Recently, during a normal pause of a SolTrans bus in front of Safeway at the Military West and First Street bus stop, a regular SolTrans passenger, Anthony "Tony" White, on a bus noticed a fellow passenger having a medical emergency. Tony ran across the street to Fire Station 11 to ask for help while the bus driver, Rufus Lee Miller, called 911. Benicia Firefighters rushed over to assist as Rufus reported that one of his passengers was feeling ill. 

Lieutenant Martin, Engineer Netro, and Firefighter Paramedic Fraser boarded the bus to find the patient slumped over in his seat. The patient was not breathing. Martin and Fraser quickly picked him up and laid him on the floor to begin chest compressions. 

After 10 minutes of High Performance CPR in conjunction with life saving medications, the patient's heart began to beat again and a pulse was felt. Firefighters utilized a few confined space rescue tactics to remove the patient from the cramped bus aisle and load him onto a gurney. The patient was put in the ambulance and transported to a local emergency room. Firefighters Fraser and Netro rode on the ambulance with the patient to maintain continuity of care until he safely arrived at the medical facility. 

Today, the patient is alive and recovering.

Sincere thanks go to the SolTrans driver, Rufus Lee Miller, and passenger, Anthony "Tony" White, for their heroic actions that assisted their fellow rider that day. Last year in Solano County, bystanders initiated CPR in only 27% of heart attacks with bystanders present. Help save a life and learn hands-only CPR by visiting https://international.heart.org/en/hands-only-cpr today. 

Benicia city offices, Benicia Public Library and Benicia Community Center will be closed on Thursday, November 11 in observance of Veteran's Day.

Requests for emergency water and sewer service may be made at the Benicia Police Department, 200 East L Street, or by calling 707.745.3411.

Click here for a calendar of holidays observed and Alternate Friday closures.

Have you tried to call City Hall on a non-holiday or Alternate Friday and you've noticed that your calls are not going through? It might be because of the newly implemented 10-digit dialing requirement by the FCC.

Make sure that you are dialing the area code before the phone number. For example, if you're trying to call City Hall, dial 707.746.4200. AND don't forget to change your programmed phone numbers on your phone to include the area codes. (Dialing 9-1-1 is not affected.)

More information on this new requirement is available at https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/ten-digit-dialing

In September 13, the City shared that a public hearing will be held on Tuesday, November 16, regarding the proposed water and wastewater rate increases and that the Notice of Public Hearing would be mailed that week. By now, all customers and parcel owners should have received the Notice of Public Hearing. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the public hearing and City Council meeting will be held via videoconference. The meeting agenda will be published on November 10 at www.ci.benicia.ca.us/agendas, which will include instructions on how to participate virtually or by telephone.

The City has taken efforts to keep all customers informed and appreciates the comments and questions that have been received to date. Property owners and customers may submit written protests against the proposed rates. The proposed rates cannot be adopted if written protests are received from a majority of affected parcels.

Protests must be submitted in writing and must:

a) identify the affected property or properties, such as by address, Assessor’s Parcel Number, or customer account number,

b) include the name and signature of the customer or property owner submitting the protest, and

c) indicate opposition to the proposed water rates, wastewater rates, and/or water shortage contingency surcharges.

One written protest will be counted per parcel. Written protests can be mailed or delivered to the City of Benicia at 250 East L Street, Benicia CA 94510, Attention: City Clerk. All written protests must be submitted by mail or in person prior to the close of the Public Hearing on Tuesday, November 16, 2021.

Benicia’s water and wastewater infrastructure includes over 300 miles of pipe, four reservoirs, five pump stations, 23 lift stations and two treatment plants. Much of the infrastructure is at or nearing the end of its useful life. The 2020 Condition Assessments determined that the City’s water and wastewater systems are both in need of a substantial amount of capital improvements to address current deficiencies, and repair and replace aging infrastructure.

The Final Draft Water and Wastewater Rate Study, conducted in 2021, estimates the City’s water and wastewater utilities’ financial needs for the next 5 years. Because the City’s water and wastewater utilities are self-supporting, rates must be set to cover all costs including operations, maintenance, capital improvements, administration, regulatory compliance, reserves, and debt service.

More information about the utilities, billing, the condition assessments and the rate study may be found at htts://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/watersewerrates.

