Daily Republic: Friday, April 21, 2023

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Anglers are reeling in big, fresh-looking silver-blue striped bass from the waters of the Solano County bays, tributaries and estuaries.

Mike Cobb, of Fairfield, bagged a 10-pounder trolling in a private lake on a duck club in the Suisun Marsh – a body of water fed by one of the many sloughs that run through the area.

“And you can catch a lot of fish like that in the Delta,” Cobb said about trolling with lures such as the “Sassy Shad.” He said he does not eat the fish, but does give the fillets away to friends.

Kory Booker, formerly of Suisun City, said he has not had much luck, but he has seen other fishermen

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — California highways rank 47th in the country for overall performance and costeffectiveness as reported by the 27th annual Highway Report by the Reason Foundation.

The report is based on 2020 and 2021 data. California was 45th in the prior report from 2019.

“Virginia’s highways and bridges rank first in overall performance and cost-effectiveness thanks

to good rural pavement conditions, low fatality rates, a relatively small percentage of deficient bridges, and low highway costs. North Carolina’s solid pavement quality and low costs rank its state-controlled highway system second overall. Tennessee, Georgia, and Connecticut round out the top five,” a statement released with the report said.

“In contrast, the study shows that Alaska’s

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield Police Depart ment presented a Purple Heart medal to K9 Cort during the annual Awards and Employee Recogni tion Ceremony.

On April 20, 2022, Fair field Police responded to reports that a man had broken into an elderly woman’s home. Ensuing calls to dispatch indicated that the suspect had also threatened to kill a deliv ery driver and take his delivery truck.

After numerous attempts to call the man out of the house and following the use of

SpaceX calls it a ‘win’

tRibune content agency

On its first test flight Thursday morning, SpaceX’s massive, uncrewed Starship rocket roared off the launch pad, soared into the south Texas sky for a few minutes, but ultimately exploded into a trail of smoke.

The explosive end to the test – the latest in the company’s yearslong development program, but the first with the Starship spacecraft stacked atop the rocket’s Super Heavy first-stage booster – beat SpaceX’s

publicly broadcast goals. The company had been careful to set expectations low for this flight. SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk told an audience at a Morgan Stanley conference last month that the rocket’s debut had a 50% chance of success.

“Success today is anything that we learn that helps improve the future builds of Starship,” Kate Tice, SpaceX quality systems engineering manager, said on the company’s launch webcast. “If we lift off and

The sad story of local restaurateur Yozo Ikenaga

On July 25, 1907, Yozo Ikenaga landed with his father, Naozo, at the port of Seattle, Washington. They had come from Hyōgo, Japan, to stay with Naozo’s brother in San Francisco. When he arrived in the United States, Ikenaga was a 4-foot-7-inch 13-year-old with $50 in his pocket. By 1917 he was the owner of the Mint Restaurant in Suisun City on Main Street. He’d come there to work with his uncle and bought the business when his uncle went back to Japan. At that time, it was a popular candy store and ice cream parlor.

In November 1927, Yozo Ikenaga expanded his business into the Mint Grill. The annex to the establishment was for banquets, private parties and such, and included a 20-foot-by-40foot hardwood dance floor in the back of the building. The grand opening was a pre-Thanksgiving Day banquet for the Suisun Lions Club of which Ikenaga was a member.

Ikenaga made the following statement to his colleagues that was read aloud by another member:

“Your joy in being here is no greater than mine in having you all as my guests. I deeply and truly enjoy being a Lion and especially a member of the Suisun Den and I feel that it is only right to have my fellow Lions feasting with me on this, the opening night of our new banquet hall. You are all royally welcome and I trust that whenever your hunting is poor that you will remember my welcome and drop into my den and

to meet. One of Ikenaga’s personal favorites was the 75-member Suisun Fishing Club, of which he became president. Ikenaga was also a camera enthusiast and an in-demand cinematographer. He would break out his projector and show reels of interesting local events he’d captured to rapt members of Fairfield and Suisun City service clubs as well as to Fairfield and Vacaville high school students. They especially got a kick out of him freezing the frame and then running it backward.

From all accounts, Yozo Ikenaga’s standing in the local community was rock solid.

With his wife, Tsuyako, Yozo had four children: Namiko, Frank, George and Mary, the baby of the family. San Francisco resident Mary Ikenaga, who recently turned 94, remembered her father:

“I think we were the only Japanese family that lived in the city of Suisun. All of the others lived in the Suisun Valley and were farmers. We lived near [local lawyer/California State Assemblyman] Ernest Crowley. I was my father’s pet. Whenever I wanted ice cream I could have it. Sometimes even when he was just going to put the car in the garage he would call me and I would come running out there and get in the car with him and we would drive into the garage (laughs).”

Eleven years later, Yozo and his family bought 8½ acres from Mrs. Rutherford Chadbourne, south of U.S. Highway 40 (now Interstate 80) and 1.5 miles west of the Fairfield

signed the dotted lines on the property as the California Alien Land Law of 1913 prohibited “aliens ineligible for citizenship” like Yozo, a Japanese national, from owning agricultural land or possessing long-term leases over it.

The new place was to be called The Park Inn and would cater to Fairfielders as well as take advantage of road weary, hungry motorists traveling east and west down Highway 40. The newspaper announce ment said they would specialize in chicken dinners, broiled, grilled and planked steaks and host private parties, banquets and other special occasions. Freshness was guaranteed as the chickens and other fowl as well as all vegetables would be grown at the site.

The main building was described as large and rustic and was set 75 feet away from the highway. A vintage business card described it as “the Log Cabin Building.” It was 34 feet wide by 100 feet long and had a banquet room and dance hall that could accommodate 100 patrons.

The Park Inn had its grand opening on Nov. 3, 1940, and more than 250 people helped christen the new spot. A 14-foot neon sign with 3-foot letters spelling out “EAT” could be seen for more than half a mile and if that wasn’t enough, two floodlights helped inaugural eaters find their way. Inside, little Mary Ikenaga, wearing a kimono, greeted customers.

The Park Inn was a runaway hit from the get-go and soon was hosting events like a California Highway Patrol dinner and 25-year Armijo Principal James Brownlee’s retirement party. In January 1941, the Ikenagas leased the banquet room

fierce anti-Japanese sentiments. Overnight, businesses owned by Americans of Japanese descent were shunned.

The details of how the Ikenagas lost the Park Inn are unknown, but as early as January 1942 new ownership was announced in the local newspaper.

Anti-Japanese sentiments were given the force of law in the spring of 1942 when President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 that authorized the secretary of war to prescribe parts of the U.S. as military zones and exclude “certain” residents from them.

On April 29, 1942, Yozo Ikenaga was arrested by the FBI and sent to the Poston Internment Camp in Yuma County in Arizona, a separate camp from the rest of his family who went to one in Gila, Arizona. As far as can be deduced, Ikenaga’s only “crime” was his ancestry.

The longtime restaurateur who always insisted on meticulous attention to detail to make sure his customers felt at home and were comfortable as they dined was subjected to 115degree days as well as nights where the temperatures got as low as 35 degrees. Diseases like tuberculosis ran roughshod over the Poston detainees.

ing for the country that had imprisoned his entire family, including his dying brother.

On Yozo Ikenaga’s death certificate, his usual occupation was noted as the proprietor of the Park Inn. While the shortlived Park Inn faded from local memories, the restaurant that it later morphed into did not: The Black Swan. The Solano Republican newspaper, which had gushed about Yozo Ikenaga and the Park Inn a few short years prior, cynically announced the restaurant’s name change by saying that the former owner was “in an internment center for unworthy Japs.”

Suisun City’s Mint Grill later became Miss Bea’s Mint and is now the home of Waterfront Comics.

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

BRIGHT spot

Tony Wade Back in the day

Register now for 20th annual Loop the Lagoon Run/Walk Benicia reduces mandated water conservation

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — Registration is open for the 20th annual Loop the Lagoon Run/Walk, scheduled for May 6 at Lagoon Valley Park.

Funds raised support the Vacaville Public Education Foundation.

“The Loop the Lagoon Run/Walk is a familyfriendly event that offers something for everyone,” organizers said in a statement. “The 5K, 10K and 10K Tower Challenge courses will take runners and walkers through rolling hills, scenic paths, and beautiful views of the surrounding hills and lagoon.

“The 2-mile walk offers a leisurely stroll, and the half-mile and 1-mile kids’ races kick off with a mascot parade and end with cheering crowds waiting to give medals to every young participant. Families can enjoy the kids’ expo featuring crafts, activities, snacks, raffle prizes and a petting zoo.”

There will be refresh-

ments and music as well.

Since its inception in 2003, the foundation has raised and donated more than $4 million to Vacaville Unified School District student enrichment programs. This event, for the second year, supports VUSD students in foster care or who are experiencing unstable housing.

Last year, $8,000 was

Susan Hiland/Daily Republic file (2022)

raised. The goal this year is to break $10,000.

Kaiser Permanente is the presenting sponsor. The Solano County Office of Education is sponsoring the Kids’ Races and Expo. McDonald’s, Luxe Home with Haven Home Lending and InShape are bronze sponsors supporting the fundraiser.

the events are: 5K &10K Tower Challenge, 8 a.m.; 2 Mile Untimed walk, 8:15, a.m.; Half-mile Kids Fun Run, 9, a.m.; and 1-mile Kids Fun Run, 9:15 a.m. Early-bird registration is available until Saturday. To register or learn more about the event, go to www.loopthelagoon.com.

Vallejo man found guilty of first-degree murder

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — A

Solano County Superior Court jury on Wednesday convicted Edward R. Holden of first-degree murder for the Nov. 15, 2020, shooting death of Adrienne Lucille Florez.

Florez was 24.

“The jury found that during the commission of the murder, (Holden) per-

sonally used and intentionally discharged a firearm causing death ...

The jury also found (Holden) guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon,” the Solano County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

HOLDEN

Holden, 33, of Vallejo, had lured Florez into his vehicle at a Vallejo con-

venience store, the DA’s statement said, then went “to a dark and isolated area near the Vallejo waterfront where he then fired two fatal shots, abandoned her body, and fled the scene.”

Judge Tim P. Kam is scheduled to sentence Holden on July 14. Former Vallejo police

Detective Kevin Rose and Vallejo police Detective Joel Caitham investigated this case. District Attorney investigators Robert Greenberg and Jason Thompson also worked the case, which was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Kathleen McBride. Victim Witness advocate Amy Harris supported the family.

Daily Republic Staff

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BENICIA — The city announced on Thursday that its mandate to residents and businesses to conserve 40% of their water use has been cut in half.

Benicia officials have completed the two 12-inch emergency bypass water transmission lines and reduced the conservation measures to 20% under an updated Stage 2 “Moderate Water Shortage” decree. “Water conservation measures were reduced due to a temporary bypass line that restored water from the city’s primary water

sources for residential use. Meanwhile Valero Benicia Refinery will continue to receive water from Lake Herman,” the city announced.

“The bypass line will continue to be expanded to accommodate summer water usage. Plans for permanent repairs for the main line are being conducted in partnership with the city of Fairfield. The repairs are expected to take more than a year,” Benicia officials stated.

The city’s 36-inch water line was damaged due to a hillside collapse near Interstate 680 and Gold Hill Road on March 29.

Homeless strategy session set for Saturday

FAIRFIELD — The CAP Solano directors will hold a special strategic planning session Saturday in Conference Room A of the county Event Center. There will be an overview of the homeless situation in the county, followed by a presentation on the homeless Services System of Care and one on the homeless landscape and housing strategies.

Kelly Shaban and Carolyn Wylie, from Homebase, Megan Richards, a county analyst

and JPA facilitator, and JPA staff member Reneé Parham will lead the discussions.

The meeting is set for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Event Center is located at 601 Texas St. in Fairfield.

The board consists of two county supervisors and two council members from each of the seven cities. That includes Rick Vaccaro and Doriss Panduro from Fairfield, Alma Hernandez and Jenalee Dawson from Suisun City and Roy Stockton and Jason Roberts from Vacaville. Supervisor Mitch Mashburn is chairman.

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

Almost 600 runners came out for the 19th annual Loop the Lagoon Fun Run at Lagoon Valley Park near Vacaville, April 30, 2022.

Rebuilding Together taking applications for home rehab

Daily

FAIRFIELD – Vendors are being sought for the Police Department’s seventh annual Motorcycle Training Competition on April 29 at the Solano Town Center Mall.

The competition will be held in honor of Elk Grove police Officer Tyler Lenehan, who was killed Jan 21, 2022, when his police motorcycle was struck head-on by a drunk driver on Highway 99 in Sacramento.

There will be food trucks and vendors, who if interested, should send an email to fpoaevents@gmail.com.

The competition is limited to members of law enforcement. More than 60 officers are expected to participate. Awards will be presented to best riders in multiple categories.

