Council discusses traffic management, pedestrian safety
By Sonora Slater Express staff writer
The Winters City Council meeting on Aug. 5 focused largely on a special presentation about neighborhood traffic management, which led to a discussion among the council and members of the public about how traffic complaints should be addressed, what methods of traffic management are the most effective in Winters, and when bicyclists and pedestrians should be prioritized over drivers — or vice versa.
The presentation, led by Alan Mitchell, city engineer, and Eric Lucero, public works
department director, was intended to give the council an overview of their options when it comes to traffic calming measures and help them begin to formulate a consistent process for accepting and reviewing traffic-related complaints.
“If we formalize it, we’ll be consistent with our response,” Mitchell said. “Which has been some of the complaint in the past.”
So what might the response to a traffic complaint look like?
According to Mitchell, it varies
Winters auto repair owner convicted of grand theft
By Todd Hansen McNaughton Media
A Solano County Superior Court jury last week found a Winters businessman guilty of cheating five customers at his automotive shop.
The jury on Aug. 7 convicted Keith Scott Williamson on four felony counts of grand theft and one count of petty theft.
Williamson, the owner of Winters Auto Body and Paint Shop in Winters, was found to have “committed theft by false pretenses on five separate customers at his shop,” the Solano County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
The economic losses to the victims, the
DA’s statement said, was about $90,000. “The crimes occurred between 2017 and 2020. Each customer paid the defendant to perform restoration body work, a new paint job, and in some cases for a complete overhaul on their classic vehicles, which included three Ford Mustangs, a Jeep and a Chevrolet pickup truck,” the DA stated.
“(Williamson) performed only minimal body repairs, but did not complete the work on any of the vehicles. The vehicles remained unfinished in defendant’s shop for months, or in some cases, for years.”
The DA’s Office said that Williamson “refused to provide refunds to all five customers, who then resorted to filing complaints with the
Love-Fields hired as new fire engineer
By Sonora Slater Express staff writer
Andrew LoveFields is one of three new hires for the Winters Fire Department, joining the team officially as a fire engineer after two years serving as a volunteer for the organization. His role will be funded by Prop 218, which was approved by the city council in August 2024.
Love-Fields was born and raised in Fairfield, and began serving with the Solano Fire Academy in 2022 — an introduction to fire service that led him to serve as a Reserve Firefighter with Winters Fire and eventually led him to the role he’s in today.
Fire Chief Jack S. Snyder III noted that in a small town, fire department staff often have to juggle multiple roles, and that continues to be true in Winters. But this new fire engineer position will lessen the demand on each staffer, allowing other officers to focus on their specialties, be it incident command or
crew oversight, while Love-Fields handles the responsibility of operating the fire engine.
“This (reallocation of roles) represents a structural enhancement that promotes consistency (and) operational readiness,” Snyder told the Winters Express “Moreover, this advancement will significantly elevate on-
scene firefighter safety by ensuring that apparatus operations are executed with precision and reliability under the stewardship of a trained engineer.”
Splitting up the roles like this also brings the department closer to matching the National Fire Protection Association’s standards for engine apparatus staffing,
according to Snyder, which are structured with the goal of keeping firefighters safer.
So what exactly does Love-Fields’ job entail? To start with, he drives the fire truck to all incidents — but there’s more to it than that.
“I am responsible for supplying the correct amount of
See ENGINEER, Page 6
Trustees reviews new early childhood course,
By Logan Chrisp Express staff writer
hears district budget updates
The Winters Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees reconvened for the first meeting following the summer break to kick off the new school year. While light on action items, the trustees were presented with information on a new Childhood Education Course, an update on the budget, as well as a few public comments at the start of the evening.
Early childhood education
A new course description for “Early Childhood Education I- Cross-Age Tutor-
ing” was presented to the board by Phoebe Girimonte, assistant superintendent of educational services. The new year-long course will be developed during the 202526 school year for 9-12 graders.
Winters High School administration and course instructor Jill Aguiar began revising the already existing Cross-Age Tutoring course to align with Career Technical Education, creating the new course that will fulfill the G elective subject requirement.
“This year-long course will prepare students to work with children in preschool, daycare, and primary elementary settings,”
Girimonte said. “It emphasizes child development from birth to age nine, across physical, cognitive and social, emotional domains.”
Students will apply theory through classroom instruction and hands-on internships, giving participants experience and knowledge in areas like health, nutrition, classroom management, cultural diversity and curriculum planning/implementation.
“They will also have the opportunity to plan and design lessons that they eventually lead across core subjects,” Girmonte said. “They will engage in mock
interviews, portfolio creation and collaborative projects. So there’s a lot of those graduate profile competency opportunities within the course design.”
The new course description will be in front of the board on Thursday, August 21, for potential approval.
Budget Russ Barrington, assistant superintendent of business services, gave an update on the 2025-26 state budget. Under normal circumstances, the district would have the opportunity to do a 45-day revision
Express staff
The Winters Criterium – Masters District Criterium Championship will take place the morning of Saturday, Aug. 23, bringing several downtown street closures and detours.
Races begin at 8 a.m., but road closures will be in effect as early as 6 a.m. The
final race, a 50-minute event, starts at 11 a.m., with the course expected to reopen by 1 p.m. The race course starts and finishes on Railroad Avenue, winding through downtown Winters.
Street Closures
“Do Not Enter” signs and barriers will be in
place at the following locations:
• Railroad Avenue between Edwards and Main streets
• E. Main Street between Railroad Avenue and Elliott Street
• Elliott Street between E. Main and E. Abbey streets
• E. Abbey Street
See STREETS, Page 2
Fusco
Crystal Apilado/Winters Express
Andrew Love-Fields is one of two newly hired fire engineers at Winters Fire Department. He has been serving as a resident volunteer firefighter.
Eventos hispanos
Escuela Waggoner publica nuevo plan de seguridad vial
Por Crystal Apilado
Traducido por Carol Alfosno
Con la construcción
continua de las nuevas aulas del kínder de transición, el estacionamiento adyacente y los carriles para dejar y recoger a los estudiantes, el personal de la Escuela Primaria Waggoner Elementary y El Distrito Escolar
Conjunto Unificado de Winters JUSD han desarrollado un plan temporal de seguridad vial para guiar la llegada y salida de los estudiantes por la mañana y la salida por la tarde.
El nuevo año escolar comenzó el Miércoles 13 de Agosto.
El director de Waggoner, Chris Marcoux, informó que el Viernes pasado se enviaron instrucciones detalladas de tránsito a las familias. El Winters Express comparte los aspectos más destacados del plan para ayudar a las familias y a los miembros de la comunidad a preparar sus desplazamientos matutinos.
El jefe de policía de Winters, John P. Miller, indicó que él y el director de obras públicas, Eric Lucero, se reunieron con funcionarios escolares para abordar las preocupaciones sobre seguridad y flujo vehicular, y para evaluar diversas ideas. Miller insta a las familias a leer y compartir las comunicaciones de la escuela con cualquier persona responsable del transporte de los estudiantes de Waggoner, y a seguir el
plan de tránsito actualizado.
Se prevé congestión vehicular
Se espera que los miembros de la comunidad se encuentren con mucha congestión cerca de las calles
Edwards y Fourth durante los horarios de entrada y salida de los estudiantes. Los horarios estimados de congestión son:
• Entrada matutina: 7:30 a 9:20 a. m.
• Salida del kínder de transición: 12:15 p. m.
• Salida del kínder: 1:45 p. m.
• Salida del primer y segundo grado: 2:35 p. m.
Flujo de tráfico actualizado para entrada y salida
La zona de entrada tradicional cerca del patio del kínder no se
utilizará este año. En su lugar, se habilitará una acera de un solo sentido a lo largo de la calle Edwards Street. Los conductores deben:
• Entrar a la calle Edwards Street desde la Fourth Street, en dirección oeste hacia la calle Main Street.
• Utilizar la acera designada para entrada y salida antes de la calle Haven Street, donde el personal les ayudará con la dirección del tráfico.
• Continuar en dirección oeste por la calle Edwards Street después de la entrada y salida y tomar la calle Main Street.
• El punto de acceso de la calle Haven Street estará cerrado durante los periodos de entrada y salida. No se permitirá la entrada de vehículos a la calle Edwards Street
desde la calle Haven Street durante esos horarios.
Para reducir la congestión, se recomienda a las familias que estacionen en la calle Abbey Street o cerca del Parque de la Ciudad (City Park) y que acompañen a los estudiantes al campus por las aceras cercanas.
Ajuste del cruce peatonal
El cruce peatonal de uso frecuente en las calles Edwards Street y Haven Street (del lado de la casa del Arbol) estará cerrado. El plan es reubicar las balizas del cruce peatonal al lado opuesto de la calle Haven Street, frente a RISE Inc., y eventualmente pintar sobre el cruce peatonal actual.
Las familias y los estudiantes deben usar este nuevo cruce
STREETS
Continued from Page 1
between Railroad Avenue and East Street
• East Street between E. Abbey and E. Edwards streets
• E. Edwards Street
between East Street and Railroad Avenue
Detours
The Winters Police
peatonal principal designado en la esquina del edificio RISE para cruzar la calle Edwards Street hacia la escuela Waggoner. Cierres de entrada y aceras Debido a las obras de construcción, las aceras y las áreas de estacionamiento a lo largo del tramo cercado de la calle Edwards Street están cerradas. Todos los estudiantes y familias deben ingresar al campus por la puerta del jardín de infantes. Se ha creado un pasillo temporal entre la valla de seguridad de la construcción y la valla azul del patio de recreo del jardín de infantes. Los estudiantes que toman el autobús a la Escuela Intermedia Shirley Rominger Intermediate también ingresarán por la
Department advises the following detour routes during the event: Southbound Railroad Avenue traffic: Turn right onto Edwards Street, then take First Street to Russell Street, returning to southbound Railroad Avenue. Northbound Railroad Avenue traffic:
puerta del jardín de infantes. El desayuno sigue disponible para los pasajeros del autobús, y el personal de Waggoner los acompañará a la zona de recogida del autobús. Construcción en curso Se espera que la construcción en Waggoner Elementary continúe durante el otoño y hasta finales del 2025. Se publicarán nuevos planes de tráfico a medida que cambien las condiciones. Marcoux les exhorta a las familias y conductores a ser pacientes, priorizar la seguridad y respetar a los vecinos de la escuela. Le recuerda a la comunidad de que no deben bloquear las entradas de vehículos ni estacionar
mente en zonas residenciales.
Turn left onto Russell Street, take First Street to Edwards Street, and turn left back onto northbound Railroad Avenue. Northbound Railroad Avenue drivers can also access the Winters Community Center parking lot via the driveway north of the building, exiting via Elliott Street to E. Main Street. The event is hosted by the Davis Bike Club. More information is available at bikereg.com/winters-criterium.
THEFT
Continued from Page 1
Bureau of Automotive Repair.” It then took a number of years for the matter to be fully adjudicated. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Judy Ycasas. Former Bureau of Automotive Repair representative Timothy Wilson and BAR representative Michael Colozzi investigated the case.
ilegal-
Gráfico cortesía
La Escuela Primaria Waggoner Elementary publicó un mapa que muestra el flujo de tráfico y el cierre en la calle Haven Street. Las familias y los
estudiantes deben usar el cruce peatonal en la esquina del edificio RISE Inc. para cruzar la calle Edwards Street hacia la Escuela Primaria Waggoner Elementary.
Crystal Apilado/Winters Express
Supervisors OK $20K for rural Winters-area farmworker food aid
By Logan Chrisp Express Staff Writer
The Yolo County Board of Supervisors approved a $20,000 community benefit grant proposal to the Yolo Food Bank to support the Cultivo Program in the greater Winters area at the July 22 board meeting.
The new funding will enable the Yolo Food Bank to host distributions in convenient locations for agricultural workers, as well as educate households experiencing food insecurity about how to access the Yolo Food Bank’s regularly scheduled distributions.
The Cultivo Program was created to address the Yolo County Food Access Survey, which revealed to the county that 53 percent of agricultural worker households in the county suffer from food insecurity.
The program has served 100 agricultural worker
households in Yolo County since its inception, bringing food directly to their homes and places of employment.
“It’s heartbreaking that those working to feed our communities often face the greatest barriers to feeding their own families,” Supervisor Lucas Frerichs the Express in an email.
Frerichs had previously directed $20,000 from the Community Resilience Fund to the Cultivo program to be spent in the Winters area.
“The Yolo Food Bank has experienced recent funding cuts from the Federal Government, and the need for people experiencing food insecurity continues to grow. I directed another $20,000 to the Cultivo program to help those in need in the Winters area,” Frerichs said.
The funding will not impact the county’s
general fund and falls under a broader $875,000 Community Benefit Equal Allocation Plan, equally divided among all five supervisorial districts. Other board actions
Yolo supervisors also acknowledged a series of honorary resolutions, including one recognizing the upcoming 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.
Co-presented by Supervisors Frerichs and Mary Vixie Sandy, the resolution declares Aug. 6, as Hiroshima and Nagasaki Remembrance Day in Yolo County, and urges national leaders to renew efforts toward nuclear disarmament.
“This resolution urges the U.S. to remember that day, but also lead a global effort to prevent nuclear war,” said Frerichs. “It continues a long-standing commitment of peace and
WTC sets auditions for original melodrama
The Winters Theatre Company is inviting local performers to audition for its upcoming production of “Phantom of the Opera House,” an original melodrama written by founding member Germaine Hupe and directed by Linda Glick.
Auditions will be held at 7 p.m. on Aug. 17, 18 and 19 at the Winters Opera House. No appointment is necessary; actors should arrive ready to participate in cold readings from the script.
Performers of all experience levels, from teens to seniors, are encouraged to try out.
Those auditioning should inform the director of any
rehearsal conflicts at the time of their audition.
About the play
Set in the historic Winters Opera House, this interactive comedy blends boos, hisses, and cheers with a story that moves from the present day to the 1890s.
The plot follows a theatrical family whose beloved opera house is threatened by a dastardly villain bent on destruction.
