Yolo County Local News

San Francisco police officers have been operating for more than a year with guidance from their chief that California’s vehicle code doesn’t provide authority for them to ticket driverless cars for infractions like speeding or running red lights. Officers are still encouraged to report relevant information about incidents.

The first California Assembly session of 2024 was shut down by hundreds of protesters urging a ceasefire for the Israel-Hamas war. The demonstrators came from an assortment of Jewish groups.

A law passed by the California legislature in 2023 has gone into effect banning licensed gun holders from bringing their firearms to places like playgrounds, churches and casinos. The law faces an ongoing challenge in the federal court system.

The dawn of 2024 meant that California’s minimum wage rose from $15.50 to $16 an hour. That puts the Golden State at the second-highest minimum wage for a U.S. state, trailing only Washington state at $16.28 an hour.

Los Angeles County has entered the medium category of COVID-19 hospitalization defined by the CDC, with providers warning that illnesses like RSV like to travel in tandem with the virus. Officials are urging the public to mask when visiting hospitals or other indoor facilities.

The California Department of Water Resources has found that the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains is at just 25% of normal levels for this time of year. This could potentially impact water supply and wildfire protection.

A new 24/7 mobile team at UC Davis is working to prevent crises before they happen, answering calls every day from students experiencing overwhelming stress and food and housing insecurity.

A 2021 law passed by the California legislature went into effect Jan. 1, requiring major retailers to maintain an aisle of toys marketed to people of either gender. The bill’s author, Evan Low, said the legislation will help kids “express themselves freely and without bias.”

Emery Unified took a targeted approach, including paying teachers extra to stay after school and tutor students.

California adopted several laws to increase access to contraception and abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade. The latest one eliminates out-of-pocket charges for birth control for millions of Californians.

New law is meant to help nursing home residents understand the reasons for their discharge, and inform them of their rights to appeal.

Here are 50 ways to improve your life in 2024.

The official selections are in for the Toast to Winters honorees, chosen by the Winters District Chamber of Commerce.

In the final meeting of 2023, the Winters City Council discussed and unanimously approved the sale and purchase of city property on Oak Drive, a job listing for a police recruit, and the go-ahead to purchase a ladder truck.

Davis resident Shelly Bailes has made an impact on the LGBTQ+ community in Yolo County and beyond. Her work in obtaining respect and acceptance for the community earned her the honor of being the 2024 recipient of the Brinley Award.

For as long as he can remember, David Rosenberg has never held just one job. The
longtime judge, who is retiring from the Yolo bench after two decades, was a journalist, an attorney, and an elected official before he became a judge.

After seven years of hard work, a two-year pause due to the pandemic and an extended search for a home, the MOSAIC Children's Museum enjoyed a much-awaited soft opening on Dec. 15.

Former college student Carlos Reales Dominguez, accused of stabbing two people to death and wounding a third in Davis, will return to court on Jan. 5 and criminal proceedings will be reinstated if there isn't any challenge to his mental state.

The Sacramento Courts announced the appointment of two additional court commissioners, both tilting toward the prosecution side. While judges are appointed by the governor, court commissioners are appointed by the judges—and often become judges themselves when vacancies on the bench open up.

Kern County agrees to better protect free speech in a deal with the state Justice Department—inspired by the county’s’ 2020 squashing of COVID contracts to organizations that advocated defunding police.