The agencies that have signed up are the Califor-

nia Highway Patrol, as well as police departments from Vacaville,

Native Plant Society holds online sale

BENICIA — The California Native Plant Society’s Willis Linn Jepson Chapter will offer an online sale from April 24 to 30 “to restore California’s natural splendor.” The native plants of California offer low-maintenance, region-specific and beautiful additions to (or replacements for) lawns, gardens and landscaped spaces.

All plants are locally grown in Solano County and are adapted to the local environment, so they require less water and maintenance. They support local hummingbirds, butterflies and beneficial insects. Cali-

fornia’s insect pollinators can improve fruit set in fruit and vegetable gardens, while a variety

of native insects and birds will keep landscapes free of mosquitoes and planteating bugs. California

native plants also help provide more habitat for native wildlife and serve as an important bridge to nearby wild areas.

Police motorcycle competition honors fallen Elk Grove officer Bill

Attract pollinators with showy milkweed and California buckwheat, delight the senses with fragrant sages such as amethyst bluff and pozo blue, and give the state grass, purple needlegrass, a home in your yard. Add a pop of color with California poppies and foothill penstemon.

Those who become a member will have early access to the sale on Saturday. Pickup for online orders is May 6 at The Heritage Presbyterian Church, 1400 E. Second St., in Benicia.

VALLEJO — The deadline for local homeowners who are veterans, their surviving spouses, seniors or homeowners with disabilities to apply for the Rebuilding Together Solano County rehab program is April 30.

“Our goal is to provide a safe and healthy living environment for low-income veteran homeowners and community facilities. Our services are provided free to qualified and selected homeowners,” organizers said.

To qualify, the homeowners:

n Must own and live in a stick-built, single-family residence in Solano County.

n Must have paid current mortgage, property taxes and homeowner’s insurance;

n Cannot own other property or units unless on the property of the primary residence.

There are income requirements, too, depending on the number of people living in the house: One person, at or below $60,800; two, $69,450; three, $78,150; four, $86,800; five, $93,750; six or more: $100,700.

To apply, complete the homeowner application, collect all required supporting documentation and, by deadline, mail the completed package to Rebuilding Together Solano County, PO Box 5996, Vallejo, CA 94591; or send by email, with scanned application and supporting documentation, to ehoffman. rtsc@gmail.com.

For more information, send an email to ehoffman. rtsc@gmail.com.

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — CAP

Solano is slated to receive close to $350,000 in Continuum of Care and Youth Homeless Demonstration Program grants to address housing insecurity issues.

Shelter Inc is set to receive $270,711 for Solano County programs.

The funds are part of $633 million from Housing and Urban Develop-

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Legislation the bill’s author said would strengthen elder and dependent adult financial abuse protections has cleared the state Senate Banking Committee.

Senate Bill 278 clarifies the language in current law and allows victims of financial elder abuse to hold banks and other institutions accountable when “they should have

BOE Report: State’s property tax value up 4% in 2021-22

FAIRFIELD — The assessed value of statewide property in 2021-22 increased 4%, the state Board of Equalization reported.

“This resulted in $83.1 billion in total local property tax revenues, contributing $44.6 billion

ment, Sen. Alex Padilla announced this week.

The funds are distributed in a number of categories, including the Continuum of Care and Youth Homeless Demonstration Program ($525.8 million), Emergency Rental Assistance ($71.6 million), Housing Vouchers for the Homeless in Rural Areas ($26.4 million)and the Choice Neighborhoods Implementation grants ($10 million).

known of the fraud but negligently assisted in the transfer anyway. The clarification would support victims of financial elder abuse in meeting their burden of proof.”

“Clearly, banks must do a better job of protecting the most vulnerable Californians,” state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, said in a statement. “I’m proud to get support for this bill, which clarifies that if these institutions assist in finan-

to schools and $38.5 billion to counties, cities, and special districts,” the state agency said in a statement released with its 2021-22 Annual Report.

The total is $3.2 million more than the 2020-21 total of $79.9 billion.

“Property taxes have been a steady and reliable revenue stream that funds our schools and important government services Californians rely on every day,” BOE Chairman

The Community Action Partnership of Solano, Joint Powers Authority funds are a $44,264 planning grant and two grants totaling $304,332 for the coordinated entry system. Shelter Inc. received $159,914 for its Aspire RRH program, which is a rapid rehousing program to help individuals who have lost their residences through rent support and other wraparound services until they are again self-reliant,

cial elder abuse, either knowingly or otherwise, they can be held responsible. It will motivate them to detect predatory practices before victims are robbed of their resources, dignity and quality of life – losses from which they may never recover.”

SB 278 is supported by elder rights advocates and Consumer Attorneys of California. “Older Californians are the fastest growing

Antonio Vazquez said in a statement. “The BOE’s critical role protects these dollars through its oversight of property tax assessments and that they are done fairly, uniformly, and consistently.”

Solano County’s assessed property tax value for 2021-22 was $62.69 billion, up about $1.8 billion (2.97%) from the prior year.

The complete annual report can be found at https://www.boe. ca.gov/legdiv/2021-2022/ pub306.pdf.

Julie Clemens, director of development, said in a phone interview.

It also received $110,808 for Esperanza Solano, a program that supports survivors of domestic violence. It is also a rapid rehousing model, Clemens said, adding that both programs are new to Solano County that start sometime after July 1. There was an Aspire program in the past.

segment of our population and face a particularly high risk of financial fraud and abuse,” Caleb Logan, of Elder Law & Advocacy and of the bill co-sponsor California Low-Income Consumer Coalition, said in the statement. “Fortunately, banks can prevent seniors from losing their life savings to a scam. SB 278 will clarify existing law to revitalize important safeguards against financial abuse.”

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Legislation that would allow higher council salaries in general law cities has passed the state Senate Governance and Finance Committee.

It would apply to all Solano County cities except Vallejo, which is a charter city.

The bill’s author, Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, said the legislation would encourage diversity on California city councils.

“Our communities rely on city council members who serve long hours and make critical decisions,” Dodd said in a statement. “It’s a major commitment that’s especially hard on working people and those from diverse or disadvantaged backgrounds who must balance jobs and family obligations. My proposal will improve diverse representation and increase access to elected office for all Californians by making it less of a financial challenge to serve.”

If signed into law, it would amend the maximum salaries allowed for the first time since 1984. That pay formula is based on the size of the city.

A majority of cities in California are under 35,000 in population and the council salaries

are presently capped at $300 per month with minimal allowances for adjustment.

Senate Bill 329 would allow councils to adjust their maximum pay to reflect inflation as measured by the California Consumer Price Index. Any increases would require a majority vote of the city councils.

SB 329 is supported by the California branch of the NAACP and the League of California Cities. “Diversity and inclusion make for better policy-making at all levels of government,” Carolyn Coleman, executive director and chief executive officer of the League of California Cities, said in the statement.

“Cal Cities is proud to sponsor this important legislation that lessens barriers for those interested in governing at the local level. This overdue reform is another tool communities can choose to use that can helps ensure our city councils are reflective of the residents who live, work and play in their communities,” she added.

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

Courtesy photo an Epilobium canum calistoga. The California native Plant society’s Willis linn Jepson Chapter will offer an online sale from april 24 - 30 to restore California’s natural splendor.

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic file (2016) sgt. sam Rowland of the Fairfield Police Department competes in the 3rd annual Police Motorcycle Training Competition at the solano Town Center in Fairfield, May 14, 2016.

Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic file (2016)

Home Depot employees paint the Fairfield home of shirley Brooks as part of a project with Rebuilding Together solano County, in 2016.

Solano hospitals recognized for providing safe care

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — Four Solano County hospitals in Fairfield, Vacaville and Vallejo have been recognized for providing patients with safe care.

Kaiser Permanente Vallejo was included as as a Tier 1 facility in the Cal Hospital Compare 2023 Patient Safety Honor Roll, and Kaiser Vacaville as a Tier 2 facility.

“From the clinics to the pharmacies to the operating rooms, our care teams are committed to keeping our members healthy and safe,” Dr. Chris Walker, physician in chief for Kaiser Permanente Napa Solano, said in a statement. “This is further confirmation that our Kaiser Permanente hospitals are the best places to receive care.”

NorthBay Medical Center in Fairfield and VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville also were recognized as Tier 2 facilities.

“The Patient Safety Honor Roll uses objective,

publicly available patient safety measures to evaluate hospitals across a variety of domains including hospital acquired infections, adverse patient safety events, sepsis management, patient experience, and Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. Developing the criteria to identify high performing

hospitals was an 18-month, multistakeholder process of rigorously evaluating existing national patient safety scoring systems and adapting them for the available measures and unique features of California hospital,” Cal Hospital Compare stated.

The group noted, however, that hospitals

International Bird Rescue to host World Migratory Bird Day at in-person event

FAIRFIELD — The International Bird Rescue is hosting a World Migratory Bird Day on May 13.

The event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cordelia Slough Youth

in Fairfield. The event also will serve as the first in-person open house since 2019 for the International Bird Rescue.

This event is open to the public, but they are asking attendees to regwww.

not on the list can still provide high-quality care to patients.

CHC uses 13 measures to determine its list, including hospital acquired infections, adverse patient safety events, sepsis management, patient experience and a Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade.

Fairfield ranks No. 204 in the state for household expenses

A my m Aginnis-Honey

AMAGINNIS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — A recent report from doxo, a service that offers bill payment through a single account, found that California ranks second in the nation for household bill expenses.

Hawaii, where residents pay $3,070 a month on average, ranked first.

California residents pay $2,838 in household bills a month. Those calling Fairfield home spend about $2,891 a month for the same, ranking it No. 204 of the 432 cities the study examined. That is almost 40% of their income.

The national average is $2,046.

Fairfield’s average monthly mortgage is $2,194; rent is $1,808; auto loans, $485; utilities, $339; health insurance, $329; auto insurance, $165; cable

and internet, $120; mobile phone, $101; alarm, $96; and life insurance, $85.

Suisun City residents pay an average of $2,884 per month on the same bills. Household expenses are almost 41% higher than the national average.

The monthly mortgage average is $1,816; rent $1,896 and $447 on utilities.

The city ranks No. 207 for household expenses.

Vacaville ranks No. 188, spending about $2,954 per month on household expenses.

The most affordable state for household bills is West Virginia, where residents pay $1,530 per month.

The much higher-thanaverage rent and mortgage prices drive the expenses as high as they are, with both being significantly more than the national average. The average mort-

gage payment in California is $2,402, and average rent is $1,762, compared to the national average mortgage bill of $1,321 and rent bill of $1,191.

This makes California’s mortgage costs 82% higher than the national average, and rent costs 48% higher than the national average.

Life insurance is also an area in which California residents spend considerably more than the national average. The average household in California pays $110 a month for life insurance, compared to the national average of $89.

Auto insurance, however, is more affordable in California than it is in the country overall. While U.S. residents on average spend $207 per month on car insurance, in California they spend just $196.

Health insurance and life insurance expenses

do not account for payments made by employers on behalf of employees. These just include out-ofpocket expenses.

Also, the state and national bill totals take into account the percentage of households that pay a bill.

Cable and internet is 1% higher than the national average; health insurance, 10% higher; mobile phone, 4% lower; alarm and security, 20% higher; and life insurance is 24% higher.

Residents of San Ramon pay the highest household bills in the state of California, at an average of $4,390 per month.

El Centro is the most affordable place in California for household bills. Residents pay $1,641 on average for household bills. Visit https://www.doxo. com/insights/householdbills/california/solano to view the figures.

Wet state boosts water allocations to 100%

los A ngeles Times

For the first time since 2006, California officials have increased allocations from the vital State Water Project to 100% of requested supplies, as reservoirs across the state are nearing capacity with an epic snowmelt forecast for the coming weeks.

An unusually wet winter brought unprecedented snowfall and a succession of heavy rainstorms, pulling much of the state out of a punishing years-long drought.

Just last year, state officials slashed water allocations to 5%, bracing for the third year without substantial precipitation.

This year has been different.

“With reservoirs nearing capacity and snowmelt runoff starting to occur, (the state Department of Water Resources) now expects to deliver 100% of requested water supplies, up from 75% announced in March,” state officials said Thursday.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation also announced Thursday an increase to 100% of requested water allocations for almost all farms, homes and industries served by the

federal Central Valley Project, which provides critical irrigation and water to the San Joaquin Valley, San Francisco Bay Area and Central Valley.

For many of those regions, this will be the first time since 2017 that water allocations reach 100% of requested supplies.

“Following two years of 0% allocations, this announcement will provide much needed water to support the (Westlands Water) District’s communities, family-owned farms, and hard-working families in the San Joaquin Valley,” said Jose Gutierrez, the interim general manager for Westlands Water District, a Central Valley Project contractor serving mostly rural

communities in Fresno and Kings counties. “This water supply will assist growers in Westlands with putting the land to work to grow the food that feeds the world.”

The State Water Project is a different system of reservoirs, canals and dams that provides key water supplies across California through 29 agencies that together provide water for about 27 million residents and 750,000 acres of farmland.

