n-person screening of The Sacrifice Zone
at the Benicia Public Library
on Tuesday 9/29 6:30-8:30 PM.
The documentary unpacks Big Oil’s latest climate scam: carbon capture and storage (CCS).
The short film by Physicians for Social Responsibility LA, will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A. Hear first-hand from experts featured in the film and from communities already being impacted by carbon dumping projects in the Bay Area and Central Valley.
Sacrifice zones are heavily polluted areas — often fence-line communities in low-income, Black and Brown neighborhoods — that disproportionately bear the brunt of industrial toxins and systemic environmental racism.
Learn how carbon capture and storage is creating a new wave of fossil-fueled sacrifice zones in California. There are already five proposed carbon dumping projects in the Bay Area Delta region.
Over 9300 Benicians voted, 70.3% in favor of Prop 50.
By Roger Straw, November 08, 2025
The Solano County Registrar of Voters posted new vote totals at 5:00 PM on November 7, giving details for UNOFFICIAL results on our November 4 election.
Here are results from Benicia’s 8 precincts. Why unofficial? – note that Countywide as of 5PM on 11/07, about 4,250 ballots were still to be processed.)
The Solano County Orderly Growth Committee (SCOGC) and the Solano Group of the Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club recently completed a joint endorsement process and are now recommending candidates for Mayor and Council positions in Solano’s Cities.
For Mayor, we endorse Steve Young, running for re-election as Mayor of Benicia and Steve Bird, running for re-election as Mayor of Dixon. We also endorse for Edwin Okamura, a sitting council member, for Mayor of Rio Vista, and Andrea Sorce, a newcomer to electoral politics, for Mayor of Vallejo.
For City Council, we endorse: Christina Gilpin-Hayes, Benicia; Mike Silva, a Vacaville incumbent from District 3; and Vallejo candidates incumbent Christina Arriola (District 6), Alexander Matias (District 1), and Tonia Lediju (District 3, no opposition).
Since 1984, SCOGC has advocated for protecting our farmlands and open spaces in Solano County. Sierra Club is one of the pre-eminent environmental groups in America and has many Solano members. Both were leaders in the fight against the California Forever aka East Solano Plan.
We support candidates who we believe will act positively to protect the environment and best represent their constituents.
Benicia Mayor Steve Young brings strong environmental credentials to his re-election bid. As a planning commissioner, he led the review of Valero’s Crude by Rail project. He opposed the California Forever project citing the deceptive tactics used and their reliance on groundwater. He supports growth in our cities, not on farmland and open space. He will continue his efforts to improve air quality in Benicia. He supports passage of Measures F, G and H to ensure Benicia’s financial well-being.
In terms of environmental issues, Dixon Mayor Steve Bird told us he will protect Dixon’s water and open space. He said he believes in keeping northeastern Solano County from blending into neighboring cities by protecting agriculture and farmland. He also supports more parks and outdoor recreation spaces within his community and region.
Rio Vista Mayor candidate Edwin Okamura became Vice Mayor earlier this year and serves on the Solano Land Trust Climate Committee. Regarding California Forever, he told us, “A new city in unincorporated areas would be economically devastating to surrounding cities and would have significant environmental impacts.”
Vallejo Mayor candidate Andrea Sorce will bring new insights and energy to Vallejo. While her key campaign issues are fiscal responsibility, public safety, economic development, housing justice and open government, we believe she will approach them through an environmental lens. For example, she opposes California Forever and told us she has a strong preference to see investment and development in our existing cities.
Benicia Council candidate Christina Gilpin-Hayes has an impressive resume, endorsements, and record of community service to bring to her campaign. It addresses Benicia’s budget crisis, growth that preserves Benicia’s character, support for local businesses and encouraging transparency and community involvement. We liked her overall philosophy and approach to avoiding sprawl and her support for Benicia’s Industrial Safety Ordinance.
Vacaville incumbent Councilmember Mike Silva deserves our continued support. His Council votes have supported clean energy, water conservation, and infill development. He told us, “I plan to provide the leadership to ensure we continue to focus on sustainable growth.” We also applaud is untiring advocacy for his low-income neighborhood and a new neighborhood park.
In Vallejo, likewise, incumbent Tina (Christinia) Arriola has done a yeowoman job of representing her low-income district 6. She opposes proposed tolls on highway 37, the commute for many of her low-income constituents. She also wants a long-term solution to the Mare Island Preserve and opposes “…dictates from the Mare Island Co. which hasn’t provided any good faith efforts to show their commitment to open space, recreation and local participation.”
Vallejo district 1 candidate Alex Matias has a long record of community service as the Chair of the Vallejo Economic Vitality Commission and is on the board of Fresh Air Vallejo. We liked his advocacy on issues important to Vallejoans, including the hiring of police officers and public safety, solving homelessness, creating jobs, and supporting transparent and inclusive government.
Last, but not least, we endorse powerhouse Tonia Lediju for district 3. A 15-year Vallejo resident, she was the City of San Francisco’s chief auditor and brought in by Mayor London Breed to clean up a failing housing authority. For the past five years, she has been the Chief Executive Officer of the S.F. Housing Authority. As a council member, she plans to focus on safety issues for Vallejoans, affordable, equitable and inclusive housing, a bustling downtown, and economic opportunity for residents. We were impressed by her commitment to sustainable development and her support for city-centered growth. Like many other endorsed candidates, she opposes the California Forever project.
Princess Washington, Chair, Solano Group, Sierra Club, Suisun City Marilyn Farley, Political Director, SCOGC, Fairfield
Faced with the anticipation of overwhelming rejection by Solano County voters on the ballot, California Forever has pulled the plug on the East Solano Plan Initiative. The people have spoken and California Forever has been forced to withdraw their hastily drawn, poorly designed initiative, given a surefire loss in November.
Solano Together is proud of the people of Solano County for this amazing WIN. For the tireless advocates who engaged and educated the constituents, the brave local officials and community leaders who spoke out and denounced the project, and the resilient farmers who were on the frontlines against this harmful proposal.
Let’s be clear: California Forever knew that their guarantees were not binding. They knew the impact of their proposal on traffic, Travis Air Force Base, the environment, agriculture, existing cities, and more. Instead of taking the time to deeply engage in a transparent process of what their proposal means to the county, they decided to deceive the public to try and get the initiative passed.
We thank the Board of Supervisors for initiating the impact study that showed the negative impacts a project of this magnitude would have on Solano families.
Solano Together looks forward to continuing our local, community driven efforts to invest in the future of our county, including advocating for bringing more jobs and affordable homes to our existing communities while protecting farmland and open spaces through the renewal of the Orderly Growth Initiative by 2028.
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