FAIRFIELD
They
trict 5 and Williams represents District 1.
Nine women have served on the City Council.
“I said this before . . . I’m not saying it’s better, but it’s different,” Moy said in a phone interview prior to the council activities. “I’m
FAIRFIELD — The license plate from the trailer that once served as Suisun City City Hall hangs on the wall of Jim Spering’s 3rd District supervisor’s office.
He grabbed it as the trailer was being hauled away.
“We were the only city hall in the state of California that was registered with the DMV,” Spering, 78, said with some amusement during a recent interview in his office.
It was during that interview that Spering
took notice of the DR photographer’s camera and the discussion diverted briefly toward his own collection of cameras and
his hobby as a photographer – and most especially military aircraft.
“I probably have 20,000 slides of military
aircraft,” Spering said.
His favorite shot is of a British Vulcan bomber as it was landing at Dulles International Airport after a recent rain, with the standing water spraying back behind the plane. See Spering, Page 9
WASHINGTON — A House
panel voted Tuesday along party lines to release former President Donald Trump’s tax returns, an unprecedented move that marks
the culmination of a yearslong legal battle to disclose his financial records.
Republicans said the move underscored Democrats’ ongoing obsession with Trump. They warned that it would create a dangerous weapon that could be used
against other politicians, business executives, labor leaders and even private citizens.
Many Democrats cheered the move as long overdue. Unlike other modern presidents, Trump — who See Returns, Page 9
FAIRFIELD — Harry Price was scheduled Tuesday to present the proclamation of appreciation to Chuck Timm for his 12 years of service on the City Council.
It would have been one his last acts as mayor of a city the Pennsylvania native had adopted and cherished for more than 60 years.
Instead, Councilwoman Pam Bertani, calling Timm a friend and like a brother to her, made the presentation. Timm also served 30 years with the city Police Department, 28 as an officer.
“Now therefore, I, Harry T. Price, mayor of the city of Fairfield, ask you to join me in recognizing and celebrating Chuck Timm for his years of service to our community,” the proclamation concludes. Bertani inserted posthumously into the phrase.
The death of Price, 85, on Friday created a somber atmosphere at Tuesday’s council meeting.
“Thank you for allowing us to have him for so long,” Police Chief Dan Marshall said to members of Price’s family. The department presented plaques of appreciation to the family and to Timm. A representative of Rep. John Garamendi also presented proclamations to each.
Suzanne Bruce, the city’s poet laureate, read a poem she wrote titled, “Infinite Gratitude.”
The U.S. is concerned China’s runaway Covid-19 outbreak might spawn new mutations of the virus, as the world’s most populous country continues to grapple with the impact of loosening “Covid zero” protocols that had kept the pandemic at bay.
“When it comes to the current outbreak in China, we want to see this addressed,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a briefing on Monday. “We know
that anytime the virus is spreading in the wild that it has the potential to mutate and to pose a threat to people everywhere.”
Chinese cities are witnessing a wave of Covid-19 cases, with concerns growing that the government may be hiding the true toll of the virus after years of insisting that the Communist Party had handled the virus more skillfully than the West.
On Monday, police and security guards pushed journalists back from a
Lately I’ve been thinking about gifts. Not just the gifts we wrap in paper and give to people who don’t need them. But all the gifts we are given that make life such a pleasure and enable us to give back in some way to the world.
My older son just sent me a video of 19-monthsold Leilani, learning to fly.
They were playing at a park when Leilani ran over to the swings. But instead of asking for help to climb onto the swing’s seat, she leaned over it to lie on her belly. Then she lifted her feet, spread her arms like wings and sailed back and forth.
“Are you flying?” said her dad. She beamed up at him with pride and yelled, “Yeah!”
Then I heard my boy’s familiar laugh, a waterfall of delight.
That video was two priceless gifts in one: The sight of a little girl taking wing, and the sound of her daddy’s laughter.
I thought of what my mother would say when she had barely enough money to buy groceries: “The best gifts in life can’t be bought. God gives them free and clear to a grateful heart.”
Today I awoke to another gift: Rain. Enough rain to soak the Earth without washing us away.
I once took rain for granted. Never again. After recent years of little rainfall, we keep a bag packed, ready to go, in case we need to run from a wildfire.
If you live in a droughtprone place like California, you learn to appreciate rain. If you want to complain about it, you keep the complaints to yourself.
We often fail to appreciate people and things that mean so much to us, until one day, we realize we don’t have them any more. But there’s a simple way to show appreciation before it’s too late: Just say “thank you.”
Gratitude changes everything, both around us and within us. It opens our hearts and minds and souls to freely give and receive.
More than an awareness, it takes determination to show true gratitude – to feel it, say it and mean it with all our being.
What does it mean to you when someone thanks you for something you’ve done? It helps, doesn’t it? It may even make you want to do it again.
One summer, years ago, I flew back to the South to visit my stepfather, John. We’d had a rough spell in our family, losing in a painfully short span of time my mother, my husband and my brother Joe’s wife, all to cancer.
John now lived alone in the house we all once shared. One evening he and I sat on the porch sipping iced tea as we had often done on hot summer nights.
Thunder rumbled on the mountains. Lightning bugs glittered in the yard. A scent of honeysuckle filled the air.
We traded questions, catching up on the family. Finally, I said, “So, how are you doing in this big house without mama?”
John took a minute, rocking slowly, staring at nothing. Then he cleared his throat to speak.
“It’s hard,” he said. “We didn’t always get along. But I still miss her. I reckon I always will.”
I nodded and he smiled.
“But you know,” he said, “this is a good time in our family. Everybody’s got work. Nobody’s got cancer. We’re all doing the best we can. We need to be thankful and remember it.”
A year later, John was gone. But his words to me that night were a gift I’ll always treasure.
We make the world a better place by being better people –kinder, gentler, slow to judge, quick to offer grace – and by practicing gratitude.
All families have hard times. We prop each other up, pray for strength and do the best we can.
But we also have countless good times to remind us we’re a family and give us stories to tell our children, who’ll pass them on for generations to come.
This is a good time for me and my family. I hope it’s a good time for you and yours. Thank you for reading my words. It’s a gift I’ll never take for granted.
Sharon Randall is the author of “The World and Then Some.” She can be reached at P.O. Box 922, Carmel Valley, CA 93924 or www.sharonrandall.com.
FAIRFIELD — The California Highway Patrol announced 117 officers received their badges at a ceremony held Friday.
The ceremony came the same day Commissioner Amanda Ray announced her retirement after nearly 33 years on the force. She was appointed to the top post Nov. 17, 2020, the first woman ever to hold the position and the 16th overall.
“I am humbled and proud to have served as the commissioner of the California Highway Patrol for the last two years.” Ray said in a statement. “I am confident the department will continue to thrive through the commitment and compassion of the incredible women and men of this great organization.”
Among her duties over the years, Ray served as commander in the Riverside and Hayward areas, and was an assistant chief in the Golden Gate Division, which includes Solano County, and the Inland Division.
Deputy Commissioner Sean Duryee will serve as the acting commissioner starting Dec. 31.
“It’s my honor to welcome the newest class of women and men to join
said in a statement. “With a goal of hiring 1,000 new CHP officers in the coming years, we’re investing in outreach to a diverse pool of candidates committed to protecting their fellow Californians and making a positive impact in our communities.”
The officers will be assigned to 103 CHP area offices throughout the state. It was not immediately clear how many will be stationed at the Solano office.
“After 26 weeks of dedicated training, these officers are ready to assist in the CHP’s mission of protecting and serving the state of California,” Ray said in a statement. “The badge pinning ceremony is a special moment, as it symbolizes not only the officers’ major accomplishment in completing the Academy, but also
the exciting future of a career with the California
Cadet training “starts with nobility in policing, leadership, professionalism and ethics, and cultural diversity. Cadets also receive instruction on mental illness response and crisis intervention techniques,” a statement released by the CHP stated.
“The training also covers vehicle patrol, crash investigation, first aid and the apprehension of suspected violators, including those who drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The cadets also receive training in traffic control, report writing, recovery of stolen vehicles, assisting the motoring public, issuing citations, emergency scene management and knowledge of various codes, including the California Vehicle Code, Penal Code, and Health and Safety Code.”
It is the Daily Republic’s policy to correct errors in reporting. If you notice an error, please call the Daily Republic at 425-4646 during business hours weekdays and ask to speak to the editor in charge of the section where the error occurred. Corrections will be printed here.
FAIRFIELD — Armijo High School’s Virtual Enterprise Team on Dec. 8 presented its business plan for an online apparel company at Napa Valley Community College and qualified for the state-level competition.
The team qualified by being among the top 42 teams in California. The state competition is set Jan. 26 in Bakersfield.
The Virtual Enterprise Team is made up of six students, but the virtual business that was created is operated by a class of 29 students, all seniors.
The competition team members are Leilani Barnes, chief executive officer; Christian Ordonez, chief operating officer; Leilani Jimenez, chief financial officer; Eduardo Canales, sales manager; Mariano Lopez, marketing manager; and Jesus Munguia, financial manager.
The business is a virtual online apparel company called SOSAS, which stands for Supporting Our Students in Society, but is also a derivative of a nickname given to one of the class members by his older brother, who was one of seven Armijo students who died last year, Armijo High School Multimedia Academy instructor Lori Gonzalez said in a phone interview.
The class dedicated its work effort in the memory of those students.
“The students spent months writing a business plan, preparing a slide show and practicing their parts before presenting them to the judges. The team was required to submit a four-page executive summary and their presentation materials prior to the competition for the judges’ review,” the school said in a statement.
The judges commended the team for its business mission statement: “SOSAS: We honor the ones who couldn’t graduate by our side and support the families dealing with a tragedy for which no one could ever be prepared.”
In time, the class hopes to sell actual clothing items to raise money for a charity that provides grief counseling and financial assistance to families who have lost loved ones, Gonzalez said.
Should Armijo make the top 16 teams in the state competition, it will have the opportunity to compete in April in New York.
“I am incredibly proud of the team,” Gonzalez said in the statement. “The students have all worked incredibly hard to prepare for the competition, and it is great to see their dedication pay off.”
FAIRFIELD — The community celebration of Hanukkah continued Tuesday with the 13th Annual Hanukkah Wonderland at Jelly Belly Candy Company.
It was just the latest in a string of community celebrations that
included the 14th Annual Menorah on Main celebration Sunday in downtown Vacaville and the 5th Annual Grand Menorah Lighting and Hanukkah Celebration on Monday at Travis Air Force Base.
The 2nd Annual Menorah Lighting and Hanukkah Celebration begins at 5 p.m. Wednesday in front of the Solano County government
building at 675 Texas St. in Fairfield.
A Hanukkah celebration is planned at 5 p.m. Thursday in front of Vallejo City Hall, 555 Santa Clara St. Chabad Jewish Center of Solano County and the city of Suisun City present the 2nd Menorah Lighting at 7 p.m. Thursday on the Suisun waterfront at City Hall, 701 Civic Center Blvd.
VACAVILLE — Two
Solano County projects were among the 18 totaling $48 million in federal funding that has been approved.
“I am proud to have secured funding for projects across the Sacramento region to strengthen flood protection, address the housing crisis, and improve safe, reliable
transit options,” U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla said in a statement released by his office Tuesday.
“This funding will support local governments and community organizations that work to directly benefit our neighborhoods. Critical investments in equitable educational programs will provide economic opportunity to those who need it most. Federal dollars will also be used for wildlife conservation
either to volunteer or to donate, send an email to LWVSolano@gmail.com, attn: Produce Pipeline.
efforts to ensure the longterm environmental health of the region,” he added.
Vacaville received $4 million for the Interstate 505 Vaca Valley Parkway project, which includes improvements to the Vaca Valley Parkway corridor from west of the intersection at Vaca Valley Parkway, East Monte Vista Avenue and Crocker Drive to east of the northbound I-505 on- and off-ramps, the statement said.
city’s General Plan, zoning ordinance, and legislation affecting planning,” the city said in a statement.
