All posts by BenIndy

Benicia, Benicia Police Department, Benicia School Board, Benicia Unified School District

BPD Chief on ‘La Migra’ 2023 – 20 students ‘apprehended,’ one facing charges

Sheri Leigh spoke with Benicia Police Chief Mike Greene about the facts – but not the implications – of ‘La Migra’

Sheri Leigh
Sheri Leigh

Since I know that the police are very much impacted by the ‘La Migra’ Game, I thought it was important to engage Benicia Police Chief Mike Greene and Public Information Officer Irma Widjojo in this important conversation. The three of us met one morning at the police station to discuss the impacts of the game on public safety and trends, but I also wanted to get their perspectives. Chief Green was firm in his opinion that the game should be eliminated, but maintained his position from a public safety standpoint, rather than the personal trauma or racially charged implications of the game. As a professional in a very prominent position of local law enforcement, I felt Chief Greene had to be careful of presenting only the facts, not the implications.  – Sheri Leigh

Benicia Chief of Police Mike Greene is a 30-year law enforcement veteran, long-time Benicia resident and graduate of Benicia High School. | Uncredited image from BPD website.

Our Public Safety at Risk

The annual high school student-led ‘La Migra’ Game is designed to be a rite of passage for underclassmen. The juniors and seniors give the younger students who are participating a head start and then try to catch them before they reach the “safety zone,” which is in another part of town. The specific date, starting, and end points of the game are kept a secret by the upperclassmen until the final moment. It’s a game of chase that is played outside of school jurisdiction. The game is scheduled on a weekend evening in the spring, so the light is varying and lots of people are out enjoying the improving weather and charm of our community. It typically carries over into public areas, including First Street.

A lawn with kids running away.
‘La Migra’ is slang for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is the name used for this controversial game based on ICE agents deporting undocumented immigrants. This image is from a 2018 video showing footage of the Game starting. |

‘It’s not a game to everyone’

Many say that the Game is a community tradition. But it’s not a game to everyone. The Benicia Police Department, headed by long-time Benicia resident, Benicia High School alumni, and 30-year law enforcement veteran Police Chief Mike Greene, finds this game to be a serious threat to public safety and a drain on public resources.

Each year the ‘Game’ is played, the department receives a huge increase in calls that evening, requesting police help on everything from noise disturbances to traffic safety issues, trespassing and assault. The captors are generally in a vehicle, while the targets are on foot. When captors spot one of their targets, a chase ensues. This leads to unsafe and even reckless driving by young and inexperienced drivers, and young people on foot jumping fences, going on to private property, and/or running in and out of traffic to avoid “capture.”

In the more recent years, it appears there has been an increase in the vehemence of the chase. Some of the participants are publicly yelling profanities and racially or sexually charged names at their targets as they pursue. This year and last, a few of the pursuers used a gel-pellet gun (Orbeez brand) to brandish and fire at their targets.

This is the Orbeez-brand ‘P90 Assault Rifle.’ Orbeez sells a variety of gel-pellet weapons mimicking the appearance of real weapons, including this gel-pellet assault rifle, a submachine gun and a gatling gun. | Image from Orbeez Gun’s website.

Worse yet, there are young people who did not intend to participate, many of whom did not even know the game was in play, who have been targeted. This creates fear and trauma among the unwitting visitors and members of our community, and takes away from providing a safe environment for everyone that the police department and community leaders work so hard to sustain.

20 Benicia youth ‘apprehended’ in 2023; one student referred to Solano DA

When looked at from a broad perspective, there is a tremendous amount of potential for community disaster. The likelihood of someone getting seriously injured or killed, whether or not they are actually “playing,” is high. It’s easy to imagine a scenario where a student being chased runs into the street to avoid capture and is hit by a car. Or a small child inadvertently wanders between a pursuer who is firing a gel-pellet gun and a target and is hit in a vulnerable part of their body. It is only a matter of time before something disastrous occurs. In addition, the ‘Game’ creates trauma for those who are not voluntarily involved and yet are affected – who are, in effect, collateral damage.

‘La Migra’ is costly, and Benicians pay the price

Police Chief Mike Greene is very much in favor of disbanding the ‘La Migra’ Game. The police department maintains a proactive enforcement approach by working in conjunction with the Benicia Unified School District and other community agents.

This year, they were able to learn the time and date the ‘Game’ was to be held, about a week ahead of time. The chief put five additional officers on active duty that evening, most of them on overtime. Officers were on hand to follow through when calls came in, and approximately 20 teens who were involved with the ‘Game’ were apprehended.