“Water supply conditions and careful management of reservoir operations during this extreme winter allows DWR to maximize water deliveries while enhancing protections for the environment,” said Karla Nemeth,

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic file (2018) open house at the International Bird Rescue in Fairfield, oct. 20, 2018.

Vaca residents asked to take community health survey

VACAVILLE – Local residents are being encouraged to participate in an online community health survey titled “Environmental Justice goals, policies, and actions.”

“These policies have been created to help address health issues including, but not limited to, reducing asthma rates, encouraging access to healthy foods, increasing community

In brief

involvement in city decision-making, addressing vehicle pollution, promoting physical activity, improving mental health, and promoting safety in public spaces,” the city said in a statement.

Residents can access the survey at www.surveymonkey. com/r/XCRSK37.

The Planning Commission will take action on the health policies on May 16, and the City Council will consider the policies on June 27.

Coalition holding forum on student issues

FAIRFIELD — The Solano Youth Coalition on Wednesday will host a student-led forum regarding the well-being of youths in Solano County.

“A student panel will ask Solano County district superintendents and district school board presidents questions about district supports, policies and procedures regarding student issues,” organizers said in a statement.

The coalition’s mission is to “promote and encourage the participation of young people in the development of policies, programs and services in their community.”

The forum will run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Solano County Office of Education, 5100 Business Center Drive in Fairfield, For information, contact Rebecca Floyd at rfloyd@ solanocoe.net.

director of the Department of Water Resources. “DWR is moving and storing as much water as possible to the benefit of communities, agriculture, and the environment.”

The San Luis Reservoir in Merced County, which holds water for both the State Water Project and Central Valley Porject, was at 99% capacity Thursday, according to according to the California Department of Water Resources.

In Southern California, the Cachuma and Castaic reservoirs were at 99% and 96% capacity, respectively.

Lake Oroville, which was at 89% capacity Thursday and provides the most water to the State Water Project, is expected to be full by the end of May, state water officials said.

Lake Shasta, the cornerstone of the Central Valley Project, has seen drastic increases in capacity over the last few weeks, up from 59% in February to 94% Thursday, federal data show. It hasn’t been this full since 2019 and is well above the historical average for this time of year, according to Valeria Rodriguez, a spokesperson fro the Bureau of Reclamation.

BloomBerg

The labor union rep resenting 22,000 U.S. West Coast dockwork ers in contract-renewal talks said it has reached a tentative agreement with their employers on “certain key issues” and that negotiations will con tinue until they reach a definitive pact.

Talks have stretched on for months between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association – representing about 70 ocean carriers and terminal operators – over a new labor contract to replace one that expired July 1.

The ILWU and PMA meet regularly in San Francisco for negotiations and “are committed to reaching an agreement,” the ILWU said in a statement Thursday.

In late July, the parties said they’d reached a tentative agreement on health benefits.

While work has continued largely as normal at the 29 ports in California, Oregon and Washington, there have

been issues reported at major hubs including the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, which together form the largest container gateway in the U.S.

The PMA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Inbound cargo volumes have declined at all U.S. ports since the fourth quarter of last year, but West Coast operations have seen a bigger drop-off as importers seek to avoid a repeat of pandemic-era delays and the protracted laborcontract talks.

DAily r epuBlic sTAff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

DAily r epuBlic sTAff

The Kaiser Permanente hospital in Vacaville.

West Coast dockworkers have a tentative agreement on some issues

Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times/TNS file a series of heavy rainstorms this winter has replenished the san luis Reservoir near los Banos, sunday. The reservoir stores water from the san Joaquin-sacramento River Delta.

Imperial Valley nears day of reckoning for use of distressed Colorado River

When white settlers forayed into what came to be known as the Imperial Valley at the dawn of the 20th century, they found a barren desert in California’s southeastern corner, unpopulated except for a few members of the Kamia clan of the Kumeyaay tribe.

The harsh conditions, however, had a potential upside. With water, the desert could bloom with crops and the water was potentially available from the Colorado River, which flowed to the sea a few dozen miles to the east, on the other side of a massive stretch of Sahara-like sand dunes.

The settlement of the valley was romantically portrayed in “The Winning of Barbara Worth,” a best-selling novel by Harold Bell Wright that later became a silent movie.

A canal was dug, routed through Mexico to skirt the sand dunes, and the Imperial Valley, named for the Imperial Land Co., blossomed. It became a 500,000-acre provider of vegetables, alfalfa and other crops watered at very little cost from the Colorado and nurtured by yearround sunshine.

By being the first organization to tap the Colorado, the Imperial Irrigation District, formed in 1911, obtained the river’s most senior diversion rights. Thus, when allocations were later formalized by a multi-state compact, the IID claimed nearly three-fourths of California share of 4.4 million acre-feet a year, with the remainder going to municipal users in and around Los Angeles.

There have been minor adjustments in allocations over the years, and IID has sold some of its water to other entities, particularly in San Diego County. However, the district has jealously guarded its senior rights, even as the Colorado’s flows dwindled and upstream reservoirs such as Lake Mead and Lake Powell shriveled.

The day of reckoning, however, may have arrived.

The federal Bureau of Reclamation, citing the Colorado’s declining flows and the probability that Mead and Powell cannot be sustained, wants all seven states drawing water from the river to cut back. Years of negotiations have gone nowhere, largely due to IID’s stubborn defense of its rights.

This month, the Bureau of Reclamation raised the stakes of the multi-state poker game, proposing three options: do nothing and let nature take its course, reduce all diversions by the same percentage, or cut back proportionately by water rights.

“The prolonged drought afflicting the American West is one of the most significant challenges facing our country today,” Deputy Interior Secretary Tommy Beaudreau said as he and other officials gathered in a room overlooking Hoover Dam and a much-diminished Lake Mead. “We’re in the third decade of a historic drought that has caused conditions that the people who built this system would not have imagined.

“Everybody understands the significance of the crisis,” Beaudreau added. “I think everybody understands that, as fortunate and thankful we are for the precipitation, that nobody’s off the hook, and that there needs to continue to be unity in trying to develop solutions.”

Federal officials have hinted that if forced to act, they likely would opt for the across-theboard equal percentage reduction in diversions. It would have the greatest negative effect on California overall and the Imperial Irrigation District specifically, and would clearly undercut the senior rights held by the IID and some other diverters – particularly Native American tribes which gained rights relatively late in the 122-year history of the Colorado’s diversions.

Such a move would certainly draw lawsuits from the IID and California water interests, contending that it violates long-established rights.

The release of the three options is widely regarded as a spur to get negotiations going again, but whether it works is very much up in the air.

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 sebastian.onate@ mcnaughton.media.net or drop them off at our office, 1250 Texas St. in Fairfield.

Dealing with homelessness in Fairfield

One of the most perplexing local concerns is the impact of homeless people living in and around the city. While not as obnoxious as in some metropolitan areas like San Francisco or Los Angeles, their presence creates apprehension in some, dislike in others. The obvious reasons include litter and excrement where homeless persons settle, whether on a creek bank or underpass or a street.

What’s not often asked is, Why is anyone homeless? It’s not “normal” and few individuals are there by choice. Some are homeless because of divorce, eviction, bankruptcy, a variety of reasons. Most tragic are children – whether runaways or kicked out by their families – who seldom have the tools to survive alone. Many suffer some degree of mental illness – psychological trauma and drugs probably among the main reasons. But they’re fellow human beings and we have to do what we can to help them.

Remedying such impacts, however, is beyond the capabilities of most citizens and businesses. Churches can help limited numbers of people for limited amounts of time; and are the source of most volunteers. Government-funded organizations and facilities can provide more sustained care and opportunities for improving a

homeless person’s life, but at the expense of other responsibilities. Most municipalities are devoting funds to build and maintain shelters, even renting hotel rooms. Such efforts help some people, but spend a lot of money in the process.

Several years ago, Fairfield established a Homeless Intervention Team (HIT is a terrible acronym).

The mission of its two police officers was to communicate with homeless persons, try to learn their circumstances, explain what services were available, and encourage changing their lives. Sometime later, the team was reconstituted with a social worker who could better interact with such individuals and, since some situations could be dangerous, one or two police officers. The team succeeded in getting some individuals to return home or into rehabilitation programs. The Public Works Department deploys teams to clean up camps after residents are moved. Predictably, they later return.

Many studies point out better ways to help restore a homeless individual’s independence and dignity. Most clearly show the futility of merely providing food and a room. But shelters satisfy the old saying, “Out of sight, out of mind.” We need to realize that these measures do not solve the problems, so

continue to waste money. We have to do things differently.

Using government funds to provide shelter must be tied to a commitment on the part of a homeless person to improve him- or herself to get off the streets. Such individuals must want to rejoin society. This model works in communities across the U.S. and should be the heart of every governmentfunded or subsidized program.

“Tough love” is infinitely better than simple welfare. A few individuals have used their stay in government-provided housing to get some education and work experience, and turned their lives around.

When talking about any government project or proposal, one question always comes up: Can private enterprise do the job with less money? The flip side of that question is, Will government even take a look?

Why is our Taxpayer Group interested in this subject? Because “government funds” are our tax dollars.

We’re not just looking out for taxpayers. We want governments to do what they’re founded – and funded –to do. It’s tedious sometimes, but satisfying in the end.

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

Gary a bernathy SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON POST

There is little mystery why millions of right-leaning Americans turn to alternative information sources. While the “news” they absorb from such outlets is suspect, at least their patriotism isn’t questioned and their political choices aren’t shamed.

Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders was criticized by the left for saying that today’s political differences are between “normal” and “crazy.” But mainstream media voices increasingly make the same suggestion about the Republican Party. Many imply that millions of Americans who support former president Donald Trump are racist or “semi-fascist,” with admonitions to stop treating them and the GOP as “normal.” That’s a good plan if strictly catering to a left-wing audience is the strategy.

CNN’s Don Lemon summed it up last year, saying, “We cannot have a false sense of equivalency about what is happening when it comes to politics in our country. There is one party, right now, that is not operating in fact, that has been misleading the American people. And that is the Republican Party.”

What Lemon calls a false equivalency, however, is not so false as far as a divided public is concerned.

As the New York Times reported in September, “In a remarkable consensus, a new Quinnipiac University poll found that 69 percent of Democrats and 69 percent of Republicans say that democracy is ‘in danger of collapse.’ But one side blames former President Donald J. Trump and his ‘MAGA Republicans,’ while the other fingers President Biden and the ‘socialist Democrats.’”

Americans who see a threat from Biden and his party aren’t taken very seriously in the mainstream media.

But many of us believe that the Democratic Party’s socialist-style tilt is arguably a more enduring danger than the Republican Party’s shift, even considering the disgraceful events of Jan. 6, 2021, and the foolishness of election deniers.

Almost impossible to reverse will be the over-regulating, big-government actions of progressivism and “democratic socialism,” manifested by costly “green new deal”-style environmental regulations that threaten our energy independence, migrants illegally crossing our borders in record numbers, forgiving tens of billions of dollars in student loans by presidential fiat, and many more progressive wish-list programs.

Yes, both parties have clearly lurched toward the margins, and voters have increasingly followed. Until recently in modern history, presidential candidates seen as too extreme generally suffered defeat –Barry Goldwater (1964) and George McGovern (1972). An exception was Ronald Reagan in 1980, when a horrible economy and the Iran hostage crisis propelled the “far right” challenger to victory.

Beginning in 2008, however, voters began taking chances on the more nontraditional candidate, choosing Barack Obama (twice) over establishment Republicans John McCain and Mitt Romney, and then electing Trump over establishment Democrat Hillary Clinton. Candidate Biden was an establishment figure, of course; his 2020 win was a repudiation of Trump. But, as president, Biden has adopted an ardently progressive governing philosophy in preparation for 2024.

In response to the GOP’s populist incarnation, the left is working to instill the notion that traditional conservatism, infused with Trumpist authoritarianism, presents a radical danger to democracy. For example, opposition to abortion is portrayed as “forced birth.” Conservative oppo-

sition to men dressing as women for “story hours” aimed at children is compared to the actions of the Ku Klux Klan. Establishing rules under which voters prove their identity is likened to the Jim Crow era. The spin goes on.

And yet, in the 2022 midterms, Americans cast more votes for the allegedly fascist and bigoted GOP than for Democrats. Thankfully, most voters do not yet conflate a threat to the progressive agenda with a threat to democracy – but it’s not for lack of effort on many fronts to impart just that message.

Trump’s post-election conduct has been shameful. His refusal to accept defeat is ego-driven, as usual, but impugning Americans for their association with him overstates his menace. Trump has always been more blustering demagogue than militant revolutionary. He should not be denied the presidency because he’s dangerous or because of indictments that carry little chance of criminal convictions, but because he had his chance and refused to mature into what a president must be. Millions of Americans obviously disagree with that conclusion, which is their right in a free country – just as it’s the right of other Americans to support progressives or democratic socialists deemed dangerous by conservatives. If there’s a threat to democracy, it’s in the fact that both parties have grown more extreme, and that may well be cause for concern. But by singling out the modern GOP, the real objective appears to be demonizing patriotic Americans who happen to support Trump or his issues and clearing the way for unchallenged progressive ideology. Is that how we’re defining the preservation of democracy these days?

