Daily Republic: Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Damage costs from winter storms keep rising in Solano

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FAIRFIELD — The storms in February and March did not carry the same kind of wallop as those in January, but the accumulation has added to the damage to infrastructure and added to the rising costs.

Matt Tuggle, the county engineering manager, said another $2 million to $3 million in damage has been sustained to roads, bridges and other infrastructure during February and March. The roads in the hills are of particular concern.

“It’s the creeping damage affect,” Tuggle said.

That is on top of the estimated $3 million in damage sustained in the early winter storms.

“We are still in active recovery for the 2022-23 storms . . . still mitigating the effects,” said Robyn Rains, who was recently confirmed as the full-time Emergency Services Office manager. “We are still in our early . . . reporting to FEMA.” Reports on private property damage have been relatively low, and have not reached the threshold for federal reimbusement.

The Solano County Board of Supervisors, with Supervisor Erin Hannigan absent

See Damage, Page A8

Supervisors adopt Holocaust Remembrance resolution

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FAIRFIELD — There wasn’t a Jewish spacelaser show, nor Kanye West tunes blaring as Chairman John Vasquez gaveled the Solano County Board of Supervisors into session.

But the “lasers” and Ye – and the access presidents and other U.S. leaders have granted to antisemitic prophets — are why the board’s action recognizing Holocaust Remembrance Day is ever so important, because it has been so readily dismissed.

“There is a wave of antisemitism going around the world,” Rabbi Chaim Zaklos said.

He retold the story about how a Japanese ambassador, defying orders from his government, signed visas that allowed Jewish residents of Lithuania to escape the Nazis. Among the 6,000 individuals he saved were the grandparents of the rabbi’s wife.

The ambassador, Chiune Sugihara, was

recalled to Japan.

“And while on the train, Sugihara continues to sign visas and throw them out the window,” Zaklos said.

The board, with Supervisor Erin Hannigan absent due to a family health issue, adopted a resolution that states:

WHEREAS, the Holocaust was a tragedy the scale of which the world had never before witnessed; and,

WHEREAS, from 1933 to 1945, six million Jews were persecuted and slain in the Nazi Holocaust as a part of a systematic program of genocide, and millions of other people also perished as victims of Nazism; and,

WHEREAS, the year

2023 marks the 90th anniversary of the beginning of the genocide of European Jews, the bleakest, most murderous moment in history; and,

WHEREAS, April 18, 2023, marks the international observance of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, a day

A my m Aginnis-Honey

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SUISUN CITY — Susiun City’s newest council member pledged his loyalty to the citizens of the city and will serve as long as the people want him.

On a 3-1 vote, with Mayor Pro Tem Princess Washington the lone no vote, the council selected Marlon Osum to fill the final seat, which has been vacant since February when Mike Hudson resigned.

Osum’s maturity and connection with the small-business community were among the deciding factors.

Jonathan Richardson received more public

support during the meeting. One resident, Michelle Chavez, via Zoom, asked the council to choose the best candidate for the city.

Osun’s new post

was celebrated during a brief intermission at the meeting. He will not be sworn in until the April 18 meeting as the item was not on the agenda. Then, he will take

his seat on the dais. The decision was made about 75 minutes into the meeting.

At a six-hour meeting on March 21, the council could not come to a conclusion between the two candidates. At the same meeting, they passed on hopeful Katrina Garcia. Richardson was praised for his leadership and mentoring skills. He previously served on the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District board. In her dissent, Washington noted Suisun City was more than small businesses. She cited statistics about the number of youths calling Suisun City home and felt

tHe WAsHington post NEW YORK — Donald Trump appeared in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday for a moment unprecedented in American history, pleading not guilty to 34 felony counts related to payments intended to silence an adult-film actress during his 2016 presidential campaign – a scheme that prosecutors said amounted to an illegal conspiracy to win the White House. He is the first former or sitting U.S. president to be criminally charged. Dressed in his trademark blue suit and red tie, Trump wore a subdued expression as he sat at the defense table in the courtroom of New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, flanked by four lawyers. He did not speak to waiting cameras or members of the public as he entered or exited the Manhattan criminal court building, though he raised a clenched fist

as he left Trump Tower on the way to the courthouse. Trump left New York immediately after the arraignment and flew to Mar-a-Lago, his Florida home and private club, where he was scheduled to address reporters this evening.

The prosecution of a former president sets up an extraordinary test for the judicial system amid a viciously partisan environment: Trump, who is again seeking the Republican

nomination for president, already has verbally attacked Merchan and

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D), calling the case against him a politically motivated “witch hunt.” Prosecutors pressed the judge to expedite a trial schedule to begin in January, but Trump’s team said that was too ambitious and suggested next spring as a more appropriate target. Either way, the trial could take place during the heart of the Republican primary campaign season. Merchan did not set a date during the hearing.

Two early candidates look to replace Dodd in Senate A4

Is Wiggins’ imminent return to Warriors too late? B1

Seth Wenig/Pool/AFP/Getty Images

Former president Donald Trump appears in court at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, Tuesday.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic file

A portion of Cantelow Road near Steigler Hill Road in Vacaville was damaged from a storm, March 15.

ZAKLOS

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic photos

Marlon Osum speaks during the Suisun City Council meeting at City Hall, Tuesday.

Suisun City Mayor Alma Hernandez listens to speakers during the council meeting at City Hall, Tuesday.

Earth Day 2023 events scheduled in Solano County

SOLANO COUNTY — Earth Day this year falls on Saturday, April 22, and local volunteers will join forces to participate in Solano County’s 9th Annual Earth Day Cleanup. Cleanup sites will be held across the county, in all seven cities and in three county parks.

Local residents, students, clubs, organizations and businesses are invited to make Solano County “clean and green” by preventing trash from flowing downstream into the Pacific Ocean.

Around 80% of the trash flowing into the ocean originates from in-land sources, most often by entering storm drains that flow directly into creeks and rivers before draining into the sea. Solano County residents can help by volunteering at community cleanups, reducing the amount of waste they create and disposing of their waste properly, said a press release.

Most cleanup events begin at 9 a.m. and end by noon. Volunteers typically remove between 5,000 to 10,000 pounds of trash and recyclables from community parks, trails, roadsides and waterways.

Participants can find out more about the time and

Shopping for ‘good’ schools

location for their local community cleanup at cleanupsolano.org.

A free digital recycling guide is available at recycle.solanocounty.com for tips on properly recycling beverage containers and other household items like oil, appliances, furniture and electronic waste.

Earth Day Cleanup volunteers are encouraged to bring their own buckets and gloves to help make the events zero waste. If that’s not possible, site organizers will have supplies available for those that are unable to bring their own.

Participants are encouraged to use the Ocean Conservancy’s CleanSwell mobile app to record the number of items they remove from the environment as a way to help researchers keep tabs on the amount of trash being diverted from our oceans by Solano County’s residents.

The 2023 Solano County Earth Day Cleanup is sponsored by Solano County Department of Resource Management with additional support provided by the Sierra Club Solano Group, Sprouts Farmers Market in Vacaville, the Solano Center for Volunteer and Non-Profit Leadership, 95.3 KUIC, Grizzly Waters Kayaking, See Earth, Page A4

When I first started teaching 50 years ago, the notion that parents could shop around for public schools was ludicrous. Back then, a parent’s choice was limited to the local neighborhood school or a private school.

For the most part, public schools were pretty much the same in terms of how they were organized, what students were taught and how they were taught. Typically, “good” schools were defined by how efficient they were rather than how effective they were. A school was deemed good because it was well managed (rules, protocols, procedures). Principals monitored such “efficiencies” through the use of checklists, most of which were devised with little or no regard for how students developed cognitively or how they used academic knowledge to think critically or creatively to address realworld problems.

Fast forward to 2023. Public schools have become deeply enmeshed in a free-market contest for survival. Schools of choice like charter schools, STEM schools, magnet schools and voucher programs are abundant in the marketplace. Currently, there are more than 7,500 charter schools in the U.S., enrolling about 3.4 million students (there were none 30 years ago). Similarly, there are approximately 3,500 magnet schools in America, enrolling over 2.5 million students, and almost 37,000 other types of alternative public schools, enrolling about 800,000 students. Finally, approximately 307,000 students participate in voucher programs.

What makes these schools so unique? Briefly, charter schools have greater autonomy over edu-

Vallejo Juneteenth seeks local talent, vendors for annual event

VALLEJO — Aspiring singers, dancers, musicians, orators and other performers can audition for Vallejo’s Juneteenth Festival & Parade onstage entertainment.

Auditions will be held virtually, and applicants must send a video of the selection they would perform if chosen for the entertainment lineup.

The Juneteenth event will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 17 at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in downtown Vallejo, behind City Hall at Mare Island Way and Capitol Street.

The celebration will also feature a parade through downtown Vallejo.

“We’re looking for people of all ages with exceptional talent but have not performed professionally,” said Gwendolyn White, president of the African American Family Reunion Committee, in a press release. The com-

16, 2018.

mittee organizes the Juneteenth festival.

“There are a lot of local residents who are singing or playing music in their church choir and gatherings with family and friends, or doing solo or choreographed dance routines and other types of performing. We’d like to give them some exposure in front of a large, live audience, which could help jump start a career in

the industry.”

Anyone interested in submitting an audition video should send an online link to their performance to aafrc@ vallejojuneteenth.com by May 5 and include their contact information. Performances should be no longer than 10 minutes and must be appropriate for all audiences.

See Vallejo, Page A4

cational programs and from state regulations.

STEM schools focus on science, technology, engineering and math. Magnet schools can emphasize a wide variety of subjects, and voucher programs use public funds to pay for private school tuition.

Altogether, non-traditional “free market” public schools enroll just over 13% of America’s 50 million public school students. Moreover, their emergence has deeply rattled public-school institutionalists and spawned an unprecedented institutional competition for resources, enrollment and reputation (recall the show tune lyric “I can do anything better than you” from “Annie Get Your Gun?”). Well that’s the new public school mantra.

So given the enormous diversity and complexity of America’s public schools, how does a parent identify a “good school?”

One of America’s preeminent educational historians, Stanford University’s Larry Cuban, maintains that there is no singular definition of a good school and no one-best-way to “do” school. One person’s perceptions of “goodness” may be quite different from someone else’s. Cuban asserts that there are “many different ways in which we can judge schools to be successful. We might consider one school to be good because it sends 99% of its students to college, another because its graduates go on to take leadership roles in the community, another because all of its students complete apprenticeships with companies and city agencies.” Nevertheless, there are six important factors that I consider when assessing the quality of any school.

n Are all teachers properly credentialed in the subjects they teach? How many teachers have advanced degrees?

n What is the rate of teacher and administrative turnover in the school (high turnover may be a warning sign)?

n Does the school offer a comprehensive array of student services (e.g., academic, extra-curricular, emotional support, health, etc.)?

n How does the school communicate with students and parents, support a safe and positive school environment, and provide a culture of civility and respect for diversity?

n Is there evidence of student academic growth over time and is growth assessed through multiple perspectives (e.g., grade point average, enrollment in advanced courses, ability to apply knowledge in real world contexts, learning dispositions, social/emotional development)?

n Does the school have a clear set of educational goals that are closely aligned with the allocation of resources, rigorous academic standards, multiple teaching methods, vibrant and thematically integrated course curricula, and robust performance evaluations of teachers, students and school programs?

Finally, I may look at standardized test score trends over time. But in the larger scheme of things, they reveal relatively little about a school’s “goodness” and would have a limited role in my assessment.

Stephen Davis is a career educator who writes a column that publishes every other Wednesday in the Daily Republic. Reach him by email at stephendavis71 @gmail.com

Stephen Davis Eye on education

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic file (2018) Angie Washington dances during the Juneteenth Celebration at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Vallejo, June

recognize the importance of families and communities working together to prevent child abuse and neglect.”

“The Solano County Child Abuse Prevention Council is sponsoring the Blue-Ribbon Campaign in recognition of National Child Abuse Prevention Month to promote public awareness of the abuse and neglect of children, and the resources available to strengthen and

support families,” the resolution states.

“Child abuse and neglect can have long-term psychological, emotional, and physical effects and are serious problems affecting every segment of our community; and . . . finding solutions requires input and action from everyone as our children are our most valuable resources and will shape the future of Solano County; and . . . protective factors are conditions that reduce or eliminate risk and promote the social, emotional, and developmental well-being of children.”