Solano Irrigation District received $2.82 million for its Quail Creek well replacement project to relocate the well, along with associated conveyance facilities. It will help provide reliable domestic water supply, drought resilience, and fire fighting capability, the statement said.
toDD R. H anSen THANSEN@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET
FAIRFIELD — The City Council on Tuesday made David Gassaway the full-time city manager, 11 months after naming him the interim city manager.
Gassaway actually gets to use the title starting Dec. 30. The contract is for five years. The annual salary is $285,000. It is paid out of the General Fund.
The decision had been made Dec. 6, the staff report to the council states. The council also met on the matter in closed session Tuesday.
Gassaway replaces Stefan Chatwin, who left in November 2021 after about two years on the job. His departure was described as a mutual agreement between he and the City Council.
The city will save some money by not immediately filling Gassaway's previous job as assistant city manager, the staff report states.
In other action, the council:
n Accepted the Nov. 8 election results. The cost to the city was $149,370. The source is the city General Fund.
n Approved a lease with Dish Wireless LLC for a new cellular equipment shelter located off of Poppy Hills Court. Dish will pay the city $1,462 a month, with a 3% increase each year.
n Extended to Jan. 31, 2024, the lease agreement with the Solano Economic Development Corp. for the 1,891 square feet of office space at 5050 Business Center Drive. The rent stays at $3,973.46 per month.
n Conducted a public hearing and adopted a mitigated negative declaration for the 130-unit Sunset Avenue Apartments Project at the southeast corner of Sunset Avenue and East Tabor Avenue, and introduced a zoning ordinance amendment to change one parcel from low-medium density to medium density. The council also agreed to having the Local Agency Formation Commission begin proceedings to annex about 4.72 acres of the 8.71-acre apartment site into the city.
VALLEJO — A 26-yearold Hercules woman, who was apparently walking along westbound Highway 37 in the early hours Sunday, was struck and killed in a hitand-run incident, the California Highway Patrol reported Monday.
The Solano County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office identified the woman as Tatina Jones.
The CHP was notified about 3:37 a.m. about a pedestrian lying on the highway shoulder west of Mare Island.
“When units arrived, they located a pedestrian lying on the shoulder who had sustained fatal injuries. The preliminary investigation has determined the pedestrian was struck by an unknown vehicle, which failed to stop,” the CHP report states.
The matter is under investigation. Anyone with information is urged to call the CHP Solano Area Office at 707-639-5600.
FAIRFIELD — The League of Women Voters Solano County is seeking volunteers to help with its “Produce Pipeline” to commemorate Martin Luther King Day of Service on Jan. 16.
The idea is for Solano residents to harvest and deliver any excess produce to “local food banks, shelters and other locations for Solano residents in need.”
To join the Solano League and its partners,
VACAVILLE — The city is accepting applications for open seats on the Planning and the Parks and Recreation commissions.
Both commissions are advisory groups to the City Council. Applicants must be at least 18 and live in the districts for which they are appointed.
“Planning Commission members review new development projects and make recommendations on city planning issues. A formal land-use planning education is not required, but members are expected to become familiar with the
The commission meets at 6 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month, and at other times as announced.
“The Parks and Recreation Commission advises the City Council on recreation and cultural arts activities. The panel meets the first Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m.,” the city said.
Applications must be received no later than 5:30 p.m. Jan. 20. Contact 707-449-5112 for additional information.
The online applications may be found at www.governmentjobs.com/careers/ vacaville/jobs/3830185/ city-of-vacaville-planningcommission?pagetype= transferJobs.
—
staff reports
Marcia Ellen Moore
June 6, 1952 - Nov. 25, 2022
Marcia Ellen Moore was born in San Francisco, California to Kenneth and Everly Moore.
Marcia proudly joined the Marine Corps in Jacksonville, Florida on Sept. 11, 1972.
Marcia was a licensed bail bonds agent in Sacramento for over 10 years. She also obtained her Licensed Vocational Nurse degree.
She is survived by her daughter, Jamie (Andrew) Paulsen; sisters, Teri (Fernando) Castro, Patricia Jetter; brothers, Larry (Jo Ann) Wilkey, Robert (Lisa) Wilkey; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Iris F. Merwin was born June 23, 1938, to Gisli Fridriksson and Augusta Hermanssdottir in Reykjavik, Iceland. She came to the United States after graduating from Bifrost College in 1960.
She is preceded in death by her father, mother; and daughters, Irene Bashline and Johnnie Mae.
Service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery, 5810 Midway Road, Dixon. Celebration of life will follow at Fraternal Order of Eagles, 77 Marina Center Blvd., Suisun City, California.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Fraternal Order of Eagles Cancer Fund, 77 Marina Center Blvd., Suisun City, CA, 94585.
Iris F. Merwinwonderful sense of humor to Paul. She was active in sports and became good at tennis, playing at a 3.5 level. Iris was also skilled in needlepoint, cooking and painting with oils and watercolor.
FAIRFIELD — Cory Sullivan brought his twin sons Christmas shopping.
He was at the Solano Town Center for about 40 minutes, he said, and young Jake and James, 4, had worn him out. It seems they found everything at the mall exciting and hands-on.
“My wife better appreciate the gifts she is getting,” is all Sullivan could say.
“Actually, it has not been too bad. There are a lot of people, but I was able to find everything I wanted, and everyone seemed to be in a pretty good mood,” Sullivan said.
The National Retail Federation forecasts that holiday retail sales would be up between 6% and 8% over 2021 – an estimated $942.6 billion to $960.4 billion.
Iris met her husband Paul in San Francisco and was married at the Navy Chapel on Treasure Island on July 29, 1961. She then traveled with her Navy husband and moved as far west as Hawaii and as far east as London, England. After the Navy, Iris and her family settled down in the Bay Area.
Iris was a great mother to three boys, Rob, Ken and Steve, as well as a loving and supportive wife with a
Asa
She will be dearly missed as she was beloved by many.
Iris is survived by her husband of 62 years, Paul; son, Robert, son, Kenneth and his wife, Jen, son, Stephen and his wife, Ashley; grandson, Dillon, and 'honorary' twin grandchildren, Travis and Trevor.
Arrangements under the care of BryanBraker Funeral Home, 707-425-4697.
Nov. 10, 1931 — Dec. 8, 2022
Asa Jackson, 91, of Fairfield, California (2015-2022), and Albany, California (1965-2015), passed away peacefully on Dec. 8, 2022, in her sleep.
The SGI Bay Area community lost a pivotal member. Asa was a devoted SGI member and she loved to help those in need. She will be remembered for her delicious, traditional Japanese food, gorgeous flower arrangements and Japanese crafts.
She will leave a tremendous gap in the lives of those who knew and
loved her and will be sorely missed.
She is survived by her daughters, Barbara Jackson, Joyce Jackson and Helen Jackson; and her grandchildren, Naymon Frank, Miya Frank, Marin Gibson, Alyssa Brouwers, Kathryn Jackson and Jessica Jackson.
She is predeceased by her husband, Robert Jackson; and her sons, Ricky Jackson and Russell Jackson.
She will be laid to rest with her husband at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.
daily Republic sTaff
DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET
FAIRFIELD — Applications are being accepted for the 2023-24 California Senate Fellows program.
The program is “an 11-month, on-the-job training opportunity for college graduates offering valuable legislative
Sales jumped 13.5% from 2020 to 2021 for a record spending total of $889.3 billion, the retail association reported. Over the past 10 years, holiday spending has averaged an annual bump of 4.9%.
“While consumers are feeling the pressure of inflation and higher prices, and while there is continued stratification with consumer spending and behavior among households at different income levels, consumers remain resilient and continue to engage in commerce,” National Retail Federation President and Chief Executive Officer Matthew Shay said in the group’s
FAIRFIELD — Legislation that would have kept settlements from the PG&E Fire Victim Trust tax free has failed.
“It is a sad day when a bipartisan bill that helps people and has broad support in both chambers of Congress can’t get through the Senate,” Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, said in a statement released Tuesday. “This is terrible for fire survivors throughout California.
See Senate, Page A6 See Bill, Page A6
annual report.
“In the face of these challenges, many households will supplement spending with savings and credit to provide a cushion and result in a positive holiday season,” he said.
The federation reported that online spending, which is included in the total, is increasing at a faster pace than spending overall. The group expects that online and other nonstore sales to increase between 10% and 12% to between $262.8 billion and
$267.6 billion. That is up from $238.9 billion last year.
“This holiday season cycle is anything but typical. NRF’s holiday forecast takes a number of factors into consideration, but the overall outlook is generally positive as consumer fundamentals continue to support economic activity. Despite record levels of inflation, rising interest rates and low levels of confidence, consumers have been steadfast in their spending and remain in the
driver’s seat,” the federation’s chief economist, Jack Kleinhenz, said in the report.
“The holiday shopping season kicked off earlier this year – a growing trend in recent years – as shoppers are concerned about inflation and availability of products,” Kleinhenz said. “Retailers are responding to that demand, as we saw several major scheduled buying events in October. While this may result in some sales being pulled forward, we expect to see continued deals and promotions throughout the remaining months.”
Well, in California, there are still those who wait for the last minute.
Cherry Digital reports that 25% of California shoppers will wait to hit the stores on Christmas Eve – at least when it comes to buying a gift for their partners.
Moreover, a Cherry Digital survey found that 54% indicated that buying their partners’ gifts causes them anxiety, but more than half of the survey respondents will help ease that anxiety a bit by buying themselves something, too.
“No, I will not be buying myself anything,” said Sullivan, who said he knows what his wife and children are getting him because his sons made a special point of showing him.
The survey also indicated 52% of California shoppers will buck the National Retail Federation forecast and spend less than last year, mostly due to inflation.
FORTUNA — A magnitude 6.4 earthquake that rattled Northern California early Tuesday has resulted in at least two deaths from medical emergencies, causing damage across the region and leaving tens of thousands without power in Humboldt County, according to authorities.
The quake was reported at 2:34 a.m. Pacific time just offshore about 7 1/2 miles southwest of Ferndale, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. No tsunami was expected, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said on Twitter, but the agency advised residents to prepare for aftershocks.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, two individuals have died as a result of medical emergencies occurring during or just following the earthquake, and at least 11 people have sustained injuries.
There was one fatality in Rio Dell during the earthquake, Rio Dell Mayor Debra Garnes, said, but it is unclear if it was among the two deaths reported by the Sheriff’s Office.
A call came in during the earthquake about someone having difficulty breathing. The person went into cardiac arrest and medics performed CPR, Garnes said. The person was taken to a hospital but did not survive.
Ferndale, Fortuna and Rio Dell were among the hardest hit areas, Mark Ghilarducci, the director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said at a news conference Tuesday. Residents shared photos across social media of destroyed homes, with appliances and furniture toppled over, and tales of violently strong shakes, the strongest they’ve experienced
in
it could take two days to fully restore power to the county, officials said Tuesday.
“It wasn’t as large as it could have been, but still we have seen this one resulting in damage, both structural and nonstructural damage,” he said. The earthquake has battered homes, knocking some off their foundations and causing at least one structural fire, and damaging critical infrastructure such as water, power and gas lines. An estimated 71,000 people were still without power Tuesday, Ghilarducci said.
Pacific Gas & Electric tweeted Tuesday morning that it “initiated its emergency response plan, and crews are responding to gas and electric hazards.”
Service in some areas was back online, but
Ghilarducci said the state sent out an early warning, a new system that pushed out an alert 10 seconds in advance of the earthquake’s shaking to some 3 million people in Northern California, giving residents the opportunity to drop, cover and hold or get to a place of safety.
“The system did operate as we had hoped, and that we’ve been working to design,” he said.
Damage assessments throughout the county were ongoing Tuesday, including by teams inspecting local infrastructure. One bridge, the Fernbridge, a historic bridge connecting the community of Ferndale with U.S. 101, suffered some damage and was closed, officials said. Agen-
cies are also determining impacts to water delivery systems and transmission lines, and how many people may be displaced because of the quake. Rio Dell Fire Chief Shane Wilson told local news outlet Redheaded Blackbelt that 50 to 100 people were uprooted.
