Tell me about Brentwood, CA (Vallejo, Chino: how much, home, good schools)

[mattja]

Originally Posted by RedWolf6450

No, I don’t work for the Benicia chamber of commerce. I personally think Benicia is under appreciated and people don’t realize that it could be a viable, more affordable option. How could someone consider Brentwood but not Martinez or Benicia? Maybe it is affordability - but value for money I would rather be a bit closer to Oakland/Berkeley, Walnut Creek and avoid the Central Valley heat. I guess on affordability in Benicia it is $1M… but still way cheaper than Walnut Creek/Pleasant Hill

The problem with Benicia has always been lack of housing.

And in no specific order:
No one wants to live close to the refinery, as with Martinez.
And then there's shopping. No one wants to shop in Vallejo. They drive to Walnut Creek.
Plus being isolated due to the strait.

It's a nice town, but with so little housing coming on the market it's usually bid up quite a lot when it does come up.

With climbing interest rates we should expect to see homes sitting on the market for longer and sellers having to make price reductions, but I don't expect any major changes in Mtz and PH price wise. Maybe in Concord, but Concord has its own problems.

[RedWolf6450]

Originally Posted by mattja

The problem with Benicia has always been lack of housing.

And in no specific order:
No one wants to live close to the refinery, as with Martinez.
And then there's shopping. No one wants to shop in Vallejo. They drive to Walnut Creek.
Plus being isolated due to the strait.

It's a nice town, but with so little housing coming on the market it's usually bid up quite a lot when it does come up.

With climbing interest rates we should expect to see homes sitting on the market for longer and sellers having to make price reductions, but I don't expect any major changes in Mtz and PH price wise. Maybe in Concord, but Concord has its own problems.

For the record, refinery proximity to Benicia is more of a perception problem than a health problem

I think millennial and people in general shop online way more than ever before, so I don't think should be a huge detractor unless you are a shopping fanatic. Walnut Creek isn't that far and imo it's an amenity for Benicia - 20 min to an apple store.

Isolation because of the strait? Benicia is 30 min from Napa, 30 min to Berkeley, and ~40-45 min to San Francisco. This isn't living in the middle of no where.

I would agree with interest rates increasing changing peoples behavior, but it is hard to predict.

[mattja]

Originally Posted by RedWolf6450

For the record, refinery proximity to Benicia is more of a perception problem than a health problem

You must have missed the refinery pier fire a couple of months ago.

Benicia port fire could last for days
https://www.ktvu.com/news/benicia-po...-last-for-days

Benicia port fire damage could impact Bay Area gas prices, city official says
https://abc7news.com/benicia-fire-po...unty/11734705/

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by mattja

You must have missed the refinery pier fire a couple of months ago.

Benicia port fire could last for days
https://www.ktvu.com/news/benicia-po...-last-for-days

Benicia port fire damage could impact Bay Area gas prices, city official says
https://abc7news.com/benicia-fire-po...unty/11734705/

I'm not sure how many people other than you thought that was a big deal:

"What is burning is wood timbers. So there is essentially an oil base over the timbers to prevent any type of erosion from water. Obviously not great but not the same level of hazard that the petroleum coke silos would be." https://www.ktvu.com/news/benicia-po...-last-for-days

[mattja]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

I'm not sure how many people other than you thought that was a big deal:

The pipeline that runs alongside the pier burned as well. It was full of liquid coke.

Your lungs don't care what the source was. The smoke was very thick and people were told to shelter in place.

[RedWolf6450]

Originally Posted by mattja

The pipeline that runs alongside the pier burned as well. It was full of liquid coke.

Your lungs don't care what the source was. The smoke was very thick and people were told to shelter in place.

The incident you are describing was isolated and Benicia's emergency response team managed the risk effectively for the safety of the community. Regardless, and based on my research - according to multiple EPA studies and analyses, petroleum coke has a low health hazard potential in humans. I understand where you are coming from, but there is a difference between perception of hazard and actual health impact. Health impacts aside, I am incredibly disappointed that these fires happened to begin with.

