Annual Yolo Alert Test tomorrow! (10/21/2021)

City Manager’s Update (pdf)
October 15, 2021

Greetings, all. The Police Department has gotten into the spirit for the season! Well done to all the City staff who have helped decorate city facilities for the Scarecrow Festival. So good!

Please Note:
❖ The contractor for Three Oaks Park will hydroseed tomorrow (Saturday, 10/16) beginning no sooner than 8:00 a.m. Work had to be rescheduled from earlier in the week due to high winds. And we are eager to help this construction move along. Please note it is important to stay of the grass area so that the turf can get established. Thank you!
❖ The parts for the new playground equipment at both Blue Oak and Valley Oak Parks are on track to arrive next week. We are eager to open the new equipment to all those kids out there! Thank you for your patience.
❖ In response to some concerns regarding the Green River Tap Room on Putah Creek Road across the bridge, the owner has indicated he is working with a sound engineer to research options to redirect music away from the creek. He is also monitoring decibel levels to ensure noise stays within his permit restrictions, which was issued by Solano County. The owner hopes to make some changes to his stage area beginning in November.To share any concerns directly with the owner or monitor event activity, please visit https://greenrivertaproom.net/. Because Green River isn’t in the City of Winters or Yolo County, the best way to follow up on enforcement activities is to contact Solano County staff through their portal here. The following Solano County staff are involved with issuing or enforcing permits: Allan Calder, Planning Manager; Jim Leland, Principal Planner; and Saeed Iravani, Building Official. You could also reach out to either Yolo Supervisor Don Saylor or Solano County Supervisor John Vasquez.
❖ If you missed the Sacramento Archive Crawl presentation on the lost Japanese community of Winters, a video of the presentation by Floyd Shimomura and Emily Masuda is available here. And don’t forget to visit the Winters Museum at 13 Russell open Thursday – Sunday, 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. to see the exhibit.

Don’t Miss Out!
❖ The Yolo County Advisory Redistricting Commission will meet on Monday, October 18th 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. The Commission will review the initial drafts of proposed supervisorial districts and take public comment. The agenda and Zoom link are here. Written comments may be submitted to redistricting@yolocounty.org.
❖ Waggoner Elementary School is going to get some upgrades! The Winters Joint Unified School District has scheduled a community forum for October 27th at 6 p.m. via Zoom at https://wintersjusd-org.zoom.us/j/91887513992. More information about the Measure W bond approved by Winters voters in 2020 is available here. Please plan on attending to learn more and share your thoughts on how these bond dollars should be invested in local schools.
❖ Teen Alert! The Winters Community Library invites all teens in 6th through 12th grade to join the Teen Library Council (TLC). A TLC is a group of teens who give us input and help us put on awesome programs. Let your voice be heard-- help create teen experiences catered to YOUR interests at the library. The council will give its members an opportunity to develop leadership skills, enhance college and job applications, and earn community service hours.
The council will meet once a month on the 3rd Tuesday of every month from 3:30 to 4:30 in the Winters Community Library Teaching Garden. The first meeting is on Tuesday, October 19th at 3:30 pm. Get your teen excited about community engagement and encourage them to join the first meeting to learn more.

Did You Know?
❖ Yolo County's call-to-order vaccination program is continuing to deliver and administer vaccinations to people in their homes or at their workplaces. Call 530-902-3230 to make an appointment. (Spanish: 530-379-3465; Russian: 530-908-0721). More information about COVID-19 vaccinations in Yolo County can be found here.

❖ Chevron is open! Please swing through to buy some gas and snacks!

Upcoming Council Meeting – October 19, 2021
The agenda packet is linked here. Consent items include agreements and works orders for technical studies related to development projects, an agreement with HdL for an online business license platform, an extension of the Main Street weekend closure program for the outdoor gathering area, a continuation of remote public meetings under AB 361, and an overview of the Conditional Use Permit process. In addition, there will be two public hearings (final reading and adoption of the updated Fire & Building Codes and EV charging rates for the new chargers). The two discussion items relate to upcoming special events and special event policies and city facility fees.
Please note: upcoming special event approvals include the holiday tree lighting on Friday December 4th, tractor parade on December 5th, and a holiday bazaar on Main Street on December 11th. This last event is a new one: coordinated by Holden Events approximately 65 vendors will be set up selling their wares on Main Street from 2nd Street to the mid-block crossing by Ace Hardware. Time for your last minute holiday shopping!

