All posts by Roger Straw

Editor, owner, publisher of The Benicia Independent
2020 elections, Benicia elections, Benicia Mayor, Fair elections, Negative campaigning, Steve Young, Valero Benicia Refinery, Valero PAC

Benicia Mayor candidate Steve Young: Finding common ground with Valero when they want me to lose SO badly

By Roger Straw, October  19, 2020
The Benicia Herald, Sunday, October 18, p. A5

Candidate for Benicia Mayor Steve Young took out a half-page ad in Sunday’s print edition of the Benicia Herald, laying out steps Valero could take to be a “better neighbor to Benicia.”

The ad headline asks, WHY DO VALERO & THEIR FRIENDS WANT ME TO LOSE SO BADLY?

Candidate Young continues,

I appreciate the value Valero brings to Benicia and their generosity to assist the community.  But appreciating the good they do and being critical of their negative politics are not mutually exclusive.  It’s not either or.  We can and should do both.

The strain between Valero and the City is often attributed to their contentions relationships with specific candidates and elected officials.  I just don’t see it that way.  I think the blame rests on their response (or lack thereof) to a concerned community and the lengths they have gone to disrupt elections that have historically been fair & friendly.  We need a Mayor with the necessary experience to find a common ground that will enable Valero to become a “”Better Neighbor” to Benicia.  Where do we start?

Young then lays out 3 bullet points for a better relationship with Valero:

PROTECTING THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF BENICIANS AND THEIR FAMILIES MUST COME FIRST.

    • Increase transparency & improve communication including immediate community alerts for any incident impacting resident health, safety or environment, followed by regular updates and instructions on how to respond.
    • Air quality monitoring systems that work in conjunction with public alerts in accordance with official City policy & procedure.
    • Cease all negative campaigning practices and allow Benicia voters to elect candidates in accordance with City’s Election Code.  Keep elections fair and stop the spread of false or misleading attack ads.

Young then addresses outside election influence and Benicia’s future if Valero continues its negative campaign tactics:

IF WE ALLOW VALERO’S PAC TO WIN A MAYOR’S SEAT, A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT WILL BE SET AS A RESULT.

If Valero’s PAC succeeds, we can expect these same destructive tactics in every Benicia election going forward.  It’s time we take a stand and let them know, “Enough is enough!”   You can start by electing me as your next Mayor.  I have the right qualifications and the temperament to repair the discord between the City and Valero, and help heal the divide felt within our community.  I’m ready to get to work!

Young concludes with a statement about big outside money and an invitation for Valero to choose a better course:

MONEY DOESN’T VOTE, YOU AND I DO.  BENICIA ELECTIONS SHOULD BE DECIDED BY BENICIA VOTERS.

I encourage Valero to seize this opportunity and choose to be better.  Restore the peace in our politics, reset your relationship with the community, and work with the City as equal parties, both deserving mutual trust, respect and transparency.  Vote for me, STEVE YOUNG, either on, or before November 3rd.  If elected Mayor of Benicia, I pledge to do whatever it takes to achieve these common goals.

See also:

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

Solano County COVID-19 Positive Rate back over 6%, first time since Sept 3

County averaging 35 new cases per day over last two weeks

[Source: Solano County Coronavirus Dashboard.  For a complete archive of day by day data, see my Excel ARCHIVE.]

Friday, October 16: 58 new cases overnight, no new deaths, 2 new hospitalizations.  Since the outbreak began: 7,009 cases, 405 hospitalized, 74 deaths.Compare previous report, Thursday, Oct. 15:Summary

  • Solano County reported 58 new cases today, total of 7,009 cases since the outbreak started.  Over the last 2 weeks, Solano reported 489 new cases, average of 35 per day (significantly higher than the previous weeks’ daily averages).
  • Deaths – no new deaths today, total of 74 Solano deaths since the pandemic began.
    19 deaths reported in 24 days, Sept 22 – Oct 15:
    – 1 very young person 18-49 years;
    – 4 middle agers 50-64 years    ;
    – 14 of our elders aged 65+    ;
  • Active cases – Solano reported 3 fewer ACTIVE cases today, total of 301.  This week, Solano reported over 300 active cases for the first time since September 4.  Solano averaged 238 active cases in daily reports Sept 4 – Oct 14, so this shows a significant recent rise.
    Note that only 21 of these 301 people are hospitalized, so there are a lot of infected folks out among us, hopefully quarantined.  Is the County equipped to contact trace so many infected persons?  Who knows?  To my knowledge, Solano County has offered no reports on contact tracing.
  • Hospitalizations – the number of currently hospitalized persons increased by 1 today, total of 21.  The total number hospitalized since the outbreak started increased by 2 today, total of 405.  (See age group hospitalization stats below).
  • ICU Beds – the County reported an increase in ICU beds available, up from 45% to 46%.  (After 8 weeks, still no information about availability of ventilators.)
  • Testing – The County reports today that 235 more residents were tested, new total of 96,231.  (Solano has AVERAGED over 450 tested per day during the last 3 weeks.)  Solano has a long way to go; only 21.5% of Solano County’s 447,643 residents (2019) have been tested.