After the young people received a lecture on public safety, their guardians were called, and the circumstances and safety concerns regarding the Game’s danger’s were explained before remanding the youths to parental custody. One youth was referred to the District Attorney’s office on charges of battery for use of a gel-pellet gun. Although these efforts tapped police and community resources on an already tight budget, it was the most success the police force has had at intervening in the ‘Game’ and curtailing some of the dangers. They will continue their advanced efforts into the future until the ‘Game’ is no longer a threat to our community.

From a purely objective standpoint, Benicia is a safe community. According to the statistics put out by the United States Department of Justice, the crime rate in the City of Benicia is relatively low. For example, in 2019, we had 16 reports of violent crime, which is much lower than nearly all other Bay Area cities of a similar size, such as El Cerrito (152) and East Palo Alto (144) and Pleasant Hill (88). ‘La Migra’ threatens the status Benicia has earned by creating an unsafe environment for participants and non-participants alike.

It needs to stop.

Sheri Leigh to join BUSD Board President Sheri Zada in discussion about racism in schools Tuesday, June 13, 7pm (over Zoom)

Sheri Leigh has been involved in matters of equity and restorative justice practice throughout most of her adult life.  She has volunteered on Equity committees at nearly all of her workplaces; at three different high schools, she introduced and facilitated “Link Crew,” a program designed to welcome and include all high school newcomers. She has been a supporting member of Benicia Black Lives Matter since 2020.  Sheri is the facilitator and author of the “Our Voices” articles on matters of current and historical racial injustices, and is currently working on exposing the complex, somewhat dangerous, and often damaging tradition of Benicia’s “La Migra” games.

Sheri Zada is President of the Benicia Unified School District School Board.  She has been on the board since 2018.  Sheri is a retired school librarian and union rep.  She also has worked with special needs children.  She is the mother of two sons.  Sheri has also been on the City of Benicia Tourism Committee.  She is a strong advocate to stand up against gun violence and was an organizer for the first  Benicia March for Our Lives.

This event is free and open to the public, not just PDB members. Use the Zoom information below to access the meeting.

Join PDB Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82362109045?pwd=bG9SMzE3RnA5VlJWeXhUMWhUNjk5Zz09

Meeting ID: 823 6210 9045
Passcode: 039610
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,82362109045#,,,,*039610# US (San Jose)
+16694449171,,82362109045#,,,,*039610# US

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdtJHvmFU6

Share your story

If you would like Sheri to hear and share your perspective on the ‘La Migra’ Game, please contact her through the Benicia Independent. Remember that it is your story that is critical for others to hear, not your name, unless you would like to be identified.
Reach out to Sheri: benindy@beniciaindependent.com
Leave a voicemail for the BenIndy: ‪(707) 385-9972‬

(This is not a live line. You will be sent straight to voicemail.)

LEARN MORE ABOUT ‘LA MIGRA’

Versions of this story may be shared by other print and online sources, including the Benicia Herald. The Herald does not have an online edition. To support our local newspaper, please subscribe by email at beniciacirculation@gmail.com or by phone at 707-745-6838.

Arts Benicia, Benicia, Benicia City Council, Benicia's Budget Crisis, Terry Scott

Benicia Vice-Mayor Scott credits community for fight to keep Benicia boards funded

Vice-Mayor Terry Scott honored the hours-long outpouring of community support for Benicia’s Arts & Culture Commission and Human Services Board with a special message

Benicia Vice-Mayor Terry Scott celebrated the many Benicians who wrote, called and showed up to support continued funding for the Arts & Culture Commission and Human Services Board. | Uncredited image.

 

Message from Benicia Vice-Mayor Terry Scott, June 7, 2023:

After almost four hours of passionate and insightful community testimony, City Council last night agreed to continue future funding for the Arts and Culture Commission and the Human Services Board.  

The extended community testimony and the City Council’s decision to continue funding the Arts and Culture Commission and the Human Services Board demonstrate the importance of community engagement in local governance.

I believe when individuals passionately express their thoughts and concerns, it helps shape decisions that directly impact the well-being and development of the city. 

The ongoing support and participation of Benicians  in the decision making process will undoubtedly continue to play a crucial role in the future of the city as we move into balancing our community priorities within the scope of our budget crisis.  

Thanks to all who participated. 

