City of Benicia This Week
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In this edition: Message from the City Manager, Watering Trees in a Drought, Valero Annual Report, Water Leak Detection Kits Available, Open Government Commission Openings, Employee Spotlight, and much more!
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Message from the City Manager |
Dear Benicia Residents,
So much of our success as a City is a result of our community engagement and attentiveness. In recent weeks we have referenced our community members in their engagement and help in completing our Housing Element and how our residents aid the City with their participation in our many community workshops and then with their public testimony before the Planning Commission and City Council.
Just like with the process to develop our local government policy and plans, our sense of community and safety are also manifested in large part to our community involvement. On Friday, we had a few instances where our community made a big difference. In the early afternoon, our Police Department was engaged when we had two elementary students who chose to walk home on their own without the knowledge or permission of parents or school staff. As one can imagine, such an occurrence is a most nervous affair for all involved. Thankfully the quick work of school staff, parents and officers were able to locate the children. This is such a great example of our community looking out for one another and a lesson for all of us to remind our young students and children that they should never leave school alone.
Later that Friday, our Police Department received multiple calls reporting an incidence of a sideshow occurring on Rose and Panorama Drive. It was the diligence of our community members that allowed our officers to respond quickly and break up the dangerous and illegal activity.
A big thank you to those who saw something that required attention and the action you took to keep our community safe and at peace. If we all work to be community focused then we can indeed achieve excellence.
Erik Upson
City Manager
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California needs trees and trees need water. In a drought, responsible water use includes watering your trees.
Prioritize Your Trees
Please keep watering trees. Trees are an investment. It will take more water, time, and money to replace a mature tree lost to drought than to keep alive.
Check Your Soil
Check soil moisture to see if it's time to water. The easiest way is to use a long screwdriver and poke the soil. It will pass easily into moist soil, but be difficult to push into dry soil. If you can't poke it in at least 6", it's time to water.
Young Trees
Young trees (0-3 yrs) need 5 gallons of water 2-4 times per week. Create a small watering basin with a berm of dirt. Drill a small hole in the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket, place it near the tree, fill it with water, and let it slowly drain. If soil drains slowly, knock down berm in winter.
Established Trees
For established trees (3+ yrs), slowly soak the root zone under the canopy until water soaks 12-18 inches below the surface. Do not water close to the trunk. Use a soaker hose, a sprinkler hose attachment on a low setting, or other watering systems.
Mulch, Mulch, Mulch!
4-6 inches of mulch or leaf litter improves vigor and helps retain moisture, reducing water needs and protecting your trees. Keep mulch from trunks and stems. Mulch also does not compete for water (like lawns) or radiate heat (like rocks).
Limit Pruning and Fertilizer
Avoid pruning or fertilizing trees during dry seasons. Lack of water and too much pruning both stress your trees. Fertilizer encourages leafy growth, which requires more water.
Soak Slowly to Avoid Run-Off
Watering faster than soil can soak it in leads to runoff and waste. Long, slow soaks allows water to go deeper. Place watering system above the trees if on a slope so water flows and soaks around the tree (but not close to the trunk). Use a hose timer so you don't leave the hose on.
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Valero Annual Report 2022 |
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The Benicia Fire Department is pleased to present the City of Benicia - Valero Cooperation Agreement Annual Report for 2022. You can view the report by visiting tinyurl.com/ValeroReport2022
The City of Benicia and Valero entered into this agreement in 2019 in order to:
- Improve communication, coordination and cooperation between the City and Valero
- Enhance emergency preparedness
- Increase the efficacy of the City’s response to accidental releases of hazardous substances
- Increase public notification and awareness, including access to reports and inspection results
This report provides updates on action items that were completed between July 2021 - June 2022 to achieve these goals.
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Water Leak Detection and Repair Kits Now Available Through the Library! |
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During the drought, we have heard from many residents that they cannot afford a plumber to fix a leak or would like to fix the leak but do not have the tools. The City can help! Thanks to a collaboration between Public Works and the Library, patrons can check out water leak detection and repair tools from the Library. Included in the kits are all the tools one would need to fix a small leak at their home including: listening device, pliers, PVC cutters, sprinkler head adjusters and more! The repair kits also include links to videos on how to diagnose a leak and how to use the included tools to repair small residential water leaks. So, stop by the Library to check out these kits and start saving water today!
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Join Benicia's Open Government Commission |
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The Open Government Commission advises the City Council and provides information to other City departments and bodies on appropriate ways in which to implement Title 4, Open Government, with a priority on simple, standard procedures. The commission also assists in citywide training for implementing the Title, developing and maintaining an administrative process for review and enforcement of the Title, proposing amendments to the City Council of the Title as needed, and reporting to the City Council on any practical or policy problems encountered in the administration of the Title.
