All posts by Roger Straw

Editor, owner, publisher of The Benicia Independent
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), Solano County CA

Benicia CCS Film Screening – Tues 9/29 @ 6:30PM

n-person screening of
The Sacrifice Zone
at the Benicia Public Library
on Tuesday 9/29 6:30-8:30 PM.
The documentary unpacks Big Oil’s latest climate scam: carbon capture and storage (CCS).

The short film by Physicians for Social Responsibility LA, will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A. Hear first-hand from experts featured in the film and from communities already being impacted by carbon dumping projects in the Bay Area and Central Valley.

Sacrifice zones are heavily polluted areas — often fence-line communities in low-income, Black and Brown neighborhoods — that disproportionately bear the brunt of industrial toxins and systemic environmental racism.

Learn how carbon capture and storage is creating a new wave of fossil-fueled sacrifice zones in California. There are already five proposed carbon dumping projects in the Bay Area Delta region.

This event is free and all ages are welcome! Light refreshments will be served. 

This event is hosted by members of Communities Against Carbon Transport & Injection (CACTI), Food & Water Watch, and Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles.

Benicia City Council, Justin Zollars, Kari Birdseye, Local elections, Terry Scott

Benicia City Council Candidate Forum Sept 30

The League of Women Voters of Solano County is hosting a Local Elections Candidate Forum in a few weeks. Come with your questions on September 30, 6:30-8PM at the Benicia Public Library!

About the event & Candidate Information from the Benicia Library website:

Get informed before you vote! Join the League of Women Voters of Solano County for a nonpartisan Candidates Forum featuring local election candidates. Hear directly from those seeking your vote, learn where they stand on important community issues, and submit questions. This free public event is open to everyone. Make your voice count—be an informed voter!

Local Elections Candidate Forum
September 30, 2026 | 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
In the Doña Benicia Room.

Below you’ll find more information on each of the candidates.

KARI BIRDSEYE:

Kari Birdseye was elected to serve on Benicia’s City Council in 2022. She began her service in Benicia city government in 2012 at the Benicia Human Services Board and served on Benicia’s Planning Commission for eight years, as Chair of the Commission for six years. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Solano County Fair Board Association and the Benicia-Vallejo Chapter of the American Association of University Women Executive Board.

She has a BA in Journalism from San Francisco State and a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco. Kari is former CNN journalist, where she was part of a team that earned an Emmy Award for news coverage of the Olympic Park bombing in 1996. Kari and her husband James have raised their two kids, Julia and Joey in Benicia, and have lived in Benicia since 2000. She has served as president of two local boards: Matthew Turner PTA and the Benicia Stingrays Swim Team. Kari is employed by Natural Resources Defense Council as a Regional Media and Public Affairs Director.

In her City Council capacity, Kari currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Green Empowerment Zone, Marin Clean Energy and is the 1st Vice President of the League of California Cities, North Bay Division.

TERRY SCOTT:

Terry is a 14-year Benicia resident, businessman, futurist, and philanthropist committed to building a stronger future. He served as Vice Mayor and currently sits on the Benicia City Council.

His first term delivered measurable results: a balanced budget, department reorganization, optimized staffing, new purchasing efficiencies, priority-based budgeting, new revenue streams, and advanced air quality and safety measures. That foundation now positions Benicia to seize what’s next — requiring the experienced fiscal leadership and proven results Terry brings, which is why he’s running for re-election.

His public service spans the Tax Oversight Commission, CURE Commission, CAP/Valero Advisory Panel, Tula Sister City Program, multiple Solano Transportation Authority commissions, and the WETA Ferry 2050 Visioning Team. He was appointed SolTrans Board Chair for an unprecedented third term, co-founded and led the Benicia Community Foundation as Executive Director, and chaired the Benicia Arts and Culture Commission (2015–2022).

He holds a degree from Kent State University and completed Executive Studies at Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College.

JUSTIN ZOLLARS:

Justin Zollars, candidate for Benicia City Council, brings 15 years of technology experience from companies including Adobe and Veracyte, where he currently works as a software engineer in cancer genomics. Justin holds an MS in Biology and has founded and led his own startup, giving him hands-on experience managing budgets and coordinating between engineers, partners, and customers. In 2008, Justin represented his community as an elected delegate to a presidential nominating convention. A Benicia homeowner and civic advocate, he’s running in opposition to Flock Safety’s license plate reader cameras over serious privacy concerns. Justin is dedicated to protecting resident privacy, improving parks and roads, and preserving Benicia’s small-town character.

 

City of Benicia, Data Centers, Just transition, Signature Development Group, Valero Benicia Refinery

Should Benicia allow data centers? City grapples with zoning

Benicia Planning Commission is considering banning large-scale data centers and limiting smaller ones under the industrial zoning code.

