City of Benicia This Week
read it - watch it - like it - share it
In this edition: Town Hall on Short-Term Rental Ordinance; One-day Closure of West Ninth Street Boat Launch; One House Bakery Named Small Business of the Year; Take the Benicia Greywater Survey; Public Workshop on Delta National Heritage Area; $5 Benicia Rides Updated Phone Number; Next Steps on Water & Wastewater Rate Study; City Employee Spotlight; Recall Election Information; COVID Assistance
Message from the City Manager
August 23, 2021

Hello Everyone,
I’d like to start this week’s message thanking our Economic Development Team and our Business Community (as well as all of those community members who have taken part) for their efforts with our Summer Bonus Shop Benicia eGift Card program. As I’ve been visiting different businesses and talking to people around town, I continue to hear such positive talk about the wonderful visitors we are drawing to our town these days, to shop and dine and just enjoy the ambience of the community. The work of our Economic Development Team on our tourism campaign and our efforts to support local businesses are definitely paying dividends! The Shop Benicia program, for instance, has encouraged and provided seed money, which has led to the purchase of $110,000 dollars in gift cards that must be spent at the 60 participating Benicia businesses. We are still looking for more businesses to join our program! It is certainly not too late, and it is likely we will run this program again. Also, if you are interested in buying Shop Benicia eGift Cards, please go to www.visitbenicia.org/shopbenicia.
 
Another program being directed out of our Economic Development Division is our Cross Over to Excellence program, with various initiatives designed to encourage new businesses to choose Benicia. We’ve already had some early successes with this program, with more on the way. Anyone who is thinking of relocating their business here or know of someone who might be interested, please see information of our Fee Waiver Program at www.BeniciaBusiness.com/fee-waiver or reach out to Deputy City Manager Mario Giuliani at mgiuliani@ci.benicia.ca.us.
 
In closing, I’d like to give a shout out to our Community Development Department. Over the last year they have been working diligently to create a more customer service focused experience, modernizing the department with various online tools. Planning and permitting is a tough service to provide, and many people simply will not be happy with the rigorous and often costly experience. Our goal, however, is to ensure that the process is transparent, efficient, and fair. We will continue to strive to provide that service. In the last two weeks I’ve received two commendations. One from a very large company that seeks permits for work across the entire Bay Area. They commented, that “You have the best system out of all the ones I have used”. Another permit applicant stated:
 
"At the start of the process, I knew very little about what to do or how to do it. I was feeling discouraged by members of the community telling me the city is unreasonable and difficult to deal with. Feeling ill-prepared and nervous, I reached out to the Planning Department for guidance on the process. Since that first phone call and the many interactions via phone and email that followed for several months, I’ve been nothing short of impressed. The depth of knowledge and responsiveness I’ve experienced from Evan Gorman is outstanding. I now feel more confident to communicate with the City and have learned a lot from my interactions. I'm ready to let the community know of my positive experience."
 
In this commendation, I hope the community sees that we have embraced a future vision where we are community focused and committed to excellence.

Thank you for your interest in the City of Benicia This Week!

Erik Upson
City Manager
City News
Town Hall on Short-Term Rental Ordinance
The City of Benicia would like your input on potential new rules for short-term rental uses. This is important to citizens interested in “short-term rentals”, which refers to the rental of either bedrooms within a home, or the full home, for a period of fewer than 30 days, such as AirBNB, VRBO and HomeAway. So far the City has permitted approximately 20 of these businesses citywide.

Purpose of the meeting
In September 2020, the City Council provided direction to conduct public outreach and prepare two options for consideration:
  • A draft ordinance that regulates hosted and/or non-hosted short-term rentals;
  • A draft ordinance that bans short-term rentals completely.

As Community Development staff drafts the new ordinance, the City wants your input on this important issue.

How to Participate
All interested community members are invited to participate in a Zoom Town Hall:

Tuesday, August 31
6 - 8 p.m.


Meeting ID: 851 0935 6702
Passcode: 381364

For more information, contact the Community Development Department at 707.746.4320.
One-day Closure of West Ninth Street Boat Launch
The City of Benicia Public Works Department announces the closure of the West Ninth Street boat launch on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 for paving. The closure will provide the contractor, Ghilotti Brothers, Inc., full access to resurface (grind and pave) West Ninth Street between the boat launch and West K Street. The street will reopen on Thursday, August 26. This work is part of the FY 20-21 Citywide Street Resurfacing Project.
 
An alternative boat launch is available at the southern end of East Fifth Street at the Benicia Marina for a fee of $5, payable at the Harbor Master’s Office.
 
