Sanders was closely surrounded by supporters at the rally Wednesday, as viewed through the rails of a centralized press platform. (Photo by Elizabeth Warnimont)

Democratic presidential contender Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont touched down in Vallejo Wednesday, after rallying supporters in nearby San Jose earlier in the day. The Vallejo event’s official start time was 7 p.m., with gates opening at 4. Early comers were treated to a variety of musical and other vocal opening acts as well as speakers as they streamed in, and the man of the hour arrived at a timely 7:35.
As the Herald staff arrived, around 5:30, an orderly line snaked around the ferry terminal and back as far as the outer perimeter of the ferry docking bay. The line moved quickly, so folks only had about a half hour or so to wait before reaching the security gates. On an area check around 8:15 p.m., the line remained orderly and just slightly shorter than before.
Some folks were smoking pot and drinking assorted beverages as they waited in line, and more tokers were seen lighting up once inside the gated event area. A bus was parked along the tail end of the line which, judging by the large letters along its side (“Cannabus”), was there to offer marijuana products to rallygoers.
The crowd appeared significantly smaller than the anticipated 10,000 to 18,000 reported in the media, more like maybe 3,000 or so on the lawn plus perhaps 2,000 or more observing from outside the fence or across the street. The crowd was diverse, well representative of the diverse population of Vallejo. Men and women of many ethnicities cheered together as Sanders touched on each topic in turn.
Two helicopters could be seen hovering in the vicinity, and police and emergency response personnel were well-represented around the perimeter. There appeared to be one minor incident on the water, as police lights were seen briefly approaching one small vessel around 6 p.m. As far as disruption overall, though, the entire span of events would best be described as uneventful.
Sanders arrived to enthusiastic applause shortly after 7:30 p.m. Fresh off a victory in Oregon, Sanders was gunning for a victory in California.
The candidate praised the state and specifically the cities of San Francisco and Berkeley, presumably for their relatively favorable overall stance toward workers’ and minorities’ rights, though he only suggested that correlation rather than directly stating it.
As Sanders turned to the subject of minimum wage, he had further praise for San Francisco in particular, a city that counts among at least five in California currently slated to mandate a minimum wage of $15 by the year 2018.
Regarding his chances of winning the democratic nomination and even the presidency, Sanders was highly optimistic.
“A lot has happened over the last year,” he told the crowd. “Every poll I’ve seen in the past two months, we defeat Donald Trump and always by larger margins than Secretary (Hillary) Clinton.”
Campaign talking points were made in quick succession, punctuated by bursts of applause sometimes after every phrase: making college tuition free; getting big money out of politics; establishing a meaningful living wage and a humane immigration policy; racial justice, in particular holding police accountable; fair treatment of all minority groups; equal pay for women; universal health care; world peace, which the candidate alluded to by decrying war in general.
The mood was heightened throughout Sanders’ presentation. The attendees appeared highly satisfied with the candidate’s performance. The sense of happy satisfaction seemed to linger even as people were heading out.
“It was heartwarming to see that many people, intelligent people, that want big corporations out of our government,” Benicia attendee Ola Peters said. “He touched openly on subjects like the high cost of going to college, and the ability for people to live without public assistance and earn a decent wage.”

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