The board’s action recognized:

n Autism Acceptance

Month: Previously named Autism Awareness Month, it emphasizes the need for public awareness to promote acceptance, celebrate differences and be more inclusive toward individuals with autism.

Celebrate Autism Acceptance Month by lighting a blue light all month long.

n Week of the Young Child (April 1-7, 2023): An annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children celebrating early learning, young children, their teachers, families and communities.

n National Library Week (April 23-29) and El Dia de los Libros (April 30): Celebrated in partnership with Solano County Libraries and recognizes the enormous value we receive from our libraries every day. Not only do libraries provide us with books to read, but they offer valuable tools and resources to meet the demands of today’s technology and ever-expanding volumes of knowledge.

April 30th is recognized

See Month, Page A4

2 early candidates look to replace Dodd in 3rd Senate District Marine Corps League to honor Vietnam veterans

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE —

FAIRFIELD — Former West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon has joined Napa County Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza as candidates for the 3rd Senate District in California.

“California is facing some of the most pressing challenges of our time, from the housing crisis, economic inequality and access to quality education,” Cabaldon said in a statement.

“I believe that we need experienced leaders to do the hard work necessary to find real solutions. That’s why I’m running for State Senate – to bring people together and get things done for our communities.”

The district, which includes Solano County and all or parts of Yolo, Napa, Contra Costa, Sonoma and Sacramento counties, is currently represented by Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa. He is being termed out.

The primary election is March 5, 2024. The general election is Nov. 5, 2024. Both Cabaldon and Pedroza are Democrats.

“It’s time for action on what it costs to buy or rent a home and live in our communities. It’s time for effective state action on homelessness, climate change, better schools,

access to (and cost of) a college education, and transportation solutions that work,” Pedroza said in his announcement.

“More generally, it’s time to take bitterness and hate out of our politics, commit ourselves to the democratic principles of cooperation and progress our democracy depends upon. That’s how I’ve conducted myself to achieve results locally and the type of values I will bring to the state Senate.”

Cabaldon served as the West Sacramento mayor for more than 20 years,

having been elected in 1998 as the first openly gay Filipino elected mayor in the United States. He was also the longest serving LGBT mayor in the country.

He was a professor of Public Policy at California State University, Sacramento, and was appointed by President Obama to serve on the Executive Committee of the National Advisory Board for America’s College Promise, which was chaired by Jill Biden. He currently works with the Institute for the Future, a not-for-profit

think tank established in 1968 to help organizations plan for their longterm futures.

Pedroza is a lifelong Napa resident, a son of immigrant parents. He was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown to the Napa County Board of Supervisors in 2014 to replace Dodd. He was elected to a full term in 2016. Prior to that, he served on the Napa City Council for one term, starting in 2012. He currently serves as chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission board.

Report released on illegal gun possession by prohibited persons

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FAIRFIELD — The state Department of Justice in 2022 seized 1,437 firearms as part of the Armed Prohibited Persons System program, 521 of which were not previously known to be associated with individuals who are legally prohibited from possessing guns.

Agents recovered another 54 ghost guns: firearms that are unserialized and untraceable that can be bought online and assembled at home. That was a 38% increase from 2021 and a 575% increase since 2018, when DOJ seized eight ghost guns, according to the 2022 Armed and Prohibited Persons System

Month

From Page A3

as El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros (or known simply as Día) as a celebration of children, families and reading.

n Month of the Military

Child: It is a time to honor the sacrifices made by military families world-

annual program report.

Despite the increase in ghost guns recovered, the report states there has been a slight decline in Unique Serial Number applications in California since 2018.

“This contrast demonstrates illegal ghost guns remain difficult to track and represent a persistent threat to public safety. DOJ is actively combating illegal manufacturing and possession of ghost guns by bringing legal action against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive and ghost gun manufacturers,” the California Attorney General’s Office said in a statement.

“In response to the overall increase in ghost gun seizures across the

wide and the experience of children of military members serving at home and overseas. Although it is celebrated throughout the month, April 19 is designated as “Purple Up!” day recognizing all branches of the military.

n Children’s Memorial Flag Day (April 28): Each year, on the fourth Friday in April, communities across the United States raise the Children’s

state, (the Bureau of Firearms) will be expanding its investigative efforts focused on ghost guns. DOJ is actively working with law enforcement partners to establish collaborative investigative efforts aimed at addressing ghost gun activity,” the California Attorney General’s Office said.

The report, released Monday, states the firearms recovered included 712 handguns, 360 rifles, 194 shotguns, 80 assault weapons, 54 ghost guns, 43 receivers or frames, three short-barreled shotguns, and one machine gun.

The report also states that agents collected 30 firearms from their three-day Bay Area raids that included Solano, Contra Costa, Santa Clara,

Memorial Flag honoring each lost child and raising public awareness about the continuing problem of violence against children.

A flag will be raised in the courtyard at 275 Beck Ave. in Fairfield on April 28.

n Children’s Light of Hope Day (April 25): Recognizes and acknowledges the Court Appointed Special Advocates volunteers, foster parents and

Helping You... Help yourself

San Francisco, San Mateo and Sonoma counties. The report does not specify in which counties the guns were seized. The raids also resulted in eight arrests.

In 2022, the DOJ received reports of 194 armed and prohibited individuals who attempted to purchase ammunition and were denied through the ammunition eligibility check process. Those denials were used to investigate 194 individuals. Those investigations resulted in the seizure of 56 firearms, four large-capacity magazines, 55 standard magazines and 6,621 rounds of ammunition. More individuals were removed from the See Report, Page A10

adoptive parents who have opened their hearts and homes to abused and neglected children in our community. CASA invites you to recognize Children’s Light of Hope Day by lighting a virtual candle and posting it on social media at noon on April 25.

Retired Marine Sgt. Maj. Jesse Branch will be the keynote speaker at an event to honor Vietnam War veterans on Wednesday in Vacaville.

Corps League Charles “Bud”

Hallam Detach ment will honor veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. armed forces from Nov. 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975, regardless of location, and their families.

BRANCH

“We make no distinction between veterans who served in-country, in-theater or who were stationed elsewhere during the Vietnam War period because all were called to serve and

Vallejo

From Page A2

Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, which is recognized on June 19, to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. It was on that date in 1865 in Galveston, Texas, when enslaved people were declared free in the aftermath of the Civil War under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation.

Earth

From Page A2

and the California Coastal Commission. Cleanup partners include Solano County Parks, FairfieldSuisun Sewer District, Vallejo Watershed Alliance, Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District, city

none could self-determine where they would serve,” organizers said in a statement. Branch was the third African-American to serve as the highest sioned officer for a general officer level Marine Corps command. orations include the Silver Star, est military decoration for March 29 was National Vietnam War Veterans Day and 2023 is the 50th anniversary of the day that the last U.S. combat troops departed Vietnam. The event will begin at 7 p.m. at the Vacaville Veteran’s Memorial Building, 549 Merchant St., in Vacaville.

Event planners are also seeking merchandise and food vendors, and exhibitors, in addition to corporate, business and community sponsors. The online application is available at www.vallejojuneteenth.com. The application deadline is April 30. Anyone interested in participating in the parade should submit the application on the website by June 2. For more information, send an email to aafrc@vallejo juneteenth.com

of Benicia, city of Dixon, city of Vacaville, Solano Land Trust, and volunteer site leaders. The Solano RCD coordinates three annual community cleanups on behalf of Solano County, including Earth Day, World Environment Day on June 3, and Coastal Cleanup Day on Sept. 23.

Kevin Mitchell

Kevin R. Mitchell, 74, of Suisun California, passed away on February 25, 2023, due to a myocardial infarction.

Kevin Mitchell was a kind and thoughtful soul and will be missed and remembered by the many lives he touched. Kevin everyone you left in this world hates that you are gone but we are happy that you are home free and painless. We will always love and miss you until we can meet again.

Kevin was born in San Francisco, CA on December 13, 1948. He graduated from Napa High School in 1966.

Kevin worked as a Union Drywall Carpenter for 35 wonderful years of his life. He enjoyed laughing and telling stories, hunting, fishing, golfing, watching baseball and football, and spending time with his family and friends.

Ke vin is survived by his sister Kimberly Nichols, his brothe r Kirk Mitchell, his sons Richard Mitchell and Randolph Mitchell, three grandchildren, and other assorted family, and many caring friends.

Kevin is preceded in death by Joan Mitchell (mother) Earl Mitchell (father) Melanie Mitchell (daughter) and Jolene Mitchell (step-daughter)

The funeral service will be held on April 8, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. at Bryan-Braker Funeral Home, 1850 W. Texas St., Fairfield, CA 94533. Good friend Horace Wright will be officiating this lovely service. A reception will be held right after the service at Chevys Fresh Mex, 1730 Travis Blvd., Fairfield, CA, 94533.

Ray Charles Thompson

At age 94, surrounded by family and friends, Ray Charles Thompson peacefully passed away on March 29, 2023 in El Macero, CA. Ray was born in Reno, Nevada on October 23, 1928 to Abner and Edith Thompson. Shortly after Ray’s birth the family moved to San Leandro, CA where his parents lived in the same house for the next 68 years. R ay was always on the go and during high school he made and sold bronzed ba by shoes, delivered newspapers, w orked for a ba ke ry and even sold fruit he picked from the neighbors trees. After high school, Ra y decided to do what he did best w ork. With a new wife and ba by, Ray began his career in real estate, selling homes in the greater San Leandro/Oakland area. During the post WWII boom, R ay was able to w ork with many vete rans helping them to purchase their ve ry fir st home. Never one to let a day end early, Ra y also became a bar o wner and often w orked as the bartender at the Little Club in San Leand ro, where David Brubeck w ould often play R ay was an excellent salesman and business -

man and never saw anything as a problem, he only saw challenges needing to be solved.

After a fe w years of real estate sales in the bay area, R ay was asked to m ove to Davis and run the Stanley M. Davis Company. So in 1959, at the age of 31, he moved to Davis, CA, where, for the next forty plus years, he w orked as the managing partner developing land and building homes throughout Davis, Woodland, Va caville and Fairfield.

Ray had an unm atched zest for life and wa s the epitome of work hard play hard. He was a member of the El Macero Country Club for 50 years, and belonged to two duck clubs. His other passions included fly fishing and tending to his vast ga rden. Ray was able to pass down many of these joys to his sons, grandchildren and even great grandchildren. Ra y is survived by his four sons, Dan Thompson of Sacramento, Steve Thompson of Davis, Bob Thompson (Cheryl) of Va caville, and Ian Thompson of Davis. In addition, Ray is survived by his sister Joanne Frasier of Castro Valle y, one nephe w, seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

A service and Celebration of Life will be held at the El Macero Country Club on April 12, 2023, beginning at 2:00 p.m. If possible, the favor of an RSVP is welcomed. Email CelebrateRayThompson@gmail.com.

Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic file (2018)

State Sen. Bill Dodd speaks at the ceremony to break ground for the new KC-46 hangar at Travis Air Force Base, Dec. 14, 2018.

Daily Republic Staff

Green waste recycling project gets needed zoning change

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Solano County supervisors on Tuesday agreed to rezone 19.88 acres near the intersection of Pedrick and Tremont roads, north of Dixon, for a green waste chipping and grinding operation – coupled with a soil-blending operation.

The zoning change went from Exclusive Agriculture, 40-acre minimum, to Commercial Service, with a text amendment that allows recycling and compost facilities in the Commercial Services zone.

The Planning Commission on March 2 approved

Two vehicle-related fatalities reported Tuesday in Solano

the use permit contingent on the supervisors’ action.

Sack Holdings, with headquarters in Woodland, made the request. Agromin will operate the facility, which will sit on about 5.25 acres of the site.

To begin with, the facility would take in about 6,000 yards of material each day, the waste coming largely from landscaping operations in the Sacramento area. Once the material is processed at that facility, it will be trucked to the firm’s composting locations. The project does allow

Interpersonal violence workshop set April 19

FAIRFIELD — The Solano County Family Justice Center is offering free training for service providers who work with victims and survivors of interpersonal violence.

