OpenPublica

Accountability starts with access.

© 2026 · Filed for the public record

Use casesAboutAPIPrivacyTermsLinkedIn
Home/Benicia, California/City Council & Boards
OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Benicia CSC Meeting: BAAQMD Grant and City Project Review - March 16, 2026

City Council & Boards — Monday, March 16, 2026
BodyBenicia, California
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateMonday, March 16, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:06:28

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:09

Good afternoon.

0:10

Um, I'm going to call the meeting to order at 404.

0:16

Um

Unassigned speaker

0:17

could

Speaker 1

0:17

the secretary please call the role.

Speaker 2

0:20

Garcia Romero.

0:22

Here.

0:23

Jodov, here.

0:25

Lloyd, here.

0:26

Ray.

Unassigned speaker

0:27

Here.

Speaker 2

0:28

And Chair Fleming.

Speaker 1

0:31

And now let's stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:55

Um item four is reference to the fundamental rights of the public.

1:00

The fundamental rights of each member of the public can be found in the municipal code posted on the city's website.

1:08

And on a plaque that is posted at the entrance to this meeting per section 4.04.030 of the city of government city of Benesha's open government ordinance.

1:23

Item five adoption of the agenda which was distributed prior to the meeting.

1:30

Does anyone want to make any changes to the agenda?

1:36

In that case, may I have a motion and a second.

Speaker 3

1:41

So moved.

Speaker 2

1:42

Second.

Speaker 1

1:44

And could the secretary please call the role for this item?

Speaker 2

1:48

Garcia Romero.

Unassigned speaker

1:49

Aye.

Speaker 2

1:50

Jodov.

1:51

Aye.

1:52

Lord.

1:53

Aye.

1:54

Ray?

1:54

Aye.

1:55

And Chair Fleming.

Speaker 1

1:59

Next is opportunity for public comment.

2:05

Just portion of the meeting is reserved for persons wishing to address the commission on any matter not on the agenda that is within the subject jurisdiction of the community sustainability commission.

2:20

State law prohibits the community sustainability commission from responding to or acting upon matters not listed on the agenda.

2:30

Each speaker has a maximum of three minutes for public comment.

2:35

If others have already expressed your position, you may simply indicate that you agree with the previous speaker.

2:42

If applicable, a spokesperson may present the views of your entire group.

2:46

Speakers may not make personal attacks on commission members, staff, or members of the public, or make comments which are slanderous or which may invade an individual's personal privacy.

3:02

First staff, are there any written comments that were received after 3 p.m.?

Speaker 4

3:07

None.

Speaker 1

3:08

Thank

Unassigned speaker

3:09

you.

Speaker 1

3:10

Any members of the audience who would like to make a public comment?

3:15

Ms.

3:15

Kathy Carring.

Unassigned speaker

3:19

Can

Speaker 5

3:19

you hear me?

3:20

Oh, it's on.

3:20

Okay, I hear it now.

3:21

I'm not sure if it's appropriate for me to comment right now or if I should wait until after the presentation.

3:27

I want to make a comment about the grants.

Speaker 4

3:39

There will be an opportunity.

Speaker 5

3:40

Okay, so I'll I'll hold my comments to that.

3:43

Okay,

Speaker 4

3:43

thank you, Kathy.

Speaker 1

3:46

And how do I get this timer to go back to three minutes and then start it?

Speaker 4

3:57

Moderator.

Speaker 6

4:10

There is a button on that little console.

Speaker 3

4:19

There you go.

4:20

Going now.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Environmental Protection█████████████████████████████████████████41%
Active Transportation███████████████15%
Public Engagement████████████12%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████████10%
Procedural███████7%
Economic Development████4%
Fiscal Sustainability███3%
Community Engagement███3%
Energy Efficiency██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Benicia Community Sustainability Commission Meeting: BAAQMD Grant and City Project Review - March 16, 2026

The Benicia Community Sustainability Commission met on March 16, 2026, at 4:04 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The primary focus was receiving presentations on the Bay Area Air District's (BAAQMD) Local Community Benefits Fund (Round 1) and the City of Benicia's approach to applying for its grant programs. The Commission discussed 25 potential city projects, received significant public comment, and approved the 2026 Rules of Procedure.

Consent Calendar

  • The Commission unanimously approved the minutes from the November 17, 2025 meeting.
  • The Commission unanimously adopted the 2026 Community Sustainability Commission Rules of Procedure.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Jan Spencer (Eugene, OR): Offered to conduct a multi-day seminar on paradigm shift, permaculture, and neighborhood associations for the community. Noted he recently wrote an article in The Guardian about Benicia and the refinery.
  • Kathy Carring: Strongly criticized the city's proposed project list as missing key opportunities. She argued for supporting industrial park business transition to green technologies (heat pumps), creating home electrification rebates for low-income residents, and installing solar on city structures. She expressed disappointment in the level of public engagement on the grants.
  • Crispin Pierce: Commented that proposals need specific land-use elements (such as mixed-use development) to convincingly tie to air quality. Questioned the air quality rationale for structural projects like the marina breakwater.

