California City of Benicia Faces Reinvention After Oil Refinery Closure

An oil refinery defined life in this quaint California city. What happens when it’s gone?

For decades, the Valero refinery shaped Benicia’s economy, politics and health. Now the city has become a reluctant test case of whether an oil town can reinvent itself Less than 40 miles north of San Francisco, the city of Benicia has the quaint ambience of an American small town, where a white gazebo and sign for a community crab bake mark the approach to a vibrant downtown stretch of restaurants, cafes and antique shops. From many vantage points, it’s easy to forget the city is home to a m...

By Matthew Green in Benicia, California