Friday Update on June 5 2020

All,

A couple items for the week:

• The State is expected to release extensive new “guidance documents” for many industries at noon today. From Child Care to Hotels and travel, this is expected to be a significant move by the State. Industry links can be found here: https://covid19.ca.gov/industry-guidance/#top
• For businesses looking for some really good information on conforming with the Covid 19 “guidance” requirements, go to the Yolo County Business Toolkit which is excellent! Here is the link: https://www.yolocounty.org/health-human-services/adults/communicable-disease-investigation-and-control/novel-coronavirus-2019/covid-19-business-toolkit
• Staff is meeting with the organizer of the announced protest at Rotary Park scheduled for next weekend. At this point, we have very few details on the event and our goal will be to work with them to insure as “peaceful” event as they are advertising.
• Kudos to our Public Works Team on an excellent road rehabilitation program for 2020. The striping went down and everything just came out GREAT! Our leader in this area is Eric Lucero and the general contractor was Vintage Paving of Winters. It is really a blessing having Vintage do work because they bring both excellence in how they run their business but also a lot of home town pride in giving us the best they can.
• Enough cannot be said for the collaboration of our Downtown Merchants in evolving to the new Covid 19 demands. The place looks just amazing and the “soft” opening helped avoid things becoming an “event” which would have gotten us into a lot of trouble with the County and the State. I encourage everyone to visit our businesses, get a meal and enjoy a bottle of wine in the ambiance of the best Downtown anywhere!

Finally, the Covid 19 pandemic has been traumatic on our local businesses and because the limited openings are happening does not mean that we are out of the woods on anything. These businesses employ hundreds of people and support a wide range of interests. Whether they are the barber or cosmetologists to our finest restaurants, they have been economically hit beyond comprehension.

Over the months, I have had an opportunity to communicate with most of them in some conversations which absolutely pressed every emotion. The word “resilience” is much over used, but our business community seems to embody it to the word of definition. These are proud people, the backbone of our community, they are independent and solid! They are role models for every student graduating from Winters High and symbols of the greatness of our nation. These are folks who have it all on the line and have been summarily hammered by all which has occurred.

I am always proud to say that I am from “Winters” and never more than today. I got my hair cut yesterday and it never felt better to be sitting in a chair which I know had been empty for months, stealing livelihood and pressing the individuals. The shop was following all the guidelines and getting themselves “back in business” in our “new normal”.

To say I am grateful for our business community is just too little. I would like to encourage everyone to get into Downtown, get that hair cut, buy that dress or gift and enjoy a wonderful meal and a bottle of wine. Do a staycation at the Winters Hotel as they reopen.

Let’s get our town rolling again!

Have a nice weekend.

John