt that we still needed to grow and learn ourselves before we do such a thing. After 5 1/2 years ‘nomading’ on the road all over the world and doing different (volunteering) along the way, we felt in our (volunteering) in . . . Thailand that we were ready, our time has come to build our own center, to open our own space.”

As a place many people go on personal searching journeys, India seemed like the right spot, the pair said.

“We are personally very connected to India, and we started searching and we realized that in the state we’re in which is Kerla, there is no Jewish center at all. Even though until not long ago there used to be a big Jewish Indian community in this state,” Klein Ashush said.

“So we felt that because of the Jewish roots here and because there are many travelers here that don’t have where to do Shabbat, eat kosher, have a home, this is the place we should be at.”

Klein Ashush said she believes her little family is “in the midst of something big” with the establishment of the Heart House – a “Jewish home and space for the heart of the seeker.”

Rabbi Zaklos, who said the couple contacts him and his wife occasionally for guidance, said he is proud to have inspired what the Ashushes are doing; providing a Jewish place for travelers to land.

“Our policy is not to judge the observance level of people – to us a Jew is a Jew,” he said. “The Jewish people are like one body and in order for the Jewish body to be healthy, every part has to be attended to. The institutions of Jewish life focus on different parts. We focus on spreading the warmth of Torah and mitzvot (good deeds). Others focus on other facets of Jewish life, and all are needed.”

To the point that the Ashushes are emulating Chabad in many ways – “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, they say,” Zaklos said. “Our greatest hope is that everybody who walks through Chabad’s doors feels empowered to be an ambassador of light themselves. This has always been our responsibility – to change the world for the better.”

The Ashushes say there are already spiritual and emotional payoffs large and small: “The best part of what we’re doing is welcoming travelers and giving them a hot meal at 12 at night; waking up and finding travelers drinking their coffee and chilling on the couch; Shabbat evening seeing 30 to 60 people singing the Shabbat songs together

and getting so excited for fresh challah in the middle of nowhere in India, and after the Shabbat meal sitting all together speaking words from the heart and feeling so deeply connected so quickly.”

The Ashushes’ mission is about giving, they said.

For instance, “We celebrated a bar mitzvah for a 33-year-old Jewish British man and it was the most unbelievable uplifting event,” Klein Ashush said.

But giving rarely comes cheap.

“Right now, the most challenging part is being in the position of asking for money,” said the couple, who are not backed by any organization and survive solely on donations. They said what some of the travelers donate for meals “is not enough at all and we have to ask for donations around social media, personal, and it’s not an easy position to be in. But we know that we are doing the right thing and the money is going for good things and please God we will succeed with your help.”

The couple says they plan for Beit Halev to become their permanent occupation, as it grows and evolves.

Like footprints in the sand, nearly everything we do in our lives is eventually washed away, and all that remains “is our chesed – (giving of one’s self fully with loving compassion),” Klein Ashush said. “And that is the best investment that you can do.”

The Ashushes plan a trip in May to the U.S. and to share their story. Find out where on Instagram @thejewishnomads. Donations may be made at bethalev.org.

Courtesy photos

A group of Israeli/Jewish guests gather at Beit Halev.

Drew Anger/Getty Images/TNS file

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen testifies during a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Friday.

Advocates push for amendment to make housing a ‘human right’

Should the state guarantee a right to housing for all Californians?

A coalition of anti-poverty advocates led by Matt Haney, a Democratic state assemblymember from San Francisco, is proposing an amendment to the state constitution that seeks to do just that.

The amendment does not define a right to housing, and backers have offered few specifics about what it would mean in practice. But they say it could make it easier for state officials to sue local governments that resist adding significantly more affordable housing. To pass, it needs a two-thirds majority in the state Legislature and then approval by voters.

At a news conference in Sacramento this week, Haney, alongside leaders from advocacy groups including the ACLU of California and Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, touted the amendment as a long-awaited solution to the state’s affordable housing shortage.

“This is a crisis, and the status quo approach that doesn’t recognize (housing) as a fundamental human right is not going to get us there,” said Haney, a newly elected lawmaker who campaigned on bolstering affordable housing.

Past efforts to codify a right to housing in the state constitution have failed in recent years. And it remains unclear if the latest amendment can muster enough support this time around. But if successful, advocates say it would be the first of its kind anywhere in the country.

For decades, the state and Bay Area haven’t come close to building enough affordably priced housing for everyone who needs it. That’s in part due to a lack of funding for low-income housing. But many cities — from metropolitan San Francisco to suburban Pleasanton – have also long resisted planning for growth.

Experts agree that underproduction is at the root of California’s astronomical housing costs, which are putting an increasing strain on many residents and exacerbating the state’s homelessness crisis.

More than half of all California renters spend over 30% of their earnings on housing, classifying them as “rent-burdened” by federal standards. And many pay much more than that. The state’s homeless population, meanwhile, has grown to over 170,000 people amid the economic fallout of the pandemic, spiking by at least 20%

in Contra Costa, Alameda and San Mateo counties.

Peggy Pleasant ended up homeless on Los Angeles’ Skid Row after losing her job during the 2008 recession. She eventually moved into a temporary housing facility for women but continues to struggle with anxiety from her experience of being unhoused.

“There are women sitting outside that facility right now hoping to get a bed, a permanent place to stay, and an affordable place to stay,” Pleasant said at the news conference.

“We need this bill.”

If approved, the amendment wouldn’t require state or local governments to build more housing themselves. But it could provide new legal avenues to hold officials accountable for their existing housing goals and responsibilities.

Carlos Marquez III, executive director of ACLU California Action, said state lawmakers would be required to come up with a regulatory framework for enforcement.

The amendment would also create a “public right of action,” he said, enabling state officials, including Attorney General Rob Bonta, to sue localities that adopt policies that are “deviating from, or counter to, the right to housing.”

Over the next eight years, Bay Area cities and counties are on the hook for accommodating more than 180,000 new low-income homes, double the region’s previous statemandated goal. To meet that lofty target, experts recommend streamlining the sometimes years-long planning and approval process for multifamily housing, loosening local zoning rules restricting what kind of homes can be built where, and putting much more money toward

Tahoe

From Page A8

– we could just walk across the snow back right onto our roof,” said Olivieri, who now lives about a mile south of Truckee.

“My house right now is pretty close to being totally buried. That’s what reminds me of ’52 – there’s a lot of snow here.”

But residents fear what could happen as warmer

“Pineapple Express” storms from Hawaii and the Pacific tropics flow into the state, raising the levels that precipitation falls as rain, rather than snow, making the snowpack heavier. Demand for roof-clearing services is so great Placer County officials warned residents of price-gouging, citing one auspicious $20,000 quote.

Last winter, the Palisades Tahoe resort south of Truckee received just 350 inches of snow. This year, it has measured nearly double that amount – with more than 115 inches of it coming since March 1. Such wild totals have repeatedly forced ski resorts to close or significantly limit their operations, often due to high winds, dangerous avalanche conditions or chair lifts becoming buried in snow.

“When you’re in the ski industry, you don’t ever like to think there’s too much snow,” said Michael Reitzell, president of Ski California. “But we’ve reached that point a couple times this year.”

funding affordable apartments and townhomes.

The state is already requiring local officials to take some of those actions, and this week sued the city of Huntington Beach for refusing to comply with state laws intended to help solve the housing shortage.

Critics of the amendment worry it would open up local governments to many more lawsuits they say would only make building housing more difficult. Responding to those concerns, Haney said the amendment is not meant to be “punitive toward any particular jurisdiction,” but rather aims to ensure responsibility and accountability for addressing the state’s affordable housing shortage.

As a state assemblymember representing the East Bay, Bonta proposed a failed version of the amendment in 2019. The effort to pass that bill was launched by the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment in coordination with Moms 4 Housing, a group of formerly homeless mothers who made headlines for occupying a vacant home in Oakland just before the pandemic.

