Category Archives: Benicia City Council

#Masks4All, #wearamask, Benicia City Council, Benicia Mayor Steve Young, Benicia Vice Mayor Tom Campbell, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Delta variant, Local Regulation, Solano County Health Department

ALERT! Please attend City Council meeting tonight, Tues. Aug. 24, 6PM – Indoors Masking

Attend tonight’s 6PM meeting if you can!

By Roger Straw, August 24, 2021

Your comments and support for reinstating an indoors mask mandate for Benicia is desperately needed as we protect ourselves and others from the surging and highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19.

Our County health department is failing to protect public health and safety, so we have to take action locally.  Thank goodness Mayor Young and Vice-Mayor Campbell have taken this initiative.  The measure MUST pass tonight!

Here’s the agenda item, followed by instructions for attending the virtual meeting.

AGENDA ITEM 16.A – RESOLUTION REQUIRING THE WEARING OF FACE COVERINGS IN BENICIA (City Attorney)

At the August 17, 2021 City Council meeting, the City Council directed City staff to prepare a resolution requiring face coverings be worn in certain circumstances indoors given the rise of COVID-19 cases relating to the Delta variant. If adopted, the resolution would be effective immediately and require face coverings in certain locations as detailed in the resolution.

Recommendation:
Discuss and consider adopting a resolution requiring the mandatory use of face coverings in certain circumstances. Staff has attached two draft resolutions for consideration. The first resolution (Attachment 1) is based on Resolution No. 20-78, adopted by the Council on June 16, 2020. The second resolution is based on the health orders issued by the seven neighboring Bay Area health officers (Attachment 2). A majority vote is required to adopt any resolution.

Staff Report – Mandate Face Coverings

Attachment 1. DRAFT Resolution – Face Covering Mandate Based on Resolution No. 20-78

Attachment 2. DRAFT Resolution – Face Covering Mandate Based on Seven Bay Area Counties Health Orders

3. Two-Step Request – Mayor Young & Vice Mayor Campbell

HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN BENICIA COUNCIL MEETING:

Members of the public may provide public comments to the City Clerk by email at lwolfe@ci.benicia.ca.us. Any comment submitted to the City Clerk should indicate to which item of the agenda the comment relates. Specific information follows:

– Comments received by 2:00 pm on the day of the meeting will be electronically forwarded to the City Council and posted on the City’s website.
– Comments received after 2:00 pm, but before the start time of the meeting will be electronically forwarded to the City Council, but will not be posted on the City’s website, and will not be read into the record.
– Comments received after the start time of the meeting, but prior to the close of the public comment period for an item will be read into the record, with a maximum allowance of 5 minutes per individual comment, subject to the Mayor’s discretion.

Additionally, the public may view and provide public comment via Zoom (via computer or phone) link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83935851585?pwd=OXFSd1BPeHYxOUxOSXVqM0RFME1hQT09

• If prompted for a password, enter 405755.
• Use participant option to “raise hand” during the public comment period for the item you wish to speak on. Please note, your electronic device must have microphone capability. Once unmuted, you will have up to 5 minutes to speak.

OR: Dial in with phone:
Before the start of the item you wish to comment on, call any of the numbers below. If one is busy, try the next one.
1 669 900 9128
1 346 248 7799
1 253 215 8782
1 646 558 8656
1 301 715 8592
1 312 626 6799

• Enter the meeting ID number: 839 3585 1585 *please note this is an updated ID number*.
• Enter password: 405755
• When prompted for a Participant ID, press #.
• Press *9 on your phone to “raise your hand” when the Mayor calls for public comment during the item you wish to speak on. Once unmuted, you will have up to 5 minutes to speak.

#Masks4All, #wearamask, Benicia City Council, Benicia Herald, Christina Strawbridge, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Delta variant, Mandatory face coverings, Masks, Solano County Health Officer Bela Matyas

Christina Strawbridge on masks: ‘I’m hoping we can rise above politics here’

Benicia City Council to decide on city-wide mask mandate at Aug. 24 special meeting

Benicia Herald, by Galen Kusic, August 20, 2021
[Reprinted with permission, not available online.  Subscribe]

Nearly 81 percent of Benicia’s residents are fully vaccinated, making it the second most vaccinated city in the county, next to Rio Vista. However, as the Delta variant of COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the country, state and in Solano County, Benicia is not being spared.

Over the past five days, Benicia has recorded 20 new COVID-19 cases, an average of five new cases per day, for a total of 1,187 cases since the pandemic began. And while Benicia has the lowest incidence rate in the county at 4,305 per 100,000 residents, the uptick is alarming.

That is what spurred Mayor Steve Young and Vice Mayor Tom Campbell to bring back a discussion on whether to mandate masks in public indoor spaces within Benicia. The eight other Bay Area counties have already implemented the mandate, while Solano County Health Officer Bela Matyas is the lone holdout. In a unanimous vote on Tue. night at the regular City Council meeting, councilmembers voted to bring back the item for a vote on whether to implement the mandate at the Aug. 24 special meeting.

