The following is the June 10 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.
Sign Up for the Yolo County Newsletter
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.
Last summer, I spent some time hiking and fishing with my uncle in Wyoming. He was a wildland firefighter in the West for decades, and as we traversed the Wind River range, I picked up little tidbits of his hard-earned knowledge.
On one of the first days of that trip, we hiked through a ravine that was overgrown and choked with vegetation. As we bushwhacked our way forward, I heard my uncle say, “this is all ready to burn.”
The very next day, lightning struck the ridgeline and a fire tore through that area, consuming the overgrown fuel at a blistering pace.
I’ve been thinking of that fire lately, as the hills around the Sacramento Valley dry up and predictions indicate that there is plenty of fuel to burn this summer.
We got a wake-up call on Monday when a prescribed burn in the Putah Creek canyon jumped its perimeter and spread quickly through dense brush and rugged landscape. As of this morning, the fire has burned just under 900 acres and is 30% contained. I’ll keep my eye on it as CalFire crews work to contain the blaze.
This week, we have an update from the cash-strapped county, where supervisors have just approved a recommended budget that includes dozens of layoffs.
Also, more election results rolled in yesterday afternoon, and the Measure V race has remained close.
And we’ve got a story from one of our community reporters, James Smith, about our flying, poor-sighted friends that seem to love the Yolo Bypass, among other places in the region.
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 to lay off more than 25 workers to address $35 million deficit
County officials are trying to close a $35 million deficit.
BY DANIEL HENNESSY | dhennessy@kvie.org
In short: Twenty-six people will lose their jobs as Yolo County contends with an ongoing budget deficit. The layoffs are in addition to the elimination of vacant positions and reduced contracts and services.
A bit more: Most of the people losing their jobs work in the county Health and Human Services Agency.
NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
Votes against Measure V lead as race stays tight in Davis
Bats are everywhere, from Yolo Basin to Downtown Sacramento
With time, effort and respect, returning fishermen say Putah Creek can change your life
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, Rachael Long in Zamora is keeping us in the loop:
- Farmers around the county are still contending with the aftermath of the strong winds that came through a few weeks ago. Rachael’s neighbor lost 50 almond trees because he irrigated them right before the wind started and the ground was too saturated to hold the trees upright.
- Rachael’s farm grows red, yellow and white onion seed planting stock that is shipped all over the world, but the late rains this year have caused some disease and led to yield losses.
- Wheat harvest has started in Yolo County. Wheat is usually planted in the fall so it can take advantage of winter rain before being harvested in June. This year’s fog and rain reduced yield, but California overall still has some of the highest wheat yields in the country. In fact, during WWI, Yolo County was the top wheat producing county in the U.S., with most of it going to Europe. These days, it goes into all-purpose flour and break flour found in supermarkets.
- Tomatoes are growing fast. From transplant to harvest, tomatoes take about four months to ripen, and the crop is monitored frequently with leaf sampling and analyses to ensure a high yield.
- Rachael and her neighbors have been dealing with some ag theft lately, including having filters and copper piping stolen out of their ag wells. The damage winds up costing thousands of dollars to fix.
- The fee schedule was approved for the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, so farmers are now being charged a fee for groundwater regulation.
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, Rachael mentioned in her agriculture report that more hybrid sunflower seed is being grown in the Zamora area, a welcome development after the market took a sharp downturn because of the war in Ukraine.
I happened to be on a drive through the county yesterday and noticed expansive fields of bright yellow sunflowers running right up to the road. It was morning, and the young flowers were facing east towards the rising sun.
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 YoloSol Collective is hosting its Summer Youth Traditional Ecological Knowledge program from July 6-10 at the Yolo Bypass Area Headquarters. The program combines Indigenous knowledge with contemporary science to prepare youth to be “informed stewards of the land and water while building a deeper connection to culture, community, and place.” It is open to youth 12-18 years old and more information on how to apply can be found here.
- Wild Things Animals is happening at 3 p.m. June 25 at the Dunnigan Training Hall. There will be animal ambassadors from five continents and a program that includes science and animal anecdotes. More information can be found here.
- Punks ‘n Pronouns is happening June 26 at the Winters Community Library. The punk show is a celebration of queer-punk solidarity and it will feature bands from Nevada County, Davis and Winters. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the show starts at 6 p.m. More information can be found here.
- Artist TheArthur Wright’s work is on display in the Blanchard Room of the Stephens-Davis Library through July. Wright uses bleach to create unique “golden bleach paintings.” 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.
See you next week!
Daniel Hennessy joins Abridged from the California Local News Fellowship. He’s a reporter covering Yolo County.