Daily Republic: Sunday, April 23, 2023

dAily r epubliC STAff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Negotiations with the state on what is being described as a life-and-death situation by at least one Solano County official has gained little traction.

“People are going to die, and I’m not being overly dramatic about that,” assistant county administrator Debbie Vaughn, the former assistant director of the Department of Health & Social Services who

oversaw behavioral health and finance divisions, said in an interview Friday morning. Her background is why Vaughn is a point person for the county regarding ongoing talks with the state Department of Health Care Services about how to provide specialty mental

Gun experts weigh in

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Whether it’s due to anger or fear, gun experts worry America is becoming a “shootfirst” country.

A 16-year-old Kansas City honors student was shot in the head by a complete stranger last week for ringing the wrong doorbell while trying to pick up his younger brothers from a sleepover.

Two days later, a 20-year-old woman was shot dead by a homeowner after she and her friends pulled into the wrong

driveway in Hebron, upstate New York.

And on Tuesday, two Texas cheerleaders were struck by gunfire after one of the young women opened the door to a car she mistook for her own.

According to Josh Horwitz, co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, unless Americans are willing to get serious about modern-day gun culture, the senseless shooting of innocent people in the wrong place

SuSAn HilAnd SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — The world bounced by with two little girls giggling the whole way down the hill.

One of the organizers, Brooke Fox, watched the inflated balloon go by with a bright smile on her face because the Ag and Art Earth Day Celebration was getting off to a good start.

“I was hoping that would happen,” she said.

uSAn HilAnd SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

SUISUN CITY — Earth

Day Cleanup brought thousands of people across the nation out for a day dedicated to Mother Earth.

Hundreds of people turned out from Vallejo to Dixon to clean up Solano County.

Hailey Lam, 16, came out for the first time as part of her Vanden High School Inter-

Adults, children and a few dogs came out Saturday for the all-day event at Andrews Park.

Margi Stern of Vacaville said she tries to do her best to help keep the Earth clean, including recycling her trash into ecobricks.

Ecobricking is a simple way to take personal responsibility for your plastic by keeping it out of industry and out of

act Club. She came with her brother, Alex, 15, and friend Haley Morris, 17, to the Suisun waterfront for a morning of plucking trash from the area.

“It is just nice to finally get out of the house and do something,” Hailey said.

Her friend Haley agreed; she, too, was tired of not going out and doing things.

“I don’t know why but I feel

Rest stop-type ‘superstores’ are America’s secret paradise

You can have your Walmarts and Targets and Sam’s Clubs and Costcos.

But if I have a set amount of money (say $40) and a set amount of time (30 minutes?), there’s one place I’d go to spend my money and get the best combination of value and selection:

A rest-stop-type store along an interstate highway.

For bonus points, one with plenty of room for truckers to park. Those are usually called “truck stops,” but the stores often are for all kinds of travelers.

You can get plenty of whatever you want at a big

warehouse store, but that’s not what I want. I don’t need four pounds of peanut butter or 264 rolls of toilet paper or 12 gallons of water in 16-ounce plastic bottles. Those are fine, but here’s what I want:

n Coffee,

n Beef jerky,

n A hat that has the slogan of a nearby small town,

n A regional newspaper,

n Chicken strips,

n A small box of Ritz crackers,

n A Hawaiian shirt.

I suspect with $40 and a halfhour, I could get those (I might need more money, depending on the quality of the hat and

shirt) at a store alongside an interstate. In addition, I would enjoy rubbing elbows with the other denizens of the store, none of whom likely live within 200 miles of the location and all of whom are just grateful to be off the road for a little bit.

Roadside “superstores” are an American treasure. Take a trip east on Interstate 80 or head either north or south on Interstate 5 and you’ll pass several of them. And ultimately, you’ll need gas and a restroom and you’ll stop and enjoy the magnificence of these creations of the combination of America’s travel (and trucking) industry and marketing.

You can get almost anything at those places (including some

things that I’d rather not know about). The beauty is that in the store-for-the-traveler world, building size doesn’t matter that much. Of course, I started by writing about the superstores that populate our interstates, but even the smaller versions –those rest-stop-type stores that have maybe eight gas pumps and 1,000 square feet of store space – the same idea is at play.

A little bit of everything: Snacks, drinks, some fruit, coffee, magazines, a weird assortment of clothing, emergency medical supplies, “hot” food (perhaps days old) and more. Everything a traveler needs to get to the next stop.

It’s time we recognize the beauty of those places. Due to

their location (almost always “in the middle of nowhere,” on a flat area surrounded by freeways and offramps), they seem like a necessary evil, something needed to keep our vehicle filled with fuel and a place where we can go to the bathroom and get a snack. But isn’t that perfect?

One definition of perfection is “to achieve the purpose for which something is created.” Under that definition, roadside stores are perfect And they’re a great place to find new flavors of beef jerky and to get a 24-ounce cup of hours-old coffee. What could be more perfect than that?

Reach Brad Stanhope at brad stanhope@outlook.com.

She awoke from a coma; five months later, she ran the Boston Marathon

The WashingTon PosT

Rachel Foster was about to die. She was in a coma, showing few signs of life 10 days after a scooter accident that shattered bones across her body and fractured her skull. Doctors were prepared to remove her from life support.

Then she woke up, and decided she wanted to run a marathon.

It was enough of a miracle when Foster emerged from her coma in November. She still had to embark on a painstaking recovery from brain injury. From her hospital bed, Foster relearned how to sit up straight. Find her balance. Eventually, hobble forward using a walker.

But as Foster’s body slowly healed, her mind raced ahead to the future. She set a goal to push herself through rehabilitation: She was going to run the Boston Marathon in just a few months’ time. She didn’t want to share it at first, she said.

“I was kind of embarrassed,” Foster told The Washington Post. “’What are you doing? Don’t tell these nurses and doctors that you’re going to run a marathon. Are you crazy?’ ” She needn’t have worried.

Beaming in celebration, Foster crossed the finish line in Boston on Monday. It had only been three weeks since she was discharged from a rehabilitation program for brain injuries, and five months since she woke from her coma – a storybook ending to an astoundingly speedy recovery from brain injury that has left doctors and family in awe.

Foster had one word on her mind as she pounded down Boylston

CORRECTION POLICY

Street on the marathon’s final stretch.

“It was just such a feeling of … redemption,” she said. “I felt like I had been stripped away of all of this stuff in my life because of this accident, and it was finally coming back.”

Foster, a 35-year-old chef from Oklahoma City, is a seasoned marathon runner who’d completed the Boston Marathon in 2018. She qualified for this year’s edition after a blistering finish at the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon in April 2022.

The prospect of returning to the prestigious race filled her with excitement, she said.

Those plans were seemingly upended in November by an accident she suffered while returning from dinner with her husband, John. While riding an electric scooter, Foster suddenly pitched forward and crashed to the pavement. Blood pooled around her head and from her nose, John recalled.

Doctors told John that Foster had suffered a traumatic brain injury. Her skull was fractured in multiple places, and she’d broken her collarbone, sternum and pelvis.

Nate Nelson, an emergency room resident at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center who helped treat Foster, told The Post her injuries were close to fatal. As doctors operated on Fos-

ter’s skull to stabilize her, John prayed for a miracle.

“We’d need, like, Jesus to walk into this room and touch Rachel,” John recalled saying.

Foster, in a coma and breathing through a ventilator, didn’t respond for 10 days when doctors checked for brain activity, Nelson said – a grim prognosis. Foster is an organ donor, and John said he began to weigh the unthinkable decision of letting his wife die.

On Nov. 19, a day before doctors planned to remove her from life support, Foster’s hand moved. Then she took a big breath. John couldn’t believe it.

“We had nurses all along [the hospital] calling her ‘miracle girl,’” John said.

Foster had several more surgeries, John said. In December, she entered a rehabilitation program for brain injury at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta. There, Foster set her sights on the Boston Marathon.

“My physical therapist asked me the question, ‘What are your goals?’” she said. “And I immediately said, ‘Get me to run again.’ Period.”

Payal Fadia, a physician who oversaw part of Foster’s recovery, didn’t think Foster would be ready in time. When Foster entered Fadia’s outpatient program in late January, she was still using a walker and struggling with her balance. She’d lost muscle mass from being bedridden. But Fadia was struck by Foster’s determination. Foster said she pictured herself running faster than her body could, as if she could will herself onto the racecourse.

“I’m sitting there, putting one foot in front of the other, trying to walk fast on a treadmill,” Foster recalled. “But in

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my mind, I’m running like a cheetah.”

Week by week, Foster found her feet. She left the Shepherd Center in late March, less than a month before the Boston Marathon. Fadia and her team cleared Foster to run accompanied by Tim Altendorf, her longtime running partner. A final complication – pulling her groin on a warm-up run before the marathon –didn’t dissuade her.

On Monday morning, Foster and Altendorf said a prayer at the starting line in Hopkinton, Mass., and set off on the 26-mile road to Boston. The marathon was the hardest of Foster’s career, she said. Her legs burned, and her groin injury kept her in pain for most of the run. Altendorf said

she appeared to slow at times. But he knew how to fire her up.

“If you want to motivate her, you just tell her she can’t do anything,” Altendorf said. “Like, ‘Rachel, come on, let’s just walk a little bit.’ She’ll just step it up.”

Cheering from the side of the road was John, who held a sign with his affectionate nickname for Foster: “My lil trout.” Altendorf’s family stood next to him with signs that quoted “The Shawshank Redemption”: “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies!”

When Foster and Altendorf passed the finish line, they held hands and threw them in the air in triumph. It felt surreal for Foster - the completion of

the far-fetched goal that had pushed her through months of therapy.

“All that time, I had Boston in the back of my mind,” she said. Foster has spent the rest of the week sharing the news with friends and all the doctors and therapists who helped her, she said. After following her rehabilitation, neither Nelson nor Fadia were fazed by her run.

“That part’s not a miracle,” Nelson said. “That, to me, is Rachel.”

Foster still isn’t fully recovered, she added. She’ll continue physical therapy for her injuries when she returns to Oklahoma. She’ll continue running, too.

“More marathons are next,” she said. “I am not done.”

Brad Stanhope Like I was sayin’

Students help Solano RCD assess health of local creek

SuSan Hiland SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Stu

dents from local schools went on a field trip Friday to help assess the health of local creeks.

Fairfield High School

Biology and Environmental Science teacher Heather

Handa was eager for her students to get a hands-on experience in nature. She watched as they carefully made their way into the creek bed, she cheered as they reached the bottom.

“I want them to enjoy being outside and connect with living things,” she said.

Handa also admitted she wished she was down there gathering the bugs for the data samples.

“They are into it out here and my heart,” she said.

Handa has been doing this program with her classes for more than five years. The pandemic put the program on hold temporarily but they are back at it again.

This is a Solano Resource Conservation District program, which helps them get an idea of the health of the creeks and also educate students on various aspects of science and biology.

The students did a three-part assessment including chemical, biological and habitat, according to Shea Kinser, the program manager.

“We work with them in the classroom before they come out on the field trip,” she said. “We give them an introduction to the vocabulary and ecology. Then it is

the hands-on experience.”

Students broke off into groups with about six people each. They put on waders before going into the Union Avenue Creek at Dunnell Nature Center in Fairfield, which is a quiet park along the creek with walking trails for visitors. Each group then grabbed a rope and went down to the creek bed where they used various tools to gather samples at separate times.

“The data is going to be part of a 15-year program study created by Pat Edwards at Portland State University,” Kinser said. “This is a long-term study of the health of our local creeks.”

The program started in 2006 and includes several

See Creek, Page A4

daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Solano County’s unemployment rate for March was 4.8%, the same as the revised February rate, but higher than March 2022.

That rate was 4.6%, the Labor Market Information Division of the state Employment Development Department reported. It was the first time since the

REDUCE THE RISK of Becoming Infected with West Nile Virus

Covid-19 pandemic that a year-over-year comparison showed the current year higher than the previous year.

Local jobs were up

100 positions from February to March, a mix of some sectors rising, such as Retail and Leisure and Hospitality, each by 100 jobs, and some sectors declining, such as Construction and Professional and Business

See March, Page A4

A number of types of sources found within residential neighborhoods are capable of producing enough adult mosquitoes to bother not only the residents of one home but a number of homes in the area. These mosquitoes are also capable of transmitting West Nile virus! Water left standing for seven to ten days can produce mosquitoes during warmer weathaer. There are a number of simple precautions that can be taken to prevent this from happening...

Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic Sierra Cecchini, Solano Resource Conservation District assistant program manager, assists Fairfield High School students during a biomonitoring field trip, Friday.

Vacaville Museum Guild offers garden tour next month

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — The Vacaville Museum Guild will host another garden tour in May.

The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 13 at the Vacaville Museum courtyard, 213 Buck Ave.

Seven gardens will be featured this year – from downtown to away from town, from intimate to grandiose, and from lowwater to lush and ready for a party.

Tour participants may pick up their garden guide brochure beginning at 8:30 a.m. Complimentary light refreshments will be served at that time, raffle prizes will be on display.

The Vaca Valley Garden Club and the Solano County Master Gardeners will be on hand, as will the Willis Jepson chapter of the California Native Plant Society, to talk about plants and answer gardening questions.

Tickets, $30, will be available for purchase from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at the museum. They may also be purchased online, vacavillemuseum.org, or by ringing the doorbell or calling the museum at 707-447-4513 during office hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. All those who attend must purchase a ticket, including children.

Inbrief

Federal debt ceiling on committee agenda

FAIRFIELD — The Solano County Legislative Committee is scheduled to receive updates on the federal debt ceiling and on the mental health fight with the state when it meets at 1:30 p.m. Monday.

The committee, comprising board Vice Chairwoman Monica Brown and Supervisor Erin Hannigan, will meet in Conference Room 6003 on the sixth floor of the government center, 675 Texas St., in Fairfield. The state’s May budget revision and other federal and state topics also will be discussed, as well as consideration for recommendations on nine state bills.

Access to the meeting is also available by calling 323-457-3408. The ID number is 701 680 984#.

Fair Board convenes special meeting

VALLEJO — The Solano County Fair Board will discuss transition planning at a special meeting scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday.

The directors will consider hiring Joseph Barkett to provide consulting services.

The board also is scheduled to meet in closed session to discuss the lease of the fairgrounds property to the Solano360 master developer.

The meeting will be held in the Directors Room at the fairgrounds, 900 Fairgrounds Drive in Vallejo.

Public access is also available by going to https://us02web.zoom.us/ j/89882170086?pwd=QVls

RkFOSjB6SjR5ZHcwMHd

IVXJKdz09. The Meeting ID is 898 8217 0086. The passcode is 768914. The public can call into the meeting at 669-900-9128.

Updated emergency operation plans on Vaca council agenda

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — An updated Emergency Operations Plan goes before the city council, 6 p.m. Tuesday.

It can be adopted by a simple motion.

The plan provides the framework for response and emergency management systems; defines roles and responsibilities of the city’s emergency response system; and provides triggers for implementation of the plan during disasters, all of which, along with training and exercises, prepare the city to respond effectively when impacted by a disaster.

It also addresses the integration and coordination with other governmental agencies, and non-governmental organizations involved in emergency preparedness, response and recovery operations.

In 2022, the Vacaville Fire Department staff began working with Jacob Green and Associates, an emergency management firm, to update the plan.

The most notable

changes included reformatting the plan to ensure compliance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s preparedness guide and the state’s Emergency Services Standardized Emergency Management System requirements.

The plan is needed to maintain compliance with the state and national

about this program is that students are participating in something that goes far beyond themselves.

programs, enabling eligibility for state and federal disaster assistance and preparedness funding.

It also fulfills federal and state planning requirements for continued Homeland Security Grant eligibility.

Function-specific plans, called Annexes in the county plan, have been reviewed by the respon-

sible departments within the city and have been determined to seamlessly work with the city plan, a staff report said.

A potential scenario that is not addressed with a county annex is extreme weather. An extreme weather annex will be part of the plan.

It calls for the city

to consider establishing warming and cooling shelters when two or more days of excessive cold or freeze (32 degrees or below) or two or more days of excessive heat (105 degrees or more) are expected. If the council does not approve the updated plan, the city will be operating under the plan last approved in 2009. Some city departments also have their own departmental emergency plans and procedures that are separate from this plan. This plan supersedes all other city emergency plans where there is conflict.

