Benicia
Should Benicia allow data centers? City grapples with zoning
Benicia Planning Commission is considering banning large-scale data centers and limiting smaller ones under the industrial zoning code.
Monica Vaughan
economy
City of Benicia awarded ‘groundbreaking’ $30 million in Valero settlement money for just economic transition and clean air projects
The City of Benicia will receive $30 million of Valero settlement funds in a landmark Bay Area Air District grant to improve air quality and build a new local economy without a refinery.
Art
‘We will keep rising.' Benicia’s vandalized LGBTQ+ public art will be repainted
Benicia artists are resolved to keep painting LGBTQ+ pride art after vandalism targets downtown mural. Police are investigating.
Air quality
Air District recommends $30 million to City of Benicia, $10 million to school district
Bay Area Air District staff recommended the City of Benicia get $30 million and Benicia Unified School District get $10 million in Valero Refinery settlement funds in the Catalyst Grant.
city council
Say goodbye to $5 Lyft rides in Benicia. The price is going up
Benicia City Council voted to increase $5 Lyft rides to $7. Seniors, veterans, disabled and low-income will still pay $4 or $3. The program will be funded with Transportation Development Act money.
Benicia News: Hazardous waste landfill, Valero, subsidized Lyft rides top City Council agenda tonight
Benicia City Council at Aug. 18 meeting will discuss IT Panoche hazardous waste landfill located off Lake Herman Road near Rose Estates, updates on paths for Benicia’s economic transition and the future of the Valero refinery land, and proposed changes to the city’s subsidized Lyft program.
Benicia News: School Board race, new business funding and developers target local hawk
School Board candidate deadline approaches Updated Aug. 8: Three seats on the Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees were open for election this November – the deadline to file was extended to Aug. 12 at 5 p.m. Why it matters: Board members will continue to face tough budget decisions
Benicia
Will Benicia City Council incumbents run unopposed? Deadline to file is Friday
Two seats on Benicia City Council are up for election in November. The deadline for filing candidacy is Friday.
Benicia News: Rose Estates public comment opens & who pays for Valero redevelopment?
Long time, no see, hey? We set out to fill a gap in local, original reporting here in Benicia with this newsletter. And then, unexpectedly, we spent the last several months building much more. It's been a blur of meetings, business filings, considering grant applications, and conversations with
Art
Benicia Art: A Phoenix rises on First Street in new mural
A Phoenix has risen on Benicia’s First Street in a new mural with the intention of inspiring hope and lifting each other together through change in uncertain times. Bay Area artists Kemit Amenophis and Mike D’Amelio began painting the large public art piece in May on the north-
News
Benicia News: Arts Festival, Business License Tax and Voting day!
Today is the last day to vote in the California Primary Election. Here’s the info you need to get your ballot in if you haven’t done so already. Even if you forgot to register, you can still vote. To vote in person, find your polling place here. Ballots
News
Q & A: Valero fined another $3.25 million for 118 air quality violations at Benicia refinery
Valero Refining Company has agreed to pay $3.25 million to the Bay Area Air District to settle 118 violations of air quality rules in Benicia, California.