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Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO), Meeting notices

Our Next Meeting – THURSDAY, July 25

MEMBER MEETING
THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2024, 7:00 PM

ZOOM MEETING

___________________________________________________________________________

Dear members and supporters—

PDB’s July General Membership Meeting will be later in the month than our usual second Tuesday so we can accommodate our special guests’ schedules for an exciting program.

This month, PDB will be meeting on Thursday, July 25 at 7pm, over Zoom.  Our program will feature representatives from Benicia City Council’s ISO Subcommittee and the Benicia Industrial Safety and Health Ordinance (BISHO) Working Group, who will be joining us to share perspectives on the adoption of an Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO) in Benicia.

Save the Dates: ISO Presentations on 7/16 & 7/25

First, please save the date of Tuesday, July 16 to watch the 6pm Benicia City Council meeting, where our City Council and the Benicia community will receive an update from the Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO) Subcommittee.  Vice-Mayor Terry Scott, Council Member Kari Birdseye, and Fire Chief Josh Chadwick have over the last several months met with key stakeholders and experts to draft a model ISO for Benicia, and we’re very excited to learn more about their process and how it’s going.

Then, at our Thursday, July 25 Zoom Membership Meeting, PDB members, supporters, and any interested community members can learn more about the road to Benicia’s ISO from Vice Mayor Terry Scott.  Terry Mollica, chair of the resident-led BISHO Working Group, will also be on hand to share his views and more about how he thinks we can support the effort.  We have the link for that available below if you would like to save it to your calendar.

This will be a fascinating discussion where you can learn about how you can support City leaders and staff as we strive toward a safer, healthier Benicia for all.

Zoom Details

The link and sign-in information for most PDB membership meetings in 2024 is below. 

Topic: PDB General Meeting
Time: July 25, 2024 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86273821941?pwd=WktDazJLaTJHVTBPNWd3dzlXaGd2Zz09

Meeting ID: 862 7382 1941
Passcode: 528756

One tap mobile
+16699006833,,86273821941#,,,,*528756# US (San Jose)
+16694449171,,86273821941#,,,,*528756# US

We look forward to seeing you Thursday, July 25 at 7:00 pm via Zoom!

2024 Election, Endorsements, Local elections, November election, Solano County

PDB URGES SOLANO VOTERS TO OPPOSE EAST SOLANO PLAN/CALIFORNIA FOREVER DEVELOPMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 20, 2024

BENICIA – The Progressive Democrats of Benicia (“PDB”) stand with the Solano Together coalition of individuals and organizations, including the Greenbelt Alliance, Solano County Orderly Growth Committee, Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club California, and others, in opposing the California Forever’s East Solano Plan.

PDB’s mission is to promote equity, justice, and environmental stewardship in our community. We advocate for democratically determined, sustainable, and inclusive solutions that honor both the needs of Benicia and Solano County residents and the preservation of our natural environment. 

The proposed development by California Forever contradicts these core principles. The project’s glossy marketing and recent rebranding cannot hide the reality that its leaders have failed to fully answer questions about how to provide for the Solano County community’s present and future needs. PDB must therefore urge a “NO” vote on the initiative, should it qualify to appear on the November ballot.

PDB acknowledges the urgent need for affordable housing for Californians; however, California Forever has provided no clear commitment to addressing this issue, referring to home prices in the millions. The East Solano Plan also risks vital water and land resources, our air quality, and the future of Solano County’s agricultural economy without adequately addressing serious infrastructural concerns around the city’s accessibility or impacts to neighboring cities. Moreover, California Forever’s East Solano Plan ballot measure threatens to cause irreversible damage to Solano County’s unique conservation areas and jeopardize the future of some of California’s most resilient farms and rangelands. Finally, the nature of the proposed city’s governance is unclear, generating real concerns about whether residents in this new city will have the ability to participate democratically in their governance.

The Progressive Democrats of Benicia urge voters to support the development of genuinely affordable housing, safeguard our environment, and protect Solano County’s democratic values and future by voting NO on the California Forever/East Solano Plan measure in November.

For media inquiries: Kathy Kerridge, Chair ([email protected])

To download a PDF copy of this release, click this link: Progressive Democrats of Benicia News Release re. California Forever’s East Solano Plan (6.20.24)

LGBTQI+ Community, Meeting notices

Our Next Meeting – Tuesday, June 11

MEMBER MEETING
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2024, 7:00 PM

ZOOM MEETING

___________________________________________________________________________

Dear members and supporters—

June is Pride Month!  Special Guest: Tom Bilbo

Our guest will be Tom Bilbo (pictured right speaking at Vallejo’s Pride Flag-Raising Ceremony last week), who is a Vallejo Gay Network coordinator and chair of the Stonewall Democratic Club of Solano County.  Tom will be presenting “WHY, a discussion of Pride and Community” for us in lieu of our planned speaker, Will McGarvey, who unfortunately had a scheduling conflict.  (You can read about what prompted the conflict here.)

Membership Vote: Join the Solano Together Coalition?

We will also be voting on whether or not to support Solano Together and oppose the East Solano Plan (formerly California Forever).  We will have minimal debate on this since we already did a program on it.

If you missed the Progressive Democrats of Benicia’s meeting with California Forever and Solano Together, or want to watch it again, we are pleased to share that the recording is still available via our website.  You can click the link here or image below to be redirected to the page on our website with instructions for viewing.

The meeting was great with an interchange of ideas between both sides.  Our speakers were Gabriel Metcalf, Head of Planning for California Forever; Chris Rico, Solano County Economic Development President/CEO; Sadie Wilson, Solano Together/Director of Planning and Research for Greenbelt Alliance; and Bob Berman, Solano Together/Chair of Solano County Orderly Growth Committee.

The participants presented the problems that California Together may address and may create.  Christopher Cabaldon, who is running for State Senate in this district and was an audience member that night, also provided information about the problems of having an initiative also be a development agreement and how in his opinion that is not possible.

Terry Mollica will also provide a brief update about the status of the Benicia Industrial Safety Ordinance.

Renew Your Membership, Vote in Upcoming Endorsements

I want to remind everyone that it is not too late to renew your membership.  This is an election year and we hope to have a robust program around the election.  Only people who have been members for 60 days prior to the endorsement in question are allowed to vote.  We could do our first endorsements in August.  The mayor, city council and school board will all have open seats so it is important you join up in time to vote for your preferred candidates.  Visit our membership page on our website for more information.

Zoom Details

The link and sign-in information for most PDB membership meetings in 2024 is below. For the most part you can use this link, meeting ID, and passcode through 2024.  

Topic: PDB General Meeting
Time: June 11, 2024 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86273821941?pwd=WktDazJLaTJHVTBPNWd3dzlXaGd2Zz09

Meeting ID: 862 7382 1941
Passcode: 528756

One tap mobile
+16699006833,,86273821941#,,,,*528756# US (San Jose)
+16694449171,,86273821941#,,,,*528756# US

We look forward to seeing you Tuesday, April 9 at 7:00 pm via Zoom!