Ralph Dennis comments on ISO, Benicia City Council, 17 July 2018

Public Comment – Council deliberation on whether to reconsider ISO vote of 19 June 2018

By Ralph Dennis, Benicia, June 17, 2018
Ralph Dennis, Chair, Progressive Democrats of Benicia, Member of Benicia ISO Working Group

Good evening. My name is Ralph Dennis, I’m a resident of Benicia with my wife Vicki. I am also one of the members of the ISO Working Group, and also chair of the Progressive Democrats of Benicia. The Progressive Democrats have been supporters of a Benicia ISO from the beginning of the working group. At its June meeting, PDB members voted unanimously in support of the draft Benicia ISO ordinance presented to Council on June 19.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight.

I ask that you vote tonight to reconsider your June 19 vote concerning an Industrial Safety Ordinance for Benicia.

If the desire is, in fact, to finally do something about determining what is in Benicia’s air, and to provide the City better communication with those businesses affecting Benicia’s air and safety – and that IS what I ultimately heard from the Council’s 3 votes that prevailed on June 19 …

Then, there is nothing to be gained by waiting until November.

  • Fence line monitoring, once installed, will tell us virtually nothing about what’s in the air. According to Eric Stephenson, who runs the Air District’s monitoring programs, fence line monitors are “designed for ground level monitoring” and “not for emissions that are lofted”. Meaning air borne emissions, i.e., what’s in the air.
    • So, Valero’s fence line monitoring program is limited at what it will do. Benicia needs a comprehensive, community wide monitoring program, which an ISO would provide and do it much sooner. And, the sooner we get an ISO up and running the quicker the City and community can tap into Air District resources for community monitoring efforts, something else Mr. Stephenson said is possible.
    • The Air District’s AB617 community monitoring program may include Benicia but not until 2024 at the earliest, based on its recently announced schedule.
    • And, related Air District efforts toward community monitoring are yet to be clarified and probably depend upon individual community initiative to kick start.
  • As to Better communications/Is CUPA sufficient?
    • Last week I saw two Public notices published in the Benicia Herald by the Solano Co Environmental Health Division – CUPA – for Risk Management Plans submitted by two Benicia businesses – Praxair and the City of Benicia Water Treatment Plan.
    • These plans reviewed by CUPA are required by state regulations for businesses which handle and use hazardous materials, and are now available for review by the public – for 45 days, and counting.
    • CUPA told me it plans no public meetings. And, when asked, seemed surprised at the question. Also, no copies of Plans for review on-line, or in public libraries like Contra Costa Co officials have done – we need to go to Fairfield to see the Plans.

I don’t know if anyone in the City was notified by these businesses when their Plans were being prepared or when the Plans were filed. Presumably, you saw the Water Treatment Plant’s plan. But, neither existing state regulations, nor CUPA, provided any means for review or comment – until after the fact, plans already filed and reviewed.

Is publication in a local, soon to be 3 days a week paper with limited circulation to be the extent of communication with the Benicia community? With the City?

On plans that affect the community’s air and safety?

A Benicia ISO would make the City and community partners with businesses in the development of these Plans – not a bystander, at best. And, not depend upon CUPA for communication.

I also asked CUPA whether a Risk Management Plan had been submitted by Valero:

  • Filed in December 2017, but is still under review by CUPA staff.
  • And, I don’t know if anyone at Valero gave the City a heads up last December that the Risk Management Plan was ready to be filed. Or, asked whether the City wanted to take a look at the Plan before it was filed.
  • You know, as a courtesy, or even in an effort to improve communication.
  • But, in any event, CUPA said its Public Notice will be published once review is done. Then, we the public get to see it – including the City of Benicia and its community…for a 45-day period…to provide comments…on a Plan already reviewed and, seemingly, ready for approval. Don’t expect any public meetings from CUPA, and better make sure your subscription is up to date with the newspaper.

For the sake of the community, please vote tonight to reconsider your June 19 3-2 vote, so we can get on with the business of considering an ISO for Benicia.

Thank you.

Respectfully submitted,

Ralph E. Dennis

Dana Dean, others pull papers for November election

Repost from the Vallejo Times-Herald
[NOTE: The Progressive Democrats of Benicia have not yet endorsed any candidate for the November election.  Posting of this article does not constitute endorsement.]

Six pull papers on first day of candidacy period

By John Glidden, 07/16/18, 6:15 PM PDT

The first day of the fall election period opened up on Monday with possibly the surprise of the year as local realtor Ryan Messano pulled candidacy papers for the Vallejo school board, according to the Solano County Registrar of Voters website.

