Home Care In Vallejo, CA

Taiwanese grocery store 168 Market opened its doors to hundreds of waiting community members on Saturday.

Shoppers arrived at 765 Sereno Drive ahead of the store’s 9 a.m. opening by more than an hour. The store’s opening was preceded by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a traditional Chinese lion dance by LionDanceME.

Vallejo’s 168 Market marks the second Bay Area location the chain has opened since being founded in 2006, with its first one in Fremont having opened in 2020. The grocery store is largely known for its Asian and international selections of produce, snacks and frozen items.

That variety of foods is what matches the demographics of Central Vallejo, where the store is located, 99 Ranch Market Chairman Jonson Chen said. 99 Ranch Market, the largest Asian supermarket chain in the United States, is owned by parent company Tawa Supermarket Inc., which also owns 168 Market.

Jonson’s father, Rodger, opened the first 99 Ranch in 1984 after emigrating from Taiwan. The now-closed shop was located in a predominantly Vietnamese community in the Southern California city of Westminster. Alice, Jonson’s sister, is the chief executive for the company.

“It’s such a diverse community here,” Jonson told the Times-Herald. “Obviously a strong Filipino base, but as well as Vietnamese, as well as some Japanese and Cambodian. It matches us so well.”

Fairfield resident CeeJay Pallera attended the store’s grand opening with her husband and father-in-law to buy teas for the colder weather and to purchase dim sum, small Cantonese dumplings and snack dishes typically eaten with tea. Polaris, who works in Vallejo, said the nearest Asian markets she travels to are Asian Mart in Fairfield and 3J’s Asian Market in Suisun City.

168 Market is based where the former In-Shape gym lay, an area Jonson described as having been run-down and in need of revitalization. The market submitted an application to Vallejo’s planning department in the fall of 2022, and Jonson said he is familiar with the land owners — Kin properties — from other market locations.

The Vallejo location for 168 Market is one of at least 10 food retailers in Central Vallejo, a stark contrast with South Vallejo’s Island Pacific Seafood Market on Springs Road. The U.S. Department of Agriculture deemed in 2011 three South Vallejo neighborhoods as food deserts — areas with low access to healthy food retail outlets.

Planning & Development Services Director Christina Ratcliffe told the Times-Herald the city’s Economic Development Department is engaging with food retail outlets to bring to South Vallejo. That department, she said, has initiated talks between a grocery chain and property owner — Ratcliffe declined to comment on what chain the city is corresponding with.

VALLEJO, Calif. —

The minds behind a proposed new community in Solano County – known as California Forever — held the first in a series of community town halls Wednesday in Vallejo. Attendees, largely, were unenthusiastic.

"We'll make our case for why Solano County is going to be a better place for people and for their families with this project than without it," said Jan Sramek, founder and CEO of the California Forever project.

A group of Silicon Valley investors have purchased more than 50,000 acres of land in Solano County with the goal of converting much of the agriculturally zoned land into a new city. The land is located between Fairfield and Rio Vista.

| RELATED | California Forever CEO gives 1st tour of land purchased in Solano County

Sramek said the hope is to bring back what he called the "California Dream," with a walkable community, housing and good-paying jobs for its residents.

Current residents who attended Wednesday’s townhall, however, voiced concerns about myriad issues with the proposal, ranging from what some described as secrecy about the land purchases, to how the town will obtain water, from a lack of collaboration with Native tribes to the impact on Travis Air Force Base.

"I think it really reconfirmed to me that some of the doubts that we have about them and what their long-term plans are," said Phillip Balbuena, of Vallejo. "They certainly have intentions of trying to build, but the job guarantees and the water rights is still questionable at best."

Former Vallejo mayor Bob Sampayan attended the town hall meeting. He said he's staying open-minded but has serious questions about if — and how — the team would be able to bring critical resources to the community, including water, power and law enforcement to the proposed city.

"I think it could be good provided that we get some of the fine points worked out," he said. "Let's not chop them off at the knees right from the beginning. It's too soon to do that."

| PREVIOUS COVERAGE | California Forever group draws criticism at Solano County town hall over purchased land

Sampayan said he felt "California Forever" needed to be more inclusive in its invitations to attend future town hall meetings to ensure all community members feel heard and can raise concerns.

Many of the details about what the city would comprise of are unclear at this point. Sramek said that’s because the team is working to collaborate with communities to determine the specifics. He said a full plan would be available by January 2024.

After presenting it, he said, they would work to get enough signatures to qualify the plan for a place on the November ballot.

"I think in this meeting it was pretty clear there wasn't, or I didn't hear, really any support for it," said Michael Hayes, of Solano County. "It would be interesting to how communities will respond."

Ultimately, it would be up to Solano County voters to decide how the project could proceed. Much of the purchased land is currently limited to agricultural use under current zoning regulations. Under the General Plan and Orderly Growth Ordinance, voters would have to vote to approve a change in the zoning to allow for construction of the proposed city.

Aiden Mayhood, of the coalition "Solano Together," is against doing that. He and others put out signs ahead of the town hall denouncing the plans for the "California Forever" city, citing concerns about development on agricultural land and the number of current Solano County communities who need investment already.

"I really think this is going to cause the cost of living in Solano County to rise, and the natives here in Solano County are not going to be able to stay here," he said. "The thing that angers me the most is that they act as if our ag land in the area aren't important."

A series of town halls will take place over the coming weeks.

