Category Archives: Benicia City Council

Courage, Judgment, Steve Young for Mayor and Gilpin-Hayes and Macenski for City Council

Benicia resident and author Stephen Golub, A Promised Land

By Stephen Golub, first published in the Benicia Herald on October 13, 2024

When we think about courage, the kinds of things that come to mind are police taking on violent criminals or firefighters rushing into burning buildings. We don’t think of city officials poring over spreadsheets and budget documents.

But when it comes to this year’s mayoral and City Council elections, there’s an admirable element of courage at play. This is a central  reason I’m endorsing Mayor Steve Young for reelection, as well as Christina Gilpin-Hayes and (current Council Member) Trevor Macenski for City Council.

They all also merit support for additional reasons that go beyond our budget crisis, including the initiative and energy they’ll bring to these (largely uncompensated) jobs. But with respect to that crisis, they’ve earned respect by biting the bullet and backing the three revenue-enhancing measures on the Benicia ballot, involving a small sales tax increase for road repair and introduction of a modest real estate transfer tax for more general purposes.

Retiring Benicia Council Member Tom Campbell has endorsed Gilpin-Hayes for City Council, along with Mayor Steve Young, Vice Mayor Terry Scott, and Council Member Kari Birdseye. | City of Benicia.

Regrettably, as demonstrated by retiring Council Member Tom Cambell in his October 9 letter to the Herald, the responsibility shown by Young, Gilpin-Hayes and Macenski sharply contrasts with an erroneous budgetary approach taken by a twice-defeated (and once victorious) current Council candidate, Republican Lionel Largaespada. Not one to mince words, Campbell describes Largaespada’s number-juggling in terms of “voodoo math.”

As ably analyzed by Campbell, Largaespada’s misleading approach includes incorrectly claiming that he’s “found” enough existing City money to cover road repair and identifying supposedly excessive spending on outside contracting services – even though such services in fact are essential or even crucial to Benicia (and, I’d add, would most likely be more expensive if carried out by City personnel).

Campbell further explains that “Largaespada never talked to anyone in the [City’s] finance department or the City Manager’s department about his plan.” Finally, demonstrating some fine institutional memory, Campbell points to the video of a specific Council meeting to assert  that in 2019, while on the Council( before being defeated in 2022),  Largaespada backed a higher sales tax than the one candidate Largaespada now opposes. He was apparently for that kind of tax  before he was against it.

All this worries me in three ways.

First, with 44 percent of the City budget going to fire and police protection, there seems no way to adopt Largaespada’s apparent voodoo math without cutting that essential protection. It could  also mean deteriorating roads and other City services, as well as  a failure to repair City buildings and facilities, such as the Police headquarters, the Senior Center, the Swim Center, the library and a host of other structures.

Second, Campbell does not stand alone in his refutation of Largaespada’s math. His critique  is part of a broad consensus of criticism that I’ve heard from responsible Benicians across the political spectrum, ranging from business-centric to progressive circles.

Finally, if Largaespada brings this questionable  approach to the budget, one must wonder about his judgment in handling  other pressing issues Benicia faces – not least safety and health challenges presented by Texas-based Valero, who’s dangerous crude-by-rail “bomb train” plan he backed several years ago and which has massively, indirectly supported him through political action committee spending over the years – often through misleading ads that unfairly attack his opponents.

I don’t like criticizing Largaespada in these pages. He is a good, bright person. But I don’t like the possibility of gutting City services hanging over our heads either, especially when Campbell and many other experts refute his calculations.

Back to courage and judgment: It’s hard to tell people we need additional taxes. It’s harder still to put one’s political career on the line to do so. But Mayor Young has led the way in dedicating much of his campaign to that, in order to right the City’s fiscal ship for now and into the future.

The Benicia Save Our Streets Committee are fighting to pass Measure F to fix out streets.

Thus, he’s backing Ballot Measure F, the product of a citizen initiative that gathered over 2,000 signatures, which will increase the sales tax on non-grocery items by a small amount (to still less than a number of other Bay Area communities) in order to ensure that road repair is fully funded.

He’s similarly backing Measures G and H, which together will allow the City to raise funds to help close our looming budget deficits via a modest transfer tax on real estate sales – with key exceptions such as no tax in the case of inheritance or divorce.