The Vacaville City Hall council chamber is at 650 Merchant St. Entrance to the chamber is in the parking area off Walnut Avenue. For the complete agenda, visit www.ci.vacaville. ca.us/government/ agendas-and-minutes

creeks: Alamo Creek, Chabot Creek, Laurel Creek, Lower Blue Rock Springs Creek, Rindler Creek, Sulphur Springs Creek, Ulatis Creek, Union Avenue Creek and Upper Blue Rock Springs Creek.

Other schools involved in the research include Vacaville Unified School District, Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District, Vallejo City Unified School District, Benicia Unified School District, and Travis Unified School District.

Sierra Cecchini, assistant program director, lead students down into the creek. She noted that they would be gathering data and analyzing it in the next week as part of the program.

“This is a great introduction for them to learn about creek health,” she said.

One of the neat things

March

From Page A3

Services, each dropping 100 jobs, the EDD said.

Overall, the state reported there were 141,900 in-county jobs in March, up from 141,800 in February.

The civilian workforce was at 203,800, up from 203,300, with 194,000 residents employed, compared to 193,500 in February. So more jobs were found outside the county than within Solano. There 9,800 residents seeking unemployment benefits in March, the same as the prior month, the

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“It is an exciting legacy because they are contributing to something beyond themselves,” Cecchini said. “They will leave high school in four years but their work is part of a bigger project.”

The goal of the day was to help students understand the impact they have on local waterways and how important it is to monitor them.

“It is also about getting out and doing science,” Cecchini said.

Along with the Fairfield High School students’ help, over at Rockville Hills Regional Park, third-graders from Suisun Valley Elementary School were doing their own observations.

The day included a presentation for city leaders and sponsors of the program to get an overview of what Solano RCD is doing.

“We are highlighting

EDD reported. In March 2022, the workforce was at 202,900, with 193,700 employed and 9,200 seeking unemployment benefits.

The state jobless rate for March was 4.8%, the same as February, while the national rate was 3.6%, down from 3.9%, the EDD reported. The state rate in March 2022 was 4.5%. The national rate was 3.8%.

That year-to-year change for California was the 21st worst in the nation, according to WalletHub, the online personal finance company. The monthto-month change for the state was the third worst in the nation.

Solano County ranked

the work that we do in the county,” said Marianne Butler, education center director.

After the students finished gathering the data everyone went over to Rockville Hills Regional Park to see what was happening at that sight.

“This is great to get the students out and energized by being in nature,” Suisun City Mayor Alma Hernandez said.

24th in the state, with San Mateo having the lowest unemployment at 2.8% and Colusa County having the highest at 19.2%, the EDD reported.

Solano had the highest rate among the nine Bay Area counties. The closest was Contra Costa County at 4%.

Daniel Silva

Our beloved Daniel Lee Silva passed away at age 75 in the company of his loving wife, Mar y, and youngest son, Matthew, in Fairfield, CA. Dan was an only child born to Frank and Cleo Silva of Watsonville, CA, in January 1948. He was a dedicated Stationary Engineer at Safeway Bakery for over 30 years and proudly served his country with the Air Force in Vietnam. He was a dedicated family man and enj oyed such activities as; water aerobics, w oodworking, shooting guns, having co ffee with friends, sending w eekly jokes, and tinkering in the ga ra ge. He also had a heart for serving others ev ery Christmas by transforming into Santa bringing joy to the locals and veterans in his community. He wa s known for being light-hearted, having a sense of humor, and always having a story to tell.

Dan is survived by his loving wife, Mary Silva; his two sons, Jamin (Lorena) Silva, and Matthew Silva; and his grandchildren, Andrew, Alexandra, Kayden, and Jack Silva. He had many loving nieces and nephews who will miss their uncle, as well as many loved ones who were fortunate enough to call Dan a friend. Dan was predeceased by his parents, Frank and Cleo Silva, and many cherished friends and family members.

A service will be held at the Bryan-Braker Funeral Home at 1850 West Texas St Fairfield, CA 94533, on April 24, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. A Celebration of Life Reception to immediately follow, stories of remembrance and humor to honor Dan.

Louise Erdmann Michael

Louise Erdmann Michael almost made it around the sun 101 times, but her husband couldn’t wait any longer. He came for her on April 14, 2023 and she peacefully followed him with her family right by her side. I’m sure her baby brother was also there and said, What in the hell took you so long?” Born in Springville, UT on June 18, 1922 to William and Maude Erdmann. They moved to Bingham City, next to Kennecott Mine where their dad worked, shortly before her baby brother was born. Later they moved to Washington State and then eventually made their way back to the little white house on the corner in Midvale. Louise graduated as a Beetdigger from Jordan High School in 1940. She earned money by cutting hair, working at Auerbach s, and was an assistant to Dr. Ball in Murray. But what she really loved to do was sing. She and her accompanist spent a summer in New York where she honed her skill while living in a girl’s dorm. She sang in many concerts and theatrical events in the Valley. She married Edward S. Michael in 1958 and began her life as a Lt. Colonel’s wife. Stationed in the Azores, a baby was literally placed in her arms who she raised to adulthood, not letting those teenage years change her unconditional love. Landing in Fairfield, CA, she made amazing friends who became family

Some people collect dolls or dogs; Mom collected people. She was fiercely loyal and a therapeutic listener. After 50 years (most in the yellow house on the court), she finally moved back to Utah with her family, three dogs, and a cat. Fridays were hair days for the last 43 years of her life. We are convinced Mary knows more about our family than we do, after four decades of making her beautiful. Moving to Utah, Jen continued the Friday tradition for three years, even coming to the house when the snow showed up. Mom loved the Lord and was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the last 2 years of her life, she began saying her morning prayers while standing at her bedroom window and thanking God for all the beauty she had in her life. Near the top of the list was ice cream and butterflies, but the real beauty was in her four grandchildren who she loved with all her heart, Sarah, Hannah, Josh, and Sky. Holding down the earthly fort are her two bonus children, Nancy (Tim) Ayres, Gary (Vivian) Michael, and the one that just magically appeared, Wendy (LeRoy) Purvis. There are four Purvi grandchildren, one son-in-law, and a daughter-in-law in the queue. She also has three bonus grandchildren (Jim, Mendy, and Alexis) and three bonus great-grandchildren. Funeral Services will be held on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at Jenkins-Soffe Funeral Home, 1007 South Jordan Parkway, South Jordan, UT. Visitation from 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Services will begin at 11am. Graveside Service at the Evergreen Cemetery, 1997 S 400 E St., Springville, UT, immediately following the funeral.

Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic Fairfield High school students, from left to right, Valeria Barajas, Gloria Rafael and Viridiana Renteria look at creek samples during a biomonitoring field trip with the solano Resource Conservation District, near the Dunnell nature Center in Fairfield, Friday.

Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic file (2020) Pacific Gas & Electric employees alex Bingtan, center, and Raghu Rao, right, participate in an earthquake drill at the Vacaville Emergency Response Center, Jan. 23, 2020.

Cache Slough recreation plan topic of meeting

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The California Department of Water Resources and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife are hosting an online meeting to provide input on the Cache Slough Public Access Recreation Action Plan.

The meeting is set for 2 to 3:30 p.m. May 4. The agencies, along with Solano County, will “present key content to be included in the Draft Action Plan, including analysis of current recreation opportunities; criteria developed to evaluate and prioritize opportunities; and recommendations for identifying

future opportunities,” the agencies stated.

“The Recreation Action Plan will help guide future county and state investments in feasible recreation facilities within the Cache Slough region that are safe, inclusive and respect local land uses and landowners,” the agencies stated.

Participants must register at https://kearnswest.zoom.us/meeting/ register/tZ0udum spjwiEtGx9O0MahB HvF2uvABCNPPT#/ registration

For more information, go to www.solanocounty. com/depts/rm/delta_ and_water_programs/ cache_slough_recreation.asp

Supes consider changes to county park regulations

epublic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Solano County supervisors on Tuesday will consider changes to the parks ordinance, giving more enforcement authority to the rangers.

Among the changes is consideration of allowing park staff to issue citations for all code violations.

Currently, citations are limited to unattended park vehicles, requiring sheriff’s deputies to enforce other violations, the staff report to the board states. The ordinance would also ban the use of any

School board hears update on LCAP at latest meeting

SuSan HilanD SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Sheila McCabe, assistant superintendent of Educational Services, gave an update to the Fairfield school board Thursday about the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP).

LCAP is a threeyear plan that looks at the goals, actions and expenditures to help meet the state and local priorities while at the same time working toward giving students a positive school experience.

“Staff have held meetings this year with educational partners to obtain input regarding the 2023-24 update to the LCAP,” McCabe said.

The presentation covered goals, educational input from partners in the community and various priorities for the future.

The first goal of the plan is to have fully implemented by June 2024 a tiered, integrated, socialemotional program that will promote prosocial behavior, teach coping and decision-making skills, and model positive relationships.

Goal No. 2 is to ensure every student graduates college- and career-ready through educational programs.

The third goal is to have an aggressive recruitment and professional learning program in place to retain and develop staff.

The fourth goal is to create safe, inclusive and welcoming learning environments where students are connected to their schools and staff are connected to their work environment.

Goal 5 is to engage parents, families and community partners through education, communication and collaboration to promote student success.

The sixth goal is a requirement to provide support to students with disabilities and unsheltered youths, with a specific focus on improving chronic attendance and suspension rates for both groups, as well as graduation rates for students with disabilities.

McCabe noted in the report that the older the students get, the less safe they feel at school. Elementary and middle school students feel less safe when comparing 2022 and 2023 data and high school students feel more safe when comparing 2022 and 2023 data.

The final draft of the LCAP will come forward for review at a public hearing during the June 15 board meeting. The LCAP will then be presented at the June 22 Governing Board meeting for approval.

LCAP must be approved at the same meeting that the annual budget is approved.

Farm Bureau to be updated on land buys

VACAVILLE — Supervisor Mitch Mashburn is scheduled to update the Solano County Farm Bureau about the Flannery Group land purchases in the Montezuma Hills area. The Farm Bureau board meets at 7 p.m. at the Nut Tree Airport, 301 County Airport Road, in Vacaville.

firearm or other weapon.

“No person shall use or discharge across, in, or into any portion of any park any weapon, firearm, spear, bow and arrow, trap, net, or device capable of injuring, or killing any person, or animal, or capturing any animal, or damaging any public or private property, except: A peace officer on duty; a person other than a peace officer who is employed by or in the service of a governmental agency which authorizes the person to carry or use such weapons or devices in the performance of the person’s duty and who is

on official duty,” the draft ordinance states.

No drones would be allowed, and “only Class 1 electric bikes (no throttle, pedal-assisted) are allowed in Solano County parks wherever conventional bikes are allowed unless otherwise posted. “

The county’s annual passes to the parks, if approved by the board, would be good for a 12-month period from when they are purchased, rather than just for the calendar year in which they were purchased, and would be transferable between vehicles owned by the purchaser.

A public hearing is scheduled for the item.

The supervisors meet at 9 a.m. in the first-floor chamber in the government center, 675 Texas St. in Fairfield.

Other items on the agenda include conducting a public hearing and consideration of new user fees for fiscal year 202324, and consideration of a minor subdivision application by Raul and Evelin Melendez to subdivide an 82.13-acre parcel into what amounts to two 41-acre parcels located at 4470 Putah Creek Road, about a quarter-mile south of Winters.

Alejandro Garcia/Courtesy photo abundant wildlife at lake solano, including Persian blue peacocks, offer exciting photo opportunities for visitors.

MCCABE

Vaca Con draws pop culture fans for day of fun

VACAVILLE — Korey

Brentlinger, 14, came dressed as her favorite character Saturday for the fourth annual Vaca Con event.

That would be Rin, from “Lost Song,” a Japanese anime show. The character features a white dress, a blue cape and some special powers. Korey had the outfit but maybe not the special powers.

She came with her father, who likes to do cosplay with her. It is something father and daughter bond over.

Her mother helped her make the dress and crook, which used plumbing parts.

“I really like Cons,” Korey said. “It is great meeting people who share my interests.”

She is also a little competitive.

“I love the competitions,” she said. “I really came for the competition today.”

Korey is saving up for the biggest, Comic Con, which takes place

in San Diego. The Ulatis Cultural Center was filled with plenty of fans of pop culture, from Star Wars to obscure anime with a very niche audience.

Typhanie Ricci-Western, recreation supervisor

for the city of Vacaville, said she was excited to see the turnout for the single-day event.

The event went virtual one year during the pandemic, but has come back bigger this year with 80 vendors, eight food vendors and plenty of celebrities. They included anime YouTube creator MVPerry, wrestling star Brian Kendrick, WWE hall-of-famer Rikishi, and the voice of Boo from Disney’s “Monsters Inc.,” Mary Gibbs.

“I want people to come here and have a great time,” Ricci-Western said. “One of the greatest things about these cons is that they bring people together from all walks of life.”

announced Thursday that public water agencies will receive 100% of its contracted amounts from the State Water Project.

That is up from 75% in March, and marks the first time since 2006 that full contract amounts will be issued.

While Solano County agencies do not rely heavily on state water, the Solano County Water Agency does have a contract with the state Department of Water Resources.

In its statement to the news from DWR, the State Water Contractors noted the proposed Delta tunnel project as part of the “necessary” water management efforts moving forward.

“With California’s changing climate, storage projects such as Sites Reservoir (in Colusa County) and groundwater recharge, combined with the Delta Conveyance Project and improved San Joaquin Valley conveyance by repairing

subsidence damage, are necessary for us to reliably manage our water moving forward,” Jennifer Pierre, general manager of the State Water Contractors, said in a statement.

“With all the water in the system right now, it can be easy to forget that it’s not a matter of if another drought will come, but when. Investing in the water infrastructure California will always need remains crucial to building California’s resilience to the impacts of our changing climate and hydrology,” Pierre added.

Solano County adamantly opposes the Delta Conveyance Project.

In a recent update on the topic, the board said not only will the project damage the Delta ecosystem, but the construction phase will have negative impacts on Solano County and Travis Air Force Base because of added traffic coming through Solano to avoid the construction areas.

To that end, Supervisor Mitch Mashburn said the project actually “threatens national security.”

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — The Vacaville Chamber of Commerce will be hosting Lemonade Day Vacaville next month.

The event will take place May 20 with dozens of lemonade stands run by young entrepreneurs scattered across the town. But running the stand is just the final step. In the weeks leading up to Lemonade Day, mentors will guide participants through the journey of planning, launching and operating a business, according to a press release.

The impact of a program like Lemonade Day is four-fold: it teaches financial literacy to children, which is often absent in public and private school curriculum; it promotes entrepreneurship, which is key to jumpstarting economic growth; it teaches them to be responsible and self-reliant, and to contribute to their community’s development; and it fosters mentorship and brings families together.

Lemonade Day Vacaville participants have access to a series of lessons that step them through the process of owning and operating their

own lemonade business. These lessons are guided through use of workbooks (available at the Vacaville Chamber) or the My Lemonade Day app, which provides an animated, interactive experience. The app is available in English and Spanish and does not require Wi-Fi for use, making it accessible for a broader audience.

The young business owners will set up their lemonade stands at parks, neighborhoods, places of worship, businesses and other spaces to maximize their sales opportunities.

SuSan HilanD SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

Susan Hiland/Daily Republic photos

Vaca Con graces the Ulatis Cultural Center for the fourth year with a fun afternoon of competition, vendors, games and more, saturday. Korey Brentlinger of Fairfield made her own costume from the anime series “lost song.”

Cosplayers come out in full fan garb for the 4th annual Vaca Con in Vacaville, saturday.

State hits ambitious goal for electric cars two years early

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

If it seems like there are more Teslas, Chevy Bolts and electric Ford Mustangs on freeways and in driveways across California, there’s a reason for that. There are.

New data out Friday show that motorists in California have bought 1.5 million electric vehicles since 2011 – 40% of all electric vehicle sales in the United States – surpassing a goal set by former Gov. Jerry Brown two years early.

High gas prices, the improving range of batteries and a decade of California’s regulations on auto companies are driving the change, experts say.

“The technology is improving so rapidly and becoming more affordable,” said Simon Mui,

director of clean car programs at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group in San Francisco. “It’s like the movement from landlines to cell phones, which happened fast.”

In 2012, Brown signed an executive order setting a target of 1.5 million “zero emission vehicles,” or ZEVs, sold in California by 2025. But by March 31, the total had already reached 1,523,966, according to quarterly data out Friday from the California Energy Commission.

The interest of a small number of hobbyists just a decade ago, now, 21% of all new passenger vehicles sold in California from Jan. 1 to March 31 were electric, a total of 124,053 vehicles.

