Imagine a clandestine group of well-heeled investors descended on your community and quietly began buying up all available open space with secret plans to build a megacity of 400,000 people. You’d be concerned, right?

That’s exactly what’s happening in one North Bay county, where Silicon Valley tech billionaires have amassed more than 50,000 acres of former farmland and are attempting to steamroll a gargantuan housing and commercial project onto locals, bypassing the local vetting process.

There’s no question we need more housing. Our chronic shortage has triggered a supply and demand imbalance, drastically limiting housing options for buyers and renters, and driving up prices for all.

But it must be done right. And the massive development proposed for Solano County near Travis Air Force Base is dead wrong. It serves as a reminder to the rest of the North Bay that we need thoughtful infill development — not more profit-driven sprawl.

We first got wind of the so-called California Forever proposal last year. Journalists revealed that a group of wealthy investors had been behind a stealth campaign to buy up farmland, suing some families to get their way. They hyped a utopian city to be built with little input from locals and without regard for normal planning practices. Total build-out could be close to a half-million people — dwarfing neighboring towns.

Aside from the developers’ lack of transparency, the project has many unresolved problems. For one, it takes away much-needed ag land that helps put food on the table while fueling our economy. The land is still zoned for farming so the developers are trying to bypass planning norms with a ballot measure that asks voters to change the zoning to residential.

Another major issue is the additional traffic caused by a city of 400,000. Currently, the developers have offered no ideas for how to mitigate thousands more car trips each day along the Highway 12 corridor — one of the most dangerous and congested roads in the region. This represents the worst kind of car-oriented development, promising to add to carbon emissions and climate change. Taxpayers across the region could end up footing the bill to clean up the resulting mess, diverting money from other transportation priorities.

But perhaps the most concerning is that the footprint for the megacity would interfere with Travis Air Force Base, which plays key national security role. Military officials say having a new city in the flight path of the base’s strategic airlift and air refueling operations is a nonstarter.

There are many other problems, including the availability of water and effects on the nearby Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, an environmental and economic gem that must be protected.

With local opposition growing louder, developers have offered varying takes on the original but none provide substantial answers.

I have been skeptical since day one, but reserved my judgment as I gathered more facts. It is now crystal clear to me that this project is bad for the region.

Each day, more and more people are seeing this as the deeply flawed project that it is. Already, Congressmen Mike Thompson and John Garamendi, along with farmers, environmentalists and a host of other elected officials, oppose California Forever.

The bottom line is, we need more housing. But we don’t need it at the expense of what makes the North Bay the best place to live. And we definitely don’t need it forced on us by this secret cabal headed by a former Wall Street trader, who moved to the area recently to try to show he cares. Give me a break. He thinks we’re all a bunch of country bumpkins who don’t know what we have and can’t tell when someone is peddling hot air. [Emph. added by BenIndy.]

Let’s prove him wrong. Let’s send a clear message that we recognize the value of our open spaces and thoughtful planning and stand up against this irresponsible and greed-inspired vision that is nothing but a fool’s paradise.

Bill Dodd, D-Napa, represents the 3rd state Senate District.

Opinion by BenIndy’s Editorial Board, March 13, 2024

It’s now safe to say that the road to California Forever’s new city has become, like Benicia’s own beleaguered roads, an absolute mess. However, the struggling company’s path is marred not by potholes, but its executive staff’s poor ego management, condescending and at times outright offensive talking points, and incredibly cringey public confrontations. This is probably what prompted Chris Rico of Solano Economic Development Corporation to implore those tuning in to a forum hosted by the Progressive Democrats of Benicia last night to focus on the initiative’s content rather than the personalities of those driving it.

Rico’s certainly right on one front – we as a voting public should engage with the proposal’s content in good faith, with open minds and clear eyes – but he’s missing a key ingredient to how good-faith conversations actually happen: intentionally, and with reciprocity. How can we engage with any California Forever and its proposal in good faith when the personalities pushing it consistently resort to bad-faith behaviors – defensiveness, aggression, and gaslighting – when under even the slightest pressure?

Asking tough questions doesn’t make us NIMBYs

We don’t want to underemphasize the financial and emotional cost of California Forever’s ongoing litigation currently impacting multiple families, but that is a topic for another day. For today’s purposes, we are talking about how California Forever interacts with the Solano residents through various means of public participation – town halls, commission or board meetings, and forums.

