Daily Republic: Friday, April 14, 2023 by mcnaughtonmedia

SMUD set to begin wind turbine project A3

Solano schools could get a flag football league B1 FRIDAY | April 14, 2023 | $1.00

DAILYREPUBLIC.COM | Well said. Well read.

Local attorney holds big lead in Benicia Unified special election Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Attorney Amy C. Hirsh appears to be on her way to winning the Trustee Area 5 seat on the Benicia Unified School District board. following Hirsch, Tuesday night’s special election count, had banked 592 votes – 58.61% of all ballots counted. As of Wednesday, those numbers were reported at 630 votes (57.59%), the unofficial results from the Solano County Registrar of Voters states. The next closest candidate is Ariana A. Martinez with 302 votes (27.61%), followed by Ali Mansouri with 162 votes (14.81%), the Elections Office reported. There were two write-in ballots that were rejected, the county reported. John Gardner, assistant registrar of voters, said starting Wednesday there were 48 provi-

sional and mail-in ballots that had been received to count, plus ballots received in the mail, and two other ballots, the signatures on which are being verified. “We can still receive ballots in the mail for another week as long as they are postmarked (by April 11),” Gardner said. That deadline is April 18. Gardner expects to certify the results by April 25. The term ends after the 2026 general election. There were 4,110 registered voters in the trustee area eligible to vote. The turnout was 26.69%, the Elections Office reported on Wednesday. The board seat was left vacant when no one chose to run during the November general election. The school board then appointed Martinez. However, three others considered for the appointment filed a petition arguing there See Election, Page A8

Suspected leaker of top-secret Pentagon documents arrested Tribune Content Agency The FBI arrested a 21-year-old Air National Guardsman in connection with the leak of highly classified documents including maps, intelligence updates and the assessment of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Jack Teixeira, who serves as a cyber specialist for the U.S. Air Force National Guard, was taken into custody Thursday afternoon in Massachusetts without incident. He will be arraigned in U.S. District Court in Boston on Friday. He will be charged with “unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information,” Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters at a Washington news conference. “This investigation is ongoing. We will share more information at the appropriate time.”

Teixeira’s role in the National Guard is listed by the Air Force as a cyber transport systems journeyman. The service describes the position on its website as this: “Whether it’s repairing a network hub at a stateside base or installing fiberoptic cable at a forward installation overseas, these experts keep our communications systems up and running and play an integral role in our continuing success.” The New York Times reported earlier Thursday that Teixeira was the leader of a gaming chat group where the classified documents first appeared. The leak of dozens of pages of documents has been described as one of the most damaging and embarrassing intelligence disclosures in a decade. The documents were shared among a small group on the Discord text and video See Leak, Page A8

Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic file (2016)

Debris is sorted and removed during a walnut harvest at Sunrise Orchards in Vacaville, in 2016.

Solano seeks funding, regulatory relief, flexibility in Farm Bill Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — A draft copy of a policy paper on the 2023 Farm Bill has circulated among the Solano County supervisors, seeking comments on the critical federal legislation. Their comments, not yet available, are expected to be sent to the county’s federal lobbying firm, Paragon, by April 14, in time for a series of Senate hearings starting on the following Monday. The emphasis, of course, is an effort to advocate for county agricultural issues. The gross production value in 2021 was a record $407.64 million. “The 2023 Farm Bill comes at a time when farmers are facing

inflated input costs, supply chain bottlenecks and shortages, and an increasing number of severe weather events. As lawmakers sift through competing priorities, to follow is a brief summary of policy considerations that would help protect and enhance Solano County’s significant agricultural resources, while also ensuring that nutrition supports are available to families in need, the draft white paper states. The paper then breaks out categories addressing commodities, conservation, nutrition, rural development, research and extension, horticulture, crop insurance and ends with the county’s support for the National Animal Health Preparedness and Response Program

See Farm, Page A8

Wednesday Club fashion show takes trip through Suisun Valley wine country Susan Hiland

SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

SUISUN CITY — Shimmering glasses filled with wine offered visitors to the Wednesday Club an opportunity to get a taste of Suisun Valley. The annual Wednesday Club Fashion Show usually runs with the idea of a traveling adventure around the world, Victoria Cook said. “This year I proposed going with the theme of ‘Wine Country in Our Backyard,’” she said. “We intend to highlight the many Suisun Valley wineries in our community.” The fashion show, held at the group’s clubhousing on Sacramento Street in Suisun City, is a major fundraiser for the club’s scholarship program, which provides three scholarships each year to students in Solano County. They will be

awarded to one recipient who is studying music, one who is going into nursing and one for outstanding educational achievement. This year, Chico’s, along with White House Black Market, brought the clothing for three women might wear to visit the wineries. Nearly every winery and some retailers in the valley vicinity brought some tasty wine for the event. They included Backroads Vine@ Village 360, Caymus-Suisun, Mangels Vineyard, Rock Creek Winery, Shed Creek Cellars, Somewhere Vineyards, Suisun Creek Winery, Suisun Valley Wine Coop, King Andrews Vineyards, Sunset Cellars, Suisun Valley Filling Station, Tolenas Winery, TZ Estate Vineyards, Vezer Family See Fashion, Page A8

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Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic

Judy Leve shows off an outfit from Chico’s and White House Black Market at the Wednesday Club Fashion Show, in Suisun City, Wednesday.

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Sandra Ritchey-Butler Expires 7/1/2023

“to protect the nation from foreign animal diseases.” Phone messages to Supervisors John Vasquez and Mitch Mashburn were not returned. The paper emphasizes the diversity of Solano’s agricultural landscape. “A diverse set of crops are grown in Solano County and acreages tend to vary over time due to underlying biologic and economic reasons. For instance, the walnut market has been volatile over the past several years, as the price has dropped from $1 per pound to about $0.40 per pound. Consequently, the county may begin to see a number of farmers a transition from walnuts and

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