The production pays homage to Winters’ history while delivering classic melodrama fun for audiences.
public safety here in Yolo County.”
Members of the Progress Business Exchange joined the Davis Committee Against Nuclear Weapons on Aug. 6 to acknowledge the anniversary and recognize elected officials at all levels of government who have taken steps to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons.
The event featured keynote speaker Naomi Egel, assistant professor in the department of international affairs at the University of Georgia.
In addition to the acknowledgments, the board approved a resolution to amend the Capay Valley Fire Protection District budget by decreasing the total revenues and expenditures by $35,481.
The reductions are a result of the Capay Valley FPD assisting with the large fires throughout the state, deferred purchase of
capital equipment.
The CFST was deployed to several fires throughout the state as part of California’s mutual aid system.
The Capay Valley FPD participated in various Strike Teams in the Gold Complex Fire, Shelley Fire and the Pallisades Fire, which incurred additional salary and benefit expenses.
In addition, the fire district was scheduled to take possession of a new fire engine by the end of 2025, budgeting $200,000 under new equipment for the new firefighting vehicle. However, the build has been pushed to October 2025, resulting in the district requesting a reduction of the equipment budget to match the $200,000 cost of the vehicle.
Lastly, Capay Valley FPD had received $30,000 in revenue from Yocha Dehe, $16,666 short of what had been anticipated in the budget.
“Phantom of the Opera House” first premiered at WTC in 1994 and returns this year with a fresh cast and community spirit.
Public Safety Report
City of Winters
Fire
July 23: 11:22 a.m., Taylor Street, EMS call – excluding vehicle accident with injury
July 29: 3:22 p.m., Morgan Street, False alarm or false call (other)
~4:37 p.m., Morgan Street, False alarm or false call (other) View the Winters Fire Activity and Call Log at https://cityofwinters. org/157/Fire.
Police Report Log
July 30: 11:20 a.m., E. Baker Street/Red Bud Lane, Vehicle Towed
July 31: 2:18 p.m., 800th block of Dutton Street, Code Compli-
ance – Vehicle Abatement
Aug. 1: 8:22 a.m., 200th block of Railroad Avenue, Vandalism ~9:44 p.m., 700th block of Matsumoto Lane, Assault
Aug. 4: 11:11 a.m., 500th block of Creekside Way, Violation of Restraining Order
Aug. 5: 5:37 a.m., 400th block of Main Street, Death Investigation ~11:27 a.m., 100th block of Orchard Lane, Domestic Verbal Dispute ~2:34 p.m., 100th block of E. Grant Avenue, Fraud ~3:25 p.m., 100th block of Main Street, Traffic Collision
View the Winters Police Department Arrest and Report Logs, visit www. cityofwinters.org/289/ Report-Arrest-Log
For our editorial policy on crime log entries, see www.winters express.com/unpub lishing-policy.
For more information, visit www. winterstheatre.org.
Winters Rotary to host speaker on Safe Birth Project in Kenya
Special to the Express
The Rotary Club of Winters invites the public to learn about a life-saving initiative aimed at reducing maternal and infant deaths in rural Kenya.
On Thursday, Aug. 21, at 1 p.m., guest speaker Hellen Akinyi Gora, Project Manager for goal4. org in Sega, Kenya, will share the work being done through the Safe Birth Project. The presentation will take place in the Buckhorn Steakhouse banquet room.
Community members are welcome to join Rotarians for lunch at noon before the program begins. Lunch is $20 and can be paid at the door.
The Safe Birth Project focuses on
improving maternal and newborn health in and around Sega by:
• Providing a new maternity facility with skilled care for safe deliveries.
• Encouraging more women to seek prenatal and delivery services through education and outreach.
• Supporting maternity staff and volunteers in delivering respectful, quality care.
Born and raised in a community just a few miles from Sega, Akinyi Gora has worked with goal4. org and its founder, former Winters resident Piper Gianola, for more than 12 years. She brings deep cultural understanding and firsthand knowledge of the challenges faced
by local mothers. Before her current role, she served as Project Coordinator at Sega Silicon Valley, a community-run computer learning center, and earned a Diploma in Project Management from the Kenya Institute of Management in 2017.
Akinyi Gora is also active in local youth empowerment programs, including One Nation Initiative and YOGLADO, which inspire rural youth to take charge of their own development and contribute to global sustainability goals. Her vision for her community is one of empowerment through education, better health practices, and self-sufficiency for women and their children.
Courtesy photo
Winters Theatre Company last brought its original melodrama “Phantom of the Opera House” to the stage in 2018.
raffle with a grand prize of two days and two nights in Las Vegas as a fundraiser for the
School
Anna Martini Karnopp, devoted wife, loving mother, and adoring grandmother, died peacefully on Aug. 8, with her family in her home. She was 95 years old. Anna was born in Macedonia, Ohio, to parents Katharina and George Martini, who immigrated in 1914 and 1913 from Deutsch-Kreutz, Romania. Anna grew up on a farm in Northfield, Ohio, with siblings Henrietta, Mike, Katherine, and her nephew Jerry, where they ate what they raised, from berries to bacon.
Anna’s caring nature emerged early — as a young girl, she rehabilitated little jackrabbits deposited on the back step by the family hunting dog, and at 16, left home to study nursing at St. Andrews School for Girls.
She began her 52year nursing career in her early 20s, and immediately drove west to Yerington, Nevada, where she eloped and started a general, small-town medical practice with her first husband.
In her early 30s, she ventured further west and landed in Modesto, California, where she had two children. While she took up residence in California, from Redlands to Palm
Obituary
Springs, from San Diego to Fresno, always nursing and always mothering, her heart was in the Sierras where trees grew high, water ran fresh, and wind whispered through giant pines. She hiked steep canyons, made gourmet meals over campfires, and pulled dozens of fish out of the river.
In 1993, she ultimately settled in Winters, California, with her second husband of 47 years. They built their dream home on the family walnut farm, and she taught all five of her grandchildren to drive in a 1972 VW Bug between the rows. She retired from teaching nursing in 2000 and finally had time to enjoy her garden, create dozens of quilts, and give to her community.
Generous in spirit, Anna spent thousands of autumn hours on the front porch, cracking walnuts for others, which she called quiet contemplation. She always had $20 for a philanthropy that asked, and devoted a great deal of time to volunteer service. Her legacy lives on in the countless lives she
touched as a nurse, the students she taught, and the family she nurtured with patient love. We are all better because of her gentle presence.
Anna is survived by her husband, Charles Karnopp; her children, Martin Boswell (wife Susan), Becky Ellis; five grandchildren and many extended family members and friends.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to a charity close to your heart. Anna particularly loved supporting literacy programs (she taught immigrants to read), breast cancer research (a two-time survivor herself), and the local SPCA (she never lost her childhood tenderness for small creatures).
A memorial service in honor of Anna will be held at Grace Episcopal Church in Fairfield on Friday, Aug. 22, at 10:30 a.m., followed by a reception.
YESTERYEAR
Picked by Charley Wallace
130 Years Ago
August 17, 1895
It is rumored today that M.V. Sparks has made an offer for the entire McMahan tract, and as his offer falls but a trifle below the price asked, it is quite likely that the sale will be effected.
F.J. Bonney returned last Saturday evening from his trip to Alaska. He says the climate up there is delightful, the scenery beyond description, but the civilization is not to his taste. Edward Wolfskill has good prospects and, if he can make satisfactory arrangements, will remain there through the winter.
J.W. Harris is building a house on his 16-acre lot in the Wolfskill tract. It is 26 x 28 on the ground and will have four rooms, closets and cellar.
Carey Baker accompanied by Mrs. James R. Briggs and Misses Sadie Briggs, Ida and Annie Baker left Wednesday morning for a week’s outing at Samuel Springs.
A.B. Ish and his brother, J.T., returned Thursday evening from a trip through Amador and El Dorado counties.
The trustees of the high school have fixed the tuition fee of the scholars who attend from outside districts at $3 a month, one-half of the amount for the term payable upon entering the school and the other half at the middle of the term.
E. Ireland has had a handsome sign put
Lake Berryessa water levels
down
Express staff
The water level of Lake Berryessa was down by 0.48 feet over the past week, decreasing to 8,712 acre-feet of water storage, according to Tim Gerard, with the Solano Irrigation District. On the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 12, he reported that the lake elevation was 4432.87 feet above sea level, with the water storage behind the Monticello Dam calculated at 1,419,492 acre-feet. The SID released 504 cubic feet per second into the Putah South Canal, with 37 cubic feet flowing into Putah Creek at the Diversion Dam. Evaporation from the lake averaged 287 acre-feet of water per day.
For more information about services from the Solano Irrigation District or to view the latest updates, visit https://www. sidwater.org.
Years Ago
Dispatches from the Express archives.
up at his undertaking establishment. Mr. Danner was the artist.
95 Years Ago
August 15, 1930
Allen Doll and Chas. Graf has opened a grain office in the old bank building on the corner of Main and Railroad, in the office formerly occupied by W. I. Baker, who has moved his office to his residence.
Jimmie and Victor Ish, who have been vacationing at Dillon’s Beach with their aunt, Mrs. Leila Ish, have returned home.
Mrs. A. R. Gale and Mrs. Roy Freeman are in Santa Cruz this week on their vacation.
H.L. Fredericks and son,s John and Billy, and Mr. W. Struttmater returned Sunday evening from Alders Spring, where they enjoyed several days hunting.
Dr. and Mrs. D.F. Brown of McCook, Nebraska, are expected here today by Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Graf. Mrs. Brown is a sister of Mrs. Graf.
Miss Evelyn Niemann leaves Sunday for Sacramento Junior College.
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Young and family drove to Berkeley Saturday, where Misses Dorothy and Vivian registered for the fall semester at U.C.
45 Years Ago
August 14, 1980
Dorrace Young will be entertaining members of her bridge club today for lunch and an afternoon of the game.
Camellia Branscum and her daughters, Dawn and Sunshine, recently took a trip to Disneyland, where they enjoyed the rides and the sights.
Jim and Sina Wallace and their two daughters, Stephanie and Sina, visited the Winters area for several days last week.
Gayle Andersen celebrated her birthday anniversary last Aug. 2 with a dinner party at her home, which included a number of local people as well as her two daughters, Sina Wallace of Chico and Gayle Carlson of Woodland, and their respective husbands and families.
Glenn and Sue’s Family Restaurant has been sold, with the new owner, Beth Heavener of Winters, assuming the management on Aug. 1. Glenn and Sue Keith took over the ownership of the restaurant formerly known as the Top Hat Restaurant the first of this year.
Mr. and Mrs. Howard Hupe of Davis entertained last Saturday evening at a coming-home party for Betty Spry, Winters High School librarian who has recently returned from a six-week trip to India on a Fulbright scholarship.
you can expect from us.
Debra Ramos/Express File photo
FISH OUT OF WATER: Winters High School swimmers braved the cold and wished for warmer weather, maybe like the weather in Las Vegas. The Winters Rotary and Soroptimist clubs were sponsoring a
Winters High
swim team. Pictured are, from left, (back) Lindsay Myers and Chad Holbrook, and (front) Chris Cochran and Juli Delorefice.
Anna Karnopp
Courtesy photo
Regional News
AG declines Oakdale Fire role; county declares health emergency
By Lauren Keene McNaughton Media
The California Attorney General’s Office has declined to lead a criminal probe into the July 1 fireworks facility explosion in Esparto — known as the Oakdale Fire — that killed seven people and caused widespread damage to surrounding properties.
The Yolo County Board of Supervisors sought the state agency’s intervention in a July 18 letter to Attorney General Rob Bonta, citing potential conflicts of interest posed by the property’s ownership by two Yolo County Sheriff’s Office employees.
Cal Fire-Office of the State Fire Marshal, with assistance from Cal/OSHA, continues to investigate the cause of the deadly blast.
“While we do not question the ability and integrity of the (Yolo County) District Attorney to support the Cal Fire and Cal/OSHA investigations, ensuring the public’s confidence in the investigation and outcomes is of critical importance to the Yolo County Board of Supervisors and our community,” board chair Dr. Mary Vixie Sandy wrote. “It is our strong belief that the public perception and integrity of the investigation elements currently being carried out at the local level would be best served by the direct
involvement of the Department of Justice.”
County officials released Monday the written response from Bonta’s office, dated last Friday, which defers to the DA’s Office to determine whether anyone should be criminally prosecuted for the disaster.
“We are confident Cal Fire is able to conduct a complete, thorough and unbiased investigation. We stand ready to assist Cal Fire in its investigation if it so requests in the future,” Special Agent Attorney General Jamal H. Anderson wrote on Bonta’s behalf.
“With regard to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office, based on the information we have received to date, we have not identified any office-wide disabling conflict that would require the office to be recused ... from prosecuting any offenses that occurred in connection with the fire,” Anderson wrote. “We have informed the District Attorney’s Office of our conclusion.”
District Attorney Jeff Reisig confirmed Monday he was previously informed of the AG’s decision and said “I’ll do the necessary job.”
In other developments Monday, Yolo County announced the declaration of a local health emergency as part of its environmental review of properties
impacted by the explosion and fire.
“Today’s local health emergency declaration for the Oakdale Fire allows Yolo County to request support from state and federal health agencies for testing and any necessary cleanup if hazardous materials from fireworks are found in the soil, water or air at or near the explosion site,” Dr. Aimee Sisson, Yolo County’s public health officer, said in a news release.
The health emergency declaration is separate from the Board of Supervisors’ July 8 declaration of a local emergency, which enabled the county to request disaster-response assistance from state and federal agencies.
“Declaring a local health emergency does not mean that the site is unsafe. Rather, it acknowledges that the explosion site may pose health risks, and that testing is needed to determine its safety,” county officials said in a news release Monday announcing the declaration.
The statement goes on to say that “this declaration allows the county to identify materials stored or used at the explosion site, conduct environmental sampling, and request support from state partners for testing and any needed mitigation measures.
