City of Benicia This Week
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In this edition: Message from the City Manager, Election Information ADU Grant Program Funds, Composting Pails, Safety Element Meeting, Fire Prevention Week, Fall Storm Drain Tips, Benicia Dog Festival, Fire Dept. Open House, and much more!
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Message from the City Manager |
October 10, 2022
Dear Community Members,
We’re rolling into week two of our Be Kind initiative with a lot of community energy! I had a number of organizations and individuals reach out to get involved last week, and I’m hoping you’ll join us! Week 1 was See Someone, Say Something. Hopefully we all helped create a ripple of kindness by reaching out with friendship or kindness to a complete stranger. If you have started the habit of acknowledging people with a “Hello!” or “Good Morning”, now try and make it a lifetime habit.
Week 2 is ‘Pay it Forward’ week. This week we will try to pass on acts of kindness, random or intentional, to create a chain reaction of kindness. Perhaps you buy coffee for the person behind you in line. Perhaps you wait a second longer to hold that door for someone coming in behind you at the store. Perhaps you buy a special treat or present for someone just because. Many of us have or had a special neighbor who was always there for us, helping to fix a fence, mend something mechanical where we were completely lost. Now is an opportunity to be that neighbor. Surprise your neighbor with a gesture of kindness, just because.
Our staff in the field are empowered to do acts of kindness. Many of you have seen the social media posts, which are great, but they don’t capture all of the nearly daily acts of kindness by our staff. Our vision of greatness means we want to treat our community members as though they were our neighbors. If that means taking time to help fix a broken and dilapidated porch after responding to a medical call or putting up a homeless person in a hotel long enough to stabilize them so we can get them into our wrap-around services, then staff can do those things and make those decisions at the field level. We know we have more to do, but empowering our staff to care for their community is part of our vision and another way we can Be Kind.
A shout out to the Lions Club (photo below) who have jumped into our Be Kind campaign with both feet! The Lions Club supports our Be Kind efforts through their active volunteerism as community events as well as by providing financial assistance. Not surprisingly, they have a “Kindness Matters Award” through their international organization. Joining service organizations such as this are a marvelous way to Pay it Forward!
Erik Upson
City Manager
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Join the Be Kind Community!
October 10-16: Pay It Forward.
Follow the City of Benicia at @cityofbenicia_government on Instagram or Facebook for weekly updates on the Be Kind Initiative from the City Manager! |
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November 8, 2022 General Municipal Election |
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The last day to register to vote for the November 8, 2022 Election is October 24, 2022. Ballot Drop Off Locations available October 11-November 8, 2022.
Ballot Drop Off Locations:
- City Hall, 250 East L Street, Mon-Fri 9am-4pm (closed every other Friday)
- Pedrotti Ace Hardware, 830 Southampton Rd, Mon-Sat 8am-7pm, Sun 9am to 6pm
Resources:
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Benicia Residents: Your Food Waste Pail is Coming Soon! |
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Republic Services will begin delivering kitchen compost pails to all single-family households starting October 24, 2022, in an effort to encourage organic recycling. Pails will be delivered on your normal collection day.
For questions, please contact Republic Services at 707-747-0809.
You can also find more information at
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Draft Safety Element Policies: Climate Change Adaptation & Preparing for Natural Hazards |
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On October 13, 2022, the Benicia Planning Commission will review and discuss draft General Plan policies pertaining to climate change adaptation and preparing for natural hazards, including a Background Report that covers flood risk, fire risk, seismic risk and more.
This Planning Commission meeting is an opportunity to learn about the drafted policies and to provide feedback. Public comment can be submitted in writing prior to the meeting or provided verbally in person or via Zoom. The meeting agenda and Zoom login information can be found at the meeting agenda here.
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CalHFA ADU Grant Program Funds |
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The California Housing Finance Agency can help you build a secondary housing unit, also known as a granny flat, an in-law unit or most commonly, an accessory dwelling unit (ADU).
CalHFA’s Grant Program provides up to $40,000 to fund pre-construction costs associated with developing an ADU. Covered costs include site prep, architectural plans, permits, geotech reports, soil testing, impact fees, surveys, energy reports and loan closing costs. Applying for program funds is fairly simple, and building an ADU can be done in a few easy steps. Learn more about the CalHFA Grant Program on the City’s ADU web page at www.ci.benicia.ca.us/adu.
