New safety measures implemented to comply with social distancing guidelines

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced youth sports programs to adapt in order to comply with social distancing guidelines. Davis Youth Softball, Davis Little League and the Barbara Morse Wackford Community & Aquatic Complex in Elk Grove have adapted their programs to ensure the safety of their staff and players.     

Davis Youth Softball Publicity Chair Sarah Roseen explained the values that players learn through their program. 

“Our players learn the fundamentals of softball,” Roseen said. “We really value having fun, learning the fundamentals, making sure that all participants play, learn the game and hopefully learn to love it.”

Roseen further explained how Davis Youth Softball has a recreation league for both new and returning players, a youth league for ages 4–16 and a select league that competes in regional tournaments. 

Roseen commended the parents and players for adapting to new social distancing guidelines imposed by the pandemic. 

“We’ve shared what our expectations are in terms of health and safety,” Roseen said. “The parents and the players have just been great in terms of following those requirements and keeping everybody safe, so now we’ve been playing for a couple of months and it’s been really fun.”

Roseen described the other new adaptations that have been implemented, which include social distancing, expanded dugouts, alternating seating for players, additional distance in the dugout, hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes. 

Roseen noted Davis Youth Softball’s focus on prioritizing the safety of others. 

“I think our priority is to keep everyone safe in this pandemic as long as it takes,” Roseen said. “We would love to increase our numbers of participants and get the word out around Davis that we are a fun, inclusive and great way to get kids outside and participating in a sport.”

Roseen emphasized her gratitude for the community and their support during these challenging times. 

“I want the community to know that we are really focused on being a fun, inclusive league,” Roseen said. “It’s great to be part of this community that values the whole child and wellbeing, and sports in general play a really big part in that.” 

Jefferson Nguyen, a UC Davis third-year Civil Engineering major and Sports Recreation Leader at the Barbara Morse Wackford Community & Aquatic Complex in Elk Grove, explained via email how the pandemic caused the sports recreation leaders to be laid off.

“When the pandemic began and lockdown came into place, I and my fellow part-time coworkers were actually laid off, leaving only the full-time administrative staff and a few senior part-timers,” Nguyen said via email. “All sports programs were suspended and the Rec. Specs. were repurposed to various maintenance and child-care roles.”

Nguyen further explained how part-time staff were rehired in March 2021 after restrictions began to be lifted in Elk Grove. 

“Part time staff were finally rehired throughout March and we began assisting the coordinators in the PE style sports program (known as after school sports) as well as Adult Softball scorekeeping,” Nguyen said via email. “These two are our only current programs and they are both held outdoors and we check every participant’s temperature as they arrive.”

Nguyen described the importance of youth sports for child development, especially during the pandemic.

“Youth sports is very important in children’s lives because it promotes an active lifestyle and socialization,” Nguyen said via email. “During the pandemic, where many sports facilities and programs are closed, it can be hard for kids to find the opportunity to play their favorite sports in a safe and controlled environment. Our programs offer them an escape from being stuck at home all day and keep them active during their childhood development.”

Nguyen added a final note regarding the return to normalcy that playing sports represents. 

“The competitive nature of sports is not something that can be replaced,” Nguyen said via email. “Allowing kids to participate in sports once again (in a safe way) is huge for their mental health and a sign that things are getting better.”

Director of Coaching and Player Development and Safety Officer at Davis Little League Carina Bender-Abrams explained that before the pandemic, Davis Little League had approximately 700 to 800 Little League players between the ages of 4 and 12. 

When the pandemic began, several adaptations had to be made, including adjusting foot traffic around the complex, instructing parents on locations of where to pick up kids, prohibiting spectators, temperature scanning, hand sanitizing and masking. A new role was also developed called Safety Parent, who would ensure that kids follow proper safety guidelines so that the rest of the staff could focus on coaching.

“As restrictions lifted over the winter, we were able to have a fairly normal season, with the addition of masks and hand sanitizing,” Bender-Abrams said. “Our hope is to be able to continue to play and to continue to grow.”

Bender-Abrams noted the benefits of kids playing youth sports from both a mental and physical standpoint. 

“Being part of the team is a huge positive for a lot of kids,” Bender-Abrams said. “It’s a huge social and emotional outlet to be able to be outside with your peers doing something that you love.”
Written By: Jelena Lapuz — city@theaggie.org

Officials urge residents to learn about evacuation routes and how to protect their homes

Yolo County fire prevention agencies are currently in the process of preparing for this year’s wildfire season. The Green Valley Fire Safe Council, the Yolo County Resource Conservation District (Yolo County RCD) and other local agencies held a webinar on April 26 about wildfire preparedness. 

Julie Rose, a Yolo County resident and owner of Fiddler’s Green Farm since 1991, has been forced to evacuate three times throughout the over 25 years she has lived  in Capay Valley. During the lightning strike fires in California, she said there was no availability for fire departments to assist them in the sparsely populated area, and she was evacuated for about six days.

“From our farm, we could look to the west and in a quarter of a mile, see the flames approaching our property,” Rose said. “The air quality was super bad.” 

As a member of the Capay Valley Fire Auxiliary, Rose recently attended a virtual meeting with several other agencies, including Yolo County emergency services and fire departments. There were about 35–45 people there, half of whom were representatives of different agencies. She explained how the meeting taught her that there were many actions they could take to prepare for the next fire season.

“I basically just had gone in thinking I was going to help provide food [for the firefighters during the next season], and that’s important to me in itself,” said Rose. “[The representatives of different agencies] were included to think bigger than just providing food.”