I actually spoke directly with leadership from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District about risks in Benicia - the overwhelming response from scientists and regulators is that there are many sources of pollution that contribute to air quality (Freight, Fires, Highways), and compared to many communities in the Central Valley and the Bay Area, Benicia's fairs pretty well. I have been pointed in this direction: CalEnviroScreen 4.0 information on the OEHHA website. https://oehha.ca.gov/calenviroscreen/report/calenviroscreen-40

[mattja]

Originally Posted by RedWolf6450

The incident you are describing was isolated and Benicia's emergency response team managed the risk effectively for the safety of the community. Regardless, and based on my research - according to multiple EPA studies and analyses, petroleum coke has a low health hazard potential in humans. I understand where you are coming from, but there is a difference between perception of hazard and actual health impact. Health impacts aside, I am incredibly disappointed that these fires happened to begin with.

I actually spoke directly with leadership from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District about risks in Benicia - the overwhelming response from scientists and regulators is that there are many sources of pollution that contribute to air quality (Freight, Fires, Highways), and compared to many communities in the Central Valley and the Bay Area, Benicia's fairs pretty well. I have been pointed in this direction: CalEnviroScreen 4.0 information on the OEHHA website. https://oehha.ca.gov/calenviroscreen/report/calenviroscreen-40

If petroleum coke is nothing to worry about, why do you want the refinery closed?

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by mattja

The problem with Benicia has always been lack of housing.

And in no specific order:
No one wants to live close to the refinery, as with Martinez.
And then there's shopping. No one wants to shop in Vallejo. They drive to Walnut Creek.
Plus being isolated due to the strait.

It's a nice town, but with so little housing coming on the market it's usually bid up quite a lot when it does come up.

With climbing interest rates we should expect to see homes sitting on the market for longer and sellers having to make price reductions, but I don't expect any major changes in Mtz and PH price wise. Maybe in Concord, but Concord has its own problems.

No one wants to live in Martinez, are you for real? And about Vallejo there is shopping a lot closer than Walnut Creek - or are you thinking about Vallejo as it was 30 years ago?

[RedWolf6450]

Originally Posted by mattja

If petroleum coke is nothing to worry about, why do you want the refinery closed?

All that I am saying is that based on my research, people shouldn’t choose not to live in Benicia because of safety concerns from the refinery. Especially when alternative locations have different public health issues like crime or other pollutant sources. I am not excusing them for accidental releases, I’m simply saying people shouldn’t be fearful of a health risk that isn’t based on facts.

That said, I know they are a necessary evil and can still wish they didn’t exist in our state. I recommend that you read Braiding Sweetgrass and maybe do some mushrooms in a forest some time. But honestly, what do I know - maybe we should ask descendants from the Patwins or other native bay area tribes what they think about big oil on their native land.

And for the record, Matt, I respect your perspective..just having fun with the internet banter. Cheers

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by RedWolf6450

All that I am saying is that based on my research, people shouldn’t choose not to live in Benicia because of safety concerns from the refinery. Especially when alternative locations have different public health issues like crime or other pollutant sources. I am not excusing them for accidental releases, I’m simply saying people shouldn’t be fearful of a health risk that isn’t based on facts.

That said, I know they are a necessary evil and can still wish they didn’t exist in our state. I recommend that you read Braiding Sweetgrass and maybe do some mushrooms in a forest some time. But honestly, what do I know - maybe we should ask descendants from the Patwins or other native bay area tribes what they think about big oil on their native land.

And for the record, Matt, I respect your perspective..just having fun with the internet banter. Cheers

Dude, forget Benicia for now. Get your rear in gear, and check out one of the properties in San Rafael I posted on your thread. They're having an open house. It's in your price range, waterfront home. I found another one in your range, too. Marin is doable. Check it out.