A real value of G and H  is that with state-mandated additions of housing to Benicia, other possible housing developments on the horizon and the possibility of Valero selling its refinery down the line, large chunks of revenue could be generated by the transfer tax without imposing any costs on current Benicia residents.

I won’t delve into the pros and cons of these three measures beyond very briefly addressing certain frequently heard counter-arguments.

For instance, aren’t City employees overpaid or isn’t  the City overstaffed? No. In fact, sometimes Benicia does not even match the going rate for some jobs in other municipalities, which has  meant  losing valuable staff to them and the resulting expense of recruiting and hiring replacements. And Benicia has made staff consolidations to streamline its operations.

Or, why can’t we renegotiate employee pensions? Because we’re bound by law to honor them.

For these reasons and many more, all three measures have the support of Benicia’s public safety unions, the Solano County Association of Realtors, the County’s Democratic Party and many other organizations and individuals across the political spectrum.

The budget crisis isn’t at all the only reason I’m backing Steve Young for Mayor. He displays an even keel in leading the City, as evidenced by the calm stewardship he showed during the pandemic. He offers various sensible plans and projects to enhance our business climate and quality of life. Such initiatives  will yield additional revenues down the line without imposing additional taxes.

I have not addressed Macenski’s candidacy much because, as a popular incumbent, he does not seem to need the same level of discussion as newcomer Gilpin-Hayes, whom I’ve previously, enthusiastically endorsed. Suffice to say that he is a very sharp individual who brings great knowledge to consideration of many city issues.

Smoke from the Valero Benicia refinery during a 2017 incident. | Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

There is, however, one regard in which I wish Gilpin-Hayes, Macenski and especially Young were stronger: the proposed Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO) that Vice Mayor Scott, Council Member Birdseye and several other individuals  have labored over for the past year. All three have cautiously endorsed aspects of it in principle, which is understandable. But as  a matter of leadership and legacy, and of safety and health, stronger and clearer support would be welcome in the lead-up to the election – especially  in contrast with the eventual unsupportive stance we might expect from Largaespada in view of his past backing by Texas-based Valero.

I have not addressed the candidacies of Kevin Kirby for Mayor and (former Valero and Exxon Mobil employee) Franz Rosenthal for City Council because, while they both came across as nice folks in a recent forum organized by the Benicia High School debate team, neither have matched the focus or knowledge of Young, Gilpin-Hayes, Macenski or Largaespada– whether at that forum or online – regarding  the crucial issues confronting Benicia. The one exception is former Valero and Exxon Mobil employee Rosenthal’s clear opposition to the ISO.

In addition, given Rosenthal’s apparent extremely late entry into the race, one wonders whether, as the other new face in the Council contest, he’ll counterproductively take votes away from the energetic and well-qualified newcomer Gilpin-Hayes.

To sum up: For their courage, judgement and many more reasons, I hope that Benicians will work for, donate to and above all vote for Young, Gilpin-Hayes and Macenski for Mayor and City Council Members. Benicia needs the sound, responsible, energetic approaches they bring to the table.

[Note: I have donated to the Young and Gilpin-Hayes campaigns.]


The BenIndy has also endorsed Christina Gilpin-Hayes for City Council. Learn more about her campaign by clicking the image below and visiting her website

 

Stephen Golub: For City Council, Back Democrat Gilpin-Hayes Over Republican Largaespada

A Breath of Fresh Air: For City Council, Back Democrat Gilpin-Hayes Over Republican Largaespada

Christina Gilpin-Hayes, Benicia City Council Candidate. | Campaign photo.
Benicia resident and author Stephen Golub, A Promised Land

By Stephen Golub, originally published in the Benicia Herald on October 7, 2024

Images added by BenIndy.

While four candidates are vying for two Benicia City Council slots this November, the key race (for reasons I’ll explain in a subsequent column) is really between Democrat Christina Gilpin-Hayes and Republican Lionel Largaespada. They’re both good, smart people, with backgrounds in business and public service. They both love Benicia.

But they differ in crucial ways, which is why Gilpin-Hayes is by far the better choice.

Energy and Perspective

Gilpin-Hayes is a breath of fresh air with creative ideas on everything from addressing the budgetary crisis that threatens our city services to better community outreach that will keep us updated about vital government deliberations and decisions.

