Covid hospitalizations hit lowest level in 9 months A3
Jaudai Lopes helps San Jose State win championship B1
WEDNESDAY | March 23, 2022 | $1.00
DAILYREPUBLIC.COM | Well said. Well read.
Supervisors make 9.7M relief fund commitment Todd R. Hansen
Humanity project, also in Fairfield. The board actions folFAIRFIELD — Solano lowed presentations by County supervisors on two of its 10 workgroups Tuesday comaddressing the mitted nearly highest use pri$10 million in orities for the federal panAmerican Rescue demic relief Plan Act funding. funds to affordWhile final able housing and action will have workforce develto be taken on opment needs, the allocations, and at a later when approved, BROWN date will review the total will another $12.73 take the county's million in housing ARPA funding requests that amount to about were presented $12.35 million. but not endorsed. The county has The approved $86.95 million housing funding in the total includes $600,000 funds – half of to go toward which Solano the 166 unit, low- HANNIGAN received in income Parkside Flats May 2021, and the other project in Fairfield, half is expected this May. and $215,000 to help The board also with flood mitigation approved $3 million to issues for a three-home Solano-Napa Habitat for See Funding, Page A8 THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET
Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic
A group of Golden West Middle School staff and parents walk from the school to the Travis Unified School District
office, Monday. The group is concerned about ongoing safety issuesY at the school.
Golden West student fight leads to staff protest march Susan Hiland
SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET
FAIRFIELD — Golden West Middle School was the site Friday of what teachers describe as a "riot" with about 15 students and staff involved – a situation that led to a march Monday from the school to the district office. Maria Figueroa heard about the incident sometime after dropping off her daughter Friday morning but was told her daughter was fine and there was no need to pick her up. The fight started before the first bell at 9 a.m., she said. Figueroa said her daughter, Arianna Gordilla, 13, said she stood in a classroom doorway and watched as staff tried to break up a fight between students. Staff from Vanden High School were called to assist. Fairfield police received a call at 9:20 a.m. to
report a disturbance of the peace at the school. Parents and teachers said no arrests were made. “We as a police department did not get involved," police spokesman Lt. Jausiah Jacobsen said Monday. "There was no crime committed and the school is handling the incident internally." Figueroa said she is growing increasingly concerned by the lack of disciplinary action taken against students who break the rules and seemingly have no consequences for their actions. She is not just a concerned parent but has become a sort of liaison for staff and parents to relay their concerns to Superintendent Pam Conklin and the Travis School Board. "I am trying to be a better advocate for students," she said. The result of this situation was an anonymous letter sent out Monday to teachers and staff
members asking for support by signing the letter and marching in protest with the letter in hand from Golden West Middle School to the district office. Figueroa sent the letter out to the media. Christa Tindall, assistant to the superintendent, confirmed Monday that a student incident happened Friday but said she couldn't go into any more details. "Due to confidentiality I can't give any details," she said. "The appropriate discipline is in place." She did confirm no one went to the hospital. "Safety to the staff is a priority," Tindall said. John Scholz, a science teacher in the Travis School District for 33 years, is one of the teachers who marched Monday afternoon and presented the letter to the See Protest, Page A8
Play 4 All Park hopes for final financial push before completion Matt Miller MMILLER@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET
VACAVILLE — What started out as a vision by one Vacaville Rotarian and local engineer has taken shape into a countywide network of volunteers as the new Play 4 All Park off of Elmira Road is slowly taking shape. Tom Phillippi, president of Phillippi Engineering, was visiting his daughter in Round Rock, Texas, when he saw a fully adaptive play park and decided Vacaville needed to have one of its own. He returned to tell his fellow Rotarians and others in the community. A plan was hatched and the project grew into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. "It's been very humbling," Phillippi said. "They've all given on just an idea. That is very overwhelming. So many volunteers have spent endless hours pulling this together." The playground is in
ment for all children that is wheelchair compliant. Children can spin, swing, roll, fly, learn, make noises, communicate from place to place, play interactively and more at the various areas of equipment made special for them. It all comes on soft, rubberized surfaces suitable to help nullify bumps and bruises. One of the many special elements in the park is the zip line featuring a replica B-17 bomber, honoring Morris and Betty Wasserman, longtime owners Matt Miller/Daily Republic of the downtown travel Tom Phillippi stands in front of the Play 4 All Park agency, similar to the one equipment that is in place in Vacaville, Monday. "Morry" once flew over Cuba and Europe. place with patio struc- asked for something, The 10 patio paviltures now taking shape people have said yes," ions are being made to nearby. The Play 4 All Phillippi said. "Our goal look like local businesses Committee has raised is to be open by Memo- around a circular town more than $3 million rial Day and we've square where children for the project, and been working hard to can ride and walk from 7 1/2 acres was donated, get there. We want to place to place. It'll be but Philippi said another make it happen in the known as a small "Vaca $400,000 is needed to next 30 days." Village," with a small The Play 4 All Park stage for performances. complete restroom complexes, landscaping and has a planes, trains "We're tying in the and automobiles theme. other needs on Phase 1. "Every time we've There is play equipSee Park, Page A8
INDEX Daybreak A2 | Obituaries A4 | Classifieds B5 Comics A7, B3 | Crossword A6, B4 | Arts B4 Opinion B2 | Sports B1 | TV Daily A7, B3
WEATHER 81 | 50 Sunny and mostly clear. 5-day forecast on B10.
Supes split on ordinance with modified ag zoning language Todd R. Hansen
THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET
FAIRFIELD — The Solano County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday introduced an ordinance with language changes to the definitions and uses in agriculture zones. The vote was 3-2, with Supervisors Monica Brown and Erin Hannigan dissenting. They believed there was no reason to rush into SPERING a decision and more time could be spent to iron out differences. The proposed changes took a little massaging. Others raised the threat of legal action against the county. The Solano County Orderly Growth Committee, through a letter from the legal firm of Shute Mihaly & Weinberger, believes the county failed to follow environmental review requirements,
and because of the changes, should have sent the proposal back to the Planning Commission for a second review. “Even if the amendments only expressly allow uses already implicitly allowed, which is not the case, their adoption is still a project under CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act),” the letter states. Moreover, existing zoning does not allow for these new uses.” County Counsel Bernadette Curry and one of her deputies participated in the discussion without comment on the legal threat. But Supervisor Jim Spering did. “Orderly Growth is going to take us to court (anyway) . . . let’s get into court with them as soon as we can,” he said. See Zoning, Page A8
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