“Fireworks are known to contain hazardous
materials, including heavy metals and oxidizing agents. Debris, ash, and dust from the explosion may pose hazards to humans, animals, and the environment.
“The environmental review will determine whether hazardous materials are present in the soil, water, air, or vegetation in and around the explosion site, and in what amounts. The first step of this review is to test the soil, air and water.”
“Once test results are available, Yolo County and its partners will develop science-based recommendations to mitigate any identified environmental hazards in order to ensure the safety of people and animals who live, work or consume food grown at the site.
“Any necessary remediation measures such as soil removal, water filtration, or targeted cleanup will be implemented in compliance with state and federal law.”
Residents who live within a half-mile radius of the Oakdale incident are urged to avoid contact with any ash or debris, avoid consuming any affected food or water, and follow county and state officials’ safety advisories until the environmental review is complete.
Seven workers died of multiple blast and thermal injuries in the explosion and resulting fire at County Roads 23 and 86A, the loca-
UC Davis Medical Center earns ranking as top hospital in Sacramento region
Special to the Express
UC Davis Medical Center has been ranked the No. 1 hospital in the Sacramento region according to the 2025-26 U.S. News & World Report prestigious Best Hospitals ranking.
This marks the 14th consecutive year
UC Davis Medical Center has earned the top spot locally. The medical center was also named the No. 7 hospital in California, continuing an 11-year streak of being ranked in the state’s top 10.
“This year’s rankings are a testament to our unwavering commitment to delivering the highest quality care across California — transforming lives and strengthening communities,” said Michael Condrin, interim chief executive officer for UC Davis Health.
“Our success is driven by the exceptional dedication of the entire UC Davis Health team, who consistently go above and beyond to provide patient-centered care
without parallel.”
Excellence in specialty care, procedures and conditions
UC Davis Medical Center ranked among the top 50 hospitals nationwide in six specialties:
• Ear, Nose & Throat (No. 27)
• Geriatrics (No. 27)
• Neurology & Neurosurgery (No. 27)
• Pulmonology & Lung Surgery (No. 27)
• Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery (No. 46)
• Diabetes & Endocrinology (No. 48)
U.S. News also rated the medical center’s services in cancer, gastroenterology and GI surgery, orthopaedics and urology as “high performing.”
That means the hospital scored in the top 10 percent of all hospitals rated for those specialty areas.
UC Davis Medical Center was rated as “high performing,” the highest rating possible, for its quality of care in 16 common adult procedures and conditions:
• Acute kidney failure
• Aortic valve surgery
• Back surgery (spinal fusion)
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
• Colon cancer surgery
• Diabetes
• Gynecological cancer surgery
• Heart arrhythmia
• Heart failure
• Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma
• Lung cancer surgery
• Pacemaker implantation
• Pneumonia
• Prostate cancer surgery
• Stroke
• Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)
Believing in better
Last year, U.S. News & World Report introduced a “Community Access” badge to recognize hospitals that serve vulnerable and historically underserved populations, particularly those facing socioeconomic challenges.
This year, UC Davis
Medical Center was one of just 76 hospitals nationwide to receive recognition as a best regional hospital for community access.
“We believe the ability to live a healthy life should be a right enjoyed by every person. That’s why we’re committed to inspiring better health for all,” Condrin said.
“Research shows that health is shaped by more than medical care, it’s influenced by access to jobs, housing, healthy food, and clean air. We’re working to address these factors and move our community closer to true health equity.”
About the rankings
The U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings, published annually since 1990, enable consumers and their physicians to determine which hospitals provide the best care for the most serious or complicated medical conditions and procedures.
The full list of hospital rankings can be viewed on the U.S. News website.
tion of multiple fireworks storage facilities operated by Devastating Pyrotechnics LLC and BlackStar Fireworks, on property owned by Yolo County sheriff’s Lt. Sam Machado and his wife Tammy, a legal secretary for the department. Sheriff Tom Lopez placed the Machados on administrative leave on July 10. He confirmed Tuesday they remain on leave pending the ongoing investigations.
County officials say while the fireworks facilities held state licenses — since suspended by Cal Fire — the location was not permitted locally for fireworks storage or handling.
At least one civil lawsuit has been filed in Yolo Superior Court since the incident by a neighboring farming operation claiming damage to its land, equipment and infrastructure. Previously assigned to Judge Samuel McAdam, the case was reassigned to Judge Tim Fall earlier this month after attorneys for the plaintiff, Etta James Farming, filed a motion to disqualify McAdam from hearing the matter. A case management conference is scheduled for Nov. 17. Meanwhile, the county continues to maintain a website with announcements, resource links and answers to frequently-asked questions regarding the Oakdale Fire at www.yolocounty.gov.
Appeal of Winters special-events center goes to supervisors
By Todd Hansen McNaughton Media
The fate of a special-events facility near Winters is now in the hands of the Solano County supervisors.
The county Planning Commission last week deadlocked 2-2 on an appeal of a use permit approved by the zoning administrator on June 19.
The facility is planned for 3695 Vickrey Lane, 3 miles southwest of Winters, in Solano County. The applicants are Rhonda and Mike Petrillo.
Matthew Flaherty, of neighboring Sunlight Horse and Cattle LLC, appealed the decision, contending that the zoning administrator “did not adequately consider public safety, infrastructure
and accessibility issues” when making his decision.
James Besek, director of the Department of Resource Management, said the concerns centered on wildfires, and because of noise and lighting. Commissioners Jonathan Richardson and Hector De La Rosa, commission chairman, voted to uphold the decision by Allan Calder, the county planning manager sitting as the zoning administrator. Commissioners Kay Cayler and Paula Bauer dissented. Commissioner Loretta Gaddies was absent.
Because of the 2-2 vote, Calder’s decision stands, but the appeal automatically goes to the Board of Supervisors, which will likely hear the matter on Sept. 10, Besek said.
Road maintenance to begin on County Road 28H on Aug. 18
The Yolo County Public Works Division will be patching several sections of failed pavement areas on County Road 28H between County Roads 102 and 105, about 2 miles northeast of the city of Davis.
Work will be performed starting Monday, Aug. 18 through Friday, Aug. 29 between the hours of 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. with the road fully reopened to traffic each evening.
The schedule will be dependent on weather and the daily availability of hot mix asphalt plant supplies. Travelers should expect delays
quite a bit: The first steps are typically things like a neighborhood meeting, or increased police presence to enforce speed laws, and from there it moves to posting 25 MPH speed limit signs to remind drivers of the default max speed in neighborhoods, deploying radar trailers that display drivers’ speed to them in real-time, or installing speed humps or rumble strips. If there’s still an issue, more permanent structural changes, like narrowing lanes, or adding a median barrier or a roundabout, can be considered, but only if their need is justified by actual speed or traffic data.
Police Chief John P. Miller said that engineering or structural changes like speed humps are much more permanent solutions, whereas police enforcement largely only works when officers are present in an area.
Mitchell recommended the council designate a singular point of contact for traffic concerns and complaints, and determine which types
due to road and lane closures and are encouraged to use alternate routes.
Flaggers and signage will be in place to guide motorists around the work area with local access to properties and businesses within the work area to be maintained during construction.
Full road closure between County Roads 102 and 103 may be necessary to perform the work safely and detour signage will be provided to bypass that work area using County Road 27 to County Road 103 to County Road 28H.
Access to the Yolo County Central Landfill will remain open during the road main-
of measures are best for different types of roadways He also noted that they may want to keep in mind the potential impact of traffic-slowing measures on the response time for emergency personnel like police and fire — narrower streets may slow down residents, but they can also have the unintended consequence of slowing down public services.
Council member Richard Casavecchia said that in his mind, any standard policy would need to encode which type of transportation would get priority in a roadway design when there’s a conflict between, for example, driver efficiency and biker safety.
Council members Carol Scianna and Jesse Loren supported prioritizing pedestrians of all kinds and incorporating their feedback into traffic safety plans. Mayor Albert Vallecillo agreed, but said policies like this would likely depend on the type of street — for example, in some places a bike lane might be prioritized, while in other areas, room for street parking could be more valuable to the community.
pressure for the hoses, [and] I also work with my captain in whatever capacity is needed,” he said. “Between calls, I spend my time making sure the trucks are ready for the next call, cleaning the station to ensure that all crews can come into a clean place of work, and also fixing things around the station.”
Department heads, including Snyder, were especially excited that this promotion came from within their ranks.
The move gave an already dedicated volunteer the opportunity to grow in his career, and, in a year where difficulty with retention in the city of Winters has been a major point of discussion, is one transition that successfully
tenance work. However, customers may experience delays on weekdays when approaching the landfill entrance from the west via County Road 102.
To avoid the most significant construction areas, customers are encouraged to access the landfill from the east by using County Road 32A to County Road 105 to County Road 28H.
For a map of Yolo County road closures and major maintenance projects, please visit www.YoloCounty.gov/road-closures. The public should slow down and obey all construction signs and flaggers when traveling through the work zone.
The discussion will eventually return to the council as an action item.
Automated License Plate Reader approved
Automated License Plate Readers, or ALPRs, are a tool used to take photos of cars and corresponding license plates for use by law enforcement in solving local crimes by cross-referencing the data collected by the ALPRs to see who was entering or exiting the city around the time of the crime. Local law enforcement is automatically alerted by the ALPR software when stolen vehicles, wanted vehicles, and vehicles associated with state-wide alerts like Amber Alerts enter their jurisdiction.
In May 2020, the Winters Police Department bought a mobile ALPR, but five years later, that technology has become outdated. Hoping for a more sustainable alternative, the Winters PD is now turning to ALPR company Flock for a twoyear rental agreement, which would allow them to rent out ALPR hardware to install at each of the four entry/exit points
kept talent within the Winters workforce by allowing an opportunity for advancement.
And according to Snyder, Love-Fields has certainly proved himself worthy of the job — in 2024, the then-volunteer won an award after taking it upon himself to develop a project stemming from Captain Matt Schechla’s Managing Officer program research on cancer risk reduction in the fire service. LoveFields took the next steps of risk reduction by turning an underutilized room at the department building into a dedicated personal protective equipment storage facility, helping contain exposure to harmful diesel exhaust particulates and reduce secondhand contamination.
“Since his initial involvement as a volunteer, Andrew
TRUSTEES
Continued from Page 1
if there were any substantial changes to the budget.
However, Barrington suggested the board and district treat this item as more of a budget update, as all parties await any actual budget changes at the first interim meeting in December.
President Trump had frozen all federal refunds on July 1, leaving the district “leery” about when or if they would receive them this year. But, in late July, all funds for the 2025-26 school year were released and states will be notified of their award amounts.
to the city. This way, if Flock’s technology improves, WPD’s will be swapped out and improved with it. The annual cost of the rental is $23,800.
Flock is also being used by many neighboring agencies, including Woodland, Vacaville, Dixon, West Sacramento and others.
Council members raised some concerns about data sharing and privacy, especially for undocumented community members. Miller said that local jurisdictions do sometimes share license plate data, but given that their police force is aligned with Senate Bill 54, they will not share data from the ALPRs with federal agencies or task forces.
The proposal passed unanimously. Other business
In other city news, an agreement with California Consultant Inc. for grant writing services was approved by the council, and Loren passed along requests from a group of middle schoolers she recently met with for cooling water misters at Three Oaks Park and a sports field in Winters.
has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the department and to the broader Winters community,” Snyder said. “He has been a reliable and steadfast presence, frequently stepping up to address staffing needs.”
Love-Fields said that his first couple of weeks as a fire engineer have gone well, and that he’s excited to get to know the community and eventually move to Winters with his girlfriend.
“I feel truly fortunate to be part of a department filled with such dedicated and passionate individuals,” he said. “If you see me around town, please don’t hesitate to say hello! I’m looking forward to getting to know more of the people who make this community so great.”
Currently, the district doesn’t know if it’ll receive federal funds for programs such as Title II, Professional Development, Title III, Migrant Education and English Learners and Title IV, Supporting Effective Education for the 2026-2027 school years.
Pushback from both sides of the aisle to the president’s education plan grew after Barrington had made his presentation.
“As we go through the year, we’ll see whether or not we’ll include any of the title two and title three and title four items into our budget for next year,” Barrington said. “I’m sure we’ll get information as we go through the year from those who are more in tune with the political aspects of them, but as of right now, maybe we start planning around those, so in case we do not receive those dollars.”
Since the 2025-2026 California Budget had passed, the funding projections for the school year changed substantially, resulting in the following increases to programs:
• LREBG Additional Funding - $109.124
Restricted
• TK LCFF Add-On For Ratios - $404,397
Unrestricted
• Discretionary
Block Grant - $478,808
Restricted
• ELO-P 55 percent
Threshold $1,577,469
Restricted
“We’ll be working with staff and district level to figure out how to best utilize those funds and how we can best serve
our students in our after-school programs,” Barrington said.
Public comment
During the public comment section of the meeting, WHS teacher Chris Novello stated that he has submitted a Uniform Complaint Procedure.
“The chief complaint is a way in which the district is affording a benefit to a select group of students,” Novello said.
UCP is a written and signed statement alleging a violation of federal or state laws or regulations, which may include an allegation of unlawful discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying.
Novello claims that the district is violating California Education Code by discriminating against non-athlete students who don’t have the ability to use the waiver, since they don’t play a sport to replace PE with.
“The UCP will be asking hard questions regarding the demographics of who’s being left out of this program, how many of our students, specifically our Title One students, are not able to access this waiver because they have no interest or aptitude for athletics, or because their GPA does not meet W chess standards,” Novello said. Novello ended his comments saying his hope for all this is that Winters JUSD take immediate steps to reinstitute an independent study PE program.
“Failure to do so by the end of the first two weeks of school, when schedule changes are closed, could lead to actual damages and harm to non-athletes, and thus expose the district to civil liabilities and further litigation,” Novello said.
Resident Rick von Geldern also made a public input statement asking the school district to educate families and students about the laws, guidelines and safety practices of using e-scooters. He said that he has seen many young children, not legally old enough to operate e-scooters in the state of California, riding them to school, especially the Shirley Rominger Intermediate School campus.
