The Yolo County Public Guardian/Public Administrator Office is in transition. This office provides critical service and support to a vulnerable population. The Yolo County Board of Supervisors and county staff are in the process of preparing for an upcoming vacancy in the Public Guardian/Public Administrator. It is critically important to me, personally, that the high quality of care and service provided to our most vulnerable residents continue and improve as we prepare for this transition. Vulnerable Yolo County Residents Have Been Well Served. Earlier this month, at a NAMI-Yolo event, I had the opportunity to present an award to Yolo Public Guardian/Public Administrator Cass Sylvia for he

Do you want cost-competitive, more predictable electric utility rates, and cleaner energy sources? Thanks to actions taken October 25, 2016 by the Yolo County Board of Supervisors and the Davis City Council, the newly formed Valley Clean Energy Alliance Joint Powers Authority will offer just that in Fall, 2017. The Valley Clean Energy Alliance (VCEA) follows the model set by other Community Choice Energy (CCE) programs currently in operation in California. These Community Choice Energy programs offer an average of 2-14% savings from rates with the incumbent provider. The VCEA will purchase electricity from clean and more local sources. Existing CCE programs in Marin and Sonoma Counties a

On October 25th, in a 3-1 vote, the Board of Supervisors approved the final ordinance to ban sale of flavored tobacco products in the unincorporated areas of Yolo County. The effective date will be May 1, 2017 to help businesses deplete their existing inventory. Research shows that the majority of youth tobacco users started with a flavored tobacco product. According to the Center for Disease Control, each day more than 3,200 people younger than 18 years of age smoke their first cigarette. Here in Yolo County adult smoking rates are lower than the state average, but youth rates are higher. Other communities in California found that restricting access to flavored tobacco products, such as c

Of the 17 propositions California voters will consider in the November 8th election, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors took positions on three measures: Proposition 55 – SUPPORT. This measure extends an existing tax on high income earners to help fund education. The Yolo County Office of Education and Winters Joint Unified School District are in support of this measure. Supervisor Saylor supports this proposition because it will prevent Yolo County local educational agencies from losing approximately $39.6M in funding annually. Proposition 56 – SUPPORT. This measure increases tax on tobacco products by $2.00. Revenue will support health care for low-income Californians. The Yolo Coun

At their September 27th meeting, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors adopted the final Yolo County Budget for fiscal year 2016-17. This is a balanced budget, closely aligned with the June preliminary budget. While the new positions recommended in June have been approved, no additional positions were added at this time. The general reserve has reached the requisite five percent. Click here to watch the discussion. Included in this budget is allocation of funds for the Rural Initiatives program. This program helps advance unaddressed programs, policies and initiatives in rural unincorporated areas. Approved funding includes: expansion of the rural 211 Fresh Text program; electric speed si

On September 27th we opened a new bus stop at the Yolo County Day Reporting Center (DRC) on Gibson Road in Woodland. This is the manifestation of an important need identified by community members to improve services offered by the Yolo County Transportation District (Yolobus). The DRC provides a range of services to individuals under community supervision by the Yolo County Probation Department. Now DRC clients can easily access the DRC by bus for training, education, therapy and other programs at this location without walking onto the nearby campus of Woodland Community College. Yolobus deploys 39 buses each day that take people to work, school, and other locations. These buses cover mo