Tina Marie’s Jeans, Bling and Things, owned by Tina Galarza, has opened in the Tannery Building, 131-C First St.

The new business carries women’s clothing in sizes from 0 to 22, accessories, jewelry and shoes in addition to lines of bath and body products.

Tina Marie’s Jeans, Bling and Things is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The store is closed Mondays.

SolTrans, National Express win safety excellence award

Solano County Transit, known as SolTrans, and its contracted operator, National Express Transit Services Corporation, have received the 2014 American Public Transportation Association Gold Award for Excellence in Safety Achievement.

SolTrans Executive Director Mona Babauta and representatives of National Express received the award and were recognized May 4 at the opening ceremonies of the annual APTA Bus and Paratransit Conference in Kansas City, Mo., attended by more than 500 from throughout North America.

“SolTrans is honored to be recognized by APTA and our peers around the country for our achievements in safety over the past year,” Babauta said.

“We take safety very seriously, and through our partnership with National Express and their strong expertise in the area of safety and security, we have, as partners, been able to make significant strides in strengthening our safety program at SolTrans,” she said.

“It is a proud moment for transportation in South Solano County, and I am especially proud of our team of employees whose work and dedication led to the receipt of this prestigious award.”

An APTA spokesperson said SolTrans and National Express received the award after they made significant safety improvements since National Express took over operations from the prior contractor in July 2013.

The cited improvements include a 71-percent reduction in vehicular accidents, a 75-percent reduction in passenger-related incidents and a 56-percent reduction in employee injuries.

National Express Vice President for Safety Tom Greufe said the changes were started after SolTrans had what he described as an “overhaul of the safety culture.”

He said when SolTrans contracted with National Express, “We knew we would have to establish new systems and policies to improve safety performance. But it took the whole team, including all the operators, to actually achieve what we were able to achieve in such a short time.”

A film about SolTrans, shown during the awards presentation, may be viewed at www.facebook.com/SolTrans.

Solano County Transit is a joint-powers authority governed by a six-member board. It provides public transit to Benicia and Vallejo, including local fixed-route bus, regional express bus, complementary paratransit, dial-a-ride service and subsidized taxi programs.

Board of Equalization to visit retailers

Retailers throughout the state are receiving letters from the California State Board of Equalization, telling them about upcoming visits from Statewide Compliance and Outreach Program (SCOP) teams.

Team members will speak to store operators about proper sales and use tax reports and how to comply with tax laws.

BOE spokesperson Jaime Garza said the trips will “maintain outreach efforts to assure taxpayers that the state’s tax system is fair and equal for all Californians.”

Garza said, “It is important for retailers to understand that the BOE asks only business-related questions, and does not inquire about personal financial information.”

Businesses owners found to be operating their stores without a seller’s permit will be given instructions about registering with the BOE and obtaining necessary licenses.

Home-based businesses won’t be visited, Garza said.

Since 2008, SCOP has visited 436,307 businesses statewide to verify retailers are registered, and to ensure that noncompliant businesses do not have an unfair advantage over registered businesses that are reporting their sales and use taxes and/or fees to BOE.

Garza said that so far, the BOE has found that more than 98 percent of the California businesses are operating with the correct permits.

However, noncompliance contributes to more than $2 billion in uncollected sales and use taxes that make up part of the state’s “tax gap,” the difference between the amount of taxes owed and the amount paid, negatively impacting all state taxpayers, he said.

Those who have been notified about upcoming visits and who have questions may contact their local BOE SCOP Team or visit the BOE’s SCOP Web page at http://www.boe.ca.gov/sutax/SCOP_Overview.htm. The website with information about other California taxes and fees in California is www.taxes.ca.gov.

The Benicia Herald’s weekly Benicia Business Beat column is an opportunity for local businesses and companies to tell our readers about such news as moves, grand openings, awards, promotion of employees, staff changes and changes in goods and services.

Submissions need to answer the questions who, what, when, where, why and how, preferably in the body of an email, and provide contact information.

Deadline is 3 p.m. Friday for news items that will appear in the next Tuesday edition’s Benicia Business Beat. Please email news releases and accompanying high-resolution photographs and logos to beniciaherald@gmail.com, and put “Attn. Business Beat” in the subject line, as well as the name of the business.

The Benicia Herald also appreciates area companies’ advertising patronage. For advertising services, call 707-745-0733 or email adsbenicia@yahoo.com.