California Forever

Czech-born entrepreneur Jan Sramek founded California Forever and its subsidiary Flannery Associates in 2017.{{Cite web |date=September 4, 2023 |title=Company behind Solano County land grab says 2008 law will decide 'California Forever' |url=https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/company-founder-behind-solano-county-land-grab-shares-website-under-california-forever/103-808ead49-51cd-42d3-b54f-1bf0de0f29ee |access-date=January 26, 2024 |website=abc10.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Dougherty |first=Conor |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/19/business/economy/flannery-california-forever-solano.html |title=The Farmers Had What the Billionaires Wanted |work=The New York Times|date=January 19, 2024 }} 97% of the company's funding comes from US investors, with the remaining 3% coming from British and Irish investors.{{Cite web |last=Robles |first=Sergio |date=September 2, 2023 |title=California Forever, the company behind land purchases in Solano County |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4184337-california-forever-company-behind-land-purchases-near-travis-air-force-base-launches-website-details-plans/ |access-date=September 24, 2023 |website=The Hill |language=en-US}}

The development of the project was described as a five-year "stealth campaign" by The Real Deal.{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=T. R. D. |date=September 3, 2023 |title=California Forever: Billionaire-Backed Utopian Plans Unveiled |url=https://therealdeal.com/sanfrancisco/2023/09/03/california-forever-billionaire-backed-utopian-plans-unveiled/ |access-date=September 24, 2023 |website=The Real Deal |language=en}} During that time, the company purchased over {{convert|50,000|acre|ha}} of land in Solano County, California for an estimated $900 million.{{Cite news |last1=Dougherty |first1=Conor |last2=Marcos |first2=Coral Murphy |date=November 30, 2023 |title=Hostility Slaps Silicon Valley Bigwigs Trying to Build a New City |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/30/business/solano-county-california-forever-city.html |access-date=April 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} The company's website claimed that the project was kept secret to prevent speculation from driving up real estate prices.{{Cite web |date=September 4, 2023 |title=Company behind Solano County land grab says 2008 law will decide 'California Forever' |url=https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/company-founder-behind-solano-county-land-grab-shares-website-under-california-forever/103-808ead49-51cd-42d3-b54f-1bf0de0f29ee |access-date=September 24, 2023 |website=abc10.com |language=en-US}} The secrecy surrounding these acquisitions led to widespread media speculation.

{{As of|2023|September}}, the land is zoned for agricultural use only and is subject to slow-growth laws. Due to these legal protections, the land can only be developed for urban use if a ballot initiative is passed by local voters. In August 2023, the company issued a mail-in poll to gauge support for the project among local residents.{{Cite web |date=September 1, 2023 |title='California Forever': Billionaires want to build a new city in Solano County. It'll be up to voters |url=https://www.kcra.com/article/california-forever-solano-county-city-flannery-project-land-grab/44977449 |access-date=September 24, 2023 |website=KCRA |language=en}} In January 2024 the company released its proposed city plans and the ballot initiative coming to voters,{{Cite web |date=January 17, 2024 |title=California Forever announces city plan, proposed Solano County ballot initiative |url=https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california-forever-plan/103-bfb093f0-4012-48c6-bffc-5a9c198a878a |access-date=January 26, 2024 |website=abc10.com |language=en-US}} however the ballot measure was withdrawn in July 2024.{{Cite web |last=Dowd |first=Katie |date=July 22, 2024 |title=In shock move, California Forever pulls measure to build Bay Area city |url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/california-forever-pulls-measure-bay-area-city-19589780.php |website=SF Gate}}

In March 2025, the company is reportedly exploring the development of a shipbuilding facility on {{convert|1,400|acre|ha}} near Collinsville. The company says that the shipyard project would complement their city-building ambitions, emphasizing the region's maritime heritage and economic revitalization potential.{{Cite web |date=March 21, 2025 |title='California Forever' Billionaire Group Now Talking About Creating Shipbuilding Yard in the Delta |url=https://sfist.com/2025/03/21/california-forever-billionaire-group-now-talking-about-creating-shipbuilding-port-in-the-delta/ |access-date=March 25, 2025 |website=SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports |language=en}} The proposal garnered support from the Bay Area Council, and local elected officials. A working group was created aimed at fostering shipbuilding and maritime opportunities in Solano County.{{cite press release| title=Bay Area Council Supports Visionary Plan for Bringing Shipbuilding Industry Back to Northern California : Bay Area Council | website=Bay Area Council | date=April 9, 2025 | url=https://www.bayareacouncil.org/press-releases/bay-area-council-supports-visionary-plan-for-bringing-shipbuilding-industry-back-to-northern-california/ | access-date=April 11, 2025}}

