Put DMUMP amendment on ballot Accurate community sentiment about cannabis on First Street can be measured by placing the Downtown Mixed Use Master Plan (DMUMP) amendment on the ballot with the local cannabis tax measure next year. This is the only certain and indisputable method of determining how we feel about it, otherwise it will […]
Benicians count birds in annual event
The Benicia Christmas Bird Count is, well, not just for the birds. It is an activity that many do year after year, some of whom inspire others to get in on the fun. Every year, a group of bird watchers choose a date in December to observe birds and tally how many they come within […]
Public art proposal update to be given at HPRC meeting Thursday
The Historic Preservation Review Commission will hear an update on the city’s Public Art Initiative at its Thursday meeting, the last one of 2017. In 2012, the Benicia City Council approved the Benicia Public Art Program, which is aimed at creating and acquiring public art. The program is administered by the Arts and Culture Commission […]
Benicia Letters Once More: His First Kiss
The following “letter” is part of the continuing series from the unpublished novel by James Garrett, “Benicia Letters Once More”. He does not plan to publish the book but instead is choosing to share the letters with the readers of the Benicia Herald. The letters continue the storyline of Garrett’s first novel “Benicia and Letters […]
Craig Snider: Ready or not, here cannabis comes
Thursday was a milestone in California’s regulation of cannabis with 20 recreational/medical retail permits being issued by the state Bureau of Cannabis Control. Retail sales of recreational cannabis can begin in San Diego, Santa Cruz, and tiny Shasta Lake as early as 9 a.m. on Jan. 1 with first-quarter adult use cannabis taxes due April […]
As holidays generate trash, Republic Services urges recycling
By Donna Beth Weilenman Martinez News Gazette ‘Tis the season for decorating homes, merry partying with friends and sharing gifts. It’s also the time of year that waste and trash increases about 25 percent, Tracy Skenandore, spokesperson for Republic Services, said. But that doesn’t have to be the case, Skenandore said. The company, which as […]
Benicia mortgage company bestows client with replica of plaque lost in fire
Jim Ruddell worked for the San Rafael Bus transit system for 37 years. When Ruddell retired, he received a plaque honoring his nearly four decades of work. The plaque was a treasured item, and Ruddell was devastated when the Wine Country fires destroyed his Santa Rosa home and everything in it, including the plaque. However, […]
Letters: Highway litter and cannabis ‘potency’
Open letter to City Council I am a longtime Benicia resident and would like to make a comment about an observation I made recently. I drove along Highway 780 not long ago, and I could not get over the amount of trash along the section that encompasses the five exits for Benicia. Every yard of […]
School board approves financial report, suggests serious look at budget
The school board voted to approve the 2017-18 first interim financial report at its Thursday meeting. The contents of the report were presented and summarized by Chief Business Official Tim Rahill. He noted that the general fund was budgeted at $50.5 million, 86 percent of which comes from the state’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), […]
Boy Scouts to recycle used Christmas trees
By Gretchen Burgess Special to the Herald Some of us enjoy the look, feel, and scent of a real Christmas Tree. It’s a great family adventure, picking out the perfect tree, getting it home, and decorating it. After Christmas is over, you might not want an adventure as the tree moves on to be returned […]