"California Forever" is opening an office in Vallejo Thursday at 537 Georgia Street for community members to ask questions and give feedback on plans.

Upcoming town halls

California Forever Town Halls are scheduled as follows (all events start at 5 p.m.):

VALLEJO, Calif. (KGO) -- There were heated moments during a town hall in Vallejo on Wednesday. The CEO of California Forever, the company behind the proposal to build a new city in Solano County, took questions from the audience.

The project has drawn heavy skepticism from many in Solano County, as well as at the state and federal levels.

It first started several years ago after Silicon Valley billionaires secretly bought $800 million of land to develop near Travis Air Force Base.

VIDEO: Sierra Club calls California Forever's plan for new Solano Co. city a 'hostile takeover'

The company's CEO, Jan Sramek, says the county stands to benefit from the project.

"This is by far the best site that we have in Solano County, in the Bay Area, and probably the entire state for a project that can really make a difference," Sramek said.

During a presentation, Sramek talked about the long-term economic boost it could provide.

He mentioned everything from the creation of white-collar jobs to new infrastructure and a safe city to raise a family.

EXCLUSIVE: CEO behind massive Solano Co. land grab shares vision for new 'most walkable' city

It was a tough sell to many in the audience.

"I may be more skeptical now than I was walking into it. With the job guarantees, the lack of talk about affordable housing," said Phillip Balbuena.

Despite the heavy pushback that the project received during Wednesday's town hall, the developers say they believe the majority of Solano County is actually behind them.

"The people who are creating this panic about it are the same people who on another project would be talking about some tree, on another project they'd talk about noise, on another project they're talking about views. Some people just hate development," Sramek said.

MORE: Firm that purchased nearly $1B of land near Travis AFB admits waiting 5 years to inform military

The Vallejo town hall was the first of eight that California Forever plans on hosting around Solano County in the coming weeks.

Many locals though say if the company really wants to help, it would be better off investing in communities that are already there.

"Work with what you have and make it better. But the idea of saying, I'm going to take my little marbles and play my game over here is unfair," said Paula Conley.

Caltrans has scheduled a 104-hour full highway closure of westbound I-80 (WB) on Labor Day weekend starting Thursday, August 31 at 9:00 PM and concluding at 5:00 AM on Tuesday, September 5, 2023. WB I-80 will be closed and traffic detoured beginning at the WB I-80/I-780 interchange in Vallejo. The closure includes the closures of all westbound traffic lanes on WB I-80 on the Zampa Bridge across the Carquinez Strait.

Eastbound I-80 traffic lanes will remain open.

WB I-80 DETOUR:

Motorists traveling westbound on I-80 at I-780 (Curtola Pkwy) will need to exit onto eastbound I-780 in Vallejo and continue EB I-780 to SB I-680. Motorists can use SB I-680 to reach WB SR-4, WB SR-24 or WB I-580 to access central and south Bay Area destinations.

VARIOUS LANE CLOSURES SCHEDULED I-80/SR 29 BRIDGE REPLACEMENT PROJECT:

Caltrans has also scheduled nightly lane closures at various times during the weekend of August 31 to perform work on the I-80/SR-29 Bridge Separation Project in Vallejo. Motorists traveling on westbound I-80 just east of the Carquinez Bridge Toll Plaza should drive with caution as traffic will be reduced down to one lane on westbound I-80 before the bridge.

These nightly lane reductions will be in place on WB I-80 from Magazine Street in Vallejo to the Carquinez Toll Plaza. The lane closures are needed to allow crews to perform additional work on the elevated section of westbound I-80 in Vallejo just east of the Carquinez Bridge.

If you have a question or want to share a concern about the project, please call the CC I-80 Pave Project Information Hotline at (510) 286-0319.

The hotline has been set up for the traveling public and residents living in Contra Costa and Solano Counties to share any questions or concerns and learn about the most up to date information about the project.

You can also learn more about the CC I-80 Paving Project on our Caltrans Bay Area webpage.

Project Webpage: www.cc80pave.com

For 24/7 traffic updates, please visit 511.org: https://twitter.com/511SFBay For real-time information, please visit Caltrans QuickMap: http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov Or follow Caltrans on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/CaltransD4

#BeWorkZoneAlert

California cities again dominate the list of most expensive places to live – and a possibly surprising NorCal metro was ranked ahead even New York City.

U.S. News & World Report released their annual Most Expensive Places to Live in the U.S. list this past week.

The ranking took into account the median gross rent and annual housing costs, among other factors, to determine which cities require the most wealth for residents to live comfortably.

San Diego being ranked the #1 Most Expensive is probably not surprising to most people. Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Salinas, and Santa Rosa also filled the top of the list.

Coming in at #10, however, was the coupling of Vallejo and Fairfield. Researchers noted that the cities have become the "great escape for San Franciscans and other Bay Area residents fleeing high costs of housing." According to the ranking, the median home price in Vallejo and Fairfield is $606,442, with the median monthly rent being $1,802.

Travis Air Force Base, Jelly Belly Candy Co., Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, and the Northern California Pirate Festival are among the Vallejo and Fairfield sights and attractions highlighted by U.S. News & World Report.

New York City, Boston, and Seattle all follow Vallejo & Fairfield on the list.

Sacramento (#15), Stockton (#17), Modesto (#19), and Fresno (#20) all also cracked the top 20 most expensive places on the list.

Cecilio Padilla

Cecilio Padilla is a writer for CBS13 News and a Sacramento-area native.

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