By Dana Guzzetti Editor The cost of street work and how to pay for was a top priority for the Benicia city council at their Oct. 16 meeting. They grappled with complicated decisions on how many roads to fix, when to do the work, and how much to borrow. There is a list of […]
Letters: Election and Solano library grant
A clear choice for health I moved to Benicia 15years ago, knowing it to be a small, safe, friendly community. My daughter and three grandchildren followed. I am responsible for their presence in this town. I am deeply committed to their health and safety. Valero’s power failure in May 2017 engulfed Benicia with black smoke […]
Officials, candidates decry campaign calls
As election season shifts further into gear, several Benicians have reported receiving calls purporting to be surveys about the City Council election while asking questions reportedly putting one of its candidates in a negative light. One person who reported hearing the call was Vice Mayor Steve Young, who detailed his experiences with a recent call […]
Council to vote on adopting downtown design guidelines
Following 12 months of discussion at various commissions, amendments to the Downtown Historic Conservation Plan’s (DHCP) design guidelines will go before the Benicia City Council for adoption at Tuesday’s meeting. In Sept. 2017, the council approved an agreement with the State Office of Historic Preservation for a $40,000 Certified Local Government Grant to update the […]
Letters: Yep, it’s election season
Swaying the vote I get a kick out of the campaign season and have for the past 25 years or so. I remember a day when local, city elections were supposed to be free from political parties. Then in the early 2000s, Dan Smith (the first to do so that I remember) mentioned that the […]
Letters: Birdseye views
Don’t be fooled I have talked about the “Shadow Government, the self-appointed leader of whom appears to be Mayor Patterson. Her self-appointed second in command is Vice Mayor Young. She is now hard at work to get Birdseye elected to the City Council as a third vote and have a very simple majority. Now she […]
Steve Young: Benicia voters should be wary of fake poll
While relaxing at home one evening, I received a call from a Saratoga phone number. The caller said she was conducting a poll for Research America on the upcoming election for governor, senator and City Council. Having more than a passing interest in the topic, I agreed to be questioned on my opinions. However there […]
Letter: Birdseye for council
Birdseye for council Ever since I was elected to be your supervisor, I have found Kari Birdseye to be a tireless advocate for Benicia. Nearly two decades ago, Kari and her husband chose to make Benicia their home. Kari raised her family in Benicia, put her kids through Benicia’s schools and volunteered numerous hours as […]
Council approves $18K grant for library literacy services
The Benicia City Council approved a grant by the California Library Literacy Services (CLLS) grant to the tune of $18,000 for the library’s Adult Literacy Services (ALS) and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs at Tuesday’s meeting. In 1987, the Benicia Public Library established its ALS program, which provides 1:1 tutoring and […]
Candidate Spotlight: Christina Strawbridge seeking return to council
Following her defeat in 2016, Councilmember Christina Strawbridge knew exactly what she wanted to do: run again to get back on the City Council. “I really enjoyed being on the council,” Strawbridge, who had served from 2011 to 2016, said. “It was a progression as far as my involvement with the town, having been on […]