In contrast, Largaespada is on his fourth run for City Council in eight years. The one time he won, in 2018 (before losing again in 2022), he wore the mantle of supposed fiscal responsibility – yet sat on the Council during a crucial period when our budget crisis intensified and went unaddressed.

Endorsements

Moderate Democrat Gilpin-Hayes has endorsements stretching across much of Benicia’s and Solano County’s political spectrums. They include Mayor Steve Young, Vice Mayor Terry Scott, Council Members Kari Birdseye and Tom Campbell, former Mayors Jerry Hayes and Elizabeth Patterson, Solano County Supervisors Monica Brown and Wanda Williams, Supervisor-elect Cassandra James, State Senate candidate Christopher Cabaldon and, last but not least, the Solano County Democratic Party.

To his credit, conservative Republican Largaespada has secured labor endorsements, including from our police and fire unions – though that does not mean those groups or individual members necessarily oppose Gilpin-Hayes. On the other hand, the largest though indirect backing he’s received over the years has come from Texas-based Valero Energy, through political action committees (PACs) that have spent many hundreds of thousands of dollars supporting him and/or attacking his opponents in misleading and mean ways.

Our Budget Crisis and Credibility

Along with Mayor Young, other Council members and other leading Benicians across the political spectrum who have made courageous decisions to back steps to balance our budget, Gilpin-Hayes supports Ballot Measures F, G and H, which will help repair our decaying roads and more generally shore up the City’s finances.

She also favors revenue-enhancing initiatives that will increase Benicia’s appeal as a place to visit and spend money and to make it easier to do business here, without sacrificing our community’s charming, small-town character.

Former Benicia City Council Member Lionel Largaespada grimaces as he considers his position.
Former Benicia City Council Member Lionel Largaespada, pictured at a 2022 candidate forum in Benicia, CA. | Vallejo Sun / Scott Morris.

Largaespada agrees that Benicia needs to be more business-friendly. But he opposes the three tax-oriented measures without proposing effective alternatives for maintaining our police, fire, parks, public works and other services. Instead, he promises apparently illusory savings: e.g., from the $9 million of spending that the City currently contracts out annually. In doing so, he overlooks the fact that such contracted-out expenditures could be even more burdensome if they instead involved hiring additional City personnel, in view of City employees’ benefits, pensions and other accompanying costs. In this and other instances, he seems to juggle budget categories without providing sound solutions.

What’s more, such services are by and large for crucial public works and public safety needs, ranging from protecting our water supply to employing the license plate readers that have helped keep Benicia safe. We can’t simply cut them.

One has to wonder, again, where was fiscal conservative Largaespada when he served on the Council in 2018-22 as our current fiscal crisis overtook the City, and why his return to the Council would prove more effective this time around.

Public Safety and Health

Gilpin-Hayes takes a responsible position in backing full funding and support for Benicia’s Police and Fire Departments. She favors a strong industrial safety ordinance (ISO), while also taking account of Valero’s financial and other contributions to the community and what she feels are at least a couple of legitimate concerns it raises about a draft ISO prepared by a Council subcommittee.

Valero’s Benicia Refinery during a flaring event. | Pat Toth-Smith.

I do not trust Valero and I feel that Vice Mayor Scott and Council Member Birdseye have done a fine job in spearheading that draft, which among other things could prevent Valero from again pouring tremendous toxic emissions into our air for at least 15 years without informing us – as it finally was forced to do in 2022. But I also respect Gilpin-Hayes’ position in staking out (along with Mayor Young and Council Member Trevor Macenski) a moderate middle ground that hopefully will still yield a strong ordinance.

Contrast this with Valero’s indirect but massive and often misleading campaign backing for Largaespada over the years, and what this might portend for future industrial safety-and-health challenges. Consider too his unfounded suggestion that the proposed ISO would duplicate the work of a rather toothless Solano County agency.

I’m not questioning his integrity at all here; but I am wondering about why the Texas-based oil giant has chosen to make such a political investment in him. Maybe it has something to do with his supporting its extremely dangerous but fortunately unsuccessful crude-by-rail project several years ago or potentially aligning with the corporation on other hazardous initiatives down the line.

