Category Archives: Benicia CA

Benicia CA, Benicia Measures XYZ, Local elections

Larnie Fox: Why should you vote yes on Benicia Measures X, Y and Z?

…we have a challenge and an opportunity.

By Larnie Fox, in email, October 10, 2026

Larnie Fox, Benicia resident and artist

Our little City is at a turning point. Our biggest taxpayer, Valero, is pretty much gone, so we are looking at a shortfall in the money that we, the people, use to pay our police and firefighters, repair our roads and our aging sewers, run our library, pool and parks and generally make Benicia a safe and vibrant community.

At the same time, there are big developments in the works. The Signature Development Group is currently working with our citizens to plan for huge residential and industrial developments on the Valero property. The Seeno family is currently planning for another huge development on their 527-acre property near Lake Herman, unfortunately not working with our citizens so much. Because the State is mandating more housing, there will be other developments too; we are at the cusp of a development boom.

So we have a challenge and an opportunity.

Measure Z taxes only new construction and sales of properties valued at over $2 million at 0.4%, and higher percentages for properties worth over $10 million. The seller generally pays this fee. My house won’t sell for over $2 million in the foreseeable future, will yours? Let’s not miss this opportunity to get this in place before all the development starts. Cities are typically on the hook for at least part of new infrastructure costs for new developments.

Measure Y makes Measure Z possible by making Benicia a limited charter city. That is all it does. It does not change how City governance is structured. We need it to get Measure Z in place, so we can continue to fund the City services that are keeping us safe and comfortable.

Measure X makes it so that people whose business earns under $100K per year are no longer required to get a business license. Currently every tiny mom-and-pop business in town is supposed to get one, though many don’t comply. This includes musicians and artists (like me), which makes no sense. I’m lucky if I sell over $1,000 a year!

I’m sure that much of the opposition to these three measures is based on misinformation on social media and general mistrust of government. I share that mistrust on the national and state levels, but I follow our City Council. I see them in action and I do trust them, and I usually agree with their decisions. They are all dedicated civil servants who virtually volunteer most of their time to do the hard work of keeping the City running. And remember, anything and anyone that we the people vote in, we can also vote out, if things don’t work out as we would like.

A primary opponent of Measures X, Y and Z is Justin Zollars, City Council candidate, endorsed by the local Republican party. I attended a “meet the candidates” forum, hosted by the Benicia Voice podcast on September 29. As of that date Justin had never attended or watched a City Council meeting, and was remarkably uninformed on other important local issues. I suspect his resistance to Measures X, Y and Z is motivated by his desire to stake out positions in opposition to the other two better-qualified candidates.

So, please help the effort to keep our sweet little City humming along, safe and vibrant. Vote yes on Measures X, Y, and Z.

Larnie Fox

Benicia CA, Democracy under attack, Donald Trump, Local vigilance, No Kings!

No Kings Day in Benicia – A Personal Account

Have you ever been to a rally in Benicia?

By Roger Straw, October 18, 2026 (with many thanks to Mary DeShaw of ProBonoPhoto and Kathryn Lauritzen of PadmaVideo)

Benicia is a small town, and in my nearly 30 years here, I’ve shown up for plenty of public protests and rallies. But I must say, of all of them, my favorites have been the four No Kings rallies.

The feeling you get is incredible.

Much more than just the astonishingly huge crowd. It’s amazing when a town of 27,000 turns out 300 to 400 on short notice.

Much more than the creative and empowering signs. More than the bells and whistles. More than the passing cars honking support – at least half of the cars go by with horns and thumbs up and waving and words of love and thanks.

It’s more than that. It’s the connections you make…

    • Like holding signs next to a precious new senior friend who wears her Valkyrie purple, and chatting about your favorites like Gabby Williams.
    • Like spotting the Mayor and several current City Council members holding up signs – and former Mayors and former City Council members, and a retired major newspaper editor.
    • Like wandering down the line of protesters to chat with dear old friends and laughing at some of the wonderful protest signs and costumes….

It’s a festival, really. A festival of democracy as rich as any 4th of July parade. Or maybe richer.

He will not rule with absolute authority. He is no King. They will not abuse public trust. We will vote them all out.

Yes! No Kings in Benicia! No Kings in the USA, never!

Roger Straw
The Benicia Independent

REMEMBERING…

NO KINGS #3 – Benicia’s March 2026 No Kings Rally:
NO KINGS #2 – Benicia’s October 2025 No Kings Rally:
NO KINGS #1 – Benicia’s June 2025 No Kings Rally:
Benicia CA, Democracy under attack, Donald Trump, Local vigilance, No Kings!, Vallejo CA, Vote Early!

THIS SATURDAY OCT 17! NO KINGS RALLIES IN BOTH VALLEJO AND BENICIA!

RALLY and WITNESS
Saturday, October 17

BENICIA
10:00 – 11:00 am
Sidewalk in front of Veterans Hall, corner of First & Military
(Gazebo Park is closed)
VALLEJO
11:00 am – Noon
Admiral Callaghan Lane
& Plaza Drive
Vallejo-Benicia Indivisible

 Bring your signs, banners, noisemakers, and goodwill.

