03/26/2021 City Manager’s Update

 City Manager's Update (pdf)
March 26, 2021

• -Greetings, all. It is glorious out! I hope everyone can soak up the sun this weekend and enjoy the fresh air. And we’re in the Orange Tier! which means fewer restrictions for indoor activities, occupancy levels, and gatherings. For more information, please click here.  On a related note, the downtown area is getting lively. Come visit your favorite shops, restaurants and tasting rooms, and help our local businesses recover from the pandemic.

A quick note: I was off last Thursday and Friday, hence no Friday update. Given next week’s holidays, as noted below, there will be no Update next week.

COVID-19

• -Yolo County is preparing to extend COVID-19 vaccines to 50+ by April 1 and 16+ by April 15, consistent with the Governor’s recent order. Stay tuned as more information is available. For information about the efficacy of the vaccines and public vaccination clinics, please see the link here. If you’re on the hunt for a vaccine, please register with your medical provider (if you haven’t already) and monitor pharmacies and public vaccination clinics.

Please Note:

• -Valley Clean Energy (VCE) would like customers to be aware of potential utility bill scams. Customers have reported receiving calls stating that the customer’s third-party energy provider is overcharging them. VCE’s rates match PG&E’s rates on the electric bill, so customers are not being overcharged for electricity. Please be aware that:

• -VCE will not call you or go door-to-door to ask you for personal information, including your PG&E account number, bank account information or Social Security Number.
• -Be cautious of people requesting to come into your home pretending to represent a utility company, unless you have booked the appointment and are certain the representative is from the utility company.
• Contact VCE or PG&E directly for information about your electric account (PG&E for gas), or to pay your bill.
• -Contact the police for any suspicious activity.

You can reach VCE’s Customer Care team at 1-855-699-8232 Monday-Friday 7am-7pm. PG&E can be reached at 1 (800) 743-5000.

• -City Hall will be closed Wednesday, March 31, for Cesar Chavez Day. Established in 2014 as a federal holiday, City Hall celebrates the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez on this day and the values of social justice and human dignity for all, values that are imbedded in the Winters community.
• -City Hall will also close on Friday, April 2, at noon for employees to celebrate Good Friday, an important day in the Christian faith before Easter Sunday.

Don’t Miss Out!

• -Registration is open for the Winters After School Program, which serves students from Kindergarten to 5^th grade, after school until 6 p.m. The program operates from Waggoner Elementary School; children from Shirly Rominger are bussed over daily. The program includes academic assistance, reading, enrichment, recreation and a healthy snack. Tuition varies based on family income, from $120 / month to $50 / month. There is a $25 / month discount per sibling. Reduced fees are subject to documentation from the School District regarding the school lunch program. For more information, please see https://www.cityofwinters.org/wasp-sign-up/.
• -Munchkin Summer Camp registration has started!  Sign up online at https://www.cityofwinters.org/msc-sign-up/ or pick up a packet in front of City Hall.
• -2 sessions: June 21-July 9 & July 12-July 30
• -Monday-Friday 8am - 3pm
• -Breakfast, lunch and snack included daily
• -While at camp students will enjoy: academics, enrichment, STEM, recreation, reading and more!
• -Tuition varies from $250 a student per session to $125 per session for those receiving free lunch (must turn in the 2020-21 school lunch letter to receive the discount).
• -For more information, please see https://www.cityofwinters.org/munchkin-summer-camp/

-The City is updating its Housing Element and needs your input! Please visit the City’s website to review a pre-recorded presentation and participate in the survey, which is available here.

Please note, the Housing Element identifies potential locations for housing development in order to meet the State’s mandated housing production goals for the City of Winters, and establishes policies to help reduce barriers to housing. Any and all development projects would need to follow the appropriate development process, including the area north of Moody Slough that is covered by the voter approved Measure A. Last November 2018 City voters approved a measure that stipulates that no development in the area north of Moody Slough and in the unincorporated City Sphere of Influence may occur until a community-based specific plan is prepared and approved by the voters. At this time, funds have not been identified to support that specific planning process, and work has not yet begun. Therefore, although the northern area is zoned to support housing, any projects would need to wait for a specific plan to be approved first.

• -The Putah Creek Council is coordinating community creek clean up projects for April 3^rd and 10^th at Winters Nature Park and Dry Creek. For more information, please visit the Putah Creek Council website at putahcreekcouncil.org and click on the event calendar.

 Did You Know?

• -As the region begins to explore the creation of a Fire Safety Council, there are excellent resources to help property owners mitigate fire risk, such as the brochure prepared by the California Fire Safe Council available here. Led by the Yolo County Resource Conservation District, more information about creating a local Fire Safety Council is available on the RCD website.
• -Construction at Blue Mountain Terrace Apartments is moving along. The apartments are expected to open in May and will now include a generator that will power the complex’s community room to support residents in the event of a power shut-off. Blue Mountain Terrace is a 63-unit affordable housing project for seniors 62 and older and disabled adults. For more information or to be placed on an interest list, please visit the City’s website at http://projects.cityofwinters.org/blue-mountain-terrace/ or contact the project manager at (866) 666-0350.
• -Yolo County Children’s Alliance (YCCA) offers free Medi-Cal and Covered California enrollment assistance, which may be particularly helpful for any business owners or employees whose hours have been affected by the pandemic this year. Assistance is offered in English, Spanish, Russian, and Farsi. For more information, please click here or call (916) 572-0560.

 Upcoming Council Meeting

• -The next City Council meeting is April 6 and will include several topics of interest to the community, including the City Hall reopening plan and an update on funding through the American Rescue Plan for the City of Winters. City Hall will reopen to walk in service on Monday, April 12.

Yolo United Against Hate

My final thoughts for today: On March 24, I listened to a YED talk sponsored by Yolo County officials and stakeholders about racism and xenophobia that continue to plague our communities. The video is available here. The stories shared by people from the Asian American Pacific Islander community were quite moving; please take the time to listen to them.

For those who haven’t directly experienced racism, xenophobia or white supremacy, it might be easy to not realize how racism impacts and undermines institutional structures, community relationships, and even our economy.  However, our community peace, harmony and economic wellbeing depend on stamping out all vestiges of racism, intolerance and discrimination. The City Council passed a resolution in 2017 declaring its support for an inclusive community and did so again this month when it passed a resolution condemning racism, violence and hateful speech against the AAPI community. I am proud to serve a Council and a community that supports and celebrates its diversity as Winters does.