Walk, bike the paths at Rancho Solano golf course A3 DAILYREPUBLIC.COM | Well said. Well read.
Jury convicts three men of hate crimes in Arbery’s killing A5
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Sanchez joins 3rd District supes’ race Daily Republic Staff
DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET
FAIRFIELD — Former Suisun City Mayor Pete Sanchez has joined the growing list of candidates looking to replace Jim Spering on the Solano County Board of Supervisors, and current Suisun Councilwoman Wanda Williams has made her campaign official. Sanchez said Tuesday he decided eight years ago he would likely run for office if Spering decided against seeking reelection, which was a rumor at the time. Spering sought and won reelection then and did so again four years ago. Now that it appears Spering will indeed retire, Sanchez opted to enter the race. Sanchez is basing his cam- SANCHEZ paign in large part on his years of public service, which includes 23 years in the Solano County Assessor’s Office (he’s a certified public accountant), 24 years on the City Council in Suisun City and his current service on the Solano Irrigation District’s governing board. He understands the ups and downs of politics but said he has more to give to the larger community. “I’ve run a lot of campaigns. I’ve lost half of them and I’ve won half of them,” he said. “I feel confident with my 24 years on the Suisun City Council and serving 12 years as vice mayor and 12 years as mayor.” During that time he was exposed to the operations of the Solano Transportation Authority, where he served as president; and served on various local, county and regional boards and commissions as Suisun City’s representative. Sanchez, if elected, said he will donate his entire net salary while in office to the parent-teacher organizations at schools in the Fairfield-Suisun School District, to the Suisun Senior Center and to local school marching bands. He said he made similar donations – though much smaller given his stipend at the time – during his first term on the City Council. He said if he wins office, he looks forward to performing free wedding ceremonies, as See Sanchez, Page A8
Next court date set Aug. 22 for man charged with murder, arson Daily Republic Staff
Drew Angerer/Getty Images/TNS
President Joe Biden delivers remarks on developments in Ukraine and Russia, and announces sanctions against
Russia, from the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., Tuesday.
Biden hits Russia with sanctions for invasion of Ukraine
Tribune Content Agency WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that the United States will levy its first tranche of economic sanctions against Moscow, responding in concert with European allies to what he described as “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine” while holding stronger measures in reserve. “I’m going to begin to impose sanctions in response far beyond the steps we and our allies and partners implemented in 2014,” Biden said, a reference to the response that followed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Crimea eight years ago. “If Russia goes further with this invasion, we stand to go further with sanctions” against Moscow, he added. U.S. sanctions will hit “large Russian financial institutions” in a
Stream 2 gas pipeline project. Putin has coveted the $11 billion Russian investment as a way to gain additional leverage over Europe by controlling its energy supply. Shortly after the announcement, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said he had called off his planned meeting this week in Geneva with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. “Now that we see the invasion is beginning and Russia has made clear its wholesale rejection of diplomacy, it does not make sense to go forward — President Joe Biden with that meeting at this time,” Blinken told reporters head of Russia’s Federal Security Tuesday. “We will not allow Russia Service, known as the FSB, the main to claim the pretense of diplomacy domestic security agency that suc- . . . while it marches down the path of conflict.” ceeded the Soviet-era KGB. The coordinated rollout of Biden’s announcement came sanctions, calibrated as a prohours after Germany, after overportional response to Russian night consultations with the White House, said it was halting the Nord See Biden, Page A8 way that will “cut off Russia’s government from Western financing,” Biden said from the White House, adding that similar measures would soon also target “Russian elites” and their family members, including the
‘I’m going to begin to impose sanctions in response far beyond the steps we and our allies and partners implemented in 2014.’
DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET
FAIRFIELD — The man charged with murder and arson in connection with a wildfire that raged into Solano County in August 2020 made a new court appearance Tuesday, according to court records. Victor Serriteno, 30, was in a Fairfield courtroom for a readiness conference and an order to show cause before Judge Carlos R. Gutierrez. The readiness conference and preliminary hearing are now scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 22 in Department 9, Room 205 of the Justice Center, according to the online records. SERRITENO The Vacaville man remains in jail without bail. He faces three counts of murder along with one count each of arson of an inhabited structure and arson during a state emergency. The arson enhancement to the murder charge could make him eligible for the death penalty. Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams indicated after Serriteno’s previous court appearance in November that the families of the victims are anxious for the case to proceed to trial. There have been several court appearances since Serriteno’s initial booking Sept. 11 into the Solano County jail. “It’s a capital case, a death penalty case,” Abrams said in November. “We would just like to set the preliminary hearing. It’s frustrating for the family.” Authorities suspect that Serriteno started See Court, Page A8
Garamendi visits Belgium to help build NATO alliance against Russia face of Russian aggression throughout Europe. Garamendi said after FAIRFIELD — Rep. the meetings he believes John Garamendi said that message was on from Brussels, Belgium, full display. late Tuesday in a brief “We’ve had a sucinterview with cessful two days the Daily Repubhere,” he said. lic that the world “NATO and the is currently as European Union “unstable as it are unified against has been since Russian President the Cold War.” Vladimir Putin Garamendi, and Russia. We D-Walnut Grove, are in unanimity is a member of the of purpose.” House Armed Ser- GARAMENDI President Joe vices Committee. He has Biden announced Tuesday been in Brussels over an the U.S. will impose its extended weekend with a first economic sanctions bipartisan delegation from against Russia, saying the U.S. for the NATO Par- they will be steps far liamentary Assembly. beyond what allies and The meeting was held partners implemented among allies to send what in 2014 in response to Garamendi described as Russia’s annexaa “clear message” of tion of Crimea. strength and unity in the U.S. sanctions, Gar-
Matt Miller
MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET
amendi said, will hit Russian financial institutions and go after “Putin and his oligarchs.” Garamendi said Ukraine chose to be a democracy. “They made the decision to be independent of Russia in 1991,” he said. “There have been times of good and also been bad levels of corruption.”
WEATHER 56 | 37 Sunny. Five-day forecast on B10.
See NATO, Page A8
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Garamendi said the sanctions may not stop there. The House and Senate give the president authorization for stiffer sanctions closer to the State of Union address next Tuesday. The congressman and his colleagues were in Belgium when Putin made
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