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CHP will be out in force over holiday weekend

Todd R. Hansen

THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — The California Highway Patrol will be enacting a maximum enforcement period beginning at 6:01 p.m. on Wednesday.

The period ends at 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

“This year has presented us with many unforeseen challenges, but safety is still our priority,” CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray said in a statement. “If you choose to travel this Thanksgiving weekend, our goal is to help motorists arrive at their destination without incident.”

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the CHP is expecting traffic to be a bit lighter than the traditional Thanksgiving rush.

But the agency is reminding drivers not to speed, avoid driving tired, impaired or distracted.

Moreover, the state has issued a limited stay at home order and travel advisory, with an emphasis on people only doing essential activities. The state-at-home curfew runs from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Dec. 21.

The CHP also is reminding motorists to buckle up.

During the 2019 Thanksgiving enforcement period, 42 people died on California roadways. Of the 27 who died within CHP jurisdiction, 11 were not wearing seat belts.

The CHP also made 867 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Crime logs

FairField

MondAy, nov. 23 2:18 a.m. — Grand theft, 3300 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 3:09 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 1800 block of WALTERS COURT 8 a.m. — Arson, 1900 block of GRANDE CIRCLE 9:28 a.m. — Trespassing, 2000 block of BUCKINGHAM DRIVE 9:37 a.m. — Vandalism, 1200 block of WILLET COURT 11:14 a.m. — Battery, 4400 block of TAHITI DRIVE 12:21 p.m. — Battery, 800 block of EAST TRAVIS BOULEVARD 2:02 p.m. — Trespassing, 4300 block of CENTRAL PLACE 2:13 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 1400 block of WEST TEXAS STREET 3:58 p.m. — Vandalism, 2200 block of BOYNTON AVENUE 4:24 p.m. — Reckless driver, PITTMAN ROAD 4:28 p.m. — Forgery, 300 block of EAST TABOR AVENUE 4:51 p.m. — Vehicle burglary, 1500 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD 6:16 p.m. — Fight with a weapon, 100 block of SCOTTSBURG COURT 7:47 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 1800 block of WALTERS COURT 9:01 p.m. — Reckless driver, 4400 block of CENTRAL PLACE SundAy, nov. 22 12:42 a.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 1600 block of CAPITOLA WAY 10:52 a.m. — Battery, 1200 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD 12:10 p.m. — Grand theft, 1300 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD 12:29 p.m. — Vehicle burglary, 2000 block of WINDSOR PLACE 1:24 p.m. — Reckless driver, 5400 block of AIR BASE PARKWAY 1:32 p.m. — Grand theft, 1400 block of HAWAII STREET 1:49 p.m. — Trespassing, 3300 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 3:25 p.m. — Reckless driver, TRAVIS BOULEVARD 4:36 p.m. — Forgery, 4800 block of BIRKDALE CIRCLE 8:34 p.m. — Trespassing, 1000 block of FIRST STREET 9:13 p.m. — Shots fired, 5000 block of OAKBROOK CIRCLE 10:18 p.m. — Reckless driver, WOOD CREEK DRIVE 11:55 p.m. — Battery, 1000 block of HAYES STREET SAturdAy, nov. 21 9:36 a.m. — Reckless driver, EASTBOUND HIGHWAY 12 1:11 p.m. — Fight with a weapon, 600 block of BECK AVENUE 1:25 p.m. — Reckless driver, 2900 block of CORDELIA ROAD 1:53 p.m. — Battery, 3300 block of NORTH TEXAS STREET 2:02 p.m. — Reckless driver, 2900 block of CORDELIA ROAD 2:07 p.m. — Indecent exposure, 700 block of NIGHTINGALE DRIVE 3:34 p.m. — Battery, 5100 block of BUSINESS CENTER DRIVE 5:11 p.m. — Indecent exposure, 1300 block of CROWLEY LANE 5:16 p.m. — Assault with a deadly weapon, 500 block of ALASKA AVENUE 6 p.m. — Shots fired, 3100 block of SHETLAND COURT 6:10 p.m. — Grand theft, 1100 block of SANDERLING DRIVE 9:28 p.m. — Vandalism, 300 block of PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE 10:27 p.m. — Shots fired, 2000

HELP STOP If you have any information on any crime or

CRIME criminal, Solano Crime Stoppers Inc. wants your help. Solano Crime Stoppers Inc. will pay up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest. All tips are anonymous and confidential.

