The following is the June 24 edition of the Abridged by PBS KVIE Yolo County email newsletter, by reporter Daniel Hennessy and the team at Yolo Local. Want it sent directly to your inbox? Sign up here.
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Stay in-the-know on all things Yolo! Weekly email with stories and insights from Yolo County reporter Daniel Hennessy.
Hey, it’s Daniel! Let’s dive in.
I’ve done a lot of job interviews in my life, but none of them were quite like the ones I witnessed yesterday.
During their regularly scheduled meeting, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors publicly interviewed three candidates to finish out the remainder of longtime District Attorney Jeff Reisig’s term.
Standing in front of an audience of dozens of people, the individuals were peppered with questions from supervisors and asked to make their case for a full 45 minutes. In the end, officials appointed the acting district attorney to fill the role through 2028.
Sitting in the back of the room, I couldn’t help but think about bad interview stories I’ve heard over the years (like a friend of mine who sat down on a train on his way to an interview and realized someone spread superglue on the seat). Yesterday wasn’t that bad, but it definitely makes the list.
Also this week, water bills in Winters could skyrocket after an updated state mandate will require the city to dig a new, expensive well.
And Jake Goodrick gives us the rundown on the response that Yolo County provided to a civil grand jury report that details claims of county failure to stop the deadly fireworks blast in Esparto.
We’ve teamed up with Yolo Local, a civic media initiative of Davis Media Access, to bring you this weekly newsletter. Here’s what you need to know today:
STORY OF THE WEEK
Yolo County chooses familiar face to fill vacant district attorney post
Supervisors opened the position to applicants after former District Attorney Jeff Reisig retired in May.
BY DANIEL HENNESSY | dhennessy@kvie.org
In short: The Yolo County Board of Supervisors appointed a new district attorney. The appointment of Melinda Aiello comes more than a month after former longtime District Attorney Jeff Reisig abruptly announced his retirement.
A bit more: Aiello will serve the remainder of the current term, which runs through 2028.
NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
How a state water quality change could skyrocket rates in Winters
Yolo County blasts watchdog report claiming failure to stop deadly fireworks blast
California scales back golden mussel safeguards at vital reservoir, alarming experts
DISPATCHES FROM THE FARM
Agriculture is a central part of life in Yolo County, so I’ll be checking in each week with a farmer, rancher or other industry player for the latest ag updates. What are the people who help produce our food thinking about?
This week, Jordon Navarrot with Reclamation District 108 and the Dunnigan Water District is keeping us in the loop:
- Jordon is part of a collective of landowners and water districts in northern Yolo County and southern Colusa County that has formed to fund the purchase of water for groundwater recharge projects in the area.
- The group started out of a recognition that subsidence and other fallout from groundwater depletion created a need for more funding for recharge projects. In particular, water that is used to bolster the aquifers can be expensive.
- The regional coalition was developed with a cooperative agreement between 66 landowners accounting for roughly 82,000 acres of land. That group has been able to raise about $750,000 just for recharge projects.
- The group is called SCNY, or southern Colusa northern Yolo, and supports local groundwater recharge projects by buying and providing water. Their first official invoice was in August.
HEARING FROM YOU
The best way to learn about a place is to listen to the people who know and love it. Each week, we’ll feature a quote or tip from a community member that captures a slice of life in our county. Write to me with something interesting or ask a question about Yolo County!
This week, I visited The Hidden Bookshelf, which is the Friends of the Woodland Public Library bookshop in the basement of the library on 1st St. If you’re facing the entrance of the library, it’s down the stairs on the left-hand side, and there are hundreds of books for sale.
Hardback books are $2, large paperbacks are $2, small paperbacks are $1 and magazines are 25 cents. All proceeds go to library programs, including literacy tutoring that was going on next door while I was browsing the shelves.
More information on hours can be found here.
Send me a suggestion on a place to go in Yolo County and I’ll check it out!
UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS
It can be hard to keep up with local government and community events, so we’ll continuously feature a few below. Have something you think we should highlight? Email me.
- The California State Parks Historian Passport is free to download through July 6, offering admission at more than 30 historic state parks in California through December. Participating local parks include, State Indian Museum, Folsom Powerhouse and Marshall Gold Discovery state historic parks, among others. The pass can be downloaded here.
- The South Davis Montgomery Library is inviting people of all ages to create mini dinosaur gardens in a jar at 11 a.m. June 27. More information can be found here.
- Monday Movie Madness is happening at the Yolo Branch Library at 2:15 June 29. A family-friendly movie will be played in an air-conditioned community room with comfortable chairs. More information can be found here.
Want to discover more events across the Sacramento region, in Yolo County and beyond? Check out Abridged by PBS KVIE’s new searchable events calendar with things to do across the four-county area.
BEFORE I GO,
Thanks for coming back (and signing up) for this newsletter. Remember: I’m accountable to you. If you read a story and think there’s an angle I’m missing, I want to hear about it! Please reach out with your feedback and know that I take it seriously.
Good luck to anyone with a job interview this week!
Daniel Hennessy joins Abridged from the California Local News Fellowship. He’s a reporter covering Yolo County.