Months before becoming the first public official to endorse California Forever, Vacaville Vice Mayor Greg Ritchie filed two “Doing Business As” names for his home loan company, Citizens Financial.
The real estate license for Ritchie, who endorsed the project on Tuesday, indicates that he filed “California Forever Home Loans” and “California Forever Homes” as DBAs for his business in January of this year. A website URL registered as www.californiaforeverhomeloans.com exists, but now redirects to a message from Ritchie.
Documentation of the DBAs, as well as criticism of Ritchie’s decision to file them, surfaced on social media Tuesday evening, intensifying pre-existing backlash toward the vice mayor’s decision to announce support for the development company.
Ritchie said he filed the DBAs in January because he believes in the project’s goals and thinks it will have a positive impact on Solano County. While he said he “wholeheartedly understood” some of the concerns and frustration about the issue, he said his business will be interested in helping people access the downpayment assistance that California Forever has promised to provide.
“I want to make one thing crystal clear — neither my company nor myself have any economic relationship or interest in California Forever,” Ritchie wrote on the site. “I have also not received any donations or political contributions for my endorsement. My endorsement was given purely based on my professional and personal belief that this is a good project that will help thousands of Solano families reach the dream of homeownership.”
A major concern for Ritchie is the lack of affordable housing options available to Travis Air Force Base service members in the immediate area around the base, and he believes California Forever’s new community could go a long way to solving that issue for Solano County.
This is not the first time that Ritchie has faced backlash over a DBA. He faced criticism over his “The Badge’s Broker” DBA during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. He said at that time, he refused to remove the DBA because he did not want to play into tribalism.
“I chose to take the road less traveled and go down that road and stay strong,” he said.
Ritchie said he is particularly excited about the downpayment assistance that the plan could provide. Citizens Financial connects people to funding for downpayment regularly, Ritchie said, and he looks forward to helping more people if the initiative is passed. He described the lack of access to capital for a downpayment as the “Achilles Heel” of housing in California and described himself as a subject matter expert in providing that funding.
“I have proved myself for over a decade that whoever works for my company, they actually care,” he said.
Ritchie noted that refusing to provide home loans based on where someone would be living is illegal under federal law.
“Like many Solano County small business owners, Greg Ritchie sees the potential of the East Solano Plan to help the thousands of working families who are struggling to purchase their own homes,” California Forever Campaign Manager Matt Rodriguez said. “His endorsement is solely based on the merits of the East Solano Plan and we greatly appreciate his support.”
Rodriguez said he was disappointed by the “bullying” of fellow Solano County residents and business owners he has seen toward those who support the initiative. As the campaign moves forward, he said he hopes for “collaborative and respectful dialogue.”
“We look forward to more folks learning about the Homes For All guarantee of $400 million in downpayment assistance and how it can meaningfully improve the wellbeing of this great community,” he said.
$1B Silicon Valley-backed utopian city ‘California Forever’ facing national security probe: pols
Flannery Associates has bought up nearly $1 billion in land located in Solano County. AFP via Getty Images
New York Post, by Thomas Barrabi, Published Nov. 12, 2023
A planned utopian city in California continues to face a high-stakes probe by a US national security panel – and state politicians still aren’t satisfied that the secretive project isn’t linked to China.
Since 2017, a little-known firm called Flannery Associates has stealthily bought up nearly $1 billion in land next to Travis Air Force Base, sparking alarms on Capitol Hill that a foreign entity could be backing the project for nefarious purposes.
Similar concerns arose last year after a Chinese firm bought 300 acres of land near an Air Force drone base in North Dakota.
In August, Flannery tried to calm nerves by revealing its backers included US tech tycoons such as LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen.
The group has said the land’s proximity to Travis was unintentional and outlined plans to develop a picturesque city featuring sustainable energy, a pedestrian-friendly layout and good-paying jobs.
Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) is among those who have raised concerns about Flannery’s origins. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Nevertheless, the US Treasury Department’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) – an interagency panel responsible for vetting business transactions for potential national security risks – is still actively reviewing the project as of this month, a pair of California lawmakers told The Post.
Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif), who previously blasted Flannery for using “strong-arm mobster techniques” to acquire land from local farmers, told The Post that the firm’s explanation to date is “only half of the story” – and claimed the project bears the hallmarks of a “patient” foreign investment scheme.
“To say it’s ‘American money’ is not a complete explanation of who is the investor,” Garamendi said. “I’ve been around long enough to understand the way foreign money – legitimate and illegitimate – is invested in the United States. Usually in an LLC, in a real estate transaction.”