We need your help! Please call 644-7867.

block of CORMORANT DRIVE 10:55 p.m. — Reckless driver, SILVER CREEK ROAD 11:14 p.m. — Shots fired, MONROE STREET FridAy, nov. 20 12:34 a.m. — Shots fired, 1900 block of GRANDE CIRCLE 12:44 a.m. — Vehicle theft, 800 block of EAST TABOR AVENUE 10:13 a.m. — Battery, 1200 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD 10:33 a.m. — Battery, 1300 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD 11:59 a.m. — Forgery, 700 block of PAVILION DRIVE 12:32 p.m. — Forgery, 600 block of EAST TABOR AVENUE 1:45 p.m. — Reckless driver, SUISUN VALLEY ROAD 1:47 p.m. — Hit-and-run property damage, 5000 block of BUSINESS CENTER DRIVE 1:53 p.m. — Commercial burglary, 800 block of EAST TRAVIS BOULEVARD 3:09 p.m. — Forgery, 1200 block of GULF DRIVE 3:24 p.m. — Trespassing, 1900 block of WEST TEXAS STREET 4:12 p.m. — Vandalism, 1300 block of TRAVIS BOULEVARD 4:21 p.m. — Forgery, 2500 block of MARTIN ROAD 4:31 p.m. — Forgery, 2400 block of WATERMAN BOULEVARD 4:56 p.m. — Reckless driver, 2300 block of NORTH WATNEY WAY 6:40 p.m. — Reckless driver, 800 block of WASHINGTON STREET 7:39 p.m. — Drunken driving, 3500 block of NELSON ROAD 8:10 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 400 block of TABOR AVENUE 8:23 p.m. — Indecent exposure, 2000 block of PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE 8:51 p.m. — Drunken driving, EASTBOUND INTERSTATE 80 9:27 p.m. — Vehicle theft, 200 block of EAST ALASKA AVENUE

SuiSun City

MondAy, nov. 23 9:32 a.m. — Fraud, 100 block of RAILROAD AVENUE 9:58 a.m. — Burglary, 300 block of BARTLETT COURT 4:23 p.m. — Burglary, 200 block of RAILROAD AVENUE SundAy, nov. 22 3:29 a.m. — Parking violation, 1300 block of WORLEY ROAD SAturdAy, nov. 21 6:08 a.m. — Grand theft, 200 block of SUNSET AVENUE 9:40 a.m. — Reckless driver, HIGHWAY 12/GRIZZLY ISLAND ROAD 10:25 p.m. — Trespassing, MAIN STREET FridAy, nov. 20 4:59 p.m. — Vandalism, 200 block of RAILROAD AVENUE 5:57 p.m. — Shots fired, BRIDGEWATER CIRCLE/ PARKSIDE DRIVE 7:23 p.m. — Shots fired, 1200 block of KELLOGG STREET person.

The two late ballots actually came from same-day registrants in San Joaquin County, but with Solano County home addresses.

Yes, perfectly legal.

Solano election staff transferred those races and statewide proposition choices the voters made onto a Solano County ballot, then counted the votes.

Any race or local issue that were not common to both counties were disregarded. The counties also verified the voters did not cast ballots anywhere else.

John Gardner, the assistant registrar of voters, said it is not that uncommon.

This was not a perfect election by any means, but Flanagan said none of the problems resulted in any issue with the election results.

The disputes started over when the candidate filing period actually ended for the Fairfield City Council – an issue confused by the first-ever district-based election, Covid-19, and whether a sitting council member who had been voted in four years earlier in a citywide election was actually considered an incumbent in the district election.

The issue was resolved From Page One extent of the damage.

The Biden team got new email addresses in the hours after the transition became official, along with a new website domain affiliated with the federal government. They prepared to go over voluminous briefing books that provide updates on budgets, upcoming projects and nascent regulations, and the FBI can now begin conducting background checks on Biden’s nominees.

