Tag Archives: Benicia City Council

AMPORTS, Benicia City Council, City of Benicia, Port of Benicia

Benicia has a rare deep water port. Here’s what it would take to fix it

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: THE BENICIA BRIDGE
The following excellent reporting comes from Benicia’s newest award-winning journalism duo, Monica Vaughan and Laura López González. Their online publication is The Benicia Bridge. Learn more and subscribe to the newsletter here. Note that the story below is a highly important delvelopment for Benicia – first hand reporting on current City Council business, missing since the departure of the Benicia Herald’s Donna Beth Weilenman in 2015! – Roger Straw
Port of Benicia (Adobe Stock image)

City Council receives 43-page report, ‘Port of Benicia – Facilities and Infrastructure Modernization Plan’

By Monica Vaughan, The Benicia Bridge, April  10, 2026

Benicia City Council learned about improvements needed to maintain the Port of Benicia, as well as potential work that could attract more seafaring customers – to the cost of $700 million.

Background: The City of Benicia received a $750,000 grant to develop a Port of Benicia Facilities and Infrastructure Modernization Plan. The consultant doing the work, GHD, presented parts of the plan to councilmembers at a city council meeting Tuesday. The grant came from regional government agencies, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments.

The main takeaways: The port and surrounding area need work to maintain operations into the near future, like structural improvements to the pier, stormwater infrastructure, and nearby roads and intersections used by truck traffic related to port activities.

Long-term work is needed … [continued on The Benicia Bridge.]

Story by Monica Vaughan of The Benicia Bridge.
Subscribe to the Bridge newsletter here.
Reach out to the Benicia Bridge via their About page.

Back to top.

Benicia City Council, City of Benicia, Solar energy

Benicia’s solar panels are broken. The fix is $480k

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: THE BENICIA BRIDGE
The following excellent reporting comes from Benicia’s newest award-winning journalism duo, Monica Vaughan and Laura López González. Their online publication is The Benicia Bridge. Learn more and subscribe to the newsletter here. Note that the story below is a highly important delvelopment for Benicia – first hand reporting on current City Council business, missing since the departure of the Benicia Herald’s Donna Beth Weilenman in 2015! – Roger Straw
A solar array by James Lemos pool provides shade and not much else until the system gets fixed. The City of Benicia owns 10 solar arrays that have fallen into disrepair. Photo by Monica Vaughan.

After “years of disrepair,” the City Council on Tuesday…

By Monica Vaughan, The Benicia Bridge, April  10, 2026

After “years of disrepair,” the City Council on Tuesday approved spending up to $1.6 million to fix and maintain the city’s aging solar panels for the next five years. There’s a caveat.

Background: The city has 10 solar arrays installed about 15 years ago to power a portion of city operations. Parts of the system have been broken for years, according to City Manager Mario Giuliani. The system of panels next to James Lemos Swim Center is completely down, for example. The only good they provide is shade until they’re fixed.

Giuliani stressed the need to get these fixed ASAP, saying  “we’re losing money just from the four sites that are off.” Together, the system produces about $770,000 worth of electricity a year.

“By the way,” Giuliani said, City Hall, the Clock Tower and the Police Department building are on collateral for the loan to cover the cost of construction of the arrays back in 2011, which the city continues to pay off every year.

The details: …[continued on The Benicia Bridge]

Story by Monica Vaughan of The Benicia Bridge.
Subscribe to the Bridge newsletter here.
Reach out to the Benicia Bridge via their About page.

Back to top.

Benicia CA, Benicia City Council, Benicia Industrial Park, Jefferson Ridge, Just transition, Rose Estates, Valero Benicia Refinery

Benicia Councilmembers Scott and Birdseye on potential Valero closure

To our fellow Benicia Residents and Business owners:

By Benicia Councilmembers Kari Birdseye and Terry Scott, May 27, 2025

This is a pivotal moment in our city’s history. The potential Valero refinery closure isn’t just a challenge—it’s our opportunity to reimagine Benicia’s future.

For decades, Valero has been directly woven into our economic fabric. And, woven directly into being a significant charitable partner.

Now, we must face change. We must look ahead with clarity and purpose.

This transition demands thoughtful planning, which is why Mayor Young has established specialized task forces to guide our path forward. These task forces will focus on economic diversification, sustainable development, and community resilience. Their mission is clear: to mitigate impacts while discovering new possibilities for growth.

The success of this transition depends on inclusivity. We need voices from every corner of our community—businesses, schools, environmental advocates, residents, artists, Bay Area Air District and many others —to participate in this process.

Your insights will shape our economic assessment and redevelopment strategy.

The 940 acres that Valero may leave behind could be the catalyst that will act as a transformative site. But it represents more than land—it may represent Benicia’s next chapter.

This may be our chance to rebuild, reimagine, and reinvent our community for generations to come.