Terry Scott 
Vice-Mayor of Benicia

 

 

Housing, Seeno, Seeno property, Valero Benicia Refinery, Valero PAC

Ashton Lyle: Benicia can balance Big Oil (and our budget)

Opinion: To check Valero’s influence and beat a budget meltdown, Benicia leaders must walk a fine line

Although this is a tremendous oversimplification, Benicia’s fight for its future can feel like a choice between the frying-pan and the fire. | Canva image by N. Christian.

By Ashton Lyle, June 7, 2023

Portrait of Ashton Lyle
Ashton Lyle, BenIndy contributor.

Benicia will not always be a sleepy town on the edge of the Bay. Like Walnut Creek, Vallejo, and other neighboring cities before us, change is on the horizon. Today, I’m considering what would make the town more livable for its current and future residents.

First among the forces impeding a successful future is the city’s long-term budget crisis, as evidenced by a recent debate in the Benicia Herald. The city council approved its last two budgets with a substantial deficit, an obviously unsustainable situation over the long term. Bret Prebula, the Assistant City Manager, believes that the budget can be balanced. However, if the town wants to maintain the standard of services Benicia residents have come to expect, “new tax revenue is a must.” 

Equally concerning to me is the role that Texas-based Valero Energy Corporation continues to play in our politics. Over the past 55 years, the Valero-owned Benicia refinery has been the dominant economic force in the city. Founded in 1968 by Humble Oil before passing to Exxon and Valero, it has grown to become the town’s largest employer. Its revenue is essential to the city’s finances, as property taxes paid by the refinery have allowed Benicia to develop its services that in turn, attract new residents. In 2014, Valero was responsible for 40% of Benicia’s revenue, and while that number has dived to less than 20% today, the economic weight of Valero has inspired support for pro-refinery politicians in city and mayoral elections. In 2022 Valero funded PAC spent nearly a quarter of a million dollars on the city council race and printed misleading mailers while its Benicia refinery’s toxic emissions exceeded legal limits for more than 20 years, raising questions about whether vital information was being withheld from residents and regulators. All with relative impunity, a recent $1.2 million fine for recent toxic flares aside (an amount which represented a mere 0.01% of Valero’s profits in 2022.)

Meanwhile, the budget is in need of serious balancing. If Benicia is to throw off the weight of oil town politics, development in either residential or commercial sectors is needed if we wish to maintain our beloved services (such as an independent police force, library, and parks) over the long term. One only has to look at the ongoing rehabilitation of Vallejo’s city finances in the past decade to see the potential of a growing residential tax base. Additionally, if we want to finally free Benicia from reliance on a corporate giant, the town needs a larger slice of the growth from the Bay Area’s professional economy to increase property tax revenue and reduce the city’s dependence on income from Valero. In the age of remote work, accessible housing is essential to competing with local towns and bring knowledge workers to Benicia. If we want to ensure that Benicia’s future is not bound by corporate interests, the long-term answer is embracing new neighbors.

Equitable growth of the town’s housing stock is equally necessary to welcome more of Benicia’s workers to join our community full-time. The employees working in the city’s restaurants, shops, and industrial park have earned the option to settle down in the town they work in, but serious work is needed to ensure this possibility. Even after a recent decline in housing prices, Benicia’s median home is priced at $746,000. This means that, under aggressive calculations, a new resident looking to purchase a home would require no less than $175,000 in annual income. How will the workers who make Benicia and its downtown so special afford to live and work here if we do not build more homes?

These problems, undue industrial influence, a budget crunch, and a lack of affordable housing have a simple, but not easy answer. The housing crisis which extends far beyond Benicia’s borders necessitates new construction in our city. Considering where new housing can be built at scale in Benicia leaves residents with limited options. Due to the restrictions of the democratically decided Urban Growth Boundary, which prevents construction north of Lake Herman Road, there is simply not much remaining developable land within city limits. Unfortunately, the area which provides the greatest opportunity for essential housing will lead the city into a complicated alliance. 

Seeno Developers own a large portion of Benicia’s undeveloped land and is now partnering with the city in a “Community-Led Visioning Process” process which aims to develop a Specific Plan for their land, in effect rezoning the currently undeveloped property from industrial to mixed commercial and residential use. As detailed by former Mayor Elizabeth Patterson this process is a reduced version of the coalition of community and experts who wrote Benicia’s last Master Plan. However, it is worth noting that this is only the first step in a multi-year process that will require approval by the expert-led Planning Commission and publicly elected City Council, with multiple opportunities for public comment which began in November of 2022 and will continue until approval, likely several years from now. This “Community-Led Visioning Process” is the beginning of a public and extremely rigorous process.