Gary Abernathy, a contributing columnist for The Washington Post, is a freelance writer based in the Cincinnati region.

CALMATTERS COMMENTARY

THE TAX WATCHERS COMMENTARY

Fear for our democracy runs both ways, but only half of that story gets told

Dan Walters

John Takeuchi

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Foo Fighters announce first album since death of drummer Hawkins

The WashingTon PosT

“But Here We Are,” the group’s 11th album, was described as “a brutally honest and emotionally raw response to everything Foo Fighters endured over the last year” in a statement the Grammy-winning rock band released Wednesday. It is “the sound of brothers finding refuge in the music that brought them together in the first place 28 years ago.”

The 10-track album comes out June 2. Its lead single, “Rescued,” was released online this week and previews the band’s bittersweet return.

“We’re all free to some degree/To dance under the lights,” lead singer Dave Grohl belts in the track. “I’m just waiting to be rescued/ Bring me back to life.”

Hawkins died suddenly at age 50 in March 2022, hours before the band was set to perform in Bogotá, Colombia. An initial toxicology report revealed Hawkins had traces of 10 substances, including marijuana, antidepressants and opioids, in his system, according to a statement from the Colombia attorney general’s office.

The surviving members of the band performed a six-hour tribute concert at London’s Wembley Stadium in September, during which Grohl broke down in tears and Hawkins’s teenage son played drums. Hawkins joined the Foo Fighters in 1997, and contributed to all 15 of the group’s Grammy wins.

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

TUESDAY, APRIL 18

6:13 a.m. — Embezzlement, 4400 block of CENTRAL WAY

7:14 a.m. — Commercial

burglary, 5200 block of WATT COURT

7:36 a.m. — Battery, 1000 block of MOCKINGBIRD LANE

8:35 a.m. — Battery, 1000 block of MOCKINGBIRD LANE

8:50 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 1300

block of PHOENIX DRIVE

11:49 a.m. — Trespassing, 2500 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

3:31 p.m. — Battery, MANOR PLACE

3:59 p.m. — Forgery, 2200 block of SANTA FE STREET

4:47 p.m. — Trespassing, 1500 block of GATEWAY BOULEVARD

5:42 p.m. — Vehicle burglary, 2500 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET

7:04 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 4300 block of CENTRAL PLACE

7:46 p.m. — Trespassing,

Fish

From

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call 707-644-7867.

BuzzFeed News shutting down

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

BuzzFeed News, which won a Pulitzer Prize for its reporting in 2021, is shutting down.

A memo from BuzzFeed chief Jonah Peretti announced the closure of the once formidable unit Thursday. Peretti also said the New York-based media company is cutting 15% of its staff.

“While layoffs are occurring across nearly every division, we’ve determined that the company can no longer continue to fund BuzzFeed News as a standalone organization,” Peretti said.

Buzzfeed News, which once had as many

From

highways rank last in the nation due to high fatality rates and poor urban and rural pavement conditions. New York’s high spending didn’t fix its bad urban pavement conditions or percentage of structurally deficient bridges, resulting in the state ranking 49th in overall performance and cost-effectiveness. The other worst-ranked states –Hawaii (48th), California (47th), and Washington (46th) – also tend to have high costs that are not translating into good pavement quality or safe road and bridge conditions,” the statement said.

The report examines each state in 13 categories, including urban and rural pavement conditions, urban and rural highway fatality rates, traffic congestion, structurally deficient bridges, and state highway spending on capital and maintenance projects.

The report indicates 21 states improved from the 2019 analysis.

“Unfortunately, national urban and rural fatality rates rose, and pavement conditions deteriorated on the country’s rural interstate highways and urban arterial roads. America’s local roads are in especially bad shape,” the report states.

California ranked 29th in urban fatality rate, and 39th in rural fatality rate.

The report states that in 2020 there were

catching an array of keepers – stripers and other “flopping critters.”

“I’m a catch-andrelease guy these days, that is when I can catch anything,” Booker said.

Striped bass are among the 18 fish species in the new Environmental Health Hazard Assessment released by the state Environmental Protection Agency for the San Francisco Bay and five other bays: San Pablo, Suisun, Grizzly, Honker, Richardson, San Rafael and San Leandro.

It includes a do-not-eat advisory for Mississippi silverside, Pacific sardine and topsmelt.

“The do-not-eat (advisory) for all fish in the Lauritzen Channel located in Richmond Inner Harbor remains in effect ... due to high levels of dieldrin and DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and its byproducts,” the state EPA said.

berlip surfperch, black and shiner perch, shark species, white croaker and white sturgeon.

“Many fish have nutrients that may reduce the risk of heart disease and are excellent sources of protein,” Dr. Lauren Zeise, director of state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, said in a statement. “By following our guidelines for fish caught in San Francisco Bay, people can safely eat fish low in chemical contaminants and enjoy the well-known health benefits of fish consumption.”

When consuming fish from San Francisco Bay, and the other bays listed, the agency advises women 18 to 49, and children 1 to 17, not to eat Mississippi silverside, Pacific sardine, shark species, shiner surfperch, striped bass, topsmelt or white sturgeon.

LEARN MORE

•The San Francisco Bay advisory joins more than 130 other Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment advisories that provide site-specific, health-based fish consumption advice for many of the places where people catch and eat fish in California, including lakes, rivers, bays, reservoirs and the California coast. Advisories are available at https:// oehha.ca.gov/fish/advisories.

•Tips on safely preparing and cooking fish can be found at www.safefood.net/food-safety/cooking-fish.

Additionally, women 50 or older and men 18 or older, “should not eat Mississippi Silverside, Pacific sardine, Shiner surfperch or topsmelt.

up a single serving,” the agency added.

as 250 employees, has undergone staff reductions in recent years and is currently down to 50 employees.

Buzzfeed News earned a Pulitzer Prize in 2021 for an investigative series exposing China’s mass detention of Muslims.

Buzzfeed was founded in 2006 and its news division launched in 2012. It was one of the first successful online-only news sites, following a model established by Huffington Post.

But Buzzfeed’s content was edgier and aimed at a younger demographic of digital natives who embraced the company’s stories about culture and its “listicles” and puzzles.

Previous versions are available at https://reason.org/ topics/transportation/ annual-highway-report.

5,822 rural fatalities, down from 6,273 rural fatalities in 2019. The urban data shows there were 11,889 urban fatalities in 2020, which is up 10,737 in 2019, However, overall, urban interstate pavement conditions improved, and a smaller percentage of the country’s bridges were graded as structurally deficient. Congestion levels were down, but largely due to less travel during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The report states that 4.52% of California’s rural interstate highways are in poor condition, while 9.38% of its urban interstate was considered in poor condition, the report states.

The state was 25th for the percentage of bridges considered to be “structurally deficient,” a mark of 5.8%, and 44th in urban congestion. The data was pulled from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s 2021 Urban Mobility Report, defined as “the average annual hours of delay per auto commuter in urbanized areas.”

California’s number is 31.3 hours. The average across the country was 27.04 hours, the report states.

The advisory also includes safe-eating tips for American shad, California halibut, Chinook (king) salmon, jacksmelt, northern anchovy, barred, white, walleye and rub-

From

clear the pad, we’re going to have a win.”

The Starship rocket –currently the most powerful in the world – lifted off from the company’s launch site near Boca Chica, Texas, around 7:33 a.m. Central time. After passing through the moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket, the Starship spacecraft was set to separate from the Super Heavy firststage booster.

But instead of separating, the still-conjoined rocket tumbled head over head before it ultimately exploded. Stacked together, the two-part rocket stands nearly 400 feet tall and can carry more than 220,000 pounds. It has about twice the thrust of the Apollo-era Saturn V rocket that ferried astronauts to the moon. The Super Heavy first-stage booster is powered by 33 individual engines.

Musk congratulated the team on the launch via Twitter, saying they “learned a lot for next test launch in a few months.”

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson didn’t seem too concerned about the outcome of Thursday’s test flight, tweeting: “Every great achievement throughout history has demanded some level of calculated risk, because with great risk comes great reward. Looking forward to all that SpaceX learns, to the next flight test – and beyond.” SpaceX is under contract with

Those same groups, the agency states, “May safely eat a maximum of two total servings per week of American shad or Chinook (king) salmon, or one serving per week of barred surfperch, black perch, California halibut, jacksmelt, northern anchovy, rubberlip surfperch, walleye surfperch, white croaker or white surfperch.”

Those age groups, the agency states, “May safely eat a maximum of seven total servings per week of American shad; or five total servings per week of Chinook (king) salmon; or three total servings per week of barred surfperch, black perch, rubberlip surfperch or white surfperch; or two total servings per week of California halibut or jacksmelt; or one ... serving per week of northern anchovy, shark species, striped bass, walleye surfperch, white croaker or white sturgeon.”

One serving is an 8-ounce fish fillet measured prior to cooking.

“Children should eat smaller servings. For small fish species, several individual fish may make

The advisory recommendations are based on the levels of contaminants, such as mercury and PCBs (man-made organic chemicals consisting of carbon, hydrogen and chlorine atoms), that persist in the environment and accumulate in fish.

The advisories are independent of any fish intake limits due to freshwater or estuarine harmful algal blooms, or other fishing regulations. More information can be found at https:// mywaterquality.ca.gov/ habs/where/freshwater_ events.html.

“Eating fish in amounts slightly greater than the advisory’s recommendations is not likely to cause health problems if it is done only occasionally, such as eating fish caught during an annual vacation,” the agency stated.

From Page One

and tools, Fairfield officers entered the home to arrest the man. Cort encountered him first.

The man attacked Cort, biting him in the face and stabbing him on his left side. The man appeared to be under the influence of drugs, but after Cort’s initial contact, officers safely took the suspect into custody. Because of Cort’s brave acts, no one else was injured. Cort recovered from his wounds and continues to serve as an invaluable member of the Fairfield Police Department.

This was not the first time Cort has had to overcome a violent assault during his duties. In January 2019, Cort was

Veronica G. Cardenas/AFP/Getty Images

Spectators watch from South Padre Island, Texas, as the SpaceX Starship launches for a flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday. The Starship exploded during the first test flight of the spacecraft. The rocket successfully blasted off at 8:33 a.m. Central Time. The Starship capsule had been scheduled to separate from the first-stage rocket booster three minutes into the flight but separation failed to occur and the rocket blew up.

NASA to develop Starship as a lunar lander for the Artemis moon program.

Starship also is crucial to the future of Musk’s SpaceX.

Although SpaceX built its reputation and manifest on the smaller Falcon 9 rocket, the company needs to expand its business beyond launches. That’s where Starship comes in. The Hawthorne company has already launched thousands of small satellites as part of its Starlink broadband internet constellation and offers service to the U.S. and countries around the globe. But those initial, smaller satellites are not advanced enough to fully implement SpaceX’s goal of being a major player in the broadband market.

SpaceX plans to launch more capable versions of the Starlink satellites that are larger and

stabbed by a man he had located and apprehended. The man was wanted for attempted murder and arson.

Earlier this week, the department’s therapy dogs, K9s Stanford and Maddox, made their television debut.

“Dogs break barriers,” said Mary Hooker, the program coordinator for NICST’s First Response K9 Program, in a Facebook post from the Fairfield Police Department. “Whether you have an officer, dispatcher or other first responder as the handler – the first thing people see is the dog. The dog helps bring calm and can bring people out of themselves when experiencing stress. If they’ve been through a traumatic or critical incident, the dog can help bring their blood pressure down,

would require many more launches if flown on a Falcon 9 rocket. But with Starship’s carrying capacity, the company would be able to launch more satellites at a time, allowing SpaceX to build its broadband capacity faster and serve more customers.

Starlink is an important part of SpaceX’s plans for generating revenue. Musk told reporters in 2019 that revenue from providing internet service could total $30 billion a year, while launch revenue would top out at about $3 billion a year.

That kind of money is important for Musk’s ultimate goal – launching humans to Mars, which also requires Starship to ferry travelers to the red planet.

In the meantime, Starship already has missions closer to home on its docket. The rocket has been bought out by several

billionaires for private spaceflights, including one intended to circle the moon that’s funded by Japanese fashion mogul Yusaku Maezawa.

Thursday’s launch came after a scrub Monday morning, when SpaceX delayed the launch due to a valve issue with the rocket. Had the test mission gone off without a hitch, the Starship spacecraft would have separated from the Super Heavy booster and continued its ascent before coming back and hitting the Pacific Ocean in a “water landing” that would have intentionally exploded the spacecraft on impact, with most pieces expected to sink, according to a Federal Aviation Administration launch evaluation. The Super Heavy booster was intended to return to the Gulf of Mexico, where it would have landed vertically in the water.