The in-person workshop, scheduled for 10 to 11:30 a.m. April 19, is part of the center’s Learning Together Series 2023. It specifically addresses the risk of strangulation.

To register, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ solano-family-justice-center-learning-together-seriestickets-597012690027

Coalition to bring awareness to child abuse

FAIRFIELD — Members of the Solano Youth Coalition’s Family Justice Committee will be placing blue pinwheels in the lawn area in front of the Vacaville City Hall and police station on Thursday.

The event is being held to raise awareness about the importance of preventing child abuse. April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

The students will begin the work at 7:30 a.m.

The coalition is administered by Solano County Office of Education in partnership with the Solano Friday Night Live Program.

VACAVILLE — A person trying to cross westbound Interstate 80 on foot Tuesday was killed when hit by multiple vehicles in an incident that snarled commute traffic for hours.

The driver of the first car that struck the person believed the pedestrian was a woman, but a California Highway Patrol

spokesman said the damage to the victim was so severe that could not yet be confirmed. The incident occurred about 4:53 a.m. east of the Mason Street exit. Only the number-one lane stayed open, creating slow, stop-and-go traffic on the interstate. As motorists looked for alternative routes, the incident also caused a backup of cars exiting Interstate 505 at

Vaca Valley Parkway and at the eastbound I-80 exit to Monte Vista Avenue. Reports of similar traffic delays on Peabody Road also were reported.

It was the first of two auto-related fatalities in Solano County, the CHP confirmed.

The second occurred when a Dixon man, identified by the Solano County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office as Arturo Gonzalez, 59,

crashed through the lowered railroad gate arms at eastbound Tremont Road, east of Robbin Road in rural Dixon, and hit the passing Amtrak train. The CHP spokesman said the man tried to stop at the last second, but hit the train at high speed between the lead engine and the first passenger car. None of the 66 passengers on the train were injured.

Celebrate Children’s Day at the library

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Help celebrate Children’s Day and Book Day – El día de los niños, El día de los libros – at the Fairfield Cordelia Library.

The event begins at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

“Families can enjoy the imaginative play, “Where the Forest Meets the Sea.” Featuring audience participation and bilingual

storytelling, this program is sure to delight. One free book per child while supplies last,” organizers said.

On April 28, children and tweens can decorate a canvas tote bag. Activities begin at 3 p.m.

“We can chat about some of the books that bring us joy while we craft. Available while supplies last,” organizers said.

“Día” is a national celebration about children, families and reading

every day. It culminates on April 30.

“It emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds,” organizers said.

The library is located at 5050 Business Center Drive in Fairfield. For more information, visit https://solanolibrary. com/services/dia or call 1-866-572-7587.

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield-Suisun City Visual Arts Association is eager to learn what “Green with Envy” means to area residents. The “Green with Envy” exhibit opens Wednesday and continues to May 13 at the Solano Town Center Gallery, located in the Solano Town Center, 1350 Travis Blvd., Fairfield, on the second floor outside of Macy’s and

next to the AT&T Store. The Gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

The show features local artist Sheila Wilkerson, who, after retiring, decided become a photographic artist.

“To further her new career, she decided to join the FSVAA, which would let her meet and join other artists in the community. Sheila currently displays her artwork in the Solano

See Exhibit, Page A9

‘Green with Envy’ exhibit opens Wednesday at mall

See Green, Page A10

Columns&Games

Constant highway noise near our new home drives me nuts

Dear Annie: My husband and I moved to a different state this past summer, and there are a lot of things I am happy about, such as great schools for our kids, more to do and a husband who is happier at his job. However, I hate our new house. With a passion.

I had my doubts about it from the minute we looked at it: It’s close to a big highway, so I knew the noise would bother me, and some red flags came up on the inspection. However, we were buying at the height of the housing market craziness, and my husband was certain we wouldn’t find anything else in our price range, plus we wanted to get the kids settled before school started.

Long story short, the inspection issues ended up costing us another $10 grand; the noise is driving me crazy (seriously, I have to have white noise on all the time and can’t sleep);

ARIES (March 21-April 19).

Competitors show up – a gift that motivates you to up your game. There’s no reason to doubt yourself. You’ll be whatever you decide to be, so decide to be confident. Your sportsmanship will set the tone.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20).

People who want to change and believe they can change will do so. This will occur regardless of background, finances, education or any other factor. Improvement is not only possible, it’s highly probable. Refuse to listen to any unhelpful beliefs.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21).

There’s a good chance you’ll get what you want for free or cheap. People trying to make a sale will tell you to act fast, but if this is really for you, you’ll be able to get it tomorrow, next week or next year. If it has to be sold via hard-sell, it’s probably not that great a product.

CANCER (June 22-July 22).

The lumberjack felling a tree does not fret over where the wood chips land because the focus is on the bigger issue of the trunk. Similarly, you’re handling the essential issues now and can safely let the chips fall where they may.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Don’t wait until you feel focused to act. It’s the action that brings you focus and not the other way around. You won’t know which ideas are good until you follow through and test them out.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). First impressions are the beginning of a relationship and set a tone for everything that follows. The most important thing to take note of is how you

Daily Cryptoquotes

and I am hugely resentful of my husband, who I feel pushed us into this even after I raised my concerns. I know I am being a bit silly and ungrateful, as there are plenty of people who can’t even afford a home in this market, and I am wondering if my obsessive-compulsive disorder has me a little over focused on the noise, especially since I work from home and am here all day.

I love my husband so very much, and I really don’t want to keep being mad about this on a daily basis, so how do I let it go? — Going Nuts Over Noise Dear Going Nuts Over Noise: Just because you love your husband does not mean that you are not frustrated with him for not listening to you about your hesitations about the house. Some people are more sensitive to noise, and you are one of them.

A study by scientists at

Today’s birthday

It’s your year of being on the inside, in the know, first on the invite list and other exclusive perks. You come by these signals of validation honestly, as they spring from trusted relationships and earned status. More highlights: A family win brings pride and opportunity. There’s a chance to learn an entirely new language, code or cultural system. Fortuitous and smooth travel is also in store. Taurus and Gemini adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 10, 13, 16, 1 and 8.

feel around a person. There are many energizing people around, so keep moving until you find them.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You care a great deal about doing a job right. The nervousness you feel makes you human. Eventually, your body and mind will get used to this and it won’t affect you so strongly. Until then, do it scared.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).

A paradox: You’ll have to guard a thing to keep it free. You’ll make sure that no one and nothing can get to the things you hold sacred. You’ll protect your time, your joy and your inner being.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21). People want to tell you about their lives because you listen with your heart and they feel heard and seen by you. You don’t offer up advice, opinions or fixes. Listening

Northwestern University has found that an inability to filter out irrelevant sounds is common among creative people.

You mentioned that you have OCD, and that could be the cause for your being so frustrated with the noise. If that is the case, then even if you move, you might find something else to fixate on that bothers you. First, give yourself and your family a full year to settle in, and seek professional help to manage your OCD; once all of that is under control, then decide if you want to move or not.

You also could be taking out your fears, or repressed anger, about the move on the house. Give yourself a full year to settle in without judging, and if, after that time, everything else is going well and the house is still bothering you, then move. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@ creators.com.

well is powerful and more than enough.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19). As an actor or writer does, you’ll learn through people-watching. You’ll guess how closely – or loosely – different people are bound to one another. You’ll listen to what’s said and unsaid to gather insight about the feelings of others.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 18). Your energy is high and you’ll speed through tasks. It’s frustrating when lines or traffic slow you down, but a pleasure to be slowed down by the needs of a loved one. Love and patience go hand in hand.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). However massive the project is, it’s accomplished the same way any floor is swept – one sweep at a time. You’ll make incredible things happen today by simply repeating the easy action. And if the action doesn’t seem easy, chunk it down until it is.

CELEBRITY PROFILES:

Whether he’s hosting a music festival, teaching a master class on empathy, impacting fashion, music or the world at large, you can bet Pharrell Williams is doing it happy. The multihyphenated superstar comes by augmented empathetic powers honestly, through life and birth with Mercury, the communication planet, nestled snugly in Pisces, the sign known for creating a compassionate resonance with others. Sun and Venus are in high-energy Aries, and the moon in Taurus, the sign of money. Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

Word Sleuth

Crossword by Phillip Alder

Bridge

When does defense begin? Most people will answer, “With the opening lead,” but that isn’t right. It begins with the bidding. You won’t find the best opening lead if you don’t listen to and analyze the auction. Look at the bidding and only the West hand – no peeking! What conclusions can you draw, and which card would you lead against three no-trump?

True, you might not agree with the double, but I am only telling it as it was.

USE THE RULE OF FOURTEEN

Defense is the hardest part of the game. This is because you can see only half of your army, whereas the declarer can see all of his forces, making it easier for him to plan his campaign. It is tough always to find the best play when you cannot be sure of your partner’s cards.

Sitting West was Richard Frey, playing in the 1942 Goldman Pairs in New York City, which he won with Sonny Moyse Jr. They were two of the all-time greats of American bridge. Frey applied the Rule of Fourteen. The opponents, having struggled into three no-trump, were likely to have 25 or 26 high-card points. Similarly, the defenders would have approximately 14 points – hence the rule. Here, Frey was looking at 13, leaving hopefully 1 for his partner. Which useful jack could East produce? The club jack would be best, so Frey led the club queen! It was the killer (as would have been the club ace followed by the queen). Any other lead would have allowed declarer the time to establish the diamond suit and collect nine tricks.

COPYRIGHT: 2023, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

Sudoku by Wayne Gould

by

4/5/23

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

© 2023

Difficulty level: GOLD

Yesterday’s solution:

Horoscopes by Holiday Mathis

Annie Lane

Dear Annie

We service all makes and models of RV motorhome, 5th Wheel and Trailer Chassis, brakes, lights, engine, HVAC, transmission, steering, axles, bearings, suspension, tires etc. We also repair and service all trucks from a pick up truck to a Class 8 Big Rig. Our team of Technician’s have over 150 years combined repair and diagnostic experience. We treat your vehicle like it is ours. There is no job too big or small, we invite them all.

Give us a call to schedule an appointment or just stop by we always have coffee brewed and popcorn popped. We look forward to meeting you and providing you with excellent customer service.

(707) 427-1386

Shakira says goodbye to Barcelona after split with Piqué

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Shakira bid a heartfelt farewell to Barcelona, Spain, nearly a year after calling it quits with Spanish former soccer player Gerard Piqué.

The Colombian pop musician announced Sunday on Instagram that she and her children are officially leaving Barcelona and thanked the people of Spain for their support. Shakira partially lived in the European country while dating Piqué for more than a decade.

“I settled in Barcelona to provide my children with stability, the same thing we now search for in another corner of the world next to family, friends and the sea,” Shakira wrote in Spanish.

“Today we start a new chapter in the pursuit of

their happiness. Thank you to everyone who surfed alongside my many waves there in Barcelona, the city in which I learned without doubt that friendship lasts longer than love.”

In November, Shakira and Piqué reached a custody agreement confirming the “Whenever, Wherever” hitmaker would soon move back to Miami with their two children, Sasha Piqué Mebarak, 8, and Milan Piqué Mebarak, 10. The couple signed the agreement after announcing their separation in June amid widespread reports that the athlete had cheated on the singer.

Earlier this year, Shakira released a scathing dis track roasting Piqué and the woman he was revealed to be dating.

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

Crime logs

FairField

SUNDAY, APRIL 2

12:01 a.m. — Reckless driver, FALCON DRIVE

1 a.m. — Reckless driver, CANDLEBERRY WAY

1:32 a.m. — Trespassing, 1900 block of WEST TEXAS STREET

5:30 a.m. — Trespassing, 1900 block of WEST TEXAS STREET

9:04 a.m. — Forgery, 1500 block of KENTUCKY STREET

10:54 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 1400 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 11:15 a.m. — Residential burglary, 3900 block of BUSINESS CENTER DRIVE

1:39 p.m. — Vandalism, 1900 block of GRANDE CIRCLE

1:43 p.m. — Assault with a deadly weapon, 300 block of BECK AVENUE

2:13 p.m. — Vehicle burglary, 1100 block of EAST TABOR AVENUE

2:20 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 1300 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD

2:22 p.m. — Forgery, 1200 block of GRANT STREET

2:54 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 4300 block of CENTRAL PLACE

2:58 p.m. — Drunk and disorderly, 3300 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

8:01 p.m. — Trespassing, 1300 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD

8:22 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, EAST TABOR AVENUE

p.m. — Shots fired, 2000 block of CLAY BANK ROAD

Richardson was a perfect fit for the 18- to 25-year-olds.

