Monthly Archives: October 2022

Benicia City Council, Kari Birdseye

Judi Sullivan: A long list of prior and continuing achievements

In addition, Kari is kind, considerate, generous with her time and energy, and willing to listen to others while collaborating in order to develop consensus.

By Judi Sullivan, October 26, 2022

Judi Sullivan, Benicia CA

It is a privilege to support and endorse Kari Birdseye for our Benicia City Council.

Her long list of prior and continuing achievements at the community, state and national levels far exceed those of other candidates. Her career spans the areas of professional journalism, environmental science, community organizing, management of large fiscal budgets, media, and public speaking for professional gatherings.

Added to that are her innate personality attributes of being kind, considerate, generous with her time and energy, and willing to listen to others while collaborating in order to develop consensus. She has the strength and the proven ability to stand strong through a diverse array of experiences.

A brief summary taken from her career highlights stated on her website is being shared here to back up the talents and abilities shared above.

    1. She was the recipient of the Governor’s Environmental Leadership and Economics Award not only once but twice.
    2. She led Earth Justice’s Healthy Community Goals of lessening harmful pesticide impacts on farmworkers.
    3. She has 20 years of managing staff and budgets in the media and non-profit fields.
    4. She was an award-winning broadcast news producer at CNN, just to name a few of her outstanding professional accomplishments.

Currently Kari is a Strategic Communications Manager for NRDC, (National Resource Defense Council), S.F. Branch, collaborating as a journalist and spokesperson having key relationships with legal and scientific staff outreach at local, state, and national levels. In addition to these skills, she has successfully managed a budget of 10 million dollars as a Director of Communication, including working with agency grants and being a grant writing consultant.

As a volunteer leader, she has a strong, diversified track record of participation in our community. At present, she is the well-respected Chair of the Benicia Planning Commission.

Judith S. Sullivan
Benicia, CA

More letters, news & links about Kari here on the BenIndy

And best of all – Kari’s website!

Benicia City Council, Kari Birdseye

Richard Flynn: Kari Birdseye will represent the interests of the people

Independence from interested corporations is an important check and balance on power.

By Richard Flynn, October 26, 2022

Richard Flynn, Benicia CA

This election, I’m supporting Kari Birdseye for City Council. Like other folks have mentioned, I too have found the connections of some other candidates to Valero troubling. I believe they are all decent people and I know the city’s relationship with the company is complex, but I feel more confident that Ms. Birdseye will represent the interests of the people. And I feel she has already demonstrated this as Chair of our Planning Commission.

The fact that the company is spending money to influence our election tells me that they believe the other candidates will better represent their interests. Personally I think independence from such interested corporations is an important check and balance on power, since few of us as individual voters have a spare $200,000 to help our vote.

Having spent decades working on environmental cleanup projects all over California and in states like New Jersey, Colorado, the US Virgin Islands and Canada, my view is that while we have it pretty good here in Benicia, we need to work to keep it that way. I believe a vote for Kari is a step in the right direction.

Richard Flynn
Benicia, CA

More letters, news & links about Kari here on the BenIndy

And best of all – Kari’s website!

CA Gov. Gavin Newsom, Valero, Windfall profits

Valero Quintuples 3rd Quarter Profits: Makes Windfall Of $50 million Off California Consumers

60 cents per gallon profit – “These profits show Governor Newsom is justified in his call for a special session to mandate a price gouging refund.”

Consumer Watchdog, By Liza Tucker, October 25, 2022

Los Angeles, CA—Valero’s net income hit $2.8 billion for the third quarter of 2022, more than quintupling the $463 million reported for the same quarter last year.

Valero’s Western region profits, which are strictly from its California refineries, topped 60 cents per gallon. That is only the second time it has reported such a windfall of over 50 cents per gallon since 2001. The first time was the second quarter of 2022 when its California profits were 83 cents per gallon. Valero’s California profits were once again higher than any of its other regions in the country and the world.

“These windfall profits must be returned to California drivers if the oil refiners are to treat Californians like customers rather than ATMs,” said Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog. “These profits show Governor Newsom is justified in his call for a special session to mandate a price gouging refund.”

In California, the Valero profits translate into an estimated quarterly windfall profit of $50.8 million that should go back to consumers, Consumer Watchdog said today, calculating all monies made over 50 cents per gallon as a windfall profit.

In the second quarter, Valero’s windfall profits made on margins of 83 cents per gallon was $161,700,000. Adding to Valero’s windfall profit from last quarter, Valero would need to refund $211 million in windfall profit back to California consumers if a price gouging refund law were in effect.

Governor Newsom has called a special legislative session in December to consider a windfall profits cap and price gouging rebate for California consumers.  Consumer Watchdog estimates that the amount of windfall profits to be returned to consumers by refiners reported so far this year is now over $1 billion. See the calculation.  

The formula used to calculate windfall profits is every dollar in profit made above 50 cents per gallon, which the company has only reported twice since 2001 — in the second and third quarters of 2022. View the chart of per gallon West Coast profits since 2001.

None of the four California oil refiners who reported windfall profits in the second quarter of 2022 had previously made more than 50 cents per gallon annually in all their years doing business in California. Chevron’s profits only exceeded 50 cents per gallon three times in the last twenty years.

Three other California refiners—PBF Energy, Phillips 66 and Marathon Oil—will be reporting third quarter profits in the coming two weeks. Chevron, which serves one third of the California market, only reports margins annually.