The community alliance also attempted to sponsor a similar bill last year. Now, it’s one of the groups behind this year’s push. In addition to the ACLU of California, co-sponsors include End Poverty in California and Western Center on Law and Poverty.

Amy Schur, campaign director for the alliance, chalked up the past failures to the pandemic. She said advocates are now better prepared to get the bill passed and send the amendment before voters.

“This year, it’s a top priority to move this forward,” she said.

On Friday afternoon, the bottom foot of snow atop Sydney Malafronte’s house in Tahoe City appeared a deep blue color, having been saturated with rain and melting snow. It forced her family to take refuge at a hotel last week after their house started groaning under its weight.

“The danger of it collapsing on the girls isn’t worth it,” Malafronte said.

County snow-clearing crews also are starting to strain from the workload.

“We’re pushing everything to the limit,” said Matt Randall, Placer County’s roads division manager, showing off a 100-foot pile of cleared snow. “The last couple weeks, we’ve had about 20 breakdowns.”

A decades-long resident of Tahoe City, Daniels has had two nights off in the last three months while clearing parking lots as the owner of Tahoe Marine and Excavating.

“It doesn’t come in six inches or eight inches – it comes in feet,” Daniels said.

All that powder has been both a blessing and a headache for ski resorts after years of drought and substandard snowpack levels.

Oscars

From Page A1

Still, all that snow may have a side benefit — resorts like Palisades Tahoe say they plan to operate into May, possibly longer.

Skiers also rave about the light, fluffy snow powder that’s fallen this year that can be blissful to shred, creating a buoyant, floating feeling, unlike the wet “Sierra cement” that normally blankets these mountains.

It’s all summoned gobs of tourists from the Bay Area and Nevada to the region, snarling traffic and causing hours-long traffic backups.

“People are definitely jazzed to be up here,” said Rachel Fritz, 31, manager of the Arbor Tahoe snowboard shop. “It’s almost a little intense. Truckee was not built for this swarm of people to come up.”

But longtime residents recall mass exoduses after big snowfall years, watching in amusement as people put off by a true Sierra Nevada winter call it quits. And some wonder if the same will happen this year.

“You have to be prepared, if you live in this community, to deal with big winters,” Olivieri said. “I’m a little crazy – I love it. I think it’s beautiful.”

Emily A lpErt r EyEs

LOS ANGELES TIMES

LANCASTER — Before the graduates strode in to the strains of “Pomp and Circumstance,” their prison blues peeking out from under their gowns, correctional officer John Janvrin encouraged them not to rush.

“Remember guys, you worked real hard for this. Real hard,” Janvrin reminded the incarcerated men as they lined up in a back room, reread their notes, fixed their bow ties and adjusted the gold tassels bobbing from their mortarboards. The music began to play.

“Don’t walk too fast,” Janvrin told them as they began their procession. “Let ‘em see you.”

For more than a year and a half, these 20 men had been working for this: their graduation from training as alcohol and drug counselors. It was an accomplishment that could help them secure jobs both inside and outside the California prisons. It had also become a brotherhood they dubbed the Storming Cohort: Scarred Team of Recovering Men Inspiring New Generations.

Beyond the razor-wire and high fences of the state prison in Lancaster, in a visiting room strung with gold and black balloons and celebratory signs declaring, “On to the Next Chapter,” the

men walked in a procession before loved ones and state correctional officials to be recognized. Some said it was the first graduation they ever had.

Stepping up to the lectern, graduate Ivan Stine said that “this program was the most difficult and rewarding experience of my life.”

“Myself, along with these other gentlemen in these fine caps and gowns, have embarked upon a 1½-year journey of selfdiscovery, self-disclosure, self-examination, selfhonesty and self-healing, in an effort to achieve the dual goal of becoming certified addiction treatment counselors – and overall better human beings,” Stine told the seated crowd. “Each and every member of this cohort courageously opened up their heart and exposed raw their deepest secrets,

hurts, fears and shame.”

They had gotten lessons in neurobiology and pharmacology, ethics and the law, family dynamics and relapse prevention. They had spent hundreds of hours being educated on addiction and counseling, preparing for a required exam. They would soon start putting in thousands of hours as interns – the final step that would ultimately lead to them gaining state-recognized certification as alcohol and drug counselors.

Even getting into the program was an accomplishment, as it’s reserved for people who have gone years without serious violations of prison rules, penned a 500-word essay on maintaining their recovery and helping others, obtained at least two references from prison staff and gone through an interview process.

The intense, selective program is as demanding as a full-time job, prison officials said, and a training program that usually lasts a year had been interrupted repeatedly as the Lancaster facility grappled with the coronavirus.

Then there was the “storming” that this group had undergone together –the term for a tumultuous stage in team development that inspired their cohort name and ultimately forged them into a supportive fraternity. But the name had also come to stand, metaphorically, for the storms they wanted to pull themselves and others through.

“Today we are no longer prisoners,” Stine declared. “We are professionals.”

His shoulders were draped with a graduation stole of canary yellow, emblazoned on one side with the words “Offender Mentor Certification Program.” On the other: “OMCP.” It is a state program that has existed for more than a decade, beginning with an inaugural class at the state prison in Solano County now chronicled in a documentary film.

But this was the first class to graduate from the Los Angeles County facility – and the first men to graduate from the program at a “Level 4,” site, meaning a high-security institution.

Scheinert said Sidewalk Film Festival is “still my favorite film festival,” so he attends anytime he can. “I always tell other filmmakers that it’s the right size of a film festival where you can walk to all the theaters, and it’s just one fun weekend. A lot of film festivals are like two weeks, and it’s all spread out.”

How did the Daniels meet?

After graduating from high school in Alabama, Scheinert enrolled at Emerson College in Boston, where he met Daniel Kwan, who was from Westborough, Mass. The pair also attended college with actress and standup comedian Sunita Mani, who would later appear one of of their most famous music videos. Before their first feature, they made several short films including “Interesting Ball,” partially about a friend’s prank gone horribly wrong.

They directed the ‘Turn Down for What’ music video (and more)

The Daniels cut their teeth as professional directors making music videos, including the Grammynominated “Turn Down for What” by DJ Snake and Lil Jon. The video depicts one of the weirdest and wildest dance parties you’ll ever see. As of today, it has 1.8 billion views on YouTube. It earned a Grammy nomination for best music video in 2015 but lost to Pharell’s mega-hit “Happy.” Watch the video below.

(Warning: It contains some mature content.)

They also directed the video for Foster the Peo-

ple’s “Houdini,” which also scored a Grammy nod for best music video in 2013, losing to Rihanna and Calvin Harris’ “We Found Love.” The Daniels’ video currently has 94 million views on YouTube.

They also directed music videos for Tenacious D, The Shins and Manchester Orchestra, the latter of whom filmed their video for “Simple Mash” in Marshall County, Alabama.

Made it to the big leagues

In 2016, the duo made their feature film directing debut with “Swiss Army Man,” the offbeat fantasy starring “Little Miss Sunshine” and “There Will Be Blood” actor Paul Dano and Harry Potter himself Daniel Radcliffe. It scored positive reviews, and the pair won the directing award at the Sundance Film Festival. The Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus says, “Disarmingly odd and thoroughly well-acted, ‘Swiss Army Man’ offers adventurous viewers an experience as rewarding as it is impossible to categorize.”

A splash of TV

Their television credits include directing episodes for “NTSF:SD:SUV::,” “Childrens Hospital,” “Infomercials” and “Awkwafina is Nora from Queens.”

Solo homecoming

The Alabama-made comedy “The Death of Dick Long” screened at Scheinert’s hometown Sidewalk Film Festival, marked the long-awaited follow-up to “Swiss Army Man” and the Birminghan native’s solo debut.

Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group/TNS file (2020)

Moms

4 Housing activists hold a Board of SuperMOMS protest outside the County of Alameda Administrations building in Oakland, in 2020.

At this California prison, ‘We are no longer prisoners. We are professionals’

Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times/TNS file

Graduating inmate Richard Teer, 46, in cap and gown, is ready for the Offender Mentor Certification Program graduation ceremony in February at California State Prison in Lancaster.

Joe DAviDson THE SACRAMENTO BEE

SACRAMENTO —

Sixty-eight Division I men’s basketball teams will look to extend their college seasons in this year’s edition of March Madness, including eight that will come to Sacramento for first- and second-round games beginning Thursday at Golden 1 Center.

The headliners are Pac-12 Conference rivals and national No.

2 seeds UCLA (29-5) and Arizona (28-6).

Arizona edged UCLA 61-59 in Saturday night’s Pac-12 Conference Tournament championship in Las Vegas. UCLA won the Pac-12 regular-season title at 18-2.

Arizona, seeded second in the South Region, will open against No. 15 seed Princeton (21-8), the Ivy League co-champion.

UCLA, seeded second in the West Region, will face No. 15 UNC Asheville (27-7).

No. 7 Missouri (24-9) of the Southeastern Conference will play No. 10 Utah State (26-8) of the Mountain West Conference. Missouri lost in the SEC Tournament semifinals to Alabama. Utah State fell to San Diego State in the Mountain West Tournament finals. No. 7 Northwestern (21-11) of the Big 10 opens against No. 10 Boise State (24-9) of the Mountain West.

Second round games are Saturday at Golden 1. Times for all games will be

Aaron

could still be headed to the Jets

Arizona, UCLA headline Sacramento field

announced later.

UCLA, which has won 11 NCAA championships, would have been a No. 1 seed had it defeated Arizona on Saturday. The Bruins will be without star guard and defensive standout Jaylen Clark, who is out with an injury. The No 1 seed in the West Region is Kansas (27-7). Every region has a relative national unknown, except for the die-hard fans. In Sacramento, that will be be UNC Asheville, which won the Big South

49ers’ farewell to Jimmy G: This time for real (we’re pretty sure)

cAm inm An

BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

Jimmy Garoppolo is finally hitting the NFL’s marketplace.

He could have done so a year ago. Instead, he accepted a pay cut on a restructured and reduced contract with a repaired throwing shoulder. He could have fled in 2018. Instead, the 49ers kept him, at the cost of a then-record contract for a quarterback.

Upon signing that deal (five years, $137.5 million), Garoppolo said: “We have one goal in mind, and that’s to get to a Super Bowl and win it.”

Five years have come and gone. What a spectacle it was, complete with three trips to the playoffs, but nary a Super Bowl win to

show for what also was an injurystrewn tenure.

So, Garoppolo officially becomes a free agent Wednesday for the first time in an NFL career that began in 2014 as a New England Patriots second-round draft pick. Monday marks the launch of free agency negotiations, and deals can’t be ratified until as early as 1 p.m. Wednesday.

“A lot of people want to talk about what we didn’t accomplish with him. What I know is we won a lot of football games with Jimmy,” general manager John Lynchsaid at the NFL scouting combine Feb. 28. “I admire, we admire his toughness, admire the teammate that he was.”

Sure, the 49ers still could use him, considering the unassured health of his younger successors,

Brock Purdy and Trey Lance. But Garoppolo affirmed this exit strategy before last season, when he took a pay cut and made sure the 49ers could not place the franchise tag on him to restrict his potential freedom.

Where will the grass be greener for Jimmy G? He’ll surely seek a starting job, preferably one that comes with multiple years rather than repeat 2021 and serve as the place-holder for a high (or super low) draft choice. Logical destinations: the New York Jets, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Houston Texans, the Tampa Bay Bucs, and the Washington Commanders.

“We have a process we go through. Jimmy is obviously part of that process,” Bobby Slowik, the

regular-season and tournament championships.

The star is 6-foot-11 senior forward Drew Pember, who earned league Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Tournament MVP honors. In their fifth NCAA tournament, the Bulldogs have not advanced past the round of 64.

And what’s the bracket release without some humor? At Arizona’s NCAA watch party on campus, coach Tommy Lloyd said of Princeton: “They’re an

Ivy League school, so I’m sure they’re going to be smarter than us.”

Another curiosity of March Madness for Sacramento fans is where Kings players and frontoffice personnel went to college. Kings general manager Monte McNair played football at Princeton. Kings center Neemias Queta played at Utah State. This will be the sixth time the NCAA has had a March Madness stopover in Sacrament and the second time at Golden 1.

Scheffler triumphs at The Players, back at No. 1

TRibune conTenT Agency

Scottie Scheffler earned a huge confidence bump ahead of his Masters title defence by triumphing at The Players Championship on Sunday.

The American went on a run of five birdies around the turn at Sawgrass, picking up shots at each hole from eight to 12, on the way to a 69 that took him to 17 under, enough for a five-shot victory.

Scheffler, 26, hops up one spot and returns to number one in the world rankings thanks to this big win. He has won all six of his PGA Tour titles since the beginning of last year, with a hot streak leading up to Augusta last year followed in 2023 by a Phoenix Open victory and now this commanding success.

He was two clear of nearest rival Min Woo Lee coming into the final round, but as the Australian's challenge fell away, Scheffler pulled

further clear of the field. He broke 70 in all four of his rounds.

Tyrrell Hatton matched the back-nine course record on his way to second place outright, with the Englishman coming home in 29 for a seven-under-par 65 to finish at 12 under.

Hatton made birdies at 10, 12 and then at every hole from the 14th onwards, producing what he described as a "pretty mad" final flourish to scorch to 12 under.

Viktor Hovland had a closing 68 to finish in a tie for third with Tom Hoge, whose 70 on Sunday was the final act in a dramatic week that began for him with a 78. Hoge narrowly made the cut after a 68 in round two, before shooting a course-record 62 on Saturday. He cancelled flights home on Friday, when bad weather caused a delay to the second round, and again on Saturday, after making it through on the cut line,

Byron earns second straight NASCAR Cup Series victory

TRibune conTenT Agency

PHOENIX — Two weekends.

Two late-race restarts.

Two William Byron wins.

Ron K RoichicK SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE SAN FRANCISCO —

On the brink of his 35th birthday, to the everlasting relief of his Golden State Warriors teammates and coaches, Stephen Curry stubbornly, steadfastly refuses to act his age.

Thirty-five, if not sooner, is when most NBA guards historically confront their basketball mortality. Allen Iverson and Kevin Johnson were out of the league at 35. Gary Payton’s productivity dropped sharply starting at 35.

Curry is heading the other way.

Saturday night, less than an hour after Curry turned a near-certain loss to Milwaukee into an improbable, exhilarating Warriors victory, Donte DiVincenzo sat at his locker contemplating

his decorated teammate.

DiVincenzo is 26, nearly a decade younger. He also understands the physical toll involved.

“You see a lot of stuff online about the babyfaced assassin, but to be

doing that at 35 is insane,” DiVincenzo said. “It’s a credit to Steph and how locked in he is in preparing his body. At 35, you’re not supposed to be able to handle Jrue Holiday for 40 minutes, honestly.”

DiVincenzo has a point, even if Curry doesn’t turn 35 until Tuesday. The Warriors need his superpowers more than ever – shaky defense, Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga out, jam-packed Western Conference playoff race –and Curry is embracing the challenge.

Holiday, one of the NBA’s most rugged

The No. 24 car needed a serendipitous late-race caution and then a great pit-crew performance and then a solid restart –and Byron got all of that and more to take the win at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday. The Hendrick Motorsports driver has now won back-toback races and has now notched a field-best two wins on the 2023 season.

Ryan Blaney finished second on Sunday. Tyler Reddick was third.