CHECK OUT THE K9 TV APPEARANCES

Maddox: https://www.cbsnews.com/ gooddaysacramento/video/meet-maddox

Stanford: https://www.cbsnews.com/ gooddaysacramento/video/fairfield-polices-newsupport-animal

and help them talk about what’s going on and what they’ve been through.”

Stanford works wonders in the Special Victims Unit (formerly called the Family Violence Unit), where he’s currently assigned. He’s a forensic interviewer and, sometimes, (understandably) it can be difficult to get people to talk.

Recently, a victim was anxious about doing a pretext phone call (a phone call that often results in a confession from a suspect) and after getting comfort from Stanford, the person’s level of comfort increased

significantly.

Maddox joined the dispatch unit in July. Dispatchers manage some pretty traumatic calls, and they don’t often learn the final outcome once the call has ended. Not knowing the resolution can take a toll – and that’s where Maddox comes in.

The dog reportedly has the run of the dispatch call center, where he will get up in the middle of the day to greet and love on people, but he can also sense when someone may be stressing or having a hard time and he doesn’t hesitate to provide comfort then, too.

California’s ‘super bloom’ is underway; here’s why it’s so epic

The WAshingTon PosT Swaths of California are awash in vibrant colors as wildflowers have erupted from the earth.

The explosion of flowers across the state is what’s known as a “super bloom.”

How long the blooms will last and when they might emerge again can be difficult to predict. Whether they pop up simultaneously like this depends on a combination of factors that don’t always happen every year.

While it isn’t a formal scientific term, a super bloom is “a wonderful natural phenomenon where many annual wildflowers all bloom simultaneously,” said Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs at the California Botanic Garden in Claremont.

“You have a great diversity, an abundance of many different wildflower species, all flowering, creating bright patches of color on the landscape where they become the dominant feature,” Fraga said.

The blooms, she added, are an “ephemeral phenomenon.” The last time a super bloom occurred in California was in 2019.

The flowers are often dormant as seeds in the soil, waiting for “just the right conditions” to start their life cycle, she said. California’s impressive floral showing is most likely connected to the massive amounts of precipitation that drenched much of the state in recent months.

“They’re winter annuals, they respond to winter rain,” Fraga said. “So, it really is having the bulk of the rain come in the winter months that leads to this.”

Cooler temperatures are also an important ingredient for super blooms, experts say.

“When the seed bank in the soil experiences this sort of range of temperatures and precipitation across time, then that has the ability to stimulate several different species to germinate and that creates

Missing teen is home safe; where she was for nearly four months remains mystery

LOS ANGELES — After her 16-year-old daughter disappeared, Marcila Avila waited in agony as time passed with no word.

On the 19th day, Alinka Angeline Castaneda called from a burner phone, saying she “was unable to leave her location.”

And then, more silence, punctuated by two more phone calls.

Avila estimates she passed out 7,000 fliers at beaches, malls and other places with photos of her blonde, dark-eyed girl.

the colorful landscape,” Fraga said.

Most of the plant species that make up a typical super bloom are desert annuals, which means they usually complete their entire life cycle in just a few months.

While drought can pose problems for these wildflowers, this year it might have helped create conditions for native blooms to flourish in certain areas of California, said Joan Dudney, an assistant professor at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Before the heavy rains and snowfall that pummeled the state recently, California had experienced three of its driest years on record. The drought could have reduced the number of invasive grass seed on the landscape and helped improve the chances for native plants to capitalize on the heavy rains and thrive.

In Carrizo Plain, in San Luis Obispo County, Great Valley phacelia in bloom can be seen from space as large dark swaths of purple. While throngs of visitors have already started to descend on the dense wildflower patches, this year’s showy display probably pales in comparison

to the amount of flowers that might have bloomed before invasive plant species were introduced.

“What we’re seeing today, I think, 300 years, 400 years ago would have seemed like a little blip, like, ‘Oh, what a cute little hillside,’ versus now it seems like this incredible event,” Dudney said. “That’s kind of a tragedy, actually, that we’ve lost so much of the diversity and such a big extent of the range in which these species used to occur.”

If people aren’t mindful when they visit these flower patches, experts say, there will probably be consequences. Walking through blooms could trample the flowers before they produce seeds. High foot traffic could also compact the soil, making it more difficult for flowers to grow in that area.

“It’s not just for our enjoyment or for the display. It’s life happening,” Fraga said. “In order for that life cycle to continue, we need to know that this flower isn’t the end goal. The end goal is the seed.”

Climate change, too, poses a threat to wildflowers. Frequent dry spells could mean longer stretches of time between super blooms, Fraga said. There are also predictions that changing weather patterns could shift seasonal rains to summer rather than winter.

“But these seeds can lay dormant in the soil seed bank for decades, so I think we’d have to see some really big shifts in climate patterns before we see these species sort of start to dwindle,” she said.

On Monday, nearly four months after Alinka was seen entering a vehicle outside her Carson, California, home at 5 a.m. Jan. 1, a tip from an anonymous caller led Avila to a bench on the beach in Venice.

Alinka was sitting on the bench.

Back home with her mother and younger sister, Alinka still has not told her family what happened to her.

Avila said that Alinka is struggling with anxiety and depression, and counselors have advised her not to push for details.

“They said she’ll tell me when she’s ready,” Avila, 58, a cosmetologist, said at a news conference Wednesday. “It’s difficult, but right now, what I most care about is that she’s back and safe.”

Asked to describe Alinka, Avila said only that “she has changed a lot during this ordeal.”

Alinka has spoken to detectives, and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. John Silverstein said an investigation

is “active.”

After the Jan. 19 call, Alinka called two more times from different burner phones, each time saying she was in an unknown place and didn’t know how to leave, said Moses Castillo, a retired Los Angeles Police Department detective who has been helping the family.

The phone from the first call was traced to a location several blocks inland from the Venice boardwalk – about 20 miles from Alinka’s home.

In an interview Sunday on NewsNation, Castillo said: “Dude, we know you have her. You’re an adult male. It’s time to just give her up.”

On Wednesday, Castillo offered no details on his theory that Alinka was held captive, saying he “did not want to interfere with an active investigation.”

But he said the NewsNation interview may have led to Alinka’s safe return.

While her daughter was missing, Avila tried to keep her hopes up. She also prepared for the worst, visiting morgues and calling coroner’s offices in four counties.

When the anonymous call came Monday, Avila rushed to Venice with Castillo.

LAPD officers received a similar tip. They got there first and began interviewing Alinka.

“When I saw her sitting on a bench in Venice, I only wished I had wings to fly to her,” Avila said. “Since I didn’t, I ran as fast as I could to give her a hug, and thank God, she was safe.”

Max Whittaker/The Washington Post photos

Blue dicks.

A honey bee lands on a blooming fiddleneck.

Moving on? A’s announce Vegas land deal

the meRcuRy newS

OAKLAND — The Oakland A’s, who for five decades built an iconic legacy of baseball and community at the vast concrete Coliseum it called home, have agreed to buy land in Las Vegas and build a new stadium there, team officials confirmed Wednesday.

The team, in a statement, said it had “signed a binding agreement” that could all but end its long and storied tenure in

Oakland, which now stands to lose its last major professional sports franchise after departures in recent years by the Raiders and Warriors.

Fans of the A’s – who are mired in one of the worst starts in team history –had been anxious to hear if the team and Oakland city officials were making progress to reach a deal for a massive ballpark and housing development at the city’s waterfront.

But those hopes appeared to be dashed after

the Nevada Independent first reported on Wednesday that the team was in advanced talks to construct a $1 billion stadium in Las Vegas, where the A’s had long threatened to move if a deal wasn’t reached in Oakland.

The clock had long been ticking for the the city and team to finalize a deal, but news of the binding purchase agreement on a 49-acre site near the Las Vegas Strip appears to show that time has finally run out.

And shortly after the news broke, Mayor Sheng Thao confirmed that negotiations for a deal at Howard Terminal were dead.

In a statement, the mayor said she was “deeply disappointed that the A’s have chosen not to negotiate with the City of Oakland as a true partner, in a way that respects the long relationship between the fans, the City and the team.

“The City has gone above and beyond in our

Kings’ ‘Coach of the Year’ Mike Brown knows Warriors very well

JaSon m aStRoDonato

BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

SAN FRANCISCO — Steve Kerr called it, and Wednesday afternoon his prediction was confirmed: Mike Brown, Kerr’s longtime assistant with the Warriors who took over as head coach of the Sacramento Kings this season, was named the NBA Coach of the Year.

With 100 first-place votes from a panel of reporters and broadcasters, Brown became the first-ever unanimous winner.

Wednesday, just before it was announced, Kerr sat at the podium at the Chase Center and said the Warriors need to make some adjustments against the Kings, who came

into the series as heavy underdogs but carried a 2-0 series lead into Thursday night’s Game 3.

Thursday’s game did not finish before the Daily Republic went to press. Read more on the series in Sunday’s print edition of the newspaper.

The Warriors have been competitive in both games, but Brown’s tactical decisions in the first two games undoubtedly made an impact. Kerr acknowledged a handful.

He talked Wednesday about how the Kings have done a good job blitzing Steph Curry and forcing him into questionable decisions, often hurrying the Warriors on offense.

“The greatest basketball quote of all time is from John Wooden, ‘be quick but don’t hurry,’ ” Kerr said. “That summarizes everything about the game. That’s what we need to think about. Our guys have been in a hurry, we showed them a lot of turnovers from Game 2. Frankly, most of them were unforced, most of them happened because we were in a rush to make a play.”

Often hounded by defenders, Curry went 3-for-13 (23%) from the 3-point line in Game 2.

“They’ve got a good plan and they’re doing everything they can to slow him down,” Kerr said.

Curry acknowledged before the

Shaquille O’Neal headlining Sonoma pre-race concert on NASCAR weekend

Sonoma R aceway

SONOMA — Basketball fans worldwide know him as Shaquille O’Neal, but it’s his alter ego DJ Diesel that will rev up the crowd with electronic dance music prior to the June 11 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.

The four-time NBA champion and platinumselling recording artist will drop the beat on the pre-race stage to headline race festivities for the 34th annual NASCAR Cup Series race.

DJ Diesel isn’t new to the sport. In 2010 O’Neal had the opportunity to race Dale Earnhardt Jr. for his reality TV show “Shaq Vs.” but this will be

O’Neal’s first appearance ever at Sonoma Raceway before the annual NASCAR Cup Series race and his last raceway stop before the summer music festival season.

“We can’t wait to entertain our race fans

with DJ Diesel throwing the party,” said Sonoma Raceway Executive Vice President and General Manager Jill Gregory.

“This is always a high energy crowd that loves our pre-race show. We’re looking forward to dialing

attempts to arrive at mutually beneficial terms to keep the A’s in Oakland,” Thao said in a statement.

“In the last three months, we’ve made significant strides to close the deal.”

“Yet, it is clear to me that the A’s have no intention of staying in Oakland and have simply been using this process to try to extract a better deal out of Las Vegas,” Thao added. “I am not interested in continuing to play that game – the fans and our residents deserve better.”

The planned development – a 35,000-seat waterfront ballpark, plus 3,000 new homes, massive retail and other commercial space, hotel units and more — divided residents who didn’t want to lose their hometown baseball team but worried the city would be on the hook to invest millions in the site. The A’s arrived in Oakland in 1968 and shared a home at the Coliseum with the Oakland

Solano baseball outlasts Laney

23-15 at home

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

ROCKVILLE —

The Solano Community College baseball team found Thursday that the best way to end a fourgame streak of allowing 11 or more runs was to simply score more than the opponent.

Solano had a 10-run eighth inning and delivered 21 hits in a 23-15 win over visiting Laney of Oakland. The streak of runs allowed continues, but the Falcons at least found the win column.

Solano improved to 14-20 overall and 8-9 in the Bay Valley Conference.

Miles Meadows, the former Rodriguez High School football quarterback, had a big day at the plate. Meadows was 3-for-6 with a double, home run and six RBI in the win. Conner Ross, Joseph Guttman and Julian Guerra all had three hits apiece. Ross had a double and drove in two runs. Guerra doubled twice and drove in two runs. Guttman doubled twice and drove in three runs.

Alex Gaela and Caleb Morant each had triples. Kevin Parker added yet another double.

Joshua Petrill pitched five innings, allowing nine hits, two earned runs, two walks and two strikeouts. Gregory Ryan, Cash McCrory and Jaxson Bates also took the mound.

Laney won the series opener Tuesday 11-4. There's no telling what will happen Friday in the series finale in Oakland when the teams meet for a 1 p.m. start.

Empire League with Vacaville at 8-3. Rodriguez scored in every inning but the second. Kyle Sandner was the top hitter. Sandner went 3-for-3 with a double, two home runs and seven RBI.