Agricultural News
Low prices, other woes put squeeze on farm economy
By Ching Lee California Farm Bureau
California farmers continue to face significant economic challenges as they contend with lower commodity prices and soaring production costs that have been made worse by inflation, regulatory burdens, trade disruptions and other financial headwinds.
That was a central message from the State Board of Food and Agriculture meeting last week in Sacramento, where industry leaders pointed to current and trending conditions that have impacted farm profitability and threaten the long-term viability of some farms.
Increasing costs and other financial pressures have pushed many farm properties onto the market, though there have been very few sales, said Kyle Dalrymple, an agricultural real estate appraiser and broker in Butte County.
With an oversupply of winegrapes and declining demand, Dalrymple noted a growing number of active listings for vineyards in the Central Valley but with minimal buyer interest. Property values for vineyards in the region are highly dependent on their water source and whether there are contracts for the grapes, he said. Access to water continues to affect farmland values in the state, with properties that depend solely on groundwater seeing the most significant declines.
President Trump’s new trade war is “particularly untimely” for the almond sector, which has already endured more than three years of unsustainable losses, said Alexi Rodriguez, president and CEO of the Almond Alliance. Im-
pacts from the first Trump administration continue to reverberate, she said, noting that China was the top export destination for California almonds in 2018, but shipments dropped sharply following the Chinese imposition of retaliatory tariffs. By the end of this year, China will likely no longer be one of the top 10 export markets for almonds, she added.
Though almond prices have started to improve, thanks in part to acreage removal, larger crops continue to drag prices back down. Last month’s objective almond forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture projected a higher-than-expected crop of 3 billion pounds this year. The news led to a 55-centper-pound drop in the market overnight, pushing farmers “right back down into unprofitable territory if prices don’t recover quickly,” Rodriguez said.
To break even, growers need to earn roughly $2.30 per pound, or about $5,000 an acre, provided they have good water and no debt, she noted. But their five-year average price has been around $1.77 per pound, or $3,700 an acre, with an annual loss of $1,400 per acre over three years.
“We’re talking about billions of dollars in losses annually,” Rodriguez said.
Removing an orchard costs about $3,000 to $4,000 an acre, which means many almond growers are “financially stuck,” she said, as they can’t take care of their existing orchards and can’t afford to remove them and plant new ones. This has led to a rise in abandoned and unmanaged acreage, which becomes a breeding ground for pests, including navel orangeworm and rodents.
Inflation, pest control restrictions, regulatory uncertainty, water constraints, and rising labor and capital costs have created “a level of instability that we have not seen in decades,” Rodriguez added.
Farmworkers will be harder to find in California, and they will be more expensive to employ, said Alexandra Hill, assistant professor of Cooperative Extension in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California, Berkeley.
One reason is that less than 20 percent of farmworkers today follow the crop migration, she noted, as more of them are settled in the U.S. and have children who were born here. Therefore, they no longer want to make the trek across the border.
The agricultural workforce has also aged, with the average worker about 10 years older today than they were 20 years ago, Hill said. Meanwhile, fewer new immigrant workers are entering the workforce. Most farm employees say they plan to continue working in agriculture as long as they’re able, she said, adding that the decline in the farm workforce is “not an exodus problem” but because workers are no longer willing to relocate for work.
California’s rising minimum wage will continue to drive up farm labor costs, a trend that “isn’t going to reverse,” Hill said. Other factors that will drive up wages include changes in union laws and worker shortages, which will force farmers to raise wages to attract sufficient workers.
Going forward, Hill said policy reforms to immigration and the H-2A visa pro-
gram can play a major role in impacting the availability of people in the country willing to work in agriculture. Norm Groot, executive director of the Monterey County Farm Bureau, who was not a panel speaker but tuned in to the webinar, said the cost of living in the Salinas Valley “makes it very difficult to attract” people to work in agriculture. In response, farm employers in the region have increasingly built employee housing, he said, with thousands of beds on private farmland.
“Not only does that build loyalty amongst the employees, but it also enhances the ability of the employer to make sure that their farmworkers are housed in great conditions, clean living spaces and are close to transportation,” he told the board.
The impact of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, has caused significant losses on the farm that affect consumers, who saw record-high egg prices at the store this year.
Egg farmer Michael Silva, who works as senior director of agriculture operations for Modesto-based J.S. West and Companies, said the company’s Hilmar farm is still not back to full production after two outbreaks — one in late 2023 and again in November 2024. That farm, which has six barns, can house about 900,000 egg layers, but today has 220,000 birds, with four barns still empty. He said production will be down into 2026, as it takes at least 16 months to fully repopulate.
Since 2024, California has lost 11.6 million laying hens, or 83 percent of the state’s egg production; 5.2 million meat chickens;
600,000 turkeys; and
528,000 ducks.
Unlike the 2015 outbreak—which poultry farms were able to stamp out through biosecurity and rapid depopulation of affected flocks—the current outbreak, which started in 2022, has been harder to control, Silva said. A key difference is the virus’s ability to infect other species, including dairy cows and other mammals.
While infected chickens and turkeys die from the virus, dairy cows typically recover after getting sick. Therefore, the strategy used to squash the virus in the past “is no longer an option,” Silva said, as “we’re not depopulating these cowherds.”
He said groups representing egg producers and dairy farmers agree the solution is to vaccinate chickens and cows. However, farmers who raise broilers, some of which are exported, are against vaccination because of trade implications, as numerous countries prohibit or restrict the importation of vaccinated poultry.
While several vaccines are licensed by the USDA for use in poultry for bird flu, none exist for cattle, “but we’re working behind the scenes on development of a dairy vaccine,” Silva said. In California at least, vaccinating chickens but not cows “wouldn’t do us much good,” he added.
“We need a two-pronged approach,” Silva said. “We have to protect the cows and the chickens.”
This article was originally published in the Aug. 13, 2025, issue of Ag Alert, and is reprinted with permission of the California Farm Bureau.
Peach growers praise quality as yields dip
By Caleb Hampton California Farm Bureau
Mild temperatures in the Central Valley were kind to cling peaches this month as farmers harvested their early varieties.
The balmy weather allowed fruit to size up, growers said, and left few blemishes.
“So far, the quality of the fruit is looking really good,” said Chetan Khera, whose family’s Sutter County farm began harvest July 2 with its Calaveras variety before picking a block of Stanislaus peaches in mid-July. As of last week, cling peach growers were about a tenth of the way through harvest, the bulk of which happens between early July and early September.
Almost all California cling peaches are shipped to two canneries, with roughly 60 percent of the crop processed by Lodi-based Pacific Coast Producers and 35 percent by Walnut Creek-based Del Mon-
te Foods. The rest of the crop is sold to the frozen fruit market.
Growers were projected to ship around 224,000 tons of cling peaches this year, the California Canning Peach Association estimated, down slightly from last year’s haul of nearly 228,000 tons. However, the association reported July 7 that early yields were down roughly 12 percent from initial estimates.
“We didn’t really have any full sets this year,” said Sutter County farmer Ranjit Davit, whose yield of the Stanislaus variety was down about 70% from peak production.
Kulwant Johl, who grows cling peaches in Yuba County, also reported a high-quality crop with early yields “a little less than expected.”
Thomas Gradziel, professor of plant sciences at the University of California, Davis, said two factors could explain this year’s lower yields. Extreme
heat last summer “may have hurt some of our production this year” by affecting the crop’s early development, Gradziel said, which began last July for the early varieties harvested this month.
The other explanation, he said, was that a cool December, which provided ample chill hours, was followed by a warm January, prompting some buds to come out of dormancy early. Those flowers “got first dibs,” Gradziel said, “tapping into the resources of the tree more efficiently” and forming stronger fruit. Peaches from late-blooming buds may initially have seemed viable, he said, but “a lot of that fruit later aborted.”
Because peaches are vulnerable to disruptive weather yearround, Davit said, even during harvest, “you’re never sure what you have until you have the last bin out of the field.”
The availability
of workers for the time-sensitive harvest is often a concern, growers said, and more so this year because of the potential impact of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign on California’s largely undocumented farm workforce.
“At one point, we
try hits peak delivery volume,” said Rich Hudgins, president and CEO of the peach association.
This month in Khera’s Sutter County orchard, pickers climbed ladders and rifled through foliage, filling sacks with fruit that they emptied into large bins. Piece rate
“We can’t compete with China’s labor costs and the pricing they’re able to bring doing business in California.”
Ranjit
Davit, farmer
were quite worried,” Davit said. So far, he added, “we haven’t seen too much of a problem.”
The labor pool typically tightens in August when more peach varieties are picked, winegrape harvest begins and pear season picks up.
“The real test will come when the indus-
for peach pickers in the Sacramento Valley increased this year to around $30 a bin, growers said, with workers typically filling between six and 15 bins in a shift.
“It gets worse every year,” Davit said. “We can’t compete with China’s labor costs and the pricing they’re able to bring doing business in California.”
Cling peach trees are planted under contracts with canneries that last the trees’ lifetime, ensuring each piece of fruit has a buyer. Every year, usually before harvest, the peach association negotiates a price with the canneries. The system “provides transparency and comfort for the grower,” Khera said. But as of Monday, the association and canneries had yet to agree on a price for this year’s fruit, with negotiations stalling due to “differing views of the marketplace,” Hudgins said.
See PEACHES, Page 8
Growers said the rising cost of labor, which accounts for about 70 percent of their input costs, and downward pressure on pricing from imports has squeezed their margins. During the past two decades, the state’s cling peach acreage has declined by more than half.
Combining summer grilled chicken and zucchini pasta
The past few weeks have been an interesting culinary challenge — modifying meals to support my newly diagnosed fatty liver, while keeping them family-friendly.
Our household generally follows a mostly Mediterranean, cleaner-eating lifestyle, with the occasional pizza or burger night thrown in for sanity. Lately, I’ve found a winning strategy: make a meal my girls will devour, and tweak a smaller version just for me. Sometimes that’s a simple swap — brown rice or quinoa on the side, or starting with the same base and adding cream or butter separately for them.
This summer, our garden hasn’t been its usual cornucopia. Artichokes and cherry tomatoes were our stars, but generous neighbors and friends helped fill the gaps. Inspired, I combined a grilled chicken recipe with a zucchini pasta for an easy evening meal.
Spice is my MVP Cutting back on salt hasn’t been easy, but spices have saved the day. Turmeric, smoked Spanish paprika, and a splash of lemon juice made the grilled chicken sing. The smoked paprika adds a gentle heat, while regular paprika keeps it milder. Grilling adds that smoky, charred flavor I can’t resist.
The pasta stars zucchini, yellow squash, cherry tomatoes, and freshly minced garlic, finished with basil and a sprinkle of Parmesan. While cheese may not be my liver’s best friend, it elevates the squash beautifully; feta works, too, if
you want a tangy twist. Next time, I’ll probably add artichoke hearts and asparagus. Fresh thyme, tomatoes, garlic and lemon juice add to the squash medley.
For my dish, I used brown rice pasta.
Although the photo shows a perfectly grilled chicken breast, I sliced mine and tossed it into the pasta so each bite picked up the flavor.
Zucchini pasta with grilled chicken
Grilled chicken
Ingredients
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp garlic powder (optional)
¼ tsp onion powder (optional)
1–2 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Putting it together
In a small bowl, combine the smoked paprika, black pepper, oregano, turmeric, and (if using) garlic and onion powders. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Drizzle with olive oil and rub it in to coat evenly. Sprinkle the spice blend on all sides of the chicken, pressing it in gently.
Marinate (optional): For deeper flavor, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Preheat your grill (or grill pan) over medium-high heat. Grill the chicken for 5 to 7 minutes per side, or until fully cooked (internal temp of 165 degrees Fahrenheit for chicken breasts,
170 degrees Fahrenheit for thighs). Adjust the timing based on the thickness of the meat.
Remove from grill and immediately squeeze fresh lemon juice over the hot chicken. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes before slicing or serving.
Summer squash pasta
Ingredients
1 pound pasta
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 medium zucchini, sliced into halves or quarter wheels
1 yellow summer squash, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Juice of half a lemon Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil or parsley, for garnish
Putting it together
Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the zucchini, squash, tomatoes, garlic and thyme. Sauté the mix, stirring occasionally, for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned. You can add in the freshly ground pepper.
Create the sauce by mashing some of the cooked tomatoes to form a chunky sauce. Stir in half of the reserved cup of pasta water and bring to a simmer. You can add in a bit of chicken or vegetable stock if you want to add some extra flavor
Pair these two recipes for a
Add the cooked pasta to the pan. Stir to combine. Add the lemon juice. Adjust the texture of the sauce with the remaining pasta water if needed. Remove from heat. Taste and adjust with more lemon or pepper if desired. Garnish with fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese. Serve alongside your grilled chicken or slice the chicken and serve on top of your pasta.
Perfect pairings
This month, Berryessa Gap Vineyards and Turkovich Family Wines suggested wines to complement both recipes, making dinner feel effortlessly elevated.
Grilled chicken recipe
Corinne Martinez, president of Berryes-
PEACHES
Continued from Page 7
He said growers were asking for a small increase on last year’s price of $635 per ton. Canneries were reluctant to raise the price due to a “potential oversupply in coming years,” Hudgins said. From the start of the pandemic through
sa Gap Vineyards, recommends the 2023 Verdejo or 2023 Chardonnay.
“Both are very food-friendly and will pair well with the savory paprika and turmeric as well as the lemon finish,” Martinez said.
Luciana Moreno Turkovich, winemaker at Turkovich Family Wines, suggests their “Best of Show” award-winning Roussanne. She said it brings bright citrus, stone fruit notes, and a touch of honey echoes the turmeric and lemon in the chicken and stands up to olive oil and grilled flavors without overwhelming the dish.
Summer squash pasta
2023, demand surged for canned fruit, leading to more cling peach plantings. With almond and walnut prices down at the time, Khera said, “people saw peaches as a good opportunity.”
