[Note from BenIndy: ENOUGH ALREADY. California Forever’s cynical use of the “job-hating NIMBYs” refrain to dismiss opposition to its new city needs to stop. With so much money at its disposal, CF’s PR team should be able to come up with something better than these lazy, insulting, and honestly embarrassing attempts to stifle discourse with mean-spirited and just plain silly generalizations. This manipulative spin factory is not only offensive but also an exercise in what younger generations would call CRINGE. For all the money they’re throwing around, they can’t even manage decent propaganda. A lot of good could come from how much cash is feeding this dying albatross, and it’s a shame to see it wasted on the development of talking points that have the same intellectual weight of a middle school bully’s playground taunt. We need affordable housing now, and it needs to be actually affordable.]

KCRA, by Lee Anne Denyer, May 23, 2024

SOLANO COUNTY, Calif. — Opponents of California Forever’s East Solano Plan met Thursday afternoon to distribute lawn signs to share their disapproval of a proposed new Solano County city.“It will dramatically change life in Solano County,” said Marilyn Farley, of Solano Together. “I’m not in favor of it.”

Farley is part of a coalition of Solano County community members opposed to the proposed new city that has been pitched and backed by a group of Silicon Valley billionaires. The development would require thousands of acres of land — purchased by the investors and currently zoned for agricultural use —be rezoned for urban development.

“The traffic is a concern. The nearby habitat is a concern, vernal pools,” Farley said. “It’s just how they went about it and how secretive they were.”

On Thursday, Farley and others concerned about the project met in Vacaville for a sign pickup. Two opposition groups both produced signs to be handed out.

Michelle Trippi is an organizer of the Facebook group
California ForNever. The name, she said, may be satirical but the online forum is a real place for people to share their concerns with the proposal and California Forever, she explained.

“I’m just opposed to the lack of transparency and dishonesty,” she said. “They could have sold me had they filled in the blanks, but there are just so many unknowns.”

Michael Fortney, California Forever’s director of partnerships, shared a statement with KCRA 3 in response to the opposition. It reads:

“We are delivering on the promises of the East Solano Plan. We protected Travis AFB, brought a dozen new employers who are excited to come to Solano County, and delivered $500,000 in nonprofit grants for the county. And Solano residents are recognizing that we can deliver – people are reaching out to me daily, excited and energized by what we can do together. Meanwhile, a small group of vocal opponents are busy chasing away new employers from Solano County, and preventing the building of homes that can keep our kids in Solano. Let’s not let a small minority shout down new ideas for Solano County and instead work together to build opportunity for everyone.”

Farley isn’t convinced. She said Solano Together will continue its work as a potential ballot measure that could go to voters this November.

“I never thought I’d be doing something like this,” she said. “We believe in Solano County and our way of life. We believe in protecting our farmland and our open space and we’re going to do what we can to protect it.”

The Solano County Registrar of Voters told KCRA 3 that California Forever submitted its petition to place the measure on the ballot with more than 20,000 signatures. Elections officials are in the process of verifying those signatures. An update is expected in mid-June.