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Calling All Centenarians! |
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The Solano County Board of Supervisors will be recognizing centenarians this fall!
707-784-3031.
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The Kyle Hyland Foundation (KHF) for Teen Support will be hosting the Kyle Hyland Memorial Walk for Suicide Prevention and Resource Fair on September 10 at 10 AM at the Benicia Teen Center.
The Kyle Hyland Foundation is hosting this event to spread awareness and messages of hope about suicide prevention. Suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States, the 3rd leading cause of death for ages 10-19, and the 2nd leading cause of death for ages of 20 to 34 (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention). In 2021 there were 54 suicide deaths in Solano County which represents an 8% increase from 2020 and, in the first 6 months of 2022, there have already been 31 suicide deaths (Solano County Coroner’s Office). During 2012-2019, the rate of suicide deaths in Solano County was significantly higher than that of the state and the nation during 2 of the 8 years, including 2019 (per the Solano County Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan Update 2021). This year's walk is dedicated to Kyle Hyland, who lost his life to suicide in 2014 at the age of 16.
Participants are asked to meet at the Benicia Teen Center at 1135 Church Street, Benicia, CA on Saturday, September 10 at 10AM. We will walk to 9th Street Park where we will gather at 11:00am for a brief ceremony. We will then return to the Benicia Teen Center for light refreshments. There will also be a resource fair with several community organizations present to distribute information about mental health services and suicide prevention efforts across Solano County.
Suicide is preventable and together we can make a difference! Please come to the walk to help us spread awareness as a community. All are welcome. Please wear purple. Donations are appreciated and will benefit Sources of Strength (a peer-led suicide prevention program) at Benicia Unified School District secondary schools.
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City Employee Spotlight - Erik Upson, City Manager |
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(DISCLAIMER): This article has been written and published without the knowledge (or permission 😊) of City Manager Erik Upson. Erik does an outstanding job of recognizing our employees and one avenue utilized is a weekly employee spotlight in the City of Benicia This Week. Staff (who will remain anonymous) wanted to recognize Erik, and since we are able to publish this without his knowledge, here we go……
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This past weekend Erik celebrated his birthday (Happy Birthday Erik!) and next week Erik passes the second anniversary of serving as our City Manager. Erik came to us from the City of Berkeley, having served there as Police Captain and Acting Chief. Erik has over 17 years of experience in law enforcement and prior to joining Berkeley, he served in the U.S. Army and Army National Guard. He has a bachelor’s degree in American Studies with a minor in Public Policy as well as a master’s degree in emergency services from Long Beach State. Erik also holds multiple certificates in police and general management, labor relations, and public administration. He currently serves as Board Member on the League of California Cities. Erik started his Benicia career as Police Chief and became the Interim City Manager in September 2020, and permanent City Manager in January 2021.
A quote from Erik in 2021: “…I am committed to serving the Benicia community and our amazing staff at the highest level. I will lead and serve with the vision of providing the greatest city service and workforce anywhere and, in doing so, strive to continuously improve the quality of life in this amazing community.” Erik is, and has done, exactly what he set out to do. In his short time as City Manager, Erik’s initiatives have successfully confronted numerous challenges and turned them into opportunities for success and forward progress for the community. Erik is very sincere in his communications. Many people have commented on the approach Erik uses in the City of Benicia This Week articles. He is a very genuine human. Erik uses these same approaches in his management style. Erik is very empathetic and supportive to all staff. Well…enough about his education and professional accolades, as there are too many to mention, and the ‘anonymous’ staff risk being outed.
If Erik was writing this article, he would focus on his amazing family. Erik is married to Janet and they have 4 beautiful amazing children: Stephen, Erik, Ariana, and Grayson. Stephen is currently serving in the Air Force, Erik and Ariana are club-level soccer players, and Grayson is involved in martial arts and runs track and field. In his spare time (which is very little), Erik likes to read, and work on house projects (though don’t ask him about the never-ending deck project). He also likes to travel (the family takes an annual road trip), watch the girls’ soccer games, and is dedicated to his family’s activities and ambitions.
Erik’s mission for our City is “Community Focused, Committed to Excellence”, a mission he lives everyday.
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Save the Date
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Aug 29 - Special CURE Meeting, 6:00 p.m. at the Benicia City Hall Commission Room. See the Full Agenda for more information.
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Sep 1 - Special Arts and Culture Commission Meeting, 6:30 p.m. at the Benicia Public Library, Dona Benicia Room. See the Full Agenda for more information.
- Sep 2 - City of Benicia 9/80 Friday Closure
- Sep 5 - City of Benicia Holiday Closure
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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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