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Tech Billionaires Hire Ex-Legislators to Push Fast-Track Plan for Solano Manufacturing Hub

California Forever plans to use Suisun City annexation and expedited legislative review to convert owned parcels into a large industrial zone meant to unlock major private investment.

Overview

  • California Forever has recruited former Senate leaders Darrell Steinberg and Bob Hertzberg to press the Legislature for accelerated review and approvals of its revised development plan.
  • The group has shifted from a city‑building pitch to a strategy that centers on a manufacturing hub on land it already owns outside Suisun City and an annexation to use Suisun City’s existing industrial zoning.
  • Supporters say the project could bring billions in investment and tens of thousands of jobs by speeding permitting and using municipal industrial plans to shorten timelines.
  • Local officials and environmental advocates have organized to challenge the effort, saying the proposed timetable is unusually fast and warning that shortcuts could bypass California environmental review protections.
  • The campaign builds on roughly a decade of land purchases and planning by California Forever and raises broader questions about private influence on land use and the future of the outer Bay Area greenbelt.