“This street resurfacing project will bring needed improvements to our roadway network” said Public Works Director William Tarbox. “Partially funded by a CalRecycle Rubberized Pavement Grant and Benicia’s Measure C, the one-cent on the dollar local sales tax measure, we want to thank Benicia residents for their continued support in funding important infrastructure projects.”
 
The resurfacing process for West Ninth Street will remove the top layer of asphalt through grinding and will replace it with conventional asphalt concrete (hot mix asphalt or HMA).
 
Information on the Citywide Street Resurfacing Project is available on the City of Benicia Pavement Management Program webpage.
 
Background
On February 18, 2020, the Benicia City Council approved funding for the FY20- 21 Citywide Street Resurfacing Project (project) from Solid Waste Franchise Fees, Senate Bill 1, and Benicia Measure C funds.
 
On October 20, 2020, the City Council approved additional funding for the project from the General Fund. 
 
On May 18, 2021, the City Council approved a $4.39 Million construction contract with Ghilotti Brothers, Inc. of San Rafael, CA, for the FY20-21 project. To maximize the success of the project, the City Council also approved a $163,965 contract with Coastland Civil Engineers of Fairfield to provide construction management and inspection services.
 
The City's Pavement Management Program (PMP) evaluates and applies cost- effective pavement treatments to the 200 lane-miles of city streets and was prepared by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's consulting engineer. The PMP specifies grind and overlay as a recommended treatment for the streets in this project. The PMP web page will provide a construction schedule and updates during construction. For the list of streets being resurfaced in this project, visit the Pavement Management Project page.
One House Bakery Named Small Business of the Year
After nomination by the City of Benicia Office of Economic Development, One House Bakery was honored as Small Business of the Year for the 14th Assembly District. According to a news release:

Assemblymember Timothy Grayson (D-Concord), along with his Legislative colleagues, joined the California Small Business Association last Wednesday to celebrate small businesses throughout the Golden State. Grayson had the honor of selecting One House Bakery as the 14th Assembly District’s 2021 Small Business of the Year.
 
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the heart of our communities,” said Assemblymember Grayson. “One House Bakery faced the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic head on, not only by creating an online ordering system and curbside pick-up options, but also by offering grocery and staple items to address local shortages and even helping to supply local food banks and shelters to support families in need. Through delicious food and a caring spirit, One House Bakery, its owners, and their staff have exemplified how small businesses can support and revitalize our communities.” 
 
One House Bakery is a true family-owned business founded in 2018 by Hannalee Pervan, the shop’s Head Baker, and her parents, Peter and Catherine Pervan, who used their skills as construction contractors to help Hannalee rebuild the facility. You can visit the bakery at 918 First Street in Benicia, CA or by visiting their website here.
 
Resources for small businesses, including COVID-19 relief options, can be found by visiting the U.S. Small Business Administration or the California Small Business Association online, or by contacting one of Assemblymember Grayson’s District Offices.

Shown if photo (l-r): Catherine, Peter and Hannalee Pervan receiving proclamation from Assemblymember Grayson.
Take the Benicia Greywater Survey
Sustainable Solano has been working with the City of Benicia's Community Sustainability Commission on preliminary steps to bring a new series of laundry-to-landscape greywater classes in Benicia. You can help by donating a bit of your time to taking the Benicia Greywater Survey.

Sustainable Solano is interested in bringing a laundry-to-landscape program to Benicia that would help get more of these simple, water-saving greywater systems installed. If you live in Benicia, please fill out our short survey so that they can tailor the program to best fit residents' interests.

If you have questions, please contact Allison Nagel at allison@sustainablesolano.org.
Public Workshop on Delta National Heritage Area
The Delta Protection Commission invites Benicia residents to attend either of two public workshops on the management plan process for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area (NHA).

In 2019, Congress designated the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Carquinez Strait as the first NHA in California. Now it’s time to plan for the future of this special place. They will discuss the types of initiatives that the NHA could pursue, what stories you want to tell about the region, and how partners can be involved in the NHA.
 
The workshops are scheduled for:
 
Monday, August 30
Benicia Veterans Memorial Hall, 1150 1st Street, Benicia

Tuesday, August 31
Jean Harvie Community Center, 14273 River Road, Walnut Grove
 
5:15 - 6 p.m. - Open House
6 - 8 p.m. - Meeting
 
NHAs are nationally significant living landscapes – places that recognize their history, heritage, and culture, while continuing to advance and change. NHAs are community driven and serve as catalysts for community revitalization projects, such as revitalization of historic Main Streets, investments in historic and cultural attractions, trails, and riverfront access, and development of businesses opportunities.
 
