Solano County, where the west wind blows.
 
Chris Neklason contributed

On Jan. 21, California Forever, the company proposing to build a big, green city near the northeastern banks of the Sacramento River Delta, announced that they had inked “the largest construction labor agreement in history.” 

The deal, struck with the Napa/Solano Building Trades Council and the Northern California Carpenters Union, secured local Labor’s support for the project—the largest proposed development currently underway in the state and the nation. According to a statement issued last week, the plan is to create “the first walkable city built in a century” halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento.

Built From the Ground Up

We’ve written before about the audacious plan to build this city in Solano County from scratch, with housing, schools, parks and other infrastructure to ultimately support a population of up to 400,000 people. The California Forever corporation forged the plan with the backing of deep-pocketed Silicon Valley investors.

The envisioned community would be located between Rio Vista and the Sacramento River to the east and Suisun City to the west. “Suisun” (pronounced sə-SOON), is from the local indigenous Patwin word for “west wind,” and the roughly 65,000 acres of rolling grazing land purchased for the project can definitely get a mite blowy. In fact, the area’s Montezuma Hills are already home to the huge Shiloh Wind Farm. 

With access to San Francisco Bay (and the Pacific Ocean) on one side and the Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel on the other, the developers are proposing to construct a shipbuilding yard south of the new community. If built, it would be the largest such facility in the United States.

If the workers of the new community find maritime employment doesn’t suit them, they can choose to get jobs at a high-tech next-gen manufacturing park being proposed for the north side of the new community.

Overcoming Initial Missteps

The purchase of the tens of thousands of acres of land over five years was undertaken in secret through a California Forever subsidiary named Flannery Associates. The developers say such clandestine dealings were necessary  to “avoid short-term speculation” which would have surely run up prices substantially higher than the estimated $900 million spent to acquire the land.

In 2023, California Forever revealed that it was behind the land purchases, and presented its vision to build a brand new, green, pedestrian- and public transportation-friendly community.

The secrecy around the land purchases were cause for mistrust and suspicion among some members of the community. This was exacerbated in May 2023 when the company sued several land owners for “conspiring to fix prices for their properties.” Coming on top of the initial secrecy, the lawsuit was seen as heavy handed and soured locals on the company even more, fueling a sense that Silicon Valley billionaires were buying up the county and imposing their will  

The Solano County General Plan specifies that all new housing and industrial development occur within the boundaries of existing municipalities. So, the company authored and sponsored an initiative for the November 2024  countywide ballot to amend the General Plan to allow them to move forward. It called for the creation of a new  Community Services District charged with providing government and other municipal services.

When it was clear there wasn’t enough voter support for the ballot measure, it was withdrawn in July. It appeared that the way forward was blocked.

Undaunted, the company added the shipyard to its proposal in March 2025, and the manufacturing park in July, expanding the scale of its vision. They weren’t just building houses, they were also building jobs.

In October, the company announced the hiring of Jim Wunderman as Head of Public Affairs. A 21-year veteran of the politically influential Bay Area Council, Wunderman brought significant business, policy and advocacy experience in the region, as well as connections and relationships.

Also of major importance, officials from Suisun City initiated discussions with California Forever in March of 2025 about the annexation of some 22,900 acres by the city, and an application was submitted to the Solano County LAFCO in October. Discussions are underway with Rio Vista for the same purpose.

And now, the labor agreement.

What’s the Big Deal(s):

Annexation

The move by Suisun City and Rio Vista to annex California Forever properties and work with the LAFCO in expanding their geographic city boundaries establishes jurisdictional governance and planning and development processes in conformance with the existing General Plan.

It also leverages the existing relationships Suisun City and Rio Vista have with the Solano County government, the local Resource Conservation District, Water District and other regional planning and development agencies.

Labor Agreement

The just-announced agreement with local labor organizations  brings their support and heft towards achieving the political backing necessary to proceed to the planning and permitting process. 

The announcement references the 40 years it will take to build the community, the manufacturing park and the shipyard. Danny Bernardini of the Napa-Solano Building Trades Council observes “This isn’t just a construction project; it’s a multi-generational promise to the working families of Solano County.” 

40 Years

Maybe the most important aspect of the California Forever project isn’t just that CEO Jan Sramek and the California Forever investors, officials of Suisun City and Rio Vista, and now the local labor councils, are going big. 

It’s that they’re also going long.