Benicia Moves Toward Tougher Oversight of Valero Refinery

The Benicia City Council plans to vote on a controversial industrial safety ordinance next month despite fierce opposition from oil giant Valero and other industrial businesses that operate in the city.

Oil executives, employees and residents packed a City Council meeting Tuesday to weigh in on the proposal, which would create a citizens’ oversight commission, boost community air quality monitoring and empower city officials to issue fines for safety and air quality violations.

The new law would replace an existing agreement with Benicia. Valero has threatened to sue the city if it moves ahead with the ordinance.

“It’s a governmental overreach, significant governmental overreach — even in California!” Lauren Bird, general manager and vice president of the Benicia refinery, told the council. He touted the facility’s track record of responding to and containing plant malfunctions.

“ We work hard every day to maintain a safe operation,” Bird said. “Are we perfect? Absolutely not. But we work round the clock, 24/7, 365 days, multiple times a shift, multiple people, dedicated people who work hard, who are well trained, who are capable.”

Dozens of refinery employees and company supporters praised Valero for financial contributions to the community and warned against alienating the town’s largest taxpayer.

“ If you keep poking that golden goose, one day it’s going to fly away,” said Mark Hughes, a former council member. “And that’s not a threat, that’s not any inside information I have about Valero. It’s just the likely outcome of a company that constantly feels that it’s being pushed away.”

But Anthony Bernasconi said residents like him are paying too high a price for Valero’s community investments.

“Valero can build baseball fields and donate to the schools, and that is good,” Burnasconi said. “But Valero is also a multibillion-dollar corporation that can spill poison into our air.”

Last year, the regional air district fined the company $82 million for failing to report excess toxic emissions at the Benicia refinery. Those releases occurred between 2003 and 2019 and were not disclosed to the public until 2022.

“More important than the amount of money involved was the number of years that the problems had been ignored,” said ordinance proponent Terry Mollica, speaking after Tuesday’s vote. “Sixteen years of just sweeping the problem under the rug. That’s what people want the ISO to address.”

“Benicia showed up tonight,” said Councilmember Kari Birdseye, who, along with Councilmember Terry Scott and Benicia Fire Chief Josh Chadwick, refined the industrial safety ordinance over 14 months and held dozens of meetings with stakeholders.

“Whether they were for or against it, all of the testimony was very impactful and meaningful to our final decision, and I am over the moon with the 5–0 vote,” Birdseye said. “It showed that our council takes the health and safety of Benicia very seriously.” 

Supporters of the ordinance held sunflowers while the dozens who came to speak against the ordinance sported Valero’s dark blue uniforms and T-shirts. Parents on both sides brought their children.

Resident Julian Christi put it simply, saying, “I just want to keep my family safe.”

His daughter Charlotte also addressed the council.

“I am 10 years old, and I’ve lived in Benicia all my life — it’s all I know,” she said. “I go to Joe Henderson Elementary, and I would like to say that I am also in favor of the ISO.”

9:35 a.m. March 6: An earlier version of this story said Mayor Steve Young was part of the work to refine the industrial safety ordinance. It has been updated to replace Young with Councilmember Terry Scott.