Last year, the two topselling new passenger vehicles in California were both electric, the Tesla Y and Tesla Model 3. According to the California New Car Dealers Association, there were 87,257 Tesla Y SUVs sold in California last year – twice the number of new Ford F-Series pickup trucks sold. And there were 78,934 new Tesla Model 3 sedans sold – more than all the new Honda Civics and Toyota Corollas combined.

Other EVs like the Mustang Mach-E, the Volkswagen ID.4, and the Hyundai IONIQ 5 are increasingly visible on the state’s roads and highways.

Many motorists may not have realized it yet. But the internal combustion engine’s days are numbered in California.

SBDC offering workshops, training, restaurant grants

DAily r epubliC STAff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The Small Business Development Center of Solano/ Napa is offering marketing and public relation workshops, as well as workshops on succession planning and human resources over the next couple of weeks.

The first – “Supercharge your SEO & Google Analytics” – is set for April 26. To register, go to www. solanonapasbdc.org/ event/search-engineoptimization. The workshop runs noon to 2 p.m.

The second – “Build

Your PR: It’s All About Connections” – is set for May 3. To register, go to www.solanonapasbdc. org/event/public-

In brief

relations. The workshop runs noon to 2 p.m.

The third – “Succession Planning & Employee Ownership” – is May 3. To register, go to www.marin sbdc.org/event/succession.

The workshop runs noon to 1:15 p.m.

The fourth – “Need to Know HR: CA Employer Update” – is May 4. To register, go to www.solanonapasbdc.org/event/ california-employmentla w-updates-05-2023.

The workshop runs noon to 1:30 p.m.

Additionally, a free ServSafe Food Manager Training & Certification program is being offered from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. May 23. It is exclusive to Solano County businesses and residents. To register

PG&E offering grants to restaurants

FAIRFIELD — The PG&E Corporation Foundation, for the third year, is offering a total of $2.1 million in grants to independent restaurant owners and their staffs.

The dollars are available through the California Restaurant Foundation’s Restaurants Care Resilience Fund. Individual grants can be as much as $5,000, which can be used for technology adoption, equipment upgrades, employee onboarding and retention, and unforeseen hardships.

Last year, the foundation funded $3,000 grants to 144 restaurants in 28 counties.

Applications are due by May 7. Go to www. restaurantscare.org/resilience.

Janric Classic Sudoku

go to https://form.jotform. com/231075783347057.

And finally, $5,000 grants are available for independently owned restaurants for kitchen equipment, technology upgrades, employee training and bonuses and unforeseen hardships. The deadline is May 7. To apply, go to https://restau rantscare.org/resilience.

Last August, the California Air Resources Board passed landmark rules that prohibit the sale of all new gasoline-powered cars, SUVs, minivans, and pickups in the state by 2035.

The auto industry, which has 115 models of electric vehicles for sale in California now, up from 46 in 2019, did not oppose the new rules, which were ordered by Gov.

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

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

(707) 427-1386

Los Angeles Times Sunday Crossword Puzzle

IN THE END By

Garrett Chalfin

Difficulty level: SILVER Fill in the blank cells using numbers 1 to 9. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and 3x3 block. Use logic and process of elimination to solve the puzzle. The difficulty level ranges from Bronze (easiest) to Silver to Gold (hardest).

See Goal, Page A8

Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group/TNS file (2022)

Automobiles charge at a Tesla vehicle charging station on Aug. 24, 2022, in San Ramon.

Gavin Newsom as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and smog. But industry officials say they want the state to regularly review vehicle costs, availability of battery materials, and charging stations to see if the targets will need to be adjusted.

“These are, without question, the most sweeping and transformative regulations in the history of the automobile industry,” said Steve Douglas, vice president of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an industry trade group, in a letter to the air board last summer.

“Automakers will work to meet the standards,” Douglas wrote, “but the board should be aware the proposed requirements will be extremely challenging.”

The first-in-the-nation rules won’t ban gasolinepowered cars already on the road. Nor will they pro hibit the sale of used ones after 2035.

They do require that 35% of all new passen ger vehicles offered for sale in California starting in 2026 to be zero-emis sion – basically electric, plug-in hybrid or fuel cell – ramping up to 68% by 2030 and 100% by 2035.

So far six other states have copied California’s rules: New York, Virginia, Washington, Oregon, Massachusetts and Vermont. Others, including Colorado, Maryland, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Connecticut are considering similar rules.

Last week, the Biden administration followed suit. Reversing course from the Trump administration, which attempted unsuccessfully to block California’s rules, the Biden Environmental Protection Agency proposed

tough new pollution standards that could result in battery-powered cars and trucks making up two-thirds of new passenger vehicle sales nationally by 2032.

Big challenges remain, however.

In 2018, Brown set a goal of 5 million electric vehicles sold in California by 2030. To hit that

target, the state needs a lot more charging stations –1.2 million to be exact.

Currently, there are 87,707 statewide, according to the California Energy Commission. Roughly 250,000 are expected to be built by 2026 with funding the state and private companies have lined up, said Patty Monahan, a member of the California Energy

Commission.

The agency estimates that five times as many will be needed by 2030. Although homeowners can charge the vehicles at home while they sleep, many renters who live in apartments don’t have easy access to recharging.

“Our theory is that the public share will be reduced over time as the private sector really takes over the market and these charging providers start making money from charging,” Monahan said.

“The state needs to focus on making sure that communities that otherwise wouldn’t get access get access, like lower-income and rural communities in particular.”

In January, Newsom proposed to cut state spending on renewable energy and climate projects by $6 billion over five years, from $54 billion to $48 billion, to address the state’s proposed $22 billion deficit this year, drawing

the ire of environmental groups. About $3.3 billion of the cuts, which must still be approved by state legislators, would come from clean transportation programs, like financial incentives for companies to build chargers and for motorists to buy electric vehicles. Price also remains an issue.

At the end of 2022, the average price of an electric vehicle was $61,488, compared with $49,507 for all passenger cars and trucks, according to Kelley Blue Book. Since then, however, Tesla has cut prices six times on its vehicles, and the Model 3 is now $39,990. Other car companies have dropped prices as well, some to make their vehicles eligible for incentives under the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, which provides buyers with up to $7,500 for new EVs and up to $4,000 for used ones.

Daily Republic file

A car charges at a electric vehicle charging station at the solano Government Center, in Fairfield.

Crime logs

People

From Page One

Specialty mental health services are for individuals with severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia.

to the other counties.

of TABOR AVENUE

p.m. — Reckless driver, PEBBLE BEACH CIRCLE 1:51 p.m. — Trespassing, 1100

of ALASKA AVENUE

1:52 p.m. — Trespassing, 300 block of PITTMAN ROAD

3:27 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, RANCHO SOLANO PARKWAY

3:40 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 4300 block of CENTRAL PLACE 6:35 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, HILBORN ROAD

8:38 p.m. — Brandishing a weapon, 2100 block of CADENASSO DRIVE

8:50 p.m. — Shots fired, KIDDER AVENUE

Solano and Sacramento are the only two counties in the state that do not provide specialty mental health services to all the residents who need such care. For Solano, it is an estimated 2,091 individuals, about 46% more than the 4,800 under county care.

Vaughn said the county is willing to take on the responsibility, but it needs the funding to pay for staff and other costs. She estimates the cost at $16.8 million annually.

Vaughn said the state has informed the county it intends to seek an outside provider and then find the necessary funding; a response Vaughn does not understand since the state could just provide the county those funds and the work would be done. She said the state also has “threatened” sanctions, fees and other reprimands on Solano.

“This is the place the state has put us,” said Supervisor Erin Hannigan, who represents Solano at the California State Association of Counties, which has a role in the issue as well.

“And frankly, it goes against everything that I’ve heard come out of the governor’s mouth about mental health care,” Hannigan added.

give you any funding,’ “ Vaughn said.

“And then the world rolls over with Covid,” she said.

But the reform concept continued to percolate in Sacramento.

“So our staff was attending a webinar (in 2020) and on one slide it said specialty mental health care was transferring to the counties in Sacramento and Solano,” Vaughn added. The changeover was going to be implemented in 2022.

That created a panic at the county. How many clients are involved? What was the funding source? There were other questions, too.

AVENUE

6:50 p.m. — Vandalism, 400 block of UNION AVENUE

8:33 p.m. — Trespassing, 2200 block of CURRIER PLACE

8:41 p.m. — Shots fired, 900 block of NIGHTINGALE DRIVE

9:10 p.m. — Shots fired, 1700 block of AUTUMN MEADOW DRIVE FRIDAY, APRIL 21

12:57 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 4500 block of BUSINESS CENTER DRIVE

6:34 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 1000

Guns

From Page One

at the wrong time will become the new norm.

“We have a shoot-first society,” he said. “We have a culture of fear.”

Horwitz says the proliferation of firearms, concealed weapons permits and “stand your ground” laws contributes to increased gun violence. He also believes the conservative media’s relentlessly profitable fear-mongering – a recipe of formulaic race-baiting and histrionic reporting on crime – leads to paranoia and killing.

“They’re saying ‘the bad guys are after us,’ and that plays into this whole thing,” Horwitz explained.

When 84-year-old Andrew Lester shot

16-year-old Ralph Yarl last week in Kansas City, the white homeowner claimed he was “scared to death” when he saw the Black teenager on his porch.

One of his grandsons told CNN the shooter was radicalized by right-wing media and, in his opinion, “holds racist tendencies and beliefs.” Prosecutors have also said there was a racial component to the shooting.

It’s unclear if Lester –accused of firing through a storm door – will argue he was standing his ground. There’s no indication he was in danger.

“If you have an opportunity to spare a life, you don’t have to,” Horwitz laments.

He said the trifecta of aforementioned recent shootings is no coincidence, but rather the “predictable consequences” of increased gun sales.

“More guns in more hands equal more death,” according to Horwitz.

Horwitz seemingly agrees with Gun Violence Archive director Mark Bryant – whose Kentucky-based organization tracks national gun violence – when he says firearm training reduces needless shootings.

According to Bryant, the shocking incidents in Kansas City, upstate New York and Texas could be coincidental. But he sees possible similarities.

10:23 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, TRAVIS BOULEVARD

11:51 p.m. — Reckless driver, 2400 block of CROCKER CIRCLE

SuiSun City

THURSDAY, APRIL 20

4:17 a.m. — Assault with a deadly weapon, 200 block of MARINA BOULEVARD FRIDAY, APRIL 21

1:52 p.m. — Vandalism, HIGHWAY 12 / VILLAGE DRIVE

Protesters attend a rally for Black teen Ralph Yarl in front of U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Missouri, Tuesday. Chase Castor/Getty Images/TNS

“People are just angry,” Bryant told the Daily News. “So you have anger and access to a gun. That makes the outcome so much harder, so much faster.”

When a gunman is already upset about something, and someone disrupts their routine, they’re more likely to open fire, Bryant said. He too believes its a “mathematical fact” that more guns equal more shootings.

So what are people angry about? Just “listen to talk radio,” Bryant suggested.

Bryant, 68, says he has owned guns for at least 50 years, and while he doesn’t think gun control measures will stop senseless killings, he does believe they can lessen the frequency.

He agrees with Horwitz’s theory that fear may be a factor in shootings like the one in Kansas City last week. But Bryant has a hard time believing a man who shoots unarmed cheerleaders did so fearing for his life. Same goes for the New York man who opened fire on a 20-yearold woman in his driveway.

“That was just a jerk,” he said of the latter.

According to Bryant, gun training helps gun owners make better decisions. When his wife’s car was recently being broken into, Bryant said he dialed 911 rather than grabbing a 9mm and going “out to say hi.”

Bryant said his father taught him at a young age to pull a gun on someone only if he intends to take a life. That lesson stuck.

Anger may not go away so long as the internet, AM radio and cable news keep people in information “echo chambers,” according to Bryant. But he thinks firearm discipline can be the difference between an eye-roll and a shooting.

“You’ve got gun owners who are hardcore liberals, you have gun owners who are hardcore conservatives, and you have a whole bunch of people – you don’t know what they are because they don’t yap,” he said. “They own guns. It’s not their life. It’s not their cult. They have one, or two... or three, or four.”

Bryant said that his guns mostly collect dust.

It also needs a year to phase in the patients, about 200 each month, many of whom may choose not to leave their caregivers and therefore the county would have to come up with some contractual arrangements with those providers.

The state, in February, sent Solano $7.85 million. Vaughn said it is 2011 realignment growth rate money that was diverted from other counties, the smaller of which need their shares desperately.

“We said you can’t do that. You can’t harm all these other (specialty) mental health clients in all the other counties,” Vaughn said. Solano has set the funds aside, but has no mechanism to return the funds

Ideas

From Page One

the biosphere.

Stern brought plastic 2-liter bottles as examples for a talk she gave. She fills them with paper waste that is not the type that breaks down easily in a landfill, like metallic candy wrappers.

“I sit at home and cut them into little pieces while I watch TV, it is really relaxing,” she said.

Then she stuffs the little pieces into the 2-liter container and pushes the waste down with a doweling stick.

“A friend in Argentina introduced me to this,” Stern said. “They make buildings out of the plastic bottles by wrapping them with stucco.”

Stern also shares her bottles with a secondgrade teacher in Vacaville who uses them in the classroom to create furniture.

“Any bottle will do

Earth

From Page One

a strong bond with friends when we come out here and clean up. Is it because we are taking care of the Earth?” Hailey wondered. “It feels so very therapeutic to be outside, where it is peaceful.”

Alex Lam and his friend, Zeddrick Mendoza, 14, said they were feeling pretty good about picking up the trash.

“It is a little disappointing that we have to come and do it again this year,” Alex said.

Kayakers in the water grabbed what they could and pulled items into the kayaks.

This was the seventh year for James Berg, owner of Grizzly Waters

The DHCS communications office stated it would respond to the Daily Republic’s questions, sent in an email, early next week.

County surprised by state’s mental health shift

It is an issue that dates back to around 2018, maybe 2019, when the state decided it was going to reform the Medi-Cal health care system through CalAIM, which is a pathway from federal Medicaid.

“So DHCC went to our Behavioral Health director and said, ‘you are going to take over all these (specialty mental health service) clients, but we are not going to

really,” she said.

An ecobrick is a PET bottle packed solid with clean and dry used plastic. Ecobricks have plenty of uses, such as making a garden.

MotoXotica, a motorcycle shop on Merchant Street, opened last year and is selling plenty of electric bikes.

Owner Ann Blum has owned the shop for more than 25 years.

“I decided to bring in a few Huskie electric bikes and, oh boy, that is a whole other beast,” she said. “So we bought the space across from us and expanded.” They brought in more electric bikes and found people loved them. The new space is called MotoXotica Annex.

With higher gas prices, the electric bikes became very popular. The electric mountain bikes are growing quickly in popularity, too. Blum said she hopes that the old-school bikes never go out of style.

Kayaking, to be out on the water for a cleanup day. He donates the kayaks for the event and helped organize the various groups of people by loaning out buckets.

“This is great because it gets more and more popular every year,” Berg said. “Last year we had 60 people. I didn’t count this year.”

For Ruth Lawson of Fairfield, every Friday has been Earth Day, as she, along with a group of church friends, go out and clean up various streets in the area.

“We do Fairfield AdoptA-Street,” she said. Lawson has found shopping carts, lawn mower parts and plenty of strange trash. “I was looking for a way to do a service for the city,” she said.

was holding firm about adding adding no new funding, not even transferring the funds paid to Kaiser for the client care to the counties.

The argument, Vaughn said, goes back to 2011 realignment when the state shifted duties and responsibilities for a variety of services to the counties, and agreed to pay using sales tax and vehicle license plate fees.

And despite the fact Kaiser was providing the care, it could not come up with a client number because its time-based billing system was different than others being used.

“There is no disrespect for Kaiser,” Vaughn said. “Kaiser throughout the county has been an outstanding partner ... We have no beef with Kaiser.”

Eventually, a formula was calculated to determine the number based on a prevailing client population rate of 4.9%. All the parties signed off on the formula.

A transition plan was supposed to be developed. It never really got off the ground. Vaughn said that is because it became clear to Solano and Sacramento officials involved in the talks that the state contingent did not have a working knowledge of behavioral health needs.

Moreover, the state

“People like using the e-bikes to commute,” Blum said.

Event organizer Lisa Murray, who is also the publisher for Ag + Art Magazine in Vacaville, came up with the idea for an Earth Day event while doing its annual film festival.

“I was looking at Andrews Park and thinking that it would be a great place to hold a vendorsfair event,” she said.

Coming from Arizona, where they had several art fairs, she was eager to see how well it would do in California.