Woot Woot!
Or should I say Hoot! Hoot! On Thursday night, Julie Cotton, the Interim Operations Supervisor at the California Raptor Center, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, released a great horned owl in the Winters Nature Park. The owl had been found with an injured wing and rehabilitated at the Center. We are thrilled to be able to collaborate with the Center to serve as a release point for rehabilitated animals.

Good evening, all. I just received the information below from our PG&E liaison. The PSPS event for tomorrow will be smaller and shorter, beginning at 5:00 a.m. Please make sure to sign up for PSPS alerts at https://www.pge.com/en_US/residential/outages/public-safety-power-shuttoff/learn-about-psps.page

Customer projections have been reduced down to 250 customers.  Estimated time of restoration is the same day, 10/14 at 7:00 p.m.

Best, Kathleen

Good evening, all. PG&E has advised us of another PSPS event beginning Thursday. The expectation is for approximately the same accounts impacted as the current one. The estimated shut down is anticipated to begin at 2 a.m. and may last through Friday at 2 p.m.

FYI, Kathleen

Good afternoon, everyone.

Tomorrow PG&E expects sustained winds of up to 40 mph, which will trigger a PSPS event in select areas in the county, primarily around Lake Berryessa, western Winters and Capay Valley. The shut down will begin around 6 a.m. Community Resource Centers will be opened at the PG&E training facility off Grant Avenue from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Please see the attached map. Projected accounts in Winters  – approximately 217 customers.  Unincorporated Yolo County customers is projected to be 298. To verify if your address will be included in this PSPS event, please check here.

Best,

Kathleen

City Manager’s Update  (pdf)
September 24, 2021

Greetings, all. Fall is upon us! Which means the town will be decorated to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, fall harvest, and Halloween. And it’s getting cooler! What a great time to stroll around downtown and the various neighborhoods to see how people have decorated. For information about the scarecrow festival, please read below…

COVID-19

• Yolo County is looking for volunteers to assist with vaccination clinics. Volunteers assist with set up, take down, registration, screening, vaccination, traffic control, translation, medical observation and overall management of the vaccination clinics. Anyone sixteen years of age and older can volunteer and community service certificates can be issued for volunteer hours upon request. Volunteers must complete the “Medical Points of Dispensing (MPOD)” course at http://yolopodclasses.org before applying to volunteer. For more information, please email coordinator@yolocounty.org.

Please Note:

• People are still falling victim to phone scams; please be careful and do not provide personal information to callers, even if they say they are from Amazon…
• The new playground equipment that has been installed at both Blue Oak and Valley Oak Parks need replacement pieces so the equipment will be closed for one to two weeks while we wait for the new parts. Please remain off the equipment in the meantime as it has not been certified as ready for playtime. Also, work continues at Three Oaks Park. The landscape will require a three-month establishment period once completely installed before the park opens in order for the plant material to take hold. We’ll keep you posted on that schedule.
• The new EV chargers at the Community Center have been programmed and are ready for use. Please note users will be charged for use.
• We’re still looking for a tractor for the Putah Creek entrance into town….If you have an old one rusting in a field someplace, we would be happy to relocate it and provide a tax donation letter or purchase it at a reasonable cost…I’m told the damaged tractor cannot be repaired.
• The pool heater thermometer needs to be replaced; the part has been ordered. In the meantime, during the week, staff manually heats the pool in the morning and turns it off around noon. Staff is also tarping the water to help maintain a comfortable water temperature. However, the weekend water temperatures will be chillier until the heater can be repaired since no one will be able to manually set the heater…Apologies for the inconvenience.
• An Information Technology Virtual Career Fair will be held on October 7, 2021, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., which will provide job seekers the opportunity to connect with over 30 State of California departments that are actively looking to fill hundreds of information technology openings. Attendees will gain access to live virtual booths where they can ask questions directly to departments. Interested parties can register for the job fair at https://tinyurl.com/36jwkjsror or by visiting the YoloWorks! webpage. The State of California will also offer an hour-long “How to Begin Your Information Technology Career” seminar at 10 a.m. during the virtual career fair.
• The City of Winters is looking for a shebang Administrative Services Director to replace Shelly Gunby who is retiring in 2022 following a 25-year career at City Hall. More information is here if you know of a municipal finance professional!

