Category Archives: Benicia City Council

Air Quality, Air Watch Bay Area, Benicia City Council

Constance Beutel – educational videos on Benicia Air Quality and Valero

From Constance Beutel, Youtube

Constance Beutel

Benicia videographer and educator Constance Beutel has a stellar history of advocating for sustainable clean energy in Benicia.  The former chairperson of Benicia’s Community Sustainability Commission recently made five short educational presentations before our City Council during the Open Comment period.  The presentations are about 5 minutes each, and were videotaped, as follows below.  (Don’t miss the last one, on Valero and our Benicia air!)

Air Quality – August 21, 2018

Air Monitors – September 4, 2018

Air Quality and Health – September 18, 2018

Air Quality and Benicia’s Health – October 2, 2018

Valero and Benicia

Benicia City Council, Kari Birdseye, Local elections

Two weeks from Election Day – write a letter, volunteer … and VOTE!

By Roger Straw, October 22, 2018

There’s still time to help – local democracy is important!

We’re coming down to the wire…  Some of us have been really busy during this campaign season.  Now’s the race to the finish!

If you can, please write a letter to support your candidate.  By now, you all know that my first choice for City Council is Kari Birdseye.  Volunteer for Birdseye, ask for a yard sign, offer to make calls, send in another donation… and send in your mail-in ballot TODAY!  And if you’re like me – I’ll see you at the polling place on Tuesday, November 6.

Still deciding who to vote for?  See letters from your neighbors and friends below…

10/21/2018 Lisa Reinertson
The Inconvenient Truth in Benicia
10/21/2018 Vicki Byrum Dennis
An Artist for Kari Birdseye
10/21/2018 Larnie Fox
Questioning Largaespada for Benicia City Council
10/21/2018 Andres Soto
Benicia deserves better
10/19/2018 Jan Cox-Golovich
Unprecedented special interests
10/13/2018 Constance Beutel
Kari Birdseye – courage, heart and commitment
10/13/2018 Roger Straw
City Records show Valero, others pooling 104,200 for negative ads
10/12/2018 Roger Straw
My Life in Perspective, Climate Change and This Election
10/8/2018 Gigi Giblin
For the health of our community – Kari Birdseye
10/7/2018 Bob Berman
Valero trying to influence our election
10/7/2018 Jan Cox Golovich
Kari Birdseye for transparent & honest local government
10/7/2018 Kathy Kerridge
Kari Birdseye for City Council
10/7/2018 Mayor Elizabeth Patterson
Water questions for candidates
10/7/2018 Roger Straw
Valero should be ashamed and called out
10/6/2018 Susan Street
Valero undermining our democratic process
10/4/2018 Larnie Fox
Why vote for Kari Birdseye?
10/3/2018 Craig Snider
A few thoughts on endorsements
9/30/2018 Nikki Basch Davis
A clear choice for health
9/28/2018 Constance Beutel
I’m voting for Kari Birdseye
9/28/2018 Elaine Eisner
Informed, talented, experienced
9/28/2018 June Mejias
Kari Birdseye dedicated and experienced
9/26/2018 Susan Street
Misleading poll calls
9/23/2018 Steve Young
Outside corporations interfering
9/21/2018 Monica Brown
Birdseye for Council
9/9/2018 Pat Toth-Smith
Birdseye puts safety first

SEND YOUR THOUGHTS TO THE NEWS MEDIA:

  • Benicia Herald, 820 First St, Benicia, CA 94510, or by email to the editor at beniciaherald@gmail.com
  • Vallejo Times-Herald, P.O. Box 3188, Vallejo, CA 94590, Fax: 643-0128, or by email to Editor Jack Bungart at jbungart@timesheraldonline.com.
  • Benicia Independent – send to Roger at rogrmail at gmail dot com.

POST TO SOCIAL MEDIA (some require membership):

 

Click here to go to Kari Birdseye’s campaign website, BirdseyeForBenicia.com
Benicia City Council, Local elections, Mail-in ballots

Ballot voting in Benicia – slow start

By Roger Straw, October 22, 2018

Status of mailed ballots in Benicia as of Friday Oct. 19

 Political Data Inc.  shows the up-to-date status of mailed ballots in the City of Benicia.  Here’s a snapshot of the CA 2018 General Election Tracker for Benicia on October 19, 2018.

A total of 13,034 ballots were mailed, 49 percent Democrat, 22 percent Republican, and 29 percent independent.