Mayor Alma Hernandez praised Richardson. She noted the calls of support for Osum were from new voices.

Council members Jennalee Dawson and Amit Pal were also impressed by Richardson but felt Osum was the better

SuiSun

due to a family health issue, adopted a resolution continuing the local emergency from those early storms. A second declaration is likely to come once Fairfield is able to fully assess damages to Lopes Road and Benicia for damage to its main waterline. Benicia has already

choice. Pal contacted some of the small businesses. One owner told him how Osum helped her secure needed goods without asking for anything in return.

Residents Donna LeBlanc and George Guynn both spoke for Osum. LeBlanc said she reviewed the final two and felt Osum’s maturity and life experiences were important. Guynn noted how the city is in need of funds and Osum was the one who could handle that.

Raymond Robinson Sr.

declared a local emergency and the Fairfield council was expected to do the same at its meeting Tuesday night.

Additionally, agriculture commissioner Ed King said his office is tracking about $3 million in damage to area crops, primarily winter wheat, alfalfa, hay and pasture lands. Still to be determined are possible hits to almonds and other orchards — almonds because of the rain dis-

This charge can be said to be the bread and butter of our white-collar work.”

shared how Richardson had mentored his sons. Along with his community service, he advocated for Richardson. Joseph Johnson also voiced his support during public comments for Richardson.

“This is not an easy process in any way,” Hernandez said before the council voted.

Richardson and Osum were thanked repeatedly for stepping forward and thanked for the time they met with council members individually.

In his questionnaire for

rupting the pollination season – and the others because of floodwaters standing for long periods of time around the trees.

Tomato planting also has been pushed back and could impact that crop as well.

The storms – unlike government rules and regulations – do not recognize jurisdictional boundaries. That has kept the county from knowing everything the cities are doing, or what the state is doing, even though

the appointment, Osum cited his three top priorities for the city as:

n Good governance with accountability,

n Public safety, and

n Economic development. He is retired and has lived in Suisun City almost 20 years.

All members of the city council are new to the dais, with the exception of Hernandez, who was elected to the council in 2020 and took over as Mayor Pro Tem until she was elected mayor in November 2022.

the impacts on residents do cross jurisdictional boundaries. That is especially true when it comes to the roads.

Lopes Road damage, for example, while in Fairfield, abuts the county line, and has impacted Interstate 680 as well. Rains said the different entities are trying to work together when the interests are shared, but admitted that is not true for everything.

Bragg and his investigative team spent months probing whether Trump falsified business records connected to the hush money payments in a way that could constitute a campaign finance violation – a set of facts and allegations that some lawyers called a “zombie” case because it has lingered, seemingly lifeless but not actually dead, for years.

The 16-page indictment alleges that Trump improperly falsified business records to conceal $130,000 in reimbursement payments to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who had paid off the adult-film actress Stephanie Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels. She claimed to have had a sexual relationship years earlier with Trump, who has denied it. Falsifying business records is a felony in New York when there is an “intent to defraud” that includes an intent to “commit another crime or to aid or conceal” a crime.

In a pair of posts on Truth Social, a media company he co-founded, Trump said that the hearing had no surprises and that prosecutors had “no case” against him. “There was nothing done illegally!”

Trump’s defense team denounced the state’s case as legally thin and meritless and suggested that the former presi dent, who polls show is the early front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, is being unfairly targeted by Democrats. Legal experts have noted that it is not against the law to pay hush money in an effort to suppress negative information.

“Today is the indication of how the rule of law died in this country,” Joe Tacopina, one of Trump’s lawyers who attended the hearing, told reporters afterward. “If this man’s name was not Donald Trump, there is no scenario in which we’d be here right now based on these charges.”

being charged with – or found guilty of – a crime does not disqualify him from running for office. The former president has sought to use the onslaught of media attention around the New York indictment to shore up political support among his party’s elected leadership and conservative base, as well as to bolster fundraising.

which the Trump Organization was convicted and fined $1.6 million for running a tax fraud scheme – of personal animus, a charge that one of Trump’s own lawyers denied Sunday.

to mourn and remember the millions who died; and,

WHEREAS, the Holocaust represents one of the darkest periods in the civilization of mankind and must always be remembered in order to prevent its reoccurrence anywhere else in the world; and,

WHEREAS, we must teach our children, and future generations, that the individual and communal acts of heroism during the Holocaust serve as a powerful example of how our nation and its citizens can, and must, respond to acts of hatred and inhumanity; and,

WHEREAS, we should actively rededicate ourselves to be the light in the darkness, spreading goodness and kindness, to the principles of human rights, individual freedom, and

equal protection under the laws of a just and democratic society.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Solano County joins people around the world in observing Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, and mourning and remembering the millions who were lost during the Holocaust.

Yom HaShoah is the abbreviated title for “Yom Hashoah Ve-Hagevurah,” or “Day of (Remembrance of) the Holocaust and the Heroism.” It is marked on the 27th day in the month of Nisan – a week after the seventh day of Passover, and a week before Yom Hashoah (Memorial Day for Israel’s fallen soldiers).

In 2023, Yom Hashoah begins at sundown on April 17 and lasts until sundown on April 18.

Bragg told reporters after the arraignment that the plot was part of a broader effort by Trump and his associates to skirt New York and federal election laws by making payments to Daniels and at least two others to suppress potentially politically damaging personal information while he was running for president.

“Why did Donald Trump repeatedly make these false statements?” Bragg said at a news conference after the hour-long court hearing.

“The evidence will show that he did so to cover up crimes relating to the 2016 election.”

Though the charging documents do not specify which additional laws Trump allegedly violated, Bragg said that it is a crime under state law to conspire to promote a political candidacy by unlawful means and that the wire payments exceeded federal campaign contribution limits. He said his office routinely prosecutes cases involving the falsification of financial records, an apparent rebuttal to the claim by Trump and his legal team that the charges are aimed at dethroning a powerful Republican politician.

“True and accurate business records are important everywhere, to be sure, but they are all the more important in Manhattan, the financial center of the world,” Bragg said. “That’s why we have a history in the Manhattan DA’s office of vigorously enforcing white-collar crime. . . .

Some Republican politicians also rallied to the former president’s defense, with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) accusing Bragg on Twitter of “invoking federal law to bring politicized charges against President Trump.”

Even Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who voted to convict Trump in two impeachment trials, said that the Manhattan prosecutor “has stretched to reach felony criminal charges in order to fit a political agenda.”

“I believe President Trump’s character and conduct make him unfit for office,” Romney said in a statement. “No one is above the law, not even former presidents, but everyone is entitled to equal treatment under the law. The prosecutor’s overreach sets a dangerous precedent for criminalizing political opponents and damages the public’s faith in our justice system.”

In addition to the New York case, Trump, 76, is facing three other criminal investigations, including Justice Department probes of his handling of classified documents after he left office in 2021, and his potential involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol and efforts to overturn the election results. Local prosecutors in Georgia are examining Trump’s unsuccessful efforts to pressure state officials to falsely declare him the winner there over Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

Despite Trump’s unprecedented legal jeopardy, however,

Hours before the arraignment, Trump’s campaign sent a fundraising email to supporters in which Trump warned that the United States is turning into a “Marxist Third World country that . . . IMPRISONS its political opposition,” and asked for more donations as “I will be out of commission for the next few hours.” On Truth Social, he posted that the experience is “SURREAL,” adding: “WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can’t believe this is happening in America.”

Trump’s arraignment Tuesday played out in a 15th-floor courtroom under enormous security, with hundreds of police officers in the streets outside where Trump supporters and protesters demonstrated. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) rallied supporters of the former president in a park across the street from the courthouse.

Many routine court appearances were adjourned to limit the number of people in the building ahead of Trump’s appearance, and Trump’s movements to, from and within the courthouse were chronicled by hundreds of reporters and carried live on television and news websites.

Trump has publicly lashed out at Bragg, a Democrat who became Manhattan’s top prosecutor in January 2022, as a partisan who is targeting him for political reasons. He recently posted a photo of himself swinging a bat next to an image of the prosecutor, and he glared for several seconds at Bragg – sitting in the courtroom’s front row –when the hearing ended Tuesday afternoon.

Trump has separately accused Merchan – who oversaw another trial in

Prosecutor Christopher Conroy urged Merchan in court to address Trump’s recent public statements and what he called threatening communications from the former president, including a social media post nearly two weeks ago in which Trump warned of potential “death and destruction” if he was charged in the case.

Merchan expressed respect for Trump’s First Amendment rights and said they are particularly important since Trump is running for president.

But the judge told Trump to “refrain from making statements that are likely to incite violence or civil unrest” and not to engage in rhetoric that would “jeopardize the rule of law.” The judge also asked prosecutors to ensure that the state’s witnesses moderate their own public statements.

Merchan read Trump a set of legal warnings and informed him that he has an absolute right to attend proceedings in his criminal case. At the judge’s request, Trump acknowledged, among other things, that he could be removed from the courtroom if he became “disruptive” during any court conference, hearing or trial.

“I don’t have any reason to believe that’s going to happen,” Merchan said. “Do you understand that?”

Trump said he did.

Todd Blanche, another attorney for Trump, said his client’s outbursts were because of how he is being treated, citing statements to the media by Cohen and suggesting that Bragg’s office leaked information.

“It is true that President Trump has responded, and responded forcefully,” he told Merchan. “It is true that as part of that response, he’s absolutely frustrated, upset and believes that there is a grave injustice happening with him being in this courtroom today.”

Joe Lamberti/The Washington Post Donald Trump departs Trump Tower en route to the courthouse, Tuesday.

Fairfield Police get assist from CHP air unit during chase

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The California Highway Patrol assisted the Fairfield Police Department with an arrest Saturday.

Just before 9:30 p.m., a Fairfield Police officer, on patrol in the area of Interstate 80 near the Interstate 680 interchange, saw a speeding vehicle. A quick check revealed the car had been taken, at gunpoint, from a victim in Oakland.

Knowing that a weapon had been used in the commission of the carjacking, a stop was initiated once suf-

Exhibit

ficient officers had arrived and the CHP helicopter was overhead.

When the driver did not yield, police initiated a pursuit, but subsequently terminated it as the car reached unsafe speeds, in excess of 115 mph.

Fairfield police units continued to trail the vehicle while CHP Air followed — first eastbound and later west bound on I-80.

CHP ground units were eventually able to successfully deploy spikes on westbound I-80 at Red Top Road. A solo CHP unit continued to follow

the vehicle until it stopped at the entrance to Hiddenbrooke Parkway.

Fairfield Police officers responded to the location and assisted the

CHP officer. The 17-year-old driver and his two passengers, all Oakland residents, were taken into custody without incident. A loaded handgun

that had been thrown out of the vehicle was recov-

ered and Oakland Police Department was notified.

Adams, Annie Leibovitz, Richard Avadon, Gordon Parks and Rehahn. She mostly gives credit to the late Junior Jones, who gave her her first camera. An artists reception is scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. April 15 at the gallery.

and

lective

Art Gallery,” exhibit organizers said in a statement.

Wilkerson’s work has been influenced by Ansel

From Page A5 SUBSCRIBE. CALL 707-427-6989.

The gallery will be serving snacks and wine from BackRoad Vines Winery. Meet Wilkerson and other local artists.

HOLY WEEK

COMMUNITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

1875 Fairfield Avenue at Kensington Drive, Fairfield, CA 707-426-2944 • www.cumcfairfieldca.org

Come And Worship!

April 2nd Palm Sunday @ 10:15 AM

Chancel Choir Cantata “The Living Last Supper”

April 6th Maundy Thursday @ 7:00 PM, Communion served

April 7th Good Friday @ 12:00

April

From Page A5

years with Solano County.

n Recognized Veronica Lake, a clerk with the County Administrator’s Office, as “Employee of the Month” for April.

From Page A4 for agricultural waste, which is the target source from Solano County when the time comes.