So much of Sunday resembled last weekend’s race at Las Vegas. There were very few cautions-for-cause. The same handful of cars ran

in the Top 10 all day. The only car that seemed to rise through the field belonged to Kevin Harvick, whose reputation at Phoenix precedes him. (The No. 4 car came into this race with a record 19 consecutive Top 10s and nine wins at Phoenix Raceway.)

For so long in Stage 3, the race seemed like it would culminate in a battle between Kyle Larson and Harvick. The two cars were separated from the rest of the field by seconds.

At the climax of a long run, with about 40 laps to go, Harvick passed Larson – and then “The Closer” extended his lead as he so often has here. He was running five seconds ahead of anyone else. The race

‘Doing that at 35 is insane’: Steph Curry has stellar game for ages

Rodgers

B6

Monday, March 13, 2023

SECTION B Matt Miller . Sports Editor . 707.427.6995

Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group/TNS file (2022)

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is cheered on by fans as he walks off the field after their 24-9 NFL victory over the Los Angeles Rams at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara in October of 2022.

Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group/TNS file (2022) Stephen Curry warms up before the start of a game at the Chase Center in San Francisco in 2022.

See 49ers, Page B8

See Curry, Page B8

See Players, Page B8

See Byron, Page B8

This mushroom fettuccine channels Italy and the best pasta I ever had

Jim Webster THE WASHINGTON POST

When the plate of pasta landed at the table, it was so plain that if I were anywhere else, I would have been skeptical if not outright disappointed. But I was in Florence, having my first meal of my first trip to Italy, so I never strayed from optimism.

Even now, months later, when I show the photo of that dish, I feel like I have to explain, or apologize on its behalf. It doesn’t look like much. It’s a plate of very plain pasta with a couple of slices of very large mushrooms on top.

But I have heard for years and years how the magic of Italian food is in the simplicity. And I wanted to believe it. So I set aside my inborn inclination for bells and whistles and complication and stuck my fork into the tangle of tagliatelle. Then I speared a chunk of the porcini mushroom, and I tasted it.

I think culinary hyperbole is the most annoying thing in the world, but everything kind of stopped in that moment. Yes, it was the best pasta I’d ever had in my life – of this I was immediately certain – and I was left trying to decide if I even wanted to have better pasta than this . . . ever.

Yes, it was simple. After the shock of the first bite, I spent each subsequent taste trying to break down precisely what it was I was eating. I do this all the time with dishes I’d like to re-create at home. But this one felt like a riddle, because it was all hidden in sublime simplicity.

The menu at Trattoria Cammillo, a block south of the Arno River near the Ponte Santa Trinta, listed the dish as “tagliatelle fatte in casa ai funghi porcini freschi.” I didn’t need a translation app to glean that the pasta was made in house and that the mushrooms were fresh.

That dish had fewer ingredients than its menu description had words, I’m confident. The pasta was certainly just flour and eggs. The sliced porcini on top were probably cooked in butter – maybe mixed with olive oil? – at a low temperature so as to add no color whatsoever; they looked braised more than sauteed. The sauce holding the pasta together was nothing

more than butter and probably some of the pasta cooking water. That water probably held all the salt that went into the dish. There was nothing green garnishing the plate, and there was no hit of acid to brighten anything up. Didn’t need it. Our waiter asked us if we wanted some Parmigiano-Reggiano on top, which of course we did, but my first bite came before he offered, and let me assure you, that pasta didn’t need cheese to make it memorable.

That was it. I couldn’t discern one more building block. It was maddening. It all sounded nearly mundane. Why was it so good?

When I got home, I went to work.

I love to make fresh pasta, but that’s a weekend endeavor.

On a random weeknight, I generally fall back on dried pasta, but a dish like this calls for something a little more delicate and supple, so I grabbed a package of fresh fettuccine from the refrigerated case at the grocery store. And I felt confident in my ability to forge a butter-and-pasta-water sauce that would evoke Cammillo.

The hurdle would be the mushroom. Porcini are kind of the Lamborghini of mushrooms, a singular statement of meatiness and earthiness virtually immune from substitution. They share some luxurious qualities with truffles, which makes sense because they grow wild in the same places. They’re hard to find fresh in the States. When you can, they’re usually small, in rough shape and cost about the same as that Lamborghini. I wasn’t going to use fresh porcini. But I needed something to stand in for that “funghi freschi” from the menu. For my first try, I was adamant about matching the minimalism. I got cremini – a.k.a. Italian brown mushrooms – and delicately cooked them in a bath of warm butter and olive oil just enough to soften them without searing. I tossed the cooked pasta in and mixed in some of the pasta water. It was fine. It was like it was a song with a similar melody, just severely muted. I wanted it loud. The simplicity was my favorite part of the dish, but

I realized that to emulate a porcini dish without fresh porcini, it would need something else. I wanted to add the most flavor with the least extra effort. The obvious answer was dried porcini. We often use that concentrated umami powerhouse as a secret weapon by soaking them, then chopping them up and adding them to a soup, sauce or braise along with the steeping liquid. But the texture of reconstituted mushrooms wouldn’t work in this dish. To keep the texture, I stuck with the cremini but seared them harder to develop some caramelization. To get the right flavor, I ground the dry mushrooms into a powder and let it steep quickly, right in the pan, in a little of the reserved pasta water that emulsified with some butter.

I tossed the pasta in the pan, then plated. It was objectively more attractive than it’s inspiration piece, but aesthetics were never the goal here. I tasted, and it popped me in the mouth with a shot of earthy umami. I wasn’t on vacation, but I was happy.

It wasn’t the same as the dish I had in Florence. It never had a chance. The best part of eating pasta in Italy is that you’re eating pasta . . . in Italy. But my version will serve as a souvenir until I get to go back.

FETTUCCINE CON FUNGHI (PASTA WITH MUSHROOMS)

Total time: 20 mins

2-3 servings

Storage Notes: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days.

Where to Buy: Dried porcini are available at well-stocked supermarkets, natural food markets and online. This dish is an attempt to re-create a simple, highly seasonal pasta popular in Italy, where fresh porcini mushrooms are prevalent. Fresh porcini are rare in the United States, but dry ones are available. The quality of porcini powder can vary; it’s often best to buy dried mushrooms and grind them to a powder in a coffee/ spice mill. If you can’t find dried porcini, you can substitute dried shiitake or a dried medley of mushrooms, but the flavor will be less bold.

Fresh pasta, either homemade or the kind sold in the refrigerated case of well-stocked supermarkets, is best in this dish. You can substitute dry pasta, if necessary, following the cooking directions on the package.

¼ teaspoon fine salt, plus more for the pasta water

½ ounce dried porcini (may substitute 3 tablespoons porcini powder; see headnote)

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved, or sliced if large (dry ends trimmed, if needed)

9 ounces fresh store-bought fettuccine (see headnote)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter (may substitute vegan butter, such as Miyoko’s brand)

Grated parmesan cheese, for serving (optional; may substitute vegan parmesan cheese)

Fill a medium saucepan halfway with salted water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, use a coffee/spice mill to grind the dried porcini into a fine powder; you should get about 3 tablespoons.

In a large skillet over mediumhigh heat, heat the olive oil until it shimmers. Add the cremini mushrooms, trying to arrange them cut side down as best you can. Sear without moving them until well browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Stir the mushrooms and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes more.

Once you stir the mushrooms, add the pasta to the boiling water and stir well to ensure the noodles don’t clump together. Cook according to the package instructions, 2 to 4 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain. Transfer the cooked mushrooms to a plate and reduce the heat under the skillet to medium. Melt the butter, then add the porcini powder and ¼ teaspoon of salt and stir to incorporate. Add ½ cup of the reserved pasta water and stir to combine. Add the pasta to the skillet and toss until coated, adding more pasta water as necessary to help coat the strands. Return the mushrooms to the skillet and toss with the pasta to combine.

