City of Benicia This Week
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In this edition: City Declares Stage 2 Water Conservation, Water Quality Report Available, 5thursday Fireside Music, SB 35 Planning Commission Meeting, KTVU Coming to Benicia, Benicia's 3rd & 4th of July Celebration, Personal Fireworks Illegal, Gas Tax and Roads, City Employee Spotlight
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Message from the City Manager
June 27, 2022
Hello Everyone,
At last Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Council placed the City into Stage 2 of our Emergency Water Conservation Plan. We are asking all customers to voluntarily reduce their water consumption by 20% over a baseline of 2020 usage. There is great room for most of our community members to make substantial reductions. There are also many who already do an amazing job conserving water, as well as those living in small apartments, using small amounts of water, where reducing 20% would be very challenging. City Council asked us to report back in 90 days to let them know how we are doing. If we cannot attain these goals voluntarily, with each customer making intelligent water conservation decisions that best fit their circumstances, it is possible that the conservation targets could become mandatory for all customers.
Almost 75% of water customers in the city are parcels with a single family, detached house. And most of the water used by single family residences is for outdoor irrigation. Two of the easiest ways to save water on outdoor landscape are to plant correctly and irrigate appropriately. To find out which plants and grass species are more drought tolerant, check out the article below. To irrigate appropriately, make sure to use high efficiency sprinkler heads and shutoff valves. I recently upgraded my sprinkler system and instantly reduced water use by 29%! If you need some advice, I suspect the professionals at Ace Pedrotti Hardware would be happy to help.
We wouldn’t ask our customers to do something we wouldn’t be willing to do ourselves. The City is also committed to reducing our water consumption by 20%. Most of this will happen due to savings in irrigation at our parks. We will continue to irrigate sports fields to ensure the safety of our athletes. You may see other more ornamental areas turning brown as we strive to do our part. One last reminder, learned in the last request for reductions…please continue to water your vulnerable trees as normal, so they can survive. They are vital to our environment.
I’m very excited that KTVU is brining their Zip Trips to Benicia! This is a great program and will bring much deserved love to our amazing community! The show will be live at the Depot at the bottom of First Street from 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. on Friday, July 1. We’d love to have a great community showing to demonstrate our passion for Benicia! See below for more details.
I want to take a moment to remind everyone of our wonderful 3rd and 4th of July events scheduled this year (see flyer below for more information). It’s going to be amazing! We’re working extra hard on our planning, but I wanted to plead with everyone to not attempt to drive downtown, or anywhere near it (and tell your friends and family the same). No matter how we manage traffic, it will be shear gridlock, as we will always give priority to pedestrian traffic. If you do drive, plan on relaxing for a bit, to let the pedestrian traffic clear out. One of the reasons we are, in partnership with Benicia Main Street, taking our celebration to the next level this year is to celebrate YOU. A truly amazing community that handled the pandemic with empathy, compassion and thoughtfulness. It has been our plan to launch Benicia out of the pandemic to a new level of excellence that leads the way in regards to true ‘community’ and our own staff’s commitment to being the very best. Please help us figuratively launch that by being great ambassadors of Benicia during the 4th of July Holiday!
Please remember, no fireworks within City limits (sorry, just come enjoy our show), be very wary of fire hazards (we don’t need to be running to fires while trying to ensure the safety of a very large crowd, in addition to the danger created for the entire community). And do not drink and drive! Take care this holiday weekend.
Thank you for your interest in the City of Benicia This Week!
Erik Upson
City Manager
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City Declares Stage 2 Water Conservation |
At its June 21 meeting, the City Council declared Stage 2 of the City’s Emergency Water Conservation Plan due to the serious drought and the State Water Resources Control Board’s recent regulations. Stage 2 requires all users to reduce their water use by up to 20% as compared to their use in 2020.
Here is what Benicia residents and businesses need to know about Stage 2:
- Waste and unreasonable use is prohibited and may be subject to fines.
- Everyone is being asked to conserve 10 to 20% of water compared to use in 2020 effective immediately.
- Businesses are to stop watering “non-functional turf” (i.e. solely ornamental grass that is not regularly used for human recreation) effective immediately.
- Residents are strongly encouraged to irrigate between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m. and adjust irrigation systems to reduce water times.
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Fix all water leaks immediately (you can sign up for leak alerts through your free WaterInsight account)
The easiest way to conserve is to cut back on outdoor watering. More than half the water used outdoors is wasted. If you need help resetting your irrigation controller/timer to cut back on watering, visit http://resetyourcontroller.com/ to watch instructional videos, based on the brand of your controller.
