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California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), California Forever, Economy, Elizabeth Patterson, Environmental review, Just transition, Solano County Maritime

Elizabeth Patterson on CEQA, etc… ‘Look Before You Leap’

Look before you leap

By Elizabeth Patterson, first appearing in The Benicia Herald, September 13, 2026

Elizabeth Patterson, Benicia Mayor 2007 – 2020

“Look before you leap” describes the reason for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).  Before a project is built it is wise and thoughtful to determine impacts to air and water quality, wildlife habitats including terrestrial and aquatic species.  And for many what are the impacts from traffic, water supply, noise – a public health issue often ignored by decision makers.

California Forever pounded the hallways of California legislature in August to get Solano County Senator and Assembly member to sponsor CF’s proposed bill aided and abetted by the Governor’s Go Biz office.  The proposed bill would use  2008 Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the County General Plan.  Why wait until August to introduce this so-called trailer bill?  The answer is to avoid public review through the appropriate legislative committees and to use the power of the Governor’s office to wield their billionaire influence.  Sound familiar?

Senator Cabaldon noted that the 2008 General Plan EIR spelled out clearly that any “water related industrial project” would require a full CEQA assessment for potential impacts.  This is why the Senator among other concerns never endorsed the proposed legislation.

Assembly Member Wilson would not support the legislation without the Solano County Board of Supervisors signing on.  They didn’t.  And they didn’t because of multiple reasons including the last-minute California Forever steamrolling approach.  “I am not afraid of the Governor” said Supervisor Mitch Mashburn.  Board Chair Brown said “just say no”.

Mashburn’s motion to consider Solano County Maritime and Manufacturing  Act (Solano County Maritime) was “no” this year but next year consider Benicia’s deep water port and revitalizing Mare Island and its dry docks.  Will the billionaires do that?

Investing in existing communities such as Benicia and Vallejo means fewer new roads, water pipes, electrical power systems and so on versus the proposed shipbuilding near Collinsville.  It means investing private and public resources efficiently and effectively.  The ill-conceived Solano County Maritime “shipbuilding” project would take massive amounts of new roads, miles of new water supply pipes, and miles of new electrical power lines.  As a note, unless the Investor Owned Utilities and Public Utilities Commission change the rules, these new transmission lines will be part of your electricity energy bill.  That is how new development pays for utilities.  It is not just the developer or project.  The costs are spread around to all of us.

Roads.  The Solano Transportation Authority plans projects decades in advance because it must line up resources to pay for the improvements.  STA has a list.  It has projected funding sources.  What California Forever proposes with the shipbuilding project would require limited funds to be redirected and the approved projects list delayed by a decade or so.  Read STA’s comments on the notice of preparation for the EIR for the Suisun City Expansion project.  Legislative rumors have it that CF suggested diverting available funding from SR 37 to apply to SR 12.  It is hard to believe such rumors.

Investing in existing communities means where people live and work.  And it means avoiding significant impacts to tidal marshlands of the Sacramento River in the Delta.  Some of those impacts include harm from dredging especially if the existing ship channel is dug deeper.  The Army Corps of Engineers through numerous studies  identify that dredging the channel deeper could result in the channel walls collapsing because the sediment from hydraulic mining is weak.  Furthermore, the ACOE identified that a deeper channel would enable more salt water into the Delta where farmers pump to irrigate their crops.

The Bay-Delta is the heart of California’s water system. It supports some of the state’s most iconic and threatened fish and wildlife, sustains tribes and other local communities, and provides water for nearly 30 million Californians and 4 million acres of farmland. These benefits are essential to the economy and environment.

It would be helpful to understand all of this which is what a full CEQA review would provide.

Some have said that the proposed legislation to by-pass CEQA and local government adopted policies would still allow County discretionary decision making.  Nope.  Read the draft legislation to note that after the project is designed, the county would issue permits – permits which are ministerial – meaning adhering to adopted standards.  There would be no mitigation measures because there would be no identified impact because there is no CEQA.

