Home Care In Suisun City, CA

SUISUN CITY – The Suisun City Council approved the first step toward annexation of 22,873 acres of California Forever-owed property on Tuesday with 15,740 acres slated for future development.

The proposed Suisun Expansion Specific Plan, which was approved 4-1 at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, would add 150,000 residents by 2048 and achieve full build out by 2071. The Suisun meeting documents do not state the full build out population, but the original California Forever proposal was designed to eventually accommodate up to 400,000 residents.

The move comes after California Forever, a billionaire-backed group that had been secretly buying land for years, pulled a ballot measure to establish a new city on the same land last July after preliminary review of the proposal highlighted environmental concerns and projected it would cause nearly $200 million in annual county and agency deficits and polls showed substantial opposition to the project.

Under the agreement with Suisun, California Forever will pay an initial deposit of $400,000 and provide full reimbursement of the staff time and consultant fees needed to complete the annexation, and for California Environmental Quality Act review of future proposed development plans.

Once the studies are complete, the city has no obligation to move forward with the annexation, which would need final approval from the Solano County Local Agency Formation Commission.

California Forever would provide payments totaling $10 million to be allocated by the city for public benefit if the annexation is approved.

California Forever is keeping other options open during this process. The agreement allows them to also coordinate with the city of Rio Vista, and the option to pay Suisun a $1 million termination fee should the company instead choose to pursue entitlements through Solano County.

“For too long, Suisun City has been treated like an afterthought, boxed in and bypassed and left out of the prosperity that has lifted other communities around us,” Suisun City Manager Bret Prebula said during Tuesday’s meeting.

Speakers who opposed the proposal cited loss of cattle grazing land and environment for sensitive species, lack of transparency in the process, mistrust of California Forever, lack of water supply and cost of Highway 12 expansion.

Those in favor welcomed economic opportunity and increased housing capacity. Several speakers from building trades cited the need for jobs.

The single-topic city council meeting lasted over 4-and-a-half hours until after 10:30 p.m., late by Suisun City standards. Mayor Alma Hernandez asked the attending public for a show of hands both for and against the proposal to give the council a visual, recognizing that some participants had to get up before 4 a.m. to work and might leave before they had an opportunity to speak.

Councilmember Princess Washington cast the only “no” vote on the item. She said she was alarmed by a letter from the Solano County supervisors that requested a halt to annexation talks. She said that she was elected to speak for the people, and that 21 of 25 written comments received before the meeting were against the project, and that the public attending the meeting was split about 50/50.

“What are the financial gains for this, that we can actually look at scientifically with data and not just opinions, not just feelings?” she said.

Washington said that she would push for the people of Suisun to vote on the matter before a final decision is made to submit the annexation application to the county.

“And I think that this idea that being huge, it will solve all our problems is a fallacy, because if that were the case, no other city would have deficits,” Washington said. “I would be remiss if I didn't stand with the people and vote no.”

Hernandez said Suisun is facing a fiscal cliff in 15 years once the revenue from a tax measure passed last fall is depleted. “My goal for this reimbursement agreement is that it helps us to find the answers that we need to make, the decisions that we need to do going forward,” she said.

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SUISUN CITY -- The Suisun City city council voted 3-1 on Tuesday night to enter into a reimbursement agreement with California Forever, which means the city's plan to consider annexing up to 22,000 acres of land owned by the development group now takes a big step forward in what is projected to be a years-long process.

California Forever, a billionaire-backed initiative that drew national attention for its plans to build a new city in Solano County, withdrew its "East Solano Plan" from the November ballot in July 2024. The group was asking Solano County voters to support their proposed city adjacent to Travis Air Force Base of around 400,000 people. Instead, the group went back to the drawing board amid public pushback to put together a full environmental impact report on the proposed city's impact, planning to put a measure back before voters in 2026.

Suisun City, as has the city of Rio Vista, engaged in talks with California Forever beginning in early 2025 to consider annexing some of the group's land into each city.

Tuesday's vote by the Suisun City city council now means California Forever will front the cost of all of research needed for the annexation proposal, including environmental impact reports and paying consultants chosen by the city.

California Forever will pay the city an initial $400,000. If the proposed annexation is eventually adopted by the city council and then approved by the county's LAFCO authority, California Forever will pay Suisun City $10 million.

Currently, the city is facing a projected more than $1 million budget deficit for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

City manager Bret Prebula spoke in support of the annexation project vote, calling it the city's path forward that now allows them to engage in talks with California Forever that could secure a 'prosperous' future for the city.

