Benicia City Council on Tuesday asked city staff to start the legal changes that would let the Community Sustainability Commission raise money to help fund projects that fulfill the goals of the city’s Climate Action Plan. The Council decided, however, it still should retain the right to vote on any grants or commission expenditures, the […]
NASA: 11 trillion gallons needed to recover from drought
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, using data from its Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission and satellite observations, has calculated California needs 11 trillion gallons of water to recover from its ongoing severe drought. That information was released Tuesday by NASA and its scientists, speaking in San Francisco. The need — 42 cubic […]
Finance Committee to get first look at audit
The Benicia Finance Committee will get its first look Thursday at the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), which services as the city’s annual audit. The committee also will get a guide on such reports from the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), Benicia Finance Director Karin Schnaider said.
Brightest house on the block
Vallejo family’s yearly Christmas display featured on TV show The pressure’s off, and the secret is out — Bob and Linda Taylor’s Christmas display, 817 Glen Cove Road, Vallejo, didn’t win a trophy in ABC’s “Christmas Lights Fight” episode that aired Monday night. The couple has known since before Thanksgiving they wouldn’t get the decorative […]
Police: Man shot drunken intruder
Authorities say Benicia homeowner wounded man who broke in through sliding glass door A 66-year-old Benicia man shot another man who smashed through a sliding glass door early Wednesday to gain entry into the resident’s home, Benicia police Lt. Mike Greene said. The injured man, identified by police as True Hatch, 24, is being treated […]
Climate ‘town hall’ launched online
Benicia Web page solicits public input on strategies for adaptation A Web page that lets the public review documents related to the city’s vulnerability to climate change, and to weigh in on the topics, is now launched, Climate Action Plan Coordinator Alex Porteshawver said. The Open Town Hall Web address is www.peakdemocracy.com/portals/203/2343. “The city of […]
HPRC to again review designs of Northgate Christian Fellowship’s proposed campus construction
Representatives of Northgate Christian Fellowship will return Thursday to the Historic Preservation Review Commission to seek approval of modifications of designs originally approved in 2004. The panel last heard from project officials Oct. 23 during a workshop prior to the church’s appearance Dec. 11 in front of the Planning Commission, which approved a use permit […]
City Council to review advisory guide proposal
City Manager Brad Kilger and Assistant City Manager Anne Cardwell will present the City Council will a proposal today to develop a guide for Benicia’s boards and commissions. “The City Council, staff and our B&C (board and commission) members would greatly benefit from having a document that clearly defines the role of the City Council’s […]
Benicia Biz Beat: Loft to host ‘blind’ wine tasting
OWNER JASON DIAVATIS WILL LEAD a blind wine tasting event at 7 p.m. Wednesday at The Loft Wine Bar, 280 First St., during which people can compare at least seven different cabernet sauvignons from around the world, Loft manager Morgan Hill said. Small food plates, by executive chef Nelson Afable, will be available to those […]
Thompson to visit Mare Island earthquake protection company
U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, the Napa Democrat who represents Benicia and Vallejo, will tour Earthquake Protection Systems’ headquarters and its manufacturing building at 9 a.m. Tuesday. The company is at 759 Azuar Ave., on Mare Island, Vallejo, and it’s owned by Victor Zayas.