Then, in 2024, demand for cling peaches slowed, leading to concerns of a looming oversupply. When last year’s plantings
recipe Martinez recommends Berryessa Gap Vineyards 2021 Zinfandel or 2020 The Sire.
“Both will pick up and complement the bit of spiciness from the red pepper while letting the freshness of the summer garden vegetables shine,” Martinez said.
For a second option, Moreno Turkovich highlights the Turkovich Tannat, another “Best of Show” winner. She said that with its structured tannins and notes of dark berries and plum, it harmonizes with the zucchini, cherry tomatoes, enhancing the dish without overpowering the flavors.
come into production next year, they will increase the state’s bearing acreage from 13,760 to 14,680, according to industry estimates.
“We could certainly be dealing with some oversupply issues in the next few years,” said Davit, who is the peach association’s board chairman.
Growers appeared to take stock this year of the change in fortunes, with new cling peach plantings declining by 41 percent, the association reported.
Meanwhile, on July 1, Del Monte filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, casting uncertainty over the long-term direction of the industry. The 139-yearold company said in a statement it had secured $165 million to continue its operations during a restructuring process with lenders that will involve selling most or all of its assets.
Cling peach deliveries to Del Monte “are continuing uninterrupted” this year, Hudgins said. He expressed optimism the historic brand would continue under new ownership. Still, the bankruptcy caused concern among growers. Khera’s family has grown peaches in Sutter County since 1978, selling about half of them to Del Monte. Next year, he said, “unless somebody else steps in, we don’t know where our crop is going to go.”
This article was originally published in the July 30, 2025, issue of Ag Alert, and is reprinted with permission of the California Farm Bureau.
Crystal Apilado/Winters Express
healthy, summer meal.
Thursdays
Eat Well Yolo Food Distribution, first and third Thursdays, 10 a.m. As supplies last, RISE, Inc., 417 Haven St., 530-668-0690, https://yolofoodbank.org/find-food
Friday, August 15
Express Coffeehouse Chat, 8 a.m., Steady Eddy's Coffee House
Saturday, August 16
Eat Well Yolo Drive – Through Food Distribution Saturdays, 11 a.m. As supplies last, Winters High student parking lot, off Railroad Avenue
Winters Open Mic Night, 6 p.m. (sign-ups begin at 5:30 p.m.), Downtown Main Street, Visit wintersopenmic.org
Sunday, August 17
Winters Sunday Farmers Market, 9 a.m.–1 p.m., Downtown Main Street
Monday, August 18
Winters Natural Resources Commission Meeting 6 p.m., City Hall Large Conference Room (Abbey Street entrance), Check cityofwinters. org/187/Natural-Resources-Commission
Tuesday, August 19
No Winters City Council Meeting
Entertainment
WTC Presents "Murder on the Nile", Friday/Saturday 7:30 p.m./Sunday 2 p.m., Winters Opera House (13 Main St.), winterstheatre.org
Thursday, August 14
Silver City, 7 –9 p.m., Winters Rotary Park Gazebo
Sunday, August 17
Thick as Thieves, 9:30 a.m.–1 p.m., Downtown Main Street
Library Services
Winters Library Open to Public (Summer Hours of Operation) May 19 to Aug. 22, Winters Community Library, Mon/Wed: 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Tue/Thu: 12–8 p.m., Fri/Sat: 1–5 p.m.
Teen Tuesday (ages 12-18), Second Tuesdays, 2 p.m., Winters Community Library
Bilingual Storytime (ages 0-5), Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m., Winters Community Library Virtual English Conversation Group Tuesdays, 2-3 p.m., One time registration required: Contact Nancy Pacheco 530-666-8019 or nancy.pacheco@yolocounty.org
Mangonada Monday (ages 6-12), fourth Monday, 3:30 p.m. Tech Thursdays, Thursdays, 2-7:30 p.m., call 530-6668005 to schedule an appointment. Bilingual sessions available upon request.
Saturday Matinee, First Saturday, 2 p.m., Winters Community Library
All You Need is Love Romance Book Club, Second Saturday, 4 p.m., Hooby’s Brewing
Older Adult Programs
Winters Senior Foundation Chair Yoga Class for Seniors Wednesdays, 9:30-11 a.m., St. Anthony Parish Hall (511 W. Main St.) Cafe Yolo Social Dining, Thurdays, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Winters Community Center (201 Railroad Ave.), Reservations required 24 hours in advance at 530-662-7035 or welcome@mowyolo.org
Winters Senior Foundation Social Gathering, Thurdays, 12:30-3 p.m., Winters Community Center (201 Railroad Ave.)
Ongoing
View the Winters community events calendar at https://bit.ly/WintersCommunityEvents
Winters Friends of the Library meeting, first Monday, 7 p.m., Winters Community Library, Margaret Parsons Room, wfol.org
Rotary Club of Winters meeting, Thursdays, Noon, The Buckhorn
Winters Museum public hours, Thursday thru Sunday, 1-5 p.m., 13 Russell St., historicalsocietyofwinters.org
Metaphysical Book Club, third Friday at 5 p.m., 212 Grant Ave., Sign up at dixiesbookclub@gmail.com, call 530-212-5026, or just drop in 12-Step Bonfire meeting, third Friday, 6:30 p.m. fellowship, 7 p.m. meeting, LuNita Ranch, 8189 Olive School Ln, Winters, Bring a camp chair.
Kiwanis Club of Winters meeting, fourth Wednesday, 6 p.m., Turkovich Family Wines - Boss Lounge, kiwanisclubofwinters@gmail.com
Democracy Winters meeting, third Saturdays, 10 a.m.Noon, Meeting details in newsletter, contact info@ democracywinters.org
Dance Fitness, - first/third Sundays February thru July, 8 to 9 a.m., Winters Community Library. No registration required.
Walking Meditation, third Sunday, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., Meet behind the Winters Community Center, 201 Railroad Ave.
Alcoholics Anonymous meetings:
» St. Anthony Parish Hall, 511 Main St. (back entrance) Tuesdays, 7-8 a.m. and Fridays, 7-8 a.m.
Sitting with Lucia Douglas in her garden, there is a sense of calm, of gentleness and grace. There is a sense of taking things as they come.
Lucia was born in August 1932 and was about 16 years old when she arrived in California. She first worked in Los Angeles. After about 4 years, she came to Winters.
Growing up
Lucia came from a family of 13 kids and many cousins. She said things were not always easy, but there was strength in family.
She did not have time to go to school. Lucia worked a lot. She went to school at night, and sometimes it was very dark when she walked to and from school.
This didn’t hinder her, though, and Lucia did not give up. She said, “This is what you do, you keep going.”
Notable life experiences
Lucia met Richard Douglas through a friend, and they were married in 1971. They have had many good years together and raised their daughter, making a lot of memories.
Lucia spends her time tending her garden and home, walking and cooking! She loves to cook and cooks everything.
Her face lit up as she shared the dishes she makes, including Mexican, American, Japanese and Italian dishes, to name a few. She said she makes squash every day when it is in season.
Lucia uses food that she grows in her garden to make her favorite dishes. As she talked about her cooking, her husband Richard agreed, noting that the food she cooks is more delicious than a restaurant. “Everything from cactus salad to spaghetti, from noodles and sweet-and-sour pork to beans and rice. So so good,” he said.
Life reflections
Lucia spoke warmly about the good things that come with living a simple life: family, honest work, the joy of learning, the beauty of nature, tending a garden, and simply spending time together. “It has been
a good road,” she said. “It is a good road.” When asked what advice she would give to others, Lucia
offers it without hesitation, each phrase as grounded as the life she describes. “Walk. Let’s go walking. Walk every day.” She believes in the value of movement, both for health and for reflection. “Work. We all need to learn to work.” For her, work is not just a necessity, but a teacher. Living a simple life is a good thing.
Her words turn toward the next generation, “Kids, listen to your mom and dad. Show respect. Let’s not think about having so many things.” She adds one more, perhaps the most important: “Listen”— to each other, to the world around you, and to the lessons that often speak quietly.
The Winters Express has featured all five of the 2025 Winters Elder Day honorees. To see the full list of honorees, visit https://bit.ly/ 2025WintersElders.
What’s eating tomatoes, raspberry plant woes
Special to the Express
This column is written by the UC Master Gardeners of Yolo County each month. It provides answers to selected questions that recently came into the UC Master Gardener – Yolo County Help Desk.
Identifying tomato plant pests
Q: I am trying to identify what is eating my tomato plants. Some of the leaves have been chewed up and have holes in them. I also noticed black “dots” on some of the leaves.
A: Given that this is a tomato plant and based on your description of the leaf damage and the presence of “black dots,” it’s almost certain that the culprit in question is the tomato hornworm. In addition to the holes in your tomato leaves, those black dots are technically referred to as “frass,” but are more commonly known as “insect poop.”
Although confusingly misnamed (it’s actually the caterpillar stage of a moth commonly called the five-spotted hawkmoth), the tomato hornworm is a widespread common pest of tomatoes and other garden crops, but mostly tomatoes.
The tomato horn-
Ask a Master Gardener
worm starts out small, but by tirelessly devouring your tomato leaves, it soon becomes the Godzilla of the North American caterpillar world: This “worm” can grow as thick as your thumb and up to nearly four inches long. A dark, pointy projection on its back end gives it the “hornworm” label. And this pest is so close in color to the leaf it’s eating that it can be hard to spot, even in broad daylight. But if you look closely, you will probably find one or more hiding among the foliage.
Unlike some other garden pests, you can often see the tomato hornworm at work in your garden in broad daylight, so no need for midnight sorties with flashlights. Just don a pair of gloves and arm yourself with a strong stomach and the eradication tool of your choice, be it boots, scissors, hand pruners or a bucket of soapy water. Hand-picking and immediately halving, squishing or drowning these caterpillars is best. If you feel you must use a less “personal” method, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), the most commonly
used “biological pesticide” worldwide, can potentially produce positive results when used on immature tomato hornworm caterpillars. It is available in any nursery.
There’s an exception to this potentially stomach-churning hornworm-eradication policy. If you happen to see a tomato hornworm with what looks like grains of white rice stuck to it, leave that specific critter alone! What you’re seeing is, in fact, a horror show living off of the horror show that is the tomato hornworm in your garden. Those white-rice shapes are the cocoons of a parasitic wasp, and by the time you see the “rice” on a particular caterpillar, the wasp larvae have already chewed their way from inside the host hornworm and have spun a rice-look-
ing cocoon on the caterpillar’s exoskeleton. You might not be around to see the final curtain to this drama, but soon after the white-rice stage, the young adult wasps emerge from their cocoons, and the hornworm will have long been a mere shell of its former self. All of the females in that brood grow up to in turn lay their eggs just under the skin of future pesky hornworm caterpillars. Gardening is a beautiful thing, but it’s not always pretty. Here is more information: https://ipm. ucanr.edu/homeand-landscape/hornworms/#gsc.tab=0 Raspberry plants declining
Q: I have raspberry plants that are several years old and are not doing as well as they did in the past. They
Woody Fridae/Courtesy photo
Lucia Douglas is one of the five 2025 Winters Elder Day honorees.
Crystal Apilado/Winters Express
Lucia and Richard Douglas were honored together as honorees at Winters Elder Day on July 5.
Courtesy photo
Hornworms are a common tomato plant pest in many gardens.
Economic pressures on the real estate market
By Joedy Michael Special to the Express
Last week’s national jobs report came in far weaker than expected, adding just 73,000 jobs in July, while unemployment inched up to 4.2 percent. Previous months were also revised downward. A softer labor market can slow wage growth and ease inflation — exactly the conditions the Federal Reserve has been waiting for to consider cutting rates. The news pushed mortgage rates down into the mid-6 percent range after hovering near 7 percent for many months. Some analysts believe we could see 6.5 percent or lower if future reports continue to show weakness. That’s good news for buyers, as even a small drop in rates can increase purchasing power by thousands of dollars.
For example, on a $3,000 monthly housing budget, a quarter-point dip can mean about $20,000 more in purchase price capacity.
However, the report also came with controversy. The head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics was abruptly removed from the position shortly after the numbers were released and experts warn that any loss of trust in the accuracy of economic data could make markets and the Fed more cautious.
Locally, our market has shifted.
In July, homes in Winters sold for an
average of 93 percent of their original list price, and the average time on market reached to 52 days. While lower rates could help shorten selling times and close the gap between list and sale prices, today’s buyers remain highly payment-sensitive. Buyers asking for large seller credits is also becoming a habit. Well-priced, move-inready homes paired with strategic marketing tend to attract the most attention. In fact, three of my recent listings each received multiple offers, selling at or above their asking price. Looking ahead: If
the labor market continues to cool without tipping into recession, we could see rate cuts that encourage more buyers to enter the market. But, if confidence in the accuracy of jobs data weakens, both the Fed and markets may hold back, keeping rate improvements slower than hoped.
door to lower mortgage rates, but the road ahead may be uneven. In both the national economy and the local Winters market, staying informed and ready to adapt will be key.
guess, we know you are going to close or we will not write the approval letter!
Bottom line: Buyers should consider getting re-preapproved to see what the recent rate changes mean for their budget, and be ready to act when the right property comes along. Sellers should focus on presentation, price competitively, and explore ways to make monthly payments more attractive for buyers, without giving away the farm.
The latest jobs report has opened the
— Joedy Michael is a local real estate agent based in Winters. To inquire about market insights or more, reach out to him at Joedy.michael@exprealty.com or connect with him on Instagram @joedymichael_realestate.
Curtis Adams/Pexels.com
Express Yourself
Letters
E-scooters: Child safety or freedom
Since last Christmas, there has curiously been an increase in children driving e-scooters. Curious because young children shouldn’t be driving e-scooters around town.
I suspect many parents who bought their kids e-scooters are not aware that under California law, a learner’s permit or driver’s license is required and that their operation is subject to California traffic laws. Children, like those riding to elementary and junior high school, are not licensed and have not completed driver’s education and training.
Not only are children driving e-scooters around town, but they’re also driving them without helmets, in the streets, on sidewalks, riding tandem, into traffic, on the wrong side of the street and placing not only themselves, but also pedestrians and drivers at risk.
