Tag Archives: Benicia CA

Democracy under attack, Good Trouble, John Lewis, Local vigilance

Why Good Trouble? – Benicia Rally this Thursday, July 17

Remembering  John Lewis,  Calling  for  Democracy,  Freedom  &  Justice  for  All

Axios,  by April Rubin, July 12, 2025

Tens of thousands of people are expected to protest the Trump administration again on Thursday, the fifth anniversary of the death of civil rights leader and former congressman John Lewis. [Details for the Benicia rally below.]

Why it mat#belowters: Lewis was one of the most vocal critics of President Trump during his first administration. Trump’s 2017 inauguration was the first that Lewis missed during his three-decade tenure in Congress.

By the numbers: 56,000 people RSVP’d for more than 1,500 events across the country as of Friday, organizers said.

What they’re saying: “Good Trouble Lives On is a national day of action to respond to the attacks on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration,” the protest website said.

  • “Together, we’ll remind them that in America, the power lies with the people.”

The other side: “Nearly 80 million Americans gave President Trump a historic mandate to Make America Great Again and he is delivering on that promise in record time,” White House spokesperson Liz Huston said in a statement.

Context: Lewis, the son of sharecroppers, grew up in rural Alabama. The civil rights leader was arrested more than 40 times and injured repeatedly but remained an advocate for nonviolent protest, per the Library of Congress.

  • “Rosa Parks inspired us to get in trouble,” he said in 2019. “And I’ve been getting in trouble ever since. She inspired us to find a way, to get in the way, to get in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble.”

State of play: Anti-Trump protests since January have retained their momentum, including Tesla Takedown in March, Hands Off! and 50501 in April, May Day, No Kings in June, and Free America on Independence Day.

  • Indivisible, a leading protest organization group, launched a project ahead of the protest to train a million people in non-cooperation, community organizing and campaign design.

Zoom out: In March 1965, Lewis led more than 600 peaceful protesters across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. What was meant to be a push for voting rights became known as “Bloody Sunday” after state troopers attacked the marchers.

  • He was elected to the U.S. House in 1986, representing most of Atlanta, and served until he died in 2020.
  • “Lewis was a formidable legislator who exerted moral and political leadership within the Democratic Party and never forgot his roots as an activist,” a biography said.

Go deeper: Interviewing John Lewis: What his presence inspired

In Benicia…

You are cordially, personally, and expansively invited…

…to a Vallejo and Benicia Day of Action – Good Trouble Lives On, commemorating the July 17, 2020 death of Rep. John Lewis. Together, we will advocate for freedom and democracy in the Trump era. RALLY in CITY PARK,  Thursday, July 17th, from 5-6 pm at the Gazebo, corner of First & Military in Benicia.

Rep. John Lewis – “When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war. So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.” (July 30, 2020)

Crowd at the Gazebo, Roger Straw – Benicia Independent

Benicia California — On Thursday, July 17, community members in Benicia and Vallejo will join Americans at hundreds of events nationwide to honor the legacy of Congressman John Lewis and fight back against the growing attacks on our civil and human rights.

The local action in Benicia is part of Good Trouble Lives On — a nationwide day of peaceful, nonviolent action rooted in the legacy of the civil rights movement and inspired by John Lewis’ call to make “good trouble, necessary trouble.”

Participants from Vallejo and Benicia will gather to demand an end to the authoritarian attacks on our freedom to vote, protest, and organize — and to stand united against efforts to criminalize our communities, roll back our rights, and slash vital public programs.

The event is cosponsored by Vallejo-Benicia Indivisible, League of Women Voters Solano and the Vallejo-Benicia AAUW, and expands on Benicia’s EVERY Thursday 5-6pm vigil for democracy.

Speakers include Dr. Tonia Lediju, Vallejo City Council and Kari Birdseye, Benicia City Council

The rally will also provide opportunity for voter registration, information about Unite and Rise 8.5, and 5Calls, and other ways to participate in the democratic process, plus a canned food drive for the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano counties.

