ISO will create better informed community A lot has been said and written over the past several weeks on bringing an industrial safety ordinance (ISO) to the city of Benicia. Or, perhaps we should think of it as a community safety ordinance, which is what a Benicia ISO would also represent. As a resident of […]
Carrie Rehak: Responsible freedom and spending, and the question of a local Industrial Safety Ordinance in the city of Benicia
By Carrie Rehak Special to the Herald I have been following the discussions about whether it would be of value for the city of Benicia to have a local Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO). To my mind, two main arguments for and against having a local ordinance—freedom and spending — mirror one another, though from different […]
Letters: DMUMP amendment and letter from Santa
Put DMUMP amendment on ballot Accurate community sentiment about cannabis on First Street can be measured by placing the Downtown Mixed Use Master Plan (DMUMP) amendment on the ballot with the local cannabis tax measure next year. This is the only certain and indisputable method of determining how we feel about it, otherwise it will […]
Craig Snider: Ready or not, here cannabis comes
Thursday was a milestone in California’s regulation of cannabis with 20 recreational/medical retail permits being issued by the state Bureau of Cannabis Control. Retail sales of recreational cannabis can begin in San Diego, Santa Cruz, and tiny Shasta Lake as early as 9 a.m. on Jan. 1 with first-quarter adult use cannabis taxes due April […]
Letters: Highway litter and cannabis ‘potency’
Open letter to City Council I am a longtime Benicia resident and would like to make a comment about an observation I made recently. I drove along Highway 780 not long ago, and I could not get over the amount of trash along the section that encompasses the five exits for Benicia. Every yard of […]
Letter: Fantastic Sams Giving Tree was a success
Fantastic Sams Giving Tree was a success Thanks in large part to the awesome publicity the Benicia Herald provided us—first with a front-page story and then through ongoing coverage in the Community Calendar—the 2017 Giving Tree at Fantastic Sams Cut & Color was a rousing success. This week, I delivered our treasure trove to the […]
Wesley Heberling: My concussion, and why kids should wear a helmet
By Wesley Heberling Special to the Herald My name is Wesley. I’m 11 years old, and I got a concession on Oct 15, 2017. I was at a skate park when a teenager hit my scooter from behind and I went flying. I had no chance of bracing my fall. It happened so fast. I […]
Letter: Dec. 19 is decision day
Dec. 19 is decision day Dec. 19 will be a night to remember. I am hoping for an advance Christmas present from the city of Benicia. It may not be a big Christmas present, cut some members on the City Council are now going to have to back up their words. The first would be […]
Letter: Downtown dispensaries will happen eventually
Downtown dispensaries will happen eventually A speaker at the recent City Council meeting discussing cannabis activity on First Street asked where we (the “pro-cannabis crowd”) were since the chamber was dominated by an organized assembly of anti-cannabis citizens and, unfortunately, youth that have been indoctrinated that cannabis is all bad no matter what and has […]
Letter: Move forward with ISO
Move forward with ISO Benicia suffered a major toxic incident when Valero emitted thousands of pounds of dangerous chemicals last May. On a continuing basis, Benicia’s Valero refinery is fined by Bay Area and State agencies for emissions exceeding toxic limits. Currently, access to the refinery emissions data as well as the actions taken to […]