The self-proclaimed foe of pornography has been active in recent months, speaking out at school board and Vallejo City Council meetings about his perceived dangers of pornography on youth and society.

Messano in April was removed from a City Council meeting after making homophobic remarks regarding Brenda Crawford — who is an African-American and openly gay.

Crawford was scheduled to be appointed by the council as the city’s new representative to the Senior Coalition of Solano County.

“We now have a nest of homosexuals infesting our city right now — who have absolutely no business getting involved in our politics,” Messano said during the meeting.

Three of the five seats are open on the Vallejo City Unified School District Board of Education this November. The incumbents include Board President Burky Worel, and trustees Tony Ubalde and Ruscal Cayangyang.

Two City Council incumbents — Vice Mayor Katy Miessner, and Councilwoman Pippin Dew Costa — wasted no time as both pulled candidacy paperwork Monday, according to the Vallejo City Clerk’s Office.

Just like the school board, three seats are open this fall.

Dew-Costa and Miessner are each seeking a second term on the council after being elected to the seven-person body in 2013.

Vincent May also pulled candidacy papers on Monday as well, the clerk’s office said.

Vallejo City Council candidacy paperwork can be obtained from Vallejo City Clerk Dawn G. Abrahamson at the City Clerk’s Office, 555 Santa Clara St.

Abrahamson can be reached at (707) 648-4528 and/or at [email protected].

Dana Dean pulled papers on first day of nomination period as she seeks re-election to the Solano County Board of Education.

Dean represents Trustee Area 3, which includes the city of Benicia, a portion of East Vallejo, sections of South and East Fairfield, the city of Cordelia, Collinsville, and Travis Air Force Base.

She was first appointed to the board in March 2013 and then ran uncontested for the same seat in 2014. Prior to joining the county, Dean served on the Benicia school board for five years.

Former Solano Community College math professor A. Marie Young also pulled papers as she seeks a fourth term on the college’s governing board.

Young represents Area 2 which includes all of all of Vallejo located east of Interstate 80.

Nomination paperwork for all other contests can be found at the Solano County Registrar of Voters, 675 Texas St. Suite 2600, Fairfield, Calif. 94533.

For more information, call (707) 784-6675 or email [email protected].

The filing deadline is Aug. 10. Should an incumbent fail to file papers, the nomination period will be extended for five days up to Aug. 15 so non-incumbents have an extra opportunity to file.

The election is Nov. 6

CALL TO ACTION: Attend Benicia City Council on Tuesday, July 17!

An email from Kathy Kerridge, Benicia
[For meeting agenda and materials, see Benicia City Council to vote whether to reconsider vote on ISO.  For much more, see the Benicia Independent’s ISO page.  If you can’t attend, note below for info on where to write.]

Support a Benicia Industrial Safety Ordinance on 7/17

Kathy Kerridge, Benicia

Come support an Industrial Safety Ordinance at Benicia City Council on July 17 at 7:00 p.m.  This is a chance for the City Council to have staff review a proposed ordinance and move forward with making sure that Benicia has a seat at the table when it comes to safety.

An Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO) would ensure that Benicia has a network of air monitors, and a robust emergency response plan. Benicia is the only refinery town in the Bay Area without an ISO.

The Council will be reconsidering their decision to kick the can down the road.  Councilmembers Schwartzman, Hughes and Campbell voted at the last hearing to postpone this important decision until after the November election, while Patterson and Young wanted to move forward now.   This is a chance for them to get it right.

If you can’t come, please email (see below).

Kathy Kerridge


WHERE TO WRITE…

EMAIL THE CITY:
Mayor Elizabeth Patterson ([email protected])
Vice Mayor Steve Young ([email protected])
Tom Campbell ([email protected]
Mark Hughes ([email protected])
Alan Schwartzman ([email protected])
City Manager Lorie Tinfow ([email protected])
City Attorney Heather McLaughlin ([email protected])
Fire Chief Josh Chadwick ([email protected])
Police Chief Erik Upson ([email protected])

MAIL / PHONE / OFFICES:
Mail to or visit City Hall: 250 East L Street, Benicia, CA 94510
Phone numbers are listed on the City’s CONTACT PAGE

SEND YOUR THOUGHTS TO THE NEWS MEDIA:

  • Benicia Herald, 820 First St, Benicia, CA 94510, or by email to the editor at [email protected]
  • Vallejo Times-Herald, P.O. Box 3188, Vallejo, CA 94590, Fax: 643-0128, or by email to Editor Jack Bungart at [email protected].
  • Benicia Independent – send to Roger at rogrmail at this URL.

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