Divide among plates, making sure there are a few mushrooms on top. Serve with parmesan at the table, if desired.

Nutrition per serving (1 ½ cups), based on 3: Calories: 402; Total Fat: 18 g; Saturated Fat: 8 g; Cholesterol: 71 mg; Sodium: 213 mg; Carbohydrates: 46 g;

Dietary Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 2 g;

Protein: 11 g

This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.

From staff writer Jim Webster.

Tom McCorkle/The Washington Post

This fettuccine con funghi (pasta with mushrooms) recipe uses dried porcini and cremini mushrooms.

Jim Webster/The Washington Post

The dish that inspired this recipe, tagliatelle with porcini at Trattoria Cammillo in Florence, Italy.

Fonda, Tomlin look to avenge wronged friend

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Two friends reunite to take revenge for their friend who recently died, only to find that sometimes it’s better to let the past go.

Also opening in local theaters is a film about a troupe of young superheroes battling for the future of Earth.

Opening nationwide are:

“Shazam: Fury of the Gods,” in which Billy Batson and his fellow foster kids are given powers by the Gods. The kids are still learning how to juggle teenage life with their adult superhero alter egos. When a vengeful trio of ancient gods arrive on Earth in search of the magic stolen from them long ago, Shazam and his allies get thrust into a battle for their superpowers, their lives and the fate of the world. The film is rated PG-13.

“Moving On,” in which Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin star as estranged friends who reunite to seek revenge on the petulant widower (Malcolm McDowell) of their recently deceased best friend. Along the way, Fonda’s character reunites with her great love as each woman learns to make peace with the past and each other. The film is rated R.

Opening in limited release are:

“The Resurrection of Charles Manson,” in which a couple edits a Charles Manson movie at a rental property. Strange things begin to happen, leading them deeper into the dark world of Manson. The film is not rated.

“All the World is Sleeping,” in which as a young girl, Chama, struggles to find her own path, separate from that of her addict of a mother. She grows up and finds herself doing the same things her own mother

did to her child. After a terrible accident, she loses her daughter and finds herself needing to face her addictions if she ever is to have a normal life with her child. The film is not rated.

“Rodeo,” in which a young and manipulative Julia (Julie Ledru) uses men to get to their vehicles. Her obsession with the high-octane world of urban ‘rodeos’ –illicit gatherings where riders show off their bikes and latest daring stunts – sparks a chance meeting with a volatile clique. Julia strives to prove herself to the ultra-masculine gang by performing cons and running errands for their incarcerated ring leader, Dom. She finds a surprising connection with Dom’s wife, Ophélie (Antonia Buresi), and son, a risky move that puts a target on her back. Julia is unsure who she can trust as the ultimate heist comes down the pike. The film is not rated.

“The Ghost Within,” in which Margot is on a quest to find out who killed her sister Evie 20 years ago by returning to her family home. As she gets closer to the truth, Margot finds herself facing her deepest fears in the house that’s still haunted by Evie’s ghost. The film is not rated.

For information on Edwards Cinemas in Fairfield, visit www. regmovies.com/ theatres/regal-edwardsfairfield-imax. For Vacaville showtimes, visit www.brendentheatres.com. For Vallejo showtimes, check www. cinemark.com/theatres/ ca-vallejo. More information about upcoming films is available at www. movieinsider.com.

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

Chang can dunk (but won’t) on ‘Chang Can Dunk’

Justin Chang LOS ANGELES TIMES

In a recent interview with GQ, Hong Kong star Donnie Yen noted that Caine, his charac ter in the upcoming action blockbuster “John Wick: Chapter 4,” had originally been given a more common Chinese name. The choice bothered Yen, who lobbied successfully to have the character renamed. “Why does he always have to be called Shang or Chang?” he said in the interview. “Why do you have to be so generic?”

Ouch! Having made peace with my own widely used, boringly monosyllabic surname years ago, I read that story with no small amusement. And I thought about it more than once during “Chang Can Dunk,” a likable, thoroughly generic Disney+ movie about a 5-foot-8-inch Chinese American teenager trying to do something that high school rivals, YouTube commenters and basic physiology rudely suggest he cannot.

Here, of course, the genericism serves a larger purpose. Recycling, long one of Hollywood’s favorite activities, has also become its preferred shortcut to ostensibly more inclusive storytelling. At last, the logic goes, even long-marginalized Asian American audiences can see some version of themselves in the kind of conventional, rotely inspiring underdog sports drama they’ve long been denied. Progress, right?

Sort of. As tiresome as it can be to see old stories repackaged in new colors, the practice can and does yield a few culturally illuminating dividends. Jingyi Shao’s script (which he also directed, slickly enough) may tend toward the pat and overly expository, but 16-yearold Chang (Bloom Li) is, for the most part, refreshingly hard to pigeonhole. He’s smart and

well-rounded, athletically and musically; he can be goofy, awkward, charming, arrogant, shy and outspoken. No one calls him a racist slur (or really thinks to call him anything but Chang, his surname-turnednickname), but stereotypical assumptions about Asian masculinity are in the very air he breathes. Those assumptions are partly what lead him to strike a foolhardy bet with his basketball-star nemesis, Matt (Chase Liefeld): By homecoming week, Chang vows, he’ll be able to slam-dunk in front of the entire school. Rooting for him to succeed are Kristy (Zoe Renee), a fellow marching band drummer turned fleeting love interest, and Deandre (Dexter Darden), a “twotime Estonian League MVP” turned Verizon store employee who becomes Chang’s coach. Insane workout regimens and upbeat training montages ensue: Chang doesn’t have to make like Michael B. Jordan in “Creed III” and drag an air-

plane, though he does, in time, become a bench-pressing, box-jumping, protein-shakechugging monster. With some help from his tech-savvy best friend, Bo (Ben Wang), he also becomes a social media star, turning an underdog story into a cautionary tale on the pitfalls of viral fame and insatiable ego. Chang’s downward spiral, though paved with brief appearances by a few NBA and ESPN stars, is a bit of a drag, and while redemption is predictably in the cards, it arrives by way of a weirdly unsatisfying final shot (in every sense). Until then, at least, the actors keep things lively: Renee, Wang and especially Darden form a crack supporting team, and Li is an assured enough performer not to make Chang too likable a protagonist. The movie’s most clumsily dramatized scenes, in which Chang butts heads with his hard-working single mom (Mardy Ma), are also its most compelling, rooted in Chang’s frustration that he can’t seem to say or do anything without earning her reflexive shame and judgment. Like a lot of Asian American child-parent duos, Chang and his mom straddle not just a generational gap but a cultural chasm, one that bequeaths Ma the movie’s best, funniest line: “Why dunking? What can you do with this dunking thing?!”

What indeed. But utility isn’t everything, and “Chang Can Dunk” gets that the pursuit of fun, seemingly frivolous goals can be meaningful in itself, especially when undertaken with the loving encouragement of friends and family. It also knows there’s a time to shine and a time to recede, though its truest lesson is one that some of us have long taken to heart: Be the Chang you wish to see in the world.

Crossword by Phillip

Bridge

lead to dummy’s queen?

WHICH WAY TO TURN AT THE CROSSROADS?

There are times when you are apparently spoiled for choice. You have so many goodies, it is difficult to know which way to turn first. However, that is the time to read the map most carefully. Count your tricks carefully and try to judge the best road to take.

In today’s deal, how should South play in three no-trump after a spade

Alder

It isn’t often you will end in three no-trump with 29 points and find that you haven’t got nine top tricks, but here you have only eight instant winners and the struggle is on for the ninth.

The hearts look tempting. You could make the percentage play for three tricks: Cash the king, lead the six to the ace and the eight toward the jack. This will fail to produce three tricks only when East has Q-10 or Q-9 and at least two other cards. Here, though, you are that unlucky.