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This week is National Fire Prevention Week. The theme is "Fire won't wait. Plan your escape." It is important for everyone to plan and practice escaping from a home fire to keep themselves and those around them safe. In a fire, mere seconds can mean the difference between a safe escape and a tragedy. Fire safety education isn’t just for school children. Teenagers, adults, and the elderly are also at risk in fires. Everyone needs to be prepared in advance so that they know what to do when the smoke alarm sounds. Given that every home is different, every home fire escape plan will also be different.
Have a plan for everyone in the home. Children, older adults, and people with disabilities may need assistance to wake up and get out. Make sure that someone will help them!
Smoke alarms sense smoke well before you can, alerting you to danger. Smoke alarms need to be in every bedroom, outside of the sleeping areas (like a hallway), and on each level (including the basement) of your home. Do not put smoke alarms in your kitchen or bathrooms.
Choose an alarm that is listed with a testing laboratory, meaning it has met certain standards for protection.
For the best protection, use combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms that are interconnected throughout the home. These can be installed by a qualified electrician, so that when one sounds, they all sound. This ensures you can hear the alarm no matter where in your home the alarm originates.
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As the season turns from summer to fall, the City would like to draw the public’s attention to the very important issue of storm drain maintenance. Storm drains (also called catch basins) are an often-overlooked part of the city’s infrastructure. They are typically located next to street curbs and are a vital part of flood control, allowing water to quickly drain from the streets. Flooding can occur if these drains get clogged by leaves, trash or other debris. It is important to maintain catch basins to prevent stormwater blockages and minimize the number of pollutants from run-off entering storm drains.
Stormwater is discharged directly into the Carquinez Strait from the stormwater system. Clogged catch basins can also cause water to pond along streets and in yards. This flooding can be a nuisance to motorists and homeowners. Stormwater drainage systems are typically designed to remove water from a developed area as quickly as possible during a storm. Clearing off leaves, pine needles, mud and any other debris on and around the drain grates will allow water to enter the storm system freely.
As leaves fall from trees, they can pose hazards to the storm water system and potentially your neighborhood if they collect in storm drains. The City of Benicia asks that residents and businesses properly collect and dispose of leaves to keep them from clogging drains.
Do not rake leaves into the street. Instead, you can use them as mulch to reduce weeds, conserve moisture and moderate soil temperatures in your garden or flower beds. Or you can place in your green recycling bin.
While the City works to clear storm drains and keep runoff flowing, we are not always able to keep up with falling leaves. If you have a catch basin in front of your home, you can help prevent catch basin clogging prior to storms by using a rake to clear limbs, leaves and debris from the grate of the catch basin. Do not attempt to remove the grate, only the debris on the top. You can dispose of these leaves and debris in your yard waste bin (please separate out any trash that may have also accumulated).
If the drain is still clogged after you’ve removed the debris, call Public Works Maintenance Division at 707-746-4296 to report it.
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Benicia Fire Department Open House |
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The Benicia Fire Department Open House is this Saturday, October 15, 2022 from 11am-3pm at Fire Station 11, 150 Military West. This is a free event and open to all.
There will be fire station tours, fire extinguisher demonstrations, fire prevention information, Hands-Only CPR training, face painting, a jump house, food, and all kinds of emergency response vehicles and equipment for kids to tour.
Thanks to Benicia Fire Department's partners, Medic Ambulance Service, U.S. Coast Guard Station Vallejo, Jump Jump & AWAY, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, The Bombshell Group, Inc., and California Highway Patrol, for helping host the event.
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Saturday, October 15 from 11am-4pm
First Street Green Park
The Benicia Dog Festival will have vendors with pet-related goods and services, K9 demos and rescues and shelters - some with adoptable dogs. There will also be a beach party, costume and look alike contests, an obstacle challenge, food trucks and music.
The Benicia Dog Festival is a fundraiser to nonprofits that rescue and care for animals during emergencies.
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Save the Date
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Oct 11 - Library Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:30 p.m. at the Benicia Public Library, Dona Benicia Room. See the Full Agenda for more information.
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Oct 12 - Parks, Recreation and Cemetery Commission Meeting, 6:30 p.m. at the Benicia Community Center, Room 2. See the Full Agenda for more information.
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Oct 13 - Benicia Tourism Sub-Committee Meeting, 10:00 a.m. at Benicia City Hall Council Chamber. See the Full Agenda for more information.
- Oct 13 - CANCELED Arts and Culture Commission Meeting
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Oct 13 - Planning Commission Meeting, 7:00 p.m. at Benicia City Hall Council Chamber. 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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