In a move that surprised approximately no one, the Solano County Board of Supervisors has ordered California Forever to produce a report on its East Solano Plan initiative within 30 days, to be delivered on or about July 23.
The public comment period was respectful and measured, with a few impassioned pleas from both sides but no rowdy behavior.
Several commenters made recommendations regarding the nature of the report, although many complained that 30 days was insufficient time to complete the task.
Vice-Chair Wanda Williams and Supervisor Monica Brown also made comment regarding the report’s contents before the board voted unanimously in support of the motion.
A running tally of public comment indicated roughly equal representation for the East Solano Plan’s supporters and opposition activists. However, many of those commenting in support of the East Solano Plan appeared to be employees of California Forever as they either wore shirts emblazoned with campaign imagery or disclosed their affiliation to and financial stake in the project’s success in comment.
It was an overall positive meeting with much to consider. More coming when it is available.
TODAY, June 25, at 2 p.m., the Solano County Board of Supervisors will convene to discuss California Forever’s East Solano Plan. At this meeting, the Board of Supervisors can adopt the Initiative, order a 30-day study, or put the Initiative on the ballot. Attendees will have the opportunity for a public comment and we ask you to urge the Board to conduct a 30-day study of the Initiative.
Our coalition will show up strong and we urge you to do the same and voice your concerns and opposition to the California Forever/East Solano Plan. Here is how you can do it.
Show up for an in-person comment:
The meeting will take place at the Solano County Administration Center (675 Texas Street in Fairfield) at 2 p.m.
Arrive early: we recommend arriving as early as noon to save your seat. We anticipate a big turnout and the space has limited capacity.
Seating will be first-come, first-serve, and participants will receive yellow cards to fill out if they wish to speak.
Remarks will be limited to one minute. Please keep it to the point and be respectful.
No signs, posters, or noisemakers will be allowed inside.
Bring water, food, and snacks for the line.
Overflow seating and livestream will also be available.
More than anything, we hope the Supervisors will call for the study of the impacts of this initiative.
According to the Board of Supervisors website: If you wish to address any item listed on the Agenda in advance of the meeting, please submit comments in writing to the Clerk of the Board by U.S. Mail or by email. Written comments should be received no later than 5:00 P.M. on the Monday prior to the Board meeting to ensure distribution in advance of the meeting. The email address for the Clerk is: clerk@solanocounty.com. Copies of comments received will be provided to the Board and will become a part of the official record but will not be read aloud at the meeting.
Feel free to use our resources, such as the FAQ, for your talking points.
Call in (not available for this meeting):
Given the anticipated large crowds, comments must be made in person. If you are unable to attend, please submit an online comment or write to your supervisor (see above).
What We Will Share
We strongly oppose this harmful development proposal and urge you to vote NO on the ballot in November.
Here are a few things we will share with the Board of Supervisors at the upcoming meeting:
Threats to Travis Airforce Base
Increased traffic, commute gridlock
Negative impact on water and food production resources
Less investment in existing cities
No binding guarantees until a development agreement
Read more about each item on our FAQs and Resources pages.
MORE . . .
>> Get involved… Solano Together is another local organization opposing California Forever. Between now and November, you can get a yard sign from Solano Together and send Solano Together a much needed donation.
>> Read more… BenIndy coverage of the billionaire land grab, California Forever / East Solano Plan.
[Note from BenIndy: You may have heard that California YIMBY recently endorsed California Forever’s East Solano Plan, but did you know that its cofounder, who is also a current member of its board, is an investor in the project? Kind of puts the endorsement under a cloud, doesn’t it – even with the standard reassurances. And did you know that some CA YIMBY members and other housing advocates are very deeply opposed to the project? Do you think CA YIMBY should have disclosed that its cofounder and board member has a financial stake in the success of a project it endorsed? Do you think CA YIMBY is justified in dismissing the concerns of a grassroots coalition that has united a diverse array of groups – Democrats, Republicans, YIMBYs, NIMBYs, long-time residents, new residents, environmentalists, ranchers, and farmers of all ages and backgrounds – as merely “reflexive skepticism?”]
YIMBYs are feuding over ‘California Forever,’ billionaire-backed utopia in rural Bay Area
A plan to build a city in eastern Solano County is causing a schism in the YIMBY movement. | Noah Berger / The Standard.
