City of Benicia This Week
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In this edition: Parks, Trails, and Open Space Master Plan Virtual Workshop, Yard Waste and Weed Clean-up Weekend, Video Tutorials Available for Online Permit Center, Speedy Solar Permitting in Benicia, Term for Poet Laureate Extended, Soroptimist Grove Re-planted, City Employee Spotlight, COVID Assistance
Message from the City Manager
April 18, 2022

Hello Everyone,
This week will be very busy for Staff and Council. On Tuesday, we have a busy Council meeting with four important items. The meeting will begin with a presentation on Measure C. We’ve been messaging to the community recently on how important Measure C is to the City and the great things we’ve been able to accomplish with those funds. 

The first two business items address the City’s finances. We have been busy over the last year putting the City’s Finance department in order, with a great new team, leadership and structure there to tackle that critical task. The first business item will be the long-term financial forecast. While in the near term we are doing well, the bottom line is that increasing costs of operations continue to outpace the City’s revenues. There are several great projects in the works that could help with the revenue issues, however we need to continue to improve our business practices moving forward to ensure the community’s expectations of services are met or exceeded in every respect.

The second business item is a recommendation to create a new fund balance reserve policy. This would create a Council-driven policy that would allow for any unassigned fund balances to automatically drop into one of several ‘buckets’, the largest of which would be for capital projects (such as roads, parks infrastructure, etc.). Any decision to move money away from the pre-set buckets would require a super majority vote. This item also recommends putting money from the existing fund balance to cover several future items that have come up over the last year, that are not optional, that will require one-time infusions of money. These include a clean-up of the old boatyard near the bottom of First Street (required by BCDC, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission), repair of the Marina breakwater, the previously approved funds for the repair of Fitzgerald field and analysis and possible repair of the Fifth Street Pier.

The final item is a draft sites inventory for the 2023-2031 Housing Element. The item takes all the feedback received to-date from the community, the Planning Commission and Council and provides a look at those properties being proposed for rezoning to enable us to meet our required numbers from the State for housing opportunities. 

Lastly, this Saturday, April 23, beginning at 8:30 a.m., the Council will have an all-day goal setting workshop to craft next fiscal year’s Workplan. This plan helps ensure staff and Council are working together on the priorities of the community. This allows for staff and Council to communicate in a very direct and informal manner regarding possibilities and limitations of those priorities. The Community is welcome to join us in person at the Benicia Community Center at 370 East L Street. 

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

Erik Upson
City Manager
City News
Parks, Trails, and Open Space Master Plan Virtual Workshop
Save the date, Wednesday, April 20, and join in for the a virtual community workshop for the Parks, Trails, and Open Space Master Plan. This will include an update on the survey results and highlights of the next steps in the Plan. To register, visit www.lovebeniciaparks.com.
Yard Waste and Weed Clean-up Weekend
Now is the time to get ready for the Annual Citywide Yard Waste & Weed Abatement Clean-up weekend on Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Take advantage of this free program before fire season arrives.
Video Tutorials Available for Online Permit Center
The City of Benicia Online Permit Center now has video tutorials to help new users with the permitting process. The three videos cover everything from how to setup a new user account, how to apply, and a walkthrough of the entire building permit process.

To access the videos check out the "Help" section on the Permit Center website, or click here.
Speedy Solar Permitting in Benicia
Last month, the City of Benicia was featured in multiple publications, including PublicCEO, as a leader in solar permitting in California. By utilizing SolarAPP+, an online-based application using AI to instantaneously pre-approve residential solar and energy storage permitting, installers can get a solar permit entirely online in as little as 15 minutes! Compare that to the median time to obtain a solar permit in California of 40 days, and over 50 days across the US.

The bottom line: A shorter, more efficient permitting process can dramatically reduce costs for homeowners, making solar installations far more accessible for residents. The City of Benicia is proud to be a leader in this effort and excited to bring this new service to our residents.

To get started, or for more information, visit https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/solar.
Poet Laureate's Term Extended
Benicia Library's Board of Library Trustees has extended the two-year term of the eighth Benicia Poet Laureate, Mary Susan Gast, for an additional year, to June of 2023. Gast was first appointed in 2020. The usually two-year appointment began several months late due to constraints of the COVID-19 quarantine.

