Bay Area Reporter, by Matthew S. Bajko, September 25, 2024

In the Solano County city of Benicia, Christina Gilpin-Hayes is vying to become its first known LGBTQ city councilmember. She is one of four candidates running for two council seats on the November 5 ballot.

It would be just the latest civic role she has taken on since moving to Benicia in 2021 from Oakland with her wife, Donna. The couple, who identify as both lesbian and queer, founded the Benicia LGBTQIA Network in 2022 to foster connections and host gatherings for the local LGBTQ community.

Gilpin-Hayes, 54, co-administers the local Buy Nothing Benicia group, aimed at reducing waste and helping its more than 1,300 members share resources with a “give where you live” motto. This month, she was given a mayoral appointment to the planning commission for the city of roughly 27,000 people.

“Politics was never my goal. I always have been politically active, but I never planned on running for office. That was never my life’s goal,” said Gilpin-Hayes, a former paralegal who now works remotely as the operations manager of the Innovations Department at international law firm Wilson Sonsini.

Growing up she was a fan of the political drama “The West Wing” and, in her early 20s, was often on the local news being interviewed as the spokesperson for the Sacramento Area Coalition for Reproductive Rights. She also helped voters having issues casting ballots as part of the Legal Election Protection team for Democratic former U.S. senators John Kerry in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008.

“It was a fun way to volunteer,” recalled Gilpin-Hayes. “A lot of times only lawyers volunteer for those teams, but you don’t have to be a lawyer. It just helped I had some legal background.”

She decided to enter her town’s council race this year when it appeared only two people would be running for the two seats on the ballot. It didn’t feel right that there wouldn’t be a contested race, Gilpin-Hayes told the Bay Area Reporter during a phone interview about her candidacy.

“I don’t feel people should win an election because no one else is willing to challenge them,” said Gilpin-Hayes, who received encouragement from her neighbors to pull papers. “As far as I know, I am the first out candidate and definitely, if elected, will be the first out queer person on council or even in any city government position, as far as I know.”

City Councilmember Trevor Macenski is running for a second four-year term, while former councilmember Lionel Largaespada is vying for a seat after losing reelection in 2022. Also on the ballot is Franz Rosenthal, a former engineer with the Valero Energy Corporation who now works for Genentech.

Councilmember Tom Campbell is stepping down after first winning election in 1999. He has endorsed Gilpin-Hayes, as have Councilmembers Terry Scott and Kari Birdseye, and Benicia Mayor Steve Young, who is running for reelection this fall.

Gay former West Sacramento mayor Christopher Cabaldon also endorsed Gilpin-Hayes in the council race and is backing Young in the mayoral race. He is expected to be elected November 5 to represent the sprawling state Senate District 3, which includes Benicia.

“Christina is a very fresh candidate who is focused on the basics in the city,” said Cabaldon, who would be the first out legislator to represent Solano County. “We got to fix the roads and get the city’s fiscal house strong. That’s exactly what Benicia needs right now.”

He told the B.A.R. he first met Gilpin-Hayes over the summer at a community event and was immediately impressed by her and the impact she has been able to make in her new hometown in such a short period of time. With her candidacy having the potential to bring much needed LGBTQ elected representation to her city and to Solano County, Cabaldon said he decided to support her council bid, something he hasn’t done for every city council contest in the legislative district this year.

“Even though she is a transplant that is true for a lot of Benicians,” said Cabaldon, who described Gilpin-Hayes as having “the utmost integrity and character.”

He added, “She also brings a sharp mind and a humility around her; she doesn’t pretend to have all the answers but she knows how to get them.”

Gilpin-Hayes was born in Baltimore, Maryland and moved at age 3 with her family to Citrus Heights, California, outside of Sacramento. She first met her wife in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania roughly two decades ago.

She had moved there in 1998 after landing a job and two years later enrolled in Duquesne University, graduating in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in business communication and organizational behavior. She relocated to Chicago and then to Oakland in 2007.

Seven years ago, she reconnected with Donna, an operations supervisor at FedEx, and they began a long-distance relationship. Their marriage on Leap Day in 2020 was featured in Pittsburgh Magazine.

With their home in Oakland a bit small for two people, not to mention the rescue dogs Gilpin-Hayes fosters via West Coast Boxer Rescue, the women looked at buying a bigger place a bit farther away where they could afford to purchase a home with more square footage. By chance they happened to see a home for sale in Benicia, and although outbid for it, they fell in love with the town and its artsy downtown.

“We looked at this house and drove around downtown. Benicia is an adorable Hallmark town,” noted Gilpin-Hayes.

They ended up buying a split-level house built in the 1970s with French doors and enough yard space to add chickens to their brood.

“It is super cute, and we love it here,” said Gilpin-Hayes, who has fostered more than 100 dogs and, after having lost this summer her nearly 12-year-old Gemma, who was deaf and blind in one eye, is holding off on getting a new dog until after the election.

She began following the City Council meetings and getting to know her neighbors. She also saw how local politics were influenced by Valero, as it operates the Benicia Refinery and financially supports the campaigns of its preferred council candidates.

“My stated position is they are our neighbor and contribute a large amount to our tax base here. Could they be better neighbors? Of course. Could we do a better job communicating to them? Yes,” said Gilpin-Hayes. “The current mayor has done a good job on that, and I want to expand on that.”

Her sense is there is a desire to elect new leadership to the council and is optimistic about winning a seat.

“I do feel there is an opportunity here for a new voice and a fresh perspective. I feel the community is open to that,” said Gilpin-Hayes. “We are having some budget issues here in Benicia, and I do feel the community is looking for something different.”

It would mean a very brief tenure for her being a Benicia planning commissioner.

“If I win the election, I will have to resign. If I don’t win then I will be on the planning commission. Either way I am going to be involved in city politics,” noted Gilpin-Hayes. “But I am hoping I win and get to resign.”

To learn more about Gilpin-Hayes’s candidacy, visit her campaign website at christinaforbenicia.com.

[Note from BenIndy: The BenIndy added photos to this article to improve readability. Only the top feature image is original to the original article.]