Positive Test Rate

Solano County reported today that our 7-day average test rate jumped today from 5.4% to 6.1%, exceeding 6% for the first time since September 3.  Solano’s test rate crested the week of July 15-22, when it peaked at 9.3%.  The County has hit 7% (or more) three times since: on August 21, September 1 and September 2.  In the 6 weeks since September 2, our test rate was reported as high as 6.5% and as low as 2.7% (on Sept 11), averaging 4.5%.  Average percent positive test rates are among the best metrics for measuring the spread of the virus.  The much more stable California 7-day test rate remained steady today, at 2.6%.  (Note that Solano County displays past weeks and months in a 7-day test positivity line graph which also shows daily results.  However, the chart does not display an accurate number of cases for the most recent days, as there is a lag time in receiving test results.  The 7-day curve also lags behind current unknown results.) 

By Age Group

  • Youth 17 and under – 10 new cases today, total of 788 cases, representing 11.2% of the 7,009 total cases.  No new hospitalizations among this age group today, a total of 6 hospitalizations since the outbreak began.  Thankfully, no deaths have ever been reported in Solano County in this age group.  But cases among Solano youth rose steadily over the summer, from 5.6% of total cases on June 8 to 11% on August 31 and has plateaued just over 11% since September 30.  Youth are 22% of Solano’s general population, so this 11.x% may seem low.  The significance is this: 1) youth numbers increased steadily and at a faster rate than the other age groups, and 2) youth are SERIOUSLY NOT IMMUNE (!) – in fact 6 youth have now been hospitalized.
  • Persons 18-49 years of age – 29 new cases today, total of 4,185 cases. This age group is 41% of the population in Solano, but represents just under 60% of the total cases, by far the highest percentage of all age groups.  The County reported no new hospitalizations in this age group today, total of 131 hospitalized since the outbreak began.  No new deaths in this young age group today, total of 5 deaths.  Some in this group are surely ignoring public health orders, and many are providing essential services among us.  I expect this group is a major factor in the spread of the virus.
  • Persons 50-64 years of age – 15 new cases today, total of 1,337 cases.  This age group represents 19% of the 7,009 total cases. No new hospitalizations today, total of 109 hospitalized since the outbreak began.  No new deaths in this age group today, a total of 15 deaths.
  • Persons 65 years or older – Today the County reported 4 new cases, total of 697.  No new hospitalizations, total of 157.  No new deaths, total of 54 of our elders who died of COVID.  This age group’s 697 cases represent 10% of the 7,009 total cases.  In this older age group, 22.5% of cases required hospitalization at one time.  This group accounts for 54 of the 74 deaths, or 73%.

City Data

  • Benicia remained steady today, total of 182 cases since the outbreak began.
  • Dixon added 4 new cases today, total of 450 cases.
  • Fairfield added 23 new cases today, total of 2,271 cases.
  • Rio Vista remained steady today, total of 54 cases.
  • Suisun City added 6 new cases today, total of 509 cases.
  • Vacaville added 14 new cases today, total of 1,213cases.
  • Vallejo added 11 new cases today, total of 2,307 cases.
  • Unincorporated areas remained steady today, total of 23 cases.

Race / Ethnicity

The County report on race / ethnicity includes case numbers, hospitalizations, deaths and Solano population statistics.  This information is discouragingly similar to national reports that indicate significantly worse outcomes among black and brown Americans.  Note that all of this data surely undercounts Latinx Americans, as there is a large group of “Multirace / Others” which likely is composed mostly of Latinx members of our communities.