>> For the food drive please bring one or more of the following items: Peanut butter, Canned Tuna or chicken in water, Boxed mac and Cheese, Shelf stable milk, Applesauce, Beans/lentils (dry or canned), Rice, Whole grain cereal/crackers, Whole wheat/grain pasta, Canned soups/vegetables/tomato products, Canned fruits, cartons of 100% juice, non-perishable ready-to-eat meals (chili, ravioli, etc.)

Bring your homemade signs, gather around the Gazebo with banners, hear the speakers, visit a popup canopy with tables for people registering to vote and signing up to get involved, leave your food items in the drive barrels.

To learn more about the national campaign, visit www.goodtroubleliveson.org.

GOOD TROUBLE – ALL OVER THE BAY AREA…
Benicia Gazebo, corner of First & Military Streets

>> IN BENICIA / VALLEJO: July 17th GOOD TROUBLE LIVES ON! 5-6pm at the Gazebo in Benicia City Park (map: First and Military Streets) – see more above.

>> IN FAIRIELD: Thu, Jul 17
5:00 PM — 6:00 PM, Garamendi’s Office Building, Fairfield, CA . Here’s a map.

>> IN NAPA: Thu, Jul 17, 5:30 PM — 7:00 PM PDT, Veterans Memorial Park, Napa, CA.

> ALL OVER THE BAY AREA: Go to goodtroubleliveson.org and enter your zip code. Then click a city on the big map to get details.

U.S. Representative and beloved activist John Lewis…

“From a small farm in Alabama, to life-risking service in the civil rights movement, to three decades in Congress, he was always ‘walking with the wind,’ steered by a moral compass that told him when to make good trouble and when to heal troubled waters. Always true to his word, his faith, and his principles, John Lewis became the conscience of the nation.”
– Former President Bill Clinton and Former Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton, Associated Press, July 18, 2020

Democracy under attack, Good Trouble, John Lewis, Local vigilance

GOOD TROUBLE LIVES ON in Benicia – Your Personal Invitation

“Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble.” – John Lewis

You are cordially, personally, and expansively invited…

…to a Vallejo and Benicia Day of Action – Good Trouble Lives On, commemorating the July 17, 2020 death of Rep. John Lewis. Together, we will advocate for freedom and democracy in the Trump era. RALLY in CITY PARK,  Thursday, July 17th, from 5-6 pm at the Gazebo, corner of First & Military in Benicia.

Rep. John Lewis – “When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war. So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.” (July 30, 2020)

Crowd at the Gazebo, Roger Straw – Benicia Independent

Benicia California — On Thursday, July 17, community members in Benicia and Vallejo will join Americans at hundreds of events nationwide to honor the legacy of Congressman John Lewis and fight back against the growing attacks on our civil and human rights.

The local action in Benicia is part of Good Trouble Lives On — a nationwide day of peaceful, nonviolent action rooted in the legacy of the civil rights movement and inspired by John Lewis’ call to make “good trouble, necessary trouble.”

Participants from Vallejo and Benicia will gather to demand an end to the authoritarian attacks on our freedom to vote, protest, and organize — and to stand united against efforts to criminalize our communities, roll back our rights, and slash vital public programs.

The event is cosponsored by Vallejo-Benicia Indivisible, League of Women Voters Solano and the Vallejo-Benicia AAUW, and expands on Benicia’s EVERY Thursday 5-6pm vigil for democracy.

Speakers include Dr. Tonia Lediju, Vallejo City Council and Kari Birdseye, Benicia City Council

The rally will also provide opportunity for voter registration, information about Unite and Rise 8.5, and 5Calls, and other ways to participate in the democratic process, plus a canned food drive for the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano counties.

>> For the food drive please bring one or more of the following items: Peanut butter, Canned Tuna or chicken in water, Boxed mac and Cheese, Shelf stable milk, Applesauce, Beans/lentils (dry or canned), Rice, Whole grain cereal/crackers, Whole wheat/grain pasta, Canned soups/vegetables/tomato products, Canned fruits, cartons of 100% juice, non-perishable ready-to-eat meals (chili, ravioli, etc.)

