City of Benicia This Week
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In this edition: Buy a Shop Benicia Card and Get a Summer Bonus Card, City Recognizes Juneteenth, Volunteer with Helper Helper!, Summer Reading Program, 2020 Water Quality Report Available, Take the Delta Trail Survey, COVID Assistance
Message from the City Manager
June 14, 2021

Hello Everyone,
After a lot of behind-the-scenes work by our City staff, especially our wonderful Information Technology Manager, Sandy Ayala, we have gone live with a really great tool to help better manage and capitalize on Benicia’s volunteer spirit. Below you will see a piece on our new application Helper Helper. I’m very excited to see this tool roll out, and sincerely hope you will consider signing up, as I just did. It’s quick and easy. Please be patient as we also learn to properly utilize this program and get it working at maximum efficiency. You’ll see there are some ways to indicate what volunteer services you would like to provide. The lists of those with specific interests will be available to the applicable departments that would most likely utilize those skills. Of course, once you are signed up, if you are notified of a volunteer opportunity, you may always decline. We hope to create a robust pool of volunteers, so we always have enough for every event. Let’s show the world how strong our volunteer spirit is here in Benicia!
On that note, I would also like to point out that Benicia's own Judie Donaldson was selected as the Senior of the Year by the Solano Senior Coalition for her important work with the Carquinez Village. This is one of my favorite volunteer groups and their mission is so critically important, especially in Benicia. If you are interested in helping work with seniors in a volunteer capacity, you can indicate that on the Helper Helper app. Also, consider helping Carquinez Village in their important work. Congratulations to Judie, a real Benicia treasure!

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

Erik Upson
City Manager
City News
Buy a Shop Benicia Card and Get a Summer Bonus Card
The City of Benicia Office of Economic Development is excited to share another great shopping, dining and gift giving opportunity designed to support Benicia businesses. They’re bringing back bonus eGift cards with the purchase of a Shop Benicia eGift card. Buy a Shop Benicia eGift card for friends, family, coworkers, teachers or clients and get a Shop Benicia Summer Bonus eGift card to give or keep. The Shop Benicia Summer Bonus eGift card program is designed to reward people for supporting local retailers recovering and reopening in Benicia, while providing a convenient shopping and dining experience. The eGift cards may be redeemed at any of the participating Benicia businesses.
 
Shoppers may purchase a Shop Benicia eGift Card anytime at VisitBenicia.org/ShopBenicia. As an added bonus for shoppers, the City is contributing $25,000 for free Summer Bonus eGift cards! The bonuses are substantial:
  • Buy a $25 Shop Benicia eGift card, get a $10 Shop Benicia Summer Bonus eGift card
  • Buy a $50 Shop Benicia eGift card, get a $25 Shop Benicia Summer Bonus eGift card
  • Buy a $100 Shop Benicia eGift card, get a $50 Shop Benicia Summer Bonus eGift card
  • Maximum of $300 in Summer Bonus eGift cards per shopper!

“Shop Benicia lets small business owners compete with the sort of gift card programs offered by mega-retailers because they spend like a MasterCard,” says Mario Giuliani, Deputy City Manager. “As we head into summer and begin to recover from the effects of COVID-19 on our economy, the Shop Benicia Summer Bonus eGift Card Program arrives just in time for celebrating Father’s Day, getting back into the dating scene, or meeting up with old friends we’ve missed so much. We’re happy to reward the people who support our unique, independent businesses."
 
The gift cards may be used at any of the participating Benicia restaurants, bars, retail stores, art galleries, salons & spas, and hotels. Find a list of participating businesses, updated as they come online, as well as purchase eGift cards at VisitBenicia.org/ShopBenicia.
 
Once purchased, the eGift card and awarded Summer Bonus eGift card will appear on the purchaser’s mobile device, or may be printed at home, and are used just like a physical gift card for in-store or online purchases. Keep the Summer Bonus eGift card for yourself or gift it via email or text message. Purchased Shop Benicia eGift cards never expire, however, the Shop Benicia Summer Bonus eGift cards rewarded by the City expire at midnight on Labor Day, September 6, 2021, allowing for lots of summer celebrating. Summer Bonus eGift Cards will be awarded while the $25,000 funding lasts or until September 6, whichever comes first.
 