Rose highlighted a few aspects of wildfire preparation that the agencies discussed, including evacuating livestock, creating a database to store information, how volunteers could label addresses on properties and identifying which residents may need additional assistance in an evacuation. She highlighted the importance of preparing for wildfire season well in advance.

“We can hopefully more easily support our firefighters,” Rose said. “I do think it’s better that we are planning for the worst.”

In explaining the importance of fire education for residents, Yolo County RCD Program Manager Tanya Meyer emphasized that most homes that have burned down in wildfires were not prepared to withstand ember storms.

“We’re doing as much education as we can through the Fire Safe Council, both ours and our neighbors in Solano County,” Meyer said. “Education can save a home because oftentimes the homes will ignite when the fire is far away.”

Meyer said that the webinar included several speakers, including Aaron Latta, the CAL FIRE Battalion Chief for the Sonoma Lake Napa Unit, who discussed the current state of California wildfires. Speakers also presented on evacuation.

Meyer explained that the webinar will also teach residents how to protect their home.

“We’ll talk about things you can do around your home outside in a defensible space,” Meyer said. “Another topic will be what’s called home hardening, like cleaning gutters.”

CAL FIRE Information Officer Will Powers urged residents to always be aware of the risk wildfires pose.

“Evacuations have been taking place throughout the last five years with the major fires we’ve had in the unit,” Powers said.

CAL FIRE also provides information about preparing for wildfires, including items to put in an emergency supply kit. The CALFIRE app allows users to create personalized wildfire preparation plans and keep updated on active incidents.

Powers emphasized the importance of being prepared, especially during the summertime when the weather may be hotter and drier. He noted that wildfire season is year-round in California.

“Know your evacuation routes throughout your residential areas,” Powers said. “Sign up for any Facebook pages throughout your sheriffs or fire departments within those counties.”

Rose shared that preparing for wildfire season occurs on a community-wide scale. 

“Fire preparedness is sort of an expression of care for the community, work for the community and each other,” Rose said. “That is really hope.”
Written by: Ellie Lee — city@theaggie.org

New portal provides community with access to Yolo County DA’s Office case data to increase accountability in the criminal justice system

On April 6, the Yolo County District Attorney’s (DA’s) Office launched Commons, its new criminal justice data transparency portal. The project was developed in collaboration with the nonprofit organization Measures for Justice in an effort to increase accountability. 

During the inaugural livestream for the database, Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig explained that the motivation for reaching out to Measures for Justice was a continued lack of reliable data as a prosecutor.  

“I’ve been a prosecutor for 24 years and in order to have any real, meaningful, actionable conversation about criminal justice or criminal justice reform, you have to have thorough and accurate data,” Reisig said. “What’s frustrated me over my career is how difficult it’s been to get that data from all levels of government.” 

Commons enables the community to see this data for themselves, Reisig explained. 

“Commons has what people want,” Reisig said. “People in Yolo want a policy goal that the prosecutor commits to every month, assurance that the data wasn’t cooked, a monthly stream of data and the ability to filter the data.” 

Justice Fiona Maazel, the director of communications for Measures for Justice, explained that personal stories about problems within the criminal justice system need to be accompanied by data.

“Most people would agree the system needs work,” Maazel said via email. “Mostly what we hear in the news and from friends and colleagues are stories. Stories and anecdotes. Which are very powerful but not powerful enough to make a lasting change.” 

Maazel explained that this is why Measures for Justice focuses on attaching meaningful data to these powerful stories.

“Combined—stories plus data—we’re able to see the humanity and the trends and patterns attached to it that expose what’s happening in the system every day,” Maazel said via email. “Data ratify experience.”  

Although Measures for Justice just finished launching Commons in April, Maazel said that it has no plans to slow down. 

“We are expanding,” Maazel said via email. “We are already bringing Commons to markets in New York, Albuquerque and Louisiana. Since Commons launched in Yolo, we’ve been flooded with requests.” 

Maazel encouraged Yolo County residents to visit the Commons portal and provide feedback.  

“These are your data and they reflect the experiences of your community,” Maazel said via email. “Commons is all about opening up pathways for communication around a common set of facts. Most importantly, tell us what you think.” 

Tessa Smith, the chair of the Multi-Cultural Community Council (MCCC) for the Yolo County DA’s Office, explained that the MCCC became involved in the Commons project in an effort to uncover more information about the Yolo County criminal justice system.

“Information was submitted to the counsel that sparked an intense conversation that required further input,” Smith said via email. “We wanted ‘the rest of the story.’ Yolo Commons is an attempt to provide the rest of the story to our community.” 

Smith described how residents can create systemic change by looking into the data.

“When the truth (data) is at hand, the community can use it to shape a narrative that systems—in the face of facts—can not refute,” Smith said via email. “We can chart the successes of systemic issues being addressed in real time so that in challenging moments of collective angst, we can stand with a system that has shown interest, commitment and effort toward dismantling systemic issues.”  

Conversations about recent tragedies and enduring traumatic historical realities are difficult but necessary, according to Smith. 

“The truth of our American history requires that we meet in that truth and plot our way forward together—it requires a willingness to be uncomfortable together,” Smith said via email. “There are already disparities and disproportionate involvement documented for Black and Brown and First Nation groups.” 

Smith explained that in order to have meaningful change, conversations around criminal justice reform must be based on data. 

“What does it take to mitigate, reduce and address these statistical facts? That is the conversation moving forward,” Smith said via email. “Innovative approaches to systemic failures can be addressed, policy initiatives are born and reform can happen.” Written by: Yan Yan Hustis Hayes — city@theaggie.org