Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: Which Benicia favorites made the 2026 Best Of finalists list?

And check out Bay Front Festival on the Benicia Patch calendar

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Coffee in hand, Benicia? We've got the latest town updates for you. Keep reading to stay in the loop. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • Which Benicia favorites made the 2026 Best Of finalists list?
  • Why Benicia High had to scramble for a homecoming opponent
  • How did Valero's Benicia closure help kill a major oil pipeline?

Also on today's calendar: Bay Front Festival and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: What has a cap but no head? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

  • Saturday: Sunshine and very hot, with a high of 97 and low of 63 degrees. 🌶 Hot!
  • Sunday: Mostly sunny and hot, temps: high: 93, low: 60.
  • Monday: Sunny and toasty conditions, with a high of 94 and low of 60 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Finalists announced: Best of Vallejo & Benicia 2026 (vallejosun.com) — Benicia residents can now vote through Oct. 31 in the 2026 Best of Vallejo & Benicia contest, which highlights dozens of favorite local spots from First Street and Benicia State Park to Benicia Peddlers Fair and local restaurants. Scan the finalist lists to support your go-to cafes, parks, salons, schools, nonprofits, and kid-friendly hangouts that make daily life here special.
   

2. Oakland's Skyline High cancels football season early due to player availability (nbcbayarea.com) — Benicia High's homecoming football game was disrupted when its scheduled opponent, Mount Diablo High, abruptly canceled its varsity season over player safety concerns, forcing Benicia to scramble for a replacement. Now another East Bay school, Oakland's Skyline High, has also ended its season early due to injuries and low player numbers, intensifying regional worries about football safety and participation.
   

3. Kern County Tanker Convoys: Fact or Fiction? (californiaglobe.com) — Benicia readers are directly affected by the voluntary 2026 shutdown of Valero's local refinery, which helped idle the San Pablo Bay Pipeline and push more Kern County oil onto trucks instead of pipelines. The piece debunks a viral "Kern convoy" video, then argues that California's regulatory choices and refinery closures, including in Benicia, have driven up fuel costs and dependence on foreign oil.
   

4. The Energy Report: Europe's Diesel Release Buys Time (investing.com) — Benicia's Valero refinery is highlighted as one of three major U.S. plants whose closures helped create today's severe diesel shortage and high prices, especially in California. The column argues that lost refining capacity, European shutdowns, and war—not crude supply—are to blame, and urges coordinated stock releases over a U.S. diesel export ban to ease costs for farmers and truckers.
   

📸 Around Benicia

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Benicia

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★ Featured events ★

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Other local events

📣 Benicia Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • I am looking for someone to build an out door deck for me
    The deck measures 10x15 feet It has hot tub on it Thank u (Nextdoor Southwest Southampton)
  • Missing off Admiral Callahan in Vallejo!
    Owners number is on the post if you see or find this dog! (Nextdoor Southampton)
  • Touro College & University System posted a job opening for Assistant Dean for GME and Program Development in Vallejo. Apply here.
  • US Bank posted a job opening for Float Relationship Banker - North Bay, CA in Vallejo. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Benicia here.

Ok Benicia! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: "What has a cap but no head?" — A bottle (Thank you Glo M. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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