$1
including tax
Local artists featured at Saturday Art & Wine Stroll News, Page 2
Where are the butterflies? Features, Page 1
Volume 142, Number 19 — Locally-owned since 1884
Winters, Yolo County, California, Wednesday, June 11, 2025
The hometown paper of Nancy Asmundson
Council greenlights fire dept. to enforce weed abatement By Sonora Slater Express staff writer The temperatures are rising, and fire danger is rising with them. As part of their annual preventative efforts, the Winters Fire Department has sent notice to property owners with excessive weeds and rubbish on their parcels asking them to abate the fire hazard by July 4. At the city council meeting on June 3, the council passed a resolution declaring weeds and rubbish on certain lots within Winters to be a public nuisance. This means that if property owners fail to abate the fire risk before the given deadline, the city has the right to hire contractors to do the abatement instead, and then recuperate the cost from the property owners. Most of those who were informed have voluntarily abated their weeds, according to Fire Chief Jack S. Snyder III, but as of the time of the meeting, there were still six or seven parcels remaining.
Council eyeing next affordable housing project There was also a discussion about current affordable housing projects in Winters brought before the council at the request
of mayor Albert Vallecillo. The city has successfully complied with the State’s regional housing needs assessment, which requires them to set up the proper zoning for parcels that could reasonably be developed into affordable housing units. However, this state law doesn’t actually require that these properties be built. Because of this, there are certain areas that are available and properly zoned to become affordable housing, but haven’t moved forward yet with construction. At the meeting, city manager Jeremy Craig gave an overview of three current and potential affordable housing sites for the council to discuss. The first was the Stones Throw Site. This project was committed to NeighborWorks, a non-profit affordable housing developer, several years ago, with the goal of making the land into 24-units of “self-help” housing — a type of project where pre-approved homeowners help build their own homes as a way to reduce costs. However, construction inflation over the past five years made this model no longer financially viable, and so it’s fallen by the wayside. If the city
See WEEDS, Page 8
Winters Fire District Prop. 218 draws mixed reactions, opinions By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief
EXPRESS
A community town hall hosted by the Winters Fire District on May 27 drew a mix of questions, concerns and divided opinions over the fire district’s Proposition 218 assessment ballot measure, which was mailed to property owners on May 30. The proposed assessment aims to increase staffing and fund capital equipment upgrades for fire protection and emergency services across the 79-squaremile unincorporated area surrounding
Winters. The Winters Fire District Board voted 3-2 to advance the measure to property owners. Fire Chief Jack S. Snyder III said the 2025 proposed assessment includes revised rates based on property type and fire hazard factors. The rates vary by land use, ranging from $146.07 per parcel for single-family residences to $1.81 per acre for rangeland and open space. The full list is in the Engineer’s Report posted on the Winters Fire Department webpage. “These funds will help us staff incidents more rapidly, get more engines and water on scene faster, and protect infrastructure more effi-
ciently,” Snyder said. “Ultimately, this can reduce insurance risks for property owners.” If approved, the assessment will fund one additional firefighter position at approximately $160,000. The remaining revenue would go toward equipment replacement and inflationary adjustments. The assessment cannot be increased for five years, after which the district board may vote to increase it by up to 3 percent annually, subject to a public hearing. The engineer’s report used to determine the rates is based on a nationwide MPA study, which Snyder said is a “court-proven”
See DISTRICT, Page 4
Index Features ........................ B-1
We at he r Date
Rain
High
Low
Jun. 04
.00
91˚
59˚
Jun. 05
.00
95˚
57˚
Jun. 06
.00
90˚
56˚
Jun. 07
.00
92˚
56˚
Eventos hispanos ....... A-5
Jun. 08
.00
96˚
56˚
Jun. 09
.00
97˚
59˚
Opinion ......................... B-3
Jun. 10
.00
95˚
54˚
Real Estate ................... B-2
Rain for week: 0.00 in. Season’s total: 19.27 in. Last sn. to date: 23.29 in.
Classifieds ................... B-4 Community .................. A-2
Sports ........................... B-6
Winters rainfall season began 7/1/24. Weather readings are taken at 9 a.m. daily by local weatherman Joe Bristow.
Courtesy photo
Unmarked black vehicles and individuals in tactical gear, believed to be with a federal agency, stage outside Lorenzo’s Market on Tuesday morning. Their presence drew attention from nearby residents, who reported seeing law enforcement activity in the area.
Federal presence in Winters raises concerns Express staff A brief federal law enforcement presence in Winters early Tuesday morning sparked concern among local residents following the appearance of black unmarked vehicles and uniformed agents near Lorenzo’s Market. Two videos posted to social media showed multiple vehicles and agents wearing vests, one labeled “DEA” and another “Police HCI,” leading to widespread speculation about immigration enforcement activity. Winters Police Chief John P. Miller confirmed to the Express that a federal task force staged in the city early in the morning before proceeding to an undisclosed target location elsewhere. Based on video footage reviewed later
that morning, Miller identified personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and said the operation was not led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “Based on the video, I believe it may have been a federal task force that staged in Winters prior to proceeding to their target location,” Miller told the Express. He added that while such task forces may include agents from a range of federal agencies — including the FBI, ATF, HSI, U.S. Marshals and ICE — his review of the footage did not confirm any ICE presence in this specific instance. The vehicles had left the area by the 9 a.m. to the newsroom. Miller acknowledged the anxiety triggered by the fed-
eral presence and clarified the role of the Winters Police Department in such situations. “The Winters Police Department would not normally be informed of immigration enforcement,” he said. He cited California Senate Bill 54 — the California Values Act — which prohibits local law enforcement from participating in immigration enforcement activities. While immigration matters fall strictly under federal jurisdiction, Miller said that in cases involving potentially dangerous individuals, local departments may receive briefings from federal agencies to help ensure officer and public safety. Miller said that earlier reports of
See FEDS, Page 4
Yolo supervisors adopt 2025-26 recommended budget Tuesday By Rebecca Wasik McNaughton Media On Tuesday, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors adopted the 2025-26 recommended budget; approved the 2025-26 recommended budget for the Health and Human Services Agency, the 202526 equipment list, third-quarter monitoring report, and a resolution amending the 2024-25 revenues and appropriations. As part of approving the 2025-26 recommended budget, the board asked that 10 eliminated positions be marked as unfunded positions until the adopted budget discussion in September. They also asked to restore USDA trapper
funding that was recommended to be eliminated by staff. Lastly, the board asked for more clarity and transparency on how cannabis tax funding will be used in the budget. While the county’s budget team was able to achieve a balanced budget for 2025-26, county administrative officer Mike Webb said that due to uncertainties at the federal level and a tight state budget, the county’s budget is still an arduous matter. “These are challenging times for many, if not all jurisdictions,” said Webb. “We’re not alone. As the state budget goes, so does the county.”
Webb touched on the fact that revenues and programs tied to the state and federal levels are outside of the county’s control. Costs are also rising for not only the county, but its partner agencies across the state. Tom Haynes, chief financial officer for Yolo County shared with the board that dealing with a budget deficit will require a multi-year process and will require the county to identify sources of one-time funding to limit service and program impacts. Options also need to be evaluated for long-term cost savings and ongoing reve-
See SUPES, Page 8
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