Furthermore, all the important decisions of project design are made by the developer and the proposed development agreement is meaningless because there is nothing to negotiate.  And even with a development agreement, things happen such as bankruptcy leaving government holding the empty promises.

Imbedded in the failed CF legislation was a device to solve issues between agencies.  For instance, if STA disagreed with CalTrans, there was a proposed “master” who would decide.  This proposed master would be appointed by Land Use and Climate Innovation whose members are appointed by the Governor.  Want to guess how that decision would go?

It is true that there are many governmental agencies with decision making : air quality districts, water quality and water supply agencies, federal, state, regional and local transportation agencies, PUC, fish and wildlife, Delta Protection Commission, Delta Stewardship Council, NOAA, and Department of Defense – it is a long list.  Because things are complicated, expertise, knowledge and oversight are needed to secure public health, safety and welfare and the Public Trust Doctrine.

It is said that CEQA and the complications of getting approval are ruinous for California.  Really?  CEQA has been law since 1970.  More than 50 years.  And California is the 4th largest economy in the world.  Something must be working.  I suggest it is the “looking before you leap” that has had a net positive benefit.  Other benefits are cleaner air, better water quality, many habits protected, better transportation planning and less reliance on fossil fuels.

Right here in the river City of Benicia are opportunities for ship repair and maritime activities, expanding  tourism and visitors as a perfect place to explore the Delta National Heritage Area of which we are a part.  Invest in Benicia. Reduce our carbon footprint. Restore our fisheries.  And do it with the public.  Perhaps the billionaires will reflect on their attempts to get favorable treatment and remember Winston Churchill’s “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the other forms that have been tried”.  The billionaires “cram it down our throats” approach didn’t work.  Try public participation and democratic principles.

Elizabeth Patterson, Mayor 2007-2020
State staff environmental scientist, retired

Previously here on this subject:

Walking Back CEQA Protections Will Leave Californians Paying the Price for Ignoring Impacts, by Elizabeth Patterson, July 30, 2024

Benicia City Council, Justin Zollars, Kari Birdseye, Terry Scott, Tom Campbell

Tom Campbell: Jing Di Zhi Wa – on Benicia’s 2026 City Council election

Jing Di Zhi Wa

Former Benicia City Council Member Tom Campbell

By Tom Campbell, The Benicia Herald, September 18, 2026

Jing di zhi wa is a Chinese idiom that means you know as little about the real world as a frog at the bottom of a well. I think this might well describe Justin Zollars. From what I’ve been reading from his posts, candidate debate, and candidate’s statement, he seems to be a one trick pony focused on Flock cameras. I haven’t seen him post anything on how he’ll address what are monumental generational issues that are in front of the City Council right now. Issues like, “What are we going to do with the Seeno property” where a billionaire developer does not seem to be on the same page as the City Council. Or “What are we going to do with the port which after 62 years Benicia finally gets back in four years.”

A port that due to poor judgement in 1964 by a Benicia City Council the City has not gotten a penny in port operations for 62 years and counting, even though Benicia owns the wharf and all land accessing the water. Or how about the closed refinery that looks more and more like the State wants to keep as a gasoline tank farm even if it means Benicia will have to forsake any future development. The State seems to want Benicia to fall on its sword and ignore its future for the sake of keeping the rest of California’s drivers happy with a large supply of cheaper gas. Am I wrong? Then show me a time line for the clean-up and development of the refinery land. Afterall it’s been a year and a half since the announcement of the refinery closure and still nothing.

Those three big issues in front of the City Council right now are going to decide what the lives of the next generations in Benicia will be. Same as the decisions of the 1964 City Council decided the lives of the last three generations of Benicians after the Arsenal closed. There are very big issues at stake in this election. When you would rather talk about Flock cameras instead, it’s no different than if your house was on fire and you’re running around and you stop in the dining room and go “that silverware on the table just doesn’t go with the dishes’ floral pattern.” There’s a lot bigger issue staring you in the face at that particular moment than floral patterns. The same holds true for the generational challenges facing Benicia at this very moment.