Bring your homemade signs, gather around the Gazebo with banners, hear the speakers, visit a popup canopy with tables for people registering to vote and signing up to get involved, leave your food items in the drive barrels.

To learn more about the national campaign, visit www.goodtroubleliveson.org.

GOOD TROUBLE – ALL OVER THE BAY AREA…
Benicia Gazebo, corner of First & Military Streets

>> IN BENICIA / VALLEJO: July 17th GOOD TROUBLE LIVES ON! 5-6pm at the Gazebo in Benicia City Park (map: First and Military Streets) – see more above.

>> IN FAIRIELD: Thu, Jul 17
5:00 PM — 6:00 PM, Garamendi’s Office Building, Fairfield, CA . Here’s a map.

>> IN NAPA: Thu, Jul 17, 5:30 PM — 7:00 PM PDT, Veterans Memorial Park, Napa, CA.

> ALL OVER THE BAY AREA: Go to goodtroubleliveson.org and enter your zip code. Then click a city on the big map to get details.

U.S. Representative and beloved activist John Lewis…

“From a small farm in Alabama, to life-risking service in the civil rights movement, to three decades in Congress, he was always ‘walking with the wind,’ steered by a moral compass that told him when to make good trouble and when to heal troubled waters. Always true to his word, his faith, and his principles, John Lewis became the conscience of the nation.”
– Former President Bill Clinton and Former Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton, Associated Press, July 18, 2020

Benicia, Democracy under attack, Stephen Golub, Trump administration, US Customs & Border Protection (CBP)

Stephen Golub: Independence Day

…imagine my dismay when this very stiff-upper-lip Englishman contacted me recently…

 Stephen Golub, A Promised Land – America as a Developing Country

By Stephen Golub, Benicia resident and author. July 6, 2025. [First published in the Benicia Herald on 7/4/25.]

Pete (not his real name) is a Brit I met 50 years ago during college and have been close friends with ever since. After graduation, he went on to a career as an international journalist, risking his life in war-torn situations from Lebanon to the former Soviet Union and beyond, as well as covering countless violent demonstrations.

I recall his calmly telling tales of mortar explosions and other such threats narrowly missing him. There’s not much that scares the guy.

And he certainly knows how to assess threats. Years ago, he cautioned me to steer clear of a particular hotel in a Middle Eastern capital during a consulting trip I was undertaking. A month later, a terrorist bomb took numerous lives there.

So, imagine my dismay when this very stiff-upper-lip Englishman contacted me recently to let me know that he was concerned about something I was doing that might put him at risk.

What could that be, you might well wonder? How could I, ensconced in bucolic Benicia, pose any kind of hazard to Pete, who lives thousands of miles away?

I was sending him news articles. More specifically, I was electronically sharing occasional updates and analyses I thought he might appreciate, something I’d been doing since email became an option. More specifically yet, some of the news items and analyses were about U.S. democracy and the dangers it’s facing.

Why is Pete concerned? Because as you might know, the Trump Administration is sometimes examining the phones and social media feeds of visitors, to determine whether they contain items deemed terrorist-sympathizing or otherwise counter to our national security.

And as you wouldn’t know, Pete occasionally visits relatives in America. He’s worried, then, that upon arrival here he might have his phone examined by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection airport agent, who in turn could bar Pete’s entry (perhaps permanently) if they find something they don’t like.

Despite dodging rocks, bullets and bombs his entire career, Pete very understandably does not want to risk such searches – even though the items I’ve shared have simply ranged from academic analyses to the latest news about the Administration’s latest steps.

So I stopped.

Due to deadline constraints, I’m writing this on Thursday, before Benicia’s July 3rd parade. The timing seems appropriate, given what the 4th of July is about, and why Americans fought Pete’s home country and its king nearly 250 years ago: Freedom, starting with freedom to say what we want, free of fear. Freedom to be who we want to be. Freedom from the use of the military to suppress peaceful rallies. Freedom from a repressive, corrupt king who put his own financial and other interests above those of his people.

