Finally, in closing the books on 2018, we invite you to explore our annual report and encourage you to visit our website, SolanoCounty.com, where you will find many more accomplishments. We thank our employees for their hard work and commitment to making Solano County a wonderful place to live, learn, work and play and look forward to the future as we continue to work with our partners – the seven cities and Travis Air Force Base – to continually create, administer and improve the programs and services our residents rely on.
Sincerely,
Birgitta E. Corsello, Solano County Administrator
John M. Vasquez, Chair, Solano County Board of Supervisors
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IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF THOSE WHO LIVE AND WORK HERECONNECTING VETERANS TO THEIR BENEFITS
Solano County is home to more than 34,000 veterans and 90,000 of their dependents. The County’s Veteran Service Office (VSO) helps veterans and their dependents get connected to the benefits they’ve earned as part of their military service. In 2018, the VSO filed more than 7,000 claims, resulting in $35.4 million in Federal dollars in pension and compensation claims. Solano VSO has been recognized as number one in the state, with an average participation rate of 34.7 percent, 10.7 percent higher than the state and national averages. Veterans access the VSO for help with a variety of benefit claims, including college tuition assistance, health and medical care, dependent assistance, injury claims and legal counsel. Veterans interested in receiving assistance with their benefits can call the Solano County VSO at (707) 784-6590.
HELPING PARENTS SUPPORT THEIR FAMILIES
The Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) has partnered with the Solano Workforce Development Board (WDB) and Solano Superior Court to assist unemployed and under-employed parents, including those who are formerly incarcerated, in finding and maintaining employment. Job seekers are referred by DCSS and the Superior Court to the WDB for access to free training, workshops and job referrals with the goal of sustained employment.
NUT TREE AIRPORT YOUNG EAGLES PROGRAM
The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), based at the County’s Nut Tree Airport, gives young people, ages 8-17 a chance to start their aviation journey as part of the Young Eagles program. The EAA volunteer pilots promote a safe and fun aviation learning experience, giving Young Eagles the opportunity to provide technical assistance to aviators who wish to build and maintain their aircraft. In return, Young Eagles go on free introductory flights by EEA volunteer pilots. The program, which continues to grow in popularity, served more than 500 children in 2018.
MEMORIAL BENCH FOR MARY B.
In August, the Library dedicated a Sensory Garden and a memorial bench for Mary Bourguignon, long-time library champion and literacy booster, behind the Fairfield Civic Center Library building near the pond. Bourguignon was the campaign manager for Measure B and Measure L, the 1/8th of a penny sales tax devoted exclusively to libraries which was passed in 1998 and again in 2014. Bourguignon was also active in the Solano County Library Foundation, serving as its executive director for two years and championing its pediatric literacy program, Reach Out and Read.
EXCELLENCE IN FINANCIAL REPORTING
The Solano County Auditor-Controller’s Office received the Government Finance Officers Association Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the fiscal-year ending June 30, 2017. The award is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting. The County’s annual financial documents, including the award-winning CAFR can be found at www.SolanoCounty.com/depts/auditor County Library Foundation, serving as its executive director for two years and championing its pediatric literacy program, Reach Out and Read.
NEW VOCATIONAL CENTER NEARLY COMPLETE
The Solano County Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with the Department of General Services, Capital Projects Management division, with bond financing from the Board of State and Community Corrections SB 1022 Adult Local Criminal Justice Facilities Construction Financing Program and County funds, is finishing construction of the new Rourk Vocational Training Center. Located next to the Claybank and Stanton Correctional Facilities, the new 39,000 square-foot facility features an educational building, equipped with classrooms, vocational training space and instructor-led program areas designed to help prepare the currently incarcerated with future employment skills. The facility will open in 2019.
COMMUNITY HELPS ERADICATE A PEST
The Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Med Fly), a pest that can destroy more than 250 commodities – including home gardens – was successfully eradicated from Solano County in 2018 after an eleven-month-long quarantine. The eradication effort was made possible through a collaboration with state / federal agricultural agency staff and the overwhelming community support, allowing the Solano County Department of Agriculture to deploy and monitor thousands of “bug trap tents”
in homeowner’s trees, plants and gardens.
BREASTFEEDING COALITION CELEBRATES 20 YEARS
The Solano County Department of Health and Social Services, Public Health division, celebrated the Solano County Breastfeeding Coalition’s twenty-year anniversary by providing breastfeeding education and resources to community healthcare professionals, mothers and families. In partnership with the San Jose Mothers’ Milk Bank, the department helped encourage Solano County mothers to donate their extra breast milk for babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) to help premature infants thrive. Just one-quarter of one ounce of breastmilk can help a premature infant thrive. In 2018, the department collect more than 2,000 ounces.
TWELFTH ANNUAL CENTENARIAN CELEBRATION
The Solano County Board of Supervisors, with support of the Solano County Department of Health and Social Services and the Senior Coalition of Solano County, celebrates the stories and lives of our most senior residents – our centenarians. Together with their families and caregivers, the Board hosts the reception and asks about their pearls of wisdom on living to 100 years and beyond. In 2018 the County recognized 41 centenarians, representing more than 4,153 years of life experience.
HEALTH FAIR CONNECTS FAMILIES TO SERVICES
More than a thousand residents attended the fourth annual community Health Fair in Fairfield, hosted by the Solano County District Attorney and Solano Family Justice Center in October. Participants can meet with more than 90 local health-related vendors, connecting them to County Health Services, including free medical, dental and vision screenings, immunizations and family resource centers. The day-long event features activities for people of all ages, including food, music and children’s activities.