“I implemented a mask mandate within our store a week ago because of the Delta virus strain,” said Councilmember and First St. business owner Christina Strawbridge. “I think it’s the responsible thing to do. I have to protect my staff and I have to protect my customers…I’m hoping we can rise above politics here.”

Matyas has been invited to attend the meeting. It should be a spirited conversation at the least as the majority of residents spoke out in favor of the mandate.

#Masks4All, #wearamask, Benicia City Council, Benicia Mayor Steve Young, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Delta variant, Solano County Health Officer Bela Matyas

KRON4 Bay Area News: Benicia considers mask mandate

Benicia considers implementing mask mandate

KRON4 Bay Area News, by: Amanda Hari, Aug 22, 2021

BENICIA, Calif. (KRON) – One city is taking matters into its own hands when it comes to masking.

Solano County is the only county in the Bay Area without a mask mandate, but Benicia is considering implementing one.

On Tuesday, city council will be voting on a resolution to require face masks in indoor settings.

Mariana Moore has lived in the city for more than 40 years.

She says she loves it here but thinks they need to do more to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“If you follow the news at all and you follow the science you have to wear masks. I have kids in school and they’re wearing masks. The teachers are wearing masks.”

Mayor Steve Young tells KRON4 he’s been hearing similar calls for a mask mandate from other Benicia residents – and since the county isn’t going to implement one, he’s looking to do it on the city level.

“It’s frustrating to feel like on one hand we’re out of step with the rest of the county but perhaps another way to look at it is Solano County is out of step with the larger Bay Area community.”

Mayor Young says back at the beginning of the pandemic, the city had to institute a mask mandate on their own as well because health leaders wouldn’t do it on the county level.

“We are more likely to follow the lead of what we perceive to be the scientific consensus on masks.”

Moore says she hopes to see the county put this into effect this week.

“I just hope everyone thinks about how to not only take care of their own needs and their own desires but what we can do as a community. That’s what we have to do to beat this.”

The resolution to requiring masks was just introduced last week and it will be voted on this Tuesday at the city council meeting.

The mayor says they need three votes to pass the resolution.

He told KRON4 News he will be voting for it, the vice mayor will also be voting in favor, so they only need one more vote. He says based on conversations he’s had, he believes they’ll get it.

#Masks4All, #wearamask, Benicia City Council, Benicia Mayor Steve Young, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Delta variant, Solano County Health Officer Bela Matyas

ABC7 News: Benicia could go against Solano County and implement indoor mask mandate for all

East Bay city could go against Solano County and implement indoor mask mandate for all

ABC7 Bay Area News, By J.R. Stone, August 22, 2021


BENICIA, Calif. (KGO) — This week the City of Benicia, which is in Solano County, could go against county recommendations and implement an indoor mask mandate.

It’s something that all other Bay Area counties have already done but Solano County has not and the move would be a rare one, with the city going against their county recommendations.

“I think the feeling on the City Council is, despite Solano County’s unwillingness to move in this direction, that we have an obligation to try to further protect health and safety,” says Benicia Mayor Steve Young.

Young telling us that this week the city council will look at implementing an indoor mask mandate for everyone, including those vaccinated, due to rising COVID-19 numbers, something Solano County has not done.

“If wearing the mask inside is what we need to do to bring the rates back down and keep us all safe, I think it’s what we need to do,” says Virginia Barrazi who was walking through downtown Benicia Sunday.

Earlier this month we spoke with the Solano County Health Officer who explained why they chose not to implement indoor masking.

“The data don’t support the need for such a mandate. This disease in our county is very clearly spreading during/through social events, people who are going to parties, barbecues, picnics, campouts,” said Dr. Bela Matyas.

While many here are now supportive of an indoor mask mandate.

“I think it’s important to wear a mask inside, especially when people are not getting vaccinated, there’s young kids to think about,” said Ankita Saxena who was wearing her mask outside when we spoke with her.

“We haven’t had a whole lot of issue with people not wanting to wear a mask inside the store,” said Lisa Bellini of the Angel Heart 4 You store in downtown Benicia.

Some though are totally against it.

“If the mandate goes into effect, will you wear a mask?” we asked one man in Benicia to which he replied, “Hell no, hell no, it’s complete garbage, the virus is up here one minute and down here the next minute,” said Rick Chase who is against mask wearing, vaccinations, and doesn’t believe that COVID-19 is what it’s made out to be.

Mayor Young says he knows that some are against an indoor mask mandate but believes it is the right thing to do at this time. Even saying that he believes the City of Vallejo may soon look at an indoor mask mandate too.

“For a lot of us the individual right stops when public health is impacted by that and I think that’s where we are,” says Mayor Young.

The Benicia City Council will take up the possibility of an indoor mask mandate for all in their meeting on Tuesday at 6 p.m.