I’m also writing this as word comes in that by the 4th of July Trump will sign the bill, just passed by the House of Representatives today, that will award massive tax breaks to techno-billionaires and other extremely wealthy sorts, blow up our national debt by $3.3 trillion and deny health care coverage to well over 10 million Americans.

Perhaps I’ll delve into those horrid details some other time.
In the meantime, here’s to all the freedoms that Independence Day represents and that so many Americans have fought and even died for, including against foreign fascists like Putin and others with whom Trump is currently aligning himself.

And here’s to the hope that by next 4th of July we’ll be seeing more signs of light in our troubled skies, and that eventually Pete and the rest of us won’t have to think about what news we can or cannot safely share, read or store on our phones.

Benicia resident and author Stephen Golub, A Promised Land

CHECK OUT STEPHEN GOLUB’S BLOG, A PROMISED LAND

…and… here’s more Golub on the Benicia Independent

Benicia CA, Just transition, Valero Benicia Refinery

Dirk Fulton: A Great Day for Benicia, Part Four

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL

BENICIA IS AT A CROSSROAD: WILL YOU TAKE ACTION TO SAFEGUARD OUR HEALTH BY WORKING TO CLOSE VALERO NEXT APRIL OR LET THE STATE DECIDE OUR FATE?

By Dirk Fulton, June 26, 2025

OUR ALARMING CANCER RATES

Valero oil refinery in Benicia CA. | Lea Suzuki/S.F. Chronicle

There are several convincing reasons for the refinery to close as soon as possible. The most compelling is the significant adverse impact of Valero’s emissions on our health.

Benicia residents Dr. Richard Fleming and Stephen Golub have separately published well-researched articles describing that Benicia’s rates of cancer are much higher than Solano County and the State of California based on several data sources available from the County and the State.

I have many friends, neighbors and family members in town who are fighting cancer or have suffered from cancer. I imagine many of you do as well. The data is shocking:

    • Our rate of lung cancer appears to be 44% higher than the California rate.
    • Our prostate cancer rate appears to be 70% higher than the state’s.
    • Our breast cancer rate appears to be 94% higher than the state rate.

Thanks to the Air Board enforcement action against Valero, we now know that the refinery knowingly polluted us with highly toxic carcinogens over a recent 16-year period. The contaminants included known cancer-causing compounds like benzene, toluene, methylbenzene and xylene. The wrongful emissions exceeded Air Board standards by 360% and often constituted 2.7 metric tons of hazardous pollution daily.

Extensive medical studies from the United States (e.g., University of Texas Medical Branch) and internationally (e.g., Taiwan and Jordan) have found a well- documented connection between residents living in refinery communities and higher cancer rates. Benicia residents are unmistakably in harm’s way.

Some offer counter arguments that the above-described cancer data is “cherry-picked”, but they fail to offer any evidence or proof to support their claim. Until data is presented which indicates Benicia’s cancer rates are “normal”, the fact stands that the available data from the County and State shows that our cancer incidence is abnormally high.

THE CITY HAS A DUTY TO PROTECT US

The City of Benicia has an unconditional duty to protect our health and safety from toxic pollution no matter where the threat comes from. This is a basic obligation of local government that arises under its constitutionally guaranteed “police powers” to protect the health, safety and welfare of its community. The Industrial Safety Ordinance enacted by the City that was fought for tirelessly by community activists and opposed vigorously by Valero is a great start, but more action is needed. The recently established private “task forces” which lack formal public input and have no timetable for city action are not going to safeguard us from Valero’s cancer-causing pollution. If the city fails to act more broadly, it is exposing itself to potential liability for mass tort claims should Valero remain operating past its stated closure date of April 2026, as city leadership is now fully aware of Valero’s carcinogenic emissions, extensive record of violations and Benicia’s high cancer rates.