In an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt, the president-elect put a positive spin on the delayed process, a week after warning that American lives and national security were at risk without a smooth transition.

“I think we’re going to not be so far behind the curve as we thought we might be in the past,” Biden said. “There’s a lot of immediate discussion, and I must say the outreach has been sincere. [It] has not been begrudging so far, and I don’t expect it to be.”

Biden on Tuesday also formally introduced his new foreign policy and national security team, one set to take a much different approach than the “America First” policy that Trump pursued over the past four years.

“America is back,” Biden said at the start. “Ready to lead the world, not retreat from it, once again to sit at the head of the table. Ready to confront our adversaries and not reject our allies.”

He pointed to the past diplomatic achievements of his team, all of whom have spent many years in public service. Despite that experience, Biden sought to focus more on their barrier-breaking qualities.

Alejandro Mayorkas, who held several posts in the Obama administration, would be the nation’s first Latino homeland security secretary if confirmed by the Senate; Avril Haines, a former deputy director of the CIA, would be the first female director of national intelligence; and former secretary of state John Kerry will hold a new position as climate envoy.

“They’ll tell me what I need to know, not what I want to know,” Biden said.

To review the final Solano County results for all the federal, state and local offices, as well as for local and state measures, go to www. solanocounty.com/ depts/rov/default.asp.

through an opinion by City Attorney Gregory Stepanicich, who said it would be “an injustice” not to allow Doriss Panduro’s name to appear on the ballot for District 5.

He cited the legal principle of “equitable estoppel,” a principle rarely applied against government.

The “grave injustice” was avoided, and Panduro was elected to the City Council with 74.3% of the district vote, one of the most one-sided victories of the election. Her term is for two years.

She will be joined on the council by a second first-time member, Scott Tonnesen in District 1, while two sitting members, Rick Vaccaro in District 4 and Pam Bertani in District 6, are returning to the council. Bertani was unopposed. All those results were for four-year terms.

In sharp contrast to Panduro’s landslide win, the Suisun City council race was one of “To the American people, this team will make us proud to be Americans.”

Several nominees made a point of praising federal workers, signaling they would value diplomatic and intelligence staffers in a way that Trump had not. “I’ve witnessed their passion, their energy, their courage up close,” said Antony Blinken, tapped to be secretary of state. Haines added, “The work you do, oftentimes under the most austere conditions imaginable, is just indispensable.”

The transition continued to pick up momentum in other ways, as Pennsylvania and Nevada certified Biden’s wins, though Trump continued to fight the results in court and insisted that he will “never concede.”

“Joe Biden did win Arizona,” Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, who had been reluctant to declare Biden the victor, acknowledged Tuesday during an interview with KTAR radio.

Trump had earlier created a standoff over the transition by insisting, against all evidence, that he had won the election, injecting drama and uncertainty into the typically bureaucratic process of the transfer of power.

The transition could not proceed until the head of the General Services Administration, a low-profile agency that normally handles real estate issues for the government, made an official ruling.

That process had been frozen until late Monday when Emily Murphy, an administrator whom Trump appointed in 2017, wrote a letter to Biden affirming that it could proceed. The decision came 16 days after Biden was declared the winner by numerous news outlets, based on projected results.

Biden officials initially tried to work around Trump’s resistance by meeting with outside groups that had kept a close eye on various Trump agencies during his presidency. But without formal approval, the Biden team could not talk directly to the heads of federal agencies or offices, scour their finances or read critical internal documents.

While Trump is still not conceding, he has allowed the mechanics the closest. While one of the two seats had a clear winner, Alma Hernandez, the second open seat was decided by just six votes as Thomas Alder edged out Mike Hudson.

The election also saw three new mayors elected. Only Ron Kott in Rio Vista won back his seat in a contested race.

Robert McConnell, who was being termed out as a Vallejo councilman, outpaced five other candidates to replace Bob Sampayan as the city’s mayor. Sampayan dropped out of the race due to health concerns, and endorsed McConnell.

Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson did not run for re-election, creating a campaign with three candidates to replace her. Steve Young was the clear favorite with 52.93% of the city vote.