FOOD Rx BRINGS FOOD TO THOSE IN NEED
The Solano County Department of Health and Social Services, Medical Services division, entered an intergovernmental agreement with the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation to receive $400,000 of a $1 million-dollar agreement to create a Mobile Food Rx program. In coordination with the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County, the Mobile Food Rx program consists of a food truck that brings healthy and nutritious food to food-insecure patients of Solano County Health Services. The County received an additional $1 million in funding from the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation in November 2018, thanks to the coordination efforts of District 1 Supervisor Erin Hannigan.
ACCESSING COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMMING
First 5 Solano, Children and Families Commission, established the Help Me Grow (HMG) Solano database system in 2018, a centralized access point for children and families to be linked to community-based programs and services. The HMG Solano program served 1,660 individuals, helping them gain access to programs and services, including developmental, health, parent education, basic needs and childcare.
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INVESTING IN AND FOR THE FUTURE
MEASURING AND WEIGHING - GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR
The Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures uses special equipment to confirm and collaborate that pumps and scales used to weigh and sell goods are accurate. In 2018 department staff inspected, tested and sealed more than 5,000 commercial weighing stations throughout the County, including weighing devices at farmer’s markets, produce stands, grocery stores, gas stations, retail and wholesale distributors, mobile home and recreational vehicle parks and marinas. Inspecting and testing scales helps ensure that the price you pay for goods and services is fair and accurate.
KINDNESS CAMPAIGN, ANTI-BULLYING VIDEO CONTEST
The Solano County District Attorney’s Office, in coordination with the District 4 Supervisor’s Office, hosted the second-annual Kindness Campaign, a countywide anti-bulling video contest. High school students from across the County submitted more than 70 videos, showcasing the power of what kindness can accomplish at school, at home and in our communities. For their efforts, students were invited to a red-carpet style viewing ceremony where they showcased their creations to an audience of student, parents, educators and members of law enforcement.
ALERTING RESIDENTS DURING AN EMERGENCY
The Solano County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) launched the new AlertSolano.com emergency notification system in July, 2018, in coordination with the seven cities, Travis Air Force Base and unincorporated areas. The new emergency alert system gives users the option to register multiple communication devices, including cell phones, land-lines, voice over IP (VOIP) and other internet-connected smart devices. Alert Solano gives OES emergency managers the ability to send text messages to anyone with a cell phone in a selected area, helping them target users to get them out of harm’s way without having to send a mass-alert. Since the platform launch, more than 14,000 people have registered, thanks to an extensive community outreach campaign.
PUBLIC SAFETY THROUGH EDUCATION
The Solano County Probation Department is transforming lives through education. In partnership with the Solano County Office of Education, Five Keys Charter School, and Solano Community College, the Probation Department is working with local educators at their Fairfield, Vallejo, and at the Juvenile Detention Facility campus and Centers for Positive Change, providing college, high school, and GED courses. Since the program started in 2016, 42 youth and 57 adults have received their high school diploma, further enriching our communities.
IMPROVING ACCESS TO CRITICAL PUBLIC SAFETY DATA
The Solano County Public Defender and Alternate Defender’s Office went live on their new e-Defender case management system earlier this year in their misdemeanor unit. The electronic document system allows the department to download and access new information on their clients from the Courts every day, adding new discovery, and maximizing access to all critical information. The department will implement the new system in their felony units next year and hopes to become fully paperless soon, eliminating the need for data entry and scanning of documents.
COUNTY RECEIVES ANNUAL TRANSPORTATION AWARDS
The Solano County Department of Resource Management, Engineering and Road Maintenance divisions were recognized at the 2018 Solano Transportation Authority (STA) annual awards for Project Delivery and Agency of the Year. The awards recognize and celebrate local agencies for their significant contributions to the community, including programs, activities and projects that improve mobility, travel safety and economic vitality for everyone who lives, works and plays in Solano County.
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ENSURING RESPONSIBLE AND SUSTAINABLE LAND USE
HELPING ALMOND GROWERS FARM EFFICIENTLY
The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), a partnering agency with Solano County, supports farmers and ranchers in the agricultural community by providing them with research solutions to help them improve their crops and best management practices. Earlier this year, Katherine Jarvis-Shean, an Orchard Crops Advisor for the UCCE, developed the Young Orchard handbook, a science-based document that helps growers maximize their irrigation, fertilization, pruning and disease management practices. The publication is helping farmers grow almonds – a crop that has expanded by 460 percent in Solano County since 2010 – more efficiently and sustainably.
CHILDREN LEARNING ABOUT SUSTAINABLE LAND USE
More than 1,000 students from K-12 schools in Solano County participated in environmental education programs coordinated by Solano Resource Conservation District, funded primarily by the Solano County Department of Resource Management. The curriculum utilizes classroom and field-based learning best practices to help students explore local watersheds and the influence of human activity on ecosystems. Students become scientists, naturalists and conservationists, learning ways to reduce, reuse, recycle and to preserve and protect our natural resources, including the ecologically diverse Suisun Marsh.
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FISCAL RESPONSIBLITY
MAINTAINING FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
The County’s adopted budget, topping just over $1 billion, funds State and Federally mandated programs and services for County residents while implementing the Board’s strategic priorities.
SOLANO COUNTY CREDIT RATING
AA rating by Standard & Poor's
ADOPTED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018-19
- $1,070.8 million total budget
- $298.1 million General Fund budget
16th CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF EXCELLENCE
For the 16th consecutive year in a row the Government Finance Officers Association awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to the County of Solano and the Auditor-Controller’s Office. The award is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting.
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