BRIEF MEETING NOTES
MARCH 10, 2026
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Bay Area Air District Local Community Benefits Fund
Our March general membership meeting was held on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at 7pm, via Zoom.
Meeting Recording Link
Here is a link to the video recording of the meeting. If asked for a passcode, it is b#Spq+6R
AGENDA
- Call to Order – Kathy Kerridge, Chair
- Quorum – Christina Gilpin-Hayes, Secretary
- Program
- Guests: Emi Wang, Air District
- Mario Giuliani, City Manager
- Acknowlegements/Announcements
- Treasurer’s Report – Chris Kerz
- Adjourn
- Next PDB Meeting April 14
Speakers
- Emi Wang, a Community Investment Officer from the Bay Area Air District
- Mario Giuliani, Benicia City Manager
Valero was fined $82 million in late 2024 for pollution violations that lasted for years. The Bay Area Air District’s new Community Benefits Penalty Fund sets aside money from this penalty for the communities impacted by the pollution. The Local Community Benefits Fund will give up to $60 million to Benicia and the surrounding area. This grant money can go to nonprofits, cities, schools and a variety of other entities.
Please click this link to view the slides that were presented by Emi Wang, Officer of the Community Investments Office of the Bay Area Air District. These slides present an overview of the $60,000,000 in grants that Benicia and surrounding area are eligible for. The money from these come from the fine Valero paid for emitting pollution hundreds of times over the legal limit for years.
Announcements
- Fiesta Primavera Benicia Celebrating Diversity – March 28, 2026 from 12 to 5 pm at the Gazebo
- No Kings Benicia – March 28, 2026 from 9 to 10 am at the Gazebo
- No Kings Vallejo – March 28, 2026 from 10 to 12 at the Unity Plaza in front of JFK Library
- Openings on the Community Sustainability Commission
- N. Solano Democratic Club DEM PROM – March 21, 2026 from 6 to 9 pm at the Nelson Community Center, Suisun City, CA
- Post Carting Party, Progressive Turnout Project – March 25, 2026 at 4:30 pm. Email us for the address.