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

In other action, the board:

n Recognized Cammy Johnson, office assistant with the Assessor-Recorder’s Office, upon her retirement after more than 29

n Recognized April as National County Government Month in Solano County.

n Recognized April 9-15 as Sexually Transmitted Infections Awareness Week in Solano County.

n Recognized April as Fair Housing Month in Solano County.

n Approve using the Best Value method for procurement of construction services for the Justice Center Detention Facility Security Electronics Improvement Project, Phases 3 and 4.

n Authorized the agricultural commissioner to enter into a Cooperative Service Agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture for Integrated

Wildlife Damage Management program services, July 1 through June 30, 2028; and to execute the fiscal year 2023-24 Integrated Wildlife Damage Management program work and financial plan in the amount of $156,245.

n Authorized the director of Resource Management to execute and record all documents necessary to transfer title of the 148.62acre Brown Property adjacent to the Lynch Canyon Open Space, north of Interstate 80, from Solano County to the Solano Land Trust, for use as publicly accessible open space lands.

n Agreed to place yield traffic signs on Clayton Road and remove obsolete yield signs on Cook Lane and Flannery Road; establish stop signs in the Rio Vista area and an all-way stop on Montezuma Hills Road at Emigh Road.

prohibited list than added in 2022, the state reported. Of the 9,917 prohibited people removed from the APPS database, 3,598 removals were the result of enforcement efforts, an increase of almost 12%.

As of Jan. 1. the database contained 23,869 armed and prohibited persons. Of these, 9,294 cases were active. The remaining 14,575 cases were listed as pending, which typically refers to cases determined not to be within the state’s jurisdiction.

The Choyce Law Firm

For over 15 years,The Choyce Law Firmhas been providing exceptional legal service and achieving the best possible results for our clients. We are a local law firm, and specialize in three areas: Personal Injury, DUI Defense and Traffic Ticket/DMV Defense. Call our firm at (707) 422-1202 today for a FREE consultation with our experienced attorneys.

Solano area gymnasts lift Cal women to nationals

FAIRFIELD — The Cal women's gymnastics team won the NCAA Regional Final in Pittsburgh over the weekend, thanks to a No. 7-ranked group of athletes that features two alumni from the Dream Xtreme Gymnastics Center in Vacaville.

Wiggins’ return to Warriors imminent, but is it too late?

Andrew Wiggins can be a difference maker for the Warriors in the playoffs, but how long he takes to get back to his elite two-way form will impact how far the team will go.

Wiggins missed 22 straight games and has been away from the team since Feb. 14 to deal with a family matter. While he’s been training on his own during his absence, individual work is much different than live-action speed and physicality.

With his arrival coming with a week left in the

regular season and two weeks before the first round of the playoffs, a few questions arise.

For starters, when will he be cleared to play and back to the “two-way Wiggs” who locked down stars like Luka Doncic in the conference finals and Jayson Tatum in the finals whom fans adored during last year’s title run?

Wiggins was expected to be at Tuesday’s home finale against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Warriors are scheduled to have two practices between their two additional road games, which are scheduled for Friday

at Sacramento and in Portland Sunday.

The play-in tournament opens April 11 and ends April 14, and first-round action begins a day later.

That’s not a lot of time for Wiggins to find his stride.

After getting off to a hot start this season, Wiggins struggled earlier in the season to find his groove after missing thencareer-high 15 games due to a strained thigh muscle in subsequent illness. His shot wasn’t falling and he didn’t have the same spring in his step on both ends.

Wiggins’ 3-point shoot-

ing percentage dropped from 45% in his first 22 games to 28.9% in the 15 games after his December absence.

Wiggins opened up in January that his initial return proved more challenging than he expected. He admitted he “felt slow.”

“Just felt a little rusty out there,” Wiggins said Jan. 8. “Just trying to get my feet right, get back into rhythm, but I know it’s going to take a little time, put in the extra work and I’ll be good.”

It took him 37 days

See Wiggins, Page B10

Woods accepts mobility issues: ‘I’m very lucky to have this leg’

Sam Farmer

LOS ANGELES TIMES

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods is four years removed from his fifth Masters win and the daylight is fading on his glorious career. He doesn’t pretend otherwise.

As he said more than once Tuesday, the buggy – a golf cart –awaits, especially in the wake of a rollover car accident in 2021 that could have cost him his life and certainly his leg.

“Yeah, mobility, it’s not where I would like it but . . . I’m very lucky to have this leg; it’s mine,” said Woods, 47, speaking to reporters at his regular

pre-tournament news conference. “Yes, it has been altered and there’s some hardware in there, but it’s still mine.”

That adds a degree of difficulty for him at the Masters, where the terrain is far hillier than it looks on TV, and the fickle

weather can play a role in hastening the fatigue.

“Oh, yeah, I’ve seen it,” he said with mild exasperation when asked about this week’s forecast, which range from hot and humid to cloudy and breezy to Saturday’s 90% chance of rain.

Woods is an extreme long shot to win his sixth Masters – a $10 bet on him would pay $670 – but he always will be a factor in the event because he attracts a far larger gallery than anyone else, and it isn’t close.

He was 13 over par last year and finished 47th, which was impressive

See Woods, Page B10

The Golden Bears tallied a team score of 198.075, the highest regional score by any team this season and the highest road and postseason score in school history. Cal will advance to the NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, April 13-14.

The Bears moved up in the standings after every rotation until they stood alone at the top following their final event. They beat out Florida (197.800), Michigan (197.650) and Arizona State (197.475).

Sophomore Maddie Williams (Buckingham) earned a share of

LOCAL REPORT

the silver medal on the uneven bars (9.950) and wound up with a career high tying 39.625 in the all-around for fifth place. Williams was also eighth in the vault (9.875), tied for sixth on the balanced beam (9.90) and tied for sixth in the floor exercise (9.90).

Senior Nevaeh DeSouza (Vacaville) was 10th in the vault (9.85), tied for 14th on the uneven bars (9.875), tied for sixth on the balance beam (9.90), tied for sixth in the floor exercise (9.90) and was eighth overall in the allaround (39.525.)

Women's Gymnastics

Junior Jaudai Lopes (Buckingham), also a product of the DreamXtreme Gymnastics Center, competed at the Los Angeles Regional with San Jose State. She tied for 15th in the vault (9.80) to cap an exceptional season for

See Alumni, Page B10

Vanden baseball rolls by Armijo for decisive win

Daily r epublic StaFF DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Vanden High School baseball team had a six-run third inning Monday en route to a decisive 10-2 win over visiting Armijo.

Bryce Alcantara went 3-for-4 at the plate for the Vikings and had a double and two RBIs.

Josiah Miguel and Austin Hammerschidt had two hits apiece and each drove in a run. Vanden improved to 9-2 overall and 6-1 in the Monticello Empire League.

Alex Maushart had a triple for Vanden.

Dalen Shipp and Jack Tranchina each hit doubles. DJ Andersen pitched five strong innings, allowing seven hits, two earned runs and two walks to go with seven strikeouts. JoJo Torres threw a two-hit-

ter over two innings with five strikeouts.

Ben Parks was 3-for-3 in leading Armijo. Charly Reid, Brayan Rivera and Caden Magno all had two hits. Rivera drove in both of the runs for the Royals. Armijo is now 4-7 overall and 3-4 in the MEL. The two teams square off at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Armijo in the second game of the series.

Hancock signs off on Will C. Wood win

VACAVILLE — Devon Hancock pitched a complete game with five strikeouts as the Will C. Wood High School baseball team held off visiting Rodriguez 5-3 Monday. Hancock allowed seven hits over seven

See Local, Page B2

Bay Area awarded women’s pro soccer franchise in NWSL

Some of the biggest women’s sports stars in Bay Area history are about to change the region’s sporting landscape.

Four former U.S. national team stars and Santa Clara Broncos – Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Danielle Slaton and Aly Wagner – have completed their nearly three-year mission to bring a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team to the San

Francisco Bay Area. The NWSL announced Tuesday morning that the league has awarded expansion rights to its 14th team to an investment group led by the four former U.S. women’s national team stars and Sixth Street, a global investment firm, and other prominent women executives and community leaders.

“This is a monumental occasion,” said Chastain, a primary star of the 1999 World Cup. “The impact that women’s soccer specifically is

having on the sports landscape and business sector is something that we’ve been talking about for so long and we believed in. To see it coming back to the bay is truly incredible.”

The team, which will announce its name and branding in the weeks ahead, will kick off in the spring of 2024. The club has not yet identified a home stadium, but it is likely to play at San Jose’s PayPal Park, home of the Earthquakes.

The quartet of Chastain, Osborne, Slaton and

Wagner – referred to as the “Founding Football Four” in the release announcing the news –has been working toward this moment and this team since the summer of 2020.

“I can’t tell you how many hours and the amount of work that’s been put in by us four and the team – countless calls, meetings, it was crazy,” Osborne said. “But this has been our passion. This is what we wanted. The commitment that this team has been putting in, on top of everything else that we

do with our other jobs and being moms and everything else, showcases what this group is about.”

The roots of that passion go back all the way to their childhoods in San Jose, where three of the four grew up: Chastain, 54, went to Archbishop Mitty, while Wagner and Slaton, both 42, played together at Presentation. (Osborne, 39, grew up in Wisconsin.)

Chastain and Wagner both remember Brazil taking over Los Gatos for months, practicing at Santa Clara, playing

against the U.S. at Stanford on the Fourth of July. The San Jose natives got an up-close look at the fervor that soccer can bring to a community.

“I immersed myself in that situation not having any idea what I was getting into,” said Wagner, who was 13 that summer. “The passion and the joy and really the connection to the game, it changed my life and it made me see the way the world saw football and what was possible in football.”

Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group/TNS file

Golden State Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins saves a ball from going out of bounds as the Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis defends in the fourth quarter, Feb. 11, at Chase Center in San Francisco.

Patrick Smith/Getty Images/TNS

Tiger Woods waves on the third green during a practice round prior to the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, Tuesday.

CALENDAR

Wednesday’s

Baseball

MLB

TV sports

• San Francisco at Chicago White Sox, NBCSBA, 11:10 a.m.

• Cleveland at Oakland, NBCSCA, 12:37 p.m.

Basketball NBA

• Milwaukee at Chicago, ESPN, 4:30 p.m.

• Sacramento at Dallas, NBCSCA (Vacaville and Rio Vista), 5:30 p.m.

• L.A. Clippers at L.A. Lakers, ESPN, 7 p.m.

Golf

• Masters Par 3 Contest, ESPN, Noon.

Hockey

NHL

• N.Y. Rangers at Tampa Bay, TNT, 4:30 p.m.

• Anaheim at Edmonton, TNT, 7 p.m.

Soccer

• EPL, West Ham vs. Newcastle, USA, Noon.

• CONCACAF, Motagua vs. UANL Tigres, FS1, 5 p.m.

• CONCACAF, Los Angeles FC vs. Vancouver, FS1, 7 p.m.

Thursday’s TV sports

Baseball

MLB

• San Francisco at Chicago White Sox, NBCSBA, 11:10 a.m.

Basketball

NBA

• Miami at Philadelphia, TNT, 4:30 p.m.

• Denver at Phoenix, TNT, 7 p.m.

Golf

• The Masters, ESPN, Noon.

Hockey College

• Minnesota vs. Boston, ESPN2, 2 p.m.

• Michigan vs. Quinnipiac, ESPN2, 5:30 p.m.

NHL

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

Connecticut men’s co-captain Jackson may stay in college

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

HOUSTON — Decked out in his NCAA Championship garb, a piece of the net tied onto his hat, UConn men’s basketball co-captain Andre Jackson captured the hearts of UConn Nation one more time.

Jackson was one of the main cogs in head coach Dan Hurley’s “big three” who were designated as leaders before the construction of the 2022-23 roster began, and played a key role in creating a family atmosphere within the locker room.

On the court, his otherworldly playmaking ability made it difficult for eyes to stray off of him.

“I’m a team player and I know that,” Jackson said after helping the Huskies win national title No. 5 on Monday

Broncos finally passing on John Elway

The Denver PosT

John Elway’s contractual connection with the Denver Broncos has come to a close.

The pre-eminent figure in franchise history never figures to end up too far from the team he led to a pair of Super Bowl titles as a quarterback, and then to another title as its general manager. But his contract with the franchise concluded at the end of the league year last month and is not being renewed, the team confirmed Tuesday. Elway did not return phone calls

Local

From Page B2

innings, two earned runs and one walk. Wood improved to 3-6 overall and 3-4 in the Monticello Empire League.

