Cheers, jeers for the week of Dec. 2-8, 2012

Cheers to the roster of top Solano County businesses announced this week during the 17th annual Spirit of Solano celebration in Fairfield.

Top picks for the Fairfield-Suisun Chamber of Commerce were Ford Lincoln Fairfield as large business of the year and Delta Graphics as small business of the year. The Vacaville Chamber of Commerce selected NorthBay Healthcare as its business of the year. The medical care organization, based in Fairfield, operates VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville.

Top businesses were also named by the Benicia, Dixon and Vallejo city chambers of commerce, as well as the countywide Solano County Black Chamber of Commerce, the Solano Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce of Solano County.

The Spirit of Solano luncheon is sponsored by Westamerica Bank and the Solano Economic Development Corp.

Congratulations to all of the honorees, and to the various chambers of commerce for supporting small and large businesses across the county.

Cheers that Fairfield, Suisun City and Vacaville police are taking part in a coordinated campaign to crack down on distracted drivers.

It’s against the law to use a hand-held cellphone for talking or texting while driving, and yet we see drivers doing so all the time. The enforcement campaign drives home the point that using hand-held devices while driving is exceedingly dangerous, not only to the offending drivers, but also to all others on or near roadways where these drivers do not have their full attention on the road.

A first-time ticket will cost you $159. It’s $279 for a second offense. Any instance of distracted driving could cost you or someone you love their life.

Jeers that it takes a special enforcement effort to get people to comply with the law.

Jeers as well for the fact that a pedestrian was run down this week on Peabody Road near Fairfield’s city limits.

The Fairfield man’s body was found Wednesday during the morning commute. He was likely struck several hours earlier, but was not found as law enforcement officials investigated an earlier accident.

It’s too soon to know if distracted driving played a role in this tragic incident, or if it was the result of poor visibility due to overnight rainfall. Whatever the case, the death of Moses Sala should serve as a reminder to us all of just how important it is to drive safely at all times.