The Delta Protection Commission is the coordinating entity for the NHA, one of 55 NHAs across the country. For more information about the Delta National Heritage Area, visit http://delta.ca.gov/nha/. To register for the workshops, click here.
$5 Benicia Rides Updated Phone Number
In last week's edition, we shared information from SolTrans, our Vallejo and Benicia transit provider, about a program sponsored in partnership with Lyft to expand their First/Last Mile Program. The telephone number was incorrect. If you're interested in more information, please call 800.535.6883.
Next Steps on Water & Wastewater Rate Study
In last week's edition, we shared that City Council would examine funding scenarios within the Utility Rate Study.

Rate adjustments are necessary to adequately fund operating and maintenance expenses and high-priority capital improvements to support safe and reliable water and wastewater service. The Revised Draft Water and Wastewater Rate Study included four funding scenarios for consideration with Scenario 1 having the highest percent increases and Scenario 4 having the smallest. The difference between the scenarios is the amount of capital projects.
 
At the August 17 City Council meeting, staff recommended and City Council selected Scenario 3 for both water and wastewater proposed rates.

Scenario 3 is the best affordable option at this time. It is the first step of a 20-year plan. Both Water and Wastewater Scenario 3 include fully funding operations and maintenance activities, saving appropriate amounts for reserves, while presenting a focused, critical list of capital improvement projects. If adopted, water bills could increase approximately 6.5% each year for the next five years. Similarly, if adopted, wastewater bills could increase 3% each year over the same period.
 
Rate adjustments have not yet been approved. The next step in the process is to conduct a public hearing to consider the proposed water and wastewater rates, specifically Scenario 3. A public hearing date of Tuesday, November 16 was agreed upon at the Council meeting and staff was directed to finalize and mail a Notice of Public Hearing on Proposed Water and Wastewater Rate Increases and Water Shortage Contingency Rate Surcharges. 
 
The Notice will include information on the public hearing, the proposed water and wastewater rates, and community input and written protest procedures. If you wish to protest the proposed rate increases, you will have an opportunity to do so and the Notice will include details on how to submit a written protest. The Notices, and more information, will be mailed soon. 
City Employee Spotlight
During the stay-at-home in 2020, when the library made services and programs virtual, Library Technician Julia Butler was invaluable at keeping the library's social media up-to-date and interesting.

In early 2000, the average number of viewers who interacted with library Facebook page’s posts was around 200—now, it is closer to 1,000, and page “likes” have increased by over 20% during that same period! Keeping social media updated means that Julia knows everything about all the programs and services, which is impressive because she's the library's newest full-time staff member.

In addition, Julia coordinates the Lawyers in the Library program along with all of the library’s volunteers, does all of the library's 3-D printing, and is a friendly and enthusiastic colleague. Perhaps most impressive of all, she is responsible for scheduling staffing at the Reference Desk—a challenging job as anyone knows who has tried to keep schedules in balance and fair to all.
 
A Benicia resident with two energetic younglings, Julia has an unbounded enthusiasm for learning. She holds a BA in Sociology from Hayward, a Library Information Technology certificate and AA from Diablo Valley College, and, as she says, due to her being a “terrific student of life,” has been dubbed “Dr. Julie.” One set of coursework included studying music production—she’s a huge music fan. (Ask her about obscure Red Hot Chili Peppers tracks!) “Go Giants!” she says.
Recall Election Information
The California Gubernatorial Recall Election will occur on Tuesday, September 14, 2021. Ballot boxes are available to drop off your ballot in the City Hall lobby, 250 East L Street, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Alternating Fridays when City Hall is closed. A second ballot box is available at Raley's, 890 Southampton Road, from 6 a.m. - 11 p.m. each day (earlier on election day).

In addition, voter's may vote by mail, drop ballots off curbside at polling locations on Election Day or vote in-person at polling locations.

To find if you're registered to vote, visit the Solano County Registrar of Voters website. Click here for information on the election, and to find out where and when to vote, etc.
COVID Assistance
Find 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:
Press Releases


Recent City of Benicia Press Releases are available on the City of Benicia website under Main/Announcements.
Save the Date
Modified service due to COVID-19
City Hall is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you require entrance to City Hall offices outside of these hours, please make arrangements with staff from the department that you will be visiting.

All visitors shall be required to enter City Hall from East L street through the door located on the left (East) side of the building closest to the Post Office. Please check in with the staff person at the designated Welcome Window.

You will be required to wear a face covering over both your nose and mouth for the duration of your visit to City Hall. Please maintain 6 feet of social distancing between other visitors and staff. Do not visit City Hall if you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. Appointments can always be rescheduled.
City of Benicia This Week is published each Monday morning. Previous editions are available here. We also communicate on Nextdoor.com and AlertSolano.com. Sign up now!