Perched atop the north bank of the Carquinez Strait, about 35 miles north of San Francisco, the Valero oil refinery was a driving force behind Benicia’s transformation from tiny blue-collar town to wealthy midsize suburb. With many locals now concerned that Valero will follow through on its threat to close that refinery next spring, this bucolic burg of roughly 26,000 residents must begin to brace for life without its largest employer, taxpayer and charitable giver. Read more at the link in our