Friends of the Library invite you to the Bag of Books Sale on Saturday, November 13 when patrons may buy a bag of books for just $5!

The Solano County Administrator’s Office, with direction from the Board of Supervisors, has developed and launched a Community Engagement Survey to gather input for Board consideration regarding use of one-time American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to aid in the County’s economic recovery from COVID-19.

Participating in the Community Engagement survey is quick and easy. Survey questions are available in three languages, including English, Spanish and Tagalog, and are conveniently located on the County’s ARPA website, https://www.SolanoCounty.com/ARPA.

The Solano County Board of Education will continue its decennial redistricting process with a public hearing on Wednesday, November 10 at 6 p.m. during the Board’s regular meeting being held at the Solano County Office of Education (SCOE), located at 5100 Business Center Drive in Fairfield. Visit SCOE’s website to view the meeting agenda with instructions for submitting comments.

Education Code requires that County Board trustee areas be analyzed following each decennial census and realigned, if necessary, to account for population shifts. Michael Wagaman of Wagaman Strategies will report on Census 2020 data analysis pertaining to the County Board’s trustee area boundaries. 

To view information about redistricting or to provide feedback, visit www.solanocoe.net/trusteedistricts. This web page will include background information, frequently asked questions on redistricting, existing trustee area maps and descriptions, an interactive map, opportunities for public feedback, and updates as the process progresses.

Comments and suggestions about the redistricting process may also be emailed to redistricting@solanocoe.net. Members of the public will have another opportunity to offer input at the Board’s regular meeting on December 8 at 6 p.m.

Patricia McKeever recently joined the Finance Department with over 20 years of accounting experience, 15 years of which are in local government. She was raised in a military family and has several family members that have served in the military or work in the public and nonprofit sectors. She is proud of the family tradition.

Patricia received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an Accounting specialization and a Master’s certificate in Organizational Development from John F. Kennedy University. Before joining the City of Benicia as our Accounting Manager, Patricia worked for the County of Napa as a Supervising Staff Services Analyst, creating policies and procedures, developing and managing department budgets, and supervising an accounting and analyst team.

Patricia first visited Benicia over 30 years ago and fell in love with the history, natural beauty, artistic culture, and its warm and friendly people. She currently resides here and enjoys the quality of life the city provides. She enjoys physical challenge, whether it is jogging along the water’s edge, lifting iron in one of our local gyms or going on a hike. Patricia has two children, Miranda, who has started a public benefit company to address food insecurity in Oregon, and Nathan, who recently graduated from Sacramento State University.

Patricia is excited to join the dedicated and friendly staff of the Finance Department and to be a part of the transformative changes underway in the City.

Solano County Health & Social Services, Public Health shares the following:

Starting Wednesday, November 10, the mass vaccination clinic at the Solano County Fairgrounds, 900 Fairgrounds Drive in Vallejo, will begin administering the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine to individual age 5 and older, in addition to providing initial and additional doses to all other eligible community members. The mass vaccination clinic operates Wednesday – Saturday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Mass vaccination clinics are operational now through the middle of December, with a closure the week of November 24-27 for the Thanksgiving holiday.

To make an appointment at the vaccination clinic, eligible residents can sign up online for each family member at https://bit.ly/solanomassvax. Those requiring registration assistance may call 800.672.0150.

◼ Homebound individuals interested in requesting an in-home vaccination appointment are encouraged to call the COVID-19 vaccine line at 707.784.8655 for scheduling assistance.

◼ Residents without transportation to and from vaccine sites hosted by Solano County are urged to call the COVID-19 vaccine line at 707.784.8655 and arrange for a free ride through Uber.

◼ For upcoming vaccine clinics in Solano County, visit www.solanocounty.com/covidvaccine

◼ For vaccine clinics available throughout the State, visit www.myturn.ca.gov or www.vaccines.gov.

◼ For the most recent local COVID-19 health information, including the number of COVID-19 cases in Solano County as reflected on the COVID-19 dashboard, visit www.SolanoCounty.com/COVID19 and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SolanoCountyPH (@SolanoCountyPH).

Click here to read more.

Find vaccine locations, resources and information for seniors, local food access, basic needs and rental assistance, mental health, stress and coping, and more courtesy of Solano County Public Health. Benicia residents in need of help during these difficult times may find assistance through these local resources: