Benicia Fire Department: Valero reports flaring incident this morning

File photo from May 5, 2017 incident. The city of Benicia was given a shelter in place alert and areas south of the Valero Refinery were evacuated after a power outage caused a flare up sending plumes of black smoke across Interstate 680. (Chris Riley/Times-Herald)

Benicia Fire Department on Facebook, March 6, 2023, around noon. (Also posted on City of Benicia Nextdoor.)

Jon Stewart to conservative state senator: ‘you don’t give a flying f**k’

Jon Stewart’s Interview with Gun Violence Extremist, Oklahoma State Sen. Nathan Dahm

Stick with the video to the end, when Stewart totally destroys this bozo’s ridiculous argument. Jon Stewart is an amazing prosecutor!

YouTube, “The Problem With Jon Stewart”, March 3, 2023
State Sen. Nathan Dahm (R-OK) has penned several bills loosening gun restrictions, including the nation’s first anti-red flag law against restricting gun access to those deemed dangerous. Not only does he want to protect the Second Amendment, but he also believes guns make us safer.

Community Forum: the Benicia Arsenal, A Cautionary Tale

Protect Historic Benicia!

WHO:  1000 Friends Protecting Historic Benicia – non-profit 501(c)(3)

 WHAT:   Community Forum – Benicia Arsenal – Panel presentation and tours illustrating superior alternatives to the approved streamline approved SB 35  housing projects for 19 buildings, 138 condominium units that will erase the landscape and hide the existing historic 19th-century structures.  Intact for over 150 years, the historic district overlooking the Carquinez Straits will become  just a footnote in Benicia’s history.

When:  March 12, 2PM

Where:  Clocktower – 1189 Washington Street, Historic Arsenal, Benicia

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Benicia Arsenal: A Cautionary Tale – Sunday, March 12, at 2:00 pm Clocktower Fortress, 1189 Washington Street, Benicia Arsenal.  Free event, ample parking

Panel Presentation, 2:00 to 3:00 pm:

  • Gary Widman – former: 1st Lt., Benicia Arsenal, 1958-59; Prof of Environ. Law, UC Hastings;  General Counsel, Council on Environmental Quality, Executive Office of the President; Gen. Counsel, Calif Dept. of Parks and Recreation & Office of Historic Preservation;  Director, Office of Staff Attorneys, US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.
  • Gregory Tilles – Professor Emeritus of History, Diablo Valley College
  • Steven Goetz – Benicia Arsenal Park Task Force
  • Blake Roberts, Moderator – D., Program Manager of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area

The panel will highlight the 162-year life of the Arsenal that shaped Benicia.  Our Civil War-era military installation is a unique geographic and architectural gem of the Western United States, and a state and national-registered historic district. Panelists will review current environmental challenges and threats, including approved high-density development plans for the heart of the historic district.  Developing and preserving does not have to be in conflict. Better alternatives will be presented.

Tours – Docent-led

  • Historic Jefferson Street walks – 3:15 and 4:00 pm
  • Home tours: two non-commissioned officer homes – 3:15 to 4:30 pm

After the panel, docent-led tours of the Clocktower Fortress, the adjacent Officers’ Row, and historic homes on Jefferson Street will give you a window into Benicia’s history and life at a U.S. Army base more than 150 years ago. Gathering for recreation and spectacular views of the Carquinez Strait from Jefferson Ridge was part of the Army’s original design.  We are called to this campaign to preserve and enhance the Benicia Arsenal.

Related attractions at the Arsenal:

  • Benicia Historical Museum is open 1:00 to 4:00 pm ($3 for adults, $2 for children, free for active military with identification)
    Arts Benicia – Exhibits at the Commanding Officer’s Quarters are open until 5:00 pm
  • Join the campaign to find a way to “Develop – Not Destroy” the Benicia

Stay Informed and Donate (501)©(3):  www.1000FriendsPHB.org



See earlier on BenIndy:

Jimmy Carter on ‘Citizens United’

Jimmy Carter calls it ‘unlimited political bribery’

Former President Jimmy Carter waves to the congregation after teaching Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, on April 28, 2019. | Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Email  from Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen, 2/23/23

As Jimmy Carter enters hospice care at his home in Georgia, I’ve been looking back to some of what the former president has said about Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

That’s the infamous 2010 Supreme Court ruling that has allowed billionaires and Big Business to spend literally as much as they want distorting our elections and sabotaging our democracy.

Here is some of what President Carter has said about Citizens United over the years:

  • Citizens United is an “erroneous ruling” and “the most stupid decision the Supreme Court ever made.”
  • Citizens United has turned America into an “oligarchy with unlimited political bribery.”
  • Citizens United “violates the essence” of our democracy and represents “the biggest change in America” since he was elected in 1976.
  • Citizens United has left everyday Americans “cheated out of” the chance to make their lives better.
  • Citizens United has led to “a complete subversion of our political system as a payoff to major contributors.”

Public Citizen called for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United within moments of the decision being handed down on January 21, 2010.

And we’ve been a leader of that movement ever since — with a remarkable 22 states, along with over 800 cities and towns, passing resolutions or ballot initiatives in support of an amendment.

Former President Jimmy Carter is right — Citizens United is destroying our democracy and must be overturned.

Add your name if you agree with former President Jimmy Carter that Citizens United was wrong and must be overturned.

Take action today even if you’ve signed petitions before in support of overturning Citizens United — there’s no such thing as doing too much to protect our democracy!

Click to add your name now.

Thanks for taking action.

For democracy,

– Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen

For safe and healthy communities…