Participation is free for local Benicia businesses, who can sign up for Shop Benicia at VisitBenicia.org/ShopBenicia. The signup process takes only a few minutes, and includes custom-branded Shop Benicia eGift cards, which can be sold on their company website, Facebook pages, or through the Shop Benicia page.
City Recognizes Juneteenth
The City Council will recognize Juneteenth Freedom Day with a proclamation at Tuesday's City Council meeting as well as discuss flying the Juneteenth Liberation Flag at City Hall. A banner celebrating Juneteenth will fly at City Park this week.

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the abolition of slavery in the United States and the emancipation of African American slaves throughout the Confederate South. Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, with the news that the Civil War had ended and the enslaved were now free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863. Until that day, slavery had been relatively unaffected in Texas by the Emancipation Proclamation, and Texas was viewed as a safe haven for slave owners to relocate with their slaves because the state experienced no large-scale fighting or significant presence of Union troops.

Learn more about Juneteenth at https://benicialibrary.org/news/juneteenth.
Volunteer with Helper Helper!
The City of Benicia has partnered with the volunteer management solution Helper Helper to make it easy for community members to volunteer with the City of Benicia. Using the free app (iOS, android, and web), community members can register to be volunteers and see all of the different volunteer opportunities the City has to offer, connecting volunteers to meaningful volunteer opportunities in our community.

The Helper Helper app gives volunteers the ability to view volunteer opportunities and independently commit to events. Additional volunteer opportunities will be added as they become available. Through the Helper Helper app, volunteers can also track their individual and team volunteering progress.

With Helper Helper, we are excited to support our community and continue to build a strong volunteer force. To get more involved and volunteer, register through this link: https://app.helperhelper.com/signup/930.
Summer Reading Program
Benicia Public Library's Summer Reading Program (SRP) for all ages starts Tuesday, June 15. Sign-up forms will be available online only this year.

The children's web form has six different themes to choose from: art, comics, movement, music, science and nature, and toddler. The teen SRP packet and each of the children's packets contains activities and rewards - the adult SRP will have a drawing at the end of the summer. 
 
Summer Events
The library will have videos of four special events available for children to watch. They'll start at 7 p.m. on the following evenings:

  • Tuesday, June 22 - NorCal Bats returns!
  • Tuesday, June 29 - See a Benicia favorite: Rebecca Nile, the Bubble Lady
  • Tuesday, July 13 - Coventry & Kaluza's circus act is delightful!
  • Tuesday, July 20 - Traveling Lantern Theatre Company presents "The Caterpillar Hunter"
 
And there will be other events - check https://benicialibrary.org for details and updates!
2020 Water Quality Report Available
The City of Benicia is proud to announce the release of the 2020 Annual Water Quality Report (also known as the Consumer Confidence Report). The annual water quality report provides Benicia customers with detailed information on the sources of water, water quality and how it compares to regulatory standards.

“One of the goals of the Public Works Department is to provide its customers consistent delivery of high quality and safe drinking water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year," said Water Quality Supervisor Marc Bautista. "The Water Quality Report shows customers the water they drink and use every day met or surpassed all federal and state drinking water health standards."

The 2020 Annual Water Quality Report is now available electronically on the City’s website at https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/wqr. You may request a hard copy by calling 707.746.4294. For more information on the City of Benicia's water quality, contact Marc Bautista at mbautista@ci.benicia.ca.us.
Take the Delta Trail Survey
The Delta Protection Commission needs your input! They are working to develop a Master Plan for the Great California Delta Trail (Delta Trail). This project is exploring ways to link trail systems from Sacramento to San Francisco Bay. What that looks like and the type of recreational activities that are recommended will be determined by the needs and interests of the communities that live, work, and play in the Delta.

The Delta Trail survey (tinyurl.com/DeltaTrailSurvey) is focused on finding out what you would like the Delta Trail to be: what it should connect, how you would like to use it, and more. Take the survey and provide your input by Friday, June 18.

You can find out more about the Master Plan process on their Recreation and Tourism webpage. 
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:
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!