The earthquake was two miles off-shore, said Cindy Pridmore, a geologist with the California Geological Survey, and was on the Gorda plate, a complex area where several plates, including the Pacific Plate, the North America plate and small pieces of other plates intersect. The area has registered over 40 earthquakes in the last 100 years that were magnitudes 6 to 7.
There have been an estimated 80 aftershocks, including a 4.6 quake near Rio Dell, where much of
the damage is concentrated. There was no tsunami risk because the plates were moving side by side, Pridmore said.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s earthquake forecast shows a 13% chance of a magnitude 5 or larger earthquake in the next week, Pridmore said, but that could change. “People do need to be prepared, especially if they’re in weakened structures, to be mindful of where they’re staying,” Pridmore said.
Officials stressed the importance of having a plan and advised residents to download the ShakeAlert early warning system app on their smartphones, which they described as a critical tool for residents.
“We live in earthquake country,” Ghilarducci said. “This is another example of the fact that earthquakes
can occur at any time.”
Garnes described the event as “the most intense earthquake that I’ve felt.”
“It was a long-duration earthquake, so it was not only significant in size at 6.4, it was also long,” Garnes said.
She then had to get to work, coordinating with Rio Dell’s building department and volunteer fire department to check on the structural integrity of homes as well as the dozens of emergency calls that were flooding in from residents. City officials expect 50 to 150 people to be displaced by the earthquake.
“Our biggest issues are no electricity and no water. Structural damage is the next thing on the list,” she said. “Our water system got really wrecked. So many leaks.”
Lifelong Humboldt County resident Andrea Wrisley, 34, woke up Tuesday morning and immediately recognized an earthquake. Wrisley went to check on her two daughters and saw that everything in the kitchen, including all of her glassware and the contents of the fridge, had been emptied onto the floor. The power and water were also both out.
Rio Dell then evacuated Wrisley’s entire neighborhood because her house home is near an elementary school that had a gas leak. She and her family went to her in-laws’ house for about five hours before they were allowed to return to their residence.
“This definitely has been the most serious one we’ve had in quite some time,” she said. “Most of the time, we have tiny shakers and we’ll maybe lose a plate or a cup or something. This is definitely going to be intimidating to those who are less familiar with earthquakes.”
Arcata residents Amy Uyeki and Reese Hughes were asleep when they felt the earthquake. The power went off immediately.
“Afterwards, you feel sort of dizzy,” Uyeki, 65, said. “When it was happening, I thought it was the big one, because we haven’t felt anything this strong.”
The couple dropped to the floor and said the shaking lasted about 15 seconds. “This was very disconcerting, because it happened at nighttime, and you can’t see how much has gone down until you go around with your flashlight,” Hughes, 69, said.
The earthquake yanked shelves off the walls and broke some items in the house, but the house’s structure was undamaged. Hughes said the last time he felt an earthquake of this magnitude was in April 1992, when a 7.1 quake rattled Humboldt County.
The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services said on Twitter that it was coordinating with local and tribal governments on damage assessments and support with aid and other resources. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Pro-
tection, the California Geological Survey and the California Department of Transportation are among the agencies assisting in response efforts.
State Sen. Mike McGuire, a Democrat who represents Humboldt County, said that both state and local emergency systems have so far worked well together in this isolated coastal corner of California. “It’s a remote area,” McGuire said. “All levels of government (are working) together to ensure a rapid response.”
While those closer to the epicenter reported feeling the quake, the shaking was actually weaker than
expected at greater distances, said Richard Allen, a seismologist and director of the University of California, Berkeley Seismological Laboratory. Few people felt it in the Bay Area, Allen said.
“This is getting up there, but it’s not at the level where events do a lot of damage,” Allen said. “This is reminder of the impact of earthquakes and the impact that it’s going to have on us.”
Many residents reported receiving an alert on their phone, including during the event.
Greta Turney, superintendent of the Kneeland Elementary School District, whose sole campus, Kneeland Elementary, was closed Tuesday, said in a text that she received her earthquake alert on her phone as she was “transfixed” by her swaying ceiling fan.
Turney, who lives in Kneeland, about 15 miles from Eureka, said in a text that colleagues, friends and family in Eureka and Arcata reported shattered glass from mirrors and broken dishes and cups that fell during the quake. One friend had her kitchen ceiling cave in, Turney said.
Jennifer Savage, 53, who lives on the Samoa Peninsula just outside Eureka, said she’s familiar with
earthquakes, particularly small rumbles that hardly rouse her from bed. But “this was scary,” she said, adding that she received an alert, but her phone was on “Do Not Disturb” mode. “It was just really a violent shaking, not one of those rolling ones,” Savage said. Her home was littered with broken glass, mostly from picture frames and cups falling off the walls
and shelves. A glass of water on a bedside table wound up drenching her, she said.
“We were up for a while trying to do the best we could cleaning it up in the dark with a flashlight,” Savage said.
Shannon Eggel, 45, a Ferndale resident, was asleep on a reclining couch Tuesday morning when
she was jolted awake. “The whole house started jerking really hard, almost like when you’re on a sled and it starts skidding,” she said.
Eggel said she, her husband and her oldest son, who lives with them, were uninjured in the earthquake but that the entire house was a “chaotic mess.”
Eggel lived through the April 1992 earthquake but said Tuesday’s quake did a lot more damage because its epicenter was much closer to their house.
“This one was so aggressive,” she added.
The quake struck along the coast south of Eureka in a seismically active part of California. It was felt across the North Coast region.
Exactly one year ago, the same area was hit by a magnitude 6.2 quake that shattered windows and caused other damage.
The USGS said Tuesday’s quake occurred just offshore, 17 miles from Eureka, 24 miles from Arcata and 30 miles from McKinleyville. It was followed by numerous aftershocks.
An average of five earthquakes with magnitudes between 6.0 and 7.0 occur each year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three-year data sample.
BillFrom Page A4
There are several tax bills that must be considered next year, and I will continue to push that relief for fire survivors be included.”
The congressional delegation from California – headed by
Thompson, Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, and Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla, both Democrats – earlier this month called for tax relief for fire victims.
The bill, House Resolution 7305, was introduced in March.
“It’s appalling that after all this time an agreement
From Page A4
experience and excellent preparation for many public- and private-sector careers,” a statement released Tuesday by Sen. Bill Dodd's office said.
“Being a fellow gives you a front-row seat on the biggest stage in California government,” Dodd, D-Napa, said in the statement.
“It is an excellent
Senateopportunity to learn what we do in the capitol while kick-starting a rewarding career in public service. Many fellows have gone on to leadership roles in the Legislature, Congress, the judiciary and other elected positions. It is truly a great place to start,” Dodd added.
Eighteen fellows will be selected to start work in October 2023.
“They will be placed on a state senator’s personal or committee staff and participate in a broad range of activities including policy
could not be made between the House and Senate to deliver wildfire survivors financial relief from abusive taxes. Congressman Thompson and I have led a bipartisan delegation, including our senators, to fight for Fire Victim Trust beneficiaries’ tax-exempt status,” LaMalfa said in the statement.
“The removal of the tax
research, constituent casework, drafting speeches and writing press releases. Fellowships are preceded by a five-week orientation providing background on state government, the legislative process and major policy issues,” the statement said.
The fellows receive a monthly stipend of $3,253, plus health, dental and vision benefits. The program is operated by the Senate and the Center for California Studies at California State University, Sacramento, which
package as a whole was a significant setback by the Senate. I will continue to fight for this bill and we will reintroduce it quickly in the new Congress. I expect there will be a new effort on disaster relief and other tax provisions that were not included. Fire victims need this tax relief to help in rebuilding their lives,” LaMalfa added.
awards six units of graduate credits as well.
Applicants must be at least 20 years old and be a graduate of a four-year college or university by Sept. 1, 2023. No specific major is required. People with advanced degrees and midcareer candidates are encouraged to apply. Fellows will be selected in May.
For more information, including brochures and applications, go to https:// sfela.senate.ca.gov/home.
The most important piece of California’s water puzzle is the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the 1,100-square-mile estuary where the state’s two most important rivers meet.
The Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers drain a watershed of mountains and hills that stretches about 400 miles from Mount Shasta, near the Oregon border, to the Sierra Nevada southeast of Fresno. After meandering through the dozens of channels and sloughs of the Delta, their combined waters flow into San Francisco Bay and thence to the Pacific Ocean – minus whatever has been diverted into cities and farms along the way.
And that’s the rub.
For decades, in political and legal forums, there’s been a great debate over how much water can be taken from the two rivers, their many tributaries and the Delta itself without destroying its natural function as habitat for fish and other wildlife.
Environmental groups and state water quality authorities, occasionally backed up by federal court decrees, contend that too much is being diverted, particularly by farmers. But the latter say the water is needed to maintain California’s largest-in-the-nation agricultural industry.
For years, the state Water Resources Control Board has been on the verge of mandating sharp cuts in the diversions by raising Delta water quality standards. However, it has delayed what could be a high-stakes showdown over water rights, many of which stretch back more than a century, in hopes that satisfactory “voluntary agreements” could be reached.
Last week, a new chapter in the saga opened when environmental justice groups and Indian tribes filed a civil rights complaint with the federal Environmental Protection Agency against the board. It alleges that failure to issue those water quality standards gives preference to agricultural interests and violates the federal Clean Water Act.
Last spring, the same coalition submitted a 169-page petition to the water board, demanding that it issue new Delta water standards, but the board denied it, saying that updating was already underway.
The semi-permanent drought that’s plagued California adds urgency to the debate over the Delta because it reduces the overall supply of water to be divvied up among the various demands. Farmers and cities have experienced sharp cutbacks in deliveries from the federal and state canals that pump water from the Delta’s southern edge. Farmers also face new restrictions on how much they can draw from depleted underground aquifers to offset reductions in surface water.
The Public Policy Institute of California has estimated the looming restriction on tapping underground water supplies alone will require at least 500,000 acres of farmland to be taken out of production. Permanent reductions in surface water that would result from higher water quality standards in the Delta would cause more farmland to be fallowed.
As the water quality clash plays itself out, another conflict over the Delta’s future looms – whether to bore a tunnel that would transport some Sacramento River water to the head of the California Aqueduct near Tracy, bypassing the Delta altogether. In one form or another, what’s now called the “Delta conveyance” has kicked around for six decades, first as a “peripheral canal,” later as twin tunnels and, since Gavin Newsom became governor, a single tunnel.
Advocates say such a bypass would solve some Delta water flow problems while providing more reliability in supplying water to Southern California, a central point of the environmental impact report issued by the Department of Water Resources a few months ago. However, critics contend it would undercut efforts to increase flows through the Delta by reducing upstream diversions.
As the drought continues, how – or when – these intertwined Delta issues will be resolved remains the biggest mystery of California’s water supply conundrum.
CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more columns by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary.
Santa, I’ve been good this year. I recently found a gorgeous stray dog that looks like a blond German Shepherd with blue eyes (who peed all over me) and found him a great home, brightened my Facebook friends’ days with my offbeat, off color memes and last week, when a driver gave me the finger, I didn’t even follow him a mile out of my way riding his bumper like I normally would.
I know if I were bad you’d probably bring me Trump digital trading cards or something, but I’ve walked the straight and narrow.
So, Santa, the first thing I want is more hours in a day. Between the new music I’m streaming on YouTube Music, all of the shows I’m trying to watch on Netflix, Hulu, HBOMax, Disney+ and Amazon Prime and library books I’ve had to return unfinished, I need more leisure time. Don’t tell me you can’t do it. You deliver presents to billions of people in a sleigh flown by nine flying reindeer so clearly, getting around the laws of physics is not a problem for you.
I saw the new “Avatar” movie last week. It’s more than three hours long. It’s a great sequel and it’s not that the run time is too long. It goes by fast. It’s just that, Santa, can you invent
some way for me to be able to pause the movie in the theater for a bathroom break? Maybe add the ability to play back certain scenes? Streaming has ruined me for movie theaters. Santa, I paid $3.39 for gas last week and got way too excited. So to future-proof any supply chain issues, OPEC greed and wars, can you leave me one of your flying reindeer? You don’t need nine. Eight was just fine until you added Rudolph in 1939. Since NORAD estimates the weight of your sleigh upon takeoff at 60,000 tons, these little reindeer are like flying Hulk pegasi. Let me have Blitzen. I’ll hook him up to my 2018 Dodge Ram and we’ll be blitzing all over the sky.
