California ForNever – The Benicia Independent ~ Eyes on the Environment / Benicia news & views (2024)

[Note from BenIndy: ENOUGH ALREADY. California Forever’s cynical use of the “job-hating NIMBYs” refrain to dismiss opposition to its new city needs to stop. With so much money at its disposal, CF’s PR team should be able to come up with something better than these lazy, insulting, and honestly embarrassingattempts to stifle discourse with mean-spirited and just plain silly generalizations. This manipulative spin factory is not only offensive but also an exercise in what younger generations would call CRINGE. For all the money they’re throwing around, they can’t even manage decent propaganda. A lot of good could come from how much cash is feeding this dying albatross, and it’s a shame to see it wasted on the development of talking points that have the same intellectual weight of a middle school bully’s playground taunt. We need affordable housing now, and it needs to be actually affordable.]

KCRA, by Lee Anne Denyer, May 23, 2024

SOLANO COUNTY, Calif. — Opponents of California Forever’s East Solano Planmet Thursday afternoon to distribute lawn signs to share their disapproval of a proposed new Solano County city.“It will dramatically change life in Solano County,” said Marilyn Farley, of Solano Together. “I’m not in favor of it.”

Farley is part of a coalition of Solano County community members opposed to the proposed new city that has been pitched and backed by a group of Silicon Valley billionaires. The development would require thousands of acres of land — purchased by the investors and currently zoned for agricultural use —be rezoned for urban development.

“The traffic is a concern. The nearby habitat is a concern, vernal pools,” Farley said. “It’s just how they went about it and how secretive they were.”

On Thursday, Farley and others concerned about the project met in Vacaville for a sign pickup. Two opposition groups both produced signs to be handed out.

Michelle Trippi is an organizer of the Facebook group
California ForNever. The name, she said, may be satirical but the online forum is a real place for people to share their concerns with the proposal and California Forever, she explained.

“I’m just opposed to the lack of transparency and dishonesty,” she said. “They could have sold me had they filled in the blanks, but there are just so many unknowns.”

Michael Fortney, California Forever’s director of partnerships, shared a statement with KCRA 3 in response to the opposition. It reads:

“We are delivering on the promises of theEast Solano Plan. We protected Travis AFB, brought a dozen new employers who are excited to come to Solano County, and delivered $500,000 in nonprofit grants for the county. And Solano residents are recognizing that we can deliver – people are reaching out to me daily, excited and energized by what we can do together. Meanwhile, a small group of vocal opponents are busy chasing away new employers from Solano County, and preventing the building of homes that can keep our kids in Solano. Let’s not let a small minority shout down new ideas for Solano County and instead work together to build opportunity for everyone.”

Farley isn’t convinced. She said Solano Together will continue its work as a potential ballot measure that could go to voters this November.

“I never thought I’d be doing something like this,” she said. “We believe in Solano County and our way of life. We believe in protecting our farmland and our open space and we’re going to do what we can to protect it.”

The Solano County Registrar of Voters told KCRA 3 that California Forever submitted its petition to place the measure on the ballot with more than 20,000 signatures. Elections officials are in the process of verifying those signatures. An update is expected in mid-June.

By BenIndy, May 24, 2024

A new group of Solano County residents has emerged to oppose the tech billionaire–proposed new city that many believe threatens Solano’s essential character and, ultimately, its future.

California ForNever is a nonpartisan grassroots group described as “a satirically titled group serious about opposing and calling out the lies and misinformation, continually perpetuated by Flannery, aka California Forever, aka “The East Solano Homes, Jobs & Clean Energy Initiative.” Its members have dedicated themselves to rallying residents to reject the development of a new city in Eastern Solano (a project once known as California Forever and now called the East Solano Plan), protecting residents against allegedly misleading claims made by the project’s funders, and safeguarding the county and its locals.

How to Say “No!”

Through its website, California ForNever is urging all Solano residents to fill out a brief form sharing why they are opposed or statements of opposition to California Forever/East Solano Plan; these will be presented to elected officials, including the Solano County Board of Supervisors, when they are considering the proposal.

Some submissions can be seen on a page called “Solano Speaks.” Comments range from specific to general, citing frustration with everything from the Flannery group’s lack of transparency, to the public antics of its leadership and major funders, to failures of local officials to properly disclose financial interest tied to the city’s realization, and more.

“The proposed California Forever project is not for Solano County,” one comment reads. “[…] Their ‘city’ isn’t for us either. It’s for Silicon Valley people.”

California Forever/East Solano Plan CEO Jan Sramek has been lambasted for describing the proposed city’s projected $1 million price tag for a home as a reasonable alternative to Palo Alto’s $4-to-5-million-dollar homes.

“We need economic growth yes,” another comment says, “but we need to invest in our towns and our communities not build a new one. Our Vice Mayor is violating the trust of his people by taking loans from these people in an act of quid pro quo.”

Vacaville’s Vice Mayor Greg Ritchie, who was by many accounts the first Solano public official to endorse the initiative, holds four DBAs (“Doing Business As” or “trade names”) connecting his home loans company to California Forever by name.

Vacaville Vice Mayor positioned himself for personal gain in promoting California Forever

Swag, Signs and Merch Show Fellow Residents the Way

California ForNever is also encouraging residents opposed to the new city to purchase lawn signs and other merchandise to spread the word about the widespread opposition to the proposed development.

Signs come in various sizes and include stakes. California ForNever has also welcomed special requests for custom-sized signs, or banners, via email (info@californiafornever.org). Tees, stickers, hats, and more are also available at CaliforniaForNever.org/merch.

California ForNever and Solano Together, another group known for its opposition to the initiative, are unaffiliated; Solano Together is a coalition of organizations and groups operating political campaign, while California ForNever is staying out of the politics of the project to position itself as a community resource, providing news, updates, and fact-based information to Solano residents.

For more information and to get involved, visit the California ForNever Group’s website at CaliforniaForNever.org or its Facebook Group.