Some say laws restricting children from driving e-scooters limits freedom, but I view it as a matter of child safety, not a limitation on freedom. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children riding motorized scooters are at greater risk of injury, especially head injuries and broken bones.
Recently, the Dixon school district, in conjunction with the Dixon Police Department, started cracking down on children driving e-scooters after a junior high student was hit by a car.
The city of Winters, the Winters JUSD and Winters police are encouraged to consider Dixon’s approach to education and enforcement to protect our community’s children before a tragic accident occurs.
RICK VON GELDERN Winters
Have something to say? Send in a Letter to the Editor at https://bit.ly/3NvbkTz
Horoscopes
ARIES (Mar 21/Apr 20),
Try to get the whole picture before you proceed, Aries; otherwise, you may be moving along blindly and that can make matters worse. Patience is a valuable asset right now.
TAURUS (Apr 21/May 21),
Taurus, sometimes a major conflict ends when one party walks away and finds something better to occupy them. Identify the source of your frustration and then decide if it’s worth it to proceed.
GEMINI (May 22/Jun 21),
You can seemingly energize the people around you, Gemini. They will flock to you for inspiration this week, and you can make all sorts of connections this way.
CANCER (Jun 22/Jul 22),
Cancer, this week you may be able to see beyond the coincidences that keep cropping up and straight to the true meaning of things. Pay attention to your instincts right now.
LEO (Jul 23/Aug 23),
Leo, if you are called upon to tell a story or get people to see their common interests, your flair for drama should come in handy. Others will have so much fun being around you.
VIRGO (Aug 24/Sept 22),
You and someone you work with are butting heads this week, Virgo. You want them to act in a certain manner, and it could be frustrating to you if they fall short of expectations.
LIBRA (Sept 23/Oct 23),
A new opportunity pops into your life, Libra. You may rethink your current surroundings, whether at work or at home. This could be an exciting time for you.
SCORPIO (Oct 24/Nov 22),
Carve out some time for creativity, as it is what you are all about right now, Scorpio. Give in to the impulse to knit, paper craft or get involved in the theater. Stimulate your brain.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23/Dec 21),
The right answer to the questions you have been seeking should appear exactly when you need the message, Sagittarius. You’ll have to be a little more patient for the time being.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22/Jan 20),
Capricorn, you have questions about how you can best help the people around you, and that is by being honest with yourself and your actions. Keep everyone in the loop.
AQUARIUS (Jan 21/Feb 18),
You are ready for a break from your responsibilities, Aquarius, but something keeps dragging you back into certain tasks. Figure out a way to wrap up the to-do list, then escape.
PISCES (Feb 19/Mar 20), Pisces, there are a million thoughts competing for space inside your brain. It may be best if you write things out and sort them so you can give everything the attention it deserves.
Need to publish a Legal Notice?
Send your notice and contact information to legals@wintersexpress.com
Express Yourself
State’s groundwater reform sets a dangerous precedent
This commentary was originally published by CalMatters.
By David Saint-Amand Special to CalMatters
Assembly Bill 1413 seeks to quietly rewrite California’s water laws, raising alarm among local water agencies, business groups, lawmakers and many advocates of California’s agriculture industry. The Indian Wells Valley Water District in eastern Kern County has serious concerns about the proposal’s threats to groundwater rights, due process, transparency and scientific ac-
countability.
The bill would limit judicial oversight and fundamentally alter the role of groundwater sustainability plans in California, potentially treating them as a legally binding determination of water rights. The Indian Wells water district is undergoing an adjudication process to protect property rights, and officials like me worry that AB 1413 would prohibit courts from reviewing the science behind these plans, as well as potential errors.
Adjudication remains one of the few tools to independent-
ly evaluate a sustainability plan’s conclusion. According to an analysis for the state Senate’s Committee on Natural Resources and Water, at least five of California’s 94 priority groundwater basins are currently under adjudication, suggesting that AB 1413 addresses a localized issue, not a statewide need. Dozens more
have already completed the process. As written, AB 1413 sets a dangerous precedent. Lawmakers need to at least amend it to protect due process, uphold judicial oversight and ensure fair groundwater management.
—David SaintAmand is board president of the Indian Wells Valley Water District.
Have something to say? Send in a Letter to the Editor at https://bit.ly/3NvbkTz
Express Yourself
The California coast is a different climate and world
Once a year, we get invited to go trailer camping at Fort Bragg with two other couples. The weather was great, no fog and cool evenings. There are a lot of old people living there, and when you go to the local market, you find out what happened to all the hippies from our youth. You can find regular Coke and Pepsi, but no diet. Too many additives, I suppose. There was a local sugar-free cola that tasted fine, but it just showed what kind of store we were in. Maybe we live too close to UC Davis with lots of young people, but at the coast, you see a lot of gray ponytails and Birkenstocks. There aren’t a lot of medical ser-
“Maybe
we live too close to UC Davis with lots of young people, but at the coast, you see a lot of gray ponytails and Birkenstocks.”
vices on the coast, and Dr. Zoe told us that if you need to have a baby, it is an hour and 20 minutes away. Sherri would never have made it on time. I guess there are rentals by the hospital where you stay until your time is up. The coast is a nice
place to visit, but I don’t think I could live there full-time.
It isn’t hard to play tourist for a week. We golfed a couple of times, chartered a fishing boat and road the Skunk Train. There are plenty of good restaurants in the area, and every-
one took turns preparing meals around the fire pits.
This is our third time camping at Pomo Campground. The first two times, we rented a trailer and pulled it behind my Tacoma. This time, we rented a van that was built by Winnebago on a Dodge frame. I entertained the idea of buying one and sharing it with our son Robert, who likes to car camp. I spent a few days looking at used camping vans online and decided that they are expensive to buy and insure. Robert also told me he didn’t want one, and I can’t store it at his house in Boise.
The trailers we rent are pretty small, but this van was narrow and cramped for
space. It is true that we only slept in the van, but the shower was too small to use, especially when the campground had nice showers for $1.50, in quarters. There wasn’t a lot of storage space for all the food we brought, way too much by the way. It did have a nice cooktop and small refrigerator, but our suitcases were on the front seats.
The owner of the campground, Sterling Carter, 87, told me that he grew up on the Rominger Ranch and attended Union School. I’m trying to find school pictures from that era to take with me next year. He didn’t graduate from Winters High School, class of 1956, but may-
be some old timers remember him from grade school.
Renting the van saved me a lot of money. It helped me decide not to buy one, and I can rent a trailer for the annual trip for a lot less money. It may not stop me from searching online for used trailers, but that is why I’m married. It is nice to have someone to bounce your plans off of and who can tell you it is a bad idea.
Speaking of being married, Aug. 16 is our 50th wedding anniversary. If I can refrain from buying a trailer, we just might make it to Saturday. Enjoy the rest of the summer and have a good week.
This message may not reach you — and that’s the problem
In a world flooded with endless ways to communicate — from social media posts and emails to flyers and word of mouth — you’d think reaching everyone in town would be easy. But the truth is, it’s still a puzzle. Some folks don’t check social media, others skim past the local paper, and plenty might miss a flyer tucked in a shop window. So here I am, hoping this message finds you — and maybe, if it does, you’ll help pass it along. The shift from those early pandemic days to whatever life looks like now has been anything but simple. Sometimes, it’s hard to even define what “normal” means
By Denise Amos CalMatters
anymore. I’ve seen youths and adults alike struggle to name what they’re feeling, trying to re-create something that once was. But the truth is, there’s no going back — we can only move forward, shaped by what we’ve been through.
One of the places I’ve felt that change most is in communication.
I thought that by now — after the surge in online connection, after years of learning
A San Diego man accused of murder went on trial for four weeks earlier this year. After closing arguments, the jurors — myself included — re-examined hundreds of photos of exhibits and re-listened to hours of testimony before finding the man guilty on most counts.
Before we left the jury room, we dropped our anonymity and shared a little bit about ourselves. Some jurors were business owners or managers. One was a nurse. Two of us worked in news media. There was an interior decorator, an accountant, a researcher and a computer analyst. Almost everyone had attended or graduated college. White people made up about half the jury panel. By contrast the defendant, a Latino man, had the equivalent of a high school education and had long been unemployed. Prosecutors painted him as a long-time drug abuser and dealer. He denied killing his nephew.
We considered him innocent, until the evidence proved him guilty. Yet as I rode down the courthouse escalator one last time, I couldn’t shake a nagging question: Were we really a jury of his peers? That wasn’t a rhetorical question. It’s especially germane now, because California lawmakers and the governor just killed an 8-month-old program that was supposed to help ensure more diverse jury pools so defendants could be judged by their peers.
new tools — it would be easier to get the word out. It’s not. In working with local nonprofits, I’ve seen how hard it is to bridge the gap between those offering services and those who need them. You can post on Facebook, send out emails, print flyers, publish in the Winters Express, even text people directly — and still hear, “I didn’t know about that” or “No one told me.” And this isn’t a new frustration. Over the
Courts have long interpreted the “jury of peers” standard to mean a jury “of equals,” taken randomly from a pool that includes “a broad spectrum of the population, particularly of race, national origin and gender,” according to Law. com’s online legal dictionary. But while about 9 out of 10 defendants nationwide are too poor to afford lawyers, most jurors aren’t in that low of an income bracket. I discovered that firsthand. And for decades, prosecutors have used so-called peremptory challenges — challenges that don’t need a cause — to manipulate the makeup of juries. Public defenders say this forces even innocent clients to take plea bargains, rather than face a jury that doesn’t look like them. That isn’t justice. Even some California prosecutors acknowledge that the courts would be fairer with more diverse jury panels. Yet the state is backing away from a common sense strategy to fix that.
Gov. Gavin Newsom recently axed $27.5 million from the state budget that funded a two-year pilot program paying $100 a day to jurors serving in Alameda, El Dorado, Fresno, Imperial, Monterey, San Bernardino and Shasta counties.
The seven counties are part of a study. Supporters were hoping that higher juror pay would spread throughout California, but lawmakers haven’t put a penny toward it in next
year’s budget.
years, multiple past Express publishers and editors have voiced the same complaint that it’s incredibly hard to reach everyone. The technology may have changed, but the problem hasn’t gone away. In fact, in today’s world — where the internet promises instant access to information — it’s mind-blowing that it’s still so challenging. Part of the issue is that we no longer have a single, reliable “town square” for information. Social media? Too many platforms, unpredictable algorithms and not everyone uses them. The Express? Many households get it, but not everyone reads it in time. Flyers? Great
California courts currently pay jurors $15 a day. The idea behind the experimental raise, which Newsom signed into law in 2022, was to test whether better pay leads to more racially and economically diverse juries.
It was modeled after a similar program started in San Francisco in 2021 that increased pay to $100 for lower-income jurors. After one year, more than 8 in 10 program participants said they wouldn’t have been able to serve on a jury without that money.
Picking a jury when there’s ‘undue hardship’
For the San Diego murder trial, the judge called in a jury pool of nearly 110 people. He explained that it takes that many people and two full days to eventually select 12 jurors and four alternates for a criminal case expected to last several weeks.
Some prospective jurors won’t serve because of “undue hardship,” he said. Too many employers are refusing to pay workers on jury duty. California law says employers can’t fire workers serving on juries, but it doesn’t make employers pay them.
That’s why California consistently fills juries with retirees or people who work in white-collar jobs or who have the money to go without pay. Equal justice is just an empty promise if a minimum wage worker earns eight times more than jurors make in a day.
Add to that, a juror’s expenses can easily outstrip the daily pay. In San Diego, jurors who drove had
— if people go out and actually see them. Word of mouth? Only works if you’re in the right circle at the right moment.
The result is a patchwork. Some folks hear about an event through the City Manager’s Friday Update. Others read it in the Express. Others spot a flyer in a shop window. And some only hear about it because a friend texted them.
It makes me wonder — how do we, as a community, make sure no one is left out of the loop? Is it even possible?
I’ve joked before that Facebook has taken over the role of town crier. But maybe we actually should have a real one again
to pay to park —- that’s $25 to $40 a day — and pay for lunch, which ran about $20 at nearby restaurants. I rode the trolley and packed lunch to save money. During my first two days of jury duty, people described their financial hardship. One young man told the judge — in front of everyone — that he had been unemployed for months and was still looking for work. A woman complained she couldn’t afford several weeks of child care. None of them were picked for the jury. Besides finances, certain life experiences can be factors in shaping a jury. In this trial, the 108-member jury pool was given a 75-question survey designed to identify bias.
Some questions made me suspect I might be disqualified, like the question about whether I or a family member had been a victim of a crime. Yes, my mother was violently mugged years ago, I wrote, and the police didn’t arrest anyone. I answered ‘yes’ to a question about whether anyone in my family had been arrested. When my brother was a preteen, he got caught entering an abandoned factory with friends. He took a plea deal and stayed out of jail, but knowing how few Black boys got breaks, I was terrified for him, I wrote.
While scribbling my answers I wondered how many other juror candidates had similar responses? Would negative experiences with police make us unsuitable?
There were other, more obvious potential disqualifiers: I’m a Black woman,
— someone walking around downtown, spreading news in person. Get your steps in, share some updates, maybe even carry a bell. Then again, when would be the best time to do this? Until someone perfects a universal communication system, I guess all we can do is keep trying. Keep posting. Keep printing. Keep telling our friends. Keep putting up flyers. Keep writing columns like this one. Because if there’s one thing I do know — it’s that in a small town, the effort to connect is never wasted, even if the message doesn’t always reach everyone on the first try.
so a lawyer might assume I don’t trust police or the courts. And I’m a journalist, a profession often excluded from juries for various reasons.
After reading the questionnaires, the judge interrogated us. By the time he got to me, about a dozen people — including several white people — told the judge that they were not confident a person of color could get a fair shake in the legal system.
I was surprised at how many held that view. But a woman next to me whispered that they weren’t all taking principled stands; some just thought it might get them out of jury duty.