As of October 19th only 671 ballots had been received at the register of voters office.  This seems like a low number.  Does it show low interest in the election?  More likely, I think, people are waiting for more information, or just waiting until closer to election day.  But it shows that the daily number of ballots received is increasing.  Click here or on the image below to enlarge…

 

Benicia City Attorney Heather McLaughlin, Benicia City Clerk, Benicia City Council, Christina Strawbridge, Corporate influence, Kari Birdseye, Lionel Largaespada, Local elections, Organized labor, Valero Benicia Refinery, Valero Services Inc.

UPDATE: Anti-Birdseye PAC gets more money

By Roger Straw, October 18, 2018

The Benicia City Clerk notified City Council members and candidates yesterday that additional campaign finance reports were received from the Pro-Strawbridge-Largaespada/Anti-Birdseye PAC. [Editor: You will notice that I am purposely avoiding use of the politically loaded and false title the PAC has chosen for itself, Wkg Fmls…]

Two NEW Contribution Forms 497 were filed, and one NEW Expenditure Form 496 was received from the PAC on Wednesday.

In addition, since last reported here on October 13, a few new reports and corrective AMENDED reports were filed.  These new filings are not clearly labeled by the City of Benicia.  All are simply listed by number on the City website without much guidance for voters.  I’ll try to sort it out below, with new totals.

But meanwhile, be alert!  In summary, the PAC is absolutely LOADED for more big campaign expenditures during these final weeks before election day.  TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF $154,200 MINUS EXPENDITURES TO DATE OF $25,836.06: $128,363.94.

CONTRIBUTIONS UPDATE (Oct. 18)

EXPENDITURES UPDATE (Oct. 18)

  • Anti-Birdseye_PAC_Form_496_1.pdf
    PRO-STRAWBRIDGE: Winning Connections calls $5,166.67 on 10/10; Valero Use of Poll $4,733.34 on 10/10
  • Anti-Birdseye_PAC_Form_496_2.pdf
    PRO-LARGAESPADA: Winning Connections calls $5,166.67 on 10/10; Valero Use of Poll $4,733.34 on 10/10
  • Anti-Birdseye_PAC_Form_496_3.pdf
    ANTI-BIRDSEYE: Winning Connections calls $5,166.67 on 10/10; Valero Use of Poll $4,733.34 on 10/10
  • Anti-Birdseye_PAC_Form_496_4.pdf
    ANTI-BIRDSEYE: Digital Turf media buy $4,689 on 10/11 (cumulative to date $16,589); Digital Turf ad production $2,000 on 10/11 (cumulative to date $16,589)
  • Anti-Birdseye_PAC_Form_496_5.pdf
    PRO-STRAWBRIDGE: Digital Turf media buy $4,689 on 10/13 (cumulative to date $16,589); Digital Turf ad production $2,000 on 10/13 (cumulative to date $16,589)
  • Anti-Birdseye_PAC_Form_496_6.pdf
    PRO-LARGAESPADA: Digital Turf media buy $4,689 on 10/13 (cumulative to date $16,589); Digital Turf ad production $2,000 on 10/13 (cumulative to date $16,589)
  • Anti-Birdseye_PAC_Form_496_7.pdf
    AMENDMENT TO 496-1 PRO-STRAWBRIDGE Winning Connection calls $5,413.73 (not $5,166.67) and (cumulative to date $16,836.07); Heat & Frost contribution of $20,000 (not $30,000) on 10/16
  • Anti-Birdseye_PAC_Form_496_8.pdf
    AMENDMENT TO 496-2 PRO-LARGAESPADA: Winning Connections calls $5,413.73 (not $5,166.67) and (cumulative to date $16,836.07) on 10/16
  • Anti-Birdseye_PAC_Form_496_9.pdf
    AMENDMENT TO 496-3 ANTI-BIRDSEYE: Winning Connections calls $5,413.73 (not $5,166.67) and (cumulative to date $16,836.07) on 10/16
  • Anti-Birdseye_PAC_Form_496_10.pdf
    AMENDMENT TO 496-4 ANTI-BIRDSEYE: Digital Turf media buy and ad production (and cumulative to date $16,836) on 10/15
  • Anti-Birdseye_PAC_Form_496_11.pdf
    NEW EXPENDITURE PRO-LARGAESPADA: Winning Connection calls $9,000 (cumulative to date $25,836.06) on 10/16
    TOTAL EXPENDITURES TO DATE: $25,836.06