In reviewing the extension, the board considered that other constraints on programming in general prevented Gast from fully executing the duties of Poet Laureate. These include visiting schools, attending city and library functions, giving regular public readings, and many other activities put on hold by the pandemic. The extension of Gast’s term as Benicia Poet Laureate will allow her to plan in-person poetry events at the library and around Benicia and to complete her anthology of the work of Benicia poets.

“Several of the programs the Poet Laureate supports have continued successfully online,” reports Jennifer Baker, Director of Library and Cultural Services. The poetry group known as the First Tuesday Poets met monthly via Zoom through 2020 and 2021, and the annual Love Poetry Event was just held virtually on April 3rd with 59 participants and 33 different poets sharing their original works. A recording of the event will be available on the library’s website shortly.

Moving library programs online during the pandemic opened a world of options which will not go away even though in-person programs are returning. “Even as we are social creatures and love to get together, we’ve found that the convenience of online programs is preferable to many people,” says Baker. With this in mind, the library is formatting many of its programs—such as the Book to Action series From Just Us to Justice—for hybrid mode, so those who wish to attend in person can, and those who prefer to participate remotely can join as well. Gast will support these hybrid events as a part of her extended term.

About Benicia’s Poet Laureate
The purpose of the Benicia Poet Laureate program is to appoint a Poet Laureate who will provide a focus for the appreciation and dissemination of poetry in Benicia, promote the appreciation and knowledge of poetry among Benicia youth, and act as a spokesperson for the growing number of poets and writers in Benicia. The Poet Laureate is appointed by a subcommittee of the Library Board of Trustees, the Poet Laureate Committee, which is responsible for recommending a Poet Laureate for a two-year term. With approval of the Library Board, a Poet Laureate may serve an extended term or two consecutive terms. The program was initiated in 2006. More information about the Poet Laureate program, poetry events, and past Poets Laureate may be found at https://benicialibrary.org/poet.
Soroptimist Grove Re-planted
On Saturday, April 2, Ethan Hoglund, an Eagle Scout with Benicia Troop 7, completed his Eagle Scout Project by re-planting Soroptimist Grove at Benicia Community Park.

Ethan contacted the Parks & Community Services Department late last year regarding the project. Over the past several months he worked with the department to locate the plant material, plan the event, and organize the volunteers. Seventeen volunteers came out to help Ethan plant the plants and spread mulch over the newly planted area.

The City of Benicia thanks Ethan, and all of those who participated to make this project a reality. You are what makes Benicia such an amazing place!
City Employee Spotlight
Wilkie (Roy) Morgan began working for the City of Benicia Parks & Community Services Department as a Seasonal Senior Lead Parks Worker in June of 2019. Since that time, Roy’s exemplary performance and customer service have been recognized in emails from numerous citizens complementing his constant smile and positive attitude. Here are a few quotes from citizens:

“He has a wonderful outgoing personality with dedication to his responsibilities to maintain clean & safe parks in the neighborhoods he covers. His cheerful greetings to everyone is very sincere & uplifting. Thank you for having this gentleman representing our city services.” - J. Nakamura

“I met one of your employees, Roy, today. I was thoroughly impressed with his work ethic and his positive attitude. It’s workers like him that make your department shine.” - Y. Crivello

Prior to coming to work with the City of Benicia, Roy was retired after working 35 years in the Parks & Recreation Department for the City of Oakland. He began his career as a Gardner in 1974 and eventually retired as a Supervisor in 2009. His dedicated and distinguished service was recognized in a resolution adopted by the Oakland City Council on July 6, 2010.

Roy and his wife live in the Vallejo area and have three children and four grandchildren. He is active in his local church and enjoys traveling around the United States to visit family and friends. He loves trying a variety of different foods and spending time at the gym. Roy loves working in the City of Benicia and making a positive contribution to the community.
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
  • Apr 18 - Art Gallery Subcommittee meeting, 6:30 p.m., Dona Benicia Room, Benicia Public Library. See the Full Agenda for more information.
  • April 19 - City Council meeting, 6 p.m., Council Chambers, City Hall or via livestream. Watch live at https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/agendas. See the Full Agenda for more information
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