Valero fire 5/5/2025 | Larnie Fox

A summary of Valero’s environ-mental violations and penalties since 2003 clearly demonstrates the need for urgent action:

    • 2003-2005 EPA violations- $97,940.00
    • 2011-2015 Bay Area Air Board violations- $122,500.00
    • 2014-2016 EPA violations-$157,800.00
    • 2016 Bay Area Air Board violations- $249,000.00
    • 2017 Bay Area Air Board violations-$345,000.00 $191,500.00 settlements
    • 2021 Cal OSHA violations- $528,750.00
    • 2023 EPA violations-$1,224,000.00.00
    • 2024 CARB & Bay Area Air Board violations-$82,000,000.00
    • 2025 Bay Area Air Board violations pending (refinery fire)-$?

This astonishing record of chronic violations cries out for our city government to act to safeguard us from further harm, as the almost Eighty-Five Million Dollars ($85,000,000.00) in fines has not altered Valero’s conduct.

ACTIONS THE CITY CAN TAKE IMMEDIATELY

Benicia Mayor Steve Young, Vice Mayor Macenski, Councilmembers Birdseye, Largaespada, Scott.

The Mayor and City Council should act right away as follows:

    • Lobby Governor Newsom, the California Commission Energy and our legislative representatives to close the refinery according to the legal notice by Valero establishing an April 2026 Closure date without exception or further delay.
    •  Inform Valero that if they fail to close as scheduled, the city will exercise its police powers to:
      • Declare Valero a public nuisance and seek injunctions to abate violations and impose local penalties. The City of Torrance took such action and successfully declared Mobil Oil’s refinery a public nuisance in court after an explosion and fire.
      • Use municipal code enforcement including the newly adopted ISO to fine and/or shut down unsafe operations.
      • Rezone the refinery footprint area to phase out heavy industrial uses creating a Non-Conforming Use allowing the city to stop oil refining should the refinery operations cease operations for 120 days or longer. The City of Torrance has adopted this approach and amended its zoning ordinance to create a framework for phasing out non-conforming hazardous uses like oil refineries.
      • Impose a refinery tax such as the $1-per-barrel refinery excise tax proposed by the City of Richmond regarding the Chevron refinery. Chevron settled with Richmond prior to a public vote agreeing to pay $550 million over 10 years.

 TRAVIS AFB FALLACY & MISLEADING FINANCIAL DATA SUPPLIED BY THE CITY DO NOT SUPPORT DELAYING CLOSURE

Open Vjo 4/30/2025, KWright_USAF

The information about Travis AFB’s viability if Valero closes put forth by the city in citizen-paid, direct mail pieces is misleading. A Valero closure in April 2026 will not cause a Travis AFB closure when true facts are examined. This has been confirmed to me by a very high-ranking federal official. Travis AFB has been in operation since 1942 supplying military support during WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War- for over 27 years before Valero began supplying it with jet fuel. Extensive energy pipelines run under the bay from northern California to the air base, which served Travis and can be utilized again.

Additionally, the projected revenue loss from a Valero closure has been overstated by millions of dollars because current income such as property tax remains payable and other losses can be replaced with alternative revenue streams. (I have set forth these items in detail in prior articles.) Such alternatives include income from increased residential real property taxes, excess water revenues, port fees, development fees and Air Board settlement monies ear-marked for Benicia.

A GREAT DAY FOR BENICIA CAN STILL BE ACHIEVED

The risks of cancer and related social costs of having a 1960s-era oil refinery dominate our town can be avoided. I hope that our city leaders and citizens embrace Valero’s offer to close next April and unite to “pull out all the stops” to make sure it does shut down. Only then can we undertake a comprehensive site clean-up and establish a promising post-refinery future.  By seizing this rare opportunity, we can restore our clean air and achieve an image of Benicia as a healthy, historic community with a small-town atmosphere, inviting downtown, safe neighborhoods, and great schools.

Read Dirk Fulton’s series, A Great Day for Benicia

Dirk Fulton, Benicia

Dirk Fulton, Lifelong Resident & former Solano County Planning Commissioner, Vice Mayor, City Councilman & School Board President
For More Information visit: www.greatdayforbenicia.com