"What it does is open the door for Suisun City to shape the conversation and ensure we are not left behind," said Prebula at Tuesday's meeting.

More than one hundred community members signed up to give public comment Tuesday night, which meant conversation on this topic went on for more than four hours.

There was standing room only as Solano County residents both for and against the vote packed the chambers.

Several people in support of the annexation project said it stands to provide decades of work for skilled laborers in the county.

"What's the problem? I don't get it. It should be an easy 'yes' vote to take the time and do the research. As far as I'm concerned, the project should go forward as well," said Alicia Mijares, representing local sheet metal workers and their union.

Those in opposition made it clear they do not trust California Forever and they do not want the city's future tied to their initiative.

"When it was happening last summer to go on the ballot, nobody wanted it. They took it off the ballot. Now with this, we don't even have that right anymore. For it to have our vote, our count. It's disgraceful," resident Jan Bartz told CBS News Sacramento before the meeting.

Several called what they heard in Tuesday night's public hearing and presentation 'empty promises.'

"You may think you are being transparent, but many people I speak to in Suisun City do not agree. Brief public comments are no substitute for genuinely transparent and publicly participatory processes," said one community member from the podium in public comment opposing the vote.

Councilmember Princess Washington was the sole "no" vote on the reimbursement agreement with California Forever.

Washington expressed hesitancy in her comments by saying that she doesn't feel five people, the council, should 'dictate the fate of the entire county.' She added that proposals of this nature should be up to voters.

Mayor Alma Hernandez and the other members of the council commented that this is step one in a long process that will provide the city answers, not result in an outright decision, on annexation.

CBS13 asked California Forever for a response to Tuesday night's meeting.

"We look forward to working with Suisun City and Rio Vista to bring new industries, amazing neighborhoods, and new sources of tax revenue to the region," a spokesperson responded in a statement.

Suisun City is also considering a recent offer by California Forever's CEO Jan Sramek to purchase $1.5 million in downtown city property to help the city offset its budget shortfall. The item is expected to return to the council for a vote in late fall 2025.

The Solano County land acquisition firm California Forever made an unsolicited offer to purchase up to $1.5 million worth of property owned by Suisun City in a formal letter to the city last week.

The offer from California Forever comes about a week ahead of talks between the city and the company on whether the city will annex land owned by the company, which initially planned on building a new city on some of the more than 65,000 acres in the southeast part of the county that it has acquired since 2018.

The pitch, made in a letter Tuesday to the mayor, City Council and city manager, also included an offer to give a grant to the city for $55,000 to prevent the cancellation of community celebrations such as Fourth of July fireworks, a Sunday jazz concert series and other events that are at risk of elimination given the city’s projected $1.3 million budget shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year.

The letter was sent by California Forever founder and CEO Jan Sramek, who wrote that the company was interested in acquiring the downtown block containing the Lawler House property at 718 Main St., the Suisun Harbor Theatre next to it, and a building at 701 Main St., across the street.

The city in 2023 put out requests for proposals to acquire and develop the Lawler House parcel. The house is a historic ranch house built in 1857 but was moved from its original site to the current site decades ago and has fallen into disrepair. An outside consultant appraised the property as worth $100,000 with the current structure, which needs to be torn down. The parcel was appraised for $150,000 if it was undeveloped.

Suisun City and the city of Rio Vista are both looking to annex land that California Forever has purchased on the borders of both cities. The two cities have signed a memorandum of understanding with each other on long-term planning and have independently engaged California Forever in talks about annexation of property that the company owns.

Project cloaked in mystery

The company spent years buying up farmland before suddenly announcing a plan to incorporate a new city east of Travis Air Force Base. The company pulled its planned ballot measure in 2024 ahead of November’s election that would have asked voters in Solano County to rezone part of the county to allow the city to be built.

The company was criticized by community groups and lawmakers for its secrecy. More recently, the company has pursued a shipbuilding facility in the unincorporated bayfront community of Collinsville.

Prior to annexation talks, California Forever’s investors were still planning on developing a new city but agreed to complete an environmental impact report and development agreement with the county before putting a measure before voters.

“As you know, many of the cities in Solano County have been looking to redevelop lands in their downtowns, but generally it has been challenging for any such projects to be commercially viable.”