Mason Sayre was 3-for-4 for the Wildcats with a double and an RBI. Michael Torres and Kaiko Koizuma each had a double.

Denzel Dilley and Kaden Wilde had two hits apiece for Rodriguez. Grant Genter pitched a three-hitter over 4 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run and striking out three. Rodriguez fell to 7-5 overall and 4-3 in the MEL.

Wood scored four of its five runs in the first two innings. Rodriguez came back with three in the fourth and fifth. But Wood tacked on an insurance run in the sixth.

The two teams meet in the second game of the series at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Rodriguez.

Vacaville scores often behind gem

FAIRFIELD — Jaiden

from The Post seeking comment, but the Hall of Fame quarterback did confirm the news to 9News, saying the franchise is “in good hands,” under its new ownership. Elway has served as a consultant for the past year after more than a decade as a high-ranking franchise executive. Over the past year, he was available to general manager George Paton and others but was not frequently in the building or involved in any real capacity in the day-to-day running of the franchise.

Before that, though, he was the top football executive from 2011-21 as

general manager and executive vice president of football operations.

After the 2021 season and a decade of being Denver’s top football decision-maker, he gave up the general manager role, transitioned to the role of president of football operations and hired George Paton as general manager.

“I knew there was going to be a time at some point in time, this was a position I would, hopefully, move to,” Elway said at the conclusion of the 2021 season. “It gave me the opportunity to move up and I think it’s the right time for me.”

two doubles and three RBIs. Ryan Mitchell also tripled and had a pair of singles. Miles Meadows added a triple and Jaxson Bates doubled. The series resumes at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at Napa Valley.

Solano softball picks up two wins

scoring nine runs in the previous four innings.

The two teams square off at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Vacaville in the second game of the series.

Softball

Vacaville

overpowers

Elk Grove in shutout

VACAVILLE — Xochitle Atayde threw a two-hitter with eight strikeouts and Makayla Freshour went 3-for-3 at the plate with a home run and five RBIs as the Vacaville High School softball team pounded visiting Elk Grove 10-0 Monday in a non-league game.

Boys Tennis Rodriguez rolls by Vaca, 10-0 in MEL

FAIRFIELD — The Rodriguez High School boys tennis team improved to 10-0 in the Monticello Empire League after a 9-0 win over Vacaville Monday.

Rodriguez earned singles victories in straight sets from Evan Wadsworth, Danton Hsueh, Josh Williams, Theo Keyser, Brandon Wei and Justin Wei. Paul Lee and Ian Huey teamed up to win the No. 1 doubles match. Patrick Reilly and Andre Perriard took the No. 2 doubles match.

ROCKVILLE — The Solano Community College softball team defeated Siskiyous 5-2 and 5-3 on Monday to sweep a nonconference doubleheader, improving to 7-16 overall on the season.

Alexis Wright did it all in the first game. She went 2-for-4 at the plate and pitched seven strong innings. Wright allowed five hits and one earned run to go with seven strikeouts.

Alexis Certeza and Lindsay Feinberg had two hits apiece in the second game for the Falcons. Feinberg drove in a run. Nayzeth Gonzalez pitched seven innings and allowed five hits, two earned runs and six walks with three strikeouts.

night. “Teams win championships, so I always loved that I could accomplish something without having it be totally about me. And that’s just something that’s beautiful about being a champion is that you got a bunch of other guys that can experience it with you.”

Jackson posted a team-high six assists in the 76-59 win over San Diego State and only had to make one shot from the field to have an impact.

A junior, Jackson has been on the minds of NBA scouts for his defensive and playmaking ability, but his main focus has been Connecticut.

Jackson still has until June 1 to decide if he wants to declare for the NBA Draft. “Only way I’m not coming back is if Coach tells me to leave,” Jackson assured Monday night.

Oldwin pitched six strong innings for the Vacaville High School baseball team and had plenty of offensive support in a 15-0 win Monday at Fairfield.

Oldwin fired a threehitter over six innings and had three strikeouts.

Nick White pitched an inning in relief. Vacaville improved to 6-7 overall and 4-3 in the Monticello Empire League.

Danny Marino and Bennie Dyer had two hits apiece for Vacaville and each batter drove in two RBIs each. Dyer, Cal Elvis and Cy Dempsay all doubled, while Trey Quezada tripled.

Jordan Dixon doubled for Fairfield. Anthony Baldwin and Donavan Luu had the other two hits for the Falcons, who fell to 7-8 overall and 1-6 in the MEL.

Vacaville closed the game with a six-run top of the seventh inning after

Jordan Munn was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Laila Dean doubled and singled twice. Taylor Eberhart contributed a double, as did Atayde to her own cause.

Vacaville improved to 6-1 overall. The Bulldogs were scheduled to play at home game Tuesday in the Monticello Empire League against Fairfield.

Rodriguez can’t fend off Freedom

FAIRFIELD — The Rodriguez High School softball team couldn't slow down Freedom of Oakley on Monday afternoon and lost 15-1 in five innings.

Katelyn Kilgore and Za'raya Garcia had hits. Garcia drove in the lone run. Rodriguez fell to 3-2 overall. The Lady Mustangs were scheduled to play at Armijo on Tuesday.

Drake Bennett and Conner McKemie of the Mustangs outlasted Vacaville's Max Hawins and Rouke Sherry 6-7, 7-6, 10-8 in No. 3 doubles.

College

Napa Valley tips

Solano in slugfest

ROCKVILLE — The Solano Community College baseball team pounded out 10 runs and 12 hits but it still wasn't enough to beat visiting Napa Valley in an 11-10 slugfest Tuesday.

Solano had a five-run sixth inning but gave up two five-run innings to Napa Valley in the fifth and sixth en route to the Storm's victory. Solano fell to 11-15 overall and 5-4 in the Bay Valley Conference.

Kevin Parker went 3-for-5 at the plate for Solano with a triple, home run and two RBIs. Alex Gaela was 3-for-6 with

The Falcons had a fourgame winning streak after opening the Bay Valley Conference season Friday with a doubleheader sweep against visiting Los Medanos.

Boxing

Vanden senior wins

state Golden Gloves

FAIRFIELD — Vanden High School senior Isaiah Serrano captured a California State Golden Gloves championship over the weekend in Concord with a pair of wins in the flyweight division.

Serrano defeated 28-year-old Kevin Ruiz of Southern California in the finals for the championship. He defeated 18-year-old Justin Gamotan of Salinas in the semifinals.

The tournament was held ain Concord. Serrano was representing the West Coast Hitters Boxing Club of Fairfield.

President: Dorothy Andrews dorothy.andrews@sicentralsolano.com

Membership: Karen Calvert karen.calvert@sicentralsolano.com www.SICentralSolano.com

Courtesy Photo

Isaiah Serrano, a senior at Vanden High School, won a California Golden Gloves flyweight title in Concord, Sunday.

CALMATTERS COMMENTARY

Newsom denounces ‘authoritarians,’ what about his record?

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has anointed himself as the avenging angel who will rain down righteous – or self-righteous – punishment on ideological heretics in red states such as Florida, Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi.

“All across the country rights are being rolled back in real-time by Republicans,” Newsom warned in a fundraising text message last week, just hours after it was revealed that former President Donald Trump was being indicted in New York. “They cry ‘freedom’ but work overtime to dismantle our democracy to protect their power to dictate the choices people are allowed to make.

“I am going to flip that narrative on its head,” Newsom promised.

Two days later, having created a new political organization to finance assaults on prominent Republicans, he embarked on a tour of four red states to rally Democratic opposition to their GOP governors.

Newsom’s message is that those governors and other prominent Republicans, such as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, are “authoritarian threats,” citing such actions as banning books and subverting abortion access, gay rights and gender-affirming care for transgender youths.

The website of Newsom’s new organization, the Campaign for Democracy, singles out McCarthy, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott as “threats” to democracy. In a video, Newsom declares, “What’s happening in those red states, that’s not who we are. It’s un-American, it’s undemocratic. All it takes to fight back is a willingness to stand toe-to-toe and say ‘enough.’”

There are three potential explanations for Newsom’s self-declared crusade: that he’s genuinely worried about an “existential struggle” for democracy; that he’s just expanding his years-long drive to raise his national political profile in hopes of someday campaigning for the presidency; or that he craves attention.

Whatever his motives – and it could be a combination of the idealistic, the crassly political and the personal – the most intriguing aspect of Newsom’s campaign is his denunciations of DeSantis, Abbott, et al, as “authoritarian,” meaning that they are acting unilaterally, outside the democratic process, to impose their will on the residents of their states.

That’s patently untrue. Those two governors and those of other red states were duly elected and often re-elected by their voters, and wield the powers that accrue to elected governors. One can certainly take issue, on the merits, with the policies they espouse and enact. But one must also assume that they are doing what majorities of their constituents want them to do, which is the essence of democracy.

Besides, Newsom has been just as adamant in pursuing his own ideological goals.

Was Newsom being an authoritarian when he declared an emergency during the COVID-19 pandemic, suspended dozens of laws, closed public schools and ordered much of the state’s economy to be shut down, erasing nearly 3 million jobs overnight and pushing the state into a severe recession?

Newsom would say that he was just exercising his executive powers for the greater good.

Was Newsom an authoritarian when he unilaterally stopped executions in 2019, even though the death penalty was and still is state law, and won voter support the last time the issue was placed on the ballot?

Meanwhile, he has signed a number of new laws aimed at restricting or eliminating behavior he and his fellow Democrats consider to be wrong, such as owning guns or resisting construction of new housing. And how about those decrees banning the sale of gasoline-powered cars after 2035?

Newsom’s actions were no less arbitrary than those of the governors he criticizes. When it comes to authoritarianism, he is, to use an old saw, a pot calling the kettle black. CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to Commentary.

Letters to the editor

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

Hey GOP, we’re still a nation of laws

Watching Republican reaction to Donald Trump’s indictment and arrest makes me think of a Latin legal phrase, “Fiat Justitia ruat caelum.” What does it mean? We’ll get to that in due time.

Without knowing the charges, Republicans made statements, tweeted and ranted on Trump’s social media site their selective outrage over Donald Trump being indicted. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said it was an “injustice” and “abuse of power.” No. 2 House Republican Steve Scalise said it was “one of the clearest examples of extremist Democrats weaponizing government.” Many said it was “outrageous,” “a political witch hunt” and concurred that this was “weaponizing government.”

Trump himself has called for protest and said America won’t stand for him to face accountability. He even warned of “death and destruction.”

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham went on Fox hyperventilating, urging Trump fans to send Trump money to defend himself. Trump has sent out similar appeals himself. To me, it’s crazy for a supposed billionaire to expect his supporters to send him

THE OTHER SIDE COMMENTARY

money. It’s been announced the cult of Trump has donated over $7 million. Pundits have said Trump’s legal woes will give him a boost. And some polls show him widening his lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the GOP presidential race. My answer to all of this is, so freaking what? Some have called Trump’s arrest un-American. Wrong. It’s very American. In America, prosecutors present evidence to grand juries and those jurors, Americans like you and I, render a judgment. Thousands of Americans are indicted every day. You’re not exempt because you’re wealthy or even a former president. No one is above the law.

However, today’s GOP doesn’t believe that bedrock American principle. Like George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” Republicans believe we’re all equal but “some of us are more equal than others.”

Weaponizing government? Just this past week former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said the reason he didn’t pursue charges against Trump was because he was told to stand down by Trump’s justice department. Former U.S. Attorney Geoffrey

Berman says Trump’s justice department pressured him to aid Trump politically and remove references to the president in Michael Cohen’s charging documents. Also, former Trump Chief of Staff John Kelly revealed Trump repeatedly wanted to use the IRS and other agencies against his political enemies. Have you heard any GOP outrage over that?

The Latin phrase I began this column with means “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.” So what if Republicans are outraged? Who cares if an indictment of a former president is unprecedented? So what if mega MAGA types are angered and threaten violence? We should do the right thing, consequences be damned.