Don’t Miss Out!

• The Chamber is ready to kick off the Scarecrow Festival! There were so many outstanding decorations around town last year. More information and images are available here. I can’t wait to see what people come up with this year…
• Yolo County Library will host a free virtual screening of the documentary "Not If, But When: Wildfire Solutions" on Monday, October 4, from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m., which will be followed by a Q&A with the directors. This 40-minute film delves into the controversial world of wildfire solutions with their pros and cons and their successes and challenges. The film includes expert interviews, drone footage, historical data and maps. This event is generously sponsored by the Friends of the Davis Library.

Zoom Link:   https://us04web.zoom.us/j/71587167061?pwd=TzdZNis5SklJTjFGTGJndjZNU1Yxdz09 

Zoom Meeting ID: 717 8716 7061; Zoom Passcode:  8niYbT

Did You Know?

This week’s cultural corner is brought to you by the Yolo County Library System, which is celebrating Banned Books Week, September 26 – October 2.  This annual event celebrates the freedom to read whatever you want. The theme of this year’s event is “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.”  The Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2020 are listed here yolocountylibrary.org/banned—books. Banned Books Week was launched by the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. It celebrates the value of free and open access to information while highlighting current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. Happy reading to all you readers out there! Open minds = open hearts.

• The Davis League of Women’s Voters is hosting a virtual community forum, “Health Reform & Social Justice: Opportunities for Reducing Inequity and Addressing Health Disparities” on Wednesday, October 6 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. This forum aims to educate voters about our current healthcare model and how it impacts local care access, affordability, quality and equity. Use the QR code or type in the link address for more information.

Upcoming Council Meeting

The next meeting is October 5, via Zoom. Staff is preparing a large discussion item related to Council priorities, the FY 20-21 budget surplus and American Rescue Plan funding, as well as a variety of proposed projects that can be funded with these sources.

Woot Woot!

I love how Winters celebrates the fall, and how the town comes together to decorate and beautify. I like to say it takes a team at work, and a village at home. I love pots (plural), and the planter pot outside of City Hall’s main entrance is fantastic, so a big thank you to the Guerilla Gardeners who maintain pots and planter beds around downtown.

And another big thank you to the Hispanic Advisory Committee members who decorated downtown for Hispanic Heritage Month. In their honor, and in honor of all of our Hispanic community members (from whence they came recently or five generations ago), please take the time to sample some carnitas or any of your other favorite dishes from our local restaurants. HAC may have canceled the Festival de la Comunidad, but we can still savor the flavors of Hispanic culture. From my family to yours, !Viva España! And to all the other countries that make up Hispanic cultures.

And talk about community collaboration! The Winters booth at the Sacramento Farm to Fork Festival last weekend was nothing short of phenomenal. I understand kudos go to Lynda and Bill Hinds and Emarie and Nick Vangalio. “Stay and savor the charm” is a great tag line. So well done, everyone.

City Manager’s Update (pdf)
September 17, 2021
Greetings, all. I’ve noted lots of tidbits below. It looks like a glorious weekend out there. Enjoy it wherever the weekend adventures take you. I’ll take 86 over 106 any day. And yay for rain along the NorCal coast!

COVID-19
The County has continued its call-to-order vaccine for home and businesses. Phone numbers to schedule an appointment in English, Spanish or Russian are in the box. The service is free and available to all Yolo County residents 12 and older. Public health experts indicate that vaccines and indoor masking are the most effective way to minimize the spread of COVID.