Jan Sramek, California Forever CEO in letter to Suisun City leaders

Suisun City City Manager Bret Prebula said he approached the company in January with a proposal to incorporate much of their planned development area into the city limits of Suisun City. The company indicated it was interested in such a deal, and an agreement for the company to reimburse the city for staff time and other costs associated with the process is being drafted, along with details about the annexation plan.

Prebula said the agreement would likely include the city incorporating roughly 15,000 to 20,000 acres, including the area of the company’s proposed East Solano Plan, but said those talks were still in the early stages. The land would be incorporated over 40 years, which Prebula said would lead to measured growth.

“If we grow by 10,000 people in 10 years, I’ll be a happy camper,” Prebula said.

He said it would take decades for the city to be anywhere near the population of nearby cities such as Fairfield and Vacaville.

Bringing ‘something wonderful’ to downtown

Prebula said the properties the company approached the city about had all been up for sale and had long been vacant or in disrepair. He was unsure if the theater, Lawler House, or a brick building at 701 Main St., which previously had iterations as a bank and a restaurant, could be made useable.

Sramek said the company wanted to collaborate with Suisun City and its community to “design something wonderful” to “enhance the vibrancy of the downtown.”

But he hedged on whether such development would actually materialize.

“We want to be upfront and clear that we cannot commit to constructing a downtown property on a standalone basis, as we do not yet know whether we can identify a project that meets the city’s requirements, that the community is excited about, and that can be commercially built,” he wrote.

“As you know, many of the cities in Solano County have been looking to redevelop lands in their downtowns, but generally it has been challenging for any such projects to be commercially viable,” Sramek’s letter said.

The City Council is scheduled to consider the annexation reimbursement agreement with the company at its next meeting on Tuesday. If finalized, the annexation process would begin in earnest and would probably take between 18-24 months before a plan is finalized for consideration by the county’s Local Agency Formation Commission.

The company’s offer to purchase the properties downtown will be considered sometime this fall.

We heard back in January that the billionaire-backed group hoping to build a new utopian city in Solano County was pivoting and hoping to get their land annexed by the existing town of Suisun City. Will this plan work out better than their first one?

It appears that the California Forever billionaire cabal would like to get around Solano County's pesky orderly growth ordinance by having their planned new city become just an extension of one that already exists. The county has an ordinance on the books that discourages sprawl and the buying up of agricultural land, which became the first major impediment to the group's plan for a brand new city in eastern Solano County, between Fairfield and Rio Vista.

California Forever, as they call themselves, now owns some 60,000 acres (94 square miles) of undeveloped farmland, and they realized last year that the political winds were probably going to keep a ballot measure to amend that growth ordinance from passing.

And while the city leadership in neighboring Fairfield wasn't sounding too friendly to their endeavor, the smaller, four-square-mile town of Suisun City is warming up to the group. As the SF Business Times reports this week, California Forever has offered to buy some city-owned buildings in the town's downtown for $1.5 million, which will help to close the town's current $1.3 million budget gap.

Jan Sramek, the utopian thinker and CEO of California Forever, says they're hoping to "design something wonderful" and turn Suisun City's downtown into a "lifestyle and entertainment destination."

That's some big talk! The properties reportedly include the Lawler/Theater Block and some city-owned parcels on an adjacent block of Main Street.

California Forever is also cozying up to the town leadership by offering a $55,000 grant to underwrite things like Suisun City's Music on the Waterfront, Sunday Jazz concert series, and Movies in the Park.

Suisun City City Manager Bret Prebula calls the offers, both for the land purchase and the grants, "a signal that California Forever is not just investing in the land, they are investing in the people, the culture and the long-term vibrancy of Suisun City."

Suisun City could have a lot to gain from this partnership. And as the Business Times notes, they currently have less than half the general fund revenue, around $28 million, of neighboring Benicia, despite having similar populations.

But can you take a four-square-mile town and have it just annex over 90 square miles and call that kosher under county guidelines for orderly growth? We'll see!

Actually, it might just be some fraction of that land, and there could be plans in store to divide their efforts with neighboring Rio Vista to the east. Per the Business Times, Rio Vista is also in talks to annex some of California Forever's land.

Previously: California Forever Sees New Way to Get Around Voter Approval For Their Solano County City-From-Scratch

California Forever will purchase $1.5 million worth of downtown properties from Suisun City as a direct means of balancing the city’s finances for this fiscal year without staff layoffs or service interruptions, pending a vote of the city council to accept the sale later this year.