I need you to set up a meet-andgreet with Mike Tyson. Last week, Tyson stopped by a Sacramento marijuana dispensary for a meet-andgreet. Tyson has a cannabis line and recently teamed up with Evander Holyfield to launch “Holy Ears” marijuana edibles, I kid you not. The trick was you had to buy $80 worth of Tyson’s cannabis to get a line ticket for the meet-and-greet. However, the fine print said that having a ticket for the meet-and-greet line didn’t guarantee you’d actually get to meet Tyson. What? That’s why I didn’t do it. I’m supposed to gamble $80 to meet
Mike? No. I thought about going down there and chewing Tyson out. From a distance. In my truck. As I was driving away.
I’d also like a rainbow roll, spicy tuna and nigiri scallops and a little mochi ice cream for dessert. What? Years ago, my grandson, who was about 11 at the time, asked for a steak for Christmas. Blew my mind. How did this kid figure out he could order food for Christmas before I did?
Santa, on Jan. 1 the Raiders play the Santa Clara 49ers. Would it be possible to deliver the Raiders another crazy, Cal-Stanford-esque lateral game-ender like the RaidersPatriots game? Thanks in advance. And if I’m to continue being a member of the Raider Nation in good standing, I’m going to need some rosary beads, an inhaler and a defibrillator.
Finally, I’d like good tidings, comfort and joy for the friends and family of two iconic Fairfielders who recently died: my former public service teacher at Armijo, Linda Paulson, and Mayor Harry Price. Blessings to all who have lost and peace to the rest of us. Merry Christmas!
Kelvin Wade, a writer and former Fairfield resident, lives in Sacramento. Reach him at kelvinjwade@ outlook.com.
Many Republicans are seeking to oust Ronna McDaniel as chair of the Republican National Commit tee after the party’s poor performance in this year’s midterm elections.
This is silly. McDaniel is not the reason for the GOP’s hardships. The real reason comes down to two words: Donald Trump.
It is true the GOP has consistently lost elections during McDaniel’s tenure. The GOP lost the House in 2018 and the presidency and the Senate in 2020. And yes, it flopped against one of the most unpopular presidents in history this year.
It might make sense to drop McDaniel if the RNC had run the party’s election efforts. But it doesn’t – and hasn’t for many decades.
Individual candidates and PACs run by the leaders of the House and Senate finance the lion’s share of campaign spending. The two primary Senate Republican super PACs, for example, spent a combined $530 million in the midterms on top of the hundreds of millions spent by its candidates. House Republicans also spent more than half a billion dollars above their candidates’ expenditures.
The RNC, by contrast, raised only about $325 million for the cycle, including money to assist GOP candidates for governor and other offices. And that money rarely went to direct voter contact. The RNC’s main role in modern elections is to help build databases that candidates can use and help state parties with their ground games and get out the vote activities. These projects are impor-
tant, but they do not determine whether individual candidates win except in rare cases. Nor does the party chair determine what issues a party runs on or act as the party’s main spokesperson. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Bakersfield) issued his chamber’s own agenda, the Commitment to America, while Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) offered no agenda at all. The former president’s endorsements and rallies also helped define the Republican brand for the midterms. McDaniel was not a player in any of these determinations, nor was she ever expected to be.
The modern party chair is not the equivalent to a company’s chief executive. At best, she is the managing partner – the person who is in charge of making sure the back office runs efficiently, not whether it succeeds. It’s misleading, then, to blame her for the party’s election defeats when she does not pick the candidates, define the party’s image or run its campaigns.
By essentially all accounts, the person who did perform the CEO role was Trump. Thus, the battle for the hapless RNC chair’s job is a proxy battle over his continued influence within the party.
Viewed through that lens, it’s no coincidence McDaniel’s two declared foes, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and California RNC member Harmeet Dhillon, are well-known Trump acolytes. Victory by either would keep the RNC firmly in Trumpist hands. That would forestall any effort to de-Trumpify the national
party before 2024.
Their elevation to RNC chair would also matter in the one arena where the committee does have decisive influence: preparation for the 2024 nomination season. The RNC sets the rules that govern the awarding and allocation of delegates as well as the preliminary rules that govern the party’s convention itself. It also influences matters such as the staging of the Republican primary debates and the order in which states will vote to select their delegates. The chair will heavily influence these decisions, each of which could tip the scales in – or against – Trump’s favor.
This power, not McDaniel’s purported losing streak, could be the real motivation behind her challengers. She has pledged the party will remain neutral between contenders, as party organizations traditionally do. Her firmly Trump-aligned challengers would presumably say the same thing, but a chair can do many things behind the scenes to favor one candidate in a nomination fight. The brouhaha over Hillary Clinton’s campaign and its alleged capture of the DNC before her nomination in the 2016 battle against Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) demonstrates this clearly.
The identity of the next RNC chair will not determine whether Republicans win the next election. It could, however, influence whether Trump continues to exert an outsize influence over party affairs. That could make all the difference in the world.
Henry Olsen is a Washington Post columnist and a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
Los A ngeLes Times
There is a new cable news ratings champion.
Nielsen data for 2022 rank the Fox News round table program “The Five” as the most watched show in cable news with an average of 3.5 million viewers.
The figure tops “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” which averaged 3.3 million viewers for the year. The figure for the Fox News primetime show is up 3% over 2021 when it was the most watched program for the year.
But “The Five” grew more, up 17% over 2021.
The program, which airs live at 5 p.m. Eastern and 2 p.m. Pacific, is also the first cable news show outside of prime-time to finish the year on top.
The only non-sports cable program with a larger audience than “The Five” is Paramount Network’s hit drama “Yellowstone.”
“The Five” features conservatives Jesse Watters, Dana Perino, Jeanine Pirro and Greg Gutfeld along with a rotating chair shared by three liberal commentators, Jessica Tarlov, Harold Ford and Geraldo Rivera.
While it’s often a four-to-one pile on, “The Five” bills itself as the only forum on cable news where personalities with opposing views are seen debating issues on a regular basis. The program, which launched in 2011, has succeeded in attracting viewers who politically identify as Democratic or independent.
Price served four, fouryear terms as mayor, and one term on the City Council prior to that. One of his terms as mayor actually had five years as the city moved to fall in line with the election cycle of other jurisdictions so Price actually served 17 years as mayor.
He was appointed to the Community Services Commission in 1988, on which he served until he was appointed to the Planning Commission in 1992. He was elected to the City Council in 1997, and served as vice mayor starting in 1999. He ran unopposed
for mayor in 2005 and was re-elected mayor in 2009, 2014 and 2018.
Price was a teacher for 38 years, 33 of those as an English teacher at Vanden High School. He was the 1986 Solano County Teacher of the Year.
“Harry T. Price has served the Fairfield community honorably, with loyalty and dedication,” the opening line of the proclamation to his service states.
“We all expected to see him in person tonight,” Bertani said, “but we know he is with us in spirit.”
looking forward to seeing what we do.”
Moy, who received her oath from Supervisor Erin Hannigan, also noted that the Board of Supervisors, with the election of Wanda Williams in the 3rd District, will have a female majority starting in the new year, and that 41% of the state Legislature, the largest percentage ever, are women – not to mention the vice president of the United States is also a woman.
“I think people are getting used to having women in these roles,” said Moy, who becomes the second female mayor of Fairfield. The other was Karen MacMillan. “I hope it encourages others to step forward.”
Doug Carr, representing District 3, also was seated for the first time.
“It’s hard to believe I’m here, but I’m only here because of the support I got,” said Carr, who received his oath from Joe Martinez, a Solano County probation officer, head of the probation officers association and Carr’s campaign manager. He also ran for City Council in 2014.
“The one thing that pushed me to be part of the council is . . . the work that has to be done,” Carr said.
Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, D-Suisun City, administered the oath to Williams, who said the election was the culmination of a journey that started 20 years ago.
She said when her son was born, she wrote in a journal to him that he could be whatever he wanted to be. It got her thinking about her own goals, and one of those was to govern and govern well.
Panduro took her oath from Alonzo Allen, her 15-year-old nephew, who
has been part of all three of her campaigns for council. This is her first full, fouryear term, coming off a two-year elected stint.
“I thought it would be a unique experience for him to swear in his auntie,” Panduro said in a phone interview about her choice of officiate.
Like the others, she talked about all the support she had received from the late Mayor Harry Price, who one person referred to as “the people’s mayor.”
“I wouldn’t be here without his support,” said Panduro, quipping how she always knew when they traveled together he would have bags of Jelly Belly candies.
Bertani was unanimously selected as the vice mayor, and in early comments, called this council “the getting it done crew.”
Moy noted the need to support and protect Travis Air Force Base and Suisun Valley. She also said this council would deal with the homeless issue.
“We know there are people out there tonight sleeping . . . in the freezing cold,” said Moy, adding some would likely die this winter. “We are going to be humane . . . but we are going to clean up the streets.”
The new City Council also receives an increase in the monthly salary over the previous council. The mayor’s pay goes from $600 to $1,560, and the pay for the council members goes from $500 to $1,300. The city clerk and the city treasurer also receive a pay bump, from $190 to $475.
The increases will cost the general fund about $75,000 annually, the city reported.
However, his favorite plane is the North American F-86 Sabre, also known as the Sabrejet. It was the first U.S. swept-wing fighter and was designed to match the Soviet MIG 15 in highspeed aerial dogfights.
Spering was raised in a military family, his father having served in the U.S. Army.
But the license plate also serves as a testament to the progress the city made while Spering served as mayor, though he added, “I think the future of downtown Suisun is still ahead of it, but it’s out there.”
Spering said there was a lot of controversy surrounding the decision to move out of the trailer into a new City Hall, but the man who sat in the mayor’s chair for 20 years before 16 more years as a county supervisor said it was the right decision.
Spering said he also learned that those protesting or cheerleading a project may not represent the whole of the community, and he kept a little reminder of that on the back of his name plate.
“Make decisions on the number of people you represent and not the number of people in the room.”
He said, “I can honestly say I always did what I thought was best for the community.”
Sometimes, that actually meant going against what the clear majority wanted, such as toll bridge increases, and supporting environmental causes, such as the Suisun Marsh, that meant tax increases, too.
Spering looks at the work that came out of those unpopular decisions as important to Solano County.
He said he also was disappointed that voters did not back the recent eighthcent sales tax increase for wildfire protection and prevention, and it means the county and the cities will have to come up with
From Page A1
another solution because the risk is not lessening in any way.
Overall, Spering looks back on his 36-year career in elected public service satisfied with what he has accomplished, from the redevelopment of the Suisun City waterfront, to multitudes of transportation projects to land-use decisions that still guide the city and the county.
He, in fact, he took great satisfaction in the recent ceremony dedicating the opening of the full Highway 12 connector lanes into Solano County.
“That was one of the most satisfying projects. I’d been working on that for 20 years,” Spering said.
Spering also looks at the work that has been done to help seniors in the county, to improve the transit system and the highway system and even more that will come in the near future. Lynch Canyon is another project for which he takes great pride.
So important are some of those future decisions that Spering was asked by mayors and the supervisors to stay on as the Solano representative to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
But he has made it clear, he will not serve the full four years of that appointed term.
Spering said he only has one real regret as he prepares to clear out his
announced last month that he would run for president again in 2024 — has refused to release his returns, which would reveal details about the source and size of his wealth, potential financial conflicts and whether he has paid taxes in recent years.
Some legal experts questioned whether the House Ways and Means Committee has adequate legal justification to release the information to the public.
Democrats have argued in court that their interest in seeing Trump’s taxes was based on the need to craft legislation and that they would not simply release confidential information to the public.
But now Democrats are under pressure to act, since Republicans will take over the House in January.
