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Volume 142, Number 04 — Locally-owned since 1884
Winters, Yolo County, California, Wednesday, February 26, 2025
The hometown paper of Todd Berg
Council approves retail cannabis ordinance on 3–2 vote By Sonora Slater Express staff writer An ongoing, many-month conversation about an ordinance that would allow a single retail cannabis storefront in the city of Winters and set up regulations surrounding location, security measures, operating hours and more, went to a vote during the Feb. 18 Winters City Council meeting, eventually passing with a 3–2 vote. Mayor Albert Vallecillo and Mayor Pro Tempore Bill Biasi voted no, while council members Richard Casavecchia, Carol Scianna and Jesse Loren voted yes. This does not, however, conclude the city’s conversation about allowing a dispensary in Winters, given that in order for a retailer to set up shop, city staff would have to be directed by the council to create a process for receiving applications from interested businesses. The council expressed consensus on waiting for an indeterminate amount of time to set up that process. In effect, the vote creates one cannabis retailing permit but does not create a pathway for that per-
Courtesy graphic
In the map, the blue indicates schools, solid green indicates parks, yellow indicates an area adjacent to residential areas and the green arcs indicate the 500-foot buffer from approved zones for a dispensary. The orange indicates the C-1 Neighborhood Commercial and includes zones for areas 1 through 5. The red indicates C-2 Cenral Business District and includes zones for areas 6 through 9. mit to be issued. Even if that pathway is created in the future, retail applicants would go through a selection process during which they would be vetted before the council chooses whether to approve or deny a specific retailer’s application. The zoning approved by the ordinance includes six unofficially numbered C-1 (Neighborhood Commercial) and C-2 (Central Business District) zones,
(1,2,3,6,7, and 8 on the attached map), concentrated on the east side of Winters on either side of Grant Avenue. Among other reasons, these areas were chosen to ensure any potential location was distanced from homes, schools, senior centers, daycares, and other locations that were deemed vulnerable.
Council, public discussion Although the council members who
voted yes on the ordinance were in favor of the potential of allowing a cannabis dispensary in the city in the future due to the potential financial benefits and medicinal benefits to Winters residents, and in the spirit of supporting entrepreneurship and new businesses, they had some reservations, which were shared by those council members who voted no, as well as some members of the public.
They did expand the zones where a dispensary would be allowed, based on a conversation during a previous council meeting that covered concerns that the previously allowed locations wouldn’t logistically work well to facilitate a dispensary’s financial success. Angelica Sanchez, a representative for chain cannabis retailer Perfect Union, who has also offered feedback at previous meetings, said that
she appreciated the council’s work on designating spaces that are more viable for a retail business to function in. Perfect Union opened up a location in Woodland on Feb. 14, now one of four approved dispensaries in the city, after the Woodland City Council first adopted regulations for zoning of commercial cannabis businesses in December 2017.
See ZONES, Page 8
Police, schools encourage electric Winters JUSD announces 2025 Hall of Fame inductees transportation riders to know laws Express staff
EXPRESS
The Winters Joint Unified School District has announced the inductees for the 2025 Winters JUSD Hall of Fame, recognizing outstanding alumni, former employees and community members for their exceptional contributions. Community mem-
bers participated in the nomination process, selecting individuals who have made a lasting impact on the school district and the broader Winters community. The 2025 Hall of Fame class includes: Alumna: Crystal Apilado, Class of 1999 Employees: • Laurie Helm (Employed 1988-2022) • Phyllis Ramos (Employed 1986-2004) • Laura Smith (Employed 1981-2011) Distinguished Service: Mary Lou Linvill
These honorees have demonstrated a commitment to education, service and excellence leaving a lasting legacy in Winters JUSD. The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held in April to formally recognize the Class of 2025. In celebration of these inductees, The Express will publish feature articles highlighting their contributions and the impact they have had on students, colleagues and the community.
Index Features ........................ B-1 Classifieds ................... B-4 Community .................. A-2
We at he r
Express correspondent The use of electric bikes and scooters, or e-bikes and e-scooters, has spread across much of the world in recent times as a quick and convenient means of travel outside of cars and public transportation, and these devices are now firmly a feature of the roads of Winters. But even as motorists, pedestrians and riders see e-bikes and e-scooters more of-
Date
Rain
High
Feb. 19
.00
68˚
Low 43˚
Feb. 20 TRACE
67˚
49˚
Feb. 21
.00
69˚
43˚
Feb. 22
.00
70˚
40˚
Eventos hispanos ....... A-6
74˚
53˚
Feb. 24
.00
71˚
46˚
Opinion ......................... B-3
Feb. 25
.00
70˚
42˚
Real Estate ................... B-2
Rain for week: 0.00 in. Season’s total: 17.29 in. Last sn. to date: 19.60 in. Winters rainfall season began 7/1/24. Weather readings are taken at 9 a.m. daily by local weatherman Joe Bristow.
ten, it still might not be clear to all what these devices entail, what the laws are using them and how they can keep themselves and their loved ones safe on the roads — especially for the many young people who make use of them. To begin with, California law defines e-scooters in California Vehicle Code 407.5 (a), which defines them as, “any two-wheeled device that has handlebars, a floorboard that is
designed to be stood upon when riding or a seat and footrests in place of the floorboard,” and which can be both, “powered by an electric motor” or “designed to be powered by human propulsion.” In practice, these features which separate them from regular, non-motorized scooters give them separate legal and safety thresholds as well. According to a
See SAFETY, Page 5
Trustees hear LCAP, state dashboard results By Logan Chrisp
Feb. 23 TRACE
Sports ........................... B-6
By Jacob Hoffman
Express staff writer At the Thursday, Feb. 20, Winters Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting, Assistant Superintendent Phoebe Girimonte gave a presentation on how the district is implementing the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), and how the funds for the LCAP are being spent as well as performance indicators from the California School
Dashboard. In the expenditure update, Girimonte explained that the budget for LCAP expenditures was $9,773,330, but the total expenditures were only $4,953,903. Aside from the budget the district also shared eleven measurements of school performance from the 2024 California School Dashboard. There were six state measurements used, red, orange, yellow, green, and blue —
red being the lowest performance, blue being the highest. The performance levels were determined by comparing data from previous years to determine the performance, a positive change giving a higher performing color. This year Winters JUSD improved the graduation rate from an orange rating to a green and the suspension rate from yellow to green.
See LCAP, Page 5
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Contact David DeLeon at David@WintersExpress.com