Home Care In Benicia, CA

For the first time in two decades, Benicia High School has a new head football coach.

The school announced on Friday the hiring of Scott Swartz to lead the program, just two weeks after the school said longtime coach and athletic director Craig Holden had “resigned.”

Swartz previously coached for the San Francisco 49ers, Oregon State University, San Jose State University, Northern Arizona University, and other high school programs.

The school announced the hiring in a Twitter post, adding that “Coach Swartz will offer spring ball for ninth through 11th-grade student-athletes planning to play football during the fall season starting on Monday. Students should meet at 3:45 p.m. at the stadium. Additional info about summer training and start of fall season coming soon.”

Although an April 13 Benicia Herald article states that Holden was fired by the school, Benicia Unified School District Superintendent Damon Wright says that is not the case.

“The Benicia Unified School District did not terminate Mr. Holden,” Wright said in an email to the Vallejo Times-Herald. “Mr. Holden resigned as Athletic Director and Head Football Coach on April 19 and the governing board accepted his resignation on April 20. Both the coaching and Athletic Director positions are stipend, at-will positions. Mr. Holden chose to step down at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. Mr. Holden will continue to serve the BUSD as a Physical Education Teacher.”

When asked if Holden was forced out for disciplinary reasons, Wright could only say that, “Employee resignations are personnel matters and are confidential. Mr. Holden led the BHS football program for 23 years and the athletic department for 18 years. BHS Athletics experienced a tremendous amount of success during his tenure. Our athletic program is highly respected and we will continue cultivating phenomenal student-athletes and preparing them for success beyond high school.”

Holden steps down after being named the Football Honor Coach by the North Coast Section after a 2-8 season in 2022. In 2021, Benicia made the North Coast Section championship game, but lost to Windsor on the road.

Wright said he looked forward to the hiring of Swartz. Ron Wheat has been named the interim Athletic Director for Benicia, a role he held before Holden took over.

“The District remains committed to supporting Coach Swartz through this transition and throughout his tenure,” Wright said. “BUSD is actively recruiting an Athletic Director and hopes to fill the vacancy soon. We thank our student-athletes for their resilience through this transition and will continue supporting their growth.”

Phone calls and texts to Holden, as well as Benicia High Principal Brianna Kleinschmidt, were not met as of press time. Holden’s previous Twitter handle no longer exists.

Benicia varsity football is slated to begin the 2023 season with a Sept. 8 home game against Maria Carrillo, according to maxpreps.com.

Kylie has shown a "willingness to work hard, make a difference, show kindness and be a team player."

BENECIA, CA — Star Students are found in classrooms, on concert and theater stages and at debate lecterns, and out in the community doing good things to make life better for all of us.

Here at Patch, we've launched an initiative to help recognize Star Students, and we’re working to tell the stories of these outstanding kids to their neighbors.

This submission comes from Glenn Gathright who nominated Kylie of Benicia.

Star local student’s name

Kylie

Star local student’s home state

California

How do you know the star local student?

Volunteers for our nonprofit

Why do you believe the star local student should be recognized?

I nominated Kylie not only for volunteering with our nonprofit, Moving Veterans Forward, Inc., but also for her consistent involvement in other activities. A cross section of her participation throughout the years encompasses multiple facets of her life and reflects her willingness to work hard, make a difference, show kindness and be a team player- characteristics I feel make her an ideal candidate for the Patch acknowledgment. A few examples of her achievements and experiences are: 3rd Grade 9 years old: Participated in Oliver Day, to celebrate a fellow student with special needs to create a supportive and inclusive space for all. Volunteered to make and pass out Christmas cards at Windsor Vallejo Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. 4th Grade 10 years old: Volunteered at the Moving Veterans Forward, Inc. (MVF, Inc.) booth at the Travis Air Force Base Air Show. 6th Grade-7th Grade 12 years old: Participated in church functions to learn, grow and socialize among her peers. She attended the youth winter retreat, summer camp, weekly bible studies, and group volunteering throughout the year. 8th Grade 13 years old: During the 8th Grade 2020-2021 school year, despite the uncertainty going on around her from the pandemic, she was able to sustain a 3.86 GPA. 9th Grade 14 years old: After the 2020-2021 shut down, 40% of the soccer regional referees did not return. Even with an already full schedule, Kylie became a certified referee to help fill in when she could. Moving Veterans Forward, Inc. is working to streamline the process for transitioning military veterans to complete civilian certification for aviation maintenance. In the Fall of 2021, Kylie Schultz volunteered to start the data entry tasks. Calvary Baptist Christian Academy signed a Multi- School Agreement allowing Kylie to play for the St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School Varsity Soccer team as a starting player. She made it on the Honorable Mention List for the All-Tri-County Athletic League. For the First Semester, Kylie received a 3.75 GPA and was entered on the Pastor’s “A” Honor Roll List. In the Spring, She competed at the 2022 Golden State Association of Christian Schools (GSACS) Fine Arts Competition along with her classmates, receiving First Place for both Handbell Choir and Senior High Group Acting. 10 Grade 15 years old: In Spring 2022, she created a Coastal Cleanup Team to pickup trash along the beaches in Benicia. In Summer 2022, she competed at the Gothia Cup Tournament in Sweden; the world's largest and most international youth football tournament, where approximately 1700 teams from 80 nations will take part. In Winter 2022, she maintained straight A’s and a 4.0 GPA, all while playing varsity high school soccer at SPSV and flag football for the Coach Sarna Football League. These diverse experiences makes her a well rounded individual.

What's one thing you want everyone to know about the star local student?

Not only is she a well rounded individual, but her kindness draws people to work with her.

Congratulations on your achievements, and all of our best wishes to you in the future, Kylie!

