Christina Ratcliffe, hired as Benicia’s community development director in 2015, will leaving to become Martinez’s new community and economic director starting in July. (File photo)

Benicia will have to say goodbye to one its own very soon. Christina Ratcliffe, the director of the Community Development Department, will be transitioning to Martinez on July 5 for a new position for the city.
Ratcliffe said Martinez represented a really good opportunity for her. In her new position, Ratcliffe will be the community and economic director of Martinez. Her responsibilities will include being in charge of planning, building and economic development.
“It’s a little broader spectrum and a little more advanced,” Ratcliffe said. “It’s (Martinez) a really interesting town, and it was a really hard decision. I really love Benicia. I like historic downtown and the sustainability and the mix of commercial and industrial, the community as a whole. Being by the water is great. Martinez has a lot of those things also. In some ways there are some similarities between the two cities, but it was just a good opportunity for me career wise.”
Ratcliffe began her career 25 years ago. She’s worked in various districts like Berkeley, Saratoga and Menlo Park, doing just about every position involving community development or planning. Ratcliffe has held positions from being a public counter to an associated senior to her current occupation. She also worked for a private consulting firm where she ran the firm’s California and Arizona offices.
In 2015, Ratcliffe was hired as the new community development director of Benicia, following Charlie Knox, who was laid off nearly two years prior. The position was nearly eliminated until the city hired an interim community development director to fill the seat until Ratcliffe took over.
Untill she transitions to Martinez, Ratcliffe will continue managing the planning and building division for Benicia. If someone wants to add an addition to their house or there needs to be a review of building plans, Ratcliffe oversees those responsible for that. She also works with public works, economic development, parks and facilities or other projects happening within Benicia.
Ratcliffe says there’s a lot of different things she’s proud she accomplished while in Benicia but not one thing specifically. The Community Development Department director does take pride in the changes that happened internally within her department. Ratcliffe said it has become easier for people to come in and acquire a permit quicker. She hopes now it has become easier for people to understand the rules and regulations of the permit during her time as Community Development Department director.
The people of Benicia and those working at the Community Development Department will be the one thing Ratcliffe will miss after she moves to Martinez.
“The city staff are incredibly dedicated here,” she said. “My staff is awesome. The Community Development Department, Public Works and other departments, we all work together. In other cities there’s just silos and people are just like ‘no, no, no, no, it’s not my job.’ Here, everyone is really dedicated. They really try to do their absolute best and try to help the community. And the community is incredibly active and everybody’s involved and asks good questions.So they keep us on our toes, and I’ll miss them.”

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