Thompson town hall went great Those of us present at last Wednesday’s Town Hall Meeting with Congressman Mike Thompson witnessed an encouraging display of civic engagement. The grassroots event was sponsored by Carquinez Patriotic Resistance (CPR) and Benicia Indivisible for Justice, just two of the many community action groups growing in popularity and impact. Approximately 200 […]
Council adopts demolition permit findings ahead of possible rehearing
The Benicia City Council narrowly voted to adopt a resolution denying an emergency demolition permit for two historic buildings ahead of a potential rehearing on the property at Tuesday’s meeting. At the March 28 meeting, the council voted 3 to 2 to uphold an appeal of a demolition of the Foundry and Office buildings on […]
City Council narrowly votes to uphold appeal to save historic buildings from demolition
The Benicia City Council voted 3-2 to uphold an appeal that would prevent two historic buildings from being demolished at its Tuesday meeting. The historic Foundry and Office building structures located at the end of East H Street were constructed in the 1850s as the shipping and office buildings for the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, […]
Split decision in Board of Appeals hearing over historic property
The historic Foundry and Office buildings will stay standing…for now. After a split 1-1 decision by the Building Code Board of Appeals on Wednesday, no immediate action was taken on the decision to issue an emergency demolition permit for the buildings, which means it could go before the City Council in the future. The two […]
Car carriers derailed in Benicia Friday
A Benicia Industrial Park business owner told the Herald on Friday that three car-carrier rail cars had derailed that morning, some time before 10:30 a.m., and traffic was completely blocked on Bayshore Road at the driveway leading into the Amports parking lot near the Benicia Bridge. One lane of traffic was cleared by about […]
Council re-approves AMPORTS agreement, among other items
Proclamations On behalf of the city of Benicia, Mayor Patterson presented Fire Chief Jim Lydon with a proclamation declaring the week of May 15 to 21 as Emergency Medical Services Week. Lydon noted that many agencies are involved in providing these services, including ambulance, police and fire, and just as importantly, individual citizens. The chief […]
City Council discusses economic development, land leases
At its regular meeting Tuesday, the City Council heard a report from the Solano Economic Development Corp., decided to re-hear the issue of Amports’ land lease and Benicia Oak Road Investors, and continued the issue of the 1/4-cent, 10-year Solano County sales tax for “Funding the Next Generation” which will appear on the November ballot, […]
From military to industrial: Benicia’s ‘overnight’ transition
How a refinery and the Industrial Park shaped the city In Benicia’s not-too-distant past, its financial situation was so dire that employees who were handed checks on Friday were told not to cash them until Tuesday. That was before the U.S. Army announced in the early 1960s that the Benicia Arsenal would be the first […]