$1
including tax
Schechla receives Fire Officer Designation News, Page 2
Whitworth, Correa are employees of the year Features, Page 1
Volume 142, Number 16 — Locally-owned since 1884
The hometown paper of Mark Beason
Winters, Yolo County, California, Wednesday, May 21, 2025
See Inside for City of Winters
150th Anniversary “Our Community”
This section is dedicated to the generations
of small-town doers who, through vision, action, and perseverance, have made a lasting impact on our community.
This Special Section Brought To You By
Winters Fire District to host Prop 218 town hall meeting Prop. 218 ballots will be mailed to property owners May 30 By Crystal Apilado Editor-in-Chief
Crystal Apilado/Winters Express
Wolfskill CRA celebrates graduates Teachers and staff at Wolfskill Career Readiness Academy celebrated nine graduates at a ceremoney on May 20, outside of the CRA classrooms. Read more about the graduates in the upcoming Express Graduate special edition in June.
Interscholastic athletic exemption talks continue By Logan Chrisp Express staff writer
EXPRESS
The discussion over implementing the interscholastic athletic exemption continued on Thursday, May 15, at the Winters Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees, after the first discussion on April 17. Under Education Code 51242 and Board Policy 6142.7,
school districts may excuse students from physical education if specific conditions are met. The item was presented on April 17 but was met with criticism and concern from Athletic Director Daniel Ward and Winters High School teacher Chris Novello. The exemption would allow 10th and 11th-grade student-athletes to opt out of the regular PE class if they maintain full academic schedules, meet behavioral and academic standards and complete
at least two successful, full sports seasons. Assistant Superintendent Phoebe Girimonte explained the proposal would provide flexibility to students and families. Allowing student-athletes who qualify to take additional academic or elective courses. “Therationale provided is allowing for student and family choice for those students who are eligible to participate in the athletic exemp-
See PE, Page 3
Index Features ........................ B-1 Classifieds ................... B-4 Community .................. A-2
We at he r Date
Rain
High
Low
May 14 May. 15
.00
75˚
48˚
.00
82˚
51˚
May 16
.00
87˚
52˚
May 17
.00
88˚
56˚
May 18
.00
82˚
57˚
May19
.00
84˚
58˚
Opinion ......................... B-3
May 20
.00
91˚
54˚
Real Estate ................... B-2
Rain for week: 0.00 in. Season’s total: 19.27 in. Last sn. to date: 23.29 in.
Eventos hispanos ....... A-5
Sports ........................... B-6
Winters rainfall season began 7/1/24. Weather readings are taken at 9 a.m. daily by local weatherman Joe Bristow.
The Winters Fire District Board voted 3-2 to move forward with placing a Proposition 218 assessment measure on ballots to be mailed to property owners within the district. While the proposed initiative shares similar goals with the city of Winters’ Prop. 218 effort — namely, increased staffing and funding for capital equipment — it includes several key updates since it was first introduced. Fire Chief Jack S. Snyder III said the proposed 2025 assessment includes revised rates based on property type and fire hazard factors within the fire district.
Ballots will be mailed beginning May 30. Fire district property owners may return them by mail, in person at the Winters Fire Department, or before the end of the public hearing scheduled for Winters Fire District Board meeting starting at 4 p.m. on July 17 at the department’s training facility. The results will be determined by a weighted vote based on each property’s assessed value. Each property owner will receive one ballot, with all owned parcel details listed. Assessment rates vary based on property use and are proposed as follows: • Single-family residential: $146.07 per parcel • Multi-family residential: $45.22 per unit • Commercial/Industrial: $629.97 per acre • Office: $310.07 per acre • Storage: $484.77 per acre
• Parking lot: $32.84 per parcel • Vacant land: $25.40 per parcel • Agricultural: $2.76 per acre and • Rangeland open space: \$1.81 per acre If approved, Snyder said the assessment would allow the district to hire an additional firefighter and generate revenue for capital equipment upgrades. “These funds will help us staff incidents more rapidly, get more engines and water on scene faster, and protect infrastructure more efficiently,” Snyder said. “Ultimately, this can reduce insurance risks for property owners.” According to Snyder, the assessment cannot be increased within the first five years. After that period, the district board may vote to increase the assessment by up to 3 percent annually, subject to a public
See DISTRICT, Page 3
Council takes action on road repair projects, engineering contract By Sonora Slater Express staff writer At the first Winters City Council meeting in May, council members took action on road repair projects, community college districts and an engineering contract. The first discussion item of the night was a list of road repair projects for the year 2025-26, presented by Eric Lucero, the public works director of operations & maintenance. The list was compiled based on information on road conditions compiled from GPS and street-level imagery, and includes sections of Apricot Avenue, Luis Place, Plum Place, Pear Place and Russell Street. YOUR
The funding will come from SB 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, which gives money to Winters and other cities annually to fund improvements and repairs to California streets. Members of the public and council suggested other road spots that also need improvement, and Lucero assured them that many other locations are on the list for the future, but that they’ve prioritized upcoming projects based on the funds they have. The motion carried unanimously. A potential letter of support from the council for SB 226, which would create a process for Winters to be incorporated into the
Los Rios Community College district, or for all of the community colleges in Yolo County to be consolidated into a new, combined district, was the next item on the agenda. The idea behind it is that Yolo County students who struggle to access Solano Community College in Vacaville due to infrequent public transportation between the two cities, or who take classes across multiple districts, will have an easier time earning credits and later transferring those credits to nearby fouryear universities. Council member Jesse Loren said that she knows a lot of Winters kids participate
See CITY, Page 3
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