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 […]
Mark Altgelt: Best plan for managing California’s water supply
By Mark Altgelt Special to the Herald California’s primary source of water is at risk because sea level is gradually rising and will begin to contaminate the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta estuary with ocean water. Sea level is predicted to rise 3 to 7 feet by 2100, depending on how fast Antarctic and Greenland ice […]
Craig Snider: Time to move on with cannabis ordinance
Since posting my editorial on cannabis in the Benicia Herald on Nov. 3, I’ve had ample opportunity to review many comments both here and on social media sites Nextdoor and Facebook’s “Benicia Happenings” group. While many share my view that cannabis shops are no more deleterious to our community than another coffee shop or nail […]
Kathy Kerridge: Working toward a local safety ordinance to keep Benicians safe, informed
Benicia is the only city in Solano County that is home to a refinery – and the only Bay Area refinery city left unprotected by a local Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO). Fortunately, the City of Benicia can learn from State and Contra Costa County expertise in order to develop and implement its own. The […]
Stan Houston: The corn oil maze
The adage “Liars use statistics but statistics never lie” and other axioms that emphasize the use of statistics to support an argument that contrasts with prevailing truths and often obfuscates the bigger picture is well at work these days. Get a load of Mazola’s newest ad campaign hitting print and television over the past month. […]
Craig Snider: Time for sensible approach to cannabis ordinance
I’ve been following Benicia’s progress toward implementing the 2016 Adult Use of Marijuana Act (Proposition 64). Californians passed the act with a 57 percent majority, with 42 percent voting against. In Benicia, it passed with 63 percent of voters in favor. After decades of debate over the pros and cons of cannabis use, we’ve finally […]
Dennis Lowry: City Council needs a time out on marijuana issue (Part 2)
In yesterday’s column, I explained why I don’t think marijuana should be allowed in Benicia. Today, I dive into further data. Health & Safety – Increasing Potency Marijuana today is significantly more stronger than the weak homegrown versions of the ’90s. Marijuana strength has grown from about 4 percent THC in 1995 to nearly 12 […]
Vince Hurley: Privatization not the answer to ‘improving’ the ATC
The Trump Administration’s push to privatize our nation’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) is anchored in a narrative of inefficiency across the Federal government. Those in favor of ATC privatization cite improvements to program delays and general bureaucratic bog down as reasons for privatizing a major component of our aviation system. As Americans, we tend to […]
Larry Fullington: Cannabis not good for Benicia’s image or youth
By Larry Fullington Special to the Herald I want to tell you a story. Recently, Kate and I were waiting for the BART train to take us to San Francisco. While waiting, a young woman joined us on the platform. As we talked, she told us she was an American Indian from Arizona. She had […]
Donnell Rubay: Should cannabis edibles be allowed in Benicia? (Part 2)
By Donnell Rubay Special to the Herald In Part I of my discussion on cannabis edibles I talked about the growing presence of edibles and some of their potential dangers. Another problem with commercial edibles is that the entire field—is not being vetted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This means that in addition […]