Valero’s haul of 60 cents per gallon off its California refineries is more than it has made at any other point in the last 20 years except for last quarter. Cents per gallon are calculated by dividing the gross refining margins on a barrel of crude by 42—the number of gallons in a barrel. Gross refining margins reflect the difference between the cost of crude oil bought and the price of petroleum products produced and sold by the refiner.

Oil refiners’ reports to investors only reveal Western regional margins, not California specific profits, which are generally higher.   Two of the five oil refiners, Valero and PBF, have their Western refineries in California only.

In the third quarter, Valero’s California refineries more than doubled margins per barrel to $25.36 from $11.29 in the same quarter last year. For the nine months, West Coast margins were $25.89 over $9.81 year before.  The margins were the highest reported among Valero’s four regions of operation, including the U.S. Gulf Coast, North Atlantic and U.S. Mid Continent.

A new law, SB 1322 (Allen), backed by Consumer Watchdog, will require oil refiners to post their profits per gallon from refining monthly beginning in January.  This will give California the basis to monitor for price gouging in real time and, if a price gouging rebate is enacted, to give the excess profits back to drivers.

On Valero’s earnings call with investors today, its Chief Executive Officer Joe Gorder noted that refining margins “remain supported” by strong product demand and low product inventory. Despite high output, Gorder said that global supplies remained “constrained” due to refineries being taken offline, “unfavorable economics,” and switching refineries away to producing low carbon fuels.

#BBLM, #BlackLivesMatter, Benicia Black Lives Matter

‘Our Voices’ – One Benicia Man’s Contribution to California History


BENICIA BLACK LIVES MATTER
…OUR VOICES…

From BeniciaBlackLivesMatter.com
[See also: About BBLM]

“One of our early Black residents was a local barber named Joseph McAfee – a contributing citizen, a soldier, and an underground activist. It is likely McAfee arrived in California in the early to mid-1840s…”

October 14, 2022
By Sheri Leigh, a member of Benicia Black Lives Matter

When you look around the streets of Benicia, it is obvious that there are fewer Black faces than white.  The 2020 population data from the US Census reports that there are only 3.22% African Americans and 9.51% People of Mixed Race living here.  However, this data is only reflective of numbers, not of the remarkable history of Blacks living in Benicia.  Here is one Benicia man’s story, steeped in California and American history.

In September of 1850, when the State of California was admitted into the Union, there were 21 Black residents within Solano County.  Six of them resided in Benicia, which at that time, had a total population of 480 people.  One of our early Black residents was a local barber named Joseph McAfee – a contributing citizen, a soldier, and an underground activist.

It is likely McAfee arrived in California in the early to mid-1840s, during the great Western migration, when California was still a Mexican territory.  At that time, slavery was legal in this territory, and most Blacks arrived here with their subjugators.  Fourteen of the 21 original Black Solano County residents were bound for Vacaville as “indentured” slaves.  Although it is not clear whether McAfee was a former slave or not, he allegedly arrived in California as a free man.

In June of 1846, Joseph McAfee joined many other California settlers in Sonoma for the rebellion known as the Bear Flag Incident, a revolt instigated by John C. Fremont against Mexican government rule.  With McAfee’s and other Black participants’ help, the rebellion prevailed.  Mexican general Mariano Vallejo was temporarily imprisoned, and the territory was declared the “Bear Flag Republic,” which paved the way for eventual California statehood.

In 1849, McAfee, along with hundreds of other African Americans, joined the George Wyatt gold mining expedition.  They mined at Murphy’s Diggings in Calaveras County.  A year later, many of the enslaved Blacks who joined the party were able to purchase their freedom with their earnings from the prosperous mine.

Meanwhile, as California prepared to become a State, the status of People of Color did not improve.  In 1849, during the California Constitutional Convention held in Monterey, lawmakers enacted several discriminatory pieces of legislation which further disenfranchised Africans, descendants of Africans, and Native American people. The new laws interfered with daily freedoms, rights to land ownership, citizenship, and other oppressive codes similar to those enacted in other parts of the country during  that time.

In 1850, as California was granted statehood, Joseph McAfee settled in Benicia and opened up a community barbershop with his earnings from the gold mines.  Although California was declared a “Free State,” within a year the new State of California passed its own version of the Fugitive Slave Act, requiring the return of runaway slaves to their owners.  McAfee took action and joined the other local abolitionists in the establishment and operation of the Western Underground Railroad in Solano County, creating a safe haven for those seeking freedom from slavery during pre-Civil War California.

McAfee remained in Benicia until the mid-1860s before moving to Santa Cruz, shortly after the promulgation of the Emancipation Proclamation abolishing slavery in all States.  His efforts in the Underground Railroad helped to empower those who were wrongfully enslaved and secured a path towards a more equitable society.  And his contributions helped bring a special part of history to Benicia.

Now, nearly 160 years later, there is still work to be done.  Although legally all citizens have the right to freedom, land and business ownership, voting, etc. there is still racial discrimination, both systemically and individually, directed towards People of Color.  It continues to be the goal of Benicia Black Lives Matter and other organizations directed towards positive change to help usher in a new, more equitable era free from racism and discrimination.  If you would like to join us in this effort, please contact us at www.benicia blacklivesmatter.com.

*The information in this article is based on information from the “North Bay Area African American TimeLine 1850-1925” and a 2012 article from the Daily Republic, entitled, “Exhibit Highlights Benicia’s African American Heritage,” written by Ian Thompson. 

Previous ‘Our Voices’ stories here on the BenIndy at
Benicia Black Lives Matter – Our Voices
     or on the BBLM website at
beniciablacklivesmatter.weebly.com/ourvoices