A new poll suggests people may be warming to the idea of a proposed new city in Solano County.
The poll, commissioned by the California Forever group, shows growing support for the project. Project organizers said it shows a majority of voters surveyed feel the county’s economy is struggling. And when voters learned what the new city would bring with it, 59% said they’re in favor of it.
“Everyone here knows someone who has lost a job or is losing a job,” California Forever CEO Jan Sramek said. “I think we feel privileged to be in a position to hopefully do something about it.”
Sramek said he’s encouraged by the new numbers and is determined to make his vision a reality. He hopes to break ground in 2028.
“We want to make sure that the moment that we get permits we can get going and we can break ground and we can put as many of those people back to work as we can and hopefully many, many more than that,” he said.
Suisun City Mayor Alma Hernandez said California Forever’s proposal to build a new city in the region sounds attractive.
Suisun City has agreed to explore annexing 22,000 acres of California Forever’s agricultural land. The group hopes to build a new city the size of Oakland, complete with thousands of affordable homes, the nation’s largest manufacturing park and a shipyard.
“I looked at an opportunity for Suisun City, which is to explore expansion for the city, specifically because we need jobs in our community, we need revenues in our community, and we found ourselves in a financial challenging time,” Hernandez said.
Fairfield Mayor Catherine Moy doesn’t believe the poll’s findings and said the group should let voters decide, noting the initial proposal set outside Fairfield was roundly shot down.
“I strongly ask them to put this on the ballot for November so Solano County can vote and then we’ll see how it comes,” Moy said.
An environmental impact report should be complete by the end of the year. Hernandez said the city is carefully weighing the plan.