For years, several of Silicon Valley’s billionaires have been planning their utopian city, California Forever. However, the first brick has yet to be laid.
Locals in Solano, California, where the billionaires bought more than 53,000 acres of land, have fought back against the plan, saying it was a “hastily drawn, poorly designed initiative.” Now, it seems the project is at a standstill.
What Is California Forever?
In 2017, tech billionaire Jan Sramek began planning his dream city, California Forever. He created a subsidiary, Flannery Associates, and received investment funding from other Southern California billionaires to make his dream a reality.
Quietly, he used this money to purchase more than 53,000 acres of land in Solano County, where he planned to build the perfect, walkable city to house 400,000 people.
Initial Controversy to the California Forever Plan
Local Solano County residents noticed that large swaths of their land were being purchased left and right, but it wasn’t until after most of the sales went through that they realized it was one company buying tens of thousands of acres.
Almost immediately after the plan became public knowledge, lawsuits were filed on both sides. The Flannery Associates claimed locals were inflating land prices as they noticed someone was trying to buy it all, and the locals argued the company used “mobster tactics” to buy the land by illegally evicting farmers and all but forcing them to sell.
There Were Several Safety Concerns Among Solano County Residents
Rural Solano County, California, is just 60 miles from San Francisco. It is known for its beautiful landscapes, empty, rolling fields, and small-town charm. But it’s also home to the Travis Air Force Base.
Many worried that California Forever’s land directly on the large military base would disrupt “critical training operations” and even impact national security.
Sramek and Flannery Associates Promised Solano County Residents the World
In response to the seemingly constant complaints and concerns for locals, Sramek and his team at Flannery Associates proceeded with a marketing campaign that detailed the many benefits of California Forever.
They promised that, while the pristine city will cost hundreds of millions or even billions to build, locals won’t have to pay a dime. Additionally, the city will supposedly create 15,000 new jobs, which will pay 125% of the average annual income in Solano County.
California Forever Even Plans to Invest Millions Throughout the County
Because the many investors all hail from Silicon Valley and have more money than they know what to do with, Flannery Associates has even promised to invest hundreds of millions into the surrounding towns in the county.
Allegedly, they’ve agreed to pay $400 million in down payments to help Solano County residents buy new homes, $200 million to revitalize the county’s existing downtowns, and up to $70 million for college and educational programs for young county residents.
Many Solano County Residents Were Unimpressed
Even with these elaborate offerings, many residents of Solano County were still vehemently against the building of the billionaire utopia. In fact, they even created the organization Solano Together to fight against California Forever.
For the past couple of years, this organization has been working to stop the construction of the city. While they have yet to win the war, Solano County did just win the first battle.
California Forever Won’t Be on the November Ballot
Sramek and Flannery Associates wanted to add a measure on the November 2024 ballot in which voters in Solano County would be able to weigh in on zoning changes throughout the county.
However, Solano Together was able to ensure that the measure wouldn’t be added this year, as they argued that California Forever had yet to undergo the necessary environmental review for the proposed zoning changes.
Environmental Reviews Are Required for All Large Zoning Changes
Mitch Mashburn, the chair of the Solano County Board of Supervisors, explained that California Forever was attempting to use the ballot to bypass the need for an environmental impact assessment, which was a “mistake.”
An environmental impact assessment (EIA) “is a process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, taking into account inter-related socio-economic, cultural and human-health impacts, both beneficial and adverse.” EIAs are required by US law for a project of this magnitude.
California Forever’s Response
Smarek released a statement after the measure was removed from the November ballot, stating, “With this process, we can build a shared vision that passes with a decisive majority and creates broad consensus for the future.”
The tech billionaire also noted that he plans to ensure everything, including the EIA, is in order so the measure can be added to the next ballot in 2026.
Solano County Will Continue to Fight Against California Forever
Meanwhile, Solano Together said in a statement, “The people have spoken and California Forever has been forced to withdraw their hastily drawn, poorly designed initiative.”
As Mashburn explained, California Forever has “politicized the entire project [making] it difficult for us and our staff to work with them, and forced everyone in our community to take sides.”
Will California Forever Ever Be Built?
At this point in time, it’s impossible to say whether or not Sramek and Flannery Associates will successfully build the city of California Forever. However, with the kind of money they have, it’s hard to imagine they won’t get what they want.
Not only can they afford to wait another few years, but Flannery Associates can also pay whatever legal fees, permit requirements, or additional fines come their way. While Solano Together won’t give up, it will be a challenge to fight the billionaires off forever.
