By Bob Livesay In my opinion, the voters just got a big wake-up call. They will not let Mayor Paterson, Vice Mayor Young or other progressive groups make their decisions for them. The “Dear Gov. Brown” letter was the last straw. You know, that letter that says “End the issuance of permits for new fossil […]
Letter: Why wouldn’t people want renewable energy?
Why wouldn’t people want renewable energy? I have been reading a string of comments on an earlier letter online and am having a hard time understand the resistance there is to renewable energy by some members of our community. One writer says renewable energy is only 28 percent efficient and to wait until it is […]
Letter: Planning is important
Planning is important In response to the doomsday letter (“Patterson and Young just ended their political careers”) on July 4: We can look at Benicia’s future in your negative, ‘fraidy cat, archaic way, or we might see that planning for the world without fossil fuels is a forward-looking crucial stage in Benicia’s future. Wind, solar […]
Letters: Cannabis won’t impact small-town charm
Cannabis won’t impact small-town charm I enjoyed the recent Benicia magazine feature article about Fairfax in Marin County, citing small-town charm and other amenities. Fairfax is known as the home of the first medicinal cannabis dispensary in the nation, opening soon after passage of California’s Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996. The dispensary […]
Letter: Patterson and Young just ended their political careers
Patterson and Young just ended their political careers We are now seeing the true political personal agenda of Mayor Patterson and Vice Mayor Young: anti-fossil fuel, and in the case of Benicia, anti-Valero. This is not new to me. I have been talking about it for years. I do now hope the residents/voters now understand […]
Dennis Lund: The ‘death’ of Stax Records and the Lorraine Hotel
At a recent concert featuring Booker T. Jones, of Booker T. and the M.G.’s fame, the 74-year-old Jones reminisced a bit regarding his long career, specifically his work at Stax Records in Memphis, Tenn. The music produced at the makeshift studio– it was a converted movie theater– was special for a variety of reasons. The […]
Editorial: Lending support to the Capital Gazette staff
Our hearts at the Benicia Herald go out to the family, friends and co-workers of the five employees of the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Md. who were shot and killed Thursday afternoon as well as the several others who were injured. It is a tragedy that has left people shook since the news broke, especially […]
Letter: Not a simple issue
Not a simple issue As a citizen of Benicia who lives close to a refinery I, like many other Benicians, would simply like to know what is in the air that we breathe. At the June 19 City Council meeting, the council missed an excellent opportunity to get us that information. Valero clearly does not […]
Letters: Clean energy, ISO and cannabis
California’s clean energy leadership is needed On July 3, the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee will be voting on SB 100 which would mandate that California utilities produce 100 percent clean energy by 2045. The final Assembly vote in August requires a fifty percent majority and Gov. Brown’s signature. Moving California toward 100 percent emission-free […]
Cathy Bennett: Is it safe to open your windows, Benicia?
By Cathy Bennett Special to the Herald When the subject of Valero comes up most of us think about the refinery. For many of us, this is a reminder of the toxic emissions it releases into our air on a daily basis. That’s troublesome enough, but most of us are unaware that Valero also operates […]