On August 25, 2023, The New York Times reported that the company's backers include the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, as well as several prominent Silicon Valley investors:

• Michael Moritz, former partner at Sequoia Capital.
• Laurene Powell Jobs, founder and chair of Emerson Collective; widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
• Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn.
• Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Andreesen Horowitz.
• Chris Dixon, general partner at Andreesen Horowitz.
• Patrick Collison, co-founder and CEO of Stripe.
• John Collison, co-founder and President of Stripe.
• Nat Friedman, former GitHub CEO and investor.
• Daniel Gross, partner at Y Combinator.

California Forever has stated that its investors are not involved in everyday operations.

The site is located in Solano County, California, approximately {{convert|60|mi|km}} northeast of San Francisco.{{Cite news |last1=Dougherty |first1=Conor |last2=Griffith |first2=Erin |date=August 25, 2023 |title=The Silicon Valley Elite Who Want to Build a City From Scratch |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/25/business/land-purchases-solano-county.html |access-date=April 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} Its planned size would include a population of up to 400,000 residents over a land area about two thirds the size of San Francisco,{{Cite web |last=Nolte |first=Carl |date=September 9, 2023 |title=Why the California Forever dream of a new city would be a nightmare |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/nativeson/article/california-dream-new-city-nightmare-18349194.php |access-date=September 24, 2023 |website=San Francisco Chronicle |language=en-US}} just north of Highway 12 between Travis Air Force Base and the City of Rio Vista.{{Cite web |last=Manna |first=Orko |date=May 16, 2024 |title=New renderings show California Forever's plans for new city in Solano County |url=https://www.kcra.com/article/exclusive-renderings-california-forever-plans-solano-county/60819187 |access-date=July 23, 2024 |website=KCRA |language=en-US}} The proposed city would include residential homes, a solar farm and public parks.{{Cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20230903-tech-titans-vision-for-a-new-city-in-northern-california-raises-concerns|title=Tech titans' vision for a new city in Northern California raises concerns|date=September 3, 2023|website=France 24}}

The original architectural designs for the city, released on the company's website, showed Mediterranean architecture and streetcar infrastructure. The urban design critic for the San Francisco Chronicle criticized the designs as lacking detail and being unrealistic,{{Cite web |last=King |first=John |date=September 1, 2023 |title=Here's everything that's wrong with renderings of new California city fueled by tech money |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/solano-county-new-city-tech-money-proposal-18342964.php |access-date=September 24, 2023 |website=San Francisco Chronicle |language=en-US}} and Jon Steinberg compared them to the futuristic city of The Jetsons.{{Cite web |title=The Botched Reveal of California Forever |url=https://www.theinformation.com/articles/the-botched-reveal-of-california-forever |access-date=September 24, 2023 |website=The Information}}

The project is supported by California YIMBY, who released a statement in June 2024 noting that, “this project has been designed by some of the brightest minds in California planning, and it shows. If successful, this project could set the tone for a much more sustainable pattern of urban growth over the next century.”{{Cite web |last=YIMBY |first=California |date=June 19, 2024 |title=Statement In Support of the East Solano Plan |url=https://cayimby.org/news-events/statement-in-support-of-the-east-solano-plan/ |access-date=February 27, 2025 |website=California YIMBY |language=en-US}}

File:Travis AFB aerial.jpg

California Forever's secretive acquisition of land adjacent to Travis Air Force Base through its subsidiary Flannery Associates raised concerns over the security of the military installation. In July 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States Air Force's Foreign Investment Risk Review Office had been investigating Flannery Associates' land purchases for about eight months.{{Cite news |last1=O’Keeffe |first1=Kristina |last2=Peterson |first2=Jack |last3=Gillum |first3=Kate |date=July 7, 2023 |title=Investors Bought Nearly $1 Billion in Land Near a California Air Force Base. Officials Want to Know Who Exactly They Are. |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/investors-bought-nearly-1-billion-in-land-near-a-california-air-force-base-officials-want-to-know-who-exactly-they-are-fd868e38 |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 21, 2024 |work=The Wall Street Journal |language=en-US}} Additionally, US Representatives John Garamendi and Mike Thompson, who both represent parts of Solano County, asked the FBI and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to investigate Flannery Associates' land acquisitions.{{Cite web |last=Bertrand |first=Natasha |date=August 11, 2023 |title=National security panel reviewing secretive land buys near key Air Force base |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/11/politics/cfius-review-land-buys-near-air-force-base/index.html |access-date=April 21, 2024 |website=CNN |language=en}}