I’m also concerned about whether our Police and Fire Departments, which consume a large chunk of Benicia’s budget, could continue to function well despite the inevitable City cutbacks that Largaespada’s opposition to additional revenues entails. I’ll equally admit to uneasiness about his stance opposing a mask mandate back when Covid raged, as well as his apparently solicitous stance toward the Solano County public health director, whose questionable advice at the time starkly contrasted with that of most other public health authorities, including throughout the Bay Area.

Finally, let’s note Gilpin-Hayes’ dedicated, longstanding involvement with rescue services for endangered and abandoned dogs. That won’t necessarily make her a City Council star. But as a fellow dog lover, to me it marks her as someone with a big heart.

Christina Gilpin-Hayes has my vote for Benicia City Council.

[Note: I have donated to the Gilpin-Hayes campaign.]


The BenIndy has also endorsed Christina Gilpin-Hayes for City Council. Learn more about her campaign by clicking the image below and visiting her website.

  

Stephen Golub: A Question of Trust – Safety, Health, Toxins and Explosions

Benicia resident and author Stephen Golub, A Promised Land

 

By Stephen Golub, originally published in the Benicia Herald on September 29, 2024

Images added by BenIndy.

Benicia has two big votes coming up this fall. The more prominent one is our Nov. 5 general election vote for city officials and on city tax measures. But around that time, the City Council will also vote on an Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO) that will enable us, for the first time, to directly address the threats to our safety and health repeatedly posed by the Texas-based Valero Energy Corporation’s Benicia refinery.

Right now, we’re the only Bay Area community that hosts a refinery but does not have an ISO. Adopting one means a role for Benicia in monitoring, investigating and if necessary fining Valero’s inadequately informing us about its accidents, incidents, violations and operations.

What’s more, various regulatory agencies have left us out of the loop when it comes to such matters vital to our own safety and health. An ISO gives us a seat at the table and greater incentives for Valero to keep us informed.

Black clouds from the Valero Benicia Refinery billowed over residential neighborhoods during a 2017 incident. Despite a shaky record of failing to disclose accidental releases and emissions, including the 15 years toxic emissions hundreds of times the legal limits were released into Benicia air, Valero insists oversight measures already in place are sufficient to ensure Benicia residents are kept safe and informed .  | Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

Unfortunately, in both public meetings and public comments on a draft ISO prepared by a Council subcommittee, Valero has voiced resistance, hostility and even implicit legal threats toward the kind of ordinance that the other Bay Area refineries survive and thrive with.

The need for an ISO boils down to a question of trust – in Valero itself and in our elected officials. Unfortunately,  one City Council candidate in particular, Republican Lionel Largaespada, triggers doubts about where he stands.

I’ll emphasize that distrusting Valero doesn’t mean doubting the integrity, hard work and dedication of its employees and contractors, many of whom are our wonderful neighbors and friends.

I’ll add that I don’t doubt Mr. Largaespada’s commitment to Benicia. I salute him for his participation in community affairs and the civil manner in which he conducts himself – and kudos to other recent Council candidates and members as well. In these troubled political times, we need all the civility we can get.

But major corporate decisions are made at corporate headquarters – in this case, San Antonio.

And participation and civility don’t necessarily translate into adequate emphasis on public safety and health.

So let’s consider some salient facts.

Lionel Largaespada (center), who supported “Crude By Rail” and opposes Benicia adopting an ISO, is pictured here at a February 13, 2019,  Solano Transportation Authority (STA) Board Meeting. | Solano Transportation Authority.

With Mr. Largaespada’s support, for years Valero tried to bulldoze its dangerous “crude-by-rail” proposal to adoption by the City Council, only to thankfully fail in 2016. Amazingly, this push started at around the same time as the infamous 2013 Lac-Megantic disaster occurred. That tragedy, named for the small Quebec City that it decimated and where it claimed 47 lives, took place when an oil train derailed, caught fire and exploded.

That incident is by no means the only time that potentially deadly derailments and resulting fires and/or massive oil leaks have taken place in North America. By one count, there were 21 such accidents in the subsequent eight years, including two just up the coast in Oregon and Washington.

The Benicia refinery’s own list of violations, accidents and incidents is far too long for me to recount here, as is a similar list of Valero transgressions across the country. So I’ll just remind readers of this 2022 revelation by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District: For well over 15 years Valero released toxic emissions, hundreds of times the legal limits, into our air without informing Benicia.