Landon Troutt, Kaden Wide, Schikore and Jaheem MoseleyWallace all had two hits apiece. Troutt and Wilde each had two RBIs. Wilde and Schikore both doubled. Schikore also had an RBI.

No individual statistics were made available for Armijo. The Royals fell to 7-9 overall and 5-6 in the MEL.

The two teams complete the three-game series at 4 p.m. Friday with a game back at Rodriguez. The Mustangs won the opener Monday at home 17-2.

Vierra delivers as Vaca blanks Vanden

FAIRFIELD — Nick Vierra did not allow a run over six strong innings on the mound Wednesday as the Vacaville High School baseball team shut out host Vanden 9-0.

Vierra finished with a seven-hitter, allowed no earned runs, walked two and struck out four. Eli Blurton threw one scoreless inning to close out the game. Vacaville improved to 12-8 overall and remains in a firstplace tie with Rodriguez at 8-3 in the Monticello Empire League.

Cy Dempsay had a pair of doubles and finished 3-for-5 with an RBI for the Bulldogs. Tyler Chalk also had three hits and drove in two runs.

up that energy higher than ever with Shaq leading the way at the Toyota/ Save Mart 350.”

Known for hits such as Welcome to the Playhouse and his latest single, Dawn Of The Dead, O’Neal’s interest for the turntables started in his teenage days. He loved listening to hip-hop DJs and wanted to give it a go himself. He was able to purchase a turntable setup after earning $200 doing chores around his neighborhood. When his 2013 rap album, Shaq Diesel sold over a million copies, it cemented him as the only athlete ever with a platinum-selling album.

Baseball Rodriguez rolls against Armijo FAIRFIELD—

Nathan Schikore and Landon Stadelhofer combined to allow just one hit and the Rodriguez High School baseball team backed them with plenty of offense in a 17-0 win at Armijo Wednesday that went five innings.

Schikore worked three innings, allowed no hits, no earned runs, no walks and struck out three. Stadelhofer pitched the last two and allowed one hit, no earned runs, no walks and struck out three.

Rodriguez improved to 12-7 overall and remains tied atop the Monticello

Drew Lammon, Bennie Dyer, Brenden Murphy and Luke Johnson all had two hits apiece for Vacaville. Lammon doubled and drove in two runs, Murphy doubled and Johnson had an RBI. Cal Elvis also doubled and drove in two runs.

Vacaville had a fourrun second inning and a three-run fourth en route to the victory. The Bulldogs won the series opener at Vacaville 13-3 Monday.

Dalen Shipp had three hits for the Vikings and Aidan Robles added two. Gabe Ponce, Cody Buckley and Bryce Alcantara all added singles. Alex Maushart and Josiah Miguel

Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group/TNS file (2022)

Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown shares a laugh with Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr after receiving his 2022 NBA Championship ring, Oct. 23, 2022.

Erik Verduzco / Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS file (2021)

Shaquille O’Neal gives a speech during an event at Doolittle Complex basketball courts in Las Vegas in 2021.

CALENDAR

Friday’s TV sports

Baseball

MLB

• Oakland vs. Texas, NBCSCA, 5:05 p.m.

• N.Y. Mets vs. San Francisco, NBCSBA, 7:15 p.m.

Basketball

NBA Playoffs

• Atlanta vs. Boston, ESPN, 4 p.m.

• N.Y. Knicks vs. Cleveland, 7, 10, 5:30 p.m.

• Minnesota vs. Denver, ESPN, 6:30 p.m.

Golf • LPGA, The Chevron Championship, GOLF, 8 a.m.

• PGA, Zurich Classic, GOLF, Noon.

• LPGA, The Chevron Championship, GOLF, 3 p.m.

• DP World, ISPS Handa Championship, GOLF, 8 p.m.

Hockey

NHL Playoffs

• N.Y. Islanders vs. Carolina, TBS, 4 p.m.

• Florida vs. Boston, TNT, 4:30 p.m.

• Minnesota vs. Dallas, TBS, 6:30 p.m.

• Los Angeles vs. Edmonton, TNT, 7 p.m.

Motor Sports

• NASCAR Xfinity, Ag-Pro 300, qualifying, FS1, 2:30 p.m.

Soccer

• EPL, Arsenal vs. Southampton, USA, Noon.

• Primera Division, Club Tijuana vs. Club Leon, FS1, 8:05 p.m.

Saturday’s TV sports

Baseball College

• Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee, ESPN2, 9 a.m.

• LSU vs.Ole Miss, ESPN2, Noon.

MLB

• N.Y. Mets vs. San Francisco, 2, 40, 1 p.m.

• Detroit vs. Baltimore, FS1, 4:05 p.m.

• Oakland vs. Texas, NBCSCA, 4:05 p.m.

Basketball

NBA Playoffs

• Brooklyn vs. Philadelphia, TNT, 10 a.m.

• L.A. Clippers vs. Phoenix, TNT, 12:30 p.m.

• Miami vs. Milwaukee, ESPN, 4:30 p.m.

• L.A. Lakers vs. Memphis, ESPN, 7 p.m.

Football College

• Colorado Spring Game, ESPN, Noon.

XFL

• St. Louis vs. Tampa Bay, ESPN, 9 a.m.

• San Antonio vs. DC, 7, 10, Noon.

USFL

• New Orleans vs. Houston, USA, 9:30 a.m.

• Birmingham vs. Memphis, 2, 40, 4 p.m.

Golf

• PGA, Zurich Classic, GOLF, 10 a.m.

• PGA, Zurich Classic, 5, 13, Noon.

• LPGA, Chevron Championship, GOLF, Noon.

• PGA, Invited Celebrity Classic, GOLF, 1 p.m.

• LPGA, Chevron Championship, 3, 1 p.m.

• DP World, ISPS Handa Championship, GOLF, 8 p.m.

Hockey NHL Playoffs

• Winnipeg vs. Vegas, TBS, 1 p.m.

• Tampa Bay vs. Toronto, TBS, 4 p.m.

• N.Y. Rangers vs. New Jersey, 7, 10, 5 p.m.

• Seattle vs. Colorado, TBS, 7 p.m.

Motor Sports

• NASCAR Cup Series, Geico 500, qualifying, FS1, 7:30 a.m.

• ARCA Racing Series, Talladega, FS1, 9:30 a.m.

• NASCAR Xfinity, Ag-Pro 300, FS1, 1 p.m.

Soccer

• EPL, Fulham vs. Leeds, USA, 4:30 a.m.

• EPL, Liverpool vs. Nottingham, USA, 7 a.m.

Softball College

• Arkansas vs. Kentucky, ESPN2, 3 p.m.

• Mississippi State vs. LSU, ESPN2, 5 p.m.

• Arizona State vs. UCLA, ESPN2, 8 p.m.

A’s

From Page B1 Raiders, a rocky relationship that ultimately ended when the Raiders departed – in foreboding fashion – for Las Vegas.

Dave Kaval, the team president hired in 2016, had promised to keep the team rooted in Oakland, despite widespread suspicion among fans that billionaire owner John J. Fisher did not ultimately intend to keep the team in town.

Previous plans weighing new stadiums in Fremont, San Jose and even elsewhere within Oakland came to naught, but fans had clung to hope after a November 2018 announcement of a possible waterfront stadium at the Howard Terminal site, not far from Jack London Square and the city’s warehouse district and port.

Anticipation of a potential deal at Howard Terminal had hung in the balance for months, with neither the city nor the A’s

Local

From Page B1

pitched for Vanden.

The Vikings are now 10-7 overall and 6-5 in the MEL, two games behind the league leaders. Vacaville and Vanden square off again Friday with a 4 p.m. game at Vacaville.

Will C. Wood rallies to edge out Fairfield

VACAVILLE — The Will C. Wood High School baseball team rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning Wednesday to beat visiting Fairfield 5-4 in a tight Monticello Empire League matchup.

Mason Sayre, Devon Hancock and Jarren Ford all had two hits apiece for the Wildcats. Hancock drove in two runs, while Ford had a double and knocked in one run. Wood improved to 5-10 overall and 5-6 in the MEL.

Angel Martinez singled and drove in a run for Wood. Ian Morales added an RBI. Gavin Griffiths pitched four innings and Kai Koizumi worked three as the two combined to allow eight hits, two earned runs, one walk to go with three strikeouts.

Devin Knox went 3-for-4 with a triple and an RBI for Fairfield. Jordan Dix had two hits and drove in a run. Donavan Luu, Amari Bryant and Pat O'Reilly added hits for the Falcons. Bryant drove in a run.

Pat O'Reilly, Bryant and Trustin Mitchell all got work on the mound for Fairfield. O'Reilly had six strikeouts.

Fairfield had a 4-3 lead until the seventh when Wood rallied for the win. Fairfield fell to 8-13 overall and 1-10 in the MEL.

The two teams square off at 4 p.m. Friday at Fairfield in the finale of the three-game series. Wood won the opener Monday at Fairfield 18-5.

Vacaville Christian dominates Esparto

VACAVILLE — The Vacaville Christian High School baseball team enjoyed a 12-2 win over visiting Esparto Tuesday in five innings.

Grayson Frische, Teagan Gonzalez and Dylan Eddings all were credited with hits for the Falcons. Eddings drove in two runs and James Frische also delivered an RBI.

Brown

From Page B1

series that Brown “knows us well, we know him well, so the adjustments and all that stuff will be interesting throughout the series.”

giving indication about where negotiations stood even as both sides blew through the team’s self-imposed November deadline.

The development was expected to cost billions and raised all sorts of questions about the viability of the site next to an industrial port and whether the A’s could guarantee that some of the eventual housing would be affordable.

Oakland poured hundreds of millions of outside grant dollars to renovate nearby roads so that A’s fans and residents could easily access the eventual development.

Still, for months there was no word on where negotiations stood, even as the team blew past a self-imposed deadline to reach a deal by the November election.

In January, the city lost out on a mega grant worth $182 million grant that would have been crucial to holding up its end of the public infrastructure costs.

Thomas Lane worked two innings on the mound and Nicko Meadows pitched three. They combined to allowed seven hits, two earned runs, no walks and nine strikeouts. Meadows struck out eight of the nine.

Vacaville Christian improved to 9-3 overall and 5-0 in the Sierra Delta League. The Falcons were scheduled to play at Esparto Thursday.

Buckingham can't stop Valley Christian

VACAVILLE — Buckingham Charter's baseball team was done in by a 10-run fourth inning from host Valley Christian as the Lions defeated the Knights 14-0 in five innings Tuesday.

Zack Petit had two hits for Buckingham. The Knights fell to 3-7 overall and 2-3 in the Sacramento Metro Athletic League.

The teams meet against Saturday with a 10 a.m. Buckingham home game. The Knights play at Will C. Wood High School's diamond.

Rio Vista cruises

by Highlands 24-0

RIO VISTA — The Rio Vista High School baseball team had a 10-run first inning and needed only four innings to put away visiting Highlands 24-0 Thursday.

Ethan Perkins threw a two-hitter over four innings with 10 strikeouts. Rio Vista improved to 4-6 overall and 4-2 in the Sierra Delta League.

Noah Bidou went 3-for-4 at the plate with two doubles and four RBIs. Ryan Rubier had three hits, two of them doubles, and drove in three runs. Emmett Medders was 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs. James Bloesch had a single, double and two RBIs, while Nathan Frisbie added three hits.

The Rams will play at San Juan Tuesday in a 4 p.m. game.

Softball Vacaville defeats Rodriguez at home

VACAVILLE — The Vacaville High School softball team kept its unbeaten streak alive in the Monticello Empire League Wednesday, but Rodriguez made more of a game of it than many other oppo-

to respond.”

nents in a 5-1 win for the Bulldogs.

Xochitl Atayde pitched six innings for Vacaville and Natalya Stonebraker worked the last one. They held Rodriguez to four hits and one earned run to go with two walks. Atayde struck out eight batters.

Sofie Coleman threw five innings, allowing three hits, three earned runs, three walks and adding three strikeouts for the Mustangs. Brooklyn Denina held Vacaville scoreless for two innings and had a walk and a strikeout.

Vacaville improved to 15-1 overall and 6-0 in the MEL. Rodriguez fell to 5-4 overall and 4-2 in league. The two teams were scheduled to play Thursday afternoon at Rodriguez.

Paige Witte, Jordan Munn, Taylor Eberhart, Hayden Kyne and Allyson Walling all had hits, according to Vacaville scoring. Witte and Walling each had a double and an RBI. Munn also drove in a run.

Denina had the big hit for Rodriguez with a solo home run. Ellie Steiger, Haley Permenter and Eliza Goodwin also had hits for the Mustangs.

Green delivers as Vanden earns win

FAIRFIELD — Ona Green threw five complete innings and the Vanden High School softball team scored in bunches for a 15-5 win Tuesday over visiting Fairfield. Green allowed seven hits, four earned runs, three walks and struck out two batters. Vanden improved to 6-6 overall and 5-2 in the Monticello Empire League.

