By admin 
The Solano County Board of Supervisors voted to postpone taking a position on potential controversial state legislation creating a shipyard in the outer Bay Area that has the tacit backing of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Read more Local special taxes face raised bar for endorsement under compromise on ballot
The supervisors voted to sidestep weighing in on the Solano Maritime and Manufacturing Act, which would designate 1,350 acres in the Collinsville area as a maritime industrial zone. The proposal grew out of negotiations between legislators, Newsom’s Office of Business and Economic Development, and the group California Forever, which pushed the shipyard to potentially jumpstart economic and housing development in the region.
The board heard public testimony for almost four hours, most of which came from community members staunchly opposed to the legislation, which as of Tuesday evening has not been officially introduced in the Legislature or via a trailer bill.
The language needs to be in print by Friday so it can hit California’s 72-hour legislative rule before the two-year session ends. Amendments and bills must be publicly available for 72 hours before lawmakers can vote on it. They must do so and send it to Newsom’s desk by midnight Monday, when the Legislature adjourns.
A majority of the board appeared skeptical of the legislation, which contains a provision that could allow the state to bypass challenges brought under the California Environmental Quality Act by appointing a state “special master” to resolve disputes and issue binding decisions.
Supervisor Mitch Mashburn called it state overregulation and expressed frustration that proponents were “cramming it down” local leaders’ throats.
“I think that we need to continue to work on this legislation. I think that what the piece for me that gave it urgency was worrying about whether the governor was going to cram it down our throats,” he said. “And I got to tell you right now, I ain’t really that afraid of the governor.”
He introduced a motion to continue working with the state on the legislation and reintroduce it in the next legislative cycle in January, which passed via a 3-2 vote.
Assemblymember Lori Wilson, D-Suisun City, and state Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, D-West Sacramento, told the board that the legislation would not strip local officials’ control over issues like permitting.
“It doesn’t waive any environmental, fiscal or democratic review of that project at all, or the boundary itself,” Cabaldon said. “The language that you have to consider is exclusively and totally about the ship building project.”
Read more Sacramento Metro Fire boat crews pull man from American River in Rancho Cordova
Opponents wore pink shirts that read “Stop California Forever,” referring to the group of tech industry executives that began anonymously buying up land in the county in 2017 to potentially build a new walkable city until the New York Times identified them in 2023.
Critics cited reasons as varied as concerns about the potential environmental damage upon the nearby Suisun Marsh to ideological opposition to California Forever, whose investors include tech moguls like venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, a major Republican Party donor, and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman.
Two people registered their opposition by singing their dissent via lyrics set to the tunes of “Pop Goes The Weasel” and Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth.”
Others pointed out that California Forever has political clout because its chief lobbying firm, Axiom Advisors, employs several of Newsom’s friends and former officials. Other investors, like Hoffman, have their own ties to the governor.
“It’s not even a real project, as we’ve already heard, and I believe it’s a Trojan horse,” said Sarah Donnelly, a council member in nearby Rio Vista, of the shipyard plan. “(California Forever) first brought us supposed housing. Now they’re talking about shipbuilding, and what I think they’re really up to is a data center in our backyard.”
Vallejo resident Colin Fahrion said he distrusted the proponents due to their ties to tech, citing his own background in the industry. He also pointed to a provision in the bill that would allow a 2008 environmental study to satisfy impact concerns under CEQA.
“I’ve been (in tech) for a long time, long enough to know that I don’t trust a lot of the people in the larger tech industry, and we all know who’s been pushing this initiative,” he said. “They’ve been trying to stealth this through for a long time, and this is their new way of doing it. And I don’t trust them whatsoever.”
Solano County Supervisor Cassandra James acknowledged California Forever’s inauspicious start, comparing them to a “bull in a china shop” as the company bought up thousands of acres of farmland under the name of Flannery Associates.
“We need to address those past harms and the mistrust and everything that has caused us to be here until 6 o’clock,” James said.
Read more Health-focused food chain opening Sacramento location in campus dining center
This story was originally published August 25, 2026 at 8:23 PM.