Message from the City Manager

October 3, 2022

Dear Community Members,

I could not be more pleased with the reception of the rollout of the Be Kind Community campaign! I’m seeing a lot of energy behind it in the community, with more and more individuals and organizations getting involved. I encourage folks to come down and pickup Be Kind Community stickers at City Hall or at one of the many businesses and churches across the City. Also, it’s never too late to get involved, and the great news is you can do it entirely on your own. Just check out the Be Kind website at BeKind.City and find some ideas for you, your business, your church or service organization! Remember, this week’s initiative is See Someone, Say Something. The idea being that you should make an extra conscious effort to acknowledge people that you might normally just ignore. When someone comes within your ‘sphere’, help them have a better day…and help to make this community more connected by saying hello and maybe even introducing yourself.

One of the places I think we are all seeing the very worst of us is while driving. COVID certainly did something to seemingly o.k. the most horrid driving behaviors I’ve ever seen. Seemingly normal people get behind the wheel and go absolutely crazy. If you never seen the 1955 Disney short film ‘Motor Mania’, it’s perhaps never been more on point. Let’s all (myself included) make a conscious effort to be kinder while driving…and more patient. 

A highlight of kindness in motion this week in our community was the Bike the Bridges fundraiser. This was our first year hosting this very special event that helps lift up 26,000 Special Olympic athletes. We had over 650 riders, probably close to 100 volunteers and we raised over $160,000 for Special Olympics. I was at the 100-mile ride checkpoint, and afterwards showed up at the post ride celebration at the First Street Green. It was inspiring and I think overall served to highlight the welcoming kindness and generosity of this community. Special thanks to our very own Police Department for co-sponsoring this event and a very special thanks to our own Patti Baron who was instrumental in making this an amazing event. Also, thank you to all of you who donated, big or small, it will make a difference in the lives of some of our most wonderful community members. For many of them, Special Olympics is one of the most cherished times in their lives.

Finally, I’d like to close with this comment I received last week from Jacque Martin-Downs: “I liked your newsletter in which you encouraged us to be friendly, Erik. Your letters always put a positive spin on the various issues. I just flew in from MI for the month and was pleasantly greeted by everyone I ran in to, which seemed a bit different from pre-covid days..Maybe, we, as a nation have now realized how our lives could be changed or taken from us with not much effort. That would be a nice surprise to have all of us treat each other with respect.” 

Thank you, Jacque, and I couldn’t agree more. 

Erik Upson

City Manager

[email protected]

Join the Be Kind Community!

October 1-9: See Someone Say Something.

Follow the City of Benicia at @cityofbenicia_government on Instagram or Facebook for weekly updates on the Be Kind Initiative from the City Manager!

City News

Benicia City Council Forum Tonight

October 3rd from 6pm-8pm

Benicia Clocktower

The Benicia Chamber of Commerce is hosting a public Benicia City Council Forum tonight. Meet all five of the City Council Candidates. Question suggestions for Candidates can be emailed in advance to [email protected].

The event will be broadcast live on Zoom and Facebook, visit www.BeniciaChamber.com for more information.

Economic Update Report

Dr. Robert Eyler, Professor of Economics at Sonoma State University and President of Economic Forensics and Analytics, provided an economic update report to the City of Benicia.

The update includes economic forecasting in the regional area and Benicia. Dr. Eyler will be presenting this at the October 4 City Council meeting.

Topics include housing, inflation, employment, population, oil industry, taxable sales, demographics and more.

See the report here.

Support water conservation with a free yard sign!

Do you want to help promote water conservation? Email the Public Works Department at [email protected] with your address and staff will deliver a free water conservation yard sign.

View your water usage, check for leaks, and set-up alerts through our WaterSmart Portal.

Sign up at www.benicia.waterinsight.com.

Spooktacular Movie Showing at Majestic Theater

Come to the 4th annual Spooktacular event sponsored by the Benicia Arts & Culture Commission. The 2022 Spooktacular features the Halloween movie classic, Beetlejuice, rated PG, showing at the historic Majestic Theater. All ages are welcome and attendees are encouraged to dress in costume. Dressing as a Beetlejuice character is a plus! The event is on Friday, October 28. The doors open at 6:15 and the film begins at 7:00. Advance ticket purchase is required. Tickets are $10, sold at www.eventbrite.com.

Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Benicia Library until sold out. Funds raised from this event will support ACC public art initiatives.

The City of Benicia is Hiring!

Want to work for a vibrant community? The City of Benicia has many open positions available, from planning to public works to fire to administration, there are many opportunities available.

- Planning
- Public Works
- Paramedic Firefights
- Parks Landscape
- Police
- Project Manager
- Community Development Coordinator

Visit www.ci.benicia.ca.us/hr to see open positions.

Press Releases

Recent City of Benicia Press Releases are available on the City of Benicia website under Main/Announcements.

Save the Date

- Oct 4 - City Council Meeting, 6:00 p.m. at the Benicia City Hall Council Chamber. See the Full Agenda for more information.
- Oct 6 - 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. The regularly scheduled October 13 meeting has been canceled.