“It is a perfect park,” she said. “The idea is to support our local farmers’ goods because they are very much a part of Earth Day. Their work is agriculture and that is the Earth.”

The inaugural event brought out 50 vendors, including food, crafts, resource organization and nonprofits.

Murray said she was surprised to get a phone

Volunteers typically remove between 5,000 to 10,000 pounds of trash and recyclables from community parks, trails, roadsides and waterways during the event.

Around 80% of the trash flowing into the ocean originates from inland sources, most often by entering storm drains that flow directly into creeks and rivers before draining into the sea, according to a press release from Solano County.

Each community organized its own cleanups from Benicia to Rio Vista.

The 2023 Solano County Earth Day Cleanup is sponsored by Solano County Department of Resource Management with additional support provided by the Sierra Club Solano Group, Sprouts Farmers

The state contends that behavioral health was part of that shift and therefore is the county’s responsibility. The county argues that population of clients was not considered when the realignment formula was constructed in 2011 and should be considered a new responsibility.

“We have looked into legal ramifications. It’s not where we want to go. We think, as do other (outside law firms), a strong argument that this is a new responsibility,” Vaughn said.

After July 2022, the state came up with the additional funding through the growth rate shift in realignment funds.

CSAC opposes the state’s plan because of that shift from other counties. However, the state has moved forward. The new implementation date was set to be July 1, but that appears to have been pushed back, too.

Vaughn is unsure what the state intends to do next.

“But I know 1,000% what that population needs,” Vaughn said.

call asking if she wanted a train for the day.

“He surprised me, and of course I said yes,” she said. Hopefully, the day gave people some ideas for conservation while enjoying the vendors and food.

Market in Vacaville, the Solano Center for Volunteer and Non-Profit Leadership, 95.3 KUIC, Grizzly Waters Kayaking, and the California Coastal Commission. Cleanup partners include Solano County Parks, FairfieldSuisun Sewer District, Vallejo Watershed Alliance, Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District, city of Benicia, city of Dixon, city of Vacaville, Solano Land Trust, and volunteer site leaders.

The Solano RCD coordinates three annual community cleanups on behalf of Solano County, including Earth Day, World Environment Day on June 3, and Coastal Cleanup Day on September 23. Learn more about these cleanups at clean upsolano.org

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month

May is Skin Cancer Awareness

Month, which makes excellent sense. As the days lengthen, with sunset further delayed by daylight savings time, we are all subject to a daily bombardment by the sun’s rays. Ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) light penetrates our top layer of skin, causing cellular damage. If we are lucky, our premature aging may be the only result. For many of us, however, the risk of a cancer involving the skin is a real possibility.

John Geisse, M.D., of Solano Dermatology Associates, was kind enough to elucidate the details of skin cancer prevention and treatment in an episode of Vallejo

Community Access

Television’s “Health

Focus with Dr. Scott.”

Well-regarded in the community for tackling advanced skin cancers, John is respected as a person who reaches out to under-served populations.

Let me share a few takehome messages from our conversation:

n Skin cancer is a serious health issue

Indeed, the term “skin cancer” describes many specific diagnostic conditions. Dr. Geisse, a dermatologist and dermatopathologist with decades of teaching experience at the University of California at San Francisco, explained that his clinic is overwhelmed with referrals. The skin is the largest organ in

the body, and skin cancer is the most diagnosed malignancy in the United States.

n We could do better at prevention. In Australia, for example, our guest explained that children’s playgrounds are often shielded from the sun. Avoiding sun exposure between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. is sensible. If you must be out in the sun, wear sunscreen and protective clothing.

We discussed the changing attitudes in our culture toward the concept of a “healthy tan,” as popularized by popular culture. The tanning response is a protective reaction to sun-induced inflammation. Severe sunburns, particularly, predispose to malignant melanoma. Tanning salons increase skin cancer risk by exposing the skin to unnecessary ultraviolet light. Human papilloma virus (HPV), preventable with vaccination, may cause cervical or skin cancer.

n We are all at risk Although individuals of fair complexion are more vulnerable to suninduced skin damage, we are all vulnerable. African Americans may develop more atypical cancers, afflicting the soles of the feet or hands, or nail beds. Bob Marley, the late Jamaican reggae star, succumbed to a melanoma under a toenail, which subsequently metastasized. Early detection of cancer is critical to facilitating a cure.

n When in doubt, seek

suspicious lesion is noted, seek evaluation from your primary care physician. A referral to dermatology for a detailed expert inspection of the skin is often appropriate. If necessary, a biopsy will be performed to exclude the presence of cancer. Most cancers are curable, but early detection is the key.

n Specific diagnoses guide therapy. Squamous cell carcinoma, along with basal cell carcinoma, are typically locally excised. Like all malignancies, the potential for local invasion or metastatic spread does exist. Malignant melanoma may portend a grave prognosis if it is ignored, allowing local growth and spread to lymph nodes of surrounding tissues.

Ophthalmologists on occasion detect melanoma in the eye, particularly the retina. Dr. Geisse

bleeding skin lesions, for example, should prompt medical referral.

Skin cancer treatment is evolving. For example, immunotherapy for melanoma gives hope to patients with advanced disease. Recognizing how far we have come, however, I came away from our guest’s presentation realizing that prevention is the best option. We can start by modeling safe behavior by wearing sunscreen, hats, UV-protective dark glasses and protective clothing. Preventing skin cancer is a lifelong health challenge.

Scott T. Anderson, M.D. (standerson@ucdavis. edu), is a clinical professor at the University of California, Davis Medical School. This column is informational and does not constitute medical advice.

Ex-Marine gets 12 years for smuggling fentanyl into US

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

A former U.S. Marine who smuggled drugs from Mexico into the U.S. for years was sentenced Friday to 12 years in federal prison.

Roberto Salazar II, of San Diego, pleaded guilty in October 2022 to bringing fentanyl into the country and to conspiring to distribute controlled substances, including heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl, officials said.

Until he was arrested last year, the 26-yearold was an active-duty U.S. Marine stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego.

Prosecutors said Salazar “recruited, managed, and paid multiple drug couriers,” to bring drugs across the border –both before he joined the Marine Corps and while he was on active duty. Among the individuals he recruited were two former service members who had been discharged from the Marine Corps.

“This case involved a Marine who was supposed to protect and defend our country, but instead brought great harm to Americans by trafficking

Youth

From Page A6

If a prime location isn’t coming to mind, children can check out the list of available Sweet Spots. The Sweet Spot list is generated from local businesses who are interested in having a stand at their location. This becomes part of the participant’s business plan as

— Randy Grossman, U.S. attorney

fentanyl and other dangerous drugs,” U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said in a statement.

“He also betrayed his solemn oath by recruiting other Marines to do the same,” Grossman added.

Salazar, along with his co-conspirators, would hide the drugs in the engines of certain cars, which were then used to transport the substances across the border.

Couriers would get $2,000 for each successful import operation.

Salazar also “personally distributed” drugs within the U.S., according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of California.

By the time of his arrest, had become so involved in the smuggling business

they need to “pitch” the business owner on their stand and negotiate rent for the day. After a location is chosen, participants can put their stand on the map on the Lemonade Day Vacaville website so that customers can find their location and learn their business hours and product offerings.

Children are encouraged to embrace this through optional contests including the Entrepre-

that he commissioned a Mexican songwriter to write a “narcocorrido” song to celebrate his role in drug trafficking –including references to his military service.

Narcocorrido, or drug ballad, is a controversial folk-music genre that often glorifies drug traffickers and romanticizes drug trafficking exploits.

He even suggested lyrics for the song about him.

“In one line that Salazar suggested to the songwriter, he boasted: ‘I wanted to study and became a soldier, but I liked the fast life better,’” the U.S. attorney’s office said.

Salazar was behind “dozens” of smuggling incidents, which started in 2015, authorities said.

He faced up to life in prison.

“Through this case, the defendant has been held to account for his crimes and we have dismantled yet another link in the supply chain for the deadly narcotics that are indiscriminately killing members of our community,” Grossman said.

neur of the Year, Best Stand and Best Tasting Lemonade. The Best Tasting Lemonade Contest takes place from 2 to 3 p.m. May 13 at Vacaville’s Town Square and is an opportunity for all participants to pick up a Lemonade Day Vacaville backpack.

All aspects of the program are free for participants. For more information, visit lemon adeday.org/vacaville

‘He also betrayed his solemn oath by recruiting other Marines to do the same.’

THINGS TO

DO

Champagne Brunch Marina Lounge, 700 Main St., Suite 106. www.marina loungesuisun.com.

7 p.m. Wednesday Cultural Exchange

Wednesdayz Marina Lounge, 700 Main St., Suite 106. www.marina loungesuisun.com.

7 p.m. Thursday Karaoke Marina Lounge, 700 Main St., Suite 106. www.marina loungesuisun.com.

8 p.m. Friday

Soulful Fridays Marina Lounge, 700 Main St., Suite 106. www.marina loungesuisun.com.

I Vacaville

5 p.m. Thursday Town Square Thursdays: Smokehouse Reunion 11 Town Square Place. https:// downtownvacaville.com.

8 p.m. Friday Taylor Dayne and Sheena Easton Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre, 1010 Ulatis Drive. https://vpat.net.

This week Preview

1 and 5 p.m. Saturday ‘Coppélia’ Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre, 1010 Ulatis Drive. https://vpat.net.

9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday Vacaville Got Talent

Competition Journey Downtown Theatre, 300 Main St. https://events. journeydowntownvenue.com.

I Benicia

2:30 p.m. Sunday Tam Funk Railroad

The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therelliktavern.com.

6 p.m. Sunday Poker Night The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therelliktavern.com.

7 p.m. Tuesday Open Mic Night The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therelliktavern.com.

7 p.m. Wednesday Karaoke The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therelliktavern.com.

5:30 p.m. Thursday Soul’d Out Duo The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therelliktavern.com.

9 p.m. Thursday

DJ Jerry Ross The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therelliktavern.com.

9 p.m. Friday Goth Night The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therelliktavern.com.

4:30 p.m. Saturday Lark and LaBlanc The Rellik, 726 First St. www.therelliktavern.com.

I Vallejo

6:30 p.m. Wednesday

Willy Jordan and Volker Strifler Empress Theatre, 330 Virginia St. www.empresstheatre.org.

7 p.m. Thursday Uncensored Comedy Empress Theatre, 330 Virginia St. www.empresstheatre.org.

1 p.m. Saturday Private Practice

Vino Godfather Winery, 1005 Walnut Ave. www. vinogodfather.com.

Benicia Theatre Group takes flight with ‘Boeing, Boeing’

a my m aginniS-Honey AMAGINNIS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

‘Boeing, Boeing’

8 p.m. Friday, Saturday; May 5-6, 12-13

2 p.m. Sunday; April 30, May 7

B.D.E.S. Hall, 140 W. J St., Benicia www.benicia theatregroup.org

‘Don’t trust the internal clock” is the mantra of Clinton Vidal as he directs Benicia Theatre’s production of “Boeing, Boeing.”

The farce was penned by French playwright Marc Camoletti. The English-language adaptation, translated by Beverley Cross, was first staged in London at the Apollo Theatre in 1962 and transferred to the Duchess Theatre in 1965, running for seven years.

Set in the 1960s, the story centers on bachelor Bernard, who has a flat in Paris and three airline stewardesses all engaged to him without knowing about each other.

Just like turbulence, Bernard’s life gets bumpy when all three stewardesses are in the city simultaneously and catastrophe looms.

“Boeing Boeing” is the fifth

show Vidal has directed for Benicia Theatre Group, formerly the Benicia Old Town Theatre Group.

He saw the 1965 movie with the same name, starring Tony Curtis and Jerry Lewis.

Vidal didn’t think it was funny.

“There was not enough slaps,” he said. “I didn’t understand the overarching themes.”

And, Jerry Lewis wasn’t the Jerry Lewis he loved in “Nutty Professor.” He recently sought out a copy and found one.

“It was a little better than I remember,” he said.

Pulling off the farce is the key to a successful run, he said. Outrageous situations and characters dealing with plot complications require precise timing. The audience just needs to accept the premise of a man involved with three different women. Then, hang on for the ride.

Vidal cited Faulty Towers and

Monty Python as farcical comedy at its best. Vidal also mentioned the episode of “Frasier” when the cast went to a ski lodge.

“It was hilarious,” he said. By the end of the play, the cast and audience, should be exhausted.

“The script does 70% of the work,” Vidal said. “Most of the actors are not used to working this fast.”

The cast includes Joshua Roberts, Melaney Baker, Helen Nolan, Patric Kenney, Kelsey Bye and Natasha Harris. Vidal has worked with some of them in past productions.

“I enjoy watching the cast make discoveries,” he said. “The real payoff is when we pull it off and people enjoy it. We are aiming to give the audience a good time.”

With the exception of Covid-19 related inactivity, Benicia Theatre Group has been presenting theatrical productions in downtown Benicia since 1964.

Easton, Dayne bring hits to Vaca Performing Arts Theatre Symphony San Jose will perform

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — The Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre wraps up its 2022-23 season with Taylor Dayne and Sheena Easton, 8 p.m. Friday.

The two pop icons have garnered nine Grammy Award nominations, two Grammy Awards, two Billboard Music awards, one American Music Award, six platinum albums, five gold albums, 39 Billboard Top 20 singles, and 11 No. 1 Billboard singles.

Dayne’s groundbreaking debut single, “Tell It To My Heart,” turned her into an overnight international star in 1987.

She followed the smash hit with 17 Top 20 singles over the course of her threedecade career, including “Love Will Lead You Back,”

“Prove Your Love” and “I’ll Always Love You.”

Dayne has sold more than

75 million albums and singles worldwide She is one of the very few artists in musical history to successfully cross over into almost every musical genre and chart with hit singles in pop, dance, R&B, adult con-

‘Coco’ score live to picture

Daily Republic Staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

SAN JOSE — Susie Seiter will conduct the two performances of “Coco,” which centers on a young boy with dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol. Desperate to prove his talent, he finds himself in the Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets a charming trickster and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind the boy’s family history.

temporary and rock.

She wrote many of her own hits as well as Tina Turner’s “Whatever You Want.”

In addition to the original score by Michael Giacchino, “Coco” also features the Oscar-winning song “Remember Me” by Oscar-winning

Courtesy photo

The cast of Benicia Theatre’s production of “Boeing, Boeing.”

By the late 1990s, Dayne

Courtesy photo

Sheena Easton and Taylor Dayne will perform at 8 p.m. Friday at the Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre. See Hits, Page B3

Juneteenth organizers extend deadline

Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VALLEJO — Organizers of Vallejo’s 33rd Juneteenth Festival and Parade has extended the deadline to May 15.

The festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 17 at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, downtown at Mare Island Way and Capitol Street behind the JFK Library. The festival will be preceded by a parade at 9:30 a.m.

“Every year we find that people need a little more time to get the application packet and fees together because the deadline seems to catch them unprepared,” said Gwendolyn White, president of the African American Family Reunion Committee that sponsors the Juneteenth celebration, in a press release.

“We’re also aware that some businesses are still trying to get back up to speed as we continue to transition out of the pandemic, and they appreciate the additional time because they don’t want to miss the event.”

The application is available online at vallejojuneteenth.com.

Food vendors must first contact the Juneteenth Committee before submitting an application.

Parade entry applications are due May 2 and there is no fee to participate. The parade application is also on the website.

Frazier Trager Presents will line up the entertainment program featuring an array of artists. Earley All Star Funk, Project 4 Band, Beaufunk, and Barrio Funk are slated to perform.

Gospel performances and other entertainment is also planned.

The African American Family Reunion Committee presents the Juneteenth festival to raise community awareness and promote unity by improving quality of life for residents, bringing together a variety of public, private and nonprofit resources and providers in the areas of health and wellness, social programs, financial stability, homeownership, education, job training, and certification opportunities.

For more information is on the website at www. vallejojuneteenth.com.

Hits

From Page B1

appeared in film, TV and stage, from Broadway favorites like Elton John’s award-winning production of “Aida,” working with legendary composer Jules Styne to reprise the role of Fanny Brice on Broadway.

Taylor also appeared in movies including “Love Affair” with Warren Beatty and Annette Bening and co-starred in the Denis Leary TV drama “Rescue Me,” in the “Zombies” episode.

She also starred in the HBO film “Stag” and co-starred on Showtime original series “Rude Awakening” while continuing to record, write and produce her last two studio albums,. Easton, whose career has spanned four decades, was born in Bellshill, Scotland, the youngest of six children.

With chart-topping hits like “Morning Train: 9 to 5,” “We’ve Got Tonight”

Can nostalgia make the Barbie movie a win for Mattel?