The project has received widespread criticism from local residents and officials.{{Cite news |last=Anguiano |first=Dani |date=September 2, 2023 |title=Plan for 55,000-acre utopia dreamed by Silicon Valley elites unveiled |language=en-GB |work=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/sep/02/silicon-valley-elites-utopian-city-california |access-date=September 24, 2023 |issn=0029-7712}}{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Wes |date=September 3, 2023 |title='California Forever' website touts the city tech billionaires are trying to build |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/3/23857664/california-forever-tech-billionaire-secret-city |access-date=September 24, 2023 |website=The Verge |language=en-US}} Critics of the planned development have noted the lack of a reliable water supply and presence of wind farms as a potential obstacle to urban development. Catherine Moy, the mayor of Fairfield, California, stated that the lack of mass transit, inadequate highway access, and drought conditions in the area would make it difficult to support a city. Its potential impact on neighboring communities in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta has also been cited as a potential drawback.

In May 2023, Flannery Associates filed an anti-trust lawsuit against several landowners accusing them of illegally conspiring to raise prices of their land. Gil Duran, in a January 2024 The New Republic article, wrote that the project violated existing land use laws and that Flannery had "lavished money on local landowners, overpaying for the land by millions".{{cite magazine |last1=Duran |first1=Gil |author1-link=Gil Duran |title=The People of Solano County Versus the Next Tech-Billionaire Dystopia |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/177733/billionaire-solano-california-tech-secession |access-date=April 29, 2024 |magazine=The New Republic |date=January 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426214459/https://newrepublic.com/article/177733/billionaire-solano-california-tech-secession |archive-date=April 26, 2024 |language=en-US}}

Former mayor of West Sacramento, California Christopher Cabaldon expressed concerns that operating family farms may become more difficult. He also accused Flannery Associates of canceling long-standing foraging leases.{{Cite news |last=Dineen |first=J.K. |title='So arrogant it's amazing': Solano County ranchers decry tech billionaires' land grab |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/solano-county-farm-ranchers-18343048.php |access-date=April 21, 2024 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |language=en}}

The Greenbelt Alliance, Sierra Club, and other groups have formed a coalition called Solano Together to oppose California Forever's project.{{cite web | website=ABC10 | last=Shahin | first=Krys | title=Solano County environmentalist groups announce new coalition against California Forever project|url=https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/fairfield/california-forever-solano-together/103-a4135dc5-5a93-4940-a5f9-8497daffe17c|date=November 28, 2023}} The project has faced opposition from "vast and varied" groups including farmers, climate advocates and the Solano County Republican Party.{{Cite web |last=McCarthy |first=Will |date=March 21, 2025 |title=He Thinks His City Can Solve California’s Biggest Problems. Even if the Public Says Otherwise. |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/03/21/california-forever-jan-sramek-housing-city-00236919 |access-date=March 21, 2025 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}

In January 2025, the city of Suisun City announced that it was investigating expanding to lands to the east, effectively annexing much of California Forever.{{cite web | last=Dineen | first=J.K. | title=This city wants to expand. Critics worry it’s how California Forever will take root | website=San Francisco Chronicle | date=January 26, 2025 | url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/suisun-city-california-forever-solano-county-20053951.php | access-date=February 13, 2025}} Such a maneuver would side-step the need for a county-wide referendum on the issue.{{cite web | last=Schreckinger | first=Ben | title=California Forever’s backdoor off the ballot | website=POLITICO | date=January 27, 2025 | url=https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-playbook-pm/2025/01/27/california-forevers-backdoor-off-the-ballot-00200819 | access-date=February 13, 2025}} In March 2025, the city of Rio Vista also started exploring an annexation of California Forever land.{{cite news |url=https://www.kqed.org/news/12029950/rio-vista-explores-annexing-some-california-forevers-land |title=Rio Vista Explores Annexing Some of California Forever's Land |author=Adhiti Bandlamudi |date=March 6, 2025|publisher=KQED}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{official|https://www.californiaforever.com}}
• [https://www.solanotogether.org/ Solano Together] - opposition group
• {{LittleSis}}

Category:Real estate companies of the United States

Category:Companies based in Solano County, California

Category:2017 establishments in California

Category:Utopian communities in the United States

Category:Proposed planned communities in California

Category:Utopian communities in California