  • Asian Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 9% of cases, 11% of hospitalizations, and 18% of deaths.
  • Black Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 11% of cases, but 18% of hospitalizations, and 24% of deaths.
  • Latinx Americans are 26% of Solano’s population, but account for 29% of cases, 29% of hospitalizations, and 20% of deaths.
  • White Americans are 39% of the population in Solano County, but only account for 22% of cases, 27% of hospitalizations and 30% of deaths.

More…

The County’s new and improved Coronavirus Dashboard is full of much more information, too extensive to cover here on a daily basis.  The Benicia Independent will continue to summarize daily and highlight a report or two.  Check out the Dashboard at https://doitgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=055f81e9fe154da5860257e3f2489d67.

Local news media, News deserts, US Supreme Court, Vallejo Times-Herald

Vallejo Times-Herald’s not-so-subtle promotion of Trump’s Supreme Court judicial pick

By Roger Straw, October 16, 2020

The Vallejo Times-Herald’s headline writer was decidedly NOT impartial this week.

Local commercial news media in one-paper towns are obliged to do their best to present a balanced perspective, especially on controversial topics.  True objectivity is difficult, but the public’s primary source of news needs to do its very best.

And yet, consider the Times-Herald’s headlines Oct. 13-16, each of which accompanied a sweet photo of the fast-tracked Trump/GOP sham nominee, Amy Coney Barrett:

VALLEJO TIMES-HERALD HEADLINE DEPARTURES FROM ORIGINAL AP HEADLINES
  • Original AP headline on Oct. 13: “Barrett vows fair approach as justice, Democrats skeptical”
    • VT-H headline: Barrett vows fair approach
  • Original AP headline on Oct. 14: “Barrett bats away tough Democratic confirmation probing”
    • VT-H headline: Barrett unscathed by tough questions
  • Original AP headline on Oct 16: “GOP pushes Barrett toward court as Democrats decry ‘sham’”
    • VT-H headline: GOP pushes Barrett’s nomination ahead

When approached by email, Times-Herald Editor Jack Bungart let me know that staff does not write the paper’s headlines.  Their “pagination hub” converts from an Associated Press headline according to “what fits in each situation.”

So who or what is the “pagination hub” serving our friendly staff at the Vallejo Times-Herald?  Is there bias at work here?  Who, exactly, is responsible for the seemingly partial editing of the AP headlines that came up with these pro-Barrett Times-Herald headlines?!

Come on, Vallejo T-H “pagination hub”.  Who are you?  In the future, give us a more nuanced and accurate first look at the day’s highly controversial news.

2020 elections, Benicia City Clerk, Benicia elections

Here’s what the official ballot box looks like at Benicia City Hall

Benicia official says ballot boxes are only located in two places across town

JohnGlidden.com, by John Glidden, October 14, 2020
[See also here on the BenIndy: Info and links – Where and when to return your mail-in ballot]

BENICIA – With less than three weeks before the Nov. 3 election, there have been reports of unauthorized ballot boxes popping up across the state.

Benicia City Clerk Lisa Wolfe took to social media this week to remind locals that there are only two official ballot boxes in the city.

They include Benicia City Hall, which is located at 250 East L St. Vote-by-mail ballots can be dropped off from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. City Hall will be closed on Oct. 16, and 30.

The second location is found inside Raley’s, situated at 890 Southampton Road. [Every day–6:00a.m. to 11:00p.m. ]

Wolfe also provided pictures of what the official ballot boxes look like and she presented the various ways Benicia can cast their ballots.

“You can either place them in one of the official boxes, mail them in, use the drive through feature the last weekend prior the the election, or vote in person on 11/3,” she wrote.

The fake ballot boxes sprouting up around the state are not authorized and could be illegal, said California Secretary of State Alex Padilla.

“Operating unofficial ballot drop boxes — especially those misrepresented as official drop boxes — is not just misleading to voters, it’s a violation of state law,” he told media outlets. “My office is coordinating with local officials to address the multiple reports of unauthorized ballot drop boxes. Californians should only use official ballot drop boxes that have been deployed and secured by their county elections office.”

The last day to register to vote is Oct. 19. The voter registration form must be either postmarked by this date or delivered to a county elections official by this date.

Voters can track their ballot to see when it is received and counted by first registering on the California Secretary of State website, https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/.

Information on registering to vote, voting options and a link to the state voter guide are available through the Solano County Registrar of Voters at www.solanocounty.com/depts/rov.