Vote for America and Benicia
By Stephen Golub, first appearing in The Benicia Herald, Oct 5, 2025
Vote for Prop 50, Vote for Prop 218, Vote for America and Benicia
This Election Day, and via mail balloting before then, Benicians have a chance to help our democracy survive and our parks thrive. I urge you to vote for California Proposition 50 and Benicia Proposition 218. Briefly, here’s why:
Proposition 50: The Election Rigging Response Act
Literally every day, Donald Trump and his administration do unprecedented damage to America’s democracy, economy, national security, identity, public health and a host of other priorities. An unprecedented, blatantly and dangerously political speech to our nonpartisan military leaders. The prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey and the promise to go after many other perceived political enemies. Alienation of democratic allies like Canada while kowtowing to dictators like Putin. Spreading disinformation about Tylenol while slashing staff and funding for vaccines that could stem the next pandemic. Foreign and domestic public health cuts yielding millions of deaths. Inflation-spurring tariffs. Masked, unidentified agents grabbing even legal immigrants off our streets. The list is nearly endless.
Proposition 50 can help halt this tidal wave of attacks on everything that makes this country great. If passed, it will allow California to remap the state’s congressional districts in response to Republican-controlled Texas, Missouri and other states taking unprecedented steps to massively tilt the electoral playing field through their own redistricting.
The proposal is crucial because, if the electoral rules are fair, the Democrats will very likely win back the House of Representatives next year, given the growing unpopularity and damage of Trump and his policies. That in turn will help check his egregious abuses of power.
Unfortunately, in getting states to redraw their congressional maps so as to produce more likely Republican wins, he could retain control of the House even though many more Americans may vote for Democratic candidates across the country.
That’s just not fair. Whether you’re a Republican or Democrat or Independent, please vote for Prop 50 so we can have a fair election and put a check on Trump’s efforts to decimate our democracy and well-being.
Proposition 218: For a Citywide Parks, Landscape, and Lighting Assessment District
There’s no such thing as a free lunch. If we want Benicia to remain beautiful, enjoyable, safe and fiscally sound, we have to shell out the necessary money. By establishing a new Parks, Landscape, and Lighting Assessment District, Proposition 218 will help ensure that our parks, trails, open spaces and recreational areas are up to snuff.
I don’t like any new taxes or fees. Who does? But especially with our town facing acute budgetary challenges as Valero closes its refinery, we need to tap new resources to financially survive and eventually thrive.
An irony here is that last year we had a chance to adopt a real estate transfer tax that would have (among other things) significantly helped ease the financial pain of Valero departing, to the tune of perhaps $10 million dollars for the eventual sale of its property. The fact that the measure failed is water under the bridge. But Prop 218 could yield a similar sum spread over a number of years.
Let’s not throw away another$10 million or more again. If we repair and maintain our parks and related facilities, the benefits will spread beyond the immediate targets of the expenditures. It will help ensure that funds aren’t drained away from police and fire protection, which understandably consume a good chunk of Benicia’s budget. It will help property values to rise. It will help maintain Benicia as a wonderful place to live in and move to.
But we have to act fast. The mail ballots all property owners have received must be returned to the City (not simply postmarked) by October 14.
Now, what if you already returned your ballot but have since changed your mind? No worries. You can call City Management Analyst Sharon Denney at 707-746-4215 to arrange to replace that ballot with a new one.
As of this past Monday, only about 35 percent of the votes had been cast. So please, consider how this measure can help Benicia in so many ways. Vote Yes on 218.
Stephen Golub writes about democracy and politics, both in America and abroad, at A Promised Land: America as a Developing Country.
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