Fortunately, not every Republican has drank the Kool-Aid. Some still believe we’re a nation of laws and not men. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said, “I trust the system. We have a judge. We have jurors. There (are) appeals. So, I think in the end, justice will be done. If he’s guilty it will show up. But if not, I think that will be shown, too.” Why can’t other Republicans just say that? Peace.

Kelvin Wade, a writer and former Fairfield resident, lives in Sacramento. Reach him at kelvinjwade@ outlook.com.

Dollar’s coming slide will be welcomed by world

M arcus ashworth BLOOMBERG OPINION

The dollar has lost some of its luster over the winter. The twin supports of its status as the preferred haven during the pandemic and being backed by the world’s strongest economy are fading. And now another prop for the greenback is wobbling amid doubts about how much higher the Federal Reserve will raise U.S. interest rates as it has second thoughts on the likelihood of a recession. The dollar looks likely to suffer an extended bout of weakness.

This has no bearing on the dollar’s unrivaled position as the global reserve currency: King Dollar sits serenely on its throne. But what’s not so good for the dollar’s relative value is better for the rest of the world, because less focus is needed on keeping up with the dollar. This has led to oversized interest rate hikes to shore up currency valuations, above and beyond what monetary policy has needed to do to address specific domestic requirements on fighting inflation. This shift is helping to correct a serious imbalance, known as the dollar smile, that had skewed too much in the favor of the U.S. currency for much of this decade. We are likely more toward the base of the smile’s curve, where the dollar weakens steadily, as opposed to the raised sides when moneys flow in on either a flight to quality or the perception that returns in the U.S. will be superior to those available elsewhere.

The regional U.S. banking crisis, which has seen the failure of three banks so far, is the type of stumble that could hasten an economic downturn. Furthermore, the perception of dollar safety is undermined if its banking system is under stress, particularly if the rest of the world’s financial system isn’t similarly challenged; the failure of Credit Suisse is being perceived as a one-off and,

importantly, did not lead to a surge into dollars. Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari, a Federal Open Market Committee voter this year and an outspoken hawk, highlighted last weekend that bank strains bring the risk of recession closer. Although he was careful not to prejudge the outcome of the next FOMC meeting on May 3, he did emphasize how closely the Fed is monitoring the risks of a credit crunch. Currently, the futures market suggests it’s a coin toss as to whether official rates rise by another quarter-point in May. Expectations are then for borrowing costs to start falling in the second half of the year, which is a big drag on the dollar’s forward pricing.

Any currency pair is a combination of relative value, and the most commercially important comparison is to the euro. The European Central Bank forged ahead with another 50 basispoint hike on March 16, whereas a week later the Fed chose to play safer with a more modest quarterpoint raise. The shift in perceptions about the likely path of central bank rates is reflected in the euro’s 12.5% gain in the past six months to over 1.08 euros per dollar, reversing an 11-week period between August and November last year when the common currency dipped below parity versus the greenback. Policymaker rhetoric also steers forward rate expectations and currency values. At the last ECB meeting, Executive Board Member Isabel Schnabel pushed for explicit wording that further rate hikes were possible, according to Bloomberg News. President Christine Lagarde, at the post-meeting press conference, only gave verbal assurances that a bias to tighten remains if its economic projections proved accurate. This dispute keeps alive the possibility that the ECB tightens policy to a greater degree than the Fed in the coming months. According to economists surveyed

by Bloomberg, the probability of a recession in the euro zone has almost halved this year, to below 50%. It’s now lower than the U.S., which is seen as having a 60% chance of a protracted contraction. That is a notable shift of expectations as the euro zone had been on the precipice of recession before the pandemic and has suffered most from the surge in natural gas prices since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Among G10 currencies, only sterling has performed better than the euro, rising more than 14%. The Japanese yen is 10% firmer to the dollar. The typical rule of thumb is that the large manufacturing export hubs of the euro zone and Japan benefit from a stronger dollar making their products look cheaper; but the sharp rise in energy prices has placed them in the same boat as all other hydrocarbondependent economies.

The biggest gainers from a relatively weaker dollar, though, have been in Eastern Europe and South America, with the Chilean peso notching a 22.5% gain. It’s notable that the broadest gains are from energyimporting countries which had been hit hardest by the surge in gas prices. As most of the world’s commodity complex is priced in dollars, an appreciation of the value of local currencies to the dollar offers muchneeded respite.

Nonetheless, the sharp appreciation of the dollar through 2021 and much of last year caused a lot of problems in developing and developed countries alike, as central banks scrambled to raise interest rates to prevent their own currencies from collapsing as the Fed tightened conditions. The world will be thankful for the calm of a more subdued value for the global reserve currency.

Marcus Ashworth is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering European markets. Previously, he was chief markets strategist for Haitong Securities in London.

Dan Walters

Kelvin Wade

What makes Tetris

‘the perfect game’?

Experts break down an addictive classic

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

The real story behind how Tetris became a video game phenomenon is more compelling than most imagined narratives.

A computer game created by Russian programmer Alexey Pajitnov in the Soviet Union, Tetris eventually hit the burgeoning global market in 1989 as the launch title of Game Boy, a handheld console developed by Japanese company Nintendo, after Dutch American game designer and publisher Henk Rogers doggedly pursued the rights.

Much like the game itself, it’s a story that involved a lot of moving pieces that needed to be maneuvered just right in order for its players to achieve success.

This backstory is at the center of “Tetris,” out now on Apple TV+ after premiering last month at SXSW.

Directed by Jon S. Baird (“Stan & Ollie”) from a script by Noah Pink (“Genius”), the film follows Rogers (portrayed by Taron Egerton) after he is so dazzled by Tetris, which he stumbles upon at a game expo, that he bets everything on its success. Sorting out the complicated situation around the game’s rights propels Rogers to Moscow, where he meets and befriends Pajitnov (Nikita Efremov).

“We tried to make [the movie] as truthful as possible in the given circumstances,” said Pajitnov during a recent video call. “I was very fascinated with the movie because it was spiritually absolutely truthful. That’s exactly what happened to us, emotionally.”

Daily Cryptoquotes

But, “there was a lot of Hollywood in there because they squeezed like a year and a half of our lives into two hours,” added Rogers, who along with Pajitnov was an executive producer on the film.

Baird describes “Tetris” as a “Cold War thriller on steroids,” but at its heart is the friendship between Rogers and Pajitnov, which the pair boast “is still going strong after all these years.”

The movie “is really about

That was what really interested me about it, and it just so happened to be about this famous video game.”

This “famous video game,” of course, is one of the best-known and bestselling video games ever. And the film’s version of Rogers describes it as “the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.”

“This game isn’t just addictive,” says Rogers in “Tetris.” “It stays with you. It’s poetry – art and math all working in magical synchronicity. It’s the perfect game.”

It’s a sentiment that Pink, who grew up playing Tetris with his siblings during road trips, stands by.

two people, who on paper should be enemies, but at the end of the day find common ground because they’re both human and they both have families and they both love to play,” said Pink.

“And we need to play more, I believe.”

While the story’s Cold War setting and political themes appealed to Baird, he was also drawn to “the sort of platonic love story between these two characters.”

Pajitnov and Rogers are “these polar opposites coming from different parts of the world,” said Baird. They’re “incredibly different, having very different cultural references and geopolitical references, [in a] story of East and West coming together . . .

“For me, what makes it the perfect game is that it’s a puzzle,” said Pink, who attributes Tetris’ addictive qualities to its simplicity. “It’s like your favorite story that you love to hear over and over again, but every time you hear it, something new comes up. That’s Tetris for me. Because you know what blocks are coming, but every time it’s a little different, and every time you play, it ends up a little differently.”

But “perfection” is a loaded concept, especially if you ask games scholars. “It encapsulates a lot to say it’s the perfect video game,” said Tracy Fullerton, a USC professor and the director of its Game Innovation Lab. “Perhaps you could say that it was a perfect video game, especially a perfect video game in combination with the Game Boy platform, which I think was the thing that really See Tetris, Page B5

Word Sleuth

Crossword by Phillip Alder

Bridge

the spade jack.

There are six top tricks: three spades, two diamonds and one club. As you can establish three more club tricks, it looks like smooth sailing in the sunshine.

How do you pilot your vessel through this club suit? You should lead low to the queen. Then you cash the ace. Unluckily, the king doesn’t appear. Undaunted, you give East his club trick. Suddenly the wind picks up; giant waves approach your ship. Yes, the heart queen hits the deck. Your king is submerged by West’s ace, and they run you aground with three more heart tricks: down one.

If you wanted five club tricks, you played perfectly, but you didn’t. You needed only four. Also, because of the exposed position of your heart king, you should have strained to keep East off the lead.

NAVIGATING CAREFULLY THROUGH THE TRICKS

Every neap tide or so, along comes a deal with a coral reef hidden just below the surface. If you spot it in time, you steer around it and reach the shore safely. If you don’t see it coming, though, you will be shipwrecked.

How are your navigational skills on today’s deal? Plan the play in three no-trump after West has led

The right tack is to lead the club jack from the dummy at trick two. If it loses to West’s king, your heart king is in the harbor, guarded from attack. Here, though, when East covers with the king, you win with the ace and note with pleasure West’s nine. You return to dummy with a spade and play a club to your seven. If it loses, you are still safe. Here, it wins, and you cruise triumphantly into port with an overtrick.

COPYRIGHT: 2023, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

Sudoku by Wayne Gould

Bridge

4/6/23

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

shipwrecked.

Yesterday’s solution:

Angus Pignott/Apple TV+/TNS

Taron Egerton, left, as Henk Rogers and Nikita Efremov as Alexey Pajitnov in “Tetris.”

‘There’s no such thing as a perfect game. But if I had to ponder the brilliance of Tetris . . . Tetris provides a pattern-based abstraction that allows people to go into a flow state, readily.’

— Jennifer deWinter, the dean of Lewis College of Science and Letters at Illinois Tech

made Tetris as massive as it was.”

Jennifer deWinter, the dean of Lewis College of Science and Letters at Illinois Tech, was more direct.

“There’s no such thing as a perfect game,” said deWinter. “But if I had to ponder the brilliance of Tetris – and I think that that is a fun thing to ponder – Tetris provides a pattern-based abstraction that allows people to go into a flow state, readily.”

Meaning, Tetris draws players in to become so absorbed in the game to the point that outside distractions get tuned out. And that’s addictive.

According to Fullerton, Tetris “is one of the best games and continues to be one of the best games ever made” because “it’s so satisfying.”

And this satisfaction of sorting things out and fitting pieces together, deWinter explained, stems from the fact that “human beings love pattern matching” at any age.

“In terms of this elegant, pared-down, pattern-matching game, Tetris is it,” said deWinter. “It’s the godfather of all those types of game. And continues its own life to now, [and] it continues to have tremendous influence on other games, either as mini games or as in the casual game revolution and all the pattern-matching games that we start seeing there.”

Pajitnov, who developed the first version of Tetris in 1984, was inspired by the puzzle game pentominoes, which involved piecing together certain shapes created by five squares. This original Tetris was a computer game that eventually made its way to arcades and consoles.

As Fullerton and deWinter both note, it was the marriage of Tetris to Game Boy that catapulted both to success.

“I don’t think Tetris would have ever become as big as it did had it not been the Game Boy game,” said deWinter. “What the Game Boy does is it provides everyone a small, cheap, handheld computer game device . . . and Tetris becomes the cultural phenomenon that we know,

because it’s packaged with this platform.”

“I played Tetris on Game Boy, and I remember being astonished,” said “Tetris” producer Matthew Vaughn. “The technology was mindblowing back then.”

According to the Tetris Co., over 520 million units of Tetris have been sold worldwide, and the game has been downloaded more than 615 million times on mobile devices. There have been numerous scientific studies around Tetris, delving into everything from why the game is addictive to how playing the game affects those with anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder.

And Tetris and Game Boy’s pairing was mutually beneficial.

“I think Tetris, in many ways, was responsible for the success of the Game Boy,” said Fullerton. “Not just as a child’s toy, but as something that business people or older people might carry with them.”

It was not until the “Pokémon” series launched in 1996 that the Game Boy had its next blockbuster video game, so it’s safe to say a phenomenon with the longevity and widespread appeal of Tetris was significant to the handheld console’s success.

Baird admits he is no gamer, but he said that working on “Tetris” changed his perception of the game because it forced him to revisit it.