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Water Quality Report Available |
The City of Benicia is proud to announce the release of the 2021 Annual Water Quality Report (also known as the Consumer Confidence Report). The annual water quality report provides City of Benicia customers with detailed information on the sources of water, water quality and how water quality compares with standards established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water.
“Our staff work around the clock to protect public health and provide clean, wholesome water to customers,” said Kyle Ochenduszko, Public Works Director. “This report serves as our scorecard. If you have questions, please let us know; we are here to help.”
The 2021 Annual Water Quality Report can be viewed electronically at the City’s website at www.ci.benicia.ca.us/wqr. Hardcopies of the report are available at City Hall, the Community Center, Library and other City facilities. To request a hard copy, please call 707.746.4294.
For more information on the City of Benicia’s water quality, please contact Marc Bautista, water quality supervisor, at mbautista@ci.benicia.ca.us.
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Benicia Public Library invites you enjoy the Kate Burkhart Bard at the fireplace for a little music on Thursday, June 30, 6-8 p.m.
The Dona Benicia Room will be open for those who wish to study.
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SB 35 Planning Commission Meeting |
The Benicia Planning Commission will conduct public oversight for two housing proposals during a special meeting on Thursday, June 30 at 7 p.m. The proposed housing applications include a 17-unit apartment complex located at 1451 Park Road and a 121-unit condominium development located on the site of “Jefferson Ridge”, northeast of Park Road and Adams Street.
Both applications were submitted pursuant to SB 35, a State law that streamlines the review and permitting for eligible housing applications. The City’s review of the projects is limited to compliance with criteria required for streamlined projects and objective standards adopted by the City. Public comment will be accepted, but no action will be taken by the Planning Commission.
Community members may participate in person or via Zoom; corrected login information will be provided on the agenda and is below:
In person
City Hall Council Chamber
250 East L Street, Benicia
Or via Zoom
Meeting ID: 845 2893 2691 | Password: 497383
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Show your Benicia pride and head on down to the SP Depot at 90 First Street on Friday, July 1, 9-10 a.m. to watch Mornings on 2's live broadcast when Zip Trips comes to town to highlight what makes Benicia special to Bay Area viewers. Benicia native Claudine Wong will be the host.
Watch this fun video promoting the day and their behind the scenes preparations.
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Benicia's 3rd & 4th of July Celebration |
Benicia residents-
Make plans to celebrate the 3rd & 4th of July in downtown Benicia and support downtown restaurants and retailer while you're there. Parking will be limited. Consider using Uber or Lyft.
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Personal Fireworks Illegal |
As the celebration of Independence Day approaches, the Benicia Fire Department wants to remind everyone about the regulations and dangers associated with the private use of fireworks. The sale and private use of fireworks is banned in the City of Benicia, including fireworks that are referred to as “safe and sane.”
Thousands of people are injured each year by fireworks around the 4th of July. Not only do fireworks present a danger by potentially causing physical injuries, they also may cause fires. Recent wildfires cause concern for the potential for fire by the sparks generated from fireworks.
Do the right thing by your pets, neighbors, and emergency responders. Keep Benicia safe this 4th of July.
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Don’t be fooled by rising gas prices, only a fraction of the State Gas Tax fuels funding for local roads.
While the annual cost to uphold the quality of our roads is approximately $5.8 million, the City has only received an average of $1.1 million annually over the last five years, leaving the City with a deficit of $4.7 million for road repairs, services and maintenance.
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Lindsay West works in the Finance Department as our Senior Accounting Technician in Payroll. Lindsay started with the City in January 2020 as an Account Clerk in the Finance Department. You might have met her if you came in to pay your utility bill or discuss your utility account. Lindsay says she feels extremely lucky to live in Benicia, serve our community, and work with so many amazing people.
She grew up in Benicia and graduated from Benicia High School. She and her husband Curtis, who also works for the City, in the Public Works Department, are proud parents of two daughters and a son. One of their daughters will be graduating from Benicia High School in 2023.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, camping, fishing, and traveling. Mexico is one of her favorite destinations.
An interesting fact about Lindsay is that she is a classically trained chef. She decided to enroll in Culinary School after working in the accounting field for over 10 years. She has worked as a Line Cook, a Sous Chef, and an Executive Chef, prior to starting with the City. Something most people don’t know is that Lindsay has cooked for Mark Davis, the Raiders’ owner, on several occasions while working at a restaurant in Walnut Creek and has worked at an AT&T Pebble Beach ProAm, cooking for several celebrities (meeting a few as well).
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Save the Date
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Jun 27 - Committee United for Racial Equity meeting, 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers, City Hall. See the Full Agenda for more information.
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Jun 30 - Special Planning Commission meeting, 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers, City Hall. Watch live at https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/agendas. See the Full Agenda for more information.
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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!
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