After meeting privately for more than three hours, Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee outvoted the minority of Republicans who opposed releasing the documents. The committee said information such as Social Security numbers and bank account numbers would be redacted.
“This is not about being punitive. This is not about being malicious,” Chairman Richard E. Neal, D-Mass., told reporters after the vote.
Exactly when and how Trump’s tax information will be released was unclear. It’s possible that Trump will return to the courts to block the release.
The tax fight comes amid a rough week for the former president. On Monday, the House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol unanimously recommended that Trump be prosecuted for insurrection, obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress, knowingly and willfully making materially false statements to the federal government and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
After Democrats won control of the House in the 2018 midterms, Neal requested six years of Trump’s personal and business tax returns
office for his successor, Wanda Williams.
That is the Lakes Water System, which he fears is going to come to a disastrous end soon if solutions are not found.
He also thought the private sector would respond more favorably to positive changes in Suisun City, especially on the west side of Main Street, but there were a lot of out-of-town owners who thought that property taxes would exceed the value of the improvements.
Spering, who was happy in his life as a contractor, said he really had no intention to get involved in politics, and when he finally did, it was only going to be for two years to help stabilize a mayor’s office that had been shaken by a number of scandals.
“I was active in the community . . . and the city had a couple of emergencies and my company helped out,” said Spering, adding that a number of people asked him to run.
“I wasn’t into the politics at the time . . . and I only thought it would be two years,” he said. Then two things happened that refocused his future toward staying in office: He was appointed to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and the progress on the Suisun waterfront was taking longer than he had hoped, mainly because
from Charles Rettig, then the commissioner of the IRS.
At the time, Neal argued that the committee had a responsibility to conduct oversight to ensure that even “those elected to our highest office” are in compliance with the nation’s laws and a duty to evaluate the IRS’ administration and enforcement of tax laws.
A long series of legal battles led to the Supreme Court last month allowing the IRS to release the documents to the committee.
But even as judges have sided with the House committee’s right to inspect the confidential information, they have warned that their rulings do not authorize public release of Trump’s information.
“Public disclosure of another’s tax returns is a grave offense, and prior committee chairmen have wisely resisted using” the law “to publicize individuals’ returns,” wrote U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, as he dismissed the former president’s lawsuit in December seeking to prevent the IRS from releasing the information.
After the high court’s Nov. 22 order affirming that decision, Neal insisted that the matter “rises above politics” and vowed to “conduct the oversight that we’ve sought for the last three and a half years.”
But the panel is short on time, with Congress set to recess this week for the remainder of the year and Republicans poised to control the House and its committees come January.
On Tuesday, the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington wrote a letter to committee leaders urging the panel to provide the tax documents to the Democrat-run Senate Finance Committee.
In a news conference ahead of the committee’s vote Tuesday, Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, the top Republican on the Ways and Means panel, warned that the precedent Democrats were setting would have consequences that would extend well beyond Trump.
“Longstanding privacy protections for all taxpayers have been compromised,” Brady said. “Going
the city struggled to find a master developer and ultimately took on the task itself.
“Government moves very slowly, and government doesn’t understand time and money,” Spering said.
Delays, he said, are costly in the private sector, but are a reality in government. He points to two other projects as further evidence: Solano360 and the Middle Green Valley Specific Plan development.
But now he sees the promise of both coming to fruition.
It was land-use decisions, and specifically the revision of the county General Plan, that convinced him to run for a seat on the Board of Supervisors.
“I wanted to be part of that,” he said.
Now Spering drives around the county and honestly sees where he has made a difference, and as he is fond of telling others who have had an impact on the county, the measure is how the lives of individuals was improved.
And whether it was the redevelopment of Suisun City or work done around the county, Spering said he thinks he has improved the lives of area residents.
“I’ve probably done a lot of things that I never get credit for, but that’s OK,” Spering said.
forward, the majority chairman in the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee will have nearly unlimited power to target or make public the tax returns of private citizens — and not just private citizens: political enemies, business and labor leaders or even the returns of Supreme Court justices themselves.”
“No party in Congress should have that power. No individuals in Congress should have that power,” Brady continued. “It’s the power to embarrass, to harass or destroy Americans through disclosure of their tax returns.”
Robert Maguire, research director for CREW, the ethics watchdog, said it is important for the American public to see the returns.
Trump “fought so hard to keep these private that it raises the question of what actually is he trying to hide? At this point, we deserve answers about that,” Maguire said.
“It could just be his own vanity,” he continued. “It could be that he’s not as rich as he has been telling people for years that he is. It could be that everything is legal in there, but he didn’t pay any taxes and knows that will look bad. But it could be things that are more serious.”
Though Trump has not made his tax information public, The New York Times reported in 2020 that he paid just $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017 and no income tax in 10 of the previous 15 years, “largely because he reported losing so much more money than he made,” the newspaper wrote.
As president, Trump was under intense scrutiny for his business practices. Foreign leaders flocked to his former Washington hotel. The House Oversight and Reform Committee released documents last month showing that six nations spent more than $750,000 at Trump International Hotel.
Brady, who is retiring at the end of this Congress, refused to speculate about how Republicans might respond to Democrats’ action but said the IRS would be a focus of the committee over the next two years.
In a statement to Bloomberg News on Monday evening, China’s U.S. embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said China has adopted “scientific and precise prevention and control measures” in order to minimize the impact of the virus on China’s population and economy.
Liu added that China “continues to strengthen the genome monitoring of globally circulating, imported and locally circulating Omicron variants,” as well as the “timely assessment of emerging variants to provide a scientific basis for the continuous optimization of prevention and control policies.”
The outbreak has grown following the government’s decision to lift a raft of strict restrictions, including quarantine and isolation protocols, that had largely insulated China’s 1.4 billion people from the worst impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
China’s U-turn on
Covid-19 followed protests in late November in numerous Chinese cities after the containment measures were blamed for deaths after a fire in the country’s western Xinjiang region.
Health agencies, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have been on the
lookout for new variants such as delta or omicron as Covid-19 waves hit different countries around the world. New variations “allow the virus to spread more easily or make it resistant to treatments or vaccines,” according to the CDC.
The U.S. – which is sending a delegation led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Beijing early in the new year – hopes China can get its current Covid-19 outbreak under control in part because any further blow to the Asian nation could further harm the global economy, Price said.
“The toll of the virus is of concern to the rest of the world, given the size of China’s GDP,” he said. “It’s not only good for China to be in a stronger position vis-a-vis Covid, but it’s good for the rest of the world as well.”
Evelyn’s Big Italian Pizzeria features their signature classic Southern Italian fare with a little New York twist and attitude. Founder Piero, was born in Avellino, Naples, the same town in Italy where the Sopranos originated. Piero was raised in the Bronx, N.Y. but, looking to wear shorts all year round, he and his wife moved to sunny California. Once there, they became the original founders of New York Pizza Kitchen in Napa and Fairfield, Parry’s Pizzeria in American Canyon, and Evelyn’s Big Italian here in Fairfield. They hope you make yourselves at home and chow down! Grazie!
The Tropeano Family
NEW YORK CITY — The Warriors found a recipe for success Sunday in Toronto without Stephen Curry.
It featured Jordan Poole playing at his absolute best. Donte DiVincenzo being an aggressive and disruptive defender. And the entire team being locked in on both ends for the full 48 minutes.
But some of the ingredients were missing in the Warriors’ embarrassing 132-94 loss to the red-hot New York Knicks.
The Warriors, already without Curry (left shoulder injury) and Andrew Wiggins (strained thigh muscle), were down Donte DiVincenzo and JaMychal Green who were feeling under the weather, with Green entering the league’s health and safety protocols. Assistant coach Jama Mahlalela was also not on the bench for Tuesday’s game.
It was an ugly night in Madison Square Garden for the reigning champs. The Knicks had their way with the Warriors, jumping out to an 8-0 lead over the first three minutes and remaining in control for the rest
of the way.
By the end of the first half, the Knicks had made 11 triples, which is what they’re averaging per game this season. They finished the night shooting 51.7% from the field while going 17-of-40 (42.5%) from 3-point land.
Five Knicks players scored 15 or more points. Immanuel Quickley led the charge with 22 points and Jalen Brunson added 21 to stretch the Knicks win streak to eight.
Meanwhile, the Warriors went cold in chilly New York. They shot 47.3% from the
field and went 12-for-35 from 3-point range.
Jordan Poole, after scoring a career-high 43 points Sunday, finished with a team-high 26 points.
Klay Thompson has struggled to get going on this road trip. That trend continued into Tuesday’s loss. Thompson committed five of the Warriors’ eight first-half turnovers. He had 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting and made only one of his five 3-point attempts.
It’s unclear how much of Thompson’s inability to get into rhythm is the result of his bum left knee. Thompson has appeared on the team’s injury
report before each of the last three games as he’s been experiencing soreness in his surgically repaired knee.
Kerr previously said he wasn’t overly concerned with Thompson’s experiencing pain in his knee.
“When you get older and you’ve had injuries, you’re more prone to pain. And then when you get to 57, everything hurts but fortunately Klay’s only 32. So he’s 25 years away from where I am right now,” Kerr said.
The Knicks also outrebounded the Warriors 57-32 and the Warriors committed 19 turnovers.
FAIRFIELD —
Vacaville High School graduate Jake Levengood, a junior center at Oregon State University, closed out his season in style as the Beavers rolled to a 30-3 win over Florida Saturday at the Las Vegas Bowl.
SANTA CLARA — The first words from Seattle quarterback Geno Smith after losing to the 49ers were: “They’re a great defense.”
How great?
Of all their league-leading categories, here’s one to watch with three games until the playoffs: 15.0 points allowed per game.
That won’t threaten the best marks in league history, or even the past 25 years, as highlighted by a pair of Super Bowl-winning teams: the 2000 Baltimore Ravens (10.3 points per game) and the 2002 Tampa Bay Bucs (12.3 ppg).
This could be one of the 49ers’ all-time stingiest defenses, however.
The 49ere have not allowed over 17 points in any game during their seven-game win streak, a
stretch last accomplished by their 1984 championship team.
Here is a look at the 49ers’ past, present and future defenses:
This could be only the eighth season in the franchise’s 77-year history that opponents fail to score 15 points per game. (A list of the 15 best averages is at the bottom of this post.)
That threshold includes just one of their five Super Bowl-winning seasons: 1984, when their league-leading defense allowed 14.2 points per game and featured five Pro Bowlers: Ronnie Lott, Keena Turner, Eric Wright, Dwight Hicks and Carlton Williamson. That same quintet was part of the 1981 championship team that allowed just 15.3 points per game.
The 49ers’ initial team in 1946 allowed only 13.5 points per game, good enough for second-best in the All-America Football Conference. The closest to that standard was the 1976 unit (13.6 points per game) en route to an 8-6 record.
As for the past 25 years, the fewest points were allowed in 2011, when coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio came aboard to yield just 14.3 points per game, with the help of All-Pros Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman and Justin Smith.
The current 49ers can eclipse that mark if they allow 11 points per game over their final three until the playoffs. That 2011 unit ranked second behind the Steelers (14.2 ppg).
Here are the other NFL-leading
With Levengood at the heart of the offensive line, Oregon State piled up 353 yards of total offense and scored four touchdowns. That left the Beavers with a season record of 10-3.
Levengood was an honorable mention all-Pac 12 selection this season.
Pro football Atlanta Falcons linebacker Mykal Walker (Vacaville) had three assisted tackles in a 21-18 loss to New Orleans. Atlanta is now 5-9 overall and will play Saturday at Baltimore.
Women’s basketball
Junior guard Ashreem Sran (St. Patrick-St. Vincent, Solano) scored 14 points to go with one rebound, one assist and one steal in 24 minutes of action for Stanislaus State in a 63-62 win over Seattle Pacific.
Freshman guard Jiana Creswell (Vanden) scored eight points, had six rebounds, three assists and one blocked shot for Chico State in a 97-35 rout of Pacific Union. Senior guard Myli Martinez (Vanden) added five points and one steal.