Aniya Lawson, Kiah Silva and Kaliyah Gipson had two hits apiece among the Vikings' 13-hit attack. Lawson and Gipson each hit a double and drove in three runs. No individual statistics were made available for the Falcons. Fairfield fell to 4-11 overall and 0-8 in the MEL.

Vanden was scheduled to play a home game against Armijo Thursday. Fairfield was at Will C. Wood.

Boys Tennis Vanden wins all contested matches

FAIRFIELD — The Vanden High School boys tennis team picked up a

9-0 win Tuesday at Armijo. James Remeticado, Romelo Felix, Diego Montano, Matthew David and Christian Cline earned victories in straight sets. The No. 6 singles match and all the doubles were not contested.

Vanden improved to 7-6 in the Monticello Empire League. The Vikings are scheduled to host a non-league match at home against River City Friday.

Boys Golf Vacaville golf picks up two victories

FAIRFIELD — The Vacaville High School boys golf team picked up a pair of wins over Fairfield this week.

Vacaville earned a 218-382 win at Paradise Valley Tuesday as Fairfield was able to field a full squad. On Wednesday, Vacaville had a team score of 224 at Rancho Solano but the Falcons could not field a full team. Vacaville is now 9-2 overall and 7-2 in the Monticello Empire League. Ben Wilhite had a 2-over-par 38 in Tuesday's match, while Quinn Strachan (40), Isaac Johns (44), Garrett Flanagan (47) and Diego Becerra (49) all broke 50. Fairfield's top scorer was a 63 from Bodie Sousa.

Wilhite had a 3-over 39 Wednesday and was followed by Strachan (43), Martinez (44) and Isaac Johns (47) among the top scorers. Sousa had a 63 again.

Vacaville was scheduled to play Rodriguez at Paradise Valley on Thursday.

Middle School David Weir boys soccer secures win

FAIRFIELD — The David Weir Preparatory Academy boys soccer team earned a 5-1 win over Oakbrook Academy of the Arts Wednesday.

Eduardo Hernandez scored three goals for David Weir and Eric Gonzalez played strong on defense. Hernandez scored all three goals from well-placed kicks that were far from the goal. Gonzalez hustled and controlled the defense.

The David Weir record is 2-0 and the next game is Wednesday against Sheldon. No individual information was provided for Oakbrook.

After his poor 3-point shooting in Game 2, Curry said, “I have to make adjustments.” He added, “We know they’re trying to be physical, especially on the perimeter to try to take us out of our sets and our patterns, and we have

O’Neal

From Page B1

SHAQ aka DJ Diesel’s dance music debut at TomorrowWorld 2015 was the Hall of Famer’s first time taking the stage in front of tens of thousands of fans, mixing the best of Trap, EDM and Hip-Hop, earning him the title of ‘the biggest DJ in the world.’

From there he launched his own festival series -Shaq’s Fun House in 2018, followed by Shaq’s Super Bowl Fun House featuring performances and appearances from Migos, Diplo, Tiesto, Lil Jon, T-Pain, Adam Levine, Jamie Foxx, Akon, Patrick

Wednesday, Kerr again talked about the pick-androll situation, which has been too often exploited by a Kings team that uses Domantas Sabonis to set picks on the perimeter, allowing De’Aaron Fox to create scoring chances through the middle, often against Kevon Looney.

Even if Kerr wanted to swap out Looney to create a better defensive matchup, the coach’s hands are tied; he needs Looney to help rebound.

The Kings, who entered

Mahomes, Reggie Bush, Adrian Peterson, Evander Holyfield and many more cementing it as one of the most legendary events of all time.

Sonoma Raceway’s annual NASCAR weekend packs in three full days of on-track action, beginning with the General Tire 200 ARCA Menards Series West race on Friday June 9 and the DoorDash 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday evening, June 10.

The weekend concludes with the Toyota/Save Mart 350 on Sunday, June 11.

Tickets for the Toyota/ Save Mart 350 are available now at SonomaRaceway.com or by calling 800-870-RACE.

the postseason ranked 23rd in the NBA in offensive rebounding, launched an assault on the glass in the first two games. After averaging fewer than 10 offensive rebounds a game in the regular season, they retrieved 29 of them in the first two playoff games.

“It’s something we haven’t done well this series,” Kerr said about keeping the Kings off the glass. The Kings’ physicality is perhaps the biggest surprise of the series, Looney

said. He knew they’d play fast, but expected the Warriors to win the battle for 50-50 balls.

“We have to focus in on the details, boxing out every time,” he said. “Sometimes four guys box out, one doesn’t, they come get the ball. It has to be a group effort. Five guys have to go to the glass. Five guys have to box out. We have to play with force and take care of the small things.”

Now the Warriors have to find a way to combat the Kings’ strength in paint.

Columns&Games

My dream job doesn’t quite pay the bills; hubby wants me to get a new job

Dear Annie: I’ve been married for a long time, and we have teenagers now. When they were young, I took a full-time position working in a school so that I could be on the same schedule as them and we wouldn’t have to worry about care during the summer and on winter or spring breaks. Taking this position cut my salary in half. But I have been at the same school for quite some time now and have fallen in love with it. I love my job.

I love my co-workers. I love going to work every day. Now that our kids are approaching their college years, my husband has been pressing me about getting a new job so that my salary could be what it used to be. My issues are this:

No. 1: I’ve been out of the corporate workforce for so long that I feel I cannot compete with the recent college grads requiring less training or salary and are more up to date on technology and computer programs.

No. 2: I love my job. How many people are blessed enough to say that? It would break my heart to leave.

I understand the financial responsibility and all, but it’s the fact I love my job that makes me not want to leave, and my husband just doesn’t seem to care or understand.

Please give me some advice! — Unsure

Dear Unsure: It’s rare that a job can give you everything you want, but it sounds like this job checks 90% of your boxes. I love how passionate you are about your career, and it sounds like the position is a great fit for you.

It is, however, important to address the financial side of things. If you keep your current job, does it put your family in a difficult position? Does your husband resent being the main breadwinner? If you do the math and agree to cut back on some spending, your husband might come around. Really let him know how important your job is to you – and that loving what you do is a gift that should be treasured, not demeaned, even if it means having to make a few financial sacrifices.

Dear Annie: I applaud “Remotely Religious,” who is struggling to respond to fellow parishioners about their less

Horoscopes by Holiday Mathis

You’ll go back and forth, deciding what to do. To some extent, this is a show. You already know; you just don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings with your decisiveness. Your excellent character shines. Even as you are unaware, you beam.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20).

To look back and note your failings is to invite self-doubt. To look back and focus on your accomplishments is to invite confidence. Neither will help you now. The best way is not to think of yourself at all. Get into action. Onward!

GEMINI (May 21-June 21).

Envy can be helpful if properly utilized. Envy teaches you what you want. When you get those pangs, take them as a sign there’s something in the scene that is also meant for you. What do you have to do to make it happen?

CANCER (June 22-July 22).

There are those who provide tension just to watch people strain under it. It lets them know they are in charge. If people aren’t suffering, they don’t feel powerful. Be aware. This is their move. Now what’s yours?

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22).

When people react in a positive way, it makes you feel good about what you’re contributing. But it’s nothing compared to the feeling you get when people

Today’s birthday

are proactively driving their good opinion of you into a tangible form. How wonderful.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).

What’s good for you doesn’t usually taste just like candy, but today it just might. It’s great when the things that bring you pleasure also bring you good looks, strength and the ability for physical activity you enjoy.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).

Document your moments. You won’t always be looking through this window or walking in his place. What you capture will help future you quite a lot in ways that would be impossible to understand right now.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Every relationship requires

Word

frequent church attendance despite a deepened personal faith in God, and your response to them. I, too, feel closer to God in my 60s than I ever have before. Instead of performing rituals, such as asking to bless my meal, out of habit or obligation, I now pray and give thanks on numerous occasions because it gives me joy.

As a result, worshiping God has been a totally different experience later in life for me. It has been wonderful to be freed from going through the motions by talking with God at a much more personal and private level. Thank you, Annie! — Personally Religious Dear Personally Religious: I applaud you, too. Faith looks different to everyone, and as God’s children, I’m confident God knows our hearts and intentions, whether we show up to pray in a place of worship or in our own homes. How we choose to best connect with God is up to each individual worshiper. Thank you for sharing with us about your special connection.

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

some degree of compromise. Compromise is essential to life and relationships, and you’re often better for the effort. But if you find yourself having to compromise every little step of the way, it’s the sign of a bad fit.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21). You become part of whatever you’re experiencing, and it becomes a part of you –a truth you’ll feel today and that just may change your mind and involvement with certain environments.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19). Your personal experience with a full range of human error coupled with the disappointment it has caused you will make it all the more difficult for you to believe the best in others ... and yet, believe the best you will. Commendable!

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 18). You don’t have to do anything to lighten up. You’re already like a balloon on a tether. You’re already floating, but if you want to go higher, you need to get free of the anchor.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You’ll have the advantage of a head start, but don’t rely on it. Think of the tortoise and the hare. Be careful not to run too fast and tire yourself out. Make sure you pace yourself and avoid distractions.

Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

Crossword by Phillip

Bridge

ALWAYS TRY TO HELP OUT PARTNER

When defending, not only is it important to watch all of the cards like a hawk, but also it pays to make your partner’s life easy whenever possible. In today’s deal, how should the defense go against six spades after West leads the heart king?

Following the weak two-bid, North’s jump to five spades asked his partner to

Alder

go on to six with good trumps. Despite his minimum, South did have a powerful suit.

At first glance, the slam looks easy. South wins the heart lead in the dummy, discards his two heart losers on dummy’s top clubs and then plays a trump to the king and ace, losing only one spade trick. However, a closer examination shows that the defenders have a resource.

West led the club jack after winning with the trump ace. Seeing no reason to do anything else, East discarded a diamond. Declarer ruffed, drew trumps and claimed.

True, East made a mistake. Ruffing with the spade nine was indicated – it couldn’t hurt. Here it doesn’t hurt East, but it definitely hurts South. He has to overruff with the spade jack, but then West’s spade 10 is promoted as the setting trick.

However, West has a clever way to protect his partner from error. While South is cashing dummy’s club winners, West should follow suit not with the three, four and seven, but with the three, seven and 10. When West wins with the spade ace, he leads not the club jack but the club four. As dummy’s five is winning the trick, East has to ruff to keep declarer from obtaining another discard. This effects the uppercut trump promotion.

COPYRIGHT: 2023, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

Sudoku by Wayne Gould

ALWAYS TRY TO HELP OUT PARTNER When defending, not only is it important to watch all of the cards like a hawk, but also it pays to make your partner’s life easy whenever possible. In today’s deal, how should the defense go against six spades after Bridge Here’s how to work it: WORD SLEUTH ANSWER

Dist. by creators.com

4/21/23

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

©

Difficulty level: SILVER

ARIES (March 21-April 19).

Sleuth Daily Cryptoquotes

Dear Annie

How Brad Paisley became the most outspoken star to support Ukraine

The WashingTon PosT

Most country singers avoid any topic that could bring them even the slightest bit of backlash. Brad Paisley has never been one of those country singers.

In recent months, Paisley has become the most outspo ken Nashville star in support of Ukraine after the Russian inva sion last year, culminating last week when he joined a bipartisan delegation of senators - Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) – for a trip to Kyiv and in-person meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. During a news conference in St. Michael’s Square, Paisley broke out his guitar and played “Same Here,” his new song that features a spokenword cameo from Zelensky, and sang the chorus of John Denver’s “Country Roads.”

“All of the things I’ve done in the last few months have been –well, every single one of them is kind of an impossible thing to have happened,” Paisley said in a phone interview. “And they’re all happening.”

It started last year when Paisley, haunted by images of people forced to leave their homes at the start of the war, wrote a ballad called “Same Here” – about how everyone really wants the same things out of life, including the desire for freedom – with Lee Thomas Miller and Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith. He wanted to have someone sing in Ukrainian at the end of the track, but then had an even crazier idea: Would Zelensky have any interest in appearing on the song? Through a complicated series of connections that Paisley declines to describe in detail, he discovered that, yes, the president was interested. So after a tremendous amount of back and forth, they scheduled a Zoom call.

“I had a great, 45-minute talk with him – we discussed everything we could think of and really got into the details of who we are, and our families. It was a really eye-opening thing,” Paisley said. The conversation was off-the-record except for an exchange, included in the song, in which Zelensky says that even though they speak different languages, they appreciate the same things: “Children, freedom, our flag, our soldiers, our people, the biggest treasure we have.”

“At the end of it, he said, ‘I hope you come over and see our people.’ And that’s what really stuck with me. ... He just went on and on and on about how he feels about them, and obviously he feels every bit the pride he should in these folks,” Paisley said. He’s now an ambassador for United24, Zelensky’s crowdfunding effort to rebuild Ukrainian homes, and is friends with the senators in the delegation; when they offered him a

Daily Cryptoquotes

spot on the trip, he immediately agreed. “I would have moved heaven and earth. I said, ‘Now that you invited me, you can’t stop me. I’m going.’”

