Video – Liz Cheney & Kamala Harris appear together

October 4, 2024 – In a truly inspiring and seriously historic event yesterday, Vice President Kamala Harris appeared with former Republican U.S. Representative Liz Cheney at a rally in Ripon, Wisconsin, the birthplace of the Republican Party. Together, they called upon us all to vote for the presidential candidate of hope, honesty and opportunity, Kamala Harris. Cheney’s speech was incredibly good. Be sure to watch… – BenIndy

Solano County Orderly Growth Committee and Sierra Club Endorse Young, Gilpin-Hayes, and Other Local Candidates

Solano County Orderly Growth Committee and Sierra Club Endorse Local Candidates

Steve Young, Incumbent Mayoral Candidate
Christina Gilpin-Hayes, Benicia City Council Candidate

 

 

 

 

 

Submitted by Marilyn Farley and and Princess Washington for the Solano County Orderly Growth Committee and Solano Group of the Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club, on October 2, 2024

The Solano County Orderly Growth Committee (SCOGC) and the Solano Group of the Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club recently completed a joint endorsement process and are now recommending candidates for Mayor and Council positions in Solano’s Cities.

For Mayor, we endorse Steve Young, running for re-election as Mayor of Benicia and Steve Bird, running for re-election as Mayor of Dixon. We also endorse for Edwin Okamura, a sitting council member, for Mayor of Rio Vista, and Andrea Sorce, a newcomer to electoral politics, for Mayor of Vallejo.

For City Council, we endorse: Christina Gilpin-Hayes, Benicia; Mike Silva, a Vacaville incumbent from District 3; and Vallejo candidates incumbent Christina Arriola (District 6), Alexander Matias (District 1), and Tonia Lediju (District 3, no opposition).

Since 1984, SCOGC has advocated for protecting our farmlands and open spaces in Solano County. Sierra Club is one of the pre-eminent environmental groups in America and has many Solano members. Both were leaders in the fight against the California Forever aka East Solano Plan.

We support candidates who we believe will act positively to protect the environment and best represent their constituents.

Benicia Mayor Steve Young brings strong environmental credentials to his re-election bid. As a planning commissioner, he led the review of Valero’s Crude by Rail project. He opposed the California Forever project citing the deceptive tactics used and their reliance on groundwater. He supports growth in our cities, not on farmland and open space. He will continue his efforts to improve air quality in Benicia. He supports passage of Measures F, G and H to ensure Benicia’s financial well-being.

In terms of environmental issues, Dixon Mayor Steve Bird told us he will protect Dixon’s water and open space. He said he believes in keeping northeastern Solano County from blending into neighboring cities by protecting agriculture and farmland. He also supports more parks and outdoor recreation spaces within his community and region.

Rio Vista Mayor candidate Edwin Okamura became Vice Mayor earlier this year and serves on the Solano Land Trust Climate Committee. Regarding California Forever, he told us, “A new city in unincorporated areas would be economically devastating to surrounding cities and would have significant environmental impacts.”

Vallejo Mayor candidate Andrea Sorce will bring new insights and energy to Vallejo. While her key campaign issues are fiscal responsibility, public safety, economic development, housing justice and open government, we believe she will approach them through an environmental lens. For example, she opposes California Forever and told us she has a strong preference to see investment and development in our existing cities.

Benicia Council candidate Christina Gilpin-Hayes has an impressive resume, endorsements, and record of community service to bring to her campaign. It addresses Benicia’s budget crisis, growth that preserves Benicia’s character, support for local businesses and encouraging transparency and community involvement. We liked her overall philosophy and approach to avoiding sprawl and her support for Benicia’s Industrial Safety Ordinance.

Vacaville incumbent Councilmember Mike Silva deserves our continued support. His Council votes have supported clean energy, water conservation, and infill development. He told us, “I plan to provide the leadership to ensure we continue to focus on sustainable growth.” We also applaud is untiring advocacy for his low-income neighborhood and a new neighborhood park.

In Vallejo, likewise, incumbent Tina (Christinia) Arriola has done a yeowoman job of representing her low-income district 6. She opposes proposed tolls on highway 37, the commute for many of her low-income constituents. She also wants a long-term solution to the Mare Island Preserve and opposes “…dictates from the Mare Island Co. which hasn’t provided any good faith efforts to show their commitment to open space, recreation and local participation.”

Vallejo district 1 candidate Alex Matias has a long record of community service as the Chair of the Vallejo Economic Vitality Commission and is on the board of Fresh Air Vallejo. We liked his advocacy on issues important to Vallejoans, including the hiring of police officers and public safety, solving homelessness, creating jobs, and supporting transparent and inclusive government.

Last, but not least, we endorse powerhouse Tonia Lediju for district 3. A 15-year Vallejo resident, she was the City of San Francisco’s chief auditor and brought in by Mayor London Breed to clean up a failing housing authority. For the past five years, she has been the Chief Executive Officer of the S.F. Housing Authority. As a council member, she plans to focus on safety issues for Vallejoans, affordable, equitable and inclusive housing, a bustling downtown, and economic opportunity for residents. We were impressed by her commitment to sustainable development and her support for city-centered growth. Like many other endorsed candidates, she opposes the California Forever project.

Princess Washington, Chair, Solano Group, Sierra Club, Suisun City
Marilyn Farley, Political Director, SCOGC, Fairfield

Images and emphasis added by BenIndy.

WATCH LIVE NOW! Benicia Mayoral, City Council Candidates Debate at Benicia High School

WATCH THE DEBATE LIVE!

(Click the image or link to be redirected to the debate’s livestream.)

From the Mayoral & City Council Candidate Forum Facebook Event Page:

The Benicia Chamber of Commerce and the Benicia High School Debate team are hosting a Mayoral and City Council Forum on October 2nd at 6pm.

This free event will be held at the Benicia High School in the Performing Arts building.

Our amazing Benicia Debate team students will be moderating and will be accepting written questions during the event. We may not have time to get to the questions from the audience. If that happens we will pass the questions on to the candidates.

The Benicia Debate Team will be accepting cash donations to help their team pay for competitions if you would like to help.

For those streaming online, please reach out to Benicia High School to find out how to donate.

6pm TONIGHT: Mayoral, City Council Candidates to Square Off at Benicia High School

From the Mayoral & City Council Candidate Forum Facebook Event Page:

The Benicia Chamber of Commerce and the Benicia High School Debate team are hosting a Mayoral and City Council Forum on October 2nd at 6pm.

This free event will be held at the Benicia High School in the Performing Arts building.

Our amazing Benicia Debate team students will be moderating and will be accepting written questions during the event. We may not have time to get to the questions from the audience. If that happens we will pass the questions on to the candidates.

The Benicia Debate Team will be accepting cash donations to help their team pay for competitions if you would like to help.

For those streaming online, please reach out to Benicia High School to find out how to donate.


Note from BenIndy: We’ll post a “WATCH LIVE” notice when the livestream starts. You can also navigate to the Facebook Event Page at 6pm and click the “Watch live video” button. The button will be active and usable once the livestream starts, and you will be able to tell that it is active because the text will no longer be grayed out. 

For safe and healthy communities…