Daily Republic, Wednesday, June 28, 2023 by mcnaughtonmedia

Leaven Kids launches summer success program A3

Delta tunnels project dropped from budget A8

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DAILYREPUBLIC.COM | Well said. Well read.

Accounting errors force 10-year, $40,000 write-off Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Supervisor Mitch Mashburn said Solano County taxpayers are footing the bill for more than $40,000 in bills not paid by the state. “If the county didn’t pay our bill, the state would be up in our business,” Mashburn said. That was not exactly accurate. The comments came after the board approved a 26-item consent calendar that included writing off $40,262 “due to” the Solano County Department of Agriculture and Weights and Measures related to pest exclusion and pest detection agreements from Fiscal Year 2009-10 through 2018-19. Agriculture Commissioner Ed King said in a phone interview that only part of that sum was actually state revenue that was not received. The rest were funds that had been placed in the wrong department accounts. Those two sums could not be differentiated, so the write-off was necessary. “We did reconcile a

much larger sum when we first started this (accounting) exercise,” said King, noting the multiple years involved, most before his time at the county. In other action, the board: n Approved eight revenue agreements totaling $876,644 with the California Department of Food and Agriculture. n Approved 43 Health and Social Services Fiscal Year 2023-24 contracts, for a total of $38.64 million, plus the accumulative aggregate of individual client service agreements effective July 1. n Approved a $705,620 contract amendment with Canyon Manor, for a total contract of $1.25 million, to provide additional subacute residential mental health treatment through June 30, 2024. n Approved a $2.07 million revenue agreement with the California Department of Public Health to participate in the State Youth Suicide Reporting and Crisis Response See Errors, Page A8

Solano hires company to remake website Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Solano County will pay a Virginia company $300,000 to design the remake of its website. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved the contract with Interpersonal Frequency, of McLean, Virginia, to complete the first phase of the project, which is to identify requirements and create a plan and design for the second phase. The second phase is to build and/or install, launch and support a new website

and backend platform, county documents stated. IF was selected among 13 applicants, three of which were interviewed. In addition to the firm’s experience working with government agencies and its analysis products, a selling point was its history of collaboration. “If we stay with them, we want to make sure we have someone we can. partner with,” project manager Monique Shaifer, of AgreeYa Solutions, Inc., told the board. The total project cost See Remake, Page A8

Bill Way/City of Fairfield courtesy photo

Mayor Hisao Naito of Nirasaki, Japan, holds a painting given by Mayor Cat Moy at the Fairfield City Council

Japanese Sister City delegation visits for first time since 2016 Amy Maginnis-Honey

AMAGINNIS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD — Absence appears to make the heart grow fonder. Citizens, city officials and others turned out Monday morning as a delegation from Fairfield’s sister city, Nirasaki, Japan, was welcomed in a ceremony in the City Council chambers. The last time Nirasaki delegates were in town was 2016. The 2021 visit was cancelled because of the global pandemic. That year marked the 50th anniversary of the relationship. In 1971, then Mayor Loyal Hanson welcomed Kaname Yokouchi, Nirasaki’s mayor, to Fairfield. Seventeen years later a student exchange program was launched. About 60 students have participated. Stephanie Beardsley chaperoned some of them in 2015. The memories are still fresh. Tamio Hiroshima, a member of the Nirasaki Fairfield Exchange

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

A screenshot of the current Solano County website is seen.

FAIRFIELD — The state budget includes $2.75 million for Solano County emergency radio interoperability and infrastructure improvements. The work is an effort to unify a modern communications system that links all police and fire departments into a single communications network. “Improvements to the system are critical

to allow communications among dozens of local, regional and state agencies working to protect communities. Recent large wildfires and flooding have highlighted the need for better communications. The funds are expected to be complemented with local and federal funds to complete the project,” a statement released by Sen. Bill Dodd’s office noted. The Board of Supervisors were told about

others involved with the Sister City program, saying the delegation of seven, would get a real taste of Fairfield. After the welcome ceremony, the delegates toured city hall followed by a lunch at IL Fiorello in Suisun Valley. Poet Laurete Suzanne Bruce penned a poem, “Embracing Friendship” for the welcome. It concluded: Under cherry blossoms strangers are not really strangers today we celebrate renewing friendships gateways of kindness embracing the past awaiting future adventures generosity unfolds many gifts your gift to us is you A city proclamation was read and issued by Moy. It was presented to Hisao Naito, Nirasaki’s mayor. An original painting, from

the budget funds during its legislative update, and Dodd, D-Napa, also announced the funding in a the budget statement. “This agreement protects the progress we’ve made on so many fronts while closing a multi-billion dollar budget gap without middle-class tax increases,” Dodd said. “At the end of the day, we have a balanced budget that funds essential services and allows us to be forward-looking on pri-

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Committee hosted her. He was in the council chambers on Monday, “He treated us like royalty,” she said. Hiroshima escorted her to various sights, Hiroshima and Kyoto. “I learned things about the (atomic) bomb, I didn’t know,” she said. In August 1945, as World War II was winding down, an American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over Hiroshima. Three days later, a second B-29 dropped another A-bomb on Nagasaki. Kyoto’s treasures were the temples and kimonos, she said. Beardsley will return to Japan in the fall on a personal trip. “I have to pinch myself,” said Fairfield Mayor Cat Moy, prior to the ceremony. She never pictured herself as mayor, let alone a mayor from our Sister City. “It’s a blessing and a huge honor,” she said of the welcome ceremony. She also praised city staff and

See Sister, Page A8

Solano receives $2.75 million from state for radio project Daily Republic Staff

solanocounty.com

Chambers, Monday. City officials welcomed a delegation from Fairfield’s Sister City for the first time since 2016.

orities such as wildfire prevention and climate change. I was glad to be able to directly fund important district needs, while also funding programs and services that will benefit our district and the entire state.” The state budget, which Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to signed off on Friday, is $310 billion, and according to Dodd’s office, “is See Radio, Page A8

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