This content is brought to our community in partnership with T-Mobile.

Know an outstanding student?

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Benicia, a city of 28K people in the San Francisco Bay Area, is looking for proposals for a crisis PR program.

It wants a plan that “defines the responsibilities and procedures for communicating with internal and external stakeholders in the event of a significant, unforeseen disruption or threat to the city.”

The selected firm will conduct interviews with city officials to determine the gaps and challenges that Benicia currently faces in crisis communications.

It will draw up a strategic crisis communications that provides information regarding the levels of incidents, procedures/processes, and what audiences to contact in certain circumstances.

Benicia also wants a strategic emergency information plan that includes messages for social media, press releases and statements; and templates for crisis fact sheet, FAQs, media advisory and press conference checklist.

Proposals are due June 29 at the city’s e-portal.

Read the RFP (PDF).

BENICIA, Calif. - The city of Benicia on Wednesday declared a local emergency after a water transmission line was damaged during the recent storms.

The pipe was damaged when a hillside collapsed on March 29 in Fairfield, the city said. The slope failure occurred just outside the city's limits, near Interstate Highway 680 and Gold Hill Road.

The declaration of an emergency will allow Benicia to access all the resources necessary to repair the pipeline, a spokesperson for the city said.

Interim City Manager Mario Giuliani said the declaration will enable Benicia to access funding through the California Disaster Assistance Act, as well as other state and federal funding.

Currently, the Benicia Department of Public Works is creating a temporary bypass so the city can access its primary water source.

Construction on the bypass began on Tuesday and is expected to continue through Friday. If testing is successful, then water transmission from Cordelia to Benicia will be partially restored. However, the testing could take several days, the city said.

City officials held a press conference last Thursday to address the damaged pipeline and to call for a mandatory 40 percent reduction in water use by residents in what they called a "stage 4 critical water shortage."

SEE ALSO: Benicia under mandatory water conservation orders after hillside collapses on pipeline

Benicia Public Works Director Kyle Ochenduszko said that city water usually comes through the impacted 14-mile pipeline from Lake Berryessa and the Delta, and when they first noticed soil erosion in the area about two weeks ago, they began to monitor the pipe and its pressure.

Crews eventually found a leak in that area that's approximately near Lopes Road. Crews also noticed that erosion had grown significantly since the last rainstorm. At that point, the city turned off the pipeline and switched to an alternate water source, Lake Herman.

The new bypass line will deliver water at a lower capacity and the water will still come from Lake Herman until the line tests are successful, the city said.

A website has been created to provide a one-stop source for information about the pipeline situation, the city said. Residents can find it at www.ci.benicia.ca.us/WaterTransmissionLine.

Authorities began taking soil samples from over 12 sites, including in Benicia, possibly impacted by the November Martinez refinery release.

Patch Staff

BENICIA, CA — A toxicologist hired by Contra Costa County began collecting samples Thursday of soil at several locations, including in Benicia, that may have been exposed to metal-laden “spent catalyst” released by the Martinez Refining Company into the surrounding community last Thanksgiving.

Soil samples are being taken from more than a dozen sites exposed to a 20- to 24-ton plume of dust in an area that stretches from the refinery in Martinez into Benicia and parts of Hercules, Alhambra Valley, Franklin Canyon and El Sobrante.

Collected samples will be sent to a lab to analyze for concentrations of metals associated with the catalyst that may pose risks to human health through skin contact, inhalation or from consuming produce grown in the contaminated soil.

“We know the community is eager to find out what’s in the soil in their yards and whether they should be concerned for their health,” said Contra Costa County Supervisor Federal Glover, whose district includes the refinery, which is owned by PBF Energy Inc. “The soil testing will help provide residents with answers to those questions.”

The sampling plan was based in part on a plume model map created by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District that showed where the spent-catalyst dust likely traveled from the refinery on Marina Vista Road. The plan was reviewed and approved April 27 by the MRC Oversight Committee, which includes seven community residents.

Find out what's happening in Beniciawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The soil sampling and risk assessment are being done for the County by TRC, a Concord-based environmental consulting firm. The risk assessment will also compare levels of metals found in the sampled soil against background levels taken from published academic and regulatory sources.

The refinery accidentally released up to 24 tons of metal-laden spent catalyst dust Nov. 24-25 into the surrounding community. Officials said the refinery failed to notify the county about the incident, which is required by local policy. Instead, county officials said they learned about the incident nearly two days later from a social media post.

Initial wipe samples of the spent-catalyst dust taken from surfaces in neighborhoods around the refinery in the days after the accident showed elevated levels of certain metals, such as aluminum, barium, chromium, nickel, vanadium, and zinc.

Visual observations of dust were recorded at schools, the Amtrak station and the health center, among other locations, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Dust was mostly observed west of the refinery, and winds were light and toward the west, southwest or northwest. The observed dust was consistent with the site of the release and measured winds, the air district said.

The most acute health risk was at the time of the incident when people could have breathed in the dust and caused respiratory distress, according to county health officials. Questions have persisted about possible long-term health impacts, particularly from food grown in potentially contaminated soil exposed to the spent catalyst.

In March, with spring and gardening season arriving, the County’s health officer issued an advisory cautioning residents not to eat food grown in potentially contaminated soil until environmental testing could be completed.

Lab results of the soil samples taken this week are expected in late May or early June.

With a large amount of rain since the event, the catalyst material has likely moved since the initial fallout, the air district said. The soil sampling aims to determine how much catalyst material is currently in the soil.

"Residents affected by this release deserve to know if there is any health risk," said John Goia, chair of the Board of Supervisors and member of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board of Directors. "Contra Costa Health is working as quickly as possible to ensure that accurate information reaches the public about this issue."

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