Despite being an otherwise healthy city, our rates of many cancers are much higher than Solano County and the rest of the state.
Benicia’s rate of lung cancer is between 14.5%-21.8% higher than the county’s and about 44% higher than the California rate. Our prostate cancer rates are 32.8% higher than the county’s and 70% higher than the state’s. For breast cancer, we have a 36% higher rate than our county and a 94% higher rate than our state. This data comes from Solano County and state public health sources.
While it cannot be definitively concluded that these higher cancer rates are due to refinery emissions, they are similar to the higher rates near refineries elsewhere that are well-documented in medical studies.
Yes, it will be economically challenging to weather Valero’s exit. But there is little doubt that when this happens, our community’s risk of cancer will drop. Many Benicia residents are looking forward to being able to breathe healthier air and are willing to work with our city government to move into a post-refinery future.
>> IN BENICIA: June 14th NO KINGS DAY! 1-2pm at the Gazebo (map: First and Military Streets). Bring your signs, noisemakers, and your goodwill. We’ll “parade” this block for the hour on the sidewalk.
– Susan Street
>> IN VALLEJO: Vallejo-Benicia INDIVISIBLE is sponsoring a NO KINGS rally and march on Saturday, June 14 in the plaza at the Vallejo City Hall, 555 Santa Clara Street in Vallejo. The event will start at 10 am with brief speeches, with speakers including Benicia Mayor Steve Young and others. The Vallejo event is listed (with a map) on the mobilize.us website. Bring your signs. Crowns optional.
>> IN FAIRIELD: Sat June 14, 12 – 1pm, corner of Jefferson and Texas Streets under the flags, 605 Texas St., Fairfield. Here’s a map.
>> ALL OVER THE BAY AREA: Go to the nokings.org or mobilize.us website and zoom in on the big map. Then click on a city for detailed info about the specific event in that location.
‘No Kings’ Protest Leader Ezra Levin of INDIVISIBLE Reveals ‘Big Baby’ Trump Plan
A giant balloon inflated by activists depicting U.S. President Donald Trump as an orange baby is seen during a demonstration against Trump’s visit to the U.K. in Parliament Square in London on July 13, 2018. Tolga AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images
An activist involved with the “No Kings” movement has revealed plans for their upcoming protest.
Ezra Levin, the head of grassroots movement Indivisible, one of the groups associated with the movement, told the Jim Acosta Show that an upcoming coordinated protest on June 14, which is on President Donald Trump’s birthday and Flag Day, would take place in areas away from where Trump is holding a parade.
Why It Matters
The protesters, who are working with local chapters in more than 30 states, are targeting a military-style parade the Trump administration is planning on his birthday.
According to planning documents obtained by the Associated Press, Trump’s proposed event, which would follow a route from Arlington, Virginia across the Potomac into Washington, D.C., and conclude with a concert and fireworks, would include more than 6,600 soldiers, at least 150 military vehicles, 50 helicopters, seven bands and potentially thousands of civilians.
Trump protestors protested out front to the Tesla Showroom to demand the the Trump Administration stop funding billionaires. Katie Godowski / MediaPunch /IPX
The counter-protest comes amid a wave of protests against Trump and his policies that have taken place since he took office in January 2025.
People are protesting to express their disapproval of policies implemented by Trump’s administration, including cuts overseen by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Other protests have focused on Trump’s immigration policies. Recent polls have shown Trump’s approval rating at a historic low.
What To Know
Levin said their protest would take place in areas everywhere around the country, except downtown D.C., where Trump’s parade will take place.
“We do not want to give this guy an excuse to crackdown on peaceful protest,” he said. “We want the contrast – this guy’s a big baby, he’s throwing himself a big military parade for his birthday. We, the people, where power actually originates in this country, we’re everywhere else.”
He added that the protest was to “send a signal” to Trump and allied institutions to protect democracy.
Levin also said it wasn’t appropriate to spend money on a parade for Trump amid cuts to Medicaid and other government programs.
He also called Trump’s agenda “heinous” and said protests against him were “inspiring.”
What People Are Saying
Army spokesperson Colonel Dave Butler recently told the Associated Press: “We want to make it into an event that the entire nation can celebrate with us. We want Americans to know their Army and their soldiers. A parade might become part of that, and we think that will be an excellent addition to what we already have planned.”
The “No Kings” group previously said: “Real power isn’t staged in Washington. It rises up everywhere else.”
What Happens Next
The “No Kings” protest takes place on June 14. The coalition has said it will release more information about the event closer to the time.
Law enforcement agencies in Washington, D.C., are preparing for heightened security, though officials have not disclosed specific plans.
>> IN BENICIA: June 14th NO KINGS DAY! 1-2pm at the Gazebo (First and Military Streets). Bring your signs, noisemakers, and your goodwill. We’ll “parade” this block for the hour on the sidewalk.
– Susan Street >> MORE: NO KINGS DAY – Vallejo, Benicia, and all over the Bay!
‘We Don’t Do Kings’: Mass Protests Planned to Counter Trump’s Birthday Military Parade
“Donald Trump wants to spend tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to throw himself a big fancy parade with tanks in the streets,” said one organizer. “This is straight out of the authoritarian playbook.”
Pro-democracy campaigners late Monday announced a nationwide “No Kings” day of defiance on June 14—the same day U.S. President Donald Trump plans to hold a birthday military parade more befitting a dictator than an elected head of state.
More than 100 “No Kings” events have already been registered across the U.S., with many more expected in the weeks ahead of the day of action.