Freshman guard Kiki Roberts (Vanden) played in a pair of games for Eastern New Mexico. Roberts had two points, two rebounds and a steal in a 76-60 loss to Texas-Tyler, and five points, one rebound, one assist and two steals in a 64-62 loss to Texas Women’s University.
Freshman guard
SAN FRANCISCO —
ATLANTA—Playerseligible for the 2023 Masters under Augusta National Golf Club’s criteria, including those currently playing on the LIV Golf tour, will be invited to compete in the major tournament, the club announced Tuesday.
There are 16 players currently playing on LIV Golf who will be part of the Masters field next year, including six past champions.
The decision by Augusta National comes amid a growing divide in the game of golf between the PGA Tour and LIV
the field, Chairman Fred Ridley said: “Regrettably, recent actions have divided men’s professional golf by diminishing the virtues of the game and the meaningful legacies of those who built it. Although we are disappointed in these developments, our focus is to honor the tradition of bringing together a preeminent field of golfers this coming April.”
Ridley said in the announcement that invitations will be sent out this week. He added that a change in the current criteria could be made in the future.
The San Francisco Giants’ scheduled 11 a.m. news conference to introduce $350 million shortstop Carlos Correa was postponed, the team announced, and a source told The Chronicle, without elaboration, that the team and Correa are awaiting test results.
Correa had his physical on Monday, so there could just be a delay in processing information from that, especially during Christmas week.
Or perhaps Correa has come down with an illness and had a Covid test, though those results are typically quick.
Players seldom fail physicals, but it has been known to happen, one reason clubs are hesitant to release information about signings before physicals are completed.
Correa has had some back issues in the past, but there have been no indications that there were any major concerns that might crop up, and he’s a well conditioned 28-year-old athlete.
The team did not respond to a request for further information.
The Giants last week agreed to a 13-year, $350 million deal with Correa, a two-time AllStar and former Rookie of the Year who previously played for the Astros and Twins. The $350 million figure marked the fourthlargest contract in MLB history in guaranteed value and the 13 years matched the longest deal given to a free agent.
Correa would be 41 when the contract expires.
The deal would be by far the largest ever given by the Giants, outpacing Buster Posey’s nine-year, $167 million contract.
Basketball College Men
• Michigan vs. North Carolina, ESPN, 4 p.m.
• Clemson vs. Georgia Tech, ESPN2, 4:30 p.m.
College Women
• Florida vs. Oklahoma, ESPN2, 6:30 p.m.
G League
Capital City vs. Santa Cruz, ESPN2, 2 p.m.
NBA
• Golden State vs. Brooklyn, NBCSBA (Fairfield and Suisun City), 4:30 p.m.
• L.A. Lakers vs. Sacramento, NBCSCA (Vacaville and Rio Vista), 7 p.m.
Football College
• New Orleans Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. South Alabama, ESPN, 6 p.m.
Hockey NHL
• New Jersey vs. Florida, TNT, 4 p.m.
• Edmonton vs. Dallas, TNT, 6:30 p.m.
Basketball College Men
• Harvard vs. Kansas, ESPN2, 4 p.m.
• George Washington vs. Washington State, ESPN2, 6 p.m.
• Pepperdine vs. Hawaii, ESPN2, 8:30 p.m.
G League
• Ignite vs. Greensboro, ESPN2, 10 a.m.
• Teams TBD, ESPN2, 12:30 p.m.
Football College
• Armed Forces Bowl: Baylor vs. Air Force, ESPN, 4:30 p.m.
NFL
• Jacksonville vs. N.Y. Jets, Amazon Prime (Live Streaming), 5:15 p.m.
Hockey NHL
• Minnesota vs. San Jose, NBCSCA, 7:30 p.m.
For Argentina’s triumph and Lionel Messi’s ethereal foot in it, there is only one word, and we use it with a nod to the great Ray Hudson: Magisterial!
In society and certainly in sports journalism we are commonly guilty of recency bias: Whatever just happened is the greatest of all time. But when the 2022 Argentina-France World Cup final was instantly minted as the best ever . . . well, it was. Or at least it’s a must now for any discussion of the topic.
What we have just seen gloriously whets the appetite for the next men’s World Cup in 2026 that will include Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium among host venues as the United States, Canada and Mexico (but predominantly the U.S.) host what is the biggest sporting event on the planet.
Messi, 35, has said the World Cup just past will be his last. But has his still-elite-level performance in winning it changed his mind on that?
Has Messi on top of the world delayed his reported plan to join Inter Miami as Major League Soccer’s highestpaid player as early as next summer?
First, what we saw Sunday merits a bit more rhapsody.
Here’s the crazy thing. Deep into the match, the minutes high in the 70s and Argentina up 2-nil, I turned to my son in my family room and said, “This will go down as a boring final.” Because France to that point had done nothing. And superstar Kylian Mbappe was as quiet as excellence can ever be.
And then he wasn’t. And then Christopher and I spent the rest of the match standing to watch, unable to sit. How many times through
squandered leads did Messi worry his firstever World Cup win – the final diamond missing from his legacy – was slipping away?
Argentina’s penalty-kicks win after a 3-3-match through overtime was simply exhilarating.
Messi was crowned for all-time. His legacy did not need it as much as deserve it. Arguing whether Messi or Pele’ or Maradona is the sport’s G.O.A.T. is as unnecessary as arguing Picasso or Rembrandt or van Gogh, but to Hudson, at least, here is no doubt. Hudson, of course, is the former Fort Lauderdale Strikers star-turned-prominent soccer broadcaster.
“Messi surpasses them all,” he told us Monday.
The day before had been a sterling advertisement the sport deserves – a repudiation to the old thinking that soccer is boring, the thinking of those who don’t know the game or watch it, but just like to complain.
“Thrilling and heartstopping beyond belief,” Hudson called it. “The greatest final I have ever seen. And Messi, with that operatic high note. He took an escalator to the stars.”
Hudson watched the final home alone with his cats, as he does for all huge matches he does not attend.
“My Apple watch, when the second Argentina goal went in, was asking me if I’d been in accident,” he said, laughing. “Because I was just going [bleep]ing nuts.”
Lionel Messi is a man on top of the world right now, and a man with an oceanfront condo in Miami Beach.
That Inter Miami may have him before he retires is a possible dream, and a prize, grown bigger than ever.
EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L Pct GB Boston 22 9 710 Brooklyn 19 12 613 3 Philadelphia 17 12 586 4 New York 18 13 581 4 Toronto 13 18 419 9 Central Division W L Pct GB Milwaukee 22 8 733 Cleveland 21 11 656 2 Indiana 15 16 484 7½ Chicago 12 18 400 10 Detroit 8 25 242 15½ Southeast Division W L Pct GB Miami 16 15 516 Atlanta 16 16 500 ½ Washington 11 20 355 5 Orlando 11 21 344 5½ Charlotte 8 23 258 8
WESTERN CONFERENCE Northwest Division W L Pct GB Denver 18 11 621 Portland 17 14 548 2 Utah 18 16 529 2½ Minnesota 16 15 516 3 Oklahoma City 13 18 419 6 Pacific Division W L Pct GB Phoenix 19 12 613 L.A. Clippers 18 14 563 1½ SACRAMENTO 16 13 552 2 GOLDEN STATE 15 17 469 4½ L.A. Lakers 13 17 433 5½ Southwest Division W L Pct GB Memphis 19 10 655 New Orleans 18 12 600 1½ Dallas 15 16 484 5 San Antonio 10 20 333 9½ Houston 9 21 300 10½ Monday’s Games Charlotte 125, SACRAMENTO 119 Cleveland 122, Utah 99 Philadelphia 104, Toronto 101 Atlanta 126, Orlando 125 San Antonio 124, Houston 105 Minnesota 116, Dallas 106 Milwaukee 128, New Orleans 119 Oklahoma City 123, Portland 121 Phoenix 130, L.A. Lakers 104 Tuesday’s Games N.Y. Knicks 132, GOLDEN STATE 94 Utah 126, Detroit 111 Chicago 113, Miami 103
EASTERN CONFERENCE Metropolitan Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Carolina 32 20 6 6 46 96 82 New Jersey 32 21 9 2 44 108 81 Pittsburgh 32 19 9 4 42 111 91 N.Y. Rangers 34 18 11 5 41 111 93 N.Y.
34 Detroit 20, N.Y. Jets 17 Denver 24, Arizona 15 Las Vegas 30, New England 24 L.A. Chargers 17, Tennessee 14 Cincinnati 34, Tampa Bay 23 N.Y. Giants 20, Washington 12 Monday’s Game Green Bay 24, L.A. Rams 12 Week 16
Thursday’s Game Jacksonville at N.Y. Jets, 5:15 p.m. Saturday’s Games
SAN FRANCISCO at Washington, 1:05 p.m. Atlanta at Baltimore, 10 a.m. Detroit at Carolina, 10 a.m. Buffalo at Chicago, 10 a.m. New Orleans at Cleveland, 10 a.m. Seattle at Kansas City, 10 a.m. N.Y, Giants at Minnesota, 10 a.m. Cincinnati at New England, 10 a.m. Houston at Tennessee, 10 a.m. Philadelphia at Dallas, 1:25p.m. Vegas at Pittsburgh, 5:15 p.m. Sunday’s Game Green Bay at Miami, 10 a.m. Denver at L.A. Rams, 1:30 p.m. Tampa Bay at Arizona, 5:20 p.m. Monday’s Game L.A. Chargers at Indianapolis, 5:15 p.m.
SAN JOSE – Sharks center Tomas Hertl said Tuesday he was surprised to receive a two-game suspension from the NHL for high-sticking Calgary Flames forward Elias Lindholm two days earlier, feeling he might get a lighter punishment considering he had no prior history of supplemental discipline.
Hertl missed Tuesday’s rematch with the Flames at SAP Center and will miss Thursday’s home game with the Minnesota Wild, the Sharks’ last game before a fourday Christmas break.
Hertl, who will forfeit $87,972.98 in salary with the suspension, will return on Dec. 27 when the Sharks play the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena.
“It sucks I got two because (I can’t play) for the next eight days,” Hertl said. “I don’t like being out for that long. It’s my mistake. I did it. I know the league has to protect the players but I thought a fine or maybe one game if anything because I have no history.”
“Obviously, (Hertl) made a mistake,” Sharks captain Logan Couture said. “One game I think was sufficient, but (the league) saw it otherwise. That’s their job and they make those decisions.
“Not everyone’s going to like them and we certainly don’t. But he still obviously
did it and he’s remorseful about it. I think two games is probably a little much but it is what it is.”
After the opening faceoff of the third period Sunday, Hertl was crosschecked multiple times in the right arm and shoulder by Lindholm before he retaliated, swinging his stick and catching the Flames veteran near his face.
“It was my stick and I shouldn’t react but sometimes it happens. It’s so quick,” Hertl said. “I just say I’m going to brace myself because I got two cross-checks. For sure, I don’t mean to go higher. I meant to go low.
“After the faceoff, I wasn’t holding my stick properly. It’s just on me. Nobody here can do anything and I’m more mad because I can’t help the boys for the next two games.”
Hertl thought the onegame suspension that Washington’s Evgeny Kuznetsov received in October for his high stick on Vancouver’s Kyle Burroughs was a possible comparable. In levying the Kuznetsov suspension, the NHL explained that it was “an intentional stick swing toward an opponent that (made) high contact.”
But in explaining Hertl’s two-game ban, the NHL, while noting he had never before been fined or suspended, said his action was “a directed retaliatory stick swing that strikes an opponent at a dangerous height.”
Hertl speculated that because of other highsticking incidents around the league, perhaps the NHL wanted to dole out a stiffer punishment this time to help set an example.
Toronto’s Pierre Engvall was given a one-
game suspension for a high stick on Los Angeles’ Sean Durzi earlier this month.
But in October, Detroit’s Michael Rasmussen was suspended for two games for high-sticking Boston’s David Krejci, and last month, Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk was suspended for two games for highsticking Los Angeles goalie Jonathan Quick.
“I don’t know,” Hertl said. “For sure I’m frustrated because I’m missing the games but at the same time, I did it. It’s on me.”