Discussion Items

  • BAAQMD Grant Presentation (Item 7a): Emi Wang (BAAQMD, Community Investments Office) presented an overview of the $60M+ Local Community Benefits Fund for Benicia and surrounding communities, derived from Valero air quality penalty funds. She outlined three grant categories: Seed ($100k-$200k, nonprofits), Opportunity ($500k-$5M, multi-stakeholder), and Catalyst ($10M-$40M, Benicia projects only). The program prioritizes reducing air pollution, improving public health, and supporting a just transition. The application deadline is May 1 (Catalyst) and May 29 (Seed/Opportunity).
  • Commission Q&A on Grant: Commissioners asked about the scoring process and geographic boundaries (Lindsay), the risk of administrative costs and portfolio weighting (Richard), and the tight timeline for applicants (Alicia). Emi Wang explained the scoring involves technical review, community review, and portfolio balancing.
  • City's Grant Concept Presentation (Item 7b): Carrie Winslowski and Derek Linsley presented 25 city projects for the Catalyst and Opportunity grants. This included General Plan modernization ($5M), port electrification planning, energy efficiency upgrades, 12 bike and pedestrian infrastructure projects, and fire department equipment. The city sought feedback to narrow the list.
  • Commission Deliberation on City Projects: Commissioners stressed that projects must clearly demonstrate air quality benefits to be competitive (Lindsay). Richard expressed frustration with TBD cost estimates and categorized several items (EV, HVAC) as standard 'housekeeping' rather than grant-worthy projects. Alicia noted a west-side bias in the bike/ped projects. Derek provided technical background, noting the Measure F paving plan presents a key opportunity for adding bike lanes.
  • Ongoing Projects (Item 9a): The Farmers Market table aims for two dates. The Earth Day table at Benicia High School is set for April 22. The MCE business outreach to the Chamber remains pending.

Key Outcomes

  • Grant Project Guidance: The Commission provided clear feedback that the project list should be heavily focused on direct air quality and health outcomes (electrification, active transportation, port electrification). This feedback will be reported to city leadership.
  • Home Electrification Gap: A major gap was identified in the list. The city will reach out to MCE and Solano EDC to explore them as lead applicants for home electrification rebate grants.
  • Bike Infrastructure: The Commission emphasized safety, connectivity, and storage for bikes. The city's five-year roads plan was highlighted as the critical venue for advancing bike infrastructure projects.
  • Commission Vacancies: One application was received for two vacant seats; the deadline for applications is March 20, 2026.
  • Next Meeting: The next regular meeting is May 18, 2026. Special April meetings are scheduled for nonprofits to present their own grant concepts to the Sustainability and ISO Commissions.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon. Um, I'm going to call the meeting to order at 404. Um could the secretary please call the role. Garcia Romero. Here. Jodov, here. Lloyd, here. Ray. Here. And Chair Fleming. And now let's stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Um item four is reference to the fundamental rights of the public. The fundamental rights of each member of the public can be found in the municipal code posted on the city's website. And on a plaque that is posted at the entrance to this meeting per section 4.04.030 of the city of government city of Benesha's open government ordinance. Item five adoption of the agenda which was distributed prior to the meeting. Does anyone want to make any changes to the agenda? In that case, may I have a motion and a second. So moved. Second. And could the secretary please call the role for this item? Garcia Romero. Aye. Jodov. Aye. Lord. Aye. Ray? Aye. And Chair Fleming. Next is opportunity for public comment. Just portion of the meeting is reserved for persons wishing to address the commission on any matter not on the agenda that is within the subject jurisdiction of the community sustainability commission. State law prohibits the community sustainability commission from responding to or acting upon matters not listed on the agenda. Each speaker has a maximum of three minutes for public comment. If others have already expressed your position, you may simply indicate that you agree with the previous speaker. If applicable, a spokesperson may present the views of your entire group. Speakers may not make personal attacks on commission members, staff, or members of the public, or make comments which are slanderous or which may invade an individual's personal privacy. First staff, are there any written comments that were received after 3 p.m.? None. Thank you. Any members of the audience who would like to make a public comment? Ms. Kathy Carring. Can you hear me? Oh, it's on. Okay, I hear it now. I'm not sure if it's appropriate for me to comment right now or if I should wait until after the presentation.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com