See the full list of planned events and locations here (mobilize.us). (Note that our Benicia event is not listed at mobilize.us as of this posting. Efforts are being made to get Benicia listed there.)
“Donald Trump wants to spend tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to throw himself a big fancy parade with tanks in the streets,” explained Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible, on Monday’s broadcast of The Rachel Maddow Show (see below). “This is straight out of the authoritarian playbook. He wants to project strength. He wants everybody to think that he is all-powerful. That he rules the world.”
“He doesn’t,” Levin added. “Real power is not in D.C. It’s distributed all across the country. And what we’re looking to do on No Kings Day is to say, look—Donald Trump does not own the flag. He does not own patriotism. In fact, we can all show up in opposition to a king in this country.”
The event’s website says the goal of the mass demonstrations is to show that “from city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we’re taking action to reject authoritarianism.”
“In America, we don’t do kings,” the website states. “On June 14th, we’re showing up everywhere he isn’t—to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings.”
News of the latest mass mobilization against Trump and his far-right agenda came days after the U.S. Army confirmed plans for a parade on June 14—the Army’s 250th birthday and Trump’s 79th.
“The Army anticipates featuring 150 vehicles, 50 aircraft, and 6,600 soldiers,” The Washington Postreported, citing an Army spokesperson. “The parade will accompany a fireworks display and a day-long festival on the National Mall with military demonstrations, musical performances, and a fitness competition.”
The price tag for such festivities could be massive, with two unnamed defense officials tellingNBC News that it could be as high as $45 million. In an interview that aired over the weekend, Trump called the potential cost “peanuts compared to the value of doing it.”
“We have the greatest missiles in the world,” Trump declared. “We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we’re going to celebrate it.”
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) said in a statement Monday that “this would be an unprecedented waste of money to please this self-absorbed con man, and the public should make clear it’s unacceptable.”
“The egotist-in-chief wants taxpayers to foot the bill for a military parade on his birthday,” said Cohen, the lead sponsor of legislation that would “prohibit the use of federal funds for a military parade in the District of Columbia intended for the personal celebration of President Donald J. Trump, and for other purposes.”
Jake Johnson is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams.
By Elizabeth Patterson (Benicia Mayor 2007-2020), May 29, 2025
The tale is about Sky Valley development for thousands of homes and businesses. Business as usual with city officials and land developers. “Gotta” build in the next undeveloped land. Need more housing to bring revenues to the city. We must grow more housing to survive. I always wonder how far we need to “grow” – to Fairfield, to Sacramento, to Reno? In other words, it makes no sense to say “we have to grow to survive”. What is the alternative? Let me make a suggestion or two.
When there was city leadership driving the development for Sky Valley (this is the Lake Herman area), residents began to question the collective vision of the city. This city vision is required by the State – known as the General Plan. Bob Berman, a planner and leader for smart growth and open spaces – testified and wrote that Sky Valley was the tail wagging the dog. He campaigned for updating the General Plan that would be the legal vison of the city. This was a pivotal moment for Benicia.
There was a citizen driven petition to stop the Sky Valley project. By a city council one vote margin the city driven development for Sky Valley was scuttled. The city council in the mid 90s by resolution created an advisory task force on the nature and extent of updating the General Plan. And by resolution established a seventeen-member General Plan Oversight Committee (GPOC) to prepare the General Plan.
The GPOC decision making was by consensus during open meetings that were scheduled to encourage public participation. Common and shared values were identified and agreed upon by consensus. Each goal and policy had to meet those common and shared values by consensus. Each legally required element and optional element had to be integrated. A kind of holistic process. The future vision was adopted with clarity and purpose. Each element – housing, transportation, conservation, economic development, heathy community – was driven by sustainable development as the overarching goal.
The Urban Growth Boundary Line restricting urban development replaced the thousands of proposed suburban houses. The Benicia Industrial Park association waged a stellar campaign to prevent changing zoning from light industrial to commercial and mixed use with their focus on expansion for industry along East Second. Their point was to avoid conflict with future residents who would complain about industrial noise, big trucks and other incompatible activities.
The GPOC appointed by the council and made up of voices from every corner of our community was tasked with drafting the general plan. GPOC held nearly a dozen panels of specialists on geology, property rights, economic development, urban design, affordable housing, community health, and hazardous waste to inform the committee and public. We had experts educating citizens so that opportunities and constraints – that is what trained urban and regional planners practice – were known and vetted in public.
So is the potential Valero closure the tail wagging the dog of development? Best to start with what are the objective standards for sustainable development. It sure is not building housing that creates more vehicle trips – in fact there is a state law that says just that.
And what does resiliency mean? Public Resources Code 71360 (Senate Bill 246, 2015) established the Clearinghouse to support holistic, science-based climate resilience decisions, planning, and projects across local communities, regions, and the State. Clearinghouse resources include toolkits and templates, example plans and projects, curated case studies, scientific studies, tools and data, guidance documents, and more.
Lastly, homage to historic downtown Benicia is perfect. There are approximately 482 historic towns and cities in California, though none as special as Benicia. And there is only one Historic Arsenal in California, here in Benicia – which is slated through the congressionally established Delta National Heritage Area as a destination for visitors and residents alike.
The current Benicia General Plan stipulates that goals and policies must meet sustainable development overarching goal. Decision makers for “cohesive new neighborhoods like Rose Estates, [Historic Arsenal] Jefferson Ridge and the Valero property” are not the unifying consensus vision of Benicians. Once again, the tail is wagging the dog of Benicia’s future.
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