Benicia’s Marilyn Bardet: ‘The state has its tail between its legs, wagging, suckered into deal-making with an oil giant.’

The Benicia Independent, by Marilyn Bardet, September 12, 2025 VALERO BENICIA REFINERY TO CLOSE? – BACK ROOM PRIVATE NEGOTIATIONS On April 15th, Valero Energy Corp stunned our city making their “surprise” well-orchestrated announcement to the California Energy Commission [CEC] saying they intended to”idle, restructure or cease operations” at their Benicia refinery by next April. Evidently, … Continue reading Benicia’s Marilyn Bardet: ‘The state has its tail between its legs, wagging, suckered into deal-making with an oil giant.’

Marilyn Bardet: Will Valero decide to fix the furnace – or permanently idle the facility now?

Email letter, by Marilyn Bardet, May 9, 2025 Today, May 9, I read in the Mercury News the article headlined, “Is Gavin Newsom changing his tune with the oil industry?”  It happens that yesterday I’d been discussing this possibility with Matthew Green (at KQED News). In his April 26th article, Matthew had conjured that Valero … Continue reading Marilyn Bardet: Will Valero decide to fix the furnace – or permanently idle the facility now?

Marilyn Bardet: Tough Development Issues

Kari Birdseye and Terry Scott, both proven community leaders By Marilyn Bardet, October 23, 2022 Over my 35 years as a resident in Benicia, I’ve addressed many city councils on tough development issues, and I know it’s time for real change. For Benicia, persistent issues of sustainability haunt my thoughts about the future and fate … Continue reading Marilyn Bardet: Tough Development Issues