Solano County Supervisor, Monica Brown interviews Bernice Raemer, 100, of Vacaville during the 14th Annual Centenarian Commemoration at the Solano County Government Center in Fairfield, 2019. | Joel Rosenbaum / The Reporter.
Benicia resident and artist Larnie Fox.
By Larnie Fox, February 27, 2024
She was a classroom teacher for 39 years. To me, that speaks volumes as to her values.
The Solano County Democratic Central Committee endorses Monica.
Monica and her main opponent, Rochelle Sherlock are on record with their views on the County Sheriff’s office and the Vallejo Police Department. Monica has been advocating for community oversight for the Sheriff’s office in the wake of reports linking some of the staff to hate groups. She also supports a county partnership to help correct problems with the scandal-ridden Vallejo Police Department. At a recent County Democratic Committee meeting Rochelle Sherlock seemed not to know anything about the controversy in the County Sheriff’s office, and ignored problems with the Vallejo Police Department.
Monica has always opposed projects that would have harmed the county’s air quality and safety, especially Valero’s Crude by Rail proposal in Benicia and Vallejo’s Orcem Cement Plant proposal.
She makes herself available to the public in ways that few politicians do ~ by showing up. She routinely travels her district, talking with regular people, and attending community events. She knows her district like no one else. And she documents her work in a weekly newsletter ~ again, something that few politicians do.
I trust Monica, and will vote for her. I hope you do too.
[Note from BenIndy: You may be wondering why we’ve been slow to report on this incident at the Valero Benicia Refinery when usually we’d be all over it, and well ahead of the game at that. In this case there was a need elsewhere, in the form of helping the good folks in the Benicia Industrial Safety and Healthy Ordinance Working Group (BISHO) put a website together to generate more interest and community engagement in pursuit of Benicia adopting its own industrial safety ordinance. We regret the sparse coverage of this important incident at the Valero Benicia Refinery, but hope you understand that those of us keeping the BenIndy going are also active in service to delivering the brilliant, overarching goal of meaningful City and community oversight over heavy industry in Benicia. Please forgive this lapse in our coverage, and take a minute to review the BISHO.org website. If you are interested in these matters, please sign up using the contact forms on that website. Also, don’t forget to sign up for future incident alerts at www.solanocounty.com/AlertSolano.]
Valero Benicia Refinery file photo. | Paul Chinn / SF Chron.
The Valero Benicia Refinery informed the Benicia Fire Department on Friday of an unanticipated mechanical issue, which released refined hydrocarbons that caused a strong odor throughout the city of Benicia over the weekend.
When the unit went down, officials said it was necessary to immediately move the product inside into another tank.
“It was discovered that in the process of moving the product, some of it got on the lid of a tank and that was the source of the strong odor,” read a release issued by city officials on Saturday. “There is no specific name for the product; it is a mixture of refined hydrocarbons similar to a light oil. The chemical vapor in the air causing the odor is H2S, hydrogen sulfide. The odor has dissipated significantly in most parts of Benicia.”
Della Olm, Management Analyst and Benicia Fire Department Public Information Officer, said, as of Monday morning, the spill on the tank lid is almost cleaned up and is expected to be completely mitigated by the end of the day Monday or Tuesday morning.
City officials said the Benicia Fire Department has been in continuous communication with Solano County Public Health, who has recommended to only shelter in place if the odor smell was too strong and/or it was aggravating. The Benicia Fire Department staff were also activated at the Valero Emergency Operations Center over the weekend.
“The refinery is flaring intermittently due to the unit shut off on the evening of February 23,” according to a press release. “Intermittent flaring will continue for an undetermined period of time.”
To receive city alerts in the future, sign up for AlertSolano at www.solanocounty.com/AlertSolano.
I’m voting for Rochelle Sherlock for District 2 Supervisor because she’ll help bring the effectiveness of public participation back to County government. For years, a majority of the County Board of Supervisors has been shutting down the voices of concerned residents and ceding control to power-seeking bumbling bureaucrats. The board cut off an organization where Montezuma Hills farmers could have stood up to California Forever’s land grab when the eliminated the Agricultural Advisory Board. They shut out health care activists fighting Solano’s increasingly deadly opioid epidemic when then dissolved the Alcohol & Drug Advisory Board. They stopped the work of advocates for food security for Solano families when then terminated the Commission for Women and Girls. They undermined history buffs’ protection of the County’s records of its history, including our long military history, when they disbanded the Historical Records Commission. The board took all these actions peremptorily, holding public comment to a bare minimum. In disbanding the Historical Records Commission, they dismissed a petition signed by hundreds with just a few days’ notice.
Solano needs these critical matters and more to be addressed by concerned residents in the open and not left to County bureaucrats operating behind closed doors. Rochelle Sherlock is committed to building a board majority that opens up critical County decisions to local participation. That’s why I’m voting for Sherlock for county supervisor.
I’m writing in today to show my support for Measures A, B, and C, which are on the March 5 Primary ballot. All three of these measures are focused on laying the groundwork for Benicia’s continued growth and well-being:
Measure A will slightly increase the hotel tax, bringing in an extra $250,000 a year without costing us residents a dime. These proceeds can help improve city services that benefit everyone in town.
Measure B proposes a sales tax increase, but the impact on our wallets will be tiny: about $10 a month, or less than a Netflix subscription. In exchange, we’ll get better emergency services, get to keep all of our parks open, and improve library services.
Measure C is near and dear to my heart because it focuses on our schools: it will allow the school district to issue $122 million in municipal bonds so we can upgrade our educational facilities, making them safer and better equipped to get our kids ready for the future. That means better technology, safer buildings, and improved learning environments for every student in town. (I don’t know about you, but I would prefer my kids not to be sitting in a musty old classroom that was already old when their parents were sitting in it.) Whether you have kids in the district or not, investing in education today will pay dividends for generations to come.
Voting yes on these measures is voting yes for a better Benicia. It’s about protecting and improving our city’s infrastructure, safety services, and education. Together, these three measures will keep Benicia the great place to live, learn, and grow that always has been.
Benicia’s given us a lot; it’s time we gave it a bit back.
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