Aerial view of a large data center campus in Hutto, Texas, with three massive buildings with 400m square feet of space and 600 MW power capacity. Adobe

The Benicia Bridge, By Monica Vaughan, September 9, 2026

As Benicia prepares for waves of development following the closure of the Valero Refinery, city officials will consider banning large-scale data centers and limiting smaller ones.

“Right now, if a data center wanted to come into our industrial park, they would be allowed ‘by right,’” City Manager Mario Giuliani told The Benicia Bridge.

The Benicia Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Thursday and plans to vote that evening on recommended changes to the zoning code to add specific language regulating data centers. The City Council will have final say before any zoning changes are adopted.

Cities across the country – from Coachella to Corpus Christi – are adopting moratoriums or outright bans on large-scale data centers in response to public outcry over centers’ heavy resource use.

No data center has been proposed in Benicia…. [continued on The Benicia Bridge – click here…]

Excerpt posted from The Benicia Bridge
Excellent reporting from Benicia’s newest award-winning journalism duo, Monica Vaughan and Laura López González.
Learn more and subscribe to the newsletter here.

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Bay Area Air District, Benicia Unified School District, City of Benicia, Just transition, Valero Benicia Refinery

Benicia News – Bay Area Air District grants $40M to City of Benicia, Benicia School District

[Editor: Great news! As far back as 2014, I reported on Benicians petitioning the Air Board to share refinery fines with the communities harmed by the toxic violations. The Air District’s $40 million grants go to show the importance of never giving up! Thanks to Mayor Young and the current Air District Board; and thanks to all who raised awareness by organizing to pass Benicia’s Industrial Safety Ordinance; and thanks to former Mayor Elizabeth Patterson and others who saw the future and pressed for this important Air District accountability and sharing. Following are three reports from local news outlets. – R.S.]

The Vallejo Sun: Bay Area Air District announces $40M in funding for city of Benicia, school district

The grant was awarded from a record $82 million fine against the Valero Refining Company in 2024.

Bay Area Air District Executive Officer Phillip M. Fine announces a $40 million grant award to Benicia at the Benicia Community Center. Photo by Gretchen Smail.

The Vallejo Sun, September 4, 2026

BENICIA – The Bay Area Air District announced $40 million in grant funding for the city of Benicia and the Benicia Unified School District at a press conference on Thursday morning at the Benicia Community Center.

The funds were awarded to the city and the school district from an $82 million fine levied on the Valero Refining Company in 2024 for nearly two decades of toxic emissions releases in Benicia that exceeded legal limits. It’s still the largest penalty ever assessed by the air district.

“This is the first award that the air district is making under our groundbreaking policy that ensures that penalty funds from air quality violations go back into the community where they can have a meaningful local benefit,” said Bay Area Air District Executive Officer Philip Fine. “The City of Benicia and Benicia Unified… […continued…]

The Benicia Bridge: City of Benicia awarded ‘groundbreaking’ $30 million in Valero settlement money for just economic transition and clean air projects

(Left to right) Benicia School Superintendent Chris Calabrese, Benicia Mayor Steve Young, and Bay Area Air District Executive Officer Dr. Philip Fine look on as City Manager Mario Giuliani addresses a crowd of residents and journalists at Thursday’s announcement. Monica Vaughan

The Benicia Bridge, by Monica Vaughan

The City of Benicia will receive $30 million of Valero settlement funds in a landmark grant t… […continued…]

The Benicia Bridge: Benicia schools get $10 million from Valero settlement funds for clean air projects

Benicia Unified School District Office shown Sept. 2, 2026. Monica Vaughan

The Benicia Bridge, by Monica Vaughan

Benicia Unified School District was awarded $10 million of Valero settlement funds from the Bay Area Air District Wednesday for clean air projects, part of a new grant process to redistribute money from air quality fines to impacted communities. […continued…]

Vallejo Times-Herald: Bay Area Air District invests $40 million in Benicia

Air District reinvests penalties from air quality violations into various projects

Benicia City Manager Mario Giuliani talks about how a 40 million dollar grant from the Bay Area Air District, as a result of Valero air quality penalty funds, will help the City of Benicia and the school district during a press conference at the Benicia Community Center on Thursday. (Chris Riley/Times-Herald)

Vallejo Times-Herald, September 3, 2026

The Bay Area Air District announced Thursday it is investing $40 million in Benicia, including $30 million for the city and $10 million for the Benicia Unified School District to support projects aimed at improving air quality, public health and community resilience.

The Benicia Catalyst grants are the first round of awards in the Catalyst grant category of the Local Community Benefits Fund. The Air District adopted the Community Benefits Fund Policy in 2024 to reinvest penalties from air quality violations into impacted communities.

“This is a significant investment by the Air District in the future of Benicia, and it comes at a consequential time in our history as the city prepares for the economic and operational impact associated with the closure of the Valero refinery,” said Benicia Mayor Steve Young. “It’s especially meaningful and appropriate… […continued]

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