R achel leRman THE WASHINGTON POST

Melissa Reid just needs some workout pants, a leotard and a gold medal to complete her Gymnas tics Barbie look in time for the July premiere of the “Barbie” movie. Reid, 35, and her friends plan to dress up as the Barbies of their youth – awash in Barbie Pink, obviously – and hit the theater together, a plan echoed widely on social media.

The new film, though not yet rated, isn’t primarily geared at the doll’s youngest fans, experts say. The appeal appears strongest among adults and teens eager to awaken, or at least engage, hazy memories of a beloved toy and peek into the world of Barbie that, too, has grown up.

For doll maker Mattel, the film stands to raise up a 78-year-old brand with wistful Millennials and Gen Xers, and encourage sales of other Barbie-branded products. And it may well plant a seed with viewers to think of Barbie and her Dreamhouse for their kids or young relatives.

Still, it’s a new play for Mattel from a business perspective and a new type of toy movie altogether.

“I don’t think anyone at Mattel is thinking ... this is going to sell dolls to 4-yearolds,” said Chris Byrne, a toy industry consultant.

The movie’s trailers have taken the internet by storm since the latest release earlier this month, and spotlighted a starstudded cast that includes Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu, Issa Rae, Helen Mirren and Will Ferrell. One clip features bright colors, whimsical fashion and a Barbie setting off on an adventure in her signature pink convertible. Another cements the movie’s selfaware humor: Ken, played by Gosling, suggests he stay the night with Robbie’s Barbie, leading Barbie to ask innocently, “To do what?”

“I’m actually not sure,” Ken answers. It’s an eye-catching endeavor for its director, Greta Gerwig, who also directed “Lady Bird” and “Little Women.”

At 64, Barbie has had an enduring legacy, emerging time and again from backlash over her appearance as the quintessential doll for children, particularly young girls. She has been a president, an astronaut,

with Kenny Rogers, “U Got the Look,” featur ing Prince and “For Your Eyes Only,” she has sold more than 20 million records worldwide.

Her acting credits include a five-episode appearance on “Miami Vice,” and a starring role opposite Stacy Keach in a John Carpenter-directed trilogy for Showtime titled “Body Bag” and as guest star in the syndicated cult series”The Highlander.”

On Broadway, she starred as Aldonza/Dulcinea in “Man of La Mancha” opposite the late Raul Julia’s Don Quixote. She also starred on Broadway as Rizzo in the hit musical “Grease.”

Easton is most at home working with her band, but has expanded her love of the concert stage as a guest vocalist in various programs with symphonies across the nation. This allows her to blend her romance with various styles of music – American standards, pop and Broadway. For tickets, call 707469-4013 or visit vpat.net.

the titular character in several animated films and TV shows – but this is her first own live-action movie.

The decision itself was controversial, said Arpiné H. Kocharyan, an analyst who follows Mattel at UBS Investment Bank. Liveaction can be divisive when it comes to toy or animated classics, and some investors worry it might not pay off in terms of sales for the company.

But “Barbie is very different,” she said. “And Mattel management understands the risks and opportunities that come with such an undertaking. So I think this is a major event for Mattel.”

Mattel seems well aware of the potential pitfalls of endorsing a liveaction movie. But it also sees the benefits, according to public statements from executives.

“Historically, a liveaction movie doesn’t bring the same toy lift that an animated movie would bring,” Mattel’s chief financial officer, Anthony DiSilvestro, said on a call with investors this year.

“But the mandate for the Barbie movie is to create great products that people want to come and see in the theater. And in the success, what it will do is just one more element to a very broad franchise approach to Barbie ... All the buzz certainly is going to help.”

Mattel declined an interview for this report, citing a quiet period before it releases quarterly earnings on Wednesday. The company said in a statement that while the movie is intended for young adults and older, it expects that dolls, accessories and other merchandising tied to the film will appeal to kids as well.

The stakes are high: Barbie is the largest line in Mattel’s business, which also includes Hot Wheels and Fisher-Price. More than 100 dolls are sold

per minute, according to Mattel, which shipped 86 million dolls in 2021.

But Mattel’s profit fell by half last year as inflation took its toll on shoppers while revenue stayed flat; CEO Ynon Kreiz told the Wall Street Journal that sales at retail stores increased during the year. Still, a glut of inventory weighed on the company.

The movie fits right into a trend called “kidulting,” when adults embrace the nostalgia of their youth with coloring books, retro toys and anything that brings a touch of comfort by harking back to their youth.

“With these treasured images from their childhood, it’s sort of whimsical to see what would happen if they did grow up,” Byrne said. “It’s both sophisticated and innocent at the same time.”

Mattel hasn’t revealed its exact plan for capitalizing on the Barbie movie fandom, but executives have said on investor calls that it will announce a dedicated toy line that will also appeal to a “collector audience.”

“For older kids and collectors, look for dedicated Barbie movie product, an awesome line that includes premium dolls, die-cast vehicles, games, building sets and a hyper-stylish consumer products line,” DiSilvestro said.

With a big toy movie, there would usually be heaps of new toys tied to it, said Laurie Schacht, the chief toy officer of publication the Toy Insider. She doesn’t expect that in this case; instead, she thinks Mattel might release or license merchandise and consumer products apart from its flagship doll line.

“This movie is going to be so dear to adults,” she said. “We might see kitchen items, clothing items. It will be really geared to the adult market.”

score

From Page B1

songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, and additional songs cowritten by Germaine Franco and co-director and screenwriter Adrian Molina.

Performances are 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. April 30 at the San Jose Center for the Performing, 255 Almaden Blvd.

Prior to the movie, there will be Mariachi bands, face painters, Mexican food and beverage, and a craft market. For tickets, visit www. symphonysanjose.org.

And the adults are ready for it.

Stu Szabo, a 25-yearold collector and cosplayer from Western Australia, plans to dress up as Earring Magic Ken – a 1990s version of Ken that developed a loyal following but was only sold for a limited time.

“As an adult who collects Barbies and other fashion dolls, it’s really so fun to have a movie that is for the mainstream audience but also has references for someone like me who’ll instantly recognizes the little stuff,” Szabo said in a Twitter message. “The deep cuts of Barbie lore.”

The movie’s vivid colors and takes on classic Barbie outfits has would-be viewers excited to match their wardrobes to the live doll’s styles.

Nichole Gonzalez, a 28-year-old in Columbus, Ohio, never embraced a “girly-girl” style while growing up, she said. But during the pandemic, that changed.

“I kind of found power in the color pink,” she said. “I realize that as a woman or even as a girl it’s okay to wear pink.” She plans to wear the color in some form to the theaters.

Gonzalez never owned a Barbie as a kid, though her sisters did. But now she is contemplating buying one of the dolls – especially if she can get her hands on a President Barbie, like Rae portrays in the movie.

That signature color –bright, eye-catching Barbie pink – is part of Mattel’s play for customers as well. On a recent call with investors, DiSilvestro emphasized Barbie’s wideranging cultural impact, including “a global fashion movement that’s not called Pinkcore but Barbiecore.”

Mattel, which has about 15 movies in the works across its brands, emphasized on recent investor

calls that it took a “capital-light” approach to this live-action movie, meaning it didn’t invest heavily.

CEO Ynon Kreiz called the movie “emblematic” of the approach for the company’s film division.

“As the IP owner, we don’t just license our brands,” he said on an investor call this year. “We work hand in hand with our partners, from conception to execution, to develop movies and bring them to the big screen.”

The movie might not mean a huge uptick in revenue for Mattel, said UBS analyst Kocharyan. But it could be good for the company’s profit, she said, because Mattel will make money on royalty fees from licensing the brand to other companies producing Barbie consumer products. The movie could create a kind of “halo effect” around Barbie that could benefit Mattel, she said.

“It will elevate the brand and Barbie is not a typical toy brand,” Kocharyan said. “The DNA is so tied to cultural conversations about self image and fashion and self determination and confidence.”

Indeed, Barbie also has its detractors, starting with long-held criticisms about its unrealistic proportions and, early on, for not representing races other than White. Mattel introduced a Black Barbie, Christie, in 1968, and has since released a range of diversity within Barbie, featuring different body types, skin tones and hairstyles.

Reid, who is Black, said when she was a kid she had a hard time finding Christie, the Barbie that best reflected her. The Gymnastics Barbie fan is excited about the diverse cast the Barbie movie boasts.

“In a world where media really doesn’t reflect my personal bubble often, its really cool to be able to go to the movies and go back to childhood and also have that representation and not be forgotten,” she said.

Barbie has also become a symbol of confidence and empowerment for women, especially in the past few years as the brand managed to capitalize on the women’s movement, Kocharyan said.

“How they turned that conversation around has actually been pretty incredible,” she said.

The Barbie movie premieres July 21.

Courtesy photo

A scene from “Coco.”

Warner Bros. Pictures ryan Gosling plays the Ken to Margot robbie’s Barbie.

CALMATTERS COMMENTARY LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

High living costs solidify state’s two-tier economy

Why California is what it is – a state with an immense economy but equally immense socioeconomic divisions – is the topic of perpetual academic, media and political debates. There is one factor, both a cause and an effect, that cannot be debated: California is an enormously expensive place in which to live and work. And if anything, the relatively high inflation that has plagued the national economy in recent years has exacerbated the angst that Californians were already feeling as they struggled to make ends meet.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s crusade against gasoline refiners, accusing them of price-gouging, exploits that angst by virtue signaling to his constituents that he’s sympathetic to pain in their wallets. However, the state’s high fuel prices are just a tiny fragment of the state’s high cost of living and its corrosive effects.

How high? Insure.com, a website that analyzes insurance costs, recently updated its comprehensive, state-by-state guide to living costs of all kinds, and revealed that it costs 46.8% more to live in California than the national average – the third highest behind Hawaii’s 85.5% and 54% in the District of Columbia.

Its high cost of living is the single most important reason why California, despite its world class economy, has the nation’s highest rate of functional poverty, as measured by the U.S. Census Bureau. Its supplemental poverty index is weighted for the cost of living and California’s high costs, especially for housing, drive the state’s ranking.

Moreover, when the near-poor are added, well over a quarter of Californians are suffering from serious economic stress, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

High living costs, again particularly for housing, are also a major factor in California’s outflow of population to other states and thus its recent loss of population.

“Since 2015, California has experienced net losses of over 500,000 adults who cite housing as the primary reason, according to the Current Population Survey,” PPIC fellows Hans Johnson and Eric McGhee noted in a recent report. “About half of those who leave the state buy a house in their new state, whereas only one-third of those moving to California buy a house.” California is several million housing units – the exact number is often debated –short of what it needs to house its people, even despite recent population drops. Despite much ballyhooed efforts at the state level to increase production, the gap between supply and demand remains largely unchanged, thus putting upward pressure on rents and home prices.

According to the World Population Review, California’s average rent, $1,586 a month, is the third highest in the nation, topped only by Hawaii and the District of Columbia, and also third highest behind those two markets in median home price at $538,500.

High home prices make ownership an impossible dream for millions of California families, thus explaining why the state has the nation’s second lowest level of families living in homes that they or their families own, 54.6%. New York is the lowest at 53.6%, thanks to New York City’s rental-dominated housing market.

A new study by Moneywise, a website devoted to consumer finance, reveals that first-time home buyers in California would have to cough up the nation’s second highest average down payment, $98,904, topped only by Hawaii’s $110,360.

California’s extremely high housing hurdles not only explain why so many residents are fleeing to other states, but why it’s so difficult for working-class families to build generational wealth via home ownership. It solidifies the state’s two-tier economy – white and Asian Californian majorities in its overclass and Black and Latino Californians dominating the underclass.

Political pontificating about gas prices really misses the point.

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.

Double-speak and deception

Earl Heal’s April 3 column is titled “Jan. 6: Democrat lies and deception.” The entire column is full of his own lies and deception.

Lie No. 1: “The Mueller Special Council, armed with Hillary Clinton supporting attorneys ...” This is a flat-out lie. None of the attorneys supported Hillary Clinton, or Trump, and Mr. Heal offers no proof otherwise.

Lie No. 2: “Both impeachments of Trump ended with no evidence to convict – more lies.” This is not true. There was plenty of evidence to convict in both impeachments. Not enough Senate Republicans chose to convict because they were scared to death. They feared Trump’s verbal attacks and death threats from his supporters.

Lie No. 3: “Speaker Pelosi’s first irresponsible step was to unilaterally reject two Republican nominees for the Select Committee, contrary to long-standing congressional policy of bipartisan representation.” This statement is so misleading, it borders on ridiculous. The two Republicans chosen by McCarthy were troublemaking, far-right Trump sycophants. Pelosi chose two Republicans who would search for the truth, instead of creating a constant sideshow.

Lie No. 4: “Of course, the Democrat version of President Trump’s invitation to walk to the Capitol always omitted his admonition of ‘peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.’ That’s not incitement of an insurrection.” Of course, Mr. Heal leaves out the words that DID incite an insurrection: “We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore!”

Lie No. 5: “Another irresponsible move was to withhold thousands of hours of video evidence of arrested citizens that proves their innocence.” Well, Tucker Carlson got those thousands of hours of video, and he came up with nothing. However, there WAS video evidence that got hundreds of protesters arrested!

This ends Part 1. Part 2 will follow soon and will highlight more lies, misconception, double-speak and deception offered by Mr. Heal. He is clever and he is nimble. More recent events appear to continue to offer more truth about Donald Trump.

Stay tuned!

Gary Keeter Vacaville

Benefits of hosting an exchange student

I am writing to share the incredible experience of hosting an exchange student in our community. As a host family, we have had the privilege of welcoming a student from another country into our home, and the benefits have been immeasurable.

Hosting an exchange student has enriched our lives in countless ways. Our family has gained a new perspective on different cultures, traditions and ways of life. We have learned about the customs, language and cuisine of our exchange student’s home country, and it has been a truly eye-opening experience. Our children have developed a global mindset, and their worldview has expanded beyond their immediate surroundings.

The exchange student has become a part of our family, and the bond we have formed is incredibly special. We have created lifelong memories and shared unique experiences that will be cherished forever. Our exchange student has brought joy, laughter and diversity into our home, and we are grateful for the opportunity to learn from one another.

Hosting an exchange student also benefits our community. It promotes cultural understanding and global citizenship, which are crucial in today’s interconnected world. It fosters diversity and inclusivity, as our community members are exposed to different cultures and perspectives. It promotes tolerance and acceptance, and it helps break down stereotypes and prejudices.

Moreover, hosting an exchange student contributes to our local economy, as students often engage in local activities and support local businesses. It also puts our community on the map as a welcoming and inclusive place, which can attract more cultural exchange opportunities in the future.

I encourage other families in our community to consider hosting an exchange student from World Heritage Student Exchange and embrace

the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of young people from around the world. Visit https:// whhosts.com for more information.

Maryrose Sweeting Vacaville

My beautiful Green Valley

I remember the exact Sunday that my husband and I drove into Green Valley for the first time. Just a Sunday drive but one that left our mouths hanging open when we took in the beauty of it all. It was simply lush. That very night we bought a home. My mood soared as did my pride. And then, about two years ago, I was noticing that things were beginning to deteriorate. Little by little, Green Valley was looking less lush, more neglected. My first call was to City Hall where I was given the name of Chris Lewis Sr., management planner for Public Works. First, she informed me that I was in an LLMD – a what? It’s short for Lighting and Landscaping Maintenance District and I am in District 13, North Cordelia. These districts, formed according to California law, are funded by assessments placed on the owners of private and commercial properties in each district. Their sole purposes are to keep the landscaping in the district looking good and to keep the lights on. The funds can’t be touched for any other reason. Well, that’s cool, I thought. And then the bad news. Chris told me that the city has not been able to add even the smallest cost-of-living increases (2 to 3% annually if needed) since 1996 due to the fact that Proposition 218 was passed that year and COL increases could no longer be placed on the assessments without a majority vote of the property owners in their particular districts approving it.

So, the bottom line: the city has not been able to raise the assessments even 2 to 3% in 23 years! I’m surprised they’ve even kept the lawns periodically mowed! Mine wasn’t the only complaint by far. There have been many, which got this issue moved to the top of the to-do list at City Hall and thus on or about June 21, all property owners in each of the LLMDs will be receiving a ballot. Simple yes or no. Good maintenance or not. My assessment will go up by $22 monthly and for what it will return I will vote YES! This is truly the people’s choice.

Sue Campbell Fairfield

Past time to improve I-80 interchange at Suisun Valley/Pittman roads

Why is the I-80 interchange at Suisun Valley and Pittman roads not a full interchange?