Please Note:
❖ The restrooms at Rotary Park are closed for a few days; the water main into the restrooms is leaking and needs to be repaired so the water has been shut off. A sign was posted. Apologies for the inconvenience.
❖ Waste Management has been experiencing staffing challenges and has returned to dividing the City in two sections for brush collection (Grant Ave is the dividing line). Drivers will alternate routes on regularly scheduled days. There is no change to curbside trash, recycling and green waste service. To contact Waste Management, please click here.
❖ The Winters Fire Department August newsletter is available  here.
❖ September is National Literacy Month! The Yolo County Library system is looking for tutors and participants for its Yolo Reads Program. The program helps adults improve reading and writing skills with individual tutoring. More information is here.
❖ The City’s street rehabilitation project is switching gears. The slurry portion of the project is complete (looks great!). Grind and pave along Railroad (Russell to Grant), Russell (Railroad to 2nd), Morgan (Grant to E. Main) and East Street (E. Main to the sewer pump station) is scheduled to begin on October 14. Striping of the newly slurried and paved roads will occur after all pavement work is completed. Please note: the grinding is necessary to lay down new pavement and will be loud…We appreciate everyone’s patience during this important work.
❖ New playground at Valley Oak Park is in process. A defective platform needs to be replaced so the new equipment will be closed until the new part arrives….At least it doesn’t have a microchip…Installation of new equipment at Blue Oak Park continues next week.
❖ Staff is establishing an account with Blink for the new EV chargers at the Community Center. Users will need to pay for using the chargers and extended charging will result in an occupancy fee to encourage drivers to move their vehicles so other cars can be charged. Once the system has been programmed, the chargers will be turned on.

Don’t Miss Out!
❖ Yolo County is going through the redistricting process for its Board of Supervisors. On Monday, September 27, Redistricting Commissioner Mia Durham will host a community forum at the Public Safety Facility, 702 W. Main Street, from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. The meeting will be in-person, masks required. To RSVP, please email mia_arc@yochadehe-nsn.gov. More information regarding the redistricting process is available here.

Did You Know?
❖ The first human case of West Nile was recently diagnosed inYolo County. The best way to prevent West Nile virus infection and other mosquito-borne illnesses is to prevent the bite of an infected mosquito. Following the 7 D’s decreases the risk of
mosquito bites. For more information, please visit www.fightthebite.net.
➢ DRAIN any standing water that may produce mosquitoes.
➢ DAWN and DUSK are times to avoid being outside. These are the times when mosquitoes are most active.
➢ DRESS appropriately by wearing long sleeves and pants when outdoors.
➢ DEFEND yourself against mosquitoes by using an effective insect repellent, such as DEET, Picaridin or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus.
➢ DOOR and window screens should be in good working condition. This will prevent mosquitoes from entering your home.
➢ DISTRICT personnel are available to address any mosquito problem you may be experiencing by calling 1-800-429-1022.

Upcoming Council Meeting – Tuesday, September 21 via Zoom
Please click on the link (Open link from this document here)for the 9/21 agenda. Items include: updating the Public Works standard specifications, accepting the Final Map for Three Oaks Park, appointing Ethan Walsh as the City Attorney and amending the retainer amount for BBK, purchasing a vehicle for Public Works, awarding a contract for the new influent screen at the Wastewater Treatment Facility, an update on SB 9 and SB 10, setting the public hearing date for the adoption of the Building and Fire Code for October 19, and a letter of support for First 5’s Welcome Baby program.
On a related note, I would like to thank Iris Yang for her service as City Attorney this last year. We wish her many happy adventures as she heads into a much deserved retirement. As noted above, subject to Council approval, Ethan Walsh has agreed to return to Winters as lead City Attorney. Assistant City Attorney Joanna Gin will continue to be our daily legal resource – thank you, Ethan and Joanna. And congratulations, Iris! Enjoy your time!

Woot Woot!
Last weekend was the 20th anniversary of 9/11, which seemed to make it more impactful than prior years, at least for me. What a terrifying day that was for the thousands of people directly affected by the terrorist attacks, and the millions of people glued to their televisions in dumb-struck horror. We honor those who died that day, who ran into flaming buildings to save thousands, who stormed a cockpit to avert more deaths while facing their own. To the rescuers and everyday heroes who responded, volunteered, fed and cared for others, who pulled together to offer comfort, and to those who answered the call of duty and joined the armed forces. We honor you all, and each other, for representing the best of American ideals and values. For coming together, united.

Good afternoon, everyone. There will not be a Friday Update this week, but I did want to share COVID testing and vaccination information. Information is below and attached.