Well, not so unlucky. That was a 77% line whereas the diamond suit provides a 100% guaranteed ninth trick. At trick two, you should cash dummy’s diamond ace, just in case East or West has a singleton honor.

If an honor appears, you dislodge the other honor. If only low cards appear, lead a low diamond toward the jack. However the suit is distributed, you will eventually collect a second diamond trick and make your contract. True, you might survive by playing hearts first and finding them unfavorably distributed, but not if the cards are as in the diagram. Why did West lead a spade rather than a club? Because he had a weak hand and knew declarer to be short in the majors.

COPYRIGHT: 2023, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

Sudoku by Wayne Gould

Difficulty level:

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

Stephanie Mei-Ling/Walt Disney Studios/TNS

From left, Zoey Renee, Bloom Li, Dexter Darden and Ben Wang in “Chang Can Dunk.”

Stephanie Mei-Ling/Walt Disney Studios/TNS Bloom Li as Chang in “Chang Can Dunk.”

WHY THERE AREN’T ENOUGH EGGS IN CALIFORNIA: Poultry expert Richard Blatchford

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

The cost of a dozen large eggs in California has soared, averaging about $4.50, up from $2.35 at this time last year. And the prices for any food that uses eggs as an ingredient, such as mayonnaise and baked goods, are also climbing.

What’s going on? This is a time of radical challenges in the chicken business. Farmers are coping with disease outbreaks, high demand for corn and the state’s new cage-free law – which has been copied by Washington, Colorado and several other other states, creating competition for a product that is already scarce.

Poultry expert Richard Blatchford, Ph.D., has been watching these trends. The modern bird has come a long way from the wild jungles of Southeast Asia from which its ancestors originated some 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. Eggs and ‘broiler chickens’ are now major commodities, providing the most popular and cheapest animal protein in the nation.

The Bay Area News Group asked Blatchford about the influences behind our favorite ingredient for omelets, soufflés, ice cream sundaes, McNuggets and more. His comments have been edited for length and clarity.

Q: Why are California eggs so expensive?

A: Part of it is general inflation. The cost of ‘inputs’ – labor costs, feed, transportation, and other factors – has gone up.

Chickens eat a corn-based diet, so when grain prices rise, such as due to the war in Ukraine, which hampers the country’s ability to export, the cost of chicken feed goes up, as well.

Q: What else is going on?

A: There are two other forces that are really driving this increase in price and also egg availability.

The first is avian influenza, a highly contagious and deadly disease for poultry. We’ve had a massive outbreak of avian influenza this year.

The other issue is the implementation of Prop 12. All eggs sold within the state of California have to be produced by hens that are housed cage-free.

Q: Avian influenza is usually seasonal. Why is the current outbreak such a problem?

A: This outbreak has been continuous. There has been no break since last summer.

One of the ways to try to stop that disease is to euthanize all of the birds in an infected area. You are required to kill all the birds in your flock. We have lost around 50 million egg-producing hens. That’s 50 million eggs – almost a day – that we’re not getting any more. There’s just been a quick fast depletion.

It takes time to replace those birds. Chickens don’t start laying until they’re about 18 weeks of age. So you have

this period of time when they’re just growing. That will correct itself, eventually. California hasn’t seen had a huge amount of avian influenza, thankfully. But the areas that are getting hit hard, such as the Midwest, have very large egg production. When their egg numbers go down, California’s egg numbers go down – because we import so many.

Q: Why can’t we vaccinate chickens?

A: If you vaccinate the birds, they test positive because they have antibodies. There’s no way to know: Did they naturally occur? Are they sick? International import-export regulations prohibit the movement of any poultry product that has antibodies.

Q: Is avian influenza increasing the cost of our dinner table broiler chickens also?

A: No, they don’t seem to have been hit as hard as the laying sector, which is probably just a matter of luck.

Their numbers haven’t dropped so dramatically that they haven’t been able to respond. The generation cycle of broiler chickens is also much faster. So it’s a little bit easier to replace birds. It takes about six weeks for a chicken to hit market weight.

Q: How is the cage-free movement increasing prices?

A: It has to do with labor costs. And with cage-free production there’s a lot more to do.

A lot of poultry operations are automated now. For instance, in cage production, the eggs all come out onto a belt, and they’re taken to the processing plant. In a cage-free setting, there is a belt system, but the birds also lay elsewhere. So people have to go in and hand collect all of those eggs. It might only be a small percentage – but when a house has 120,000 hens, that’s a lot of individual eggs. It’s also a bit harder to do health maintenance checks on cage-free hens.

Q: If other states follow our example and start producing cage-free eggs, will they be more abundant?

A: I expect that the trend will continue to grow. But to meet all of the demands for eggs from companies like McDonalds, about 75% of U.S. chickens need to be cage free. I think we’re currently somewhere around 30%.

Q: It sounds like there’s still a lot of competition for these eggs.

A: We’re an egg-deficit state. California doesn’t produce enough eggs – we import somewhere around 60% of our eggs from other states.

That hasn’t been an issue prior to now, because California had been one of the only states importing cage-free eggs. But there are now several other states that have come online with similar types of legislation.

There’s a small pool of eggs that has been made smaller because of avian influenza and now there’s higher competition and demand for those eggs, because several other states also have cage-free laws.

Q: We used to have plenty of eggs. Petaluma was once called the “Egg Basket of the World,” for its bustling egg industry. What happened?

A: Some of it has to do with legislation and regulations. And some of it has to do with costs.

If you’re close to your food source, you can reduce the transportation cost. That’s why we see most of our egg production in the Midwest, because they’re very close to corn. It costs less than shipping corn out to the West Coast. In California, the vast majority of poultry production takes place in the Central Valley, between the Modesto and Fresno areas.

California used to be the number one egg-producing state in the nation. Now it’s around the 10th.

Joel Mackendorf/UC Davis/TNS

Richard Blatchford, Ph.D. Associate Specialist in Cooperative Extension: Small to Industry Scale Poultry at the Hopkins Avian Facility.

Adobe Stock

The cost of a dozen eggs has been averaging about $4.50, up from $2.35 at this time last year.

Rams trade star Jalen Ramsey to Dolphins for TE Long, pick

Gary K lein LOS ANGELES TIMES

LOS ANGELES — The Rams, in a major move to rebound from a disastrous 2022 season and to build draft capital, have agreed to trade star cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins, a person with knowledge of the situation said Sunday.

Rodgers on decision following meeting with Jets: ‘Stay tuned’

a ntwan Staley NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

NEW YORK — Jets fans have patiently awaited Aaron Rodgers’ decision after the team met with him last week.

While Rodgers continues to keep the NFL world in the darkness, even he knows there’s a “time limit.”

During an interview Saturday with former Jets wide receiver and current I Am Athlete host Brandon Marshall at a flag football charity event, Rodgers said “it won’t be long” until he decides whether to stay with the Packers, retire or request a trade.

“It is always interesting meeting important figures in the sport,” Rodgers said about meeting with the Jets. “It is always interesting, it’s all I’m giving you. That’s all I’m giving you.”

“Stay tuned,” it won’t be long. There’s a time limit for all of this.”

Last Tuesday, Jets owner Woody Johnson, general manager Joe Douglas, coach Robert Saleh and

offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett flew to California to meet with Rodgers hoping to convince the four-time MVP to ask to be traded to the team. The Packers allowed the Jets to speak with Rodgers as he continues to be undecided about his future.

Rodgers recently went on a darkness retreat, hoping to sort out his future. But he has continued to say he will make a decision soon. With free agency and the legal negotiation window beginning on Monday at 4 p.m., the Jets need an answer sooner rather than later.

As they look for a veteran quarterback this offseason, the Jets have already missed out on one potential option while waiting on Rodgers.