When it was built in the 1960s, the area was rural, but over the past 30 years, growth in Cordelia and lower Green Valley has urbanized most of the surrounding area. Even nearby agricultural areas of Suisun Valley are seeing growth with new wineries and related event centers.

Unfortunately, the Suisun/Pittman interchange lacks both a pedestrian/ bike crossing of the freeway, and a westbound on-ramp to I-80, pushing all westbound freeway access through one congested intersection at Green Valley Road. To be blunt: This is insane and will only get worse as Fairfield allows continued development in Cordelia, and the county allows agri-tourism development in Suisun Valley.

Besides contributing to congestion and preventing pedestrian/bike access between south and north Cordelia, the antiquated interchange

hinders balanced development in Cordelia. Poor freeway access has been cited by the city as a key reason that highway commercial sites have not developed as planned, leaving north Cordelia without grocery and neighborhood retail services, and instead serving as an excuse for hodge-podge rezoning of properties for apartments and warehouses.

An improved interchange will be expensive, but that excuses neither the city nor the county for not prioritizing the needed improvements, not charging appropriate impact fees for developments and not requesting state and federal transportation funding.

As a board member of a neighborhood homeowners association, I have participated with representatives of other homeowner associations in the Fairfield Forward 2050 process to ensure that the city’s General Plan Update includes a proper vision for the Cordelia area. It is past time to upgrade the obsolete interchange.

The city and county need to cooperate in expedited planning for a fully functioning interchange and pedestrian/bike crossing of I-80 at Suisun Valley and Pittman roads

Joseph Green-Heffern Fairfield

Red light means stop

We have a problem that is pervasive in Fairfield and many cities throughout California. During the pandemic, the people were driving carefully. As more drivers returned to their normal lives, it created an epidemic of careless drivers who ignored yellow lights.

Initially, people were anticipating the seconds that they had to scoot through the yellow light before the green lights allowed the cross lanes to go. However, more and more people are sailing through the streets on red lights. Those who are perpendicular to this lane hesitate for fear of being broadsided.

I was taught to drive defensively. I was taught to anticipate. It is evident that instead of utilizing these skills, drivers are determined to beat the light and discard any concern for their fellow drivers and pedestrians.

This week I was on Travis Boulevard and the light was yellow. I stopped in the right lane and witnessed three drivers in the left lane, who were actually behind me by at least 30 feet, sail through the light. The last two drivers went through on a blood-red light.

I was at Kaiser in Vacaville on Tuesday and as I was leaving, I spotted a 4-year-old boy waiting for his dad but he was anxious to cross the street. I waited as the little boy crossed and waved a thank you. I also waited for his dad, who thanked me as well. It took less than a minute.

I challenge Fairfield and Solano County to adopt preventive measures to curtail this practice. Also, it is not an age-related issue. Those who speed through the lights are of all ages. We are a country in a hurry and unless we slow down, we will see people seriously injured or killed. Caution and kindness are better options than regret.

Maureen Lechwar Fairfield

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 or drop them off at our office, 1250 Texas St. in Fairfield.

Dan Walters

I’m sad that my daughter is denying me family time

Dear Annie: I am a widow with a grown son and daughter. We have always been a closeknit family. However, for the last year, I have only had one visit of two hours from my daughter. The previous year, I saw her a few times. She has grown children and is a grandmother of three. She is divorced due to infidelity on the part of her husband. I have always been there for her and have helped her financially.

Annie Lane Dear Annie

I have talked with her about her absence, and she said that I

have not done anything to cause any problems between us. My son is the only child who lives in the same town as me. He has been of tremendous help. I have been depressed about not spending time with her and my grandchildren. I have not seen her children in three years. They work; two are married and have children. I have an almost 2-year-old great-grandchild who I have never seen. At Christmas, I did not hear from any of her four children. Not

Horoscopes

by Holiday Mathis

Today’s birthday

It’s your year for making spectacular impressions. You decide what effect you’d like to have, and you stick the landing. Relationships will bring you novelty. Love puts a glowing filter on your lens of the world. What’s more surprising is the enchanting experiences that come through work. More highlights: A certificate that gives you bragging rights and the modesty not to exercise them, and smooth transportation to far-off places. Scorpio and Gemini adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 1, 44, 38, 9 and 20.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Ambitions sizzle in your belly, but somehow your attitude is still laid back. It’s not a conscious choice. You are intuitively navigating this territory with the right attitude to make things work for you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’ll spend time thinking about how you might accommodate others and make them want to contribute to your dreams, and you’ll also take a deep dive into your own preferences and wishes. Somewhere in the middle is a beautiful, flexible plan.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Don’t worry about the right words or knowing the appropriate thing to say in every situation. You come at people with your heart open, and that’s just what they need now.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Keep adding to your arsenal of favorite things, as these are soul-soothing tools that will keep you centered when life brings you challenges. You’re at your best when you’re enjoying yourself.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). In a healthy group, the burdens and blessings of any individual become a part of the collective. Hard things, work and celebration should feel easier together. If that’s not the case, consider changing something about the group, or trying a new group.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Avoid those who lead your focus to the negative. They are draining to be around, and you’re better off on your own. When it’s just you, you’ll keep your focus to all that’s sweet and right in your world.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The simpler your purpose, the more successful you’ll be. All the better if you can condense it down to three words, for instance, “to spread cheer.” Effectiveness boils down to knowing and naming your purpose.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You’ll set reasonable expectations knowing that every relationship has peaks and valleys. In some relationships, the high point is the relief you feel after the fact. “My wife and I were happy for 20 years. Then we met.” — Rodney Dangerfield

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). No one can know everything, and those who pretend they do only annoy the others. Those with nothing to prove have no problem admitting the gaps in their knowledge. You’ll enjoy finding answers with a fellow curious mind.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). People say, “forgive and forget,” but what happens more often is, “move on from something you vividly recall.” Blame the human process, or credit it, whichever feels right. The important thing is not to repeat mistakes.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You were doing your best, and now the stakes have changed. You don’t just want to top yourself; you want to be the best there is. You’ll figure out the skills to make you competitive with those you admire and then surpass the competition.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Your interests have shifted throughout your life and will continue to do so. Attractions change as well. Curiosities get satisfied and then new ones spark. You’re easy with it all today, allowing yourself the leeway to explore.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Famous by the age of 6, Shirley Temple tap danced into the hearts of millions, a sunshine ray in the Great Depression who brought hope and entertainment in a sorrowful historic era. The world’s biggest little movie star set many standards continued by Hollywood today, including early start times on a set. The curly-topped Taurus had four natal luminaries in Aries, the sign of youth, vitality and the warrior spirit. Her Neptune, the dream planet, was in entertaining Leo. Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

a card or a call. I have always remembered them at birthdays and Christmas. Her two married daughters are both expecting babies.

In the past, I would visit them. However, I am no longer driving. I recently had hip replacement surgery and have to use a walker. As a result, I am pretty much homebound. I have someone to get my groceries and who takes me to the doctor and beauty shop and who comes to clean.

At first, I was concerned, and then I was angry. I am not angry now; I am sad. I never would have thought she would

act this way. She is seeing someone, and I think she spends a great deal of time with him. They go to church together, to the movies, on bike rides, etc. He did come with her last year to visit for about two hours with me.

Do you have any suggestions? — A Mother

Dear A Mother: I applaud your psychological awareness of how your anger turned into sadness. Sometimes, when we are too angry at a family member for not meeting certain expectations that we place on them, it can serve as a larger

wedge between the two of you. But to admit that your feelings are hurt and that you are sad is huge. Tell your daughter how you feel. Maybe you could visit her and your grandchildren and great-grandchildren more as your hip heals.

Sit back and try to focus on the positives in your life. Your son sounds very kind and attentive, and you have a great grandchild. Now just make the effort to go visit.

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

The WashingTon PosT

Early in his career as a marriage counselor, psychologist Everett Worthington noticed that many couples were angry about perceived slights and real wrongs – and he realized they could make progress only if they forgave each other.

Those insights prompted Worthington to embark on a decades-long academic career studying the science of forgiveness.

While the act of forgiving is often discussed by faith communities, Worthington has found that a secular approach to forgiveness also can be a useful strategy in improving health. He and his colleagues recently completed a study conducted across five countries showing that when forgiveness is taught, practiced and achieved, the result is better mental and overall well-being.

“Forgiveness can change relationship dynamics and prevent a lot of very costly things that can happen in society,” said Worthington, a professor emeritus at Virginia Commonwealth University. “There are injustices we experience every day. People don’t have to forgive – it’s a choice people may make or not make.”

Forgiveness as a public health issue

Worthington developed workbooks and included exercises and prompts that allow people to explore feelings of anger and resentment and learn to let go of them.

The latest version, which is free to download in five languages, promises that you can become a more forgiving person in about two hours, and includes thought exercises to help explore specific transgressions and work through feelings of anger and resentment. It’s based on the most effective exercises used in prior research, and has been condensed to save time and make the program more accessible.

The randomized study, which was conducted among 4,598 participants in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ukraine, Colombia and South Africa, asked half the participants to complete the workbook exercises over a two-week period. (The other half were allowed to try the workbook later.)

After two weeks, the study showed that the workbook had promoted forgiveness and shown a statistically meaningful reduction in depression and anxiety symptoms among users compared with the control group. The research is being presented this

weekend at Harvard University at an interdisciplinary conference on forgiveness. The study was published as a preprint timed with the conference and is under review for publication by a medical journal.

Similar studies in the United States also show benefits. The findings have broad implications for public health, said Tyler VanderWeele, a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and director of the Human Flourishing Program.

“I think the experience of being wronged is quite common,” said VanderWeele, a co-author of the new research and organizer of the Harvard conference. “We’ve seen that this forgiveness workbook can be used to address forgiveness and improve mental health. If the resource is widely disseminated, the effects on population mental health could be substantial.”

Other researchers led by Robert Enright, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, have also focused on forgiveness for programs for young people. Their workbooks and teacher training programs have been shared with thousands of educators worldwide.

Studies have shown that children who forgive do better academically and that, overall, forgiveness can result in lower blood pressure, better sleep and less anxiety, among other things.

When forgiveness feels impossible

Worthington can relate to those who think forgiveness in some circumstances simply can’t be achieved. His belief in forgiveness was challenged when his mother was killed in 1996 –and he was forced to cope with his own anger toward the perpetrator and the police, whom he blamed for the lack of a conviction.

“Suddenly here I was, someone who had studied forgiveness, and now I had to really deal with something that was much more serious than I had ever experienced before,” he said.

He said he was able to forgive the man suspected in the killing, a troubled individual with a below-average IQ and a history of being abused as a child. It was more difficult, he said, to forgive the police officers for their inconclusive investigation. The experience showed him that forgiveness and wanting justice are not mutually exclusive.

He also learned that sometimes smaller transgressions can even be harder to let go. “I’m not some kind of super-forgiver,” Worthington said. “I

often think about a professor who gave me a B in graduate school. It took me 10 years to forgive him.”

Advocates of forgiveness training say it’s important to know the time and place for forgiveness. Someone in an abusive relationship, for instance, should not forgive. They should seek safety.

“The science is clear that it works,” said Andrew Serazin, president of the Templeton World Charity Foundation, which helped pay for the research. “It helps the people who are doing the forgiving. It helps inside your own skin. That doesn’t mean you can’t seek justice. It doesn’t mean people can’t go to trial. It doesn’t mean there are no consequences.”

Start small and practice

The first step toward forgiveness is simply deciding to forgive. To achieve emotional forgiveness, a person needs to let go and stop dwelling on being wronged. It requires a conscious choice to replace ill will toward a person with feelings of good will. “Emotional forgiveness takes longer,” Worthington said.

The recent study focused on the REACH method of forgiveness. REACH stands for:

n Recall: Recall the hurt. Look at the incident in an objective way, and don’t try to push aside your feelings.

n Empathize: Empathize with the offender – without excusing the action or invalidating your own feelings. Maybe the person was having a bad day or was raised in dire circumstances.

n Altruistic gift: Give the altruistic gift of forgiveness. Think about a time when you were rude or harsh, and recognize that everyone has shortcomings.

n Commit: Make a decision to forgive. You can write a letter that you don’t send to help yourself make the commitment.

n Hold: Hold on to forgiveness. Memories of the transgression or event won’t change. But how you react to those feelings will.

While the forgiveness study showed that people benefited from the intervention, it also revealed that the effects can fade over time, underscoring the need to keep practicing. Practice can start with small acts. If someone cuts in line or is rude to you at the checkout counter, use that as an opportunity to forgive, recognizing the bad behavior wasn’t personal.

“Forgiveness doesn’t solve all problems,” Worthington said. “But forgiveness is freeing. It’s the right response to being wronged.”

Are you ready to forgive?

A new study shows letting go is good for health

Adobe Stock

A study found that when forgiveness is taught, practiced and achieved, the result is better mental and overall well-being.

Home court still can decide NorCal series

Jason a ndErson THE SACRAMENTO BEE

SAN FRANCISCO —

The Kings didn’t respond well to the sound and fury they faced in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors went home trailing 2-0 in the best-of-seven series with a sense of urgency and desperation, knowing no team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs. With so much

uncertainty regarding the future of general manager Bob Myers and the incendiary Draymond Green, Warriors star Stephen Curry said his team understood the immediate and lasting consequences of another loss.

“I mean, pretty bluntly,

if we lost this game, it’s pretty much over,” Curry said. “You’ve got to understand the moment and we gave ourselves life. Biggest thing is, we’ve been in the situation where momentum doesn’t necessarily carry over from game to game unless you execute at the same level, so it’s just one game, but it was a big game for sure.”

The stakes will be even higher when the Kings and Warriors clash again in Game 4 at 12:30 p.m. Sunday at Chase Center in

San Francisco. The Warriors can even the series. The Kings can take a commanding 3-1 lead going into Game 5 in Sacramento.

“For them to win this series, they’ve got to go in our building and win a game, and we feel like for us to win the series we’ve got to go in their building and win a game,” Kings guard Kevin Huerter said. “Two-two looks different than 3-1. For us to go home with a chance to close it out versus we’re going home trying to extend the

Rodriguez baseball wins a tight series finale at home over Armijo

FAIRFIELD — Rodriguez High School’s baseball team simply overpowered Armijo in the first two games of their series this week, but Friday’s finale was much tighter.

The Mustangs needed to manufacture some runs against Royals ace Luis Urias to come away with a 4-3 win at home and the series sweep. Rodriguez scored three runs in the fourth inning after trailing 3-1 through the first three.

“We knew we were going to be in a dogfight today,” Rodriguez head coach James Maldonado said. “We did just enough to get by.”

Rodriguez got the offense it needed and starter Connor Broschard gave his team six strong innings on the mound. Broschard threw a five-

hitter with four strikeouts. Kyle Sandner closed the game in the seventh and struck out the side.

“I just tried to keep the ball low in the zone,” Broschard said. “I kind of struggled with it early but got better as the game went on.”

Jaheem Mosely-Wallace had an RBI single for Rodriguez in the second inning. Kaden Wilde scored from third base in the fourth inning on a delayed double steal.

Landon Troutt and Jace Parkinson had RBI hits in the third as well.

Denzel Dilley went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double. Nathan Schikore, Troutt, Moseley-Wallace and Parkinson provided the hits.

Urias finished with six solid innings of his own; he threw a six-hitter with five strikeouts. He kept the game much tighter after

Armijo lost the first two games of the series by a combined score of 34-2, with each games going only five innings.

“He was ready to throw,” Armijo head coach Casey Towner said of Urias. “The confidence of our boys goes way up when they know he is on the mound. When we get up early, the guys start thinking they are safe, probably too safe.”

Ben Parks had an RBI triple to deep center field in the first inning and Chase Lewis followed with an RBI single. The Royals scored one in the third when Chase again delivered an RBI single.

Lewis had two hits, Barks delivered the triple, while Damian Romo and Raeshaun Priest also singled.

Rodriguez is now in position to go after another Monticello Empire League

title. The Mustangs are 13-7 overall and 9-3 in the league. They are tied with Vacaville atop the league after the Bulldogs completed a sweep of Vanden with a 3-2 win Friday.

The Mustangs close out the league season against rival Vanden with a home game Monday, a game at Vanden on Wednesday and a game back at home Friday. All games begin at 4 p.m.

Armijo fell to 7-10 overall and 5-7 in the MEL after the sweep. The Royals close out with a three-game series against Fairfield. The teams square off Monday at Armijo with a 4 p.m. game, followed by a Wednesday game at Fairfield and back to Armijo on Friday.