As summarized in 2022 by a top Air District official, “The Air District is saying that that Valero knew or should have known that these emissions should have been reported and they knew or should have known that these emissions should have been minimized.”

(Note, by the way, that it took nearly three years for the Air District itself to tell the City of these violations even after it became aware of them in 2019 – yet another reason why Benicia needs a seat at the table, to avoid being left in the lurch.)

Benicia resident Kathy Kerridge speaks out at a Benicians for Clean Elections rally in 2022. Benicians for Clean Elections was founded to daylight special-interest overspending by a Valero-funded PAC in Benicia elections. | Constance Beutel.

Then there’s Valero’s spending many hundreds of thousands of dollars on political action committees (PACs) during several recent election cycles to advance its interests, often through misleading ads that boosted Mr. Largaespada as recently as 2022 during his unsuccessful campaign or that trashed other candidates in mean and misleading ways. While he has commendably disassociated himself from such tactics, we should not be blind to the fact that Valero has decided who is most likely to butter its bread.

Against this backdrop, it’s additionally disappointing that the one ISO-related matter Mr. Largaespada chose to highlight in his September 25 letter to the Herald’s Forum page is the comments on the draft ISO by the Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA). If you haven’t heard of this county agency, which is supposed to help protect us against hazardous materials, there’s a reason: It’s proven rather toothless, at least when it comes to Valero.

Yet rather than seeking to partner with Benicia in advancing public safety and health, CUPA’s comments fret about overlap. That’s unfortunate. Mr. Largaespada’s focus on that rather than Valero’s questionable track record, the benefits of an ISO or the support of the Air District and many other authorities for an ISO is equally regrettable.

So what can concerned Benicians do?

 

Contact the current City Council members to voice support for a strong ISO and for a vote to take place on it before the November 5 election. Though the Council unanimously backed this in principle nearly a year ago, the process has dragged for so long that getting a vote done by that date is now in doubt.

Similarly contact all Council candidates to ask that they all support a strong ISO and its effective implementation, and that they declare that support before the election. They know enough about what the ISO will entail to get them to commit to it. Benicians have a right to know where they stand.

Be on the lookout for yet more massive, misleading PAC spending by Valero, once again designed to pollute our politics, through mailings and other advertisements that mask its support for Mr. Largaespada and other allies or that trash their opponents . Past Valero-funded PACs have used such names as “Progress for Benicia” and “Working Families for a Strong Benicia.” Hopefully, Valero has learned its lesson and will refrain from repeating its misleading efforts. But if not, look for such ads’ small print, which will reveal their funding.

Finally, for more information about the ISO or to support the effort to get it adopted, please go to the private, citizen-organized site for Benicia Industrial Safety and Health Ordinance. You can also go to the City’s useful site, Engage Benicia, though be aware that comments there are now closed. 

For more on Valero’s political track record in Benicia, please go to the Benicians for Clean Elections site.

Once again, I respect Valero’s fine employees and Mr. Largaespada. Hopefully, Valero can adopt a constructive rather than combative attitude toward Benicia’s simply seeking to better protect our safety and health via the ISO, and for the first time in years stay out of our elections. But our recent history with this Texas-based multinational – as well as the experience of other communities across the country with it – teaches us too many lessons about the tiger not changing its stripes.

There’s also broader political dimension here: Why would Texas-based Valero take a hostile stance toward the ISO when the potential next President of the United States weighed in as California Attorney General to help defeat its crude-by-rail plan and when that dispute garnered national attention? Ongoing opposition to better protecting Benicia’s safety and health has the makings of another nationally prominent issue.

But let’s just get back to the local: All that Benicia wants via this ISO is simply a seat at the table and a City Council devoted to making that seat meaningful. Hopefully, this fall’s votes will make those things happen.

Christina Gilpin-Hayes vies to be first out Benicia council member

Christina Gilpin-Hayes. | Campaign photo.

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.

Christina Gilpin-Hayes. | Campaign photo.

“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.

Retiring Benicia Council Member Tom Campbell has endorsed Gilpin-Hayes for City Council, along with Mayor Steve Young, Vice Mayor Terry Scott, and Council Member Kari Birdseye. | City of Benicia.

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.”

State Senate District 3 Candidate and former West Sacramento mayor Chris Cabaldon has endorsed Gilpin-Hayes.  | Sacramento State / Andrea Price.

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.]