Compiled by Nick Sestanovich

75 years ago

M-B Ferry Shows $16,000 Increase For Month Of October (Nov. 26, 1942)

Gross revenue of the Martinez-Benicia Ferry System for October increased $44,970.67 over that of 1941, according to a financial statement made recently by Port Captain A.C. Woodress.
Passenger and automobile traffic resulted in a gross of $16,194.61 as against $11,224.04 for the same month last year.
The two ferry boats carried 100,469 passengers and 29,417 cars in October as against 56,951 passengers and 23,418 cars in the October 1941 period.
While the reports howed the increase of passengers for the month to be 43,510 and for automobiles 5,999, sales of commutes also jumped, as 502 commute books were sold in October as against 133 for October, 1941.

50 years ago

Big Yule Programs Are Slated (Nov. 22, 1967)

Jesse R. King, president of the Chamber of Commerce, announced this week that this year’s merchants Christmas program will have heavy emphasis on the city’s youngsters.
Royce Brooks, chairman of the Christmas program, said Santa Claus will arrive in town on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 2, on a bright red fire engine. He will immediately hold court for all children, giving them candy as an added present.
A free kiddie Christmas show is planned for Saturday, Dec. 9, at the State Theater with Santa again in attendance. The third Saturday, Dec. 16, will feature a drawing for eight prizes totaling $150 in merchandise.
Merchants will begin on Dec. 7 to give tickets for each $1 or more punchase.
The feature of the fourth saturday, Dec. 23, will be free Siberian huskie ride down First Street in a dogsled.
Working with Brooks will be King, M.J. Fitzgerald and Bud Jennings.

25 years ago

Arteaga wins seat by 1 vote (Nov. 22, 1992)

By David Hagerty

You’ve heard them say it a million times: Every vote counts. They were right.
The Benicia City Council election has come down to a single vote between the front runners, with former Councilman Pepe Arteaga leading Planning Commissioner Steve Gizzi.
“Unbelievable” was the reaction from both candidates.
Though the vote count is now official, a recount is imminent, Gizzi promised, meaning that the election result is still indefinite.
A recount will take at most seven days from the date the request is filed and the charges are paid, Solano County Elections Department supervisor Pat Kemper said Friday.
Gizzi can make the request Tuesday, when the election totals are presented to the Solano County Board of Supervisors for approval.
Though it may cost $400 to $800, Gizzi’s campaign manager, Roger Lipman, promised he would find a way to fund the recount.
Following election day, Arteaga held a lead of 19 votes over Gizzi. Each man garnered slightly more than 30 percent of the vote.
But there remained about 4,000 absentee ballots not counted.
Over the last two weeks, Elections department officials have sorted through all the ballots, checking signatures against those on voter registration forms.
When everything was double-checked, and all the remaining Benicia ballots were tallied, Arteaga had 3,808 votes and Gizzi’s 3,807.
“I’m going to call every one of my friends and before they talk to me again they’ll have to show me their voting stub,” Gizzi joked after hearing the final, unofficial tally.
The candidate promised he would request a recount, then sighed with the weariness of a man who’s been held in suspense for two weeks.

The full articles of these and other stories are available on microfilm at the Benicia Public Library.

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