Derek Carr officially signed a fouryear, $150 million contract with the Saints this weekend, which includes $100 million in total guarantees.

Gang Green hosted Carr last month as he visited the organization to see if there was a fit between both sides. Carr also met with the Jets at the NFL Combine a few weeks ago.

But when it was clear Rodgers was their top option, Carr decided to sign with the Saints instead.

The Jets will have options if Rodgers does decide to retire or return to the Packers as they could target free agent Jimmy Garoppolo. They also could go after Lamar Jackson, as the Ravens placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on him last week. If the Jets were to sign Jackson to an offer sheet and the Ravens refuse to match the offer, Baltimore would receive two firstround picks.

The Packers also need a decision on Rodgers’ future soon as it appears they’re ready to turn the franchise over to 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love. After waiting three seasons sitting behind Rodgers, Green Bay needs to see Love as a starter as the team has to decide to pick up his fifth-year option by May 1.

In an interview with WBAY-TV, a television station in Green Bay, Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy seemed like a trade to the Jets was the likeliest option.

The person requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about a transaction that will not become official until the start of the NFL’s new league year on Wednesday.

In exchange for Ramsey, the Rams acquire tight end Hunter Long and third-round pick in the upcoming draft. The Rams now have 11 picks in the draft, though they have not had a first-round pick since 2016, when they traded up a record 14 spots to select quarterback Jared Goff with the first pick.

The trade did not come as a surprise to Ramsey, the fifth player selected in the 2016 draft. After the season, he hinted several times on social media that he was aware he might be dealt.

“I prayed for this specifically for about a month & now it’s happening!,” Ramsey tweeted. “@ MiamiDolphins LETSGO!”

Ramsey was acquired by the Rams near midseason in 2019 in a trade that sent two first-round picks to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The three-time All-Pro was a cornerstone for a Rams team that won Super Bowl LVI to end the 2021 season.

In 2020, Ramsey signed a five-year, $100-million extension that included $71.2 million in guarantees, at the time the largest contract for a defensive back in NFL history.

Ramsey, 28, is scheduled to carry a salary-cap number of $25.2 million in the upcoming season, according to overthecap.com.

The cap for the 2023 season is $224.8 million. As of Feb. 21, the Rams were about $15 million over the cap, according to overthecap.com.

Trading Ramsey is the Rams’ third move involving a star player since they finished 5-12, the worst season-after performance by a Super Bowl champion in NFL history.

On Feb. 23, the Rams and linebacker Bobby Wagner agreed to part ways after one season. Last week, the Rams released edge rusher Leonard Floyd.

In three-plus seasons with the Rams, Ramsey intercepted 10 passes, including two in last season’s finale against the Seattle Seahawks. He also made several victoryclinching plays.

In 2020, under then defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, Ramsey’s role in the Rams expanded beyond shutdown cornerback. He played on the outside and inside, and he also lined up as a safety, hybrid linebacker and pass rusher.

Ramsey’s departure leaves a huge void in the secondary.

Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune/TNS file (2022)

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers tosses a pass during the first quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago in December.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

(Board of Supervisors)

NOTICE IS GIVEN that the Board of Supervisors will hold a PUBLIC HEARING to consider the Planning Commission s recommendation to approve adoption of an ordinance for Zone Text Amendment No ZT-23-01 to amend Chapter 28 of the Solano County Code to revise and update definitions and regulations for dwellings used for transient lodging including hosted rentals bed and breakfast inns agricu tural homestays and vacation home rentals and to serve as the Short-Term Vacation Home Rental Ordinance in unincorporated Solano County The Planning Commission has recommended approval of the amendment and the project has been determined not to have a significant effect on the environment and is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under the common sense exemption since this zoning regulation update is a set of technical adjustments and corrections which do not alter prior regulations for intensity or location of development or any other physical alterations to the environment

(Project Planner: Allan Calder 707-784-6765)

The hearing will be held in the Board of Supervisors Chambers County Administration Center 1st Floor 675 Texas Street Fairfield on Tuesday March 28 2023 at 2:00 p m or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard Staff reports are available by 5:00 p m the Friday prior to the meeting at www solanocounty com un der Quick Clicks Board Meetings & Agendas

The County of Solano does not discriminate against persons with disabilities and is an accessible facility If you

- Fri , 8am5pm

Disclaimer: F Fair Housing is the Law! T h e m i s s i o n o f t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f F a i r E m p l o y m e n t a n d H o u s i n g i s t o p r ot e c t t h e p e o p l e o f C a l i f o r n i a f r o m u nl a w f u l d i s c r i m i n ation in employment h o u s i n g a n d p u b l i c a c c o m m o d a t i o n s T h e D a i l y R e p u b l i c w i l l n o t k n o w i n g l y accept any ad which is in violation of the F e d e r a l F a i r H o u sing Act and the Calif o r n i a F a i r E m p o ym e n t a n d H o u s i n g A c t w h i c h b a n d i sc r i m i n a t o n b a s e d o n r a c e c o l o r n at i o n a l o r i g i n s e x r e l i g i o n , s e x u a l o r ientation age disabi l i t y f a m i l i a l s t a t u s a n d m a r i t a l s t a t u s D e s c r i b e t h e P r o pe r t y N o t t h e T e n a n t

Informational: A cord o f w o o d s h a l l m e a sure 4x4x8 and be acc o m p a n i e d b y a r ec e i p t P l e a s e r e p o r t any discrepancies to: T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f Agricultural / Weights a n d M e a s u r e s a t ( 7 0 7 ) 7 8 4 - 1 3 1 0

Disclaimer: G I V E A W A Y S i s F R E E a d v e r t i s i n g f o r m e rchandise being given a w a y b y t h e a d v e r ti s e r ( n o t f o r b u s in e s s e s s e r v i c e s o r p r o m o t i o n a l u s e ) Limited to 1 ad of like i t e m ( s ) p e r c u s t o mer in a 60 day per od 4 l i n e m a x f o r a l l a d s A d s a r e p u bl i s h e d f o r 3 c o n s e cu t i v e d a y s i n t h e D a i l y R e p u b l i c 1 time in Friday s Tailwind

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s l a r g e s t c i r c u l

CALENDAR

Monday’s TV sports Baseball

Scoreboard

BASKETBALL

Tuesday’s TV sports

• Mexico vs. Panama,

3 p.m.

49ers

From Page B1

• Columbus at San Jose, NBCSCA,

Curry

From Page B1

defensive players, corralled Curry for most of Saturday night’s game at Chase Center. Consequently, the Warriors trailed by eight after Milwaukee’s Joe Ingles made a 3-point shot with 2:05 left. They were staring at their fourth consecutive loss.

And then . . .

Curry scored 11 points in the final two minutes of regulation, before blocking Holiday’s last-second shot at the rim to send the game to OT. Curry scored nine more points in OT, ushering the Warriors to a 125-116 win.

To briefly review: He scored 20 of his 36 points in the game’s final seven minutes, on 7-for-8 shooting from the field. It was an outlandishly clutch display, even by Curry’s lofty standards. “He took matters into his own hands,” forward Draymond Green said. “It was very impressive. He was creating for himself, and Jrue is one of best on-ball defenders I’ve seen.”

If DiVincenzo understands the physical toll of a guard shaking free to create shots, Green understands the toll of age. He turned 33 earlier this month, and he’s joined Curry on eight trips to the playoffs and six long journeys to the NBA Finals.

Or put it this way: Curry has played in 134 postseason games in his career, the equivalent of nearly two extra regular seasons.

Green was asked, good-naturedly, if he ever teases Curry about his advanced age.

“I’m a little too old at this point to be teasing somebody else about getting old,” Green said. “Old is what you make it. If you go out with an old mindset, you’re going to look old. I don’t think he goes out with an old mindset.

“He’s locked in, and it’s showing in his game. . . . To do it at this level, at that size, for this long, it’s huge.”

