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Two Democratic state lawmakers will introduce legislation to fast-track a maritime shipyard in Solano County, potentially handing a victory to the billionaire-backed California Forever group that has been pushing for nearly a decade to develop in the outer San Francisco Bay.
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Assemblymember Lori Wilson, D-Suisun City, and Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, D-West Sacramento, will introduce language to create the Solano Maritime and Manufacturing Act, according to a preliminary copy of the legislation obtained by The Sacramento Bee and two sources who were not authorized to discuss the deal publicly.
The legislation would designate a 1,350-acre waterfront site in Solano County’s Collinsville area as a maritime industrial zone with the intent of building a major shipyard, citing the U.S.’s sluggish pace of naval and commercial shipbuilding, compared to China.
“To counter this disparity and reinforce national security, new shipbuilding and maritime hubs are needed, especially on the west coast of the United States,” the language read. “Development of maritime uses in this area is urgent and a matter of statewide importance due to the urgent need to build ships and to maintain a maritime industrial base and related or supportive uses and infrastructure for national security.”
Spokespeople for Wilson and Cabaldon did not respond to requests for comment. It was unclear as of Monday afternoon under what legislative vehicle the act would be introduced, or when.
Previously, California Forever — a group of tech billionaires led by former Goldman Sachs CEO Jan Sramek — tried to get the Legislature to fast track a deal that would allow Texas shipbuilder Saronic Technologies to relocate its headquarters to Solano County, citing a need for jobs and housing.
The deal fell through after Texas officials granted Saronic $211 billion in tax abatements to locate to the Port of Brownsville. Members of California Forever have lobbied Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration to find an alternative, according to CalMatters and a memo obtained by The Bee from Dee Dee Myers, Newsom’s director of Business and Economic Development.
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The language would designate the site to only be used for shipbuilding and manufacturing to support naval operations, while setting aside up to 20 acres for retail, public safety or temporary housing uses.
It would also streamline permitting under local agencies, and allow developers to use a 2008 environmental study to satisfy environmental impact concerns under the California Environmental Quality Act, which opponents had cited in their criticism of the project.
Under the legislation, if the project ran into bureaucratic hurdles, a “special master” within the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation would be appointed to resolve disputes within 45 days, which would be binding and not subject to appeal.
A spokesperson for California Forever declined to comment. The group first began buying up property starting in 2017 in the outer East Bay to build a new city, until running into local opposition and scrapping plans for a 2024 ballot measure.
Earlier this year, the group hired former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg and former Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, a former Sacramento mayor, as lobbyists to advance the project through the Legislature.
The Solano County Board of Supervisors will discuss the legislation at a highly anticipated Tuesday meeting.
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