According to a letter to the city signed by California Forever CEO Jan Sramek obtained by The Reporter, the company will purchase the Lawler House/Theater block and city-owned parcels on the adjacent 701 Main St. block, which have already been listed for sale.

The firm notes the city’s ongoing fiscal struggles early in the letter and expresses concern for the future of the community. California Forever, Suisun City, and Rio Vista continue to jointly discuss the annexation of land owned by the developer into the two cities.

“Following the May 13th meeting of the Suisun City Council, we are aware of the serious financial challenges facing the city, and the hard choices that may lie ahead, including the risk of layoffs and impacts to vital community services,” he said. “We recognize how difficult these circumstances are for the city and its staff, and the long-term implications for the well-being of Suisun City residents.”

In addition to the letter, City Manager Bret Prebula told The Reporterthat the city council will discuss a completed reimbursement agreement with the firm at a special meeting on Tuesday, June 10. That document will become available with the meeting agenda on Thursday, June 5.

Also, separate of the potential property purchase, California Forever pledged $55,000 to save Suisun City events under imminent threat of cancellation due to a lack of funds, including Music on the Waterfront, the Sunday Jazz concert series, Movies in the Park, the city’s Kwanzaa celebration, National Night Out, the Menorah lighting, Suisun Pride and the 4th of July firework display.

Prebula expressed excitement about the opportunity, describing it as “exactly what I think we wanted California Forever to do as a region.” He said critics of the developer, including Fairfield Mayor Cat Moy, have long called for California Forever to invest in existing downtowns in the community. The company first expressed a willingness for investments like these in its 2023 community town halls and has already partnered with NorthBay Health to bring clinics to Rio Vista and Winters.

The letter does not outline a specific purpose for the properties, but does express a willingness to seek community input and work with the city to find a good use for them.

“Our goal would be to not just buy the properties, but to immediately begin the process of working with you, city staff, and the Suisun community to design something wonderful,” the letter reads. “In such a process, we would seek to evaluate whether any of the existing buildings can be incorporated into the new project, or if we would need to do all new development. In either case, the goal would be to enhance the vibrancy of the downtown.”

Prebula said city staff and the company are still negotiating which exact properties will be exchanged, and he hopes to bring an item back for a city council vote in late summer or early fall, ensuring that the profits will be incorporated into the city’s general fund before the end of the fiscal year. The city’s general fund reserve currently sits at $5.5 million, and Prebula said deficit spending is projected for the next four years, barring cuts to services and staff layoffs.

“We are going to have so much dozer activity popping up in Suisun City,” Prebula said, expecting the most construction in the community since former Mayor Jim Spering navigated the redevelopment process.

The letter notes that if the city is ultimately not interested in the sale, California Forever would still be interested in creating a development agreement with the city. It also notes the company’s willingness to create a public benefit in that agreement, and a willingness to pledge that no construction will commence on the larger project until “the necessary funds” have been invested in Suisun City’s Downtown.

“We are excited about working with the community to find an exciting project that both the city and the community can stand behind and that meets the marketplace demand so it can be developed in a timely fashion,” the letter reads.

Prebula clarified that the purchase of the properties would not create a commitment on the part of Suisun City to continue the development process if negotiations ceased to be beneficial to the city. He stressed that the investment was a show of good faith from the developer and in no way binding for the city.

All Suisun councilmembers have been resolute that the city needed to see up-front investment to maintain interest in discussions with California Forever, Prebula said, even Councilmember Princess Washington. Washington has consistently voted against items related to the company and has been one of their most vocal public critics.

“The plan is coming together, and I applaud the council so strongly for holding strong to this plan,” he said.

Prebula once again expressed frustration with online misinformation about the project, particularly a comment by Moy on a Facebook post that erroneously alleged that funds from the sale could not be put toward the general fund. Prebula made clear that this is not the case, and said he wishes that Moy and other critics would call him and discuss the matter rather than posting false information online.

“Mayor Moy can get my phone number from her staff,” Prebula said.

The letter is “upfront and clear” that the developer does not promise to create a property in the downtown area on a “standalone basis.”

“As you know, many of the cities in Solano County have been looking to redevelop lands in their downtowns, but generally, it has been challenging for any such projects to be commercially viable,” the letter reads.

The letter signs off by expressing a 50-year commitment from the developer.

“California Forever is committed to being a strong partner for Suisun City for the next half a century,” it concludes. “We look forward to hearing from you.”