I can’t help it. As much as I like to think I’m one of those people who’s nauseated by the very thought of Christmas music, I actually like a fair amount of it, enough to make my own Spotify playlist out of it. Songs that I tend to shun the other 11 months of the […]
Matt Talbot: More thoughts on the 2016 election
In last week’s column, I said that the Democratic Party has been losing elections because it is not doing enough for working class voters: “Notice I didn’t say, white working class. I said working class, period – of every ethnicity. Let me define what I mean by working class: ‘people living the usual situation of […]
Matt Talbot: Some thoughts on the 2016 election
Before I get to this week’s column, dear readers, I’d like to apologize for my absence the last few weeks. I had several urgent life events that needed my full attention (John Lennon once famously quipped that “life is what happens while you’re making your plans”), but I am now back and ready for further […]
George Oakes: Enforcing building codes in Benicia is especially important
After the shock of the “Ghostship” warehouse fire in Oakland and some time to reflect has passed it occurred to me that Benicia is facing many of these same issues. Our artist community, like those in Oakland, face economic hardships, escalating rents and a strong desire to be an artist. The recent Great Recession impacted […]
Dennis Lund: Trump victory resulted from failures at many levels
In the opening week of November, the nation was stunned by the remarkable and unexpected victory of President-elect Donald Trump. On election night, my wife and I left what was to be a celebration for a Trump victory with the full expectation that Hillary Clinton was on the verge of becoming president. We should have […]
Bob Livesay: Changes big and small
By Bob Livesay Special to the Herald It is a new beginning. The local election is over. There is not much change on that level. We have the same mayor and one new councilmember. The one big issue is who will be the new Planning Commission member. It is important because of the Seeno property […]
Mark Hughes: Reflections from a grateful candidate
By Mark Hughes Special to the Herald It now appears that most of the votes have been counted for the Benicia mayoral election, and unfortunately for me, the results were not what I had hoped. Losing such a close election stings a bit, but I am so proud of the campaign that I ran. I […]
The gift of a golden voice: Paying tribute to Leonard Cohen
As 2016 winds down and the history is written, one aspect of the year people will inevitably bring up is the sad amount of musical talent that has been lost. On Thursday, the music world lost another incredible figure: Leonard Cohen, the Canadian-born folk singer died at 82. Much has already been written about Cohen’s […]
Grant Cooke: Benicia’s future at stake in local election
In August, I wrote a column about Benicia’s future, the New Economy and why Elizabeth Patterson, Steve Young, and Tom Campbell were the best choices to led our city as mayor and councilmembers respectively. At the time, I was disheartened by the majority of council members’ lack of political will to put a halt to […]
Mark Hughes: A candidate’s reflections
With the Nov. 8 election nearly upon us, I’d like to pause and reflect on this campaign and what it has meant to me. First and foremost, I want to express my sincere gratitude to the citizens of Benicia for the privilege of serving you on the City Council these past 11 years, and […]