Paisley, 50, occupies a rarefied spot after 20-plus years in country music. He has a long string of No. 1 hits and platinum albums, and was the face of the Country Music Association Awards for a decade as co-host with Carrie Underwood. He plays arenas around the world, and his music runs the gamut from deeply romantic ballads (“Then”) to the silliest songs you can imagine (“Ticks”) to songs that tackle heavy topics such as childhood cancer (“One of Those Lives”) and the opioid crisis (a new song on his upcoming album about the epidemic in West Virginia: “If living here don’t kill ya, the medicine will”).

But Paisley’s inspiration for “Same Here” stems from a theme he’s been fixated on throughout his career: the version of ourselves that we present to the world and the real version behind the scenes, and how at our core, everyone is pretty similar. That approach worked to great effect on his all-encompassing 2011 album “This Is Country Music” but has also gone very poorly. Who can forget the instant backlash for “Accidental Racist,” his 2013 duet with LL Cool J about race relations that was derided as tone deaf? Now, he hopes that he can capture listeners’ attention to ponder the deeper meaning of “Same Here.”

“I’m not just singing about driving down a country road or something. I’m asking a question in the song about our similarities,” Paisley said. “And I got the answer firsthand, which was really inspiring to see that we’re as similar as I thought we were.”

Paisley describes the trip to Kyiv as “haunting,” though maybe not why you would expect. He wasn’t sure what he was going to encounter when he got there – he was picturing that maybe he would get off the train and there would be rubble everywhere like in a movie, a scene from “War of the Worlds.”

And while some parts of the city still show the aftermath of the attacks, he said, you can walk right into another area and it’s “just stunning,” like the European cities he’s toured his whole

career. That’s what he can’t stop thinking about: Seeing the Ukrainian citizens going about their daily lives, just like him, except they’re living between air raid sirens.

The senators had to attend meetings, Paisley said, so he got the longer tour of the city. He said that his guides showed him a photo of where a missile left a “20-foot crater” in the middle of an intersection in downtown Kyiv - and now, except for some broken windows and plywood, you would never know that happened. People just walked and drove past the area on their way to work, as always.

“I saw kids in their raincoats with their bookbags getting off the bus, going home from school that afternoon. The Nike store was open,” Paisley said. “They just want freedom and the ability to control their own fate.”

Performing his music in St. Michael’s Square was a surreal and “insane” experience, Paisley said, as he told the reporters gathered that he was struck by the resilience of life and how the city was trying to thrive during the conflict. It wasn’t until he left - the trip also included a stop to visit and perform for U.S. troops in Poland – that he almost had a breakdown.

“I couldn’t even process. Because it is a staggering reality,” he said. “They’re not sulking, they’re not feeling sorry for themselves, they don’t want us to fight it for them, necessarily, but they would love anything we could offer to help them fight.”

Paisley tried his best to capture his feelings in an Instagram post as he was heading home, though he had to turn off the comments on multiple posts about the trip. The initial reaction to the posts were “100 percent positive,” his social media manager told him, and attributed a sharp pivot to the negative to foreign bots.

“Every now and then, there’s a real post from an American being influenced by the bots, and it’s like – that’s what I wish we could somehow deal with ... don’t let somebody from another country tell you what to think about yours,” Paisley said. “That’s my dilemma right now, is trying to make sure that my fans know the difference. All I can do is be honest.”

The fact that Paisley is taking any sort of political stance is unusual for country music in general, where artists are generally told to stay quiet to avoid alienating any fans. But Paisley (who notes that he “doesn’t love politics at all”) said he was inspired by the bipartisan nature of the trip, when senators on opposite sides were working together – he said he’s friends with elected officials that he vehemently disagrees with on various issues but constantly seeks to find common ground where they can connect.

Word Sleuth

Crossword by Phillip Alder

Bridge

wasted my time.”

THE PURITY OF PERFECTION

Do you know someone who is perfect? Of course not. Do you know someone who thinks he is perfect? Probably. George Bernard Shaw was in characteristic vein when he said, “The longer I live the more I see that I am never wrong about anything, and that all the pains I have so humbly taken to verify my notions have only

At bridge, it is sometimes possible to play perfectly: to find the line that always works, whatever the distribution. South had the chance in today’s deal, but when his ship came in, he was standing at the train station. Against three no-trump, West led the spade 10. Since his contract was in danger only if East won a trick and switched to a diamond through the king, declarer called for dummy’s spade king and immediately ran the club queen. West played perfectly, ducking his king smoothly. Now, of course, if South had led a heart to his 10, nine tricks would have been assured. South had been fooled, though. He erred by playing a club to his 10. West happily took the trick with his king and exited with a club. Now South’s goose was cooked (unless he had X-ray vision). He cashed the heart ace-king, hoping to drop the queen. Then he took his three spade tricks, the dummy and East discarding diamonds. Finally, declarer led a third heart, hoping West had the queen. (If so, West would have had to lead a heart to South’s 10, or play a diamond around to South’s king.) However, East won with the queen and switched to the diamond 10. The defenders took the last three tricks in diamonds to defeat the contract.

COPYRIGHT: 2023, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

Sudoku by Wayne Gould

Bridge

4/22/23

THE PURITY OF PERFECTION

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

Do you know someone who is perfect? Of course not. Do you know someone who thinks he is perfect?

Probably. George Bernard Shaw was

© 2023 Janric Enterprises Dist. by creators.com

Difficulty level: GOLD

Yesterday’s solution:

Congressional Delegation photo Brad Paisley meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv after collaborating with him on the song “Same Here.”

M ark Jenkins SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON POST

Largely erased from classical music history because he was biracial, the 18thcentury French Caribbean violinist and composer Joseph Bologne wrote concertos, sonatas and symphonies. But “Chevalier,” a highly fictionalized account of Bologne’s life, understandably concentrates on his opera “Ernestine.”

The movie itself has the virtues and vices of opera: It’s grand, sweeping and lavishly appointed, but also bombastic and contrived.

Director Stephen Williams and screenwriter Stefani Robinson present Bologne’s life largely as a series of contests. In the opening sequence, a cocky young Bologne (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) challenges the better-known Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Joseph Prowen) to a violin duel. (In reality, Bologne was a decade older than Mozart, who surely wouldn’t have responded to such a rival’s crowdpleasing stunt with an unprintable Anglo-Saxon vulgarity.)

Later, the story flashes back to a fencing match in which Bologne faces an outspoken racist, as Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton) watches. He triumphs, and the queen anoints him Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a name derived from his White father’s plantation in Guadeloupe. His mother (Ronke Adekoluejo) was enslaved but may have been treated somewhat better by Bologne’s father than “Chevalier” supposes.

The bulk of the movie concerns Bologne’s campaign to become the new director of the Paris Opera, a quest in which he initially has Marie Antoinette’s support. (Her husband, King Louis XVI, barely registers.) This effort is intertwined with another one: the womanizing composer’s successful pursuit of his leading lady, the delicate but mighty-voiced MarieJosephine (Samara Weaving). She just happens to be married to the brutish Marquis de Montalembert (Marton Csokas), a stalwart defender of the monarchy.

That last detail matters because the guillotine is about to be rolled into the Place de la Révolution. Bologne cultivates the queen and the nobility but also encourages an aristocratic friend (Alex Fitzalan) who supports the imminent uprising. At one point, soft-spoken Marie-Josephine follows the two pals to a clandestine political conclave where she delivers an impromptu speech in favor of women’s liberation. It’s stirring, but about as believable as the street fair in a Black neighborhood where Bologne joins a drum circle in playing what sounds like contemporary Afro-pop.

As anti-royalist sentiment burgeons, Bologne stages a benefit concert for the insurrection and faces a personal crisis. This section of the movie plays like the last act of “Les Misérables” with a dusting of Black history. But rather than pop-operatic Broadway arias, “Chevalier” mixes Kris Bower’s neoclassical score with snippets of Bologne’s partly lost compositions, as reconstructed and extrapolated by Michael Abels. If Harrison doesn’t fully convey the complexity of Bologne’s situation, that’s the responsibility of the film as much as his performance. One snag is that the movie shares its hero’s mixed feelings about the gilded lives of France’s 18th-century ruling class. Jess Hall’s camera spins rapturously through Karen Murphy’s luxurious interiors,

Candorville Darrin Bell

Baby Blues Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

Baldo Hector Cantú and Carlos Castellanos

LORENBARR(SBN184316)

BARR&YOUNGAttorneys

318-CDiabloRoad Danville,CA94526

Phone:(925)314-9999

Fax:(925)314-9960

AttorneyforEdgardoMalaga,Jr.,Trustee

SUPERIORCOURTOFCALIFORNIA

COUNTYOFSOLANO

IntheMatterofthe:

FrankCaveneciaandMerrileeCaveneciaLivingTrustCaseNo.PR23-00030

NOTICETOCREDITORSOF

MERRILEEANNCAVENECIA, DECEDENT(DateofDeath:02/14/2023)

[ProbateCode§§19040(b),19052]

Noticeisherebygiventothecreditorsandcontingentcreditorsoftheabove-nameddecedent,thatallpersonshavingclaimsagainstthedecedentarerequiredtofilethemwith theSuperiorCourt,CountyofSolano,atHallofJustice,600UnionAvenue,Fairfield,CA 94533anddeliverpursuanttoSection1215oftheCaliforniaProbateCodeacopyto EdgardoMalaga,Jr.asTrusteeoftheFrankCaveneciaandMerrileeCaveneciaLiving TrustdatedJuly18,2018,whereinthedecedentwasthesettlor,atBarr&YoungAttorneys,318-CDiabloRoad,Danville,CA94526,withinthelateroffourmonthsafterApril 14,2023(thedateofthefirstpublicationofnoticetocreditors)or,ifnoticeismailedor personallydeliveredtoyou,60daysafterthedatethisnoticeismailedorpersonallydeliveredtoyou,oryoumustpetitiontofilealateclaimasprovidedinSection19103ofthe ProbateCode.Aclaimformmaybeobtainedfromthecourtclerk.Foryourprotection youareencouragedtofileyourclaimbycertifiedmail,withreturnreceiptrequested.

LOCATEDAT2420MartinRoadSte320 FairfieldCA94534Solano.IS(ARE) HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)ParamjitChawla 2626SeminoleCtFairfield94534.THIS

anIndividual Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusiness nameornameslistedaboveonN/A. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/ParamjitChawla INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONMarch26,2028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: March27,2023

NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000539 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00062312 Published:March31April7,14,21,2023

Classifieds: 707-427-6936

ANORDINANCEOFTHECITYCOUNCILOFSUISUNCITYREPEALINGANDREPLA-

CINGCHAPTER12.12(PARKANDRECREATIONFACILITIES)OFTITLE12 (STREETS,SIDEWALKSANDPUBLICPLACES)OFTHESUISUNCITYMUNICIPAL CODE NOTICEISHEREBYGIVENthattheCityCounciloftheCityofSuisunCity(the“City Council”),willholdapublichearingtoconductthefirstreadingofproposedordinanceRepealingandReplacingChapter12.12(ParkandRecreationFacilities)ofTitle12(Streets, SidewalksandPublicPlaces)oftheSuisunCityMunicipalCode.Thepublichearingwill takeplaceataregularmeetingoftheCityCouncilonTuesday,May2,2023,at6:30 p.m.,orassoonthereafterasthemattercanbeheard,attheSuisunCityCouncilChambers,701CivicCenterBoulevard,SuisunCity,California.

SUMMARY

TheCityCounciloftheCityofSuisunCitywillconsiderandmaytakeactiontowaivethe firstreadingandintroducebytitleonly,theproposedordinance.Thisordinanceamends andupdatestheSuisunCityMunicipalCodetoincludelanguagetoaddressorganized sportsteamusageforSuisunCityParkspaces.

Allinterestedpersonsareinvitedtoattendthepublichearingandcommentuponanyproposedaction,expressopinions,orsubmitevidencefororagainstthematterasoutlined above.PursuanttoCaliforniaGovernmentCodeSection65009,ifyouchallengeanyof theaboveactionsincourt,youmaybelimitedtoraisingonlythoseissuesyouor someoneelseraisedatthepublichearingdescribedinthisnotice,orincludedinwritten correspondencedeliveredtotheCityClerk,701CivicCenterBlvd.,SuisunCity,California,94585,priorto,thepublichearing.

Ifyouhaveanyquestionsorcommentsregardingthismatterorwishtoreviewthefulltext oftheproposedordinance,pleasecontacttheCityClerkat(707) 421-7300between9:00 a.m.and5:00p.m.,MondaythroughThursday,oremailclerk@suisun.com. DonnaPock DeputyCityClerk DATED:April19,2023 DR#00062791 Published:April21,2023