Lionel Largaespada, the vice chair of Benicia’s Economic Development Board, will be running for the City Council in November. (Courtesy photo)
Lionel Largaespada, the vice chair of Benicia’s Economic Development Board, recently announced his intention to run in the Benicia City Council’s November election.
Largaespada graduated from Pinole Valley High School in 1989, majored in government and minored in philosophy at St. Mary’s College in Moraga and received his master’s in mass communication at Boston University. Largaespada and his wife of 17 years, Jennifer, moved to Benicia from San Francisco in 2005. His daughters, Graciela and Viviana, both attend Matthew Turner Elementary School, where their parents are active members of the school’s community. Jennifer serves on the school’s Parent Teacher Association, Benicia Education Foundation and North Bay Performing Arts, and Lionel helps fund Matthew Turner’s STEAM- Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math- program.
“My wife and I moved to Benicia because we knew the quality of life here was unmatched in California. I value this community, and I love its way of life,” Largaespada said in a statement. “It’s an extraordinary city – with its community spirit, art, history, celebrated parks and exceptional schools – and I want it to stay that way.”
Laragespada has served as the vice chair on Benicia’s Economic Development Board since September. The board is in charge of identifying economic development needs around town and making recommendations to the City Council. Largaespada’s term is set to expire in 2019.
Additionally, Largaespada has spent more than 20 years working in the fields of marketing, consulting and public relations. From 2000 to 2004, he was the account services manager for the search engine Lycos. He also was a political consultant for Civis Media Group, where he managed communications for a congressional candidate, utilizing media relations, social media and online advertising through sites like Google, Facebook and Twitter. He also took part in technical projects for companies like Adobe, Microsoft and Virgin America.
“To be an effective member of Benicia’s city council, I believe it takes common sense, vision, financial acumen, genuine collaboration and a relentless commitment to constituent services. These are traits I have honed during my years of leadership in the private sector. I intend to use my experience to help chart Benicia’s future,” Largaespada said in a statement. “I am fortunate to live, work and raise my family in Benicia. Since moving here I’ve been donating my time to community service, and now I want to put that time towards public service.”
Largaespada chose to run after receiving encouragement from local business and community leaders, and he says one of his goals is to look toward the future.
“Thirty percent of Benicia’s residents are 19 years or younger,” he said. “I believe we have a moral obligation to pass along a better Benicia. I’m running for Benicia City Council to ensure we invest and prioritize with an eye to the future. My campaign is about where we want to be 5, 10 and 15 years from now.”
Additional goals include campaigning for public safety, improving street and park maintenance and strengthening relations with Benicia Unified School District’s Governing Board.
“Benicia needs new leaders who will inject new ideas into city policies,” he said. “I look forward to being a fresh and independent voice on the council. I will do all I can to contribute to preserving all that’s great about Benicia, and to making it an even better place to live, work and raise a family in the future.”
Planning Commissioner Steve Young has also announced his intention to run for City Council, and sitting Councilmembers Tom Campbell and Christina Strawbridge have also expressed interest in running for additional terms. Keep reading the Herald for additional interviews with Largaespada and the other council candidates.
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“It’s the unprecedented speed with which we’re are changing the climate that is so worrisome.”
—Penn State Professor Michael Mann.
From the above article:
“I am fortunate to live, work and raise my family in Benicia._ Since moving here I’ve been donating my time to community service, and now I want to put that time towards public service.”
Largaespada chose to run after receiving encouragement from local business and community leaders, and he says one of his goals is to look toward the future.
“Thirty percent of Benicia’s residents are 19 years or younger,” he said. “I believe we have a moral obligation to pass along a better Benicia._ I’m running for Benicia City Council to ensure we invest and prioritize with an eye to the future. My campaign is about where we want to be 5, 10 and 15 years from now.”
No mention in the above piece about Mr. Largaespada, opinion and thoughts on crude-by-rail ? Or on climate change which many leading climate scientist feel is an existential threat; and there is the Pentagon top brass who consider it to be a national security threat.
–You have stated you are concerned about the future and that we need to prioritize our future.
The article below which I want to share with you and the rest of our community (young and old) is about those “moral obligations” that you mentioned and how we need to prioritize our future before it is too late.
An excerpt to consider:
“NASA — World Just Had Seven Months Straight of Record-Shattering Global Heat”
“It’s not just that we’re seeing record global heat. It’s that 2016’s jump in global temperatures may be the biggest single-year spike ever recorded. It’s that the world may never again see annual temperatures below 1 C above preindustrial averages. And it’s that this high level of heat, and a related spiking of atmospheric greenhouse gasses due to fossil fuel emissions, is now enough to begin inflicting serious harm upon both the natural world and human civilization. ”
https://robertscribbler.com/2016/05/16/nasa-world-just-had-seven-months-straight-of-record-shattering-global-heat/
In 1995,Nobel Prize-winning scientist Sherwood Rowland asked,
“What’s the use of having developed a science well enough to make predictions if, in the end, all we’re willing to do is stand around and wait for them to come true?”
Source: Unprecedented: Can Civilization Survive The CO2 Crisis?
David Ray Griffin
Clarity Press, 2015.
From the above article:
“I am fortunate to live, work and raise my family in Benicia._ Since moving here I’ve been donating my time to community service, and now I want to put that time towards public service.”
Largaespada chose to run after receiving encouragement from local business and community leaders, and he says one of his goals is to look toward the future.
“Thirty percent of Benicia’s residents are 19 years or younger,” he said. “I believe we have a moral obligation to pass along a better Benicia._ I’m running for Benicia City Council to ensure we invest and prioritize with an eye to the future. My campaign is about where we want to be 5, 10 and 15 years from now.”
No mention in the above piece about Mr. Largaespada, opinion and thoughts on crude-by-rail ? Or on climate change which many leading climate scientist feel is an existential threat; and there is the Pentagon top brass who consider it to be a national security threat.
–You have stated you are concerned about the future and our young people and that we need to prioritize our future.
The article below is about those young people ( “19 years and younger “) which I want to share with you and the rest of our community…
An excerpt to consider:
“Massachusetts Court Sides with Teenagers in ‘Historic’ Climate Victory”
“‘This is an historic victory for young generations advocating for changes to be made by government,’ said 17-year-old plaintiff Shamus Miller.”
Key quote to ponder:
“This is an historic victory for young generations advocating for changes to be made by government,” said 17-year-old plaintiff Shamus Miller. “The global climate change crisis is a threat to the well being of humanity, and to my generation, that has been ignored for too long.”
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/05/17/massachusetts-court-sides-teenagers-historic-climate-victory
What have been the accomplishments of the Economic Development Board overall?
What have been Mr. Largaespada specific accomplishments on the Economic Development Board?
I love that Mr. Largaespada wants to prioritize spending in Benicia. What are his top three priorities? What are his bottom 3? What would he increase funding for? Where would he cut?
Where does Mr. Largaespada stand on the water / sewer rate doubling in Benicia? Where does he stand on the current ballot initiative to increase sales taxes for Benicia?
What specifically are his new ideas to build a better Benicia with an eye towards the future in 5, 10 and 15 years in the future? How would he leverage the success of his Lycos.com search engine experience for the benefit of Benicia?