With four teams earning playoff spots this year, the Royals are still playing for one of those potential spots.

Crawford goes deep, Webb deals gem as Giants earn a victory against Mets

Evan WEbEck BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

SAN FRANCISCO —

With one swing Saturday afternoon, Brandon Crawford announced that he’s still here.

Crawford, 36, came a few feet short of the Giants’ 99th splash hit into McCovey Cove and instead had to settle for a threerun home run that merely reached the water beyond right field on a bounce, providing a first-inning lead that proved insurmountable in a 7-4 win over the Mets, only San Francisco’s third win in its past 10 games and its first this home stand.

With Crawford’s home run, his third this season, the Giants equaled in the first inning their total runs

from their first two games of this series, both losses. The three-run shot also served as a loud reminder

series is a lot different, so hopefully we come with the right mindset and desperation they played with in Game 3.”

Green was serving a one-game suspension for stomping on Domantas Sabonis’ chest in Game 2. Gary Payton II was out due to illness.

Instead, the Warriors won with big contributions from Curry, Kevon Looney, Moses Moody and Donte DiVincenzo. Golden State held Sacramento to 38% shooting, forced

15 turnovers, outscored the Kings 22-7 in points off turnovers and grabbed 18 offensive rebounds to amass a 24-12 advantage in second-chance points.

“This is what we’re supposed to do,” Curry said. “I mean, being down those two guys (Green and Payton) who bring so much to our defensive side and just our identity as a whole, we had to have guys step up, so we obviously understand the consequences if we lost tonight, and nobody wanted to feel that.”

Solano softball completes 12-0 BVC season, sweeps by Yuba

daily r Epublic staff DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

ROCKVILLE —

The Solano Community College softball team completed an unbeaten Bay Valley Conference season Thursday with a doubleheader sweep at home against Yuba.

Solano improved to 17-20 overall and won the BVC title with a 12-0 record. The Falcons will wait and see who their Northern California playoff opponent will be, either May 5 or 6.

Solano won the first game Thursday 10-8 and followed it up with a 12-7 victory. The team honored its sophomores in the regular season finale.

In the first game, Isa Alegre was 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Alexis Certeza, Alexis Wright and Alyssa Sellers all had two hits. Certeza hit a triple and drove in a run. Wright had a double and drove in two runs.

In the second game, Bianca Belo-Diaz, Certeza, Kaylee Hawkins, Mia Valenzuela and Madalyn Bruce all had two hits apiece. Hawkins and Valenzuela doubled, along with Alyssa Sellers and Lindsay Feinberg.

Wright pitched both games for the Falcons.

Solano baseball beaten by Laney

ROCKVILLE — Miles Meadows and Conner Ross each hit home runs, but the Solano Community College baseball team was upended 10-8 by Laney on Friday in Oakland.

It was Meadows’ lone hit. Ross finished the game with two hits and two RBIs. Jaxson Bates was 3-for-3 with two RBI.

Solano fell to 14-21 overall and 8-10 in the Bay Valley Conference. It was the sixth straight game that the Falcons have allowed 10 or more runs in a game.

pitching duel that featured only a combined seven hits.

The Bulldogs scored all three runs in the second inning and made them stand up to complete the series sweep. Vacaville and Rodriguez lead the MEL with 9-3 records and the Bulldogs are 13-8 overall.

Finn Chapman went 6 1/3 solid innings, allowing only four hits, two earned runs and three walks to go with nine strikeouts. Peyton Olds got the final two outs, one on a strikeout.

Trevor Morse of Vanden threw a four-hitter over six innings and allowed two earned runs and four walks to go with seven strikeouts. Vanden fell to 10-8 overall and 6-6 in the MEL.

Cal Elvis, Drew Carrington, Drew Lammen and Nik Rostak all had hits for Vacaville. Elvis had a double and an RBI. Carrington and Rostak both drove in runs.

Alex Maushart, Aidan Robles, Bryce Alcantara and Jovan Ochoa had hits for Vanden.

Vacaville, which lost a non-league game to Heritage 4-2 Saturday, closes out the MEL season next week with a series against Will C. Wood beginning with a home game at 4 p.m. Monday. Vanden will be at Rodriguez on Monday to start its series at 4 p.m. against the Mustangs.

Will C. Wood scores early to top Fairfield

FAIRFIELD — Jake Durant had four hits and the Will C. Wood High School baseball team scored seven runs in the first inning en route to a 13-7 win Friday at Fairfield.

that while, yes, the veteran shortstop has shown his age early on this season, he still has something in the tank.

Since homering as part of a three-hit effort in the second game of the season, Crawford had accumulated only five hits in his next 45 at-bats (.111) and was 0-for-his-last-14 entering Saturday. In between, there were four multistrikeout games but only one multi-hit effort. And, of course, the uncharacteristic two-error game in Detroit. All told, only three shortstops had provided less value to their

Jackson Dindale, Ayden Welch and Dylan Kosar pitched well in relief for Solano.

Solano opens a three-game series against Mendocino at home Tuesday for a 2:30 p.m. game.

Baseball

Vacaville outduels Vanden for sweep

VACAVILLE — The Vacaville High School baseball team remained tied atop the Monticello Empire League after holding off Vanden on Friday 3-2 in a tough

Durant finished with a double and three RBIs. Mason Sayre also doubled twice, singled and drove in a run. Wood improved to 6-10 overall and 6-6 in the Monticello Empire League.

Devon Hancock and Manny De La Torre had two hits apiece. De La Torre drove in two runs and Hancock knocked in one.

Amari Bryant and Christian Rambeau had two hits apiece for Fairfield. Rambeau drove in three runs for the Falcons and Bryant had one RBI. Fairfield is now 8-14 overall and 1-11 in the MEL. Wood opens a threegame series at Vacaville on Monday. Fairfield plays Monday at Armijo.

Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic

Rodriguez High School pitcher Connor Broschard throws against Armijo, Friday. The Mustangs won the game 4-3.

Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group/TNS

The Giants’ Brandon Crawford rounds third base after hitting a 3-run homer in the first inning against the New York Mets at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Saturday.

Sunday’s TV sports

49ers could use a new starting LB

Eric Branch SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

In January, two days after the San Francisco 49ers' season ended in the NFC Championship Game, San Francisco 49ers All-Pro Fred Warner looked across the locker room at his fellow linebacker, Azeez Al-Shaair.

that with the Titans, who signed him to a one-year, $5 million deal last month. And with Al-Shaair poised to be the guy in Tennessee, the 49ers are looking for a guy who can be the next Al-Shaair in Santa Clara.

Bowling

Denver, TNT, 6:30 p.m.

• PBA, World Championship, 2, 40, 9 a.m.

Football USFL

• Pittsburgh vs. New Jersey, 3, 10 a.m.

• Philadelphia vs. Michigan, FS1, 4 p.m.

XFL

• Dallas vs. Houston, ESPN, Noon.

• Seattle vs. Vegas, ESPN2, 4 p.m.

Golf • PGA, Zurich Classic, GOLF, 10 a.m.

• PGA, Zurich Classic, 5, 13, Noon.

• LPGA, The Chevron Championship, GOLF,

Local scores

right tackle. And Drake Jackson is likely to assume Samson Ebukam's spot at defensive end.

But the strongside linebacker opening left by Al-Shaair could be filled by . . . Oren Burks? Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles?

Green

Giants

From Page B6

clubs through the first three weeks of the season than Crawford (negative-0.2 fWAR).

But Crawford silenced his doubters in the first inning Saturday, returning to the starting lineup after missing Friday’s game with sore ribs from a diving attempt at shortstop.

Earning his first win in five starts, Logan Webb turned in his best outing of the season, limiting the Mets to two runs over seven innings while striking out eight. Bitten by bad-luck home runs in his first four starts, Webb allowed one long ball – a 422-foot solo shot to center from Brandon Nimmo, one of MLB’s hottest hitters –but it wasn’t enough to ruin seven strong innings in his first home start since signing a five-year, $90 million extension.

Webb joined Alex Cobb as the only Giants pitchers to complete seven innings this season and delivered the staff’s seventh quality start. The Giants had won only two of their six previous games when

"I want him to go somewhere where he can be the guy," Warner said of his teammate of four seasons. "For as long as he's here, unfortunately, I'm here. He wants to go be the Fred Warner somewhere else."

Al-Shaair will try to do

Local

From Page B6

Softball

Vacaville picks up win at Rodriguez

FAIRFIELD — The Vacaville High School softball team pulled away in a tight game with a four-run fourth inning as the Bulldogs defeated host Rodriguez on Thursday, 6-2.

Makayla Freshour went 3-for-4 with three RBIs for the Bulldogs. Laila Dean and Hayden Kyne had two hits apiece. Jordan Munn and Allana Thompson combined to allow six hits and just two earned runs.

Vacaville is now 7-0 in the Monticello Empire League.

Brooklyn Denina and Jade Babes both had RBI doubles. Juli McClain added two hits. Sofia Coleman and Denina combined to allow four earned runs with seven strikeouts.

Rodriguez fell to 5-5 overall and 4-3 in MEL.

Vacaville had a nonleague game Friday in Woodland against Pioneer. Rodriguez will be at Vanden on Tuesday for a 4 p.m. game.

On Saturday, Ashlyn Wilson doubled and homered as Vacaville picked up a 7-1 nonleague win Friday over Pioneer in Woodland.

Kyne had three

It's possible that AlShaair's exit has created the only truly up-for-grabs starting spot on the 49ers' loaded roster.

The 49ers do have a few other positions dotted with question marks due to free-agent departures this offseason. However, Colton McKivitz is the favorite to replace Mike McGlinchey at

doubles and drove in three runs. Allyson Walling contributed three hits and three RBIs. Freshour also had three hits. Vacaville improved to 17-1 overall.

Xochitl Atayde pitched seven strong innings, allowing five hits, one earned run and no walks, and struck out four batters.

Vacaville (17-1 overall) returns to the MEL schedule Tuesday with a 4 p.m. home game against Will C. Wood.

Cueva delivers in Vanden victory

FAIRFIELD — Isabella Cueva threw a one-hitter over five innings and was backed by plenty of offense as the Vanden High School softball team beat visiting Armijo Thursday 13-0.

Cueva allowed no runs, one walk and struck out eight batters for the win. Vanden improved to 7-6 overall and 6-2 in the Monticello Empire League.

Kiah Silva was 3-for-3 with two triples and two RBIs for the Vikings’ offense. Daniela Ontiveros, Samanie Simmons and Maalia Cherry all had two hits.

Ontiveros tripled and drove in a run. Cherry delivered two doubles and an RBI. Simmons doubled and drove in a run. Marley Williams also contributed a double and Mariah Aguiling had a triple.

Armijo fell to 1-5 in the MEL. No individual statistics were made available for the Royals.

Vanden will host Rodri-

Marcelino McCrary-Ball?

A rookie draft pick with a hyphenated last name?

The 49ers do have the NFL's best linebacker duo in Warner and Greenlaw, who combined for 257 tackles and 16 pass breakups last year. Warner was a firstteam All-Pro selection and Greenlaw was one

guez in its next game at 4 p.m. Tuesday. Armijo will be home for Fairfield at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Fairfield can’t slow Will C. Wood on road

VACAVILLE — The Fairfield High School softball team lost in five innings 10-0 Thursday at Will C. Wood.

Adriana GutierrezDavis had two hits for the Falcons. Kailee Cox, Amya Mendoza and Evangelia Degros-Perreira all singled.

Fairfield fell to 4-12 overall and 0-9 in the MEL.

Individual statistics were not made available for the Wildcats.Wood improved to 4-4 overall and 4-3 in the MEL.

Fairfield will have a 4 p.m. game Tuesday at Armijo. Will C. Wood will play at rival Vacaville on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Buckingham rolls, no-hits Greene

VACAVILLE — The Buckingham Collegiate Charter Academy softball team extended its current winning streak to three games Tuesday by defeating the Leroy Greene Academy Lions 23-2 in Sacramento.

Buckingham scored 12 runs in the first inning and never looked back.

The Lady Knights threw a combined no-hitter and yielded only two unearned runs. Annalyn Steh picked up the win and

vote shy of earning second-team All-Pro honors.

The loss of Al-Shaair, who started 22 games the past two seasons, is not insignificant. However, the 49ers' strong-side linebacker leaves the field when they deploy their nickel defense, replaced by a slot cornerback. That's why Al-Shaair was a part-time player in 2022, logging more than 55% of the defensive snaps in just two of 12 games.

The 49ers likely don't view linebacker as a pressing need, but it wouldn't be a surprise if they took a late-round flier .

went three innings, striking out eight and walking none. Atlas Ebert pitched two innings, striking out five and no walks. Ava Santamaria, Jordan Walberg and Arianna Martinez collected multiple hits. Santamaria and Walberg drove in four and three runs, respectively.

Buckingham is now 2-0 in the Sacramento Metropolitan Athletic League and 3-2 overall. They were scheduled to participate in the Jim Elliot Classic tournament Friday and Saturday in Lodi.

Boys golf

Vacaville defeats

Rodriguez by 4 shots

FAIRFIELD — The Vacaville High School boys golf team held off Rodriguez by four strokes, 235-239, during a Monticello Empire League match Thursday at Paradise Valley.

Ben Wilhite set the pace for the Bulldogs with a nine-hole round of 42. Isaac Johns (45), Isaac Martinez (46) and Quinn Strachan (48) also broke 50.

Dylan Castillo led the Mustangs with a 44. Kiernan Skaalen (46) and Ryan O’Connell (47) finished under 50 as well.

Vacaville is currently tied at 12-2 in the MEL with Rodriguez. Vanden is 10-4. MEL teams have final head-to-head matches Tuesday before the league tournament is played Thursday at Paradise Valley.

54/42

Second Flight (16-18):

1st Place: Bev Long, 57/41

2nd Place : Judi Moses, 59/42

Third Flight (19-22):

1st Place: Ann Rollin, 61/39

2nd Place: Sandy Latchford, 62/40

a starter went at least six innings with three earned runs or fewer.

The Giants opened a 6-0 lead by the end of the second inning, teeing off on Mets left-handed starter David Peterson, who labored through 60 pitches to complete the first two innings.

Wilmer Flores added a seventh run with a solo shot off Peterson in the fifth.

Thairo Estrada, who reached base three more times (once on an error) to extend his hitting streak to five games and increase his team-leading batting average to .329, scored in both the first two frames and was the double-beneficiary of replay reviews, which both went in the Giants’ favor. Initially ruled out on a stolen base attempt in the second inning, video showed Estrada sliding headfirst under the glove of shortstop Francisco Lindor and was ultimately called safe for his team-leading fifth stolen base.

The Giants’ successful challenge paid dividends a batter later, as Estrada was able to race home from third on a dribbler from Michael Conforto.

There are many ways people can boost their well-being, and joining a choir is one of them.

Singing has been scientifically proven to boost immunity, lower stress and improve mental health. And it’s fun! You don’t even have to be very good at singing to reap the benefits.

Many people like to sing in the shower, or with the radio in the car. Here’s another suggestion for you: singing in a church choir. Grace Episcopal Church is looking for new choir members. Our music director, Sergio, welcomes anyone who would like to join the choir, of any ability – the more, the merrier. We sing traditional and contemporary hymns and spiritual songs from a wide range of resources.

The Grace Choir is

a light-hearted group, with good fellowship and humor. We have a superb organ, a piano, a flautist and percussion instruments. The Episcopal Church and Grace Church Choir welcomes all, including those from any faith background or none, all genders, ages, ethnicities and LGBTQ+ people.

The choir sings at Grace Church at the 10 a.m. service on Sundays. Rehearsals are usually on Sundays after church. For more information, send an email to the Grace Church Music Director, Sergio Cabada: sergiocgrace@gmail.com.

The Rev. Karen Freeman is the rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Fairfield. She can be reached by email at rector.grace fairfield@gmail.com.

Tribune ConTenT Agen

The Ten Command ments could be displayed in Texas public school classrooms and trustees could mandate districts grant students time for prayer and Bible reading under legislation approved by the Senate.

The two bills – along with others up for consideration – are a sign of how the Legislature could be inserting more religion into public education.

The moves are drawing concern about the separation of church and state.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in a statement that the bills represent “one step we can take to make sure that all Texans have the right to freely express their sincerely held religious beliefs.”

“I believe that you cannot change the culture of the country until you change the culture of mankind. Bringing the Ten Commandments and

prayer back to our public schools will enable our students to become better Texans,” said Patrick, a Republican who oversees the Senate.

The legislation now heads to the House for consideration.