“It made me play it more so I wouldn’t be embarrassed when I actually eventually met Henk and Alexey in person, just in case they challenged me to a game,” said Baird. “I’ve got OCD [obsessivecompulsive disorder], and it really appeals to me, this game, because you compartmentalize everything, and then it disappears.”

In the end, as Baird discovered firsthand, whether Tetris is the “perfect” game may be less important than the ways it continues to help people connect, just as it did Pajitnov and Rogers in the late Cold War.

Playing Tetris because he was working on the film, said Baird, “has bonded me closer with a 13-year-old who previously probably wouldn’t want to spend that much time with her father playing computer games.”

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT THE FOLLOWING PERSON (PERSONS) IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS GD HOMES REAL ESTATE, GD HOMES REALTY LOCATEDAT206MammothCourtVacaville,CA95688.MailingaddressPO Box6719Vacaville,CA95696.IS(ARE) HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)G1Duenasrealty, IncCAVacaville95688.THISBUSINESS ISCONDUCTEDBY: aCorporation Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusiness nameor nameslistedaboveonN/A. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/GilbertoDuenas-President INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONMarch15,2028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: March16,2023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000476 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00062091

Petitioner: QiMing Zheng filedapetitionwiththiscourtforadecree changingnamesasfollows:

a. QiMing Zheng

a. Jimmy QiMing Zheng THECOURTORDERSthatallpersonsinterestedinthismattershallappearbefore thiscourtatthehearingindicatedbelowto showcause,ifany,whythepetitionfor changeofnameshouldnotbegranted. Anypersonobjectingtothename changesdescribedabovemustfileawrittenobjectionthatincludesthereasonsfor theobjectionatleasttwocourtdaysbeforethematterisscheduledtobeheard andmustappearatthehearingtoshow causewhythepetitionshouldnotbegranted.Ifnowrittenobjectionistimelyfiled, thecourtmaygrantthepetitionwithouta hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING

Date: April 28, 2023; Time: 9:30 am; Dept: 22 The address of the court is: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SOLANO Old Solano Courthouse 580 Texas Street Fairfield, CA 94533

AcopyofthisOrdertoShowCauseshall bepublishedatleastonceeachweekfor foursuccessiveweekspriortothedate setforhearingonthepetitioninthefollowingnewspaperofgeneralcirculation,printedinthiscounty:DailyRepublic Pleasefileproofofnewspaperpublication atleast5businessdaysbeforehearing (newspaperdoesnotfilew/court)zoom ok.zoominvitewillbeemailed1-2days beforehearing Date:1-25-23 /s/AlesiaJones JudgeoftheSuperiorCourt

FILED:Jan262023

DR#00061974

Published:March15,22,29April5,2023

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Alumni

From Page B1

the Spartans.

Women's Golf

Senior Riley Birch (Vacaville) helped lead the UC Santa Cruz women's golf team to a secondplace finish last week at the Rhodes College Invitational at the National Golf Course in Tunica, Miss.

Birch was eighth overall with rounds of 77, 80 and 84 for a total of 241. Overall, the Banana Slugs had a three-round team score of 971 to finish in second place, 35 shots back of host Rhodes.

Track and Field

The University of Mount Olive 4x100 women's relay team, featuring senior Jaiden Moody (Vanden), eclipsed the NCAA provisional mark after racing to a time 46.59 in the Bill Carson Invitational at East Carolina.

Moody's North Carolina school has the second-best time this season in the Southeast Region.

Sophomore Daysha Ford (Rodriguez) won the 400 meters (44.51) for Sacramento State at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic at San Francisco State. It was the best finish by a Hornet at the meet.

Junior Quinton Alexander (Vanden) took fifth in the Section 5 Men's 800 (1:52.60) at the Stanford Invitational. Alexander runs for the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo men's track and field team.

Softball

Senior third baseman

Lewa Day (Armijo) hit a three-run home run and drove in four total runs for Sacramento State in a 5-3 win over Northern Colorado in the Big Sky Conference season-opening series. Day was also 2-for-3 with two RBI in an 8-2 win that helped the Hornets take two out of three in the series.

Freshman shortstop

Kate Tobola (Rodriguez) had her first triple and stolen base among five total hits as Dominican went 2-3 overall at the Stanislaus State Tournament of Champions.

Graduate student and top outfielder Megan Massa (Rodriguez) collected a triple, an RBI and nine other hits as Concordia Irvine played seven total games last week against Cal State San Marcos, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Holy Names.

Senior outfielder Brook Mitchell (Vacaville) went 3-for-3, scored four runs and drove in four more as

From Page B1

before Wiggins had a breakthrough 29-point night against the Washington Wizards on Feb. 13.

Wiggins hasn’t played since. It’s unclear whether his father’s “severe medical situation” – the reported reason why he’s been away the last seven weeks – was looming over him at that time.

Another and as important question is whether the Warriors be able to avoid the play-in and finish with a top-six seed.

If Golden State won its last four games, it would’ve finished no lower than sixth in the close Western Conference race. The Warriors looked poised to do this, building a 15-point first-half lead on the road Sunday against the topseeded Denver Nuggets, arguably the hardest remaining opponent on their slate.

But the Warriors fell apart midway through the second quarter and didn’t pick up the slack until the final four minutes. They rallied from down 12 to make it a two-point game,

Army posted an 18-0 win over Lafayette. Mitchell also picked up two hits and a run in a 2-1 win as the Black Knights won two out of three games in the series.

Junior pitcher Dariani Orme (Vanden) picked up a win, her 11th, and a save, her second, for Baylor. Orme threw a twohitter over seven innings with three strikeouts in a 4-0 win over Kansas. She also pitched one clean inning with two strikeouts in a 3-1 win over Kansas.

Sophomore outfielder Tai Wilson (Vanden) had a pair of 2-for-4 games with one run and an RBI in an 11-5 win over Sam Houston and a 6-3 triumph. Seattle University took two out of the three games in the series.

Baseball

Sophomore Hunter Dorraugh (Vacaville) had four hits, belted a two-run home run, doubled and drove in four runs as San Jose State won two of three games against Nevada. Freshman Griffin Harrison (Vacaville) hit his first home run of the season and drove in two runs as Sacramento State lost to Stephen F. Austin 15-13. Harrison was also 2-for-4 in a 14-4 loss to Louisiana Tech.

Sophomore Tanner Fonoti (Rodriguez) picked up his third win of the season as Sonoma State defeated Cal State San Bernardino 5-2. Fonoti pitched a complete seven innings in the doubleheader game and allowed just five hits, two earned runs and two walks to go with three strikeouts.

Sophomore outfielder Andreyes Palacios (Rodriguez) went 4-for-4 with a double, one run scored and three RBIs for Simpson in an 18-9 loss to Antelope Valley.

Professional Baseball

Some area alumni received their assignments as the Minor League Baseball season begins across the country.

Catcher Carter Bins (Rodriguez) is starting the season with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians after having a great spring with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jesse Scholtens (Rodriguez) begins with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

Pitcher Deveraux Harrison (Vacaville) is on the roster with the High-A Vancouver Canadians, an affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Catcher Troy Claunch (Vacaville) is on the roster of the Single-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, also an affiliate of the White Sox.

but that would be the closest they would get.

Coach Steve Kerr didn’t mince his words after the 112-110 loss, saying his team played “mindless” basketball. He said the Warriors were undisciplined and lacked toughness and focus – a harsh but accurate assessment. With that loss, there are four teams – the Warriors, Clippers, Lakers and Pelicans – who enter the final stretch of the season with 38 losses. All three of those teams own the head-to-head tiebreaker against Golden State. That means, even if the Warriors win out, their fate is largely out of their hands and more dependent on how the rest of the Wild West shakes out.

Avoiding the play-in has been the priority for the veteran-led Warriors all along. But now it’s even more important with Wiggins back in the picture. The week off between the regularseason finale and the first round of the playoffs would be crucial for Wiggins to get up to speed and ensure his body is right for another potential run.

NWsL

From Page B1

The quartet’s paths initially crossed when Wagner, Slaton and Osborne broke through and won Santa Clara’s first national championship in 2001 with Chastain, a former star as a Broncos player, as an assistant coach under Jerry Smith.

Each played in dozens of matches for the U.S. women’s national team. They all played pro fessionally in both of the NWSL’s preceding leagues, the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) and Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS). Both of those leagues had Bay Area teams, but the San Jose CyberRays and the WUSA folded after three years, and FC Gold Pride lasted for only two seasons in the WPS, even though it won a title.

The NSWL has persisted and will enter its 12th year next spring, welcoming two new teams, with the Bay Area team and the Utah Royals bringing the league to 14 teams. All four women have done well for themselves off the pitch, but they knew they needed to find some financial help to pay the rapidly increasing expansion fee and fund the team.

They found that partner in Sixth Street, which already has a stake in the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs and soccer giants Real Madrid and Barcelona. Co-founder and CEO Alan Waxman wants to be clear: The $125 million total initial investment – including a record $53 million expansion fee and $35-$50 million for a

Woods

From Page B1

considering it was a year after the accident.

“I think my game is better than it was last year at this particular time,” he said. “I think my endurance is better. But it aches a little bit more than it did last year, because when I came back I really had not pushed it that often.”

Woods played in the Genesis Invitational at Riviera in February, an

future training facility – is not a charity case.

“We’re putting our money where our mouth is,” Waxman said. “When you look at the trends and the data, five to seven years from now, this is going to look massively undervalued.”

While Sixth Street is the majority investor and Waxman will be serving on the league’s board of governors, Wagner will serve alongside him as cochair on the club’s board of directors.

The board will also include former Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Rick Welts, the former president of the Golden State Warriors.

“It was more about the institutional knowledge, the added value that these individuals could bring to the table,” Wagner said of the board additions. “It’s

event he hosts, and subsequently took time off to prepare for the Masters.

“I have to be cognizant of how much I can push it . . .” he said. “I can hit a lot of shots, but the difficulty for me is going to be the walking going forward.”

When Woods won the Masters in 2019, it wasn’t totally out of the blue. There was some buildup in the form of winning the Tour Championship in 2018 and finishing second at the PGA Championship that same year.

a really well-rounded group, and I think we’re incredibly proud that we didn’t cast a wide net. It was very selective.”

After all of the work they’ve put in, reaching Tuesday is a triumphant moment for the “Founding Football Four.” And yet, Tuesday is truly Day 1 of the rest of their lives.

“‘Welcome to the starting line’ is a little bit what it feels like, and yet we’ve already run a marathon in some ways,” Slaton said. “But this is the fun stuff. This is like opening day of the World Cup, opening game of the Olympics. Nobody sees the work that goes into getting to that moment – they see the celebration, they see the fun stuff, and the fun stuff’s coming our way.”

They’ve achieved the dream of getting the team. The goals now are

That’s not the case now, as he withdrew after three rounds of last year’s PGA and didn’t make the cut at the British Open. But the way he sees it, he has hope at Augusta National because of his deep understanding of the course.

“I’ve been able to recreate a lot of the chip shots at home in my backyard, or I’m at Medalist [his country club in Florida]) hitting balls off the side of lies, trying to simulate shots and rehearsing again and

crystal clear to this group. When asked about building a team that can win championships on the pitch, Wagner retorted, “Can? Or will?”

“This group doesn’t set out to do anything average,” Wagner said.

“This group, this collective group, if we’re not winning, we’re doing something wrong. And so we want to entertain but we want to bring championships to the Bay Area. We want to put out, on the field, a product that the communities of the Bay Area can be proud of.

“So we’re going to win, but we’re going to entertain when we do it. And that’s a big ask, but I think, if there’s anyone that knows how to do it, we’ve got some pretty good people in our back pocket.”

again every flag location, each and every shot I would possibly hit.”

He said he hasn’t slept well lately – not unusual for him – and finds himself rehearsing all sorts of shots at Augusta in his head.

“I don’t have the physical tournaments under my belt,” he said. “I haven’t played that much, no. But if there’s any one golf course that I can come back, like I did last year, it’s here. Just because I know the golf course.”

Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel TNS Angel City FC and erstwhile orlando defender Ali riley (5) contests the path of pride forward Messiah Bright, who scored the pride’s goal in the 51st minute of sunday’s NWsL home opener. the Bay Area will soon have a franchise in the league after a group of bidders got the go-ahead to move forward with a team.