For Benicia City Council
Vote November 3, 2009
Dan Smith was born in 1957 in Anaheim, California and grew up in Los Angeles County,
one of five brothers. He graduated from the University of California (Berkeley)
before going to work as a journalist for 17 years with assorted publications in
Southern and Northern California, including the Contra Costa Times.
Assigned to cover Benicia for the Vallejo-based Times-Herald in 1987, Dan fell in
love with the town and promptly moved his young family here. Diana and Dan own their
own home in downtown Benicia and raised two daughters in Benicia public schools.
Jessica is now a junior at UC Berkeley and Catherine a high school senior and dance
major at School of the Arts in San Francisco.
Dan was offered the opportunity to get involved in Benicia government by
Mayor Marilyn O’Rourke. He accepted successive appointments from Mayors O’Rourke
and Ciarrocchi to the Benicia Parks and Recreation Commission, Tri-City Open Space
Citizens Advisory Committee, and Bay Area Ridge Trail Committee in the early 1990s,
eventually chairing the former two groups.
Continuing his community volunteerism, Dan was subsequently appointed by County
Supervisor John Silva to the Solano County Child Abuse Prevention Council
(which he also chaired) and by Mayor Jerry Hayes to the Benicia Economic Development Board.
Over the past two decades, Dan has been involved in numerous grassroots campaigns to
build recreation facilities and preserve open space and historic sites.
These include being the General Coordinator of Operation Playground in Benicia City
Park and a member of Benicia First, the Arsenal Preservation Task Force, XPark Benicia,
Benicia Community Garden, Healthy Benicia and the First Street Green project.
After years as an active citizen, Dan was elected to Benicia City Council in 2001,
serving through 2005. Dan took a leadership role in reaching an agreement whereby
the city parks staff took over maintaining the joint use playing fields from the
financially strapped school district, thereby averting numerous safety issues.
He was also instrumental in raising questions about a massive bond act proposal
to build a large police station, bringing greater oversight to the Valero Improvement
Project, instituting a city Healthy Lifestyle Policy and creation of the Poet Laureate position.
A lifelong Californian and Democrat, Dan has been proud to represent the City of
Benicia and its residents on the City Council, Solano Transportation Authority,
California League of Cities and Travis Community Consortium.
In his private life, Dan loves baseball and the Cal Bears and is a regular blood
donor. He coached in both Benicia Little League and PAL Softball program and has
played in the Benicia Men’s Softball Leagues the past 12 years. He also had a brief
part in Benicia Ballet Theatre’s 2008 production of “The Nutcracker.”