Saturday night’s performance punctuated a striking week for Curry. He returned to action March 5 against the Lakers, after missing a month with a knee injury. In his first

four games, he’s averaging 33 points on 51% shooting from the field, including 48% beyond the arc.

Also notable: The Warriors lost their first three games with Curry back, all on the road and mostly because of dreadful defensive efforts. His play down the stretch against Milwaukee, which has the NBA’s best record at 48-19 but was without Giannis Antetokounmpo, suggested Curry already was tired of losing.

The Warriors will need to ease the burden on him in the season’s final 14 games, as they chase a playoff berth. Curry can’t play 43 minutes every night, as he did against the Bucks. He can’t score 20 points in the final seven minutes every night, theoretically.

To that end, the Milwaukee game offered some encouraging signs. DiVincenzo tormented his former team with 20 points and 10 rebounds. JaMychal Green scored 18 off the bench. Kevon Looney gathered 15 rebounds.

And, most important, the Warriors were engaged defensively – a sharp contrast to the way they played in Oklahoma Cityand Memphis earlier in the week.

But it all came back to Curry, as it inevitably does. His shooting in the past four games suggests his legs are strong. As he and the Warriors embark on their sprint to the finish line – the regular season ends April 9, four weeks from Sunday – they probably will benefit from the 26 games he’s missed this season, saving wear-andtear on his body.

They have more issues to conquer than last season, but they have a chance with Curry healthy.

Head coach Steve Kerr has talked often this season about the evolution of an NBA player’s game –how Klay Thompson, for example, has focused on rebounding more in his 30s than he did earlier in his career. Given this, Kerr was asked how Curry’s game has evolved in recent years.

“Nothing is different, honestly,” Kerr said. “He looks like the exact same guy.”

Texans’ offensive coordinator and former 49ers assistant, said Wednesday in comments that could violate the NFL’s tampering policy. “He’s going to be a free agent. We grind through that as a coaching staff. We grind through that in the personnel department. We have conversations.”

A Dec. 4 foot fracture effectively ended his 49ers career. It kept him from starting the ensuing eight games, the last of which was the NFC Championship Game loss. Garoppolo watched from the sideline as Philadelphia first injured Purdy’s throwing elbow then sent out Josh Johnson with a concussion in the 31-7 rout.

Unlike a year ago, there would be no Garoppolo press session to wrap up the season, to offer him a chance to again bid farewell, which he tried to do last January by telling reporters over a video conference: “It’s been a hell of a ride, guys. And love you guys. So, see ya.”

The 49ers saw arguably the best of Garoppolo this past season. Lance’s ankle fracture in the Sept. 18 home opener got Garoppolo his job back. It wasn’t a smooth transition initially – see: Garoppolo retreating through the end zone for a safety in an 11-10 loss at Denver in Week 3 – but he transformed himself and the 49ers.

Last year marked his most efficient since taking the 49ers’ reigns in December 2017. He

Byron

From Page B1

was all but his. Fate would intervene, though.

With 10 laps to go, Harrison Burton spun out. A caution was thrown. A late-race restart would commence. Harvick elected to get four tires while much of the rest of the field chose to grab two, burying the No. 4 car

registered a 103.0 passer rating with 16 touchdown passes and just four interceptions.

Remember that 10-game win streak that escorted the 49ers to the NFC title game? Garoppolo started the first half of it. His left foot broke as he valiantly tried to stay in field-goal position, and as two Miami Dolphins defenders dragged him down for a sack.

That injury was never ruled a season-ender, even if it ended up being one. The 49ers kept him off the injured reserve list, hoping he could recover in time for the conference finals or the Super Bowl. But he never returned to practice, and he only began running on the side 1 ½ weeks before the NFC Championship Game.

Three days after that season-ending loss, coach Kyle Shanahan rather coldly said he did not envision any scenario Garoppolo returns.

“I know everyone wants to talk about some discourse and all that,” Lynch said Feb. 28. “But I do believe that it’s probably run its course.”

in the field at seventh. Then came another caution. A final restart. And then an overtime finish that featured threewide turns and a bunch of slipping and sliding with Byron emerging above the rest.

Byron said post-race that he owed this race win to his crew chief, Rudy Fugle, considering how well his team executed after late-race cautions for a second week in a row.

“Owe the last couple

Garoppolo’s 49ers’ legacy: getting injured, winning games (42 of 61), and blending in as one of the guys, at least in the locker room.

He maintained an astonishingly low profile off the field for someone as recognizable and beloved in the Bay Area. Of course, there was a dubious date he was set up on during the 2018 offseason with an adult film star.

“I’m under a microscope,” Garoppolo said upon reporting to 2018 training camp. “It’s like (Shanahan) said, ‘It is a good learning experience. Just have to take it in stride.’

“Life is very different now,” Garoppolo added. “My life, off the field, I’ve never really been big on being very public with things, even on social media. I’m not on there a ton, but my life’s looked at differently.”

The 49ers were mired in an 0-8 start when they agreed to acquire Garoppolo on Oct. 30, 2017, surrendering only a second-round pick to the New England Patriotsfor Tom Brady’s backup. A month

weeks to him,” Byron said, fresh off another burnout in front of a sold out Phoenix crowd, on the Fox broadcast. “He’s done a really good job strategywise and execution-wise we’ve done a good job to put ourselves in those positions on the front row with a shot at the end.”

Harvick addressed his team’s decision to go with four tires at the end. The all-time great driver, who is retiring at the conclusion of the 2023 season,

later, Garoppolo took over, went 5-0 as their December starter.

Then came the injuries. The anterior cruciate ligament tear while scrambling into the red zone at Kansas City, three games into the 2018 season. The high ankle sprains in 2020. The calf bruise, the thumb fracture, and the shoulder capsule tear in 2021. His only full season: 2019, when his ACL comeback featured all 20 starts, including one in the Super Bowl, where the 49ers blew a 10-point lead and Garoppolo overthrew Emmanuel Sanders deep as the Chiefs nabbed the Lombardi Trophy. Rather than bring home San Mateo native Tom Brady, the 49ers stayed loyal in 2020 to Garoppolo, only to abandon that notion in the 2021 draft, when they traded up to the No. 3 slot and selected Lance. Still, Garoppolo made another run at a Super Bowl, coming up short by virtue of a 20-17 loss to the Rams in the NFC Championship Game after the 2021 season.

“The more Jimmy was here, the more comfortable he was, the better he played,” Shanahan said in February 2018. “I thought the guys around him played better. I thought our team got tighter.”

Yes, those words from five years ago held true. The 49ers remained a tight bunch and a playoff contender, and their Lombardi Trophy drought now spans 28 seasons.

“We leave with nothing but fond memories for Jimmy,” Lynch said Feb. 28. “And Jimmy is going to go play good football for someone.”

still ended up salvaging a solid result: He finished fifth — marking his 20th straight Top 10 at Phoenix. “It’s what I would have done,” Harvick said, referring to the pitroad decision. “I’d always rather be on offense. I just didn’t get a couple cars when that first caution came out. Kind of lost our chance. Still thought I had a chance there at the end. Those cars were quite a bit slower. They get all jammed up.”

Players

From Page B8

American Alex Smalley had a hole-in-one at the 17th, the famous parthree island hole, early on Sunday, but windy conditions later on made it treacherous and a host of players sent balls into the

water. Scheffler reached that penultimate hole with a five-shot lead and an excellent tee shot meant he had cleared the last real obstacle in his path.

That bodes well for the Warriors. with Hoge reaping the rewards of his persistence.

Hideki Matsuyama was in with a shout at one stage after reaching 12 under with five holes to play, but the 2021 Masters champion played those holes in three over par, signing for a 68 and sliding to fifth place.

Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group/TNS file (2022)

49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo warms up before a game against the Miami Dolphins at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara in December.