California Forever: 2 Solano Cities Team Up as Annexation Talks Move Forward

For at least the past few months, two of the smallest Solano County cities have been eyeing land owned by California Forever and exploring whether to annex some of it. Now, they want to team up and negotiate together.

On Tuesday, the city councils of Rio Vista and Suisun City each approved an agreement to work together as both continue to explore expanding their respective boundaries and controlling land owned by the company that’s behind a controversial plan to build a city from scratch on pastureland.

“I am looking forward to working with the city of Rio Vista to ensure we can collaborate thoughtfully on exploring annexation efforts that best support both of our communities,” Suisun City Mayor Alma Hernandez said in an email to KQED. “Collaboration will be key, and I’m optimistic about what we can achieve together.”

The Memorandum of Understanding between Suisun City and Rio Vista vows to protect Travis Air Force Base, ensure sustainability of each city’s economy and water supply, mitigate impacts on traffic and education and address infrastructure needs as each city negotiates how much and where it will annex land.

“Suisun City and Rio Vista have made clear that regional benefit is central to their participation,” Michael Fortney, California Forever’s director of partnerships, said during Suisun City’s council meeting. “We’re grateful to be part of this conversation, and we remain committed to open, honest and respectful engagement every step of the way.”

On Tuesday, Suisun City’s council also voted to begin drafting a series of agreements that would formalize a working relationship between it and California Forever. The agreement would require the company to cover costs to explore annexation, so the city doesn’t have to dip into its general fund. City staff said those draft agreements could be presented to the council as early as May 20.

But during the meeting, many residents, some of whom live outside of Suisun City, raised questions about how annexation of the land, technically owned by California Forever subsidiary Flannery Associates, could impact wildlife and traffic and might circumvent county voters’ ability to decide on the project.

A ballot measure for California Forever’s proposed walkable city, which promised to bring thousands of new jobs and homes to the county, was set to go before Solano voters in November.

But a few months before the election, as calls for more detailed information about the plan grew, the company pulled its initiative and vowed to return in 2026 with another measure that would include an environmental impact report and development agreement, which the county would review.

“Suisun is proposing to help push the project forward by going around the people’s vote and incorporate the Flannery land into the Suisun City,” said Don Lipary, who owns county land near Suisun City and California Forever’s properties. “The majority of people are not on board with this.”

Some, who spoke out against the company’s proposal, urged the council to stop annexation discussions for fear that the process could happen too quickly and without public input.

“There’s no discussion, there’s no public input, there’s no transparency,” said Jim DeKloe, a professor at Solano College and resident of Cordelia. “This is when you decide whether or not you’re going to partner with the least respected entity in Solano County.”

Flannery Associates owns more than 60,000 acres and is currently one of the largest private landowners in Solano. Rio Vista and Suisun City — both under 7 square miles in size — sit closest to it.

Officials in both cities have discussed the idea of expanding their respective boundaries since the beginning of this year, and while they share some reasons for expanding, they differ in motivations.

For years, Suisun City has faced a structural deficit, and according to City Manager Bret Prebula, it had to use 40% of its reserves last year to avoid cuts to essential services. But if it expanded and broadened its tax base, Prebula said the city might have a more secure financial future.

“Expanding allows us to see if we can create an economy of scale, where we can provide the level of service for the entire community,” he said. “We believe this is the best opportunity to help our residents in Suisun City.”

Suisun City Councilmember Princess Washington was less sure. She cast the sole dissenting vote at Tuesday’s meeting and said she was elected “to represent the people.”

“I represent — or I hear — people who don’t [want the project], and it would not be fair if I didn’t voice that,” she said. “My concern is that we’re putting all of our eggs in one basket.”

Rio Vista also wants to broaden its tax base, but it doesn’t face the existential financial crisis its neighboring city does.

In March, members of Rio Vista’s city council said they were motivated to look into annexation after Suisun City expressed interest in January. Council members said they wanted to protect the feel of their “quaint river town” in the face of California Forever’s bold proposal. Company executives have said the proposed city could eventually support some 400,000 residents at full build-out, making it roughly the size of Oakland.

Last month, both cities sent letters to the surrounding 24 landowners, including Flannery Associates, to gauge interest in which might be interested in discussing annexation.

Two property owners have so far said they are definitely not interested. But California Forever, along with Mount Calvary Church and Hatch Investments, responded in early April to say they are.

Clark Hatch, Hatch Investments’ general partner, told KQED that much of the company’s land, which includes nearly 3,000 acres of pastureland, is not very productive as farmland but could be a good spot for new housing.

“There’s no flood issue, there’s no fire issue, there’s no earthquakes, and it’s relatively flat and smooth,” he said. “It’d be nice if some more housing gets built because people want to raise their kids in Solano County, and [there are] not that many houses. It’d be nice to have a new city there.”

Amit Pal, another Suisun council member, said that while there were still many questions left unanswered, exploring annexation is just the beginning.

“I think once we look at all the facts, we can make the decisions,” he said. “I don’t have the information to do that, and that’s why I wanted to do the exploration — to find out the facts.”