We have received our wake up call as a community. Now it’s time to act. The future belongs to those who prepare for it.

Together, let’s create a Benicia that honors our past while boldly and bravely steps toward a more diverse, sustainable, and resilient tomorrow.

Our challenge is to transform Benicia into a resilient and sustainable community through economic diversification and innovative development, ensuring the prosperity of all residents, businesses and attractive to visitors.

To us the mission is clear: proactively manage the transition brought by potential changes in Valero’s operations by fostering economic resilience, supporting workforce development, and promoting sustainable redevelopment.

We aim to ensure the prosperity and well-being of Benicia’s residents through strategic planning, community engagement, and innovative solutions.

Benicia will be a vibrant, sustainable community where cutting-edge innovation harmonizes with small-town charm.

And finally, we envision a city where green, renewable technologies pioneers work alongside revitalized local businesses. Where our historic downtown thrives as a destination for visitors and residents alike, and where cohesive new neighborhoods like Rose Estates, Jefferson Ridge, and the Valero property reinvention, and others, provide diverse housing options and mixed use housing and retail tied together with micro transit opportunities.

Change is hard. But we must control our destiny.

Terry Scott
Kari Birdseye
Benicia Council Members

Benicia CA, Benicia City Council, Benicia Fire Chief Josh Chadwick, BISHO, Industrial Safety and Health Ordinance, Valero Benicia Refinery

Benicia ISO Coalition awarded SF Baykeeper’s 2025 Community Partner Award

“So many people worked so hard and for so many years to achieve this.”

Benicia ISO Advocates gather at San Francisco’s Dolphin Club to celebrate the Baykeeper’s 2025 Blue Rivet Award. PHOTO: Michaela Joy Photography

Benicia Industrial Safety and Health Ordinance (BISHO), 5/25/25

Benicia, CA—A coalition of Benicia citizen activists and government leaders has been awarded the 2025 San Francisco Baykeeper’s Blue Rivet Award for its work in passing the Benicia Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISHO). The group was presented the award at the annual SF Baykeeper Celebration of Community of Support on Saturday, May 17 at San Francisco’s Dolphin Club.

Baykeeper Executive Director Sejal Choksi-Chugh presents the 2025 Blue Rivet Award to Benicia City Council Member Kari Birdseye and BISHO member Terry Mollica. PHOTO: Michaela Joy Photography

SF Baykeeper Executive Director Sejal Choksi-Chugh presented the award to Benicia Council member Kari Birdseye and BISHO member Terry Mollica with more than a dozen other Benicia ISO advocates attending.

Birdseye and fellow Benicia Council member Terry Scott were the sponsors and advocates for passage of the Benicia ISHO. After the Council voted in December 2023 to have City staff study the issue of formulating a specific Industrial Safety and Health Ordinance for Benicia, Birdseye, Scott and Benicia Fire Chief Josh Chadwick spent months talking with citizens, stakeholders, businesses, and others to determine the best piece of legislation to monitor and protect Benicia’s air quality. Last month, the Council voted unanimously to pass the draft ISO.

Benicia Industrial Safety and Health Ordinance (BISHO) group is a citizens advocacy group which was founded in early 2023 to work toward passage of a strong ISO. More than 265 supporters became part of the group calling for more accountability from Valero and other industrial companies in the City.

For several years, Benicia has had a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) specifically with Valero but it was long believed and advocated that a stronger, more accountable and enforceable ordinance was necessary, particularly in light of ongoing violations. Benicia was the only refinery city in the Bay Area without such an ordinance. Passage of an ISO came close in 2018 but ultimately was not passed by the then-City Council who opted for the MOU. BISHO was formed as an outgrowth of the 2018 effort.

SF Baykeeper was founded in 1989 with the mission to defend the San Francisco Bay and its watershed by holding polluters and government agencies accountable to create healthier communities and help wildlife thrive. The organization uses a unique combination of investigation, advocacy, and litigation to defend the Bay’s waters and the Bay Area’s communities including science field teams that use boats and drones to patrol the waters checking on reports of polluters and legal teams that challenge polluters in court.

The annual Blue Rivet Award honors individuals and groups who have made a significant difference for San Francisco Bay. The Blue Rivet Award includes a plaque with an actual Golden Gate Bridge rivet representing individual efforts by the many community members and businesses that join together to create a thriving, healthy San Francisco Bay.

“The Benicia Industrial and Safety Ordinance is a pivotal legislative public health safeguard that was created through a process of transparency and substantial community outreach,” said Benicia Council Member Terry Scott, who co-sponsored the Ordinance. “And Saturday, we celebrated how a community focused on working toward solving a common problem can come together and achieve greatness.”

“We are honored to be recognized by SF Baykeeper for the success in passing the ISO,” Mollica said. “So many people worked so hard and for so many years to achieve this. All of Benicia should be proud of this significant move toward making our community safer, cleaner and an even better place to live, work and raise families.”