Also, the Healthy Yolo testing facility in front of the library is available Tuesdays and Thursdays. More information is linked here<https://healthydavistogether.org/schooltesting/winters/>. No appointment necessary; however, if you register in advance you’ll move through the process more quickly. This is a saliva based test so no drinking or eating within 30 minutes of spitting into the test kit!

Feel free to distribute the attached flyers in your social media or post in your store windows. The Call to Order Vaccine Service has been extended through September. It doesn’t get any easier than having someone come to your home or workplace to get vaccinated.

Have a good week,

Kathleen

City Manager’s Update (pdf)  
September 3, 2021

Happy Labor Day, everyone. I hope you enjoy the long weekend. Thank you to all those essential workers who support us in our every day lives – in stores and restaurants, the supermarket and gas stations, all the delivery drivers, agricultural workers, teachers, police and fire and City Hall workers, plus the dog walking, grocery delivering helpers. We appreciate you and need you! Gracias.

COVID-19

• The Winters Joint Unified School District is partnering with Healthy Yolo Together to offer free, saliva-based COVID-19 testing in front of the library at 708 Railroad for WJUSD staff, students and the community. The site will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. – 6:15 p.m. (closed for lunch from 1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.) More information is linked HERE. Thank you WJUSD & Healthy Yolo Together for this important public health service.
• Yolo County continues to offer free vaccination service at your home or worksite.

Please Note:

• The blood banks need blood donations. Please swing by the Community Center on September 13 from 1 – 6 p.m. to donate. Information in the box.
• Due to the unprecedented drought and extremely dry conditions, PG&E is updating equipment settings to automatically turn off power if an object strikes a line or there is an issue with the equipment. This “fast trip” setting reduces the risk of a potential wildfire and will be used when wildfire potential is the greatest, most often in late summer and fall. Fast trip outages are not Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS). For more information, visit pge.com/wildfiresafety. For questions, please email wildfiresafety@pge.com or call 1-800-PGE-5000.

 Upcoming Council Meeting – September 7, 2021

We have a very busy agenda for next Tuesday, link HERE. There are two public hearings: one for the draft Housing Element Update and the other extending the urgency ordinance prohibiting grading permits unless conditions established by the City Council have been satisfied. We will also recommend that the City Council adopt updated building and fire codes. The consent calendar includes the formation of the Natural Resources Commission, appointments to the Senior Commission on Aging and the Yolo County Habitat Conservancy Implementation Advisory Committee, bond amounts for the City Clerk and City Treasurer, the appointment of Shelly Gunby as interim City Clerk, budget amendments for two public works projects, and the designation of Jesse Loren as a voting delegate for the CalCities annual membership meeting.

City Hall Tidbits

• Sometimes it’s the basics that really count, or the simple things. Tom Davis, our contract building official, has been quietly settling in. If you’re looking for him, just peak through the Building Division door and he’ll let you know if he’s out for inspections. We might not see his sign as much though, since our new part-time permit technician starts on Tuesday, Lauren Shelley. Come on by and say hello.
• Captain Art Mendoza, Driver Operator Jr. Mederos and Firefighter Cameron Simental have been working the Dixie Fire for the past week. Our thanks go out to them and all the emergency responders on all the fire lines.
• We’re always looking for volunteers for the fire department. It’s a great team, doing great work for the community. For more information, please click HERE.
• After almost 25 years Administrative Services Director Shelly Gunby has announced her final retirement plans and will depart City Hall mid-January. We’ve opened a recruitment to replace her. More information is available HERE. If you know a municipal finance professional who wants to work for a great community, please help spread the word. Applications are due by October 6.

Woot Woot!

• A huge thank you to all the new volunteers for Meals on Wheels, which had to reduce service to our seniors in need due to a shortage of volunteers. It seems a few of you responded to the call to action, so a very big thank you. It takes a village! If you would like to help out, please see mowyolo.org; call (530) 662-7035 or email volunteer@mowyolo.org for more information.
• Major kudos to all the students and artists with the Winters Participation Gallery who painted the mural on the wall of Kountry Kitchen at the corner of Railroad and Grant. Mark your calendars - The students and lead artists will sign the mural on September 14th at the Winters Market from 6pm-7pm. Thank you for helping to beautify Winters one wall at a time!

For more information about the murals around town and the Winters Participation Gallery, please visit their website at www.wintersparticipationgallery.org/home .