Flannery Associates was originally registered as an LLC in Delaware, which does not require an ownership disclosure. The project’s organizers describe California Forever as Flannery’s parent company.
Flannery has rankled Solano County residents with vaguely-defined plans to build the city on patches of dry, unincorporated farmland that is pockmarked with wind turbines and abandoned gas wells and is known to lack enough infrastructure to support a large population.
The first renderings of the “California Forever” project emerged earlier this fall. California Forever
Catherine Moy, the mayor of Fairfield, Calif., said the feds are “still investigating” the situation and were “not 100% that China is not behind funding on this.”
“CFIUS, they’re still going forward with their investigation. You can trust but verify, especially with things like this,” Moy said. “A couple of the investors already are very connected with China, business-wise.”
The CFIUS probe was first reported by CNN in August – weeks after it emerged that Garamendi and fellow US Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) had asked the panel and the FBI to investigate the matter.
The duo noted that Travis is a critical military transport hub known as the “Gateway to the Pacific” that serves as a key conduit for shipments to Ukraine, among other key functions.
“My concerns with the land acquisition in Solano County have always been on national security and food security,” Thompson said in a statement. “Their rapid acquisition of land around Travis Air Force Base caused concern about who was making the purchases and their ultimate goal.”
A spokesperson for Travis Air Force base confirmed that “senior officials are actively supporting all involved federal and Solano County agencies regarding the land purchases.” The spokesperson referred further questions to the Treasury Department.
The Treasury Department did not return multiple requests for comment.
When reached for comment, a Flannery Associates spokesperson said the project has “no other foreign investors” beyond those it has disclosed.
The firm has said its investors are passive and have no role in day-to-day operations.
“While most area electeds have taken an open-minded approach to the opportunity our project presents for local jobs, investments, homes for middle class families, and clean power, a couple of local politicians are unfortunately and irresponsibly spreading rumors and misinformation to insinuate that California Forever is a not an American company,” the spokesperson said.
“We have complied with all government inquiries and provided documents (including all investment agreements and subscription agreements) that unquestionably prove that over 97% of our invested capital comes from U.S. investors, and that the remaining less than 3% comes from UK and Irish investors (Patrick and John Collison, with smaller stakes held by Charles Songhurst and Thomas Mather),” the spokesperson added.
Fairfield, California mayor Catherine Moy is an outspoken critic of the city project. fairfield.ca.gov
So far, the list of publicly-disclosed Flannery investors includes Hoffman, Andreesen, his investment firm Andreesen Horowitz, former Sequoia Capital partner Michael Moritz, Stripe co-founders Patrick and John Collison, Chris Dixon, John Dooer, Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross and Laurene Powell Jobs, the prominent philanthropist and widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
Moritz did not immediately return requests for comment.
A Sequoia Capital spokesperson confirmed that the firm had received the select committee’s letter about the probe, was “reviewing it and will respond.”
Flannery Associates CEO Jan Srakek has denied that his firm wants to build a “utopian” city. KGO-TV
Flannery CEO Jan Sramek has scrambled to downplay the project’s ties to the tech industry, describing it as a “city of yesterday.”
Its website specifically rejects the notion that it is building a “tech utopia” and said Flannery is “not proposing a pie-in-the-sky ‘utopian’ fantasy.”
Critics, including Garamendi and Moy, argue that Sramek and his team are merely trying to reframe the project due to local backlash.
“The story has changed,” Moy said. “Any credibility he was trying to earn after being secretive for five years is being lost because he’s changing the story now. That’s what happens with people who you can’t trust.”
RECENTLY IN THE VALLEJO TIMES-HERALD
Cars on Highway 12 between Suisun City and Rio Vista. (Chris Riley/The Reporter)
California Forever CEO Jan Sramek during a packed Solano County Water Agency meeting in Vacaville. (Chris Riley/The Reporter)
Turning off the tap | SCWA directs staff not to discuss Water Plus with California Forever Vallejo Times-Herald, Nov 10, 2023 >> The Solano County Water Agency Board of Directors told its staff not to continue discussions with California Forever regarding their proposed development project in eastern Solano County. At a regular meeting of the board Thursday evening, over 90 attendees and public commenters filled the meeting room… (continued)
Sheep graze in a plot of land east of CA 113. (Chris Riley/The Reporter)
NOTE: The information below is not the latest. TAP HERE for today’s latest information.
By Roger Straw, Wednesday, February 9, 2022
Solano County reported 2,794 new infections over the last two days! Solano County and Benicia continue to experience an extremely high transmission rate!
