Friday Update on January 18 2019
All,
A couple items as I return from two weeks out of the office!
- Heavy rains from the past couple weeks brought flooding to parts of our town on wednesday, affecting a number of homes. Kudos to Winters Public Works and Fire for their response, literally working through the night from Wednesday into Thursday to unclog drains and pump flooding water.
- Planning Commission Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 22 and will include a Permit for the Buckhorn Food Truck and a review of the draft Vacation Rental Ordinance.
- The Strategic Planning Workshop on Economic Development previously scheduled for January 23 has been cancelled and will be rescheduled to another date. Delays in the production, review and relesae of the Economic Development Committee’s Report and Recommendations is the reason. Stay tuned for updates on the meeting days and times.
- Good news in Transparency for the City of Winters Website. The City scored highest amongst all Yolo County Agencies for our website transparency in grading done by the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO). LAFCO actually scored 2 percentage points higher, but they were doing the grading, so I am giving us a bump! To review the report, go HERE.
- Saturday evening is the Year in Review and will honor Linda Glick Landes (Citizen of the Year), Karen May (Senior of the Year), Baldo Arce (Theodore Winters Award) and the Treehouse is Business of the Year.
Some hot items on my plate as the City Manager:
- Interviews and Selection for Fire Chief
- Economic Development Committee Report and Recommendations
- Winters Housing Element Update Preparation
- Greater Winters Community Wildfire Protection Plan
- Monthly General Plan Updates
- Budget Review and Tightening.
- Sacramento Valley City Manager’s Group Assistance to the Town of Paradise
- Succession Planning for key positions
Finally, the ambush and murder of Davis Police Officer Natalie Corona is a staggering reminder of the dangerous world we live in and the risks our law enforcement personnel take on a daily basis. Just a senseless incident, taking a young officer who had her life and career in front of her mostly before it ever began. At the memorial service today, Winters was represented by our Police Chief John Miller, Sergeant Jose Hermosillo, Officer Alan Pinette, Department Chaplain Robert Duvall, K9 Kepi and our the entire Police Cadet group. I saw them before they left and could not think of a more appropriate group to represent our town. I was immensely proud and honored by them.
Winters Police Personnel were also on patrol in Davis during the memorial and procession for Officer Corona to her hometown of Arbuckle.
The threats to our law enforcement grow daily. California is a State with a dichotomy of interests which make it very difficult to be a police officer. Laws, initiatives and interests challenge and work to redefine the entire field of law enforcement almost daily. In today’s world, police have become the social workers of the streets, dealing with the many folks bitten by mental and emotional health issues previously dealt with through a broader dealing legal system. At the same time, legislation and initiatives have decriminalized and legalized certain offenses and behaviors which many in society do not completely understand. When you add in various levels of media and political sentiment towards law enforcement, its tough!
Yet, it is these same individuals who keep our communities safe, protecting us from those who do harm or the first we will call when we have a major issue. They are the ones who enter some of the most dangerous situations in the name of service and duty. They confront the worst in our society while consoling those in their most dire moments. In Winters, I have witnessed some of the most incredible moments of compassion from the Winters Police Department to help those in need. Heroism comes in many forms, sometimes in the physical but probably most often in the emotional and support to those who are most affected.
As I watched today’s memorial I was gratified that they focused on the hope and enthusiasm that Officer Corona brought to her job as a Davis Police Officer. Hopefully there are people who can take motivation from Natalie Corona who will step up to fill her career destiny for her. She was immensely proud to be a police officer! Without question, her memory will live forever in the hearts of her colleagues and family. Being in law enforcement is unquestionably one of the most challenging and honorable professions. I personally am honored to work with these men and women and am grateful for their service. Hopefully people will light a candle tonight for Officer Natalie Corona.
Thanks,
John