An initiative to develop an environmentally conscious community in Solano County in the Bay Area has been pulled from the November ballot in a surprising about-face after likely voters indicated that the project was moving too fast.
According to a joint statement July 22 from Solano County Supervisor Mitch Mashburn and California Forever CEO Jan Sramek—the developer behind the project—they have agreed to withdraw the measure from the ballot and instead place it before voters in 2026 after the creation of general zoning and development plans.
Such will include the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report, which analyzes a project’s potential environmental effects, such as air quality, water resources, noise and traffic.
“I think it signals Jan Sramek’s understanding that while the need for more affordable housing and good paying jobs has merit, the timing has been unrealistic,” Mr. Mashburn said.
The development project, also called the East Solano Plan—known on the ballot as the East Solano Homes, Jobs, and Clean Energy Initiative—was supported by tech and manufacturing companies like financial services organization BREX, and Hadrian, a manufacturer for aerospace and defense.
The initiative qualified for the November ballot in June, receiving over 14,000 signatures from local registered voters.
California Forever’s investors include Silicon Valley billionaires such as LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, Stripe co-founders Patrick and John Collison, and Lauren Powell Jobs, widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs.
The initiative, if it had been on the ballot and approved by local voters, would have allowed for the development of around 17,500 acres in Solano County, including middle-class homes and 15,000 jobs in environmentally conscious fields like renewable energy and construction.
According to the plan’s website, the community would have been built around new schools, shopping, parks, trails, urban gardens, and other open space designs allowing for walking, biking, and other green-friendly transit options.
California Forever announced in 2023 that it would seek a vote on the initiative to move forward faster with the project without an environmental impact report and fully negotiated development agreement, according to Mr. Mashburn’s statement.
Mr. Mashburn called the developer’s decision a “mistake” and said it had politicized the project.
“Delaying the vote gives everyone a chance to pause and work together, which is what is needed—not a fight between friends throughout the county on both sides of the issue,” he said.
Last year, California Forever—through its company Flannery Associates—sued local farmers in the county for allegedly price-fixing the sale of their properties in the development area. There were also problems with gaining regulatory approval to build near Travis Air Force Base.
To address those issues, the ballot initiative put forth 10 guarantees to deliver a plan that would benefit residents and families in the local area.
For example, they promised to provide $400 million in funding for down payment assistance for families, nurses, firefighters, and other service-based workers in the new community. They also offered a countywide scholarship program, allotting $70 million in funding for college, vocational training, or small business growth, according to the project’s website.
Because the initiative has now been removed from the November ballot, county and California Forever officials said they would work with the local community to revise the guarantees and benefits moving forward.
LinkedIn Chairman Reid Hoffman at the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco on March 30, 2011. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
According to an Impact Research poll of likely voters in Solano County in July, 65 percent of residents supported the development of affordable homes, clean energy, and jobs in East Solano. However, most said they felt the project was “moving too fast” and it would be “better if there was more time to figure it out and do a full environmental impact report first.”
California Forever and Solano County took voters’ feedback to heart.
“The largest development in Solano County history deserves more time for community input and support,” said Danny Bernardini, business manager for the Napa-Solano Building & Construction Trades Council July 22. He said the council has been in productive discussions with California Forever to create union construction jobs in the county.
California Forever will work with Solano County to prepare necessary reports and paperwork over the next two years and present a full package for county and then voter approval in 2026, according to the East Solano Plan website.
Keegan Billings, Jill McLaughlin, and Katabella Roberts contributed to this report.
Summer Lane is the bestselling author of 30 adventure books, including the hit "Collapse Series." She is a reporter and writer with years of experience in journalism and political analysis. Summer is a wife and mother and lives in the Central Valley of California.