Lindholm did not miss any ice time from the high stick. After Hertl was penalized six seconds into the third period, Lindblom scored two goals in 19 seconds to give the Flames a 4-1 lead. Hertl scored a power-play goal later in the third period, but the Sharks lost the game 5-2.
“I’m more (upset) because he scored two goals in 20 seconds, so it’s not like he had to get to the locker room to check it out,” Hertl said of Lindholm. “He never left the ice or anything. I don’t think I (got) him all the way to the face.”
For at least the start of Tuesday’s game, the Sharks will have Couture on a line with Matt Nieto and Alexander Barabanov, and move Nick Bonino onto the line with Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc. Nico Sturm and Steven Lorentz will center the third and fourth lines, respectively.
San Jose State had committed only six turnovers all season entering Tuesday’s Famous Idaho Potato Bowl against Eastern Michigan.
The Spartans committed half that many against the Eagles as Eastern Michigan grabbed a 41-27 decision in Boise.
In his postgame news conference, SJSU head coach Brent Brennan referenced the players who were on the 2018 team that went 1-11 — including defensive linemen Cade Hall and Viliami Fehoko, linebacker Kyle Harmon and defensive back Nehemiah Shelton – in describing his disappointment about Tuesday’s loss.
“The hardest part about today is we didn’t send them out the way they deserve to be sent out considering the fight they fought,” Brennan said.
EMU’s only other bowl win in program history came against San
Jose State, a 30-27 decision in the 1987 California Bowl.
The Eagles (9-4) had scored 33 consecutive points to take a 33-13 lead midway through the third quarter before Chevan Cordeiro hit former QB Nick Nash with a 17-yard touchdown pass to cut the Spartans’ deficit to 13.
On their next possession, the Spartans went for it on 4th-and-1 from their 44. Peyton Price and MidAmerican Conference Defensive Player of the Year Jose Ramirez stuffed Kairee Robinson for no gain. Price had dropped Robinson for a 3-yard loss on 4th-and-goal from the 1 early in the second period.
EMU quickly added to its lead. Jaylon Jackson’s twisting, tacklebreaking 31-yard touchdown run preceded his run for the twopoint conversion. The Eagles were on top 41-20.
The Spartans (7-5) cut it to 41-27 early in the fourth quarter on
another 17-yard TD pass by Cordeiro, this one to Isaiah Hamilton.
San Jose State still had an outside chance with a 3rd-and-6 at midfield with two minutes left but Russell Vaden picked off a Cordeiro pass to ice it.
The Spartans’ three turnovers were all interceptions, two thrown by Cordeiro and one by wide receiver
Elijah Cooks on a gadget play. Cordeiro completed 26 of 44 passes for 366 yards with three touchdowns. A transfer from Hawaii, Cordeiro confirmed he will return for one more season at San Jose State.
San Jose State outgained EMU 498 yards to 416, but the Spartans couldn’t overcome their turnovers.
The game couldn’t have begun much better for the Spartans. They marched 59 yards in three plays on the opening possession, which Cordeiro capped with a 27-yard touchdown run, his ninth rushing TD of the season.
Dear Annie: I need therapy because of what is happening in my marriage. My husband of 28 years has had a five-year relationship with another woman, and now they’ve had a child together. My husband is a 56-yearold autistic man.
He is so hurt because he did not want to hurt me. We have been crying together over this. He sobs uncontrollably because he wants to keep me protected while at the same time saying that he does not want to leave his 5-year-old child and his girlfriend.
He wants me to stay in a trailer on the property, so I can be safe, and he wants to move the girlfriend and child into our home of 15 years.
I have nowhere to go. I am alone except for him. What do I do?
I have broken down miserably, and he has, too, but she wants to live in our home! — Help Me Please
Dear Help Me: I am so sorry that you are going through this. Seek marriage counseling immediately. You don’t have to allow your husband’s mistress to live in your home. That sounds like torture. It is bad enough that you suffered through an affair, and now he wants you to live with a daily reminder of it? The answer to him is no, she cannot move in. He can move out if he tries to press the issue. You have rights. Please seek the help of a professional therapist, and if he is unwilling to go to counseling, then I would call an attorney.
Dear Annie: Please tell “Am I Being Greedy or Gaslit?” with the realtor husband to talk to a lawyer. She said her husband put his name on her properties but refused to put her name on his. My sister had a realtor husband who did the same kind of stuff. They eventually divorced.
My sister had a fight with
ARIES (March 21-April 19).
You get the feeling you’re competing for someone’s attention – an uncomfortable position to be in. Magic question: What is the actual value of this prize dangling before you? The way to win is to remove yourself from the contest.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). When the project is going well, enjoy the coast. But if it’s not, just know that the torturous projects have more to teach. Your persistence through the build up, tear down, repeat drama is the training that makes you a master.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Your feelings won’t lie, but they’ll exaggerate. There’s a wide range of choice involved in the interpretation of events. If you’re going to exaggerate, you may as well do so in the direction of lightheartedness and humor.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). There are risks you’ve been reticent to take, like making a pitch, attending an event or approaching someone new. You’ll be emboldened to make a move. The nerves don’t disappear, but they get more manageable.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You wouldn’t ask for directions from a tourist, and neither will you seek advice from someone who hasn’t solved your kind of problem before. Ask for credentials at the top of an interaction. It gets awkward if you wait.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). No matter how far we push forward, there will always be
by Holiday MathisYou have a beautiful energy and ease in 2023 because you don’t have to force anything. What you naturally want to do will work well with the rhythms of life. Patterns and routines emerge to support your success. You’ll teach and travel. You’ll see many sides of life and relate to people well because you recognize that there is no universal reality. Libra and Virgo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 7, 30, 28, 22 and 1.
the same thing ahead: uncertainty. The next place is unknowable. Will you discover what you seek? Will it be how you imagined it? Your adventurous heart will lead the way.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).
You love how a certain kind of work feels – like being in the flow of the cosmic river, like dancing with the universe, like burning with the stars. Your love of the process means that your satisfaction never hinges on a certain result.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).
Humans need humans to survive. That’s why one of our most primitive fears is the fear of being separated from the group. But before you get involved and make efforts to fit in, make sure it’s a group worthy of belonging to.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21). A complicated relationship becomes a little less
him and went to see an attorney. The attorney investigated his financial records and found some things he did behind her back with real estate deals for the 15 years they were married. Unfortunately, she barely got anything, though we found out later that he had a six-figure income during that time. All she got was 60% of their home and a lawyer’s bill for over $100,000. His kids will get everything he owns. It was a terrible, nasty divorce that took three years.
It’s better for her to get things clarified and have an attorney look at everything. People change with time, especially when there is money and property involved. — Get a Lawyer
Dear Get a Lawyer: I am sorry that your sister had to go through a difficult divorce. I agree that you should always consult a professional. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@ creators.com.
so. It doesn’t happen because of a conversation or any new knowledge you acquire. It’s a change in you. Your openness and acceptance bring harmony to the relationship.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19). The short-term goal is only as important as the long-term goal is sound. Your mind is on where you’re going, but it’s also on what’s nice about where you are. It turns out, a lot!
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 18). Everyone has a delicate ego. When you think ahead about how to bring the information in a way others will accept without having to get defensive, you will be very successful with your communication.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). It feels like private turmoil that only you can relate to, but it’s actually more common than you think. Finding and cultivating a relationship with the right confidante is a goal worthy of serious effort considering all it can add to your life.
CELEBRITY PROFILES: Award-winning actor, producer and civil rights activist Samuel L. Jackson was born on the winter solstice and represents the best qualities on either side of the cusp with significant natal planets in Sagittarius as well as Capricorn. His Virgo Moon and other earth sign aspects signify a diligent, conscientious and responsible nature, while Uranus and Neptune are in erudite air signs.
Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.
cue-bid showed a good hand with at least three spades. When West led the heart six, South assessed the situation. Why hadn’t West led the heart king? Presumably because he didn’t have both the king and queen. Mentally, South placed one of these cards in the East hand. Why hadn’t West led a top diamond? Clearly because he didn’t have the ace and king. South gave a diamond honor to East. Why had East passed over his partner’s opening bid? The mist was clearing. If East had two red-suit honors, West had to have the black-suit queens.
William Hazlitt, who was an English literary critic and essayist, claimed that when great thoughts are reduced to practice, they become great acts. Well, this might be overstating matters in a field of endeavor like bridge, but the idea is reasonable.
On today’s deal, North’s two-heart
South won the first trick with dummy’s heart ace, played a spade to his ace and led a low spade, finessing dummy’s nine when West followed with the six. After cashing the spade king, South paused again. West was known to have three spades and five hearts, but how many clubs? Four was surely impossible, because East, with eight diamonds, would have bid. Since West had to have at most three clubs, South played a club to his king and led the club two. When the queen appeared, South won with dummy’s ace, played a club to his jack, returned to dummy with a trump and discarded a red-suit loser on dummy’s club 10. What an opponent doesn’t do – in the bidding or the play – may be more revealing than what he did do.
COPYRIGHT: 2022, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE by Wayne GouldDifficulty level: GOLD
Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 grid contains the digits 1 through 9, with no repeats. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box. Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com
William Hazlitt, who was an English literary critic and essayist, claimed that when great thoughts are reduced to practice, they become great acts. Well, this might be overstating matters in a
The new biopic “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody” delves into a part of her life more aggressively than any previous movie or documentary: her long relationship with Robyn Crawford.
In her memoir, Crawford claims that she and Houston were lovers for a time and best friends for years afterwards, with Crawford handling many of Houston’s day-to-day affairs. It’s an aspect of Houston’s life that was often hidden due to the times she lived in and as portrayed in the movie, deeply poignant.
Credit actress Nafessa Williams for helping make Crawford’s chemistry with Naomi Ackie’s Houston feel authentic in the movie, which comes out in theaters Friday.
“For the most part, people will be surprised by this aspect of Whitney,” said Williams. ”I’m excited about people learning more about Robyn.”
Crawford did not cooperate in the film and Williams herself has never met her. But Williams gleaned a lot of information from Crawford’s 2019 memoir “A Song For You: My Life With Whitney Houston.”
“The book was a blessing,” she said.
Williams’ take on Crawford is sympathetic. Crawford comes across as a strong ballast for Houston through the singer’s rise, career peaks and darkest moments.
“Even though she couldn’t be with Whitney in the capacity she wanted to be publicly, she still stuck by her,” Williams
said. “She was still a good friend to her and a protector. She became her creative assistant. I think they were soulmates. They had this unspoken language. They had so much love and adoration for each other.”
There is a dramatic scene in the film where Crawford finds out Houston had slept with Jermaine Jackson. Crawford angrily throws and breaks items around the apartment until finally Houston settles her down and keeps her from leaving. Crawford holds Houston’s hand, resignation and sadness written all over her face.
“It broke my heart filming it,” she said. “I watched it for the first time and actually cried watching that scene because we can all relate to heartbreak.”
Crawford, she noted, had to have a certain level of fortitude to stick by Houston through all her travails including her rocky marriage with Bobby Brown and her drug issues. “I tried my best to imagine what that felt like to her,” Williams said. “I don’t know personally if I could have been able to do it.”
Williams also liked that Crawford, while supporting Houston’s triumphs, wouldn’t “blow smoke up Whitney just because she’s a celebrity. She kept it real with her.”
And while Ackie didn’t really resemble Houston, Williams felt she captured Houston’s essence and spirit. “It speaks to Naomi’s professionalism,” Williams said. “I saw her working really, really hard. I watched her eat well and take care of her body and make sure she had the stamina to carry this out.”
As a cinematic study in risk and reward, the first four features from director Damien Chazelle just plain work, often dazzlingly. He knows how and when to move a camera. You know how rare that is these days? Steven Spielberg; Paul Thomas Anderson; a few others. And Chazelle.
His spare and lovely Harvard thesis project, “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench,” led to the outlandishly intense musicschool melodrama “Whiplash.” That begot the massive popular success of “La La Land,” a swell variation on themes laid out in “Guy and Madeline.” Then came the intriguing Neil Armstrong biopic “First Man,” which Chazelle directed (Josh Singer wrote the screenplay).
