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issue: Flannery Associates / California Forever

The saga of Solano County fighting a billionaire's utopia has had a number of twists and turns over the last few years. By the start of 2026, California Forever had acquired around 70,000 acres of eastern Solano's farmlands and open space, about 10% of the County s lands. They also had abandoned their plans for voter approval of a new town of approximately 400,000 people after spending $11,000,000, due to almost certain defeat at the polls.

Instead, they approached the City of Suisun which agreed to explore annexation. Annexation to an existing city would eliminate the biggest hurdle to their project--the popular voter-approved Solano County Orderly Growth Initiative.

California Forever submitted their development entitlement application in October 2025. In turn, Suisun City issued a Notice of Preparation to produce an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the annexation.
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issue: Solano County's thriving agriculture

Local agriculture is a central feature of Solano County's culture, quality of life, and economic well-being. Solano Orderly Growth has focused on protecting agricultural lands since its inception in 1984.

The roots of Solano County's agriculture run deep, with county pioneer, John Wolfskill, raising cattle in the 1840s. In the years that followed, he became the first local to plant fruit trees and vineyards. When a railroad line was built near his properties, he became the first supplier of California fruit for sale in the Eastern states.

The city of Dixon is known as "Lambtown USA" because at one point, more lambs were born there than anywhere else in the nation. Vacaville, named after one of the early settlers of the area, Juan Vaca, enjoys the nickname, "Cowtown." ("Vaca" means "cow" in Spanish.)

In Suisun Valley--Fairfield's "backyard"--rich soils help growers ...
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issue: an open space district

The Solano County Orderly Growth Committee has advocated for an Open Space Park District for many years. Solano County is the only county in the Bay Area without a voter-approved and funded district.

With leadership from County Supervisors, the California Legislature passed a bill authorizing Solano County to ask the voters to approve a Park District.* The County has put these plans on hold while other pressing issues take priority. We still support creating and funding an Open Space Park District when the time is right.

A properly run park district should have permanent funding. This will allow for construction and maintenance of infrastructure such as trails, picnic areas, and other amenities. Funding will also help keep our park lands open and accessible more days per week in the near term while planning for the purchase of additional lands in the future. A park district would become a new and rich element in our quality of life in Solano County.

* The legislation allowing Solano County to create a park district is Senate Bill 365 (SB 365), introduced by Senator Bill Dodd. This bill was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown on September 1, 2017, adding Section 5506.13 to the California Public Resources Code.

issue: Solano County general plan update

The Solano County General Plan, adopted in 2008, is a legal document that guides longterm growth, development, and conservation. In California, each general plan consists elements that are required by the state, such as land use, housing, and transportation, but jurisdictions may add optional elements to their plan as well. In Solano, additional General Plan elements including agriculture, parks & recreation, and infrastructure guide the vision of our future.

General plans must be updated periodically, with some of the sections, like housing, being revised every 4-8 years. A comprehensive update of the entire General Plan needs to be completed every 15-20 years. That is the process that Solano County's General Plan is now undergoing, a comprehensive renewal that will look at all of the elements. The project is targeted to be accomplished by 2028.

Since 1994, Solano County has included in its General Plan voter-approved policies that limit urban growth to cities, supporting our agriculture and protecting our open spaces by barring rezoning of those lands without a vote of the people. continue reading >

issue: keeping Dixon green

The city of Dixon has seen a large residential growth spurt over the last few years, and is now facing proposals to develop another 8,000 acres of prime farmland. Alarmed over what they see as an "unsustainable" rate of growth, locals have come together to form the grassroots organization, Keep Dixon Green, which is "dedicated to the preservation of open spaces and the agricultural heritage unique to Dixon ..."

Dixon's agricultural roots are reflected in the nickname "Lambtown USA" and another from the early 1900s, "The Dairy City." Back then, at least 30 family dairy farms supplied milk to the region including cities of the SF Bay Area. Dry farming grains was the earliest agricultural endeavor, and once water for irrigation was available from Lake Berryessa in the mid-1900s, farms diversified with a variety of field crops, tree fruits and nuts, and specialty products. The town continues to celebrate its rich agricultural heritage and community spirit with the Dixon May Fair, California's "oldest continuously operating district fair and fairgrounds."

The Keep Dixon Green group is asking their city officials to limit city growth to the minimum required by California so that their "infrastructure can grow at a healthy pace, in tandem with our population," and so that local agriculture can be supported and preserved.

Want more info? Take a look at the links on our Resources page.

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