Update on Shipbuilding State Legislation in Solano County

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind!

We have been following closely proposals on shipbuilding in Solano County, and below we share an explainer of what has happened recently and why it’s important for our work:

In early September, rumors about state legislation around California Forever’s proposed shipbuilding site in Collinsville began to circulate. Hyperbole quickly ramped up, with some claiming that this legislation, which was not available publicly, was the critical piece to unlock 10,000 jobs and preserve national security. After hearing the legislation was on, then off, then on again, a version was sent to the Solano County Board of Supervisors shortly before their meeting on Tuesday (9/9) with a request for support. The proposal floated the week before by Assemblymember Wilson would have expanded the Collinsville site to more than three times its current size while bypassing environmental review and County voter controls. However, the Board reviewed a more modest bill that would have essentially allowed a reworking of the land zoned for maritime industrial industries within the existing size footprint without an Orderly Growth Vote and utilized a 2008 Environmental Impact Report. 

The Board voted 5-0 to support this version of the legislation. However, the legislation did not move forward this session. It is our understanding that California Forever was only interested in the earlier version of the bill that would have significantly expanded the footprint of the project without needing to go through Solano County processes or assess the environmental impact of this new footprint, which is surprising and concerning, given the proximity of the Montezuma wetlands. The bill that the supervisors supported, which tried to balance the need for jobs with the appropriate local input and guidance, did not go far enough for the project proponents.

This is a win for the coalition. 

We recognize the desire and need to attract jobs to Solano County and will push harder to work and advocate for economic development and investment in existing communities. However, the state legislation was a gross overreach in stripping back environmental protections and overriding the Orderly Growth Initiative with no input from Solano residents or even the Supervisors.

While this outcome is a good one for us in the short term, the legislative session will reconvene in January.

California Forever has hired many of Sacramento’s premier lobbyists; they have been paying tens of thousands of dollars per month for close to two years. It is now clear that they are looking for a path to move their proposal forward without input or approval from the County. It is also apparent that the company has close ties with the Governor's office and the White House.

It is important to stay in close touch with Solano County Supervisors as well as Senator Cabaldon and Assemblymember Wilson to identify a sustainable path for job growth in our community that meets the needs of our residents, invests in our existing communities, and protects our natural and working lands.

Thank you to all the well-spoken public commenters from last week and all other partners everywhere advocating for the interests of Solano County residents, rather than tech-billionaires and their self-serving plans.   

We will continue to monitor any shipbuilding or even more far-reaching legislation related to California Forever as the legislature reconvenes. Until then, we will continue to build our movement locally and to co-create an alternative vision to California Forever’s plans and efforts for annexation. We hope to strengthen existing cities, preserve agriculture and open space, and more. Join us.

Key to our effort is transparency and accountability from Flannery Associates/California Forever and decision-makers. Thank you to the decision makers who exemplify this. We will continue to call upon California Forever to do better. This week serves as another reminder that they would rather operate behind closed doors to advance the interests of their investors, even if it requires bending a normal legislative process.

We’re nowhere near done. Keep hope. Build optimism. Stay clear-eyed. We can do this if Solano stays together.