Solano Public Health COVID dashboard, Wednesday, February 9, 2022:
DEATHS: Solano reported no new deaths in today’s report.Trending: Seven new deaths reported so far in February, all over 65 years of age. The County has seen increasing COVID-related deaths each month since last November, rising to 30 in January. (Compare with last winter: 24 deaths in January 2021, 42 in February and 33 in March.) A total of 388 Solano residents have now died of COVID or COVID-related causes over the course of the pandemic.
CASES BY AGE GROUP: My color-coded chart (below) shows a record over TIME. It shows an alarming steady increase among youth and children in Solano County. The chart displays quarterly and recent snapshots in time by age group, each as a percentage of total cases since the outbreak began. Increases are in red and decreases are in greenas reported by Solano County. Note the continuing increase among children & youth of Solano County. The population of those age 0-17 in Solano County is roughly 22%.COMPARE – U.S. cases among children and youth aged 0-17 as percentage of total cases is 17.4% as of today. (From the CDC covid-data-tracker.)
COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION RATE: Solano is experiencing an EXTREMELY HIGH transmission rate, with a total of 4,010 new cases over the last 7 days, a big jump from 1,763 at last report, and way up from around 500 at Christmastime.CDC FORMULA: Based on Solano County’s population, 450 or more cases in 7 days places Solano in the CDC’s population-based definition of a HIGH transmission rate. We would need to drop below 225 cases in 7 days to rate as having only MODERATE community transmission.
ACTIVE CASES: Solano’s 2,517 ACTIVE cases today is up from 2,308 at last report, and well over the 2,000 active cases we had at the New Year and only 329 on December 1.
CASES BY CITY – Wednesday, February 9, 2022:
BENICIA added 58 new cases today, a total of 2,922 cases since the outbreak began. TRANSMISSION RATE: Benicia has seen 100 new infections in the last 7 days, far above the CDC’s HIGH rate of community transmission.For a city with Benicia’s population, anything over 27 cases in 7 days is considered HIGH TRANSMISSION. (See chart below.)MASKS: >> At next week’s Benicia City Council meeting, (Tues., Feb. 15), Council will consider whether and how to continue the citywide face mask mandate, in light of the State of California’s announcement that it will lift the statewide mandate on Feb. 16. >>Note that the Benicia City Council is considering adding multiple metrics rather than the single metric of the CDC’s 7-day case count to determine when it is safe to lift certain COVID restrictions (see Benicia Chooses to Continue Mask Mandate, 1/19/22). Note above that Solano County is currently also experiencing EXTREMELY HIGH transmission.
Dixon added 62 new cases today, total of 4,020 cases.
Fairfield added1,247(!) new cases today, total of 20,349 cases.
Rio Vista added 27 new cases today, total of 1,040 cases.
Suisun Cityadded302(!) new cases today, total of 5,379 cases.
Vacaville added 443 new cases today, a total of 18,706 cases.
Vallejoadded653 new cases today, a total of 24,051 cases.
Unincorporatedadded 2 new cases today, a total of 188 cases.
TEST RATE: Solano County’s 7-Day Percent Positive Test Rate shot up after Christmas and has continued through today’s very high 19%, (although today’s report shows a drop from 21% at last report.) SOLANO DOES NOT COMPARE FAVORABLY: The California 7-day % positive rate fell to 6.7% today. [Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracking Center] The U.S. 7-day % positive rate also fell today to 13.63% from 15.85% at last report. [Source: CDC COVID Data Tracker.]
HOSPITALIZATIONS:
CURRENT hospitalizations fell today from 87 to 80 persons. Currently hospitalized persons in Solano peaked higher than ever before on Jan 22, at 207 persons in hospital.(The County’s previous high was 176 on Jan 7, 2021.)
TOTAL hospitalizations – Solano Public Health updated its age and race hospitalizations charts today, adding 1 Asian person, age 65+. Our total since the beginning of the outbreak is now 3,512hospitalizations.
ICU Bed Availability in Solano County remained steady today at 24% available, still in the Yellow danger zone.
Ventilator Availabilityfell dramatically today from 64% to 51% available.
>The data on this page is from the Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard. The Dashboard is full of much more information and updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday around 4 or 5pm. On the County’s dashboard, you can hover a mouse or click on an item for more information. Note the tabs at top for “Summary, Demographics” and “Vaccines.” Click here to go to today’s Solano County Dashboard.
See also my BENINDY ARCHIVE of daily Solano COVID updates (an excel spreadsheet). I have also archived the hundreds of full CORONAVIRUS REPORTS posted here almost daily on the Benicia Independent since April 2020.
NOTE: The information below is not the latest. TAP HERE for today’s latest information.