Topping the list of California Forever’s bad-faith public behaviors would be the strategies it uses to stifle reasonable questions. Before the full text of its initiative was fully released, its representatives insisted that the public just “didn’t get it yet” and all questions and complaints would be addressed in the ballot initiative text. But now that the text has been released and the tough questions remain, its representatives have shifted to insisting that reasonable criticisms of its plan for the new city are a symptom of NIMBYism, and not much more.

Listen. As one panelist pointed out last night, yes, “NIMBYism is alive and well in Solano County.” This is absolutely true, and something worth correcting, aggressively. We do need more affordable homes in California. And we want more affordable homes in Solano County. The state’s Byzantine rules and regs for development are part of the problem.

However, labeling questions and opposition as mere NIMBYism is unfair and intellectually dishonest. Worse still, this line of defense is increasingly registering as a blatant attempt to frame and ultimately chill wider public participation in this conversation – by defining and literally trying to nullify the eligibility of certain participants to speak on the topic. In effect, California Forever’s exec team’s most frequent rebuttal to challenging questions has been something to the effect of, “You don’t get to have an opinion because you have a house and/or privilege.”

Asking tough questions is not a symptom of our privilege

This gaslighting continued at last night’s forum. California’s Director of Planning Gabe Metcalf did neither himself nor his company’s public image any favors when he commented that he knew the Democratic club hosting the forum and the roughly 80 audience members he was speaking to had effectively already made up their minds, but he was there, coming to the club in good faith, on behalf of a project he believed in.

Then he implored the viewers to think of the housing crisis. He asked them to consider the plight of the unhoused. And he said he thought this new town was the solution to these problems.

Then he immediately ceded his moral high ground by dismissing informed opposition as simple NIMBYism, stating, “I know most of you probably own your own homes, so the dis-benefits of this – like there could be more traffic or more people – weigh really large on your minds. But there are a lot of people who don’t have time to go to Democratic clubs, for whom  the current system is not working.” [Emph. added.]

Let’s unpack this, because it illuminates California Forever’s PR problems in three easy swipes. First, Metcalf resorted to California Forever’s standard and increasingly indefensible playground taunt, “You’re all just a buncha NIMBYs!”, as discussed above. Then he dismissed reasonable concerns about infrastructure impacts as superficial, insinuating opponents are more annoyed about getting stuck in traffic jams than interested in housing the unhoused in a structured and sustainable way. Finally, he insulted his Democratic club host, its members, and its guests from the public (it was a public meeting, open and free to all) by suggesting that mere attendance at the very meeting he was also speaking at basically nullified every attendee’s eligibility to participate in the discussion in good faith. Simply because we had made the time to go to watch him speak, we were too privileged to consider those for whom “the current system isn’t working.”

Pause on that, wind it back, repeat it: Metcalf implied that those who attended the forum last night, those taking the time to listen to him speak, were biased by the privilege of having or making time to attend.

Oof.  Just, oof.

Solano shows up. Get used to it

The efforts and sacrifices made by community members to participate in one or several events hosted by either California Forever and its primary opposition, the Solano Together coalition, is representative of Solano County’s tremendous passion for active, inclusive public participation in decisions both big and small. And a new city is a BIG decision.

Add to that the fact that we at BenIndy happen to know that many of those watching Metcalf hold court on the topic of their own privilege are retired and living off their pensions, or still working past retirement age. Some have homes, yes, but not all. Some have means, yes, but not all. Overwhelmingly, those in attendance last night are people who don’t have time for meetings like that – instead, they make time. They recognize that their participation in this discussion is important, so they hustle, they sacrifice, and they show up.

But even if that wasn’t true, Metcalf’s characterizations not only failed to acknowledge (let alone address) the complexity of the concerns raised about the new city, they also create an entirely false dichotomy of two dogmas: the altruistic visionaries who want to build a bridge to a future where we don’t have these awful problems of chronic houselessness and worse, and those fusty-dusty NIMBY-types who are simply too steeped in their own privilege to do what is right.

In short, California Forever is trying to turn the conversation away from practical questions to a deeper, moral question: how can we possibly challenge the finer points of California Forever’s proposal when so many are suffering?

In terms of leading and manipulative questions this one is a doozy, but thankfully, there is a great answer.

You can’t trick us

When confronted with this, the panelists representing Solano Together, Bob Berman of the Solano Orderly Growth Committee and Sadie Wilson of the Greenbelt Alliance, responded calmly that Metcalf’s dichotomy was deeply flawed and the same people we’re being scolded for supposedly ignoring in this conversation will, fundamentally, never benefit from California Forever’s proposal. They pointed out that the proposed price point for homes—cited recently by CEO Jan Sramek at around $1 million—places them well beyond the reach of middle and lower-income families, let alone those who are chronically underhoused. Even if that wasn’t true, even if California Forever intended to offer homes at middle- or lower-income price points, the city wouldn’t be habitable for a projected 30 years, yielding effectively zero positive outcomes for one of our state’s most vulnerable populations, present in high quantity today.