A plan backed by billionaire techies that promises to bring hundreds of thousands of new homes to a remote part of the Bay Area is causing a major rift within one of the state’s most influential housing organizations.
The divide spilled into public view on Wednesday after a former member of California YIMBY criticized the organization’s endorsement of the East Solano Plan, exposing a split between the broader pro-housing coalition and its more urban-focused wing.
Melissa Breach, who left California YIMBY in April, described the East Solano Plan in an interview as “sprawl” that would cost taxpayers heavily for new roads and other infrastructure.
“Everyone wants to believe there is a golden ticket for 400,000 new homes,” Breach, who served as California YIMBY’s chief operating officer, told The Standard. “Everybody wants to believe there’s a silver bullet. We need to be building predominantly inside our existing communities.”
This is disappointing and short-sighted. Before leaving in April, I spent five years helping grow and lead @cayimby–building YIMBY power, advocating for infill housing, and making building homes near jobs, transit, and community resources faster and cheaper. This is not that. https://t.co/0VKwZCh0pU
The East Solano Plan, backed by a group calling itself California Forever, is no stranger to criticism. According to its website, the plan hopes to attract 400,000 more people to rural Solano County by providing “middle-class homes in safe, walkable neighborhoods.” It also calls for communities to be served by a “range of transportation needs,” including cars, walking, bikes and “frequent” transit service.
Some residents have resisted the plan, with concerns about the purchase of large swaths of farmland, initial secrecy surrounding the plan and questions over job prospects in the area. The Sierra Club called the land acquisitions a “hostile takeover.”
Now concerns are also coming from some of the state’s housing activists, a group that has become increasingly influential at the local and state levels as affordability issues continue to plague the Golden State.
Instead of going all the way out to Solano County to build more housing, the YIMBY critics argue the development should be “infill,” meaning it must happen within cities to capitalize on existing infrastructure and transit lines. That’s in stark contrast to the East Solano Plan, considered “greenfield” development that builds on top of previously undeveloped land.
California YIMBY’s decision to endorse the East Solano Plan is causing rifts within the pro-housing community. | Noah Berger / The Standard.
“I think it is an interesting discussion between people who are very pro-housing and people who are urbanists,” said housing activist Darrell Owens. “That’s the crux of the debate.”
Sam Greenberg, who describes himself as a pro-housing organizer, said the East Solano Plan is incompatible with his vision of what more development in the state looks like.
“I personally do not believe that this project is the right solution to the regional housing crisis,” said Greenberg. “Looking at history, there haven’t really been examples of successful new cities like this in the United States. The movement that has advocated for other new cities in the modern era has not really resulted in places that are that much more sustainable than existing places.”
In addition, Greenberg cited a lack of trust in the people behind the East Solano Plan.
“I think there are a lot of folks who don’t have trust that their intentions are purely altruistic,” said Greenberg. “I think they’re looking to just make a profit.”
Investors in the project include major Silicon Valley technologists and venture capitalists, like Marc Andreessen, Chris Dixon, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, Stripe’s co-founders Patrick and John Collison, philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs and Michael Moritz, The Standard’s chairman.
Other investors include Nat Friedman, a co-founder of California YIMBY and a current board member. [Emph. added.] Brian Hanlon, who leads the organization, said Friedman had no influence on California YIMBY’s endorsing of the East Solano Plan.
“This was a staff-led decision,” he said.
A spokesperson for California YIMBY described the pro-housing movement as “a really big tent.”
“The thing we all agree on is there is a housing shortage and an affordability crisis causing harm across California,” said spokesperson Matthew Lewis. “It is not a surprise we don’t all agree on everything. Yet, I think we still love each other.”
In its letter explaining the decision to endorse the plan, California YIMBY said “most greenfield development in California over the past century has left much to be desired.”
But the East Solano Plan, the organization argues, would establish walkability that is much better than past greenfield developments. The letter also addresses the schism within the YIIMBY movement.
“We sympathize with the reflexive skepticism of the project among members of our coalition, including friends in the environmental movement,” the letter states. “When it comes to solving our housing crisis, our focus remains on making it easier to build housing in existing cities—near quality jobs and public services.”
The East Solano Plan qualified for the ballot this month after receiving the required signatures. On Tuesday, the Solano County Board of Supervisors will decide whether to adopt the plan outright, place it on the November ballot, or order a report to assess the project’s impacts before it is placed on the ballot.
You must be logged in to post a comment.