$1
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County speaks out on gun violence News, Page 5
WHS grad discovers hair stylist journey Features, Page 1
Volume 140, Number 21 — Locally-owned since 1884
City balances budget with ARP funds By Jacob Hoffman Express staff writer City manager Kathleen Salguero Trepa noted during the special meeting for the City Council Budget Workshop on Wednesday, June 13, the city expects “ending the year with a surplus of extra revenue over expenditure of about $172,000” saying that, “we have presented a balanced budget, we are balancing, however, with $113,000 in American Rescue Plan (ARP) dollars.” In the staff report attached to the meeting agenda, Winters city staff acknowledge that this year “saw escalating interest rates and inflation levels” as well as “continued labor
shortages and supply chain disruptions” leading to “a contraction in consumer spending in response to inflation.” Additionally, as a result of the Fairfield Inn opening later than expected the “transient occupancy tax (TOT) revenue will close below initial projections.” “However,” the report continues, “on the positive side, building permit activity has remained steady and builders are reporting that the presumed crash in the market following escalating interest rates did not happen…and building is anticipated to continue at a steady pace.” Trepa explained
See CITY, Page 3
The hometown paper of Marge Sebastian
Winters, Yolo County, California, Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Botello is 2022 Firefighter of the Year By Aaron Geerts Express staff writer
Courtesy photo
Mario Botello, reserve volunteer firefighter, was named the Winters Fire Department 2022 Firefighter of the Year.
The Winters Fire Department is filled with dedicated, hardworking and selfless individuals who are all willing to put their lives on the line to protect the community. Among these individuals at the Winters Fire is Mario Botello who was named the 2022 Firefighter of the Year. Born and raised in Ukiah, Botello moved to the Bay Area when he was 13 years old and currently resides in Vallejo. After high school, he knew he wanted to work with his hands and got into welding. After two years, however, he realized it wasn’t quite his calling. From there, he redirected his career crosshairs at becoming an EMT. “Around that time is when the Napa fires started happening
and a lot of people in my class started talking about joining Calfire and getting into the fire service. That’s what originally sparked my interest and started taking classes through Solano College,” Botello explained. “I slowly started completing my classes and ended up joining the fire academy last year that just so happened to be held in Winters. So, I sort of just fell in love with this place and when they opened up positions for volunteers I quickly signed up.” For Botello, his love for Winters is derived from love of his hometown of Ukiah — just another small, closeknit community where everyone knows one another. This passion for community is what drove him to join Winters Fire in August 2022 and he’s
See BOTELLO, Page 5
State funding supports school Officers detain man district budget proposal with knife early Tuesday By Jacob Hoffman Express staff writer
EXPRESS
During the June 6 Winters Joint Unified School District school board meeting, the Board of Trustees heard a report on the district’s proposed budget for the 2023-24 school year, warning that while uncertainties with the state’s budget make certain predictions difficult, the school district has funding ready to maintain its current programs. Winters JUSD Chief Business Officer Jonathan Feagle provided the trustees with a condensed version of the budget that the business team
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is working on, going over the broad elements and answering questions from trustees. The final version of the budget will be brought before the board for approval on June 22, though as Feagle notes, this will be after the state adopts its final state budget. The presentation detailed the proposed budget funds, including the Winters JUSD’s General Fund, its restricted and unrestricted funds, some multiple-year projections, as well as a report on one-time funds. Feagle laid out the business team’s priorities for creating the budget. “To understand a district’s budget,” Feagle explained “it helps to understand the priorities that shape it” continuing that this budget is “consis-
tent with and pursuant of our districts’ mission and equity statements.” These include having “the safety and well-being of all students and staff in mind” as well as it is “important to recruit and retain staff” and that the budget is “organized in a manner that aligns with how the district operates, and allows the different sites and departments to function efficiently,” Feagle said. With this particular budget, Feagle noted that “we also need to consider the real possibility that there may be an economic downturn in the next year or two.” Feagle detailed what he called “assumptions” for the 2023–24 school year that influenced how the proposed budget
See FUNDS, Page 3
Index Features ........................ B-1
Rain
High
Low
Jun. 14
.00
85˚
58˚
Jun. 15
.00
89˚
57˚
Jun. 16
.00
92˚
57˚
Jun. 17
.00
96˚
56˚
Eventos hispanos ....... A-2
Jun. 18
.00
92˚
59˚
Jun. 19
.00
88˚
51˚
Opinion ......................... B-3
Jun. 20
.00
79˚
49˚
Real Estate ................... B-2
Rain for week: 0.00 in. Season’s total: 37.64 in. Last sn. to date: 18.51 in.
Community .................. A-2
Athlete of the Week...... A-5
Winters rainfall season began 7/1/22. Weather readings are taken at 9 a.m. daily by local weatherman Joe Bristow.
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Winters residents woke up to a shelterin-place emergency notification Tuesday morning after police responded to an alert that an individual with a knife was outside the Winters Public Safety Facility. The initial incident occurred in the early morning hours of Tuesday, June 20, when Winters Police Department received a call at 3:32 a.m. from a resident on the 900 block of Vasey Way, who reported that a neighbor had attempted to open his front door. Police Chief John P. Miller confirmed the caller said he was familiar with the individual for having mental-health challenges and did not want to press charges for the attempted trespassing
Express staff
Upcoming: Festival de la Comunidad Winters Community Corazón and the Winters Hispanic Advisory Committee are collaborating to host this year’s Festival de la Comunidad — also called Carnitas Festival — which will be held on Saturday, Sept. 30 from 4–10:30 p.m. at Rotary Park in Winters.
Courtesy photo
The large knife was obtained by police after the man holding it was placed on a 72-hour mental-health hold. incident. However, soon after Winters Fire Department personnel alerted Winters PD dispatch that a subject was banging on the front doors of the Winters Public Safety Facility (PSF) armed with a large knife. An officer responded and attempted to initiate communication with the subject and it was determined it was the same individual from
“We have great entertainment lined up and are getting excited about the event. Please save the date,” said Winters City Councilmember Jesse Loren, Winters Community Corazon chair. “This will be a great event filled with joy, music, dancing and great food. We couldn’t do it without you.” The community can view a slideshow from last year’s event
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Classifieds ................... B-4
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the Vasey Way incident. Miller said the officer continued to attempt communication dialogue with the subject while waiting for additional assistance from the Yolo County and Solano County Sheriff’s Offices to arrive on the scene. The subject wasn’t communicative, refused to follow commands
See CRIME, Page 6 at https://youtu.be/ DfnE2MYQV6A.
West Nile in Yolo The Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District announced they have detected the first signs of West Nile Virus (WNV) activity in Yolo County after a mosquito sample collected from Woodland tested positive for the disease. This season, surveillance efforts have once again detected
See LOCAL, Page 6
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