Cantor Sheri Allen, of Fort Worth’s Makom Shelanu Congregation, said the confluence of bills is concerning and could make non-Christian children feel ostracized.

“It’s telling a kid, ‘My version of what my religion looks like is better

than yours. It’s endorsed by schools, which makes yours inferior,’” she said. “It shifts this balance of respect and equality and equity, making one religion dominant over others. It’s not supposed to be the way this country works.”

The Ten Commandments bill by Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, passed Thursday echoes a piece of legislation passed last session, which required schools to hang up donated “In God We Trust” posters.

The law triggered controversy after Patriot Mobile – a Christian wireless provider tied to a political action committee that spent big money to elect conservatives to North Texas school board seats – started giving out the signs. The company said in a blog post that the move was part of “putting God back into our schools.”

Some parents unsuccessfully fought back

by attempting to donate posters with “In God We Trust” written in Arabic or scrawled in rainbow lettering.

Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, introduced the bill that could clear the way for prayer time in school. Any school district policy would have to ensure that participation is voluntary and requires parental consent. Students could read the Bible or other religious texts.

Other bills this session have also raised concerns from advocates and researchers about the separation of church and state.

Both Patrick and Gov. Greg Abbott are pushing for the creation of an education savings account program that would provide public funds for families to use on private school tuition, including at religious schools.

Abbott is promoting this plan at Christian schools across the state.

Rev. Karen Freeman Religious view

“The People of The United Methodist Church™”

wisebeinterestedinthewillorestate,orboth,of:HISAKOT.SMITHAKAHISAKO SMITHAKAHISAKOTOMINAGAAKAHISAKOTOMINAGASMITH APetitionforProbatehasbeenfiledbyMERVIND.LAWRENCEintheSuperiorCourtof California,CountyofSOLANO.

ThePetitionforProbaterequeststhatMERVIND.LAWRENCEbeappointedaspersonalrepresentativetoadministertheestateofthedecedent.

ThePetitionrequestsauthoritytoadministertheestateundertheIndependentAdministrationofEstatesAct.(Thisauthoritywillallowthepersonalrepresentativetotakemany actionswithoutobtainingcourtapproval.Beforetakingcertainveryimportantactions, however,thepersonalrepresentativewillberequiredtogivenoticetointerestedpersons unlesstheyhavewaivednoticeorconsentedtotheproposedaction.)Theindependent administrationauthoritywillbegrantedunlessaninterestedpersonfilesanobjectionto thepetitionandshowsgoodcausewhythecourtshouldnotgranttheauthority. Ahearingonthepetitionwillbeheldinthiscourton6/9/2023at8:30A.M.inDept.4 RoomN/Alocatedat600UNIONAVENUE,FAIRFIELD,CA94533. Ifyouobjecttothegrantingofthepetition,youshouldappearatthehearingandstate yourobjectionsorfilewrittenobjectionswiththecourtbeforethehearing.Yourappearancemaybeinpersonorbyyourattorney.

Ifyouareacreditororacontingentcreditorofthedecedent,youmustfileyourclaimwith thecourtandmailacopytothepersonalrepresentativeappointedbythecourtwithinthe laterofeither(1)fourmonthsfromthedateoffirstissuanceofletterstoageneralpersonalrepresentative,asdefinedinsection58(b)oftheCaliforniaProbateCode,or(2)60 daysfromthedateofmailingorpersonaldeliverytoyouofanoticeundersection9052of theCaliforniaProbateCode.

OtherCaliforniastatutesandlegalauthoritymayaffectyourrightsasacreditor.Youmay wanttoconsultwithanattorneyknowledgeableinCalifornialaw.

Youmayexaminethefilekeptbythecourt.Ifyouareapersoninterestedintheestate, youmayfilewiththecourtaRequestforSpecialNotice(formDE-154)ofthefilingofan inventoryandappraisalofestateassetsorofanypetitionoraccountasprovidedinProbateCodesection1250.ARequestforSpecialNoticeformisavailablefromthecourt clerk.

AttorneyforPetitioner:RAYROBINSON,1990N.CALIFORNIABLVD.,SUITE830, WALNUTCREEK,CA94596,Telephone:925-255-1640 4/23,4/24,4/30/23

CNS-3693050#

THEDAILYREPUBLIC

DR#00062785

Published:April23,24,30,2023

(SECONDREADING)

SummaryofOrdinanceNo.2023-08

ORDINANCEOFTHECITYCOUNCILOFTHECITYOFFAIRFIELDAMENDINGSECTION25(E)OFCHAPTER10EOFTHEMUNICIPALCODE,ALSOKNOWNASCOMMERCIALCANNABISBUSINESSES,TOALLOWCURBSIDEDELIVERYATLICENSEDSTOREFRONTCANNABISRETAILERS

OrdinanceNo.2023-08wouldamendChapter10E,Section25(e)toallowStorefront CannabisRetailerstoconductcurbsidedeliveryattheirpremisesinamannerconsistent withregulationsestablishedbytheCaliforniaDepartmentofCannabisControl.

ThisOrdinanceisnotsubjecttotheCaliforniaEnvironmentalQualityAct(CEQA)pursuanttotheCEQAGuidelinesSection15060(c)(3),becauseitisnota“project”asdefined bySection15378.AdoptionoftheOrdinancedoesnothavethepotentialtoresultin eitheradirectphysicalchangeintheenvironmentorareasonablyforeseeableindirect physicalchangeintheenvironment.SubsequentprojectssubjecttotheOrdinancewillrequireadiscretionarypermitandCEQAreview,andwillbeanalyzedattheappropriate timeinaccordancewithCEQA.TheCityCouncilfurtherfindsthat,iftheOrdinanceis considereda“project,”itisexemptfromreviewunderCEQAGuidelinesSection 15061(b)(1)whichexemptsaprojectfromCEQAiftheprojectisexemptbystatute.BusinessandProfessionsCodeSection26055(h)providesthatDivision13(commencingwith Section21000)ofthePublicResourcesCodedoesnotapplytotheadoptionofanordinance,rule,orregulationbyalocaljurisdictionthatrequiresdiscretionaryreviewandapprovalofpermits,licenses,orotherauthorizationstoengageincommercialcannabis activity.Pursuanttothatexemption,Chapter10EoftheFairfieldMunicipalCodeprovides commercialcannabisbusinessesissuedacommercialcannabisbusinesspermitmust obtainallnecessarylanduseapprovals,includingcompliancewithCEQA.

Noticeisherebygiventhatacopyoftheabove-numberedordinanceisavailableforinspectionbyallinterestedpartiesattheofficeoftheCityClerkofFairfield,1000Webster Street,4thFloor,Fairfield,andthatsaidordinancewasintroducedonApril4,2023,and passedandadoptedonApril18,2023,bythefollowingvote:

AYES:Councilmembers:MOY/BERTANI/CARR/PANDURO/TONNESEN/VACCARO/WILLIAMS

NOES:Councilmembers:

ABSENT:Councilmembers:

ABSTAIN:Councilmembers:

Theordinanceshallbeinfullforceandeffectthirty(30)daysafteritspassage.

KarenL.Rees,CityClerk

Dated:April19,2023

(2ndreading/Adoption)

DR#00062798

Published:April23,2023

THE FOLLOWING PERSON (PERSONS) LOCATEDAT807DavisStSuiteD,VacavilleCA95688Solano.Mailingaddress 807DavisStSuiteD,VacavilleCA95688. IS(ARE)HEREBYREGISTEREDBY THEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)DegeneratesLLCWY.THISBUSINESSISCONTheregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusiness nameornam eslistedaboveonN/A. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/LuisValenciaManagingMember INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONApril4,2028.

THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: April5,2023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000598 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00062567 Published:April9,16,23,30,2023 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT THE FOLLOWING

LOCATEDAT821EubanksDrive,Suite B,Vacaville,CA95688Solano.Mailing address821EubanksDrive,SuiteB,Vacaville,CA95688.IS(ARE)HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)CaliforniaXrayImagingServices, IncCAVacaville,95688.THISBUSINESSISCONDUCTEDBY: aCorporation Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusiness nameornameslistedaboveon 09/01/1991. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/StellaDeniseAllen BusinessOperationsMgr INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONApril17,2028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof

Toallheirs,beneficiaries,creditors,contingentcreditors,andpersonswhomay otherwisebeinterestedinthewillorestate,orboth,of: Raymond Edward McLemore APetitionforProbatehasbeenfiledby: Rayshonda McLemore intheSuperiorCourtofCalifornia,County of:Solano ThePetitionforProbaterequeststhat: Rayshonda McLemore beappointedasperso nalrepresentative toadministertheestateofthedecedent. ThepetitionrequestsauthoritytoadministertheestateundertheIndependentAdministrationofEstatesAct.(Thisauthority willallowthepersonalrepresentativeto takemanyactionswithoutobtainingcourt approval.Beforetakingcertainveryimportantactions,however,thepersonal representativewillberequiredtogivenoticetointerestedpersonsunlessthey havewaivednoticeorconsente dtothe proposedaction.)Theindependentadministrationauthoritywillbegrantedunless aninterestedpersonfilesanobjectionto thepetitionandshowsgoodcausewhy thecourtshouldnotgranttheauthority.

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

DATE: June 13, 2023; TIME: 9:00 am; DEPT. 22

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, County of Solano 600 Union Ave Fairfield 94533 Hall of Justice

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

AttorneyforPetitioner:TylerSmith 961YgnacioValleyRoad WalnutCreekCA94596 9253866885 DR#00062721

Published:April19,23,26,2023

TOALLINTERESTEDPERSONS:

Petitioner: Emily McRhoads filedapetitionwiththiscourtforadecree changingnamesasfollows:

PresentName: a. Jaxon James Evans

Proposed Name: a. Jaxon James McRhoads THECOURTORDERSthatallpersonsinterestedinthismattershallappearbefore thiscourtatthehearingindicatedbelowto showcause,ifany,whythepetitionfor changeofnameshouldnotbegranted. Anypersonobjectingtothename changesdescribedabovemustfileawrittenobjectionthatincludesthereasonsfor theobjectionatleasttwocourtdaysbeforethematterisscheduledtobeheard andmustappearatthehearingtoshow causewhythepetitionshouldnotbegranted.Ifnowrittenobjectionistimelyfiled, thecourtmaygrantthepetitionwithouta hearing.

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

Date:3/9/23 /s/StephenGizzi JudgeoftheSuperiorCourt FILED:MAR182023 DR#00062358 Published:April2,9,16,23,2023

FICTITIOUS

nameorn ameslistedaboveon 11/22/2018. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.)

/s/SosanGhafoori INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY

CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREIT EXPIRES40DAYSAFTER

ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER.

ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE

THEEXPIRATIONMARCH16,2028.

THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT

DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE

THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER

FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESS ANDPROFESSIONSCODE).

FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon:

March17,2023

NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000486 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk

DR#00062541

Published:April9,16,23,30,2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT THE FOLLOWING PERSON (PERSONS) IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS A TO Z EXTERIOR BUILDING CLEANING LOCATEDAT2450PeachTreeDrive, Fairfield,CA94533Solano.MailingaddressPOBox2776,Fairfield,CA94533. IS(ARE)HEREBYREGISTEREDBY THEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)CharlesA Neill2450PeachTreeDriveFairfield, 94533-0277.THISBUSINESSISCONDUCTEDBY: anIndividual Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthe fictitiousbusiness nameornameslistedaboveonN/A. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.)

/s/CharlesA.Neill INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER.

ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONApril17,2028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: APR182023

NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000657

CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk

DR#00062790

Published:April23,30May7,14,2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT THE FOLLOWING PERSON (PERSONS) IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS CONSCIOUS CALLINGS LOCATEDAT5067OakbrookCir,Fairfield,CA94534Solano.Mailingaddress 5067OakbrookCir,Fairfield,CA94534. IS(ARE)HEREBYREGISTEREDBY THEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)Joan Rubano5067OakbrookCirFairfield, 94534.THISBUSINESSISCONDUCTEDBY: anIndividual Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusiness name ornameslistedaboveon 03/27/2023. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/JoanRubanosoleproprietor(owner) INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONMarch27,2028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION 14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: March28,2023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000546 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00062370 Published:April2,9,16,23,2023

PRICEREDUCED!

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT THE FOLLOWING PERSON (PERSONS) IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS BELT LLC LOCATEDAT3845RollingwoodDrive, Fairfield,CA,94534Solano.Mailingaddress3845RollingwoodDrive,Fairfield, CA,94534.IS(ARE)HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)BeltLLCCA.THISBUSINESSIS

CONDUCTEDBY: aLimitedLiabilityCompany Theregistrantcommencedtotransact businessunderthefictitiousbusiness nameornameslistedabo veon 03/02/2023. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/DavidHarringtonAssistanttoCEO INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONMarch27,2028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEESECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: March28,2023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000547 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00062373 Published:April2,9,16,23,2023

OPEN HOUSE

Open House Sunday 1-3PM 161 Hillview Drive, Vacaville WOW! Beautiful custom 3bd/2.5ba w/over $200,000 in recent updates/upgrades! New LV T floors thruout living areas, remodeled kitchen, new master bath, new paint, electrical panel, some doors, windows & blinds. $879,000

Debbie Martin & Associate REALTORS® DRE#01163976 (707) 372-0185

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT THE FOLLOWING PERSON (PERSONS) IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS BEE TIDY CLEANING CO LOCATEDAT3366TennesseeStreet Apt#13,VallejoCA94591Solano.Mailing address3366TennesseeStreetApt#13, VallejoCA94591.IS(ARE)HEREBYREGISTEREDBYTHEFOLLOWINGOWNER(S)BrazjaéWilright3366Tennessee StreetApt#13Vallejo,94591.THISBUSINESSISCONDUCTEDBY: anIndividual Theregistrantcommencedtotransact business underthefictitiousbusiness nameornameslistedaboveonN/A. Ideclarethatallinformationinthisstatementistrueandcorrect(Aregistrantwho declaresastrueinformationwhichheor sheknowstobefalseisguiltyofacrime.) /s/BrazjaéWilwright INACCORDANCEWITHSUBDIVISION (a)OFSECTION17920AFICTITIOUS NAMESTATEMENTGENERALLYEXPIRESATTHEENDOFFIVEYEARS FROMTHEDATEONWHICHITWAS FILEDINTHEOFFICEOFTHECOUNTY CLERK,EXCEPTASPROVIDEDIN SUBDIVISION(b)OFSECTION17920, WHEREITEXPIRES40DAYSAFTER ANYCHANGEINTHEFACTSSET FORTHINTHESTATEMENTPURSUANTTOSECTION17913OTHERTHAN ACHANGEINTHERESIDENCEADDRESSOFAREGISTEREDOWNER. ANEWFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAME STATEMENTMUSTBEFILEDBEFORE THEEXPIRATIONApril3,2028. THEFILINGOFTHISSTATEMENT DOESNOTOFITSELFAUTHORIZE THEUSEINTHISSTATEOFAFICTITIOUSBUSINESSNAMEINVIOLATION OFTHERIGHTSOFANOTHERUNDER FEDERAL,STATEORCOMMONLAW (SEE SECTION14411ETSEQ.,BUSINESSANDPROFESSIONSCODE). FiledintheOfficeoftheCountyClerkof SolanoCounty,StateofCaliforniaon: April4,2023 NewASSIGNEDFILENO.2023000592 CHARLESLOMELI,SolanoCountyClerk DR#00062539 Published:April9,16,23,30,2023

Open House Saturday & Sunday 1-3PM 4244 Brudenell Drive, Fairfield

Beautiful Paradise Valley jewel features 4 bedrooms and 3 full bathrooms (one bedroom is a jr suite), 21 84 sqft home, large lot, beautifully landscaped, solar and Tesla battery paid in full, and so much more! Don’t miss this one! $725,000

Holly Bellamy & Associate REALTORS® DRE#01038978 (707) 330-8400

Open House Sunday 1-3PM 4574 McCready Ct., Fairfield

This stunning home truly has it all! It’s nestled on a tranquil cul-de-sac. You can enjoy the convenience and accessibility of easy living while taking in breathtaking 280 degree views of surrounding hills, vineyards and valley. The main level features a living and dining room with large picture windows, a spacious kitchen boasts stainless steel appliances and ample storage space, perfect for the home chef. With high ceilings and abundant natural light, and a myriad custom features, this 4 bed/3.5 bath, 5300 sf home sits on 8.17 acres of fering luxury and privacy. The unique architecture and custom features are a must see in person to fully appreciate. $2,888,000.

Andi Bosco BROKER® BRE#01223603 (707) 290-8792