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Crafting unique heirloom tomatoes Features, Page 1
Volume 137, Number 24 — Locally owned since 1884
The hometown paper of Pat Dunn
Winters, Yolo County, California, Wednesday, July 8, 2020
Appointments required to declare candidacy for Yolo County 2020 General Election Three Winters JUSD Trustee seats on the November ballot By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief
Courtesy graphic
Trustee Area seats included on the November ballot include Trustee Area Number 1 (depicted in pink), Area Number 3 (beige) and Area Number 5 (blue). Candidates must live within the designated Zone labeled on the map.
The candidate filing period for the 2020 General Election begins July 13 and ends Aug. 7. Those wishing to declare their candidacy are now required to schedule an appointment with the Yolo County Elections Office in order to obtain and turn in the application paperwork. In addition, candidates who intend to run for city offices must obtain and file their nomination papers with the appropriate City Clerk. Appointments can be scheduled using an online scheduling system at https:// yolocountyelections. as.me/ or by calling the Elections Office
at 530-666-8133. In a media release, the Yolo County Elections Office noted that walk-ins will only be accepted if there is available staff, and if there are no conflicts with appointments. The candidate nomination paperwork can be downloaded from the Candidate Services section on the Elections Office website at www.yoloelections.org/candidate-services. Interested individuals may print the forms to complete prior to their initial appointment. The deadline to turn in completed candidacy to the Elections Office (625 Court Street, Suite B05, Woodland) by 5 p.m. on Aug. 7. Candidates who fail to submit the candidate documents with
original signatures by the close of the nomination period will not be included on the ballot for that office, the Election Office media release noted. “We realize these changes may cause some inconvenience however, we continue to make every effort to create a safe environment for both staff and the public amidst COVID-19. Your patience and understanding is appreciated,” said Jesse Salinias, Yolo County Assessor/Clerk-Recorder/ Registrar of Voters. Candidates should refer to The Candidate Guide for general information on filing the nomination packet. The guide is available online at
See ELECTION, Page 2
Growth initiative Yolo County residents, businesses may headed to November face fines for violating health order ballot County supervisors unanimously approve ordinance By Rodney Orosco Staff Writer The Winters City Council has unanimously voted to place an Urban Growth Initiative on the Nov. 3 ballot. However, the sponsors of the initiative, a group called Keep Winters Winters (KWW), also agreed at the council’s July 2 special meeting to replace the approved initiative with an eventual Joint Initiative created by a 12 person advisory group made up of KWW leaders, city leaders and members from the community. The compromise came a month after private meetings be-
Index Features ........................ B-1 Classifieds ................... B-5 Community .................. A-2 Eventos hispanos ....... A-3 Opinion ......................... B-6 Real Estate ................... B-2 Athlete of the Week..... B-6
gan between two city council representatives, three members of KWW leadership and their respective attorneys. That group was created by council work toward a plan that would ease contention over the anti-sprawl initiative, which would force a vote on anything outside the city’s current borders, limiting the city’s ability to expand into its planning vision for the area within the city’s sphere but north of the city’s current borders. At a June 2 city council meeting -- held in the Public Safety Facility,
See GROWTH, Page 5
Weather Date
Rain
High
Low
July 01 .00
94˚
56˚
July 02 .00
95˚
55˚
July 03 .00
90˚
55˚
July 04 .00
88˚
55˚
July 05 .00
95˚
60˚
July 06 .00
97˚
58˚
July 07 .00
96˚
56˚
Rain for week: 0.00 in. Season’s total: 0.00 in. Last sn. to date: 0.00 in. Winters rainfall season began 7/1/20. Weather readings are taken at 9 a.m.
By Anne Ternus-Bellamy McNaughton Media Businesses and even homeowners and individuals in Yolo County who willfully violate health orders on face coverings and social distancing face administrative fines under an urgency ordinance unanimously passed by county supervisors on Tuesday. The ordinance is aimed at what County Counsel Phil Pogledich described as “the tough 10 percent” of the community that persistently violate health orders aimed at limiting the spread of the novel coronavirus. “Our starting point with businesses and organizations is education,” Pogledich told county supervisors on Tuesday. “It’s been that way for close to four months now, it will continue to be that way. “But with any type of code compliance issue, whether it’s our zoning code or public health orders… you’ve always got a small number, they call it the tough 10 percent, of businesses and organizations or individuals that simply don’t want to come into compliance,” he said.
Aaron Geerts/Winters Express
The Winters Anytime Fitness utilized signage and social distancing markers to reopen and operate under county social distancing guidelines. “It’s not convenient for them, it’s too expensive for them, there’s another reason or a host of reasons why they’re not coming into compliance. So it’s that tough 10 percent that this ordinance is targeted toward.” Under the ordinance — enforcement of which will be largely complaint driven — code enforcement officers (including environmental health investigators and police officers) will be able to issue an immediate citation upon discovery of a violation. The civil fines will vary based on the type of violation, including whether it is occur-
ring in the course of commercial activity. The maximum fine amount for a violation is $10,000 per day, but an enforcement officer can also provide a grace period of up to 72 hours for correction of a violation before a fine becomes effective. An appeal process will allow those cited to make their case before a hearing officer, and, ultimately a superior court judge. And while the ordinance was drawn up with a focus on businesses like restaurants and bars that have persistently violated health orders by not requiring staff to wear face coverings
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or placing tables too close together, the ordinance can also be used for private gatherings, such as large house parties. In the latter instances, the homeowner could be cited, Pogledich said. However, he added, “I don’t expect that will be the typical way in which this ordinance is used.” Additionally, fines for non-commercial violations are lower, $25 to $500, depending on the severity of the violations, Pogledich said. As for an individual who flagrantly violates the health order requiring the use of
See ENFORCE, Page 5
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