Listen to a recent KQED episode discussing our plans, our initial town hall in Vallejo, and what's ahead in our community outreach efforts.

As part of our plans, we are thinking about community benefits, designed so that as the new community grows and prospers, we create programs that deliver additional opportunities for all residents of Solano County, such as down payment assistance programs, scholarships, and ongoing revenue streams to fund local non-profits. To make sure those programs reflect input from all residents, we need your advice on what causes to prioritize in these community benefit programs.

Based on the input we have received from the community, moving forward, the format for all town halls will be updated with a later start time (6pm), seats not taken by 6pm will be released for walk-ins, and we will not be grouping questions together but will instead have a direct Q&A session. We look forward to seeing many of you at our town halls!

We are excited to continue our community engagement process and listening tour with a series of town halls across the communities of Solano County. The six town halls will start in Vallejo on November 29th and conclude in Dixon on December 18th.

In our original offer, we offered to make the closing conditional on voters approving our project because we thought that both public agencies and voters would appreciate having that secondary approval. The secondary approval was not offered for our benefit. However, since many residents are saying they want the exchange to happen in either case, we are pleased to modify our offer. Under the revised offer, Solano County, City of Fairfield, and SCWA can now choose whether to make the land exchange conditional on voter approval of our project in November 2024. If those agencies prefer, we will structure the agreement so that the land exchange is guaranteed to happen regardless of the outcome of the vote.

Yesterday, the board of directors of Solano County Water Agency decided not to accept our offer to help fund feasibility studies into the North Bay Aqueduct/Water Plus project. Helping improve this infrastructure was one of a dozen options we are evaluating for providing water for our project. It was not the cheapest or simplest one, but it was one that would have benefited all of Solano County, which is why we wanted to explore it. Regrettably, under pressure from a vocal group of opponents of the project, the board declined staff’s recommendation to continue discussions with us, so we are proceeding with other water supply options we have been considering.

Since announcing California Forever, we have remained focused on listening to and learning from people representing all walks of life in Solano County. Through all these interactions, we are delighted to see the open-minded approach that most community members are taking with California Forever. They want to learn more. To continue our outreach efforts with a focus on listening to and learning from community members, we are proud to announce the formation of our Community Advisory Committee, consisting of 21 members of the Solano community.

Tomorrow, November 9th, at its regular board meeting, the Solano County Water Agency (SCWA) Board of Directors will discuss our proposal to contribute funding – without any conditions – for additional studies into the feasibility of building the Water+ Project, formerly known as the North Bay Aqueduct Alternate Intake. These are studies that SCWA has been wanting to conduct before our project was announced, for the benefit of the following cities that currently use North Bay Aqueduct water: Benicia, Fairfield, Suisun City, Vacaville, Vallejo, American Canyon, Napa, and Calistoga. We just offered to contribute towards funding these studies, without any conditions, thereby saving everyone money on their water bill by not having residents bear those costs. Since some opponents of our project are attempting to spread misinformation about our proposal, this statement sets the record straight.

Drawing on two months of active conversations with local officials and stakeholders, we have identified an opportunity for a multi-benefit land exchange. Under the proposal, Solano County, the City of Fairfield, and Solano County Water Agency (SCWA) would exchange 1,403 acres of pasture lands with medium habitat values that these agencies purchased for environmental purposes 6-10 miles east of Travis AFB for 1,573 acres owned by California Forever with highest habitat values, located on the Jepson Prairie, next to Travis AFB, and which were previously designated as top priority for acquisition and protection by public agencies under the REPI program. These 1,573 acres the agencies would receive on the northeast side of Travis AFB would add to over 2,000 acres that the City of Fairfield and the Solano County Water Agency already own east and south of Travis AFB for the same reasons – protecting Travis AFB and sensitive environmental habitat. In addition, California Forever would contribute $1 million to fund the completion of the Solano County Habitat Conservation Plan.

Earlier this month, our CEO Jan Sramek participated in a panel discussion about our project with Senator Bill Dodd, Supervisor Mitch Mashburn, and Steve Vancil, former pilot at Travis AFB. In this 1hr25min recording from the event, Jan discusses the founding story of California Forever and its role in bringing back the California Dream, as well as answers numerous questions from the audience.

If you are a resident of Solano County, you will soon be receiving in your mailbox the Solano Resident Survey. Please complete the survey and mail it back to us in the enclosed postage-free envelope. As we work with county residents to design a new community in eastern Solano, it is very important we hear what you think. If you prefer to take our survey online, you can do so by clicking the link in this article.

Our CEO, Jan Sramek, discusses California Forever with on KQED public radio. In this interview, Jan talks about protecting and strengthening Travis Air Force Base, building something that benefits all of Solano County's residents, protecting agriculture, and delivering new jobs and investments to Solano County.

In our surveys of 1,400 Solano residents, only 21% say the county is headed in the right direction, and 81% of parents believe that their kids won’t be able to afford to live in their current neighborhood. We believe we can solve these issues together. Download the full report in this article.

Solano County sits at the crossroads of Northern California. Nestled between Sacramento, the Delta, San Francisco, and Napa Valley, Solano perfectly captures the diversity of California’s landscapes and its people. It is the home of agriculture and green energy industries that sustainably feed and power our state, strong middle-class communities, and our nation’s busiest Air Force base. Eastern Solano County is also an area ready for a new community. We’re excited to tell our story.