By Roger Straw, Monday, February 7, 2022
Solano County reported 452 new infections over the weekend, 3 new COVID-related deaths. Solano County and Benicia continue to experience an extremely high transmission rate!
Solano Public Health COVID dashboard, Monday, February 7, 2022:
DEATHS: Solano reported 3 new deaths in today’s report, all age 65+.Trending: Seven new deaths reported in the 1st seven days of February, all over 65 years of age. The County has seen increasing COVID-related deaths each month since last November, rising to 30 in January. (Compare with last winter: 24 deaths in January 2021, 42 in February and 33 in March.) A total of 388 Solano residents have now died of COVID or COVID-related causes over the course of the pandemic.
CASES BY AGE GROUP: My color-coded chart (below) shows a record over TIME. It shows an alarming steady increase among youth and children in Solano County. The chart displays quarterly and recent snapshots in time by age group, each as a percentage of total cases since the outbreak began. Increases are in red and decreases are in greenas reported by Solano County. Note the continuing increase among children & youth of Solano County. The population of those age 0-17 in Solano County is roughly 22%.COMPARE – U.S. cases among children and youth aged 0-17 as percentage of total cases is 17.2% as of today. (From the CDC covid-data-tracker.)
COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION RATE: Solano is experiencing an EXTREMELY HIGH transmission rate, with a total of 1,763 new cases over the last 7 days, down from 3,066 last Friday and over 6100 the Friday before that – but still significantly up from around 500 at Christmastime.CDC FORMULA: Based on Solano County’s population, 450 or more cases in 7 days places Solano in the CDC’s population-based definition of a HIGH transmission rate. We would need to drop below 225 cases in 7 days to rate as having only MODERATE community transmission.
ACTIVE CASES: Solano’s 2,308 ACTIVE cases today is down from 3,658 at last report, but still above the 2,000 active cases we had at the New Year and only 329 on December 1.
CASES BY CITY – Monday, February 7, 2022:
Benicia added 15 new cases today, a total of 2,864 cases since the outbreak began. Benicia has seen 60 new infections in the last 7 days, far above the CDC’s HIGH rate of community transmission.For a city with Benicia’s population, anything over 27 cases in 7 days is considered HIGH TRANSMISSION. (See chart below.)>>Note that the Benicia City Council is considering adding multiple metrics rather than the single metric of the CDC’s 7-day case count to determine when it is safe to lift certain COVID restrictions (see Benicia Chooses to Continue Mask Mandate, 1/19/22). Note above that Solano County is currently also experiencing EXTREMELY HIGH transmission.
Dixon added 34 new cases today, total of 3,958 cases.
Fairfield added94 new cases today, total of 19,102 cases.
Rio Vista added 5 new cases today, total of 1,013 cases.
Suisun Cityadded26 new cases today, total of 5,077 cases.
Vacaville added 130 new cases today, a total of 18,263 cases.
Vallejoadded148 new cases today, a total of 23,398 cases.
Unincorporatedadded 0 new cases today, a total of 186 cases.
TEST RATE: Solano County’s 7-Day Percent Positive Test Rate shot up after Christmas and has continued through today’s very high 21%, (although today’s report shows a drop from 26% at last report.) SOLANO DOES NOT COMPARE FAVORABLY: The California 7-day % positive rate remained at 8.4% today. [Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracking Center] The U.S. 7-day % positive rate also fell today to 15.85% from 17.09% at last report. [Source: CDC COVID Data Tracker.]
HOSPITALIZATIONS:
CURRENT hospitalizations fell today from 99 to 87 persons, our lowest since January 7, 2022. Currently hospitalized persons in Solano peaked higher than ever before on Jan 22, at 207 persons in hospital.(The County’s previous high was 176 on Jan 7, 2021.)
TOTAL hospitalizations – Solano Public Health did not update its age and race hospitalizations charts today. Our total since the beginning of the outbreak is now 3,511hospitalizations.
ICU Bed Availability in Solano County fell today from 24% at last report to 21% available today, still in the Yellow danger zone.
Ventilator Availabilityremained at 64% available today.
>The data on this page is from the Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard. The Dashboard is full of much more information and updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday around 4 or 5pm. On the County’s dashboard, you can hover a mouse or click on an item for more information. Note the tabs at top for “Summary, Demographics” and “Vaccines.” Click here to go to today’s Solano County Dashboard.
See also my BENINDY ARCHIVE of daily Solano COVID updates (an excel spreadsheet). I have also archived the hundreds of full CORONAVIRUS REPORTS posted here almost daily on the Benicia Independent since April 2020.
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