Category Archives: Mike Ioakimedes

Benicia City Council, Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson, Benicia Vice Mayor Steve Young, California Attorney General Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, Local elections, Mariko Yamada, Mike Ioakimedes, Monica Brown

ROGER STRAW – Election recommendations

Benicia Independent Endorsements

By Roger Straw, November 4, 2016

hillary_clintonAs I prepare to head to the polls on Tuesday, my decisions have finally been made. Not all were difficult to make: it’s of historic importance that we NOT elect Donald Trump. I will be voting for our first woman president, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

kamala_harrisMy vote for Kamala Harris for Senate is a no-brainer: as California Attorney General, Harris was our highest-ranking ally in the David and Goliath battle against oil trains here in Benicia! (With many thanks to Deputy AG Scott Lichtig.)

Mariko Yamada State Senate 2016Mariko Yamada will need every one of our votes if she is to beat the money-machine of her opponent, Bill Dodd. Dodd only recently became a Democrat, has accepted huge donations, and benefited from independent expenditures by big corporate interests, including the oil and gas industries.  I’ve known Mariko for years – she is to be trusted.  I once told her I’d vote for her for President of the U.S.!

monica-brown-229mike_ioakimedes_solanocountysupervisorAt the Solano County Supervisor level, it gets a bit hairy for me.  I respect, know and like both Mike Ioakimedes and Monica Brown.  I share progressive Democratic values with both of them. Earlier, I endorsed Mike when he weighed in against Valero’s crude by rail proposal. As an influential longtime Benicia leader, his added voice was highly significant at that time when we were facing into a final City Council vote on crude by rail. Monica strongly opposed Valero’s proposal, too, but when I’m forced to mark my ballot, I’ve decided I’ll vote for Mike Ioakimedes. Sorry, Monica.

elizabethpattersonBenicia Planning Commissioner Steve Young, candidate for Benicia City CouncilMy focus has been almost exclusively on local Benicia races. I am actively supporting Mayor Elizabeth Patterson’s re-election, and Planning Commissioner Steve Young for City Council. I like several of the other candidates for City Council, but I’m focusing entirely on electing Steve. Here are my previous posts on Elizabeth and Steve:

Unlike THE DONALD and many of his right-wing cohorts, you and I will accept the outcome of a fair and impartial election and join forces with our newly elected leaders, working for a better future. See you on the other side of election day!

Local elections, Mike Ioakimedes, Solano County Board of Supervisors

LETTER SERIES: Marilyn Bardet – Mike Ioakimedes for Solano County Supervisor

[Editor: Benicians are expressing themselves in letters to the editor of our local print newspaper, the Benicia Herald. But the Herald doesn’t publish letters in its online editions – and many Benician’s don’t subscribe. We are posting certain letters here for wider distribution. – RS]

A vote for Mike Ioakimedes for Solano County Supervisor

By Marilyn Bardet
October 25, 2016
Marilyn Bardet
Marilyn Bardet

As a Benicia resident since 1986, and with long experience engaged with planning issues in our city, I’m voting for Mike Ioakimedes for county supervisor. I’ve always appreciated Mike’s encouragement of public dialogue, not only for sake of hashing out contentious issues, but for results: toward resolute, evidence-based decision-making that has helped shape our community for the better.

mike_ioakimedes_solanocountysupervisor
Mike Ioakimedes

Mike’s earnest, quiet diplomacy — much needed in a time of hardening ideological entrenchment — serves principled action.

On Benicia’s city council, Mike addressed a large-scale business park development proposal for the Seeno property, making clear that, as originally presented, it would violate mandates of AB32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act, since the plan not only did not reduce “vehicle miles traveled” that contribute to increases in GHG, but also ignored a 243% projected increase in traffic on East 2nd St, thus to further compromise air quality and public health, especially for children at Semple elementary, located along East 2nd, in close proximity to I-780 and the refinery.

Recently, Mike opposed Valero’s Crude By Rail Project citing the city’s land use authority to protect public health and safety.

For similar reasons, he’s concerned that the cement plant proposed in Vallejo would significantly increase daily truck traffic and impact air quality.

Mike’s advocacy for applying sustainability criteria when evaluating development plans is especially crucial for the county in light of future unprecedented costs of climate disruption — the hard reality our children will inherit.

Mike believes we can change the way we do business and move away from fossil fuel dependence, for example, by improving public transit options.

Through his experience in city government, his openness to the change we need and his commitment to the kind of decision-making we deserve, Mike will guide the county in ways that make economic, social and environmental sense for our whole region. Please join me and vote for Mike!

Marilyn Bardet
Member, ex officio, Benicia Community Sustainability Commission