The seriousness of the approval process is especially important to note because Seeno is considered by many community members to be a bad actor, both in Benicia and the broader Bay Area. In addition to their record of alleged environmental destruction, associations with organized crime, mortgage fraud, and murder threats, they also have a reputation for taking advantage of communities and local governments. In an ideal world, the city would choose to work with a different developer, and any association with the company necessitates an awareness of the risks they pose.

Unfortunately, Seeno has owned the land that is the subject of the North Study Area for over 35 years, and they do not appear interested in selling. The mortgage is likely paid off meaning Seeno is investing very few resources to maintain ownership, and it’s plausible that the value of the land has grown considerably since its purchase. It’s also worth considering the potential for Seeno to invoke California’s builder’s remedy if the city chooses not to engage in good-faith discussion, as Benicia’s housing element is not yet approved by the Department of Housing and Community Development. Even if the goal is to remove Seeno from our city, creating a Specific Plan for the land is the most likely path to success, as attaching a Specific Plan to a property can raise its value to potential buyers, especially if it changes the property from industrial to mixed-use. This increase in valuation could drive Seeno to sell portions if not the entirety of the property to other developers, which has occurred in other Bay Area developments.

These conditions place Benicia residents in a particularly difficult position, in effect forcing a choice between desperately needed housing constructed with an undesirable partner, or the continued risk to Benicia’s services and future budget, not to mention the unmitigated economic and political influence of Valero. Given the revelations of recent years, it is clear that Valero has proven to be one of the worst actors in Benicia community life. Proactively implementing a mixed-used Specific Plan for the North Study Area will create the best opportunity for a sustainable and equitable Benicia. By working to develop the North Study Area in a controlled, sustainable manner, we can increase our tax base, make our housing market more accessible to new families, and reduce corporate influence over Benicia’s politics.

This process should be watched carefully by community members and media outlets to ensure City Council and Planning Commission members are held accountable for the results, especially because Seeno is known to be a difficult partner. Equally important is that Seeno needs to be made responsible for covering the cost of expanding the city’s essential services to the area, as they will be rewarded with millions in additional profit due to the zoning change. Benicia residents must take advantage of their ability to participate in the planning process via public comment at community, planning commission, and city council meetings. Any development is an investment in the future of our town, and the process of writing a Specific Plan deserves extensive thought, public debate, and democratic accountability to effectively plan for the growth of Benicia in the next decade. 

Statewide forces, from the affordability crises to the housing element requirement mean that change is coming to Benicia and to some of its undeveloped land. Failing to act proactively puts the city in danger of Valero’s continued influence, fiscal crisis, or a reduction in city services. Let’s make sure our council members come into any Seeno partnership with eyes open, while also allowing for viable growth that will bring new families to Benicia.

Author’s Note: In the spirit of full transparency, I am related to the recently appointed Planning Commissioner for the City of Benicia. That said, the opinions expressed in this piece are fully my own, they were not unduly influenced by our relationship, and should not be taken to represent his or anyone else’s opinion.

RECENTLY ON THE BENINDY:
CONCORD/CONTRA COSTA BACKGROUND:
BENICIA BACKGROUND:
CITIZEN BACKGROUND:
CITY OF BENICIA
City of Benicia North Study Area (Seeno property)

For current information from the City of Benicia, check out their North Study Area web page, https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/northstudyarea:

Benicia CA, Benicia City Council, LGBTQ+

City of Benicia kicks off Pride month with flag-raising

Elected officials, city staff, community members and local organizations celebrate start of Pride Month in Benicia

Amidst a flurry of legislative attacks, hateful rhetoric and violent threats targeting the LGBTQ+ community, Benicia City leaders raised the Pride flag over City Hall and showed us that bigotry has no home in our Be-Kind City. Attendees included Mayor Steve Young, Vice-Mayor Terry Scott, Council Members Tom Campbell and Trevor Macenski and Interim City Manager Mario Giuliani. | Image shared from the City of Benicia Facebook post.

From the City of Benicia Facebook Account, June 2, 2023:

Today, City of Benicia elected officials, staff, community members, representatives from local organizations, and a new friend Benji, participated in raising the Pride Flag in front of City Hall for Pride Month!