County reports only 3 ICU beds available on Friday A3
Fantastic Negrito concert will be live streamed B1
sunday | January 10, 2021 | $1.50
dailyrepublic.com | Well said. Well read.
Supervisor Spering moves forward with proposal to re-open Solano businesses Todd R. Hansen
thansen@dailyrepublic.net
FAIRFIELD — Solano County Supervisor Jim Spering said Friday he hopes to have a proposal to reopen and keep open local businesses ready for board consideration Jan. 26. He said the health order restrictions that have closed businesses or reduced their customer capacities have “wiped out businesses.” “I talked to a businessman who told me has been wiped out,” spering Spering said. But first, the supervisor said in a phone interview, he wants to identify protocols needed to keep the public as safe as possible. “What I am doing is I’m going to be working with staff to establish protocols we need to have in place,” Spering said. That means that restaurants may be restricted to outdoor dining, as a possible example. Social distancing and other protocols that were in place when businesses were allowed to reopen could also be part of his efforts. The supervisor called on his colleagues on the board Tuesday to take a position “not to support” and “not to enforce” the health order. He said Gov. Gavin Newsom has “attacked small businesses” with his Covid-19 response. “So, yes, I am pursuing this. There are some legal
issues, but I am going to pursue this . . . and still protect the public,” Spering said. One of those legal issues could be whether the county could actually do that. County Counsel Bernadette Curry is on record stating that the county cannot just defy the state. “It is my position that the county is merely a political subdivision of the state of California, exercising only the powers of the state as granted by the state,” Curry said in a Dec. 11 email response to the Daily Republic. At the time, there was an escalation of public demands to defy the governor, and that has not quieted. A small group of advocates called for exactly that Thursday in front of the Health and Social Services office in Fairfield. “The county does not have the authority to enact any regulation that would conflict with any general laws of the state,” Curry added in her email. “Further, under California law, a local executive official generally does not have the authority to determine that a statute is unconstitutional in the absence of a judicial determination that the statute is unconstitutional.” Spering has received support from Supervisor Mitch Mashburn.
Supervisors to review LNU fire report Todd R. Hansen
thansen@dailyrepublic.net
FAIRFIELD — Solano County needs to explore a layered emergency alert system, including fixed emergency sirens. That is the first of four “next step” suggestions listed in the LNU Lightning Complex Fire Listening Sessions report set to be presented Tuesday to the Board of Supervisors. The board meets at 9 a.m. in the first-floor chamber of the government center, 675 Texas St., in Fairfield. Those next steps are: n Emergency alert system: Need to explore redundancies to phone alerts, explore implementation of fixed emergency sirens. Public education campaign re: Alert Solano. n Weed abatement: Potential to create an ordinance or regulatory framework in conjunction with fire districts. n Community engage-
ment: Explore possibility for creation of fire safe council(s), enhanced communication between residents and the Office of Emergency Services and fire districts. n Building permits and fire standards: Make a path forward for staff to address future building permits and building standards as county moves through rebuilding process. The report also includes a selection of comments from fire victims related to issues surrounding the night of the fire (alert system, evacuation); the re-population/re-entry into the fire area (roadblocks, ag permits, looting prevention); recover y and rebuilding efforts (debris removal, permits, tempora r y emer gency dwellings, etc.); and preparing for the next disaster. The LNU Lightning Complex Fire started See Review, Page A12
Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic photos
Stephanie Lombard stands in front of the mural she painted at the Fairfield-Suisun Adult School, Tuesday.
Fairfield-Suisun Adult School preschool welcomes
new mural Amy Maginnis-Honey amaginnis@dailyrepublic.net
The grandchildren of local artist Stephanie Lombard play in front of the new mural she painted at the Fairfield-Suisun Adult School preschool, Tuesday.
FAIRFIELD — When youngsters return to the Fairfield-Suisun Adult School preschool program they will be welcomed by a completed mural that covers the outside walls of the classrooms and faces the play area. Artist Stephanie Lombard added many details to the happy interactive scene where toddlers are encouraged to do modified push-ups with a painted raccoon, size their feet with the bear tracks painted on the cement, trace a bee trail and enjoy See Mural, Page A12
New Dixon, Vallejo mayors to be seated on STA board Todd R. Hansen
thansen@dailyrepublic.net
bird
mcdonnell
SUISUN CITY — The mayors of Dixon and Vallejo will be sworn in as members of the Solano Transportation Authority when the board conducts its virtual meeting Wednesday. Steve Bird, of Dixon, and Robert McDonnell, of Vallejo, will take their seats and join the other members in con-
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Mostly sunny. Complete five-day forecast on A14.
sidering a host of issues that include whether to approve $125,000 to fund priority projects for older adults and people with disabilities. Those priorities, as set by Consolidated Transit Service Agency, include the Solano Older Adults Medical Trip Concierge Call Center Program; Sutter/Solano medical trips; other medical needs; a veterans mobility
study; improving nonprofit partnerships; improving bus stops; and marketing the Older Adult Medical Concierge Program. Still to be determined is whether the funding would be divided in some manner among all seven priorities or focused on one or fewer options. See Mayors, Page A12
Pelosi moves cautiously over Trump; Biden looks to agenda Tribune Content Agency WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is moving cautiously as she faces pressure from angry Democrats to impeach President Donald Trump for a second time, while President-elect Joe Biden is making it clear he wants to focus on his agenda and fighting the coronavirus. With many House Democrats demanding impeachment after Trump encouraged a mob that stormed the Capitol this week, Pelosi said Friday that Democrats “will preserve every option” to force Trump See Pelosi, Page A12
Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks during her weekly press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Thursday. Pelosi called for the impeachment of President Donald Trump a day after his supporters stormed the Capitol.