So given the gravity of the challenges Benicia faces right now there is no time for an untested rookie with no civic history to navigate a steep learning curve immediately. I was on the City Council for 21 years and before that the Planning Commission, over 30 years total in Benicia City government. In that entire time, I can say the best Council I was ever on was the last City Council I was on. That Council had both Terry Scott and Kari Birdseye on it. What they showed me was that they could look at what had to be done and do it even if it meant a huge blowback. You have to put what’s best for the community ahead of your own ambitions. Not every Council could do that.

Kicking the can down the road is just a nice way of saying you don’t have the backbone to face unpopular but necessary votes. I never saw Kari or Terry back away from what had to be done. This is important because in the next few years the next City Council will have to deal with the State of California and billion dollar corporations that are going to try and throw Benicia a bone and say “Hey what’s the problem, we’re doing you a favor.” This Council is going to have to have the backbone to tell these corporations and the State what they can do with that bone.

I want someone on the City Council who knows and understands these generational issues and will protect our future. That’s why I’ m voting for Terry Scott and Kari Birdseye. I’m sure in that burning house that I mentioned above they would have been looking for a fire extinguisher and not a useless floral dish pattern.

Tom Campbell

More on the candidates:
Benicia city council candidates Terry Scott, Kari Birdseye, & Justin Zollars. Photo: The Vallejo Sun
Trump, War

Stephen Golub: Israel-US At War with Iran

“A Narcissistic, Deranged Individual”…We Can’t Analyze Trump and the Iran War as We Would a Normal Conflict with Normal Leaders…

WION  April 4, 2026 Interview with Stephen Golub 

About WION – The World is One News, examines global issues with in-depth analysis. We provide much more than the news of the day. Our aim to empower people to explore their world. With our Global headquarters in New Delhi, we bring you news on the hour, by the hour. We deliver information that is not biased. We are journalists who are neutral to the core and non-partisan when it comes to the politics of the world. People are tired of biased reportage and we stand for a globalised united world. So for us the World is truly One.

Benicia resident and author Stephen Golub, A Promised Land

Stephen Golub writes about democracy and politics, both in America and abroad, at A Promised Land: America as a Developing Country.

…and… here’s more Golub on the Benicia Independent

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Benicia High School, Democracy under attack, Donald Trump, Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), Student protest

Benicia High School students hold anti-ICE walkout

The protest followed a week of school walkouts all across the nation.

Benicia High School students protest at City Park. Photo: Gretchen Smail

The Vallejo Sun, by Gretchen Smail Feb 05, 2026

BENICIA – An estimated 400 students from Benicia High School walked out of class on Wednesday afternoon to protest the Trump Administration and the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Last Friday, students walked out in Vallejo, American Canyon, Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, and across the country after students at the University of Minnesota called for a nationwide strike to protest ICE’s actions, particularly in the wake of the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good.

The Benicia High walkout was organized by junior Maddie Vlnar. She had never attended a protest before, much less organized one. But she had friends from the East Bay who had organized a walkout, and a handful of Benicia High students said they were interested in helping plan one, too. So she created an anonymous Instagram account last Thursday and began to spread the word.

“I really wasn’t expecting this many people to come out,” said Vlnar. “It was very makeshift and DIY even, but it ended up really working out, and I’m really happy that people came.” For Vlnar, seeing ICE’s actions on social media motivated her to organize.

Students from Benicia High School covered the hill at City Park. Photo: Gretchen Smail

For Vlnar, seeing ICE’s actions on social media motivated her to organize.

