Billionaires want to build a new city in rural California. They must convince voters first

September 3, 2023

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Silicon Valley billionaires behind a secretive $800 million land-buying spree in Northern California have finally released some details about their plans for a new green city, but they still must win over skeptical voters and local leaders.

https://apnews.com/article/silicon-valley-tech-investors-new-city-housing-35f91416dd7d84ecb03ed08199d87dd5?

January 21, 2024

A billionaire-backed plan for a new California city needs voters

After years of stealthily snapping up farmland for a new city northeast of San Francisco, former Goldman Sachs trader Jan Sramek backed by Silicon Valley billionaires pitched voters Wednesday on his vision for a walkable, affordable community that would appeal to their California pride. Read more.

Why this matters:

The plan needs the approval of county voters to bypass protections from 1984 that keep agricultural land from being turned into urban space. If approved, the project would be built on over $800 million of rural land Sramek and his company purchased over a period of years, to the great suspicion of locals.
The state is in desperate need of more affordable housing. Project proponents say Solano County is the ideal place to build, and the location near Travis Air Force Base would appeal to military contractors.
Critics remain skeptical about the project’s aims, especially after Sramek’s company spent years secretly buying up land around the base and suing local farmers who refused to sell. They say more urban sprawl could also harm sensitive ecosystems and overburden the region’s already strained water supply.