The judge grilled me about my family’s encounters with police. He asked point-blank if I thought my brother was treated fairly by the court. I told him that since my brother didn’t have to serve jail time, maybe he was.
I guess my answer was acceptable. When the judge empaneled the jurors and sent the rest home, I was the last juror selected. The right to a jury trial is so vital that it’s spelled out in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. But seeking a jury of peers does not mean that male defendants will only be tried by men, or Asians by Asians, or African Americans by African Americans. It does mean a court cannot intentionally exclude someone because of race or gender.
To me that doesn’t go far enough. California should make it easier for jurors to serve, especially those who come from the world the defendant lives in.
Inaugural Winters Soccer Festival kicks
The inaugural Winters Soccer Festival will take place on Friday, Aug. 23, from 4 to 7 p.m., at Winters Rotary Park and brings together food, games and community spirit — all in the name of celebrating local youth and raising funds to support the area’s vibrant soccer culture.
Winters AYSO organizers hope this will be the first of many annual soccer festivals, with each year’s event led by a different student as a capstone project. This year’s festival student leader, Winters High School senior Violet Tuel, has already made a major impact, securing nearly $7,000 in donations from local businesses and designing the event flyer.
Tuel took on the role as part of her Senior Capstone Project. During an AYSO board meeting she attended earlier this year, she expressed interest in helping to organize the event, saying she wanted to share her love of soccer with others.
“Soccer isn’t just about training and winning — it’s about friendship, teamwork, and fun,” Tuel said. “This festival is a way to
bring our soccer-loving community together, create new friendships, and introduce new players to the sport.”
“Our goal is to raise funds for new equipment and provide scholarships to those in need,” said Everardo Zaragoza, AYSO board member and coach. “I’m hoping to continue leading this event in the future and mentor other students who want to take it over.”
Event beginnings
The idea for the festival had been on Zaragoza’s mind for over a year before taking shape this past March. After a conversation with city council member Jesse Loren, the concept quickly gained momentum. Loren connected the organizer with Winters Community Corazón, which offered its support. Corazón member and city mayor Albert Vallecillo joined the effort, and soon the Rotary Club of Winters and other community groups were on board. Permits were secured, and the planning began.
Zaragoza said that through the process, Tuel has gained valuable experience in civic engage-
City updates lap-swim access, August pool hours
Express staff
Winters City Manager Jeremy Craig announced that a recent Yolo County inspection of the City Pool (Bobbie Greenwood Swim Center) said that all doors and gates must remain closed but unlocked during pool hours.
“We have arranged to have a staff member stationed at the picnic table to assist patrons who may need assistance with entry to the facility,” Craig said.
With the school year underway, lap and open swim hours have shifted for August:
Monday to Thursday
• Lap swim: 10:30 to 11:45 a.m.
• Open swim: 12 to 3:15 p.m.*
• High school swim: 3:30 to 5:15 p.m.
• Lap swim: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Friday
• Open swim: 12–3:15 p.m.*
• High school swim: 3:30 to 5:15 p.m.
• Lap swim: 5:30 to 6:45 p.m.
• Family swim: 7 to 9 p.m.*
Saturday
• Lap swim: 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
• Open swim: 12 to 5 p.m.
Sunday
• Lap swim: 8:30 to 11 a.m.
• Open swim: 1 to 5 p.m. During the open swim sessions marked with an “*”, a single lap lane is available in Lane 1 on a first-come, firstserved basis.
The full swim schedule is available at www.cityofwinters.org/169/Swim.
ment, public speaking, and large-scale event planning, including navigating business license requirements and working with city, county and school officials.
What to expect
The festival will feature an array of activities for all ages, including:
• A dunk tank (with participants Kim Olivas, Phillip Hoag, Alvaro Zaragoza, Stephen Montagna and Eric Jepsen in 30-minute slots)
• An inflatable soccer target game
• Volley soccer and a soccer juggling contest
are watered daily with drip irrigation and get about 6 hours a day of sun.
A: Multiple factors may be at play. Since your plants are “several years old,” declining vigor could simply be due to age. Raspberries typically start to decline after five to seven years. If your plants are approaching that age, consider removing the oldest plants, amending the soil with organic matter, and replanting with vigorous new stock. Rotate planting areas if possible, and choose varieties well adapted to hot valley summers. Heritage, Polka, Fallgold (a personal favorite), Caroline and Bababerry are cultivars that should do well in our hot summers.
Your irrigation schedule may be at least part of the problem. Daily drip irrigation is too frequent, especially in the clay soils common in our area. Shallow daily watering can lead to weak root develop-
• A foosball table
• A small inflatable soccer game for younger kids
• Face painting
• Cornhole
• A raffle for soccer jerseys, cleats and balls
Lorenzo’s Market donated burgers and hot dogs, and there will be a donation station to collect gently used soccer gear. The festival will also honor dedicated volunteers, coaches, and Players of the Year.
Additionally, there will be information tables for soccer-related programs, including AYSO’s new EPIC program.
Why it matters
The Winters Soccer Festival’s primary goal is to celebrate youth and the positive impact soccer has on physical, mental, and emotional health. Playing soccer builds not only strength, coordination, and endurance, but also confidence, cognitive skills, discipline, teamwork and stress relief.
Unlike other local sports leagues, AYSO has not traditionally held fundraising events. This festival marks a new approach, with proceeds going directly to support over 400 Winters AYSO players, ages 4 to 19, including participants in the region’s upcoming EPIC program — an inclusive initiative for children and adults with disabilities.
Many AYSO families face financial challenges, and the funds raised will help cover uniforms, equipment, and registration fees for those in need.
“As a coach, I’ve seen the struggles some players face, whether it’s torn cleats or not being able to afford to play,” Zaragoza said. “This event will help ensure every child who wants to play soccer can.”
ment and promote root rot. Instead, give each plant two to four gallons per week (depending on temperature and wind) divided into two or three applications. Allow the soil to partially dry out between irrigations. Check soil moisture a few inches down to guide your watering schedule.
Six hours of sun is adequate, but raspberries prefer eight hours or more for the best fruit production. If nearby trees have grown over time and now shade your plants more than in years past, it could be contributing to lower yields. Having said that, raspberries do not tolerate hot weather well and will benefit from afternoon shade, especially in July and August.
Nutrient depletion
is another possibility. Annual application of compost or aged manure in the spring at a rate of one-half to one pound per foot of row is beneficial. Or apply a prepared fertilizer that has a higher percentage of nitrogen than phosphorus and potassium in accordance with label directions.
Pruning practices matter too. If you are growing summer-bearing raspberries, remove only the canes that fruited, leaving new canes to grow and produce fruit the following year. If growing fall or everbearing types, cut down all canes after fall fruiting, or selectively prune off the section of cane that fruited to allow for a summer crop the next year. Overcrowding can reduce airflow and fruit size, so thin
canes annually. Finally, inspect for pests and diseases. Root rot, spider mites, aphids, or fungal diseases like cane blight can reduce vigor. Check the base of the canes for discoloration, wilting, or signs of pest activity.
For more information, visit: • https://ucanr.edu/ site/uc-master-gardeners-inyo-and-mono-counties/raspberries • https://ucanr. edu/sites/default/ files/2018-11/294685. pdf
If you have a gardening question, contact the UC Master Gardener Help Desk at 530-6668737 or send an email with information regarding watering, sun exposure, details about your problem, and photos, when possible, to mgyolo@ucdavis.edu.
Courtesy photo
AYSO’s Winters Soccer Fest organizers, Violet Tuel and Everardo Zaragoza, invite the community to come out to celebrate all things soccer on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 4 p.m. at Rotary Park.
Raspberries can be challenging to grow in the Central Valley, but the harvest is rewarding.
Courtesy photo
Arts & Entertainment
Murder, mischief and a boatload of suspects
By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief
Tensions simmer. Tem-
pers flare. The booze flows as freely as the gossip. Welcome aboard the Winters Theatre Company’s latest voyage — Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Nile — where a scenic river cruise takes a deadly detour. If you love a good whodunit with a wink of humor, this production is a ticket you won’t regret.
As part of its 45th anniversary celebration, Winters Theatre Company put out a call for fresh directors and bold production ideas. Shane Roberts answered — and he’s done Christie, the reigning queen of the murder mystery, proud. True to her style, the play offers a leisurely build-up filled with eccentric personalities, curious habits, and more than a little intrigue. Set aboard a paddle steamer winding its way down the Nile, there’s no shortage of suspicious glances or mysterious goings-on.
Adding to the fun, 75 percent of the cast are new to the WTC stage — two of them acting for the first time ever (good luck guessing who). For the armchair detectives in the audience, there’s even an interactive suspect board during intermission so you can pin your own theory on the culprit before the big reveal.
Among the colorful passengers, these were the ones who made the experi-
ence memorable for me:
Canon Pennefather (Chris Long): A wise but occasionally evasive cleric, Pennefather has a knack for asking just the right questions — or perhaps the wrong ones — to keep fellow passengers off balance. His genial manner masks a sharp mind, but you may find yourself wondering if his calm detachment hides more than it reveals.
Jacqueline de Severac (Lydia Smith): The jilted fiancée with fire in her eyes and revenge in her heart. Smith gives Jacqueline both a fierce vulnerability and a simmering unpredictability, making her one of the most magnetic
figures on deck.
Kay Mostyn (Katelyn Monteiro): The glamorous new bride, dripping in elegance and entitlement, whose sharp wit and unshakable confidence make her as formidable as she is enviable. Monteiro gives Kay a layered edge, showing flashes of tenderness beneath the polish.
Simon Mostyn (Colin Johnston): The simple, earnest husband caught between past and present loves. Johnston captures Simon’s longing for a drama-free honeymoon — an impossible dream with Jacqueline in the picture.
and a few secrets tucked away. Clark plays him with an easy naturalism that makes his motives difficult to read.
Dr. Bessner (Drew Holland): A doctor with strong convictions and a tendency toward dramatic pronouncements. Holland leans into Bessner’s eccentricities, providing both humor and tension.
The Bead Seller (Cody Svozil): One of Svozil’s multiple roles, but easily the most memorable — a charming vendor peddling beads and postcards with such enthusiasm you might be tempted to buy one for yourself.
With so many personalities crammed together on a confined riverboat, the clashes are inevitable, the alliances fleeting and the alibis questionable.
Christina Grant (Emily Jo Shepherd): The brighteyed, openhearted greatniece to Miss Ffoliot-Ffolkes, Christina radiates optimism and warmth. Shepherd gives her a charming innocence that contrasts beautifully with the darker undercurrents of the cruise.
William Smith (Daymon Clark Jr.): A blunt, working-class traveler with a straightforward charm
Miss Ffoliot-Ffolkes (Jennifer Rutherford): The grande dame of the voyage, whose sharp tongue could cut glass. Rutherford revels in the character’s high-handed opinions and unapologetic snobbery, serving comic relief with every withering glance.
Día de los Muertos Fiesta tickets now available
Special to the Express
Tickets are now available for the California Museum’s highly anticipated Día de los Muertos Fiesta on Saturday, Oct. 11.
Now in its 12th year, the event will honor the rich Mexican tradition of the Day of the Dead and celebrate the grand opening of the California Museum’s new exhibit,
“Recuerdos Ilustrados: Día de los Muertos 2025.”
Fiesta attendees will enjoy food and drinks for sale by local favorite Mayahuel, a ceremonial blessing by Maquilli Tonatiuh Aztec Dancers, live performances by 10-piece salsa band Conjunto Liberación, and a vibrant Mercado de los Muertos
(Market of the Dead) featuring handmade items by local vendors and artists. Family-friendly activities include sugar skull decorating workshops, face painting, and crafts for children ages 3 and up.
Members of the public are invited to pay tribute to lost loved ones at a Community Altar through the end
of the exhibit on Sunday, Nov. 16.
“Día de los Muertos is both deeply personal and profoundly communal,” said California Museum executive director Amanda Meeker. “Through this exhibit and event, we’re proud to provide a platform for visitors to engage with a tradition that continues to evolve while staying
Catch art auction at Yolo County Fair on Sunday
Special to the Express
Yolo County photographers are “totally ag-cited” that the Yolo County Fair is almost here. The community looks forward to this tradition every year; the food, the sounds, the smells and sights.
One of the great exhibits to see are the arts, photography and crafts exhibits in Waite Hall, and it’s the best place to see all of the local Yolo County talent in one building, including paintings, mixed media, crafts, jewelry, woodworking and photography.
Yolo County has a lot of amazing talent, and the fair is the perfect place to show off creative skills. There are ribbons and cash awards, but the
real rush is having your art admired by the crowds.
Back by popular demand, the Art Auction will take place again on Sunday, Aug. 17. Some entries and donated works will be marked in the exhibit with numbers, and you can place bids to purchase one-of-a-kind local art directly from the artist.
Stop by the information booth in Waite Hall for info on how to bid, and see how the art bids get feverish.
Support your creative friends, neighbors and community residents by viewing all these beautiful works of art, and you can even take some home if you win at the Art Auction. And don’t forget
to take photos of your favorites or winners and share them via hashtags #agcitedtobehere, #myfairmemories or #yolocountyfair.
The art, crafts and photography exhibits, among many other exhibits, will be open during the Fair in Waite Hall, Wednesday, Aug. 13, from 6 to 9 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, Aug. 14-15, from noon to 9 p.m. (early entry for Seniors at 9:30 a.m.); and Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 16-17, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Stop by the exhibits to cool off and see who won. For information, call the Yolo County Fair office at 530-402-2222 or visit the website at yolocountyfair.net.
Adrian West Band heads to Sudwerk stage on Friday
Special to the Express
The Adrian West Band returns to Sudwerk Brewing Co. on Friday, Aug. 15, for another fun two hours of live acoustic rock and jazz, from 7 to 9 p.m. Patrons can enjoy fine food in Sudwerk’s beer garden while the band plays on stage. This is a free show, all ages welcome.
Sudwerk Restaurant is at 2001 Second St. in Davis.
