HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: THE BENICIA BRIDGE The following excellent reporting comes from Benicia’s newest award-winning journalism duo, Monica Vaughan and Laura López González. Their online publication is The Benicia Bridge. Learn more and subscribe to the newsletter here. – Roger Straw
A plume of smoke and soot was released from a flare stack at the Valero Benicia Refinery on March 26, as seen here in a photo taken in the Hillcrest neighborhood by Benicia resident and small business owner, Jamie Jang.
NBC reported that two dozen workers went to the emergency room with burns when black liquid rained down on them for about five minutes from the flare stack incident on March 26. Cal-OSHA is investigating. A quick review of OSHA records show this is the second investigation into worker safety opened at the facility this year. Last year, Valero racked up at least 11 violations amounting to $80,000 in penalties for worker safety violations at the Benicia refinery. Valero is contesting the findings.
Read more about the April 7 City Council meeting, here:
Should Benicia invest to modernize the privately-owned port? Read here.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: THE BENICIA BRIDGE The following excellent reporting comes from Benicia’s newest award-winning journalism duo, Monica Vaughan and Laura López González. Their online publication is The Benicia Bridge. Learn more and subscribe to the newsletter here. Note that the story below is a highly important delvelopment for Benicia – first hand reporting on current City Council business, missing since the departure of the Benicia Herald’s Donna Beth Weilenman in 2015! – Roger Straw
Port of Benicia (Adobe Stock image)
City Council receives 43-page report, ‘Port of Benicia – Facilities and Infrastructure Modernization Plan’
Benicia City Council learned about improvements needed to maintain the Port of Benicia, as well as potential work that could attract more seafaring customers – to the cost of $700 million.
Background: The City of Benicia received a $750,000 grant to develop a Port of Benicia Facilities and Infrastructure Modernization Plan. The consultant doing the work, GHD, presented parts of the plan to councilmembers at a city council meeting Tuesday. The grant came from regional government agencies, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments.
The main takeaways: The port and surrounding area need work to maintain operations into the near future, like structural improvements to the pier, stormwater infrastructure, and nearby roads and intersections used by truck traffic related to port activities.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: THE BENICIA BRIDGE The following excellent reporting comes from Benicia’s newest award-winning journalism duo, Monica Vaughan and Laura López González. Their online publication is The Benicia Bridge. Learn more and subscribe to the newsletter here. Note that the story below is a highly important delvelopment for Benicia – first hand reporting on current City Council business, missing since the departure of the Benicia Herald’s Donna Beth Weilenman in 2015! – Roger Straw
A solar array by James Lemos pool provides shade and not much else until the system gets fixed. The City of Benicia owns 10 solar arrays that have fallen into disrepair. Photo by Monica Vaughan.
After “years of disrepair,” the City Council on Tuesday…
After “years of disrepair,” the City Council on Tuesday approved spending up to $1.6 million to fix and maintain the city’s aging solar panels for the next five years. There’s a caveat.
Background: The city has 10 solar arrays installed about 15 years ago to power a portion of city operations. Parts of the system have been broken for years, according to City Manager Mario Giuliani. The system of panels next to James Lemos Swim Center is completely down, for example. The only good they provide is shade until they’re fixed.
Giuliani stressed the need to get these fixed ASAP, saying “we’re losing money just from the four sites that are off.” Together, the system produces about $770,000 worth of electricity a year.
“By the way,” Giuliani said, City Hall, the Clock Tower and the Police Department building are on collateral for the loan to cover the cost of construction of the arrays back in 2011, which the city continues to pay off every year.
“I find myself deeply concerned about the children I’ve seen riding e-motos and electric bicycles around Benicia.”
By Ethan Dale, former Benician, April 2, 2026
I saw this headline this morning: “California prosecutors charge parents with child abuse following e-moto crash” – and it caused me great concern.
As a person who rides bicycle, drives a car and also rides a internal-combustion powered motorcycle, I find myself deeply concerned about the children I’ve seen riding e-motos and electric bicycles around Benicia.
I don’t know how it is that the parents in Benicia who buy e-motos for their children justify this to themselves, but it worries me that the combination of older drivers (with increased reaction times and attention deficits) and teens/younger kids on electric motorcycles and electric bicycles that are heavier and faster than pushbikes is a potentially deadly one.
These young riders of e-motos and electric bikes engage in risky and dangerous behaviors, and aren’t always wearing helmets (state law requires a helmet of any bicycle or moto rider under the age of 16). I’ve had them pass me on the right at stop signs without stopping while I was driving my car, swarm me on my bicycle doing wheelies, and ride on the sidewalk at high speeds. IN BENICIA. I have to assume they’re seeing this behavior modeled on Youtube, and think they live in a safe enough place that nothing bad can happen to them. The parents that allow these behaviors and enable them by purchasing the vehicles clearly think this way.
I don’t know if Benicia’s police department is doing much on the enforcement side, but it would probably be well past time they started to pull over and cite the kids and hold the parents responsible. The e-motos are not legal for street use to start with in many cases, and there are learner’s permits that are required for the rider to have in some cases.
I no longer live in Benicia, but I have family who do and every time I’ve been back there since I moved to Berkeley earlier this year I’ve seen a kid on one of these machines. I wish people were more aware of the dangers. I don’t think anyone wants their kid to die, or for the parents to end up destitute after being sued because of a preventable accident.
I am including a link below to the website hosted by the Danville Bicycle Advocacy organization – they have done a fantastic job of pulling together information about this topic and clarifying the differences between the various types of e-motos and e-bikes. They also have a number of articles about accidents that have happened in Danville, enforcement efforts by the Danville PD, and others.
I suggest that anyone concerned about these machines and their potentially deadly impact on other cyclists, pedestrians and vehicles educate themselves. I would really like to see Benicia PD take a stance on these issues, and begin enforcing the law by pulling over, citing and potentially impounding the vehicles that are being used illegally.
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