ADVOCACY & EDUCATION

Since Flannery Associates’ ownership was outed by the New York Times in August 2023, it has released its plan to build a large private city on lands currently in use for important agricultural and habitat uses in southeastern Solano County. For nearly forty years, Solano County has been on the forefront of protecting our future through land use policies based on the idea that “whatever is urban shall be within existing municipal boundaries.” These sensible policies have kept new urban growth within the jurisdiction of the seven existing cities in the county and prevented massive urban congestion and pollution. These policies have ensured Solano’s place as a vibrant agricultural engine essential to maintaining our food systems and environments in a future threatened with climate change and a growing world population.

In just a few years Flannery Associates has purchased over 60,000 acres of land. Under it’s alternative name California Forever, Flannery Associates has proposed a new ballot initiative to change Solano County policies to allow its billionaire investors to build a new city of 50,000 residents on nearly 16,000 acres of valued dryland farming and grazing land with important habitat value. Their ultimate goal is to expand the city to 400,000 people!

In addition to assisting local farmers and landowners to stand up to Flannery Associates, Solano Rural Defense has joined a coalition of other local and regional organizations and some individuals under the name of Solano Together to educate and advocate against the initiative and to continue to protect the agriculture, open space and valued environment of Solano County.

Other Solano Together coalition members are not able to directly assist farmers in defending themselves, therefore, Solano Rural Defense is taking on that task. Nevertheless, our advocacy efforts with Solano Together are crucial in the battle to protect our land, our livelihoods, and our heritage in Solano County.

To learn more about Solano Together, and to contribute to and get involved with that front of our battle, visit their website at https://www.solanotogether.org.