The Adrian West Band is an Oakland-based five-piece acoustic rock ensemble. They’ve been described as “Paul
Simon meets Talking Heads.” The play a fun mix of acoustic rock originals, covers and instrumentals plus a bit of jazz, including vocal harmonies,
acoustic guitar, electric violin, saxophone, upright bass, drums and live looping.
A native of Montreal, Adrian has a knack for setting thoughtful
lyrics to uplifting music. Whether telling a silly story or grappling with the challenges facing humanity, his lyrics are infused with equal parts hope, clear-eyed realism and lighthearted whimsy. Find information at www.adrianwest.com.
This event will take place in the 3,500-square-foot beer garden with all-weather shade structures, misters, fire pits and an entertainment stage. Information about Sudwerk Brewing is at www.sudwerkbrewing.com.
Yes, the show runs a bit longer than your average play, but the payoff — the performances, the setting, the slow-burn suspense — makes every minute worth it.
There’s just one weekend left to catch Murder on the Nile: Friday, Aug. 15, and Saturday, Aug. 16 at 7:30 p.m., and a final matinee Sunday, Aug. 17 at 2 p.m. at the Winters Opera House. Tickets are at winterstheatre.org, and with several sold-out performances already, you might want to secure yours before this ship sails.
rooted in cultural heritage. It’s an opportunity not just to remember those we’ve lost, but to experience the richness of this practice and learn from one another.”
Fiesta tickets are $12 and must be purchased in advance. California Museum members will have access to an exclusive Members-Only Lounge & Terrace along with free admission to the event.
For information or to buy tickets, visit Fiesta25.eventbrite. com.
Located at 1020 O St. in the March Fong Eu Secretary of State complex, the museum is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. General admission is $8-$10.
Plan a visit at californiamuseum.org.
‘Winters Businesses’ exhibit bows out with local stories
The Historical Society of Winters invites the community to a special farewell event for its current exhibit, Winters Businesses Through the Years, on Tuesday, Aug. 26, at 7 p.m. at the Winters Museum, 13 Russell St.
The evening will feature a panel of locals who grew up in small businesses around town, including representatives from Greenwood’s Department Store, Vasey Brothers, Griffin’s Gun and Grog, and Liz Coman, daughter of the town doctor. Panelists will share personal stories and reflections on what it was like to grow up in the heart of Winters’ small-business community.
Organizers also hope to hear from audience members, particularly those who were children of small business owners or who have fond memories of shopping at these local establishments. Attendees are encouraged to share their stories, creating a rich, interactive celebration of Winters’ business history and community spirit.
Vacaville Art Gallery celebrates 60th anniversary on Aug. 16
Special to the Express
The Vacaville Art Gallery invites the public to celebrate the opening of its 60th Annual Juried Art Show with a reception and awards ceremony at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 16. The show will be on display through Sept. 28, showcasing a diverse array of works from talented regional artists.
This milestone
year highlights six decades of creativity and community engagement. Attendees will have the opportunity to view the exhibited artwork, meet participating artists, and celebrate award-winning pieces.
The gallery is regularly open Thursday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.. The Vacaville Art Gallery is located at 718 E. Monte Vista Avenue.
Courtesy photo
Don’t miss the last weekend of Winters Theatre Company’s production of Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Nile.”
Courtesy photo
The Adrian West Band returns to Sudwerk Brewing Co. on Friday, Aug. 15, with a live acoustic rock and jazz performance from 7 to 9 p.m.
Stand Up Comedy Show! Friday August 15th, 8pm in Cameron Park CA. The Stage at Burke Junction @ 8pm / $28 Stand up comedy show at The Stage at Burke Junc‐tion in Cameron Park CA. Your favorite returning headliner, Phat Joe only at The Stage August 15th 8pm. The Stage at Burke Junction, 3300 Coach Lane, Cameron Park. stageatburke@gmail.com
Nibling Rivalry Birthday Show! @ 9pm / $12 Nibling Rivalry is a high-energy, fast-paced, long-form clap-in im‐prov show that will take you on the comedy equivalent of a midway ride at a kitten rodeo. (No kittens will be harmed.) Sacramento Com‐edy Spot, 1050 20th Street, Sacra‐mento. mickey@saccomedys pot.com, 916-444-3137
Manny Maldonado - Live Comedy @ 9:30pm / $29 Aug 15th - Aug 16th Funny, Energetic, those are some of the words to best describe funny man Manny Maldonado! Manny was born in Modesto Cali‐fornia, and raised in an even smaller town called Ceres Ca. Laughs Unlimited Comedy Club and Lounge, 1207 Front Street, Sacramento. laughsunlimited@ gmail.com, 916-446-8128
Volunteer Workday at Bird Entry Park
@ 8:30am Join us for a volunteer workday at Bird Entry Park in Davis! Together, we'll be completing tasks such as trimming, weeding, cleaning up, and adding mulch to native shrubs. Bird Entry Park, Davis. peyton@ putahcreekcouncil.org
Paul Oneto: Live at Bazan Cellars @ 1pm Bazan Cellars Tasting Room, 1300 Main Suites, Napa Magic Nostalgia at Amélie Wine Bar
@ 6:30pm Amelie San Francisco, 1754 Polk St, San Francisco
The Endless Summer @ 7pm Crest Theater, 1013 K Street, Sacramento
Cole Bettles: Manny’s Living Room SetsSongwriter Night @ 7pm
Manny’s, 3092 16th St, San Fran‐cisco
Sudwerk Brewing in Davis. Sudwerk Brewing Co.,
2nd Street, Davis. adrian@adrian
7pm / $10
Francisco, 1355 Bush Street, San Francisco. andrea@musiccitysf.org Caddyshack - Film @ 7pm Crest Theatre, 1013 K Street, Sacramento The Connor Morrison Band, Used to Be Valen‐tines, Right Proper, and The Etiquette at O'Reillys
WTC presents Murder on the Nile @ 7:30pm / $21.05-$23.18 Class, money, and reputation are at stake on a Nile River cruise where deceit, theft, and murder make waves in this suspenseful Agatha Christie whodunit full of mystery and drama. Winters Opera House home of the Winters Theatre Com‐pany, 13 Main Street, Winters. win terstheatre@gmail.com
Jos Eckert: Sofar Sounds –San Francisco @ 8pm Marina District (secret location), San Francisco
Myriah Monet and the Little Fridays: at Yolo County Fair, Derby Night @ 9pm Yolo County Fairgrounds, 1250 Gum Ave, Woodland
Reggae Fest @ 11:30am / $35 Reggae Festival in Napa Valley The Yard by Feast it Forward, 728 1st Street, Napa. info@feastitfor ward.com, 707-819-2403
Roots Man Project at Reggae Fest by Feast it Forward, Napa @ 11:30am The Studio by Feast it Forward, 1031 McKinstry St, Napa
WTC presents Murder on the Nile @ 2pm / $21.05$23.18 Class, money, and reputa‐tion are at stake on a Nile River cruise where deceit, theft, and murder make waves in this suspenseful Agatha Christie whodunit full of mystery and drama. Winters Opera House home of the Winters The‐atre Company, 13 Main Street, Winters. wintersthe atre@gmail.com
Better By the End @ 2pm / $25
A community workshop to create a safe shared space and grow to‐gether 1738 Pomona Dr, 1738 Pomona Drive, Davis. wildish.hap penings@gmail.com, 415-2253075
Love Supreme @ 2pm The Chapel, 777 Valencia St, San Francisco
Jay Wilcox: Magic Moonlight Band @ 6pm The Green Room Social Club, 251 Main St, Placerville
R.O. Shapiro @ 6:30pm House Concert, San Francisco
Paris Chansons @ 6:30pm Blue Note Napa, 1030 Main St, Napa
Mr. Washington @ 7pm DNA Lounge, 375 11th St, San Francisco
Rayito Colombiano
@ 8pm El Billar de Concord, 2395 Monu‐ment Blvd, Concord
Mon 8/18
Rotary Club of Davis Weekly Lunch & Program
@ 12pm See website for details. ro‐taryclubofdavis.com Davis Com‐munity Church, 421 D Street, Davis. spshoe@mac.com
Echo Beach Jazz Band: Jazz concert at Fulton Plaza
@ 2pm Fulton Street Plaza, 147 Fulton St, San Francisco
Salsa Dance Classes - Be‐ginning and Intermediate
Salsa Dance Lessons with Salsa Bachata Dance Party @ 6:30pm / $30 Learn to Salsa Dance plus an AWESOME Salsa Bachata Dance Party. We’re Back, THIS Monday! https://salsamon‐days.eventbrite.com Join us for SalsaCrazy Mondays - where you can learn to Salsa dance Neck of the Woods, 406 Clement Street, San Francisco. info@dancesf.com, 877-398-7025
Aly Rowell 2025 Coastal Folk Tour - Bay Area
@ 6:30pm Kinoko | San Francisco Bay Area Realtors, 592 3rd St, San Francisco
Avara @ 7pm Cafe Du Nord, 2174 Market St, San Francisco
Blush @ 7pm Kilowatt Bar, 3160 16th St, San Francisco
Avara @ 8pm Cafe Du Nord, San Francisco
Precocious Neophyte @ 8pm Kilowatt Bar, 3160 16th St, San Francisco
Kali Uchis @ 8pm Chase Center, 500 Terry A Francois Boulevard, San Francisco
Àvara @ 8pm Cafe Du Nord, 2174 Market St, San Francisco
Clay Bell Live: PRIVATE EVENT NAPA
Saturday Aug 16th
Paul Steward @ 6:30pm
Dave Nachmanoff & The Usual Culprits Outdoor House Concert at The Blue Rose in Woodland @ 7pm 504 Walnut St, 504 Walnut Street, Woodland. mrbear records@gmail.com, 571-438-2939
Dave Nachmanoff & The Usual Culprits will bring heartfelt folk-rock songs to life with rich harmonies and vibrant energy at an outdoor house concert at The Blue
Pleasant
Biscuits & Blues, 401 Mason St, San Francisco
Pro Am Showcase - Live Comedy @ 7pm / $8
New comics and seasoned pros share the stage at Laughs Unlim‐ited to bring you the funny. Get your tickets NOW! Laughs Unlimited Comedy Club and Lounge, 1207 Front Street, Sacramento. laughsun limited@gmail.com, 916-446-8128
Brody Price @ 7pm 4 Star Theater, 2200 Clement St, San Francisco
Israels Arcade @ 7pm Bottom Of the Hill, 1233 17th St, San Francisco
Pete Danger @ 7:30pm Neck Of the Woods, 406 Clement St, San Francisco
A Way With Words/ Pete Danger/ A November Morning/ Camp Crystal @ 7:30pm Neck of the Woods, San Francisco
Perfect Person: The Dial Tone Tour @ 7:30pm Cobb's Comedy Club, San Fran‐cisco
Israel's Arcade @ 8:30pm Bottom Of the Hill, 1233 17th St, San Francisco
Nasser AlRayessSpecial Comedy Event @ 7pm / $35
Syrian-American come‐dian Nasser Al-Rayess, popularly known as @naw_sir and the “Shawarma King,” has rapidly risen as a dynamic force in the comedy world. Laughs Unlimited Comedy Club and Lounge, 1207 Front Street, Sacramento. laughsunlimited@ gmail.com, 916-446-8128
Kat Heart: Stardust Lodge - Feral Heart duo @ 7pm Stardust Lodge, 4061 Lake Tahoe Blvd, South Lake Tahoe
David Graham and The Eskimo Brothers @ 7pm The Hotel Utah Saloon, 500 4th St, San Francisco
Locals Night Featuring : Inner State 80s @ 7:30pm Blue Note Napa, Napa
Leah Rudick
@ 7:30pm Cobb's Comedy Club, San Fran‐cisco
Vetiver @ 8pm Harlow's, 2708 J St, Sacramento
AIGEL in San Francisco
@ 8pm Roccapulco, 3140 Mission St, San Francisco
Kyle Smith @ 8pm Gold�eld Trading Post, Sacramento
Sam Burch�eld @ 8pm Cafe Du Nord, 2170 Market Street, San Francisco
Carquinez Village Presents: Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia @ 10:30am Carquinez Village Speaker Series will address the topic, “Under‐standing Alzheimer’s and Demen‐tia” Benicia Public Library, 150 East L Street, Benicia. jhanley@car qionezvillage.org, 707-297-2472
John Elliott @ 3pm Fulton Street Plaza, 147 Fulton St, San Francisco
Crowd Control
@ 6:30pm Gold�eld Trading Post Sacramento, 1630 J St, Sacramento
7pm /
RNBX
Chris Cauldron: Eli & Fur Dreams at Dusk @ 4pm Aracely Garden, San Francisco
Residents Bash 2025 @ 6pm / $15 Yountville Community Center, 6516 Washington Street, Yountville
Love and Honey: Love + Honey Duo @ Tom's Watch Bar @ 6:30pm Tom's Watch Bar, 414 K St Suite 180, Sacramento
Michael Turner - Live Comedy @ 7pm / $29 Aug 22nd - Aug 23rd
Michael Turner is a stand up co‐median and digital creator, he has gained a following online from stand up clips as well as videos from NFL tailgates with his series called Mike’d Up. Laughs Unlimited Comedy Club and Lounge, 1207 Front Street, Sacramento. laugh sunlimited@gmail.com, 916-4468128
This Friday, Early Bird - THE BEST OF SAN FRANCISCO DANCE LESSONS, MUSIC, AND DANCE CLUB DANCING, You're invited to our Epic Salsa and Bachata and Cumbia Bash Dance Party Dance Fridays, 550 Barneveld, San Fran‐cisco. info@dancesf.com, 877398-7025
FlipABeatClub Presents: WAV Forum 4th Fridays at Neck of the Woods SF @ 8pm Neck of the Woods, San Francisco J. Jaxx at Pocha House @ 9pm Pocha House, 1910 Q St, Sacra‐mento
Michael Turner - Live
@ 9:30pm / $29 Aug 22nd - Aug 23rd
Turner is a stand up co‐
and digital creator, he has gained a following online from stand up clips as well as videos from
