By Bob Livesay Special to the Herald The city of Benicia is in a potential financial crisis. That is not a maybe, that is a fact. By the 2019-20 and 2020-21 budget years we could be short by at least $1 million to $2 million in revenues. That will continue each year, not going away […]
Letter: Marijuana sales ordinance needs more research
Marijuana sales ordinance needs more research As an answer to the projected shortfall in the City of Benicia’s budget, the majority of the Benicia City Council is proposing the legalization of retail recreational (non-medical) marijuana in our community to boost tax revenue. However, this proposal is being made with no study or research being done […]
Letter: Preventing suicide in our community
Preventing suicide in our community According to the National Alliance of Mental Health, suicide is the third leading cause of death from ages 10 to 24. Approximately 90 percent of people who die from suicide actually have a mental illness. Suicide has an immense effect on our community. In 2014 we had a suicide at […]
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 […]
Letter: City meetings are the real Comedy Central
Comedy central at its best What am I talking about? One guess could get you the answer. It was the Planning Commission’s Oct. 12 meeting and the City Council’s Oct. 17 meeting. The first two-thirds of the Planning Commission meeting went as usual, but when it got to the cannabis issue, it all fell apart. […]
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 […]
Letters: School closures and opioids
Lack of preparation I wanted to express my opinion regarding the article George Johnston wrote about the Benicia schools closing due to the smoke from the wildfires. I think he did a good job of reporting the situation, including the details of postponed events like Benicia High School Homecoming. My only real complaint was it […]
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 […]
Bruce Robinson: Has anybody read “Adios, America”?
It’s likely many Americans would answer “no” to this question, despite the fact that the author of “Adios, America,” Ann Coulter, has published more than 10 books on the New York Times best-seller list, including such attention-grabbing titles as “Mugged: Racial Demagoguery from the Seventies to Obama” (September 2012) and “High Crimes and Misdemeanors: The […]