Now the filmmaker returns as writer-director with “Babylon,” which takes place at the intersection of Hollywood dreams and industry realities in a somewhat harsher realm than “La La Land.” In the first 20 minutes alone, we get a faceful of elephant excrement, an anonymous starlet peeing on a naked, giggling Fatty Arbuckle archetype and – because we’re guests at a wild Hollywood party in 1926 Bel Air, California – a nonstop parade of nude, cocainesnorting revelers.
All this is strategic. Chazelle begins with a visual screech and ends with a man alone at the movies in a 1952 epilogue, lost in bittersweet wonderment. “Babylon,” all three hours and nine minutes of it, sings a song that says: Praise the art and pass the degradation. The contrasts of lightness and darkness are stark, blunt and finally wearying. Loosely entwining a half-dozen major characters, though two or three get disappointingly short shrift, “Babylon” thins out all too quickly, settling for a strenuous ode to the dream factory and its victims and exploiters, who occasionally make wondrous things for the screen.
Our de facto tour guide is a struggling Hollywood gofer, Manny Torres, played by relative newcomer Diego Calva. By
luck and accident, at the decadent bash where he’s delivering a party elephant, blandly characterized Manny meets aspiring star and addict in the making Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie, mixing elements of Clara Bow with the wild-party eyes of Joan Crawford). Manny’s serendipity continues with a chance encounter with Hollywood’s stalwart matinee idol Jack Conrad, played by Brad Pitt. This man, modeled on silent film star and sound-era casualty John Gilbert, among others, takes Manny on as a personal assistant/fixer/ driver/tender.
Through Manny’s astonished eyes we witness the glory and cruelty of the late silent and early sound era, as Jack’s star fades while Nellie fights to hang onto her fickle career. We’re dealing with the same themes as “Singin’ in the Rain,” only in a bloodier, pissier vein. At one point Chazelle riffs at length on the “Pierre, you shouldn’t have come” scene from the 1952 MGM classic, as Nellie grinds through take after take in a college comedy she’s making.
I’ll try to explain why Chazelle’s ambitious work doesn’t quite work for me. Largely it’s the tonal mood swings. The opening sequence, largely wordless, depicts Manny and some bit players struggling to get up a mountain road with an elephant that’s gonna blow any minute. We see the truck, at a tricky angle in long shot, nicely judged. Then comes the “payoff” (a tsunami of feces) and it’s, like, huh? Wha? It’s not meant to be “in period,” like a Laurel and Hardy short from 1926; it’s meant to shock. But it’s a misjudgment, the first of many in a movie – oddly, for Chazelle –lousy with ‘em.
The first of its party scenes introduces the major players along with trumpeter Sidney Palmer (Jovan Adepo, stuck with a role of diminishing returns); an Anna May Wong archetype, Lady Fay (Li Jun Li); and a crafty, imperious Louella Parsons-brand gossip columnist (Jean Smart, always welcome).
Mostly “Babylon” sticks to Pitt, Robbie and Calva, though the real protagonist is Chazelle’s
notion of what Sally Bowles in “Cabaret” called divine decadence, light on the divinity.
The movie is an extended script problem, sporadically bailed out by its director. Line to line, scene to scene, cocktail banter alternates with violence, with a tin-ear sense of when profanity is funny and when it isn’t. The people on the screen never develop the sort of dimension or historical plausibility that even a freely anachronistic treatment of mythic Hollywood needs for anything more than partial buy-in. Pitt can’t naturally suggest the sort of verve or spirit associated with, well, you name it: John Barrymore, John Gilbert, the entire period. And “Babylon” is pretty lazy in its sexism regarding nearly all of the women; Conrad trades one haranguing impediment of a wife for another, and another, wasting the actresses’ time and talent in ways that have little to do with the obvious sexism of the time and place.
Robbie at least delivers, squeezing every ounce of unruly life there is to be found in Nellie.
As for Calva, he’s essentially a player to be named later, adrift in a blank role. I found it hard to invest in Manny’s near-instantaneous mad passion for the flapper with the mostest, with so little sexual friction allowed to spark between the two.
At its most studiously grimy, “Babylon’s” depictions of Jazz Age depravity recall an oddlot of ‘70s films, and not good ones: Ken Russell’s “Valentino,” for example. Some viewers might take the swank, spectacularly appointed party scenes as reminders of Baz Luhrmann’s excess in “The Great Gatsby” or “Elvis” or, well, any Baz Luhrmann movie.
In theatrical terms, a dramaturge probably could’ve helped Chazelle realize “Babylon” more fully, just by asking questions and challenging some of the more errant change-ups. Manny’s innocence is designed, I think, to counterbalance the darker forces at play, notably the can-you-top-this underground climax – full of rats, one eaten by a subhuman carnival reject of a man.
critical snippet of information that provided the key to success. Against the contract of three no-trump, West led the heart five. What was South’s plan? First, he tried dummy’s heart jack. West might have underled the king-queen, but East produced the queen. It would have been nice to duck two rounds of hearts, trying to cater to a 5-3 division with East holding the diamond ace. However, South realized if he did that and a defender switched to spades, he would almost certainly fall to defeat, losing one diamond, two hearts and at least two spades. So South won the first trick and immediately dislodged the diamond ace. East won with the ace, and the defenders took their three heart tricks. Then they exited in spades.
Vauvenargues, a French moralist, stated that great thoughts come from the heart. Presumably he felt that thoughts and emotions are interconnected. However, at the bridge table we should try to stop our emotions from clouding our thoughts, our judgment. In today’s deal, South spotted the
South banked his diamond tricks, learning that West had a singleton. Then declarer cashed dummy’s club ace, played a club to his king and finessed dummy’s club 10 successfully to land the contract.
“Nice guess,” said North.
“Not really,” explained South. “I knew West had started with four hearts and one diamond. If he had had five spades and three clubs, surely he would have led a spade, not a heart. He must have had four cards in each black suit and an initial 4=4=1=4 distribution. Hence my play in clubs.”
UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE2022,
COPYRIGHT: by Wayne GouldFill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 grid contains the digits 1 through 9, with no repeats. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box. Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com
Vauvenargues, a French moralist, stated that great thoughts come from the heart. Presumably he felt that thoughts and emotions are interconnected. However, at the bridge table we
defenses that kept their opponents’ average under 15 points in the past 25 seasons: 2019 Patriots (14.1), 2013 Seahawks (14.4), 2010 Steelers (14.5), 2009 Jets (14.8), 2008 Steelers (13.9), 2006 Ravens (12.6), 2005 Bears (12.6), 2003 Patriots (14.2), 2002 Bucs (12.3), 2001 Bears (12.7), 2000 Ravens (10.3), 1999 Jaguars (13.6), and 1997 Chiefs (14.5).
The 49ers’ average (15.0 ppg.) is comfortably better than the NFL’s next-best marks, by the Buffalo Bills (17.9), the Denver Broncos (18.1), the Baltimore Ravens, (18.8), the New York Jets (18.8) and the NFC-leading Philadelphia Eagles (19.1).
Of the 24 touchdowns allowed
From Page B1
Camryn Washington (Rodriguez) collected one rebound in five minutes of action for Cal State East Bay in a 51-50 win over Cal State San Bernardino. Washington also had two points, two rebounds and one assist in 13 minutes in a 73-59 loss to Cal Poly Pomona.
Taimane Lesa-Hardy (Salesian, Fairfield resident) had nine points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals for San Francisco State on Monday night in a 57-47 win over Northwest Nazarene.
Junior guard Ricky Hamilton-Holland (Will C. W00d) scored 10 points and added six rebounds and one assist for Pacific Union College in a 94-53 loss to Chico State.
Senior guard Braxton Adderly (Rodriguez, Napa
by the 49ers, 13 have come on runs, nine on receptions, and two on returns (blocked field goal by Seattle, fumble recovery by Atlanta).
DeMeco Ryans, in his second season as defensive coordinator, has flummoxed opponents with an array of looks and schemes. It also helps to have Nick Bosa, a strong candidate for NFL Defensive Player of the Year with a league-leading 15 ½ sacks and 38 quarterback hits.
Bosa led all defensive ends in fan votes for the Pro Bowl, while other 49ers defenders in the top 10 at their positions were linebackers Fred Warner (first) and Dre Greenlaw (sixth), safety Talanoa Hufanga (third) and cornerback Charvarius Ward (ninth). They’ll find out Wednesday whether they indeed make the Pro Bowl.
“Obviously they have a great pass rush, great front seven, great guys on the back end,” Smith said after the 49ers’ NFC
Valley) and senior guard Jordan Adams (Vacaville, Salesian) squared off last week as Cal Maritime played William Jessup. Adams had eight points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal for Jessup in the 75-71 win. Adderly had three points and two blocks for Cal Maritime.
Senior forward Jay Nagle (Will C. Wood) contributed one assist in 17 minutes on the court as Idaho State lost 90-55 to the University of Washington.
Junior forward Landon Seaman (Will C. Wood) had double-figure scoring for Menlo in two victories. Seaman scored 15 points and pulled down eight rebounds in a 72-63 win over Rocky Mountain College, and 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists in a 67-50 win over Providence of Montana.
Senior guard Dunnell Stafford (Solano) scored three points, had one rebound, three assists and two steals for Fort Lewis in a 93-79 win over Westminster of Utah.
in April,” Ridley said in the statement.
The 2023 Masters will be played April 6-9.
West-clinching 21-13 win at Seattle last Thursday night.
The 49ers also lead the league in fewest total yards (286.1 per game), fewest rushing yards (74.1 per game) and fewest first downs (16.4 per game).
The 49ers’ remaining opponents do not boast intimidating offenses.
Saturday, the Washington Commanders (7-6-1) come to Levi’s Stadium with the NFL’s eighth-worst scoring attack (18.9 ppg.), and they’re coming off a 20-12 defeat to the New York Giants that marked the Commanders’ fourth game this season of 12 or fewer points.
Washington has the NFL’s best time-of-possession average (32 minutes, 45 seconds); the 49ers are next (32:11). The Commanders’ seven rushing touchdowns are tied for the second-fewest in the NFL; the 49ers have not allowed a rushing
touchdown the past four games.
On New Year’s Day, the 49ers make their Las Vegas debut against the Raiders, whose scoring average of 24.1 is tied with the 49ers for 10th-best in the league. The Raiders (6-8) got shut out by New Orleans on Oct. 30, but they’ve won three of their past four, including Sunday’s improbable walk-off win over New England on a 48-yard fumble return as time expired.
The regular season concludes with the 49ers looking to go 6-0 in the NFC West as they host the Arizona Cardinals (4-10). Like last month, the 49ers won’t face quarterback Kyler Murray, who’s been lost to a knee injury. The Cardinals are scoring 20.9 points per game overall, but they’ve lost six of their past seven while scoring 19.4 points per game.
“It’s so fun playing this season, not just in this defense, but when you have guys you truly have a bond with, you have genuine love
for,” safety Tashaun Gipson Sr. said. “It makes playing football more fun. I’m just having fun right now.”
Here are the best scoring averages allowed by the 49ers since joining the NFL in 1950: n 13.6 ppg: 1976 (third in NFL)
n 14.2 ppg: 1984 (first)
n 14.3 ppg: 2011 (second)
n 14.7 ppg: 1986 (second)
n 14.8 ppg: 1992 (third)
n 14.9 ppg: 1990 (third), ’91 (fourth)
n 15.1 ppg: 1989 (third)
n 15.3 ppg: 1981 (second), ‘87 (third)
n 15.4 ppg: 1971 (sixth), ’86 (third)
n 15.6 ppg: 1981 (second), ‘96 (tie-fourth)
n 15.7 ppg: 1985 (second)
*It’s worth noting that seasons shifted from 14 to 16 games in 1978, and to 17 games last year.
From Page B1
“As we have said in the past, we look at every aspect of the tournament each year, and any modifications or changes to invitation criteria for future tournaments will be announced
Prominent members of the LIV Golf tour include former Masters champions Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed and Charl Schwartzel. Former champions receive an automatic invitation to the Masters.