Berman and Wilson’s stated issues with the proposal were clear and specific. They referenced the unenforceability of California Forever’s many “voter guarantees” (a story for another day), the failure of California Forever to fully comprehend let alone prepare for infrastructure impacts around, yes, traffic, but also water and other services, and more. Berman and Wilson also stated, repeatedly, that they agreed fully and completely that addressing California’s housing crisis will require land development and systemic change. Their responses were measured and persuasive.

Metcalf’s comments, meanwhile, once more raised the same fundamental doubts about whom California Forever’s project is really serving, and whether the needs of California’s most vulnerable populations are truly being considered or are merely being used as rhetorical devices in service to shareholder profits.

If you’re gonna come for Solano, you best come correct

From the initial land purchases in Eastern Solano to the New York Times exposé and through to the recent Zoom forum, California Forever has not engaged honestly with critics or the broader Solano County community.

For Solano County’s democratic process, it is paramount that opportunities for public participation are conducted in a manner that is inclusive and respectful, appropriately acknowledges the sacrifices of its participants, and prioritizes the substantive over the sensational. Solano County residents are ready to engage with California Forever in good faith, to scrutinize the merits and demerits of its initiative, and weigh its potential impacts on our community and environment with the true and urgent need for solutions to California’s housing crisis.

However, for our engagement to become truly productive, California Forever MUST meet Solano County with sincerity and respect, and desist from over-generalization, hyperbole, and insults. Only then can we hope to navigate the complexities of such a significant proposal, free from the distractions. While it’s true California Forever has had more than its fair share of hecklers, there are many who are waiting to see what the commotion is about.

The burden of proving the proposal’s merits rests wholly on California Forever. Solano is waiting. But it may be too late to course correct.

The opinions above represent those of BenIndy’s editors and no other groups or individuals.

[Note from BenIndy: Free and open to the public TONIGHT at 7pm is a Progressive Democrats of Benicia (PDB) forum featuring speakers from California Forever, Solano Together, and the Solano County Economic Development Corporation. All are welcome, regardless of party preference or city of residence. There is no need to register. Check out the message announcing the forum from PDB Chair Kathy Kerridge for the Zoom link and more information. This is a rare chance to see representatives from both sides of this issue in the same (virtual) room and figure out where you land on the issue that is making headlines across the nation – the development of a brand new city in Eastern Solano. Bring your questions – this is going to be a very interesting forum.]

Benicia, CA  – On Tuesday, March 12, Progressive Democrats of Benicia (PDB) will host an in–depth discussion of one of the hottest topics in Solano County and throughout California – California Forever, the new city planned by the land’s new owners for Solano County’s Rio Vista area and Solano Together, a coalition of organizations and individuals who oppose the project.

“We are going to take a deep dive into this local issue that is making national news – California Forever,” said Kathy Kerridge, chair of PDB. “There has been a lot of commentary about California Forever’s plans and its ballot initiative. Here is your chance to see and hear for yourself what all the commotion is about, directly from some of those most involved.”

 The meeting will be at 7 p.m. and is available on zoom. PDB’s meetings are open to the public. “This is a rare opportunity to learn about this controversial proposal and the initiative supporting the project that will be on the November ballot. We welcome everyone to tune in and participate,” Kerridge said.

In order of appearance from left to right, the speakers from Solano Together will be Bob Berman, Chair of the Solano County Orderly Growth Committee, and Sadie Wilson, Director of Planning and Research at Greenbelt Alliance. Our speaker from California Forever is Head of Planning Gabe Metcalf (read a recent interview with Metcalf here). Chris Rico, CEO/President of the Solano County Economic Development Corporation, will also be on hand to answer questions and provide economic insights.

“Please save the evening of March 12 for this important discussion,” Kerridge said. “It has so far been rare to see both sides of this discussion in same room, even if it will be a virtual room.”

To join the discussion, click the link and sign-in information below or find the link at the PDB website, progressivedemocratsofbenicia.org.

Zoom Details

Topic: PDB General Meeting
Time: Mar 12, 2024 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86273821941?pwd=WktDazJLaTJHVTBPNWd3dzlXaGd2Zz09

Meeting ID: 862 7382 1941
Passcode: 528756

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