A plan to build a new city in Solano County has enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot, the county registrar of voters announced Tuesday.
But the project, known as California Forever, still has a long way to go to become reality.
The registrar of voters will now send the results of its random sample to the Solano County Board of Supervisors who is expected to order an impact report before placing the initiative on the ballot where many say it faces an uphill battle.
“I once read that sticking your hands in the ground is like shaking hands with your ancestors,” Kathy Threlfall said.
The 76-year-old said her connection with her family’s 243 acres is deep. Her great grandparents were once sharecroppers on the land and it’s felt like home all her life.
“It’s the story of my life,” she said. “You turn off the highway and you relax. You have this feeling of letting go of a lot of hustle and bustle.”
That’s why Threlfall has refused to sell her property to California Forever -- the group of investors who hope to build a brand new city in Threlfall’s rural Solano County neighborhood.
“I’m pretty skeptical,” she said.
“I think it’s really easy to say no to anything. But the reality is, we’ve spent the last 20 years saying no to everything in Solano County and in California and it’s gotten us nowhere," California Forever CEO Jan Sramek said.
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While the opposition is vocal, Sramek said he’s confident his plan will succeed. He said prospective employers have signed letters of intent to build there and said they’ll soon be unveiling plans addressing concerns about water and transportation.
“The number of people that are a yes on this is going up every single day, you see in the numbers. And you see that in the endorsements for the initiative as well,” Sramek said.
Threlfall says East Solano County has been producing wheat, barley, rye and meat for generations and hopes that will continue.
"It's not a wasteland," Threlfall said.
She’s urging voters to consider the proposal with a critical eye.
“It’s a campaign. What do we think about campaigns? We take it with a grain of salt and hope the best man wins,” Threlfall said.