“Every time I open Instagram or TikTok, I’m constantly seeing all these things happen to people who are protesting and to people who are immigrants, whether they’re undocumented or not,” said Vlnar. “Even American citizens are being detained and treated unlawfully and even killed. I figured it’s time to finally end this. Let’s put our voices out there. We have the people.”

According to the Marshall Project, ICE has been holding an average of 170 children in custody a day since President Donald Trump’s second inauguration. Per The Guardian, 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025; since the start of 2026, eight people have died in ICE custody or been killed by ICE agents. ICE is currently holding the largest number of detainees in its history, according to CBS.

Students wave signs as cars honk in support. Photo: Gretchen Smail

 

The walkout began at 2 p.m. Vlnar and some friends went from classroom to classroom rallying students and explaining to teachers why they were doing the walkout. The protesters gathered in the quad and then marched to the City Park gazebo on First Street. So many students walked out that those at the back of the march couldn’t see where the front began.As the students walked, they waved signs that said phrases like “no one is illegal on stolen land” and “I’ll take my horchata warm because ICE sucks!” They also chanted “no ICE, no KKK, no fascist USA” as cars drove by honking in support.

Several teachers walked with the students to monitor the protest, as did Benicia police.

“We’re here to protect students, make sure they’re safe,” schools Superintendent Chris Calabrese said. “They have the right to protest.”

He added that his preference is that students are in the classroom learning, “but we have constitutional law and state law and educational code that we have to follow, and sometimes those things contradict,” Calabrese said. “So we’re just out here making sure that students aren’t causing any damage, and they’re not getting hurt either.”

Students walk down Military West to join the protest at City Park. Photo: Gretchen Smail

For many students, this was their first protest.

Sophomore Talaya Wilson said she loved seeing all her classmates participate in the walkout and voice their frustrations with the current administration.

“I don’t agree with anything that’s happening in the world right now. None of this should have happened in the first place,” Wilson said. “I’m really happy that everybody is protesting against ICE and Trump because we should have never voted for him. I’m very disappointed in my country, and in adults. Now my generation has to fix your guys’ problems.”

Senior Gabriel Gomez echoed this sentiment. “Immigrants built this country,” said Gomez. “We pick your food, we build your houses, and you want to kick us out? Nah, man.” Gomez said the administration should focus on going after real criminals rather than the “immigrants who are just trying to make a living.”

Students spread out in front of the gazebo at City Park to protest. Photo: Gretchen Smail

A 2026 UCLA study found that immigrants without a criminal record make up the largest group in ICE detention. Trump initially claimed he would only go after the “worst of the worst.”

Senior Isaiah Figueroa helped Vlnar organize the walkout. For him, the motivation to walk out was personal. “I’m a first generation Mexican-American, so seeing all this here hits really close to home for me,” said Figueroa. “We live in a world we had no say in.”

Figueroa said he’s glad that he’s now of voting age so he’ll be able to “have more of a voice” in the country.

For senior Camryn Wittry, the protest was important because it was a way to speak up for “people whose voices can’t be heard.”

She pointed out how many people brought their own signs and encouraged others to chant. “It’s amazing to see young people voice their opinions,” said Wittry. “Even though so many people here can’t vote, they’re using their First Amendment right.”

Benicia High School students protesting at City Park. Photo: Gretchen Smail

During the protest, some Benicia residents walked out from the nearby Safeway and library to cheer on the students.

“We’re really happy to see all these young people here,” said Benicia resident Wayne Eisenhart, who stood on the hill with the students to watch the protest with his wife.  “It warms my heart.”

The protest ended around 3:30 p.m., with parents picking up their kids or students walking down First Street to grab food.

“It’s such a surreal feeling. So many people came out,” Vlnar said, after thanking the students for attending. She said she was proud that the protest remained under control, and that they were able to have a long moment of silence for those who have been brutalized or killed by ICE. “There were parents, and people off the street, and so many cars driving by who were honking and cheering us on. It was so, so amazing.”