Ire raised by 4 C’s ‘local issue’ stance

Benicia City Council has seen the 2015 State and Federal Legislative Platform for consideration of the City-County Coordinating Council. a panel nicknamed “4 C’s” and made up of the mayors of each of the county’s cities as well as the five Solano County supervisors.

At the Council’s Feb. 3 meeting, Councilmember Tom Campbell had one question: “I don’t see anything on our two state parks,” he said, particularly in the draft platform’s section on resource management, environmental health and sustainability.

That section recommends supporting measures and funding that address air quality improvement, energy efficiency, renewable energy, fuel efficiency, energy adequacy and security, while balancing the impact on business.

It also encourages climate protection and sustainability, federal climate change legislation and policies, grants for land use planning for economic drivers and infrastructure projects, sensible reform of the California Environmental Quality Act, flexible regulatory processes, legislation that encourages regional purchases and inter-jurisdictional infrastructure development to achieve environmental and sustainability goals, and funding for sustaining and expanding a countywide parks system.

That last part didn’t mention either the Benicia State Recreation Area, on the city’s west side, or the Benicia Capitol State Historic Park, 115 West G St., as part of the county parks system. The two state parks are the only two in Solano County.

It isn’t that the city hasn’t tried to get language about the state parks included in this and previous platforms, City Manager Brad Kilger said.

While Kilger said work would continue “in a positive way” in hopes of having 4 C’s eventually side with the city, he said state parks are viewed as a local, not regional, matter.

Campbell disagreed. “State parks is a regional issue by definition,” he said, pointing out that other Solano County cities don’t have state parks.

“I take exception to ‘This is a city issue,’” said Councilmember Christina Strawbridge, a long-time state parks advocate prior to her election to the Council.

Strawbridge pointed out that Benicia officials met for two years with the Board of Supervisors about the two state parks, particularly when California had both on a closure list that has since been abandoned.

But Kilger said 4 C’s perceives the matter as a “sub-regional issue.”

Mayor Elizabeth Patterson said the topic of state parks “did cause a bit of stir.” She invited Campbell to speak to the panel, but said, “You will get nowhere.”

She explained that 4 C’s and its platform “is not a city-driven process,” which she described as “cobble-typed,” and added, “I think we’re making lemonade out of lemons.”

But saying, “What the heck,” she joined Campbell in voting in the minority against supporting the platform, with Strawbridge, Vice Mayor Mark Hughes and Councilmember Alan Schwartzman approving.

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