Two issues that have been hotly debated by the Benicia City Council in the past year– cannabis laws and the final decision of an emergency demolition permit for two historic buildings– are on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting. The council will introduce ordinances to allow personal cultivation and to regulate and allow commercial cannabis uses […]
Wine, chocolate on tap for Benicia Main Street event tomorrow
Wine and chocolate connoisseurs should be delighted because Benicia Main Street’s Wine & Chocolate Walk returns tomorrow. The Wine and Chocolate Walk is an annual event which allows attendees over the age of 21 an opportunity to try wine and chocolate pairings at downtown businesses. Beginning in 2012, the walk is one one the most […]
Virtual reality comes to Benicia Public Library
Walls of reality are collapsing at the Benicia Public Library. Well, not really, but the new virtual reality programs at the Benicia Library are blurring those lines. The Library began its virtual reality program through Califa Library Group, a nonprofit library membership consortium. Califa began sending California libraries emails asking libraries if their institutions would […]
Benicia police obtain new tool to battle opiates
Benicia police are equipping themselves with the latest technology to battle the ever-growing opiate crisis in America. Last week, the Benicia Fire Department began training police to use Naloxone Hydrochloride, a drug designed to counteract the effects of opioids. Benicia Police said they began training to use Naloxone Hydrochloride, or Narcan as it is more […]
Possible live grenade shuts down Benicia streets Sunday
A possible live grenade closed portions of downtown Benicia Sunday as police investigated the item. Around 5:15 p.m., a young boy found a grenade in the water at the bottom of First Street. The boy took the barnacle-covered grenade to show to his father who called the police immediately after discovering what was brought to […]
City staff go through ethics, sexual harassment prevention training
Sexual harassment prevention and ethics training were on the agenda for the Benicia City Council and staff at its Tuesday meeting. Every two years, government employees and officials are required to go through AB1825, sexual harassment, and AB1234, government ethics, training. The meeting, which ran from 6 to 10 p.m., was split into two parts: […]
Police, Fire Department transition to new radio system
Benicia’s police and fire departments have transitioned to a new radio system, according to the city’s weekly newsletter. The switch to a new radio system came after the police and fire department secured funding from Measure C– a revenue initiative approved by Benicia voters in 2014 that set aside $4 million for projects that would […]
HPRC holds talk on downtown historic district guidelines
The Historic Preservation Review Commission (HPRC) met Thursday morning in a special meeting to hold talks on the downtown historic district design guidelines. The Downtown Historic Conservation Plan was established in 1990 to provide guidelines for construction on commercial and residential areas in the parts of town designated as historical. The city was recently awarded […]
Benicia eateries offering discounts for Restaurant Week
Rub-a-dub and grab some grub during Benicia Main Street’s Downtown Benicia Restaurant Week. The event begins Saturday and encourages people to spend money downtown at local restaurants by offering discounts at participating restaurants. The week is celebrated in conjunction with California Restaurant Month as a means to encourage people to dine out during the […]
Council reaffirms appeal to save historic buildings from demolition
On the agenda for the Benicia City Council’s first meeting of the year were decisions on the rehearing of the emergency demolition permit of two historic buildings and adding an amendment to Benicia’s Industrial Park Transportation and Employment Center (TEC) plan. In 2016, automobile import company AMPORTS filed for an emergency demolition permit for two […]