Carquinez Village knows how to throw a house party. The local organization aimed at connecting and supporting seniors will be hosting Bay Area singing duo Paper Moon in the comfort of one of the Village member’s homes. Paper Moon are a Vallejo duo consisting of guitarist Leo Cavanagh and violist Katrina Wreede who specialize in […]
Benicia Historical Museum strikes ‘gold’ with new temporary exhibition
The discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in 1848 triggered a seven-year population influx and economic boom in the appropriately named Golden State for what became known as the California Gold Rush. Benicia played a part in the Gold Rush, as can be seen in the upcoming Benicia Historical Museum exhibition “Benicia’s Gold Rush Story,” […]
Council OKs pension trust, allocation of money
The Benicia City Council unanimously voted to direct staff to begin establishing a pension trust fund for CalPERS benefits and allocate a one-time amount of $1.7 million received from a 2017 property tax appeal settlement from Valero at its Tuesday meeting. The city provides retirement benefits for employees through its participation in CalPERS, which allows […]
EDB will review June’s Southampton Business Walk at tonight’s meeting
A review of the Economic Development Board’s (EDB) most recent Business Walk is on the agenda for a busy meeting tonight. The EDB hosted its first Business Walk in September to gauge the concerns of local business owners, with walks taking place in certain retail districts throughout town roughly every two months. The first walk […]
CPUC: 2017 Valero outage result of PG&E mistakes regarding electric component
A report by the California Public Utilities Commission said the power outage at the Valero Benicia Refinery which led to a flareup and shutdown of the Industrial Park in 2017 was the result of a failed voltage transformer at Pacific Gas & Electric’s (PG&E) Bahia Substation and not providing adequate training or documents related to […]
Former BHS teacher chosen to direct Vallejo Shakespeare in the Park production
Vallejo Shakespeare in the Park is going deep— in more ways than one— for this year’s play, which is directed by a well-known forner Benicia educator. Christine Mani, who taught theater at Benicia High School for 17 years, is directing “Measure for Measure,” which kicks off a four-week run in multiple cities Friday. […]
Benicia trumpeter conquers the world
For most musicians, playing at Carnegie Hall would be the highlight of their careers. For trumpeter Shane O’Brien— who has played Carnegie twice—, it is just another stop on the tour for the Benicia native. However, it was still a great experience for him. “Every musician dreams of playing Carnegie Hall,” he said. “It was […]
Council to vote on pension trusts at Tuesday’s meeting
The Benicia City Council will hear an update on California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) actuarial issues at Tuesday’s meeting. According to a staff report by Finance Director Cindy Mosser, the city provides retirement benefits for employees through its participation in CalPERS, which allows the city to spend roughly $5.5 million per year to fund […]
Arts Benicia brings out the glass for new juried exhibition
If its newest juried exhibition is anything to go by, Arts Benicia has a heart of glass. That is a compliment, as demonstrated by the creative ways artists from all over have chosen to incorporate glass. If you need proof, it can be seen in the exhibit “Cutting Edge— Nontraditional Glass,” which opens tomorrow in […]
Council denies mayor’s request for ISO rehearing
In yet another marathon meeting that lasted almost until midnight, the Benicia City Council voted 3-2 to reject Mayor Elizabeth Patterson’s request to rehear the council’s June 19 vote on reviewing a draft Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO) for the city. The matter will not be heard again until November at the earliest. Patterson first requested […]