We decide who represents us! We decide what comes next!
We reject the idea that power belongs to kings, billionaires, or politicians who believe they are above the people and the law.

 PROTECT OUR RIGHT TO VOTE!
ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO VOTE!
VOTE!  VOTE!  VOTE!

Click here for more info on NoKings.org (mobilize.us)

Safety & Principles: A core principle behind all No Kings events is a strict commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, are strictly prohibited.

Benicia CA, Benicia Measures XYZ, Local elections, Stephen Golub

Vote Yes On Benicia Measures Y And Z

Will Ballot Measures Y and Z Cost You Anything? Questions and Answers on Benicia’s Proposed Transfer Tax

[Editor: in this article Mr. Golub is addressing only Benicia’s Measures Y and Z. For his take on Measure X, see here in his previous article. – RS] By Stephen Golub, Benicia resident and author, “Benicia and Beyond” column in the Benicia Herald, October 4, 2026

Benicia resident and author Stephen Golub

Questions that concerned Benicians might ask about ballot Measures Y and Z…

This November’s Benicia ballot Measure Z would establish a transfer tax for the sale of certain homes. If I buy or sell  a typical, currently existing home, will I have to pay that tax if the measure passes?

No. Almost all currently existing Benicia homes are exempt from the tax, which will be established if Measure Z is approved by Benicians.

This is because the tax only  applies to:

  1. a) new homes that will be built starting in 2027; or
  2. b) currently existing homes sold for $2 million or more, of which there are only a handful here since the average home price in Benicia is about $820,000.

But what if I want to sell a home worth over $2 million to a close relative? Or what if in the future I want to sell a home built after January 1, 2027 to that relative? Do either of us pay that tax?

No. The tax does not apply to sales or gifts of homes between parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, siblings, spouses and domestic partners. (Certain affordable housing is also exempted.)

Why is the tax necessary?

Despite budget cuts, city government reorganization and other actions, Benicia has an anticipated annual budget gap of at least $7.5 million and perhaps nearly $11 million.

The Measure Z transfer tax will help close that gap in two ways:

  1. a) It will apply not just to residential properties, but also to commercial and industrial sales. In fact, if the transfer tax were already in place in recent years, it could have yielded millions of dollars from sales in the Benicia Industrial Park. More on this below.
  2. b) It will apply to the several thousand new housing units that will be built in Benicia in coming years, as mandated by state law or made possible by redevelopment of the Valero property.

But much potential  new development, whether residential, commercial or industrial, is years away. Will Measure Z produce much revenue in the next few years?

For one thing, potential sales of existing Industrial Park properties could produce large sums of revenue in the next few years. If Measure Z were already in place late last year, Benicia would have pocketed a tax of $1,160,000 from the sale of a large parcel of land in the Industrial Park. Similar future sales are certainly a possibility.

In addition, Measure Z is about the future. It is about putting in place the revenue stream to help Benicia sustain police, fire, recreational, infrastructure and other services for our kids, grandkids and all of us in years to come, so our wonderful town can survive and thrive.

Fair enough, so what will the transfer tax rates be under Measure Z?

The tax is $4, $6 or $8 per $1,000 in sale price, depending on whether the price is under $2,000,000, from $2,000,000 to $9,999,999, or $10,000,000 or more.

Again, though, remember that the tax on residential properties only applies to currently existing homes that sell for $2 million or more, or to homes built after January 1, 2027.

There’s also a ballot Measure Y, right? What does that do?

Measure Y is necessary as a companion law for Measure Z. Measure Y establishes Benicia as a limited Charter City, a status necessary for the city government to set the proposed transfer tax rates under Measure Z. To introduce those rates, then, it is essential to vote Yes on both Measures Y and Z.

I’ve heard certain opponents claim that Measures Y and Z open the door for Benicia to increase the transfer taxes or tax additional properties or expand Benicia’s status as a Charter City in ways we might not like. Is that true?

No. Any of these changes would require new ballot measures that we all would vote on. And there are no plans to propose such changes in any event.

I’ve also heard certain opponents claim that becoming a Charter City or establishing transfer taxes is disastrous for cities. Is this true?

No. There are 25 charter cities in the Bay Area alone, some with transfer taxes higher than those proposed by Measure Z. Charter city status or transfer taxes have not driven away businesses or harmed their financial health. One Bay Area charter city, Vallejo, went bankrupt, but that was for unrelated reasons.

How can I gain more information about this issue?

One good place is Building Benicia’s Future site, at beniciasfuture.org.

So, as summed up at that site, if I own a Benicia home built before 2027 and it sells for under $2 million, I  pay nothing. Do I have that right?

Yes.

Benicia resident and author Stephen Golub, A Promised Land

Stephen Golub writes about democracy and politics, both in America and abroad, at A Promised Land: America as a Developing Country.

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

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