Category Archives: City of Benicia

Benicia City Council, City of Benicia, Valero Benicia Refinery

End of Era: Valero has closed Benicia refinery, plans total exit

April 16, 2026 Roger Straw

Company representative says Valero has no plans for a “tank farm” and will likely leave in the next two years

Valero Benicia Refinery is now closed. Picture by Tye Moody taken Feb. 4, 2026.

The Benicia Bridge, by Laura López González, April 16, 2026

For the first time in nearly 60 years, Benicia’s refinery stacks have gone quiet as Valero has officially stopped refining at the plant, general manager and vice president, Lauren Bird, confirmed Tuesday.

About 60 employees are expected to remain at the Benicia refinery following another round of layoffs Wednesday — a fraction of the roughly 400 employees once employed at the refinery.

Bird said about 20 employees will ultimately be left at the facility after the layoffs conclude. These workers — alongside contractors — will help Valero continue importing, storing, and distributing gasoline and diesel fuel, Bird said.

Valero will no longer supply jet fuel … [Continued on The Benicia Bridge]

Story by Laura López González of The Benicia Bridge.
This excellent reporting comes from Benicia’s newest award-winning journalism duo, Monica Vaughan and Laura López González. Their online publication is The Benicia Bridge. – Roger Straw
Learn more and subscribe to the newsletter here.
Reach out to the Benicia Bridge via their About page.

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Benicia City Council, City of Benicia, Valero Benicia Refinery

NBC: Two Dozen Valero Benicia refinery workers went to the emergency room with burns

April 11, 2026 Roger Straw

A plume of smoke and soot was released from a flare stack at the Valero Benicia Refinery on March 26, as seen here in a photo taken in the Hillcrest neighborhood by Benicia resident and small business owner, Jamie Jang.

March 26 refinery injuries being investigated…

By Monica Vaughan, Excerpt from the Benicia Bridge Newsletter, April 10, 2026

NBC reported that two dozen workers went to the emergency room with burns when black liquid rained down on them for about five minutes from the flare stack incident on March 26. Cal-OSHA is investigating. A quick review of OSHA records show this is the second investigation into worker safety opened at the facility this year. Last year, Valero racked up at least 11 violations amounting to $80,000 in penalties for worker safety violations at the Benicia refinery. Valero is contesting the findings.

Read more about the April 7 City Council meeting, here:

- Should Benicia invest to modernize the privately-owned port? Read here.
- Fixing the city’s broken solar panels is pricey. Losing the power costs more. Read here.
  […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.

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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

April 11, 2026 Roger Straw

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

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.
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Benicia City Council, City of Benicia, Solar energy

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

April 11, 2026 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.

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