County supervisors look back to 2012

FAIRFIELD — Solano County is telling its own story about the year that just ended.

The Solano County Board of Supervisors during its Tuesday meeting heard a presentation on the county’s 2012 annual report. Board Chairwoman Linda Seifert called the six-page publication  “a bit of a state of the county.”

One section is titled “effective.” It mentions such 2012 county achievements as breaking ground on the $89 million Claybank jail expansion and the opening of the $19 million William J. Carroll Government Center in Vacaville.

Seifert noted the county completed a draft master plan for its Nut Tree Airport in Vacaville. That project is moving forward after seeming to languish for the previous three years, she said.

She also mentioned the county winning recognition as one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People by the America’s Promise Alliance. Solano County is the only California community to get this award all six times it has been offered.

Other accomplishments listed in this section range from the county winning a federal pest-eradication award for its handling of the European grapevine moth quarantine to the library adding Nook e-readers.

Another section is called “innovative.” It mentions how the county has used technology to deliver services at less cost amid difficult budget times. Examples include using electronic imaging for county documents and promoting locally grown produce through the Solano Grown program.

In telling its own story, the county leaves out the rough edges. The report makes no mention of such controversies as the Vallejo City Council criticizing the county’s approach toward establishing a proposed day reporting center for former state inmates in that city.

Rather, the report’s accent is on the positive. The gloom that does intrude into it comes from such outside sources as the state’s ailing economy and the state budget cuts that have affected local communities.

Solano County has issued annual reports since 1998. The latest edition cost $1,880 to create. Citizens can view it online at www.co.solano.ca.us.

“Everyone should look at it,” Seifert said. “It’s so content-rich. It really tells a lot about what we do.”

Seifert at Tuesday’s meeting went beyond the 2012 retrospective and talked about 2013. She wants the county to address the unemployment rate, she said.

“I think it’s a big undertaking, but I think it’s worth it,” Seifert said.

Solano County in November had an unadjusted unemployment rate of 9.3 percent, with more than 20,000 people in the labor force seeking jobs, according to the state Employment Development Department. This compares to unadjusted rates of 9.6 percent for the state and 7.4 percent for the nation during the same month.

The annual report had a note of economic optimism.

“The downhill trend seems to be over and our local economy is growing,” the report said.

Seifert struck a similar tone.

“I have much hope and optimism for the coming year,” Seifert said.

Reach Barry Eberling at 427-6929 or beberling@dailyrepublic.net. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/beberlingdr.

Barry Eberling

Barry Eberling has been a reporter with the Daily Republic since 1987. He covers Solano County government, transportation, growth and the environment. He received his bachelors of art degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and his masters degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley.

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