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DAILYREPUBLIC.COM | Well said. Well read.
Michael Wilson makes it official He’s running for District 1 Solano Supervisor seat Daily Republic Staff
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The fountain sprays water in front of County Building at the Government Center in Downtown Fairfield, Monday.
Supervisors to consider record $1.55 billion budget Thursday Daily Republic Staff
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FAIRFIELD — The Solano County supervisors on Thursday will consider adoption of a $1.527 billion 2023-24 recommended budget – a 12.1% increase over last year’s record-high adopted budget of $1.362 billion. When the supplemental budget is added to that total, the spending plan goes to $1.55 billion, the county reported. The actual “buying power” – the total funds minus operational transfers and federal and state earmarked assistance – is $1.2 billion, Emily Combs, the county budget officer, said in a phone interview on Monday.
The hearing begins at 9 a.m. in the first-floor chamber of the government center, 675 Texas St., in Fairfield. The budget is broken down into four primary divisions within the county government functions, including a $378.475 million recommended General Fund, which is up 4.5% over the 2022-23 adopted budget. The other budget divisions are the Special Revenues Fund, which is recommended at $1.09 million, up 15.2%; the Capital Project Fund is recommended at $37,79 million, up 3.8%; and the Debt Service Fund is recommended at $20.345 million, up 23%. The largest revenue source for the General Fund is property tax,
about 48.1% of the total. Combs said the county has set aside $2 million in various reserve accounts, down from the usual $5 million. There is a $14 million contingency fund. Public Safety agencies, which includes the Agriculture Commissioner’s Office, represent 43.5% of the General Fund expenditures. General government is 32.2%, followed by Health and Social Services at 12.6%. The Board of Supervisors budgets are part of general government. All five districts budgets increased by at least 9.5%. They include salary and benefit increases as part of new employee contracts. See Budget, Page A8
Hunter Biden to plead guilty to minor tax charges Tribune Content Agency Presidential son Hunter Biden has agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor federal tax charges in exchange for a recommended sentence of no prison time, effectively ending the sprawling fiveyear probe into a wide range of allegations trumpeted by Republicans. Hunter Biden, 53, is set to plead guilty to failing to properly file his taxes for two years, court filings said. He also reached a deal that will result in him avoiding a felony charge of illegal gun possession. The agreement was cut by Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump and kept on the case by President Joe Biden to avoid any perception of favoritism. The deal, which analysts say will likely call for Hunter Biden to serve time on probation, puts an official legal end to the grandiose claims of widespread wrongdoing that Republicans have used as a political cudgel against President Biden. “Hunter believes it is
important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life,” said Christopher Clark, a lawyer for Hunter Biden. “He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward.” The White House, which has kept itself at arm’s length from the Hunter Biden probe, issued only a brief statement: “The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life.” But Republicans cried foul at the deal, which denies them the political benefit of an embarrassing trial of the president’s son as the 2024 campaign lurches into gear. Trump wasted no time slamming the deal as evidence of a double standard of justice, especially since he faces far more serious federal criminal charges in the Mar-a-Lago documents case. “[The Department of Justice] just cleared up hundreds of years of criminal liability by giving Hunter Biden a mere ‘traffic ticket.’ Our system is BROKEN!” Trump wrote on his social
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U.S. President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden (left) attend the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House on April 10, 2023, in Washington, DC. media site. GOP lawmakers signaled they will not let up in their effort to use their congressional investigatory power to uncover more dirt on Hunter Biden and what they say are corrupt overseas business deals and
other supposedly scandalous issues. “These charges against Hunter Biden and sweetheart plea deal have no impact on [our] investigation,” said Rep. James See Hunter, Page A8
Courtesy photo
Michael Wilson is running for the Solano County Supervisor District 1 seat. tribe and the public health programs that connection has funded, as well as a strong senior connection and partnerships with the healthcare core in Vallejo and around the county. Wilson said he wants to foster a stronger relationship between the county and Vallejo, and help foster a relationship that will lead to more cooperation in the work to ease homelessness. He is holding a private campaign kickoff event at his home on Thursday. See Seat, Page A8
Search intensifies for missing Titanic tourist sub with 5 on board Los Angeles Times Search and rescue teams racing against the clock Tuesday have still not been able to locate a submersible that vanished with five people aboard in a remote area of the Atlantic Ocean on an expedition to explore the Titanic wreck. The mission is a complex search effort requiring expertise and equipment that spans multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard and the Navy, the Canadian armed forces and coast guard and OceanGate Expeditions, which owns and operates the missing sub, Capt. Jamie Frederick, a response coordinator with the First Coast Guard District, said at a news conference Tuesday. Officials said the effort covers an area of about 7,600 square miles, or larger than the state of Connecticut, focusing both on surface and subsurface search. “To date, those search efforts have not yielded any results,” Frederick said. As of Tuesday after-
noon, officials believe there are about 40 hours of emergency oxygen left in the sub based on the initial air supply of 96 hours, Frederick said. Over the last few days, C-130 aircraft have been conducting surface searches, including with radar, and P-3 aircraft have dropped sonar buoys for subsurface detection. A vessel with specialized equipment, including a camera, has been deployed, Frederick said. A Canadian P-3 aircraft is conducting a six-hour search of the area, with more expected Tuesday evening. Additional Canadian Coast Guard vessels are also expected to arrive, along with divers from the U.S. Navy. More private research vessels are making preparations to join the efforts, and several civilian ships have also volunteered to help, Frederick said. A search-and-rescue mission is underway after a submersible used for tourist expeditions to view the Titanic wreck went missing in the See Sub, Page A8
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VALLEJO — Michael Wilson, a former Vallejo councilman and current district representative for Supervisor Erin Hannigan, on Thursday will officially kick off his campaign to fill the District 1 county supervisorial seat. “It seems a natural fit for me to continue a lot of the great work (Hannigan) has been doing for the past decade, plus some new initiatives,” Wilson, 54, said in a phone interview on Tuesday. At the top of his list is continuation of the Solano360 fairgrounds revitalization project, which dovetails into what he said will be a focus on bringing more businesses into the county and specifically into Vallejo. He also wants to continue Hannigan’s work with First 5 and the development of an Early Learning Center, a continued relationship with the Yocha Dehe Wintun
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