In Dixon, Steve Bird ousted incumbent Mayor Thom Bogue.

Vacaville also went to a district-based election for the first time, a campaign that even before it started had a community group calling for appointed Councilman Raymond Beaty to step down from his seat based on the belief a special election should have been called to fill his seat.

Beaty did not step down, but the voters in District 6 chose a differof the transition to move forward. Some within the GSA had feared he would block them longer or even fire those within the agency involved in the decision.

Instead, the president praised the department while insisting its determination was not definitive. “Remember, the GSA has been terrific, and Emily Murphy has done a great job, but the GSA does not determine who the next President of the United States will be,” Trump wrote Tuesday on Twitter.

Biden, speaking to reporters Tuesday, said he would be willing to meet with Trump, though an invitation appears unlikely. “Of course I would, if he asked,” Biden said.

Biden’s transition will now receive $6.3 million in federal funds that had been held up. Biden’s team has also raised private money to supplement the federal funds, bringing in nearly $7 million even before the election, according to a person familiar with the fundraising who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.

Even before Monday’s announcement, Biden’s transition team had received governmentissued computers and iPhones. It had also been granted 10,000 square feet of office space in the Herbert C. Hoover Building in Washington, although most of the work is being done remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden staffers had temporary security clearances, but their access to information was limited.

On Tuesday, though, the gears began grinding in earnest throughout the government.

At the Environmental Protection Agency, acting deputy chief of staff Wes Carpenter met with the transition team’s point person, Patrice Simms. When it comes to the environment, the transition from Trump to Biden is likely to involve a dizzying effort to halt the deregulatory zeal of the past four years and to reestablish the United States as a global force for tackling climate change.

At the Justice Department – where some officials were privately ent representative for the two-year term, Jeanette Wylie – who was one of those calling for Beaty to step down – won the District 6 seat.

Roy Stockton, in District 1, Michael Silva in District 3 and Jason Roberts in District 5 each won four-year terms, and each will be a first-time council member. Roberts won his race by 23 votes over Sherie Mahlberg.

Other dramas were created when voter guides in parts of Dixon, Benicia and Vallejo had information missing, and a taxpayers group has also called out the county for sending ballots to voters who do not live in the water district about which the ballot matter was concerned.

The number of voters in that precinct, even if they voted the same way, would not change the outcome of the vote, which was an overwhelming call by the voters to repeal a rate hike in the Dixon Water District.

The county has said the map it used to send out the ballots was approved by the city, the Local Agency Formation Commission and the Solano Irrigation District.

Flanagan said his office will be looking into the map and make sure there will be no issues for

transition: Biden picks Cabinet posts

the next election. frustrated at being unable to work with Biden’s team sooner – Lee Lofthus, the assistant attorney general for administration, was tapped to work with Biden’s agency team, led by Christopher Schroeder, a former Justice Department official now at Duke Law School, according to a Justice Department official.

The official said Lofthus would soon coordinate briefings for Biden’s team to review the budget, department organization and other components affecting the agency.

Biden’s transition effort is being overseen by Ted Kaufman, one of his closest and longestserving advisers, and over the past week, the team has focused on naming Cabinet secretaries and top White House officials.

While many of the nominees are well known, at least within Washington circles, Biden on Tuesday sought to introduce them as individuals. Several spoke of their families’ backgrounds as refugees, immigrants or outsiders, setting a tone that was markedly different from the Trump administration.

“My fellow career diplomats and public servants around the world, I want to say to you: America is back, multilateralism is back, diplomacy is back,” said Linda ThomasGreenfield, Biden’s choice for ambassador to the United Nations.

Haines, who would oversee the intelligence community, said she would tell Biden things he may not want to hear – another remark that seemed designed to contrast with Trump, who has often publicly doubted the nation’s top intelligence officials.

Blinken, a longtime adviser who was chosen as secretary of state, recounted the journey of his stepfather, a Holocaust survivor from Poland who was saved by an African American soldier after four years in a concentration camp.

“He fell to his knees and said the only three words he knew in English that his mother had taught him: ‘God Bless America,’ ” Blinken said. “That’s who we are. That’s what America represents to the world, however imperfectly.”