After years of secretly snapping up farmland for a new city northeast of San Francisco, the CEO of a company backed by Silicon Valley billionaires pitched voters Wednesday on his vision for a walkable, affordable community that would appeal to their California pride.
Jan Sramek, a former Goldman Sachs trader spearheading the ambitious city-building effort, offered the first detailed look Wednesday at his proposal to construct least 20,000 homes in rural Solano County, between Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area.
His plan needs the approval of county voters in November to bypass protections put in place in 1984 to keep agricultural land from being turned into urban space. If approved, it would be built on more than $800 million of rural land Sramek and his company, California Forever, stealthily purchased over a period of years to the great suspicion of locals.
He said the development could be "an amazing success story" in a state in need of a win at a time when leaders of Texas and Florida are routinely beating up California, something he said was unimaginable 50 years ago when all anyone could talk about was the "California Dream."
"California used to be this place of optimism," said Sramek, who was born in the Czech Republic and now lives in Solano County. "And if this project is done right, I do think it's going to change the conversation. It's going to open up a new path for the state and for the region."
The state is in desperate need of more housing, especially homes affordable for teachers, firefighters and other municipal employees that make a community run. Project proponents say Solano County is the ideal place to build, and the location near Travis Air Force Base would appeal to military contractors.
But critics, including a congressman and environmental groups such as the Sierra Club, remain skeptical about the project's aims, especially after Sramek's company spent years secretly buying up land around the base and even suing local farmers who refused to sell. They say more urban sprawl could harm sensitive ecosystems and tax the region's already strained water supply.
"Buying up farmland at low prices and rezoning for housing development has been a quick way to make a buck for decades in California," the Solano Farm Bureau said in a statement released by Solano Together, a coalition that opposes the initiative.
The company's newly revealed 83-page initiative, submitted to county elections on Wednesday, next requires a ballot title and summary from the county before the campaign can begin collecting signatures. They need signatures from roughly 13,000 county voters to place the measure before voters in November.
It could lead to a costly ballot fight by local standards, given the deep pockets of his project's backers -- philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen and others. It's unclear if the opposition is poised to raise significant cash.
Sramek's presentation before media and supporters inside a veterans memorial building in the tiny city of Rio Vista, which would sit near the new community's eastern edge, outlined his plan for 50,000 residents living in rowhouses and apartment buildings between three and six stories high within walking distance to jobs, schools, bars, restaurants and grocery stores.
Eventually, the city could grow to 400,000 people, the group says, but only if it can create at least 15,000 jobs that pay above-average wages. The plan calls for an initial $400 million to help Solano County residents and air force base families buy homes in the proposed community, among other investments. The money could also go toward new affordable housing for seniors, veterans and farm workers.
Veteran Democratic consultant Bill Carrick said the group faces a tough challenge winning over local residents at a time of high voter cynicism, hostility between political parties and inevitable doubts about wealthy outsiders coming into the community.
"People are wary of the unknown," Carrick said. The proponents "have to make Solano County voters believe this is better for them than the current status quo. People are suspicious about ballot measures -- otherwise, more of them would pass."
Carrick guessed it could cost at least $10 million although Sramek declined to state how much he is prepared to spend. He said the campaign was not about money, but about tapping into a genuine desire from local officials and residents to build a sustainable community.
"I'm going to make this happen no matter what," he told reporters after the presentation.
Created in 2017, California Forever has purchased more than 78 square miles (202 square kilometers) of farmland in Solano County. Sramek pitched his vision at town halls around the county last month, but has been unable to quiet skeptical critics.
Critics of the project held signs outside the building Wednesday, indicating they had been shut out. They spoke to reporters about their fears that Solano County does not have the roads and other infrastructure to accommodate growth.
"I do feel that they're marketing to the younger generation, and they're throwing out a bunch of financial incentives to make it look bright and shiny to those people," said Rio Vista resident Roxanne Stiles-Donnelly, who is retired from nursing.
But inside, artist and musician Radhika Lynette said she loves the passion behind the project. The Vallejo resident left San Francisco 17 years ago in search of cheaper rent and Victorians.
"Who hasn't dreamed of a place where it's more sustainable? We're kind of behind on that in America, I feel like. The walkable element is really a big deal," she said.
Sramek said he decided to build from scratch because the needs are too great to simply build within existing cities, as some critics have suggested. He said construction costs are too high to make affordable housing work and there's not enough land to meet the demand for jobs and homes.
----
Associated Press staffers Terry Chea in Rio Vista and Michael R. Blood in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Hurricane-force winds of up to 159 km/h have slammed into parts of the British Columbia coast as a massive storm swirling off Vancouver Island severed highways and cut power to about 225,000 people.
Canada Post and the postal workers union found slivers of consensus Tuesday amid talks with a special mediator, but 'a lot of ground' remains between them on the key concerns as a countrywide strike entered its fifth day.
A Quebec Superior Court judge has ordered the seizure of two Montreal-area residences belonging to billionaire Robert Miller, at the request of four women who have filed civil lawsuits alleging he sexually abused them as minors.
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says Canada is facing critical issues that need an active, engaged federal government right now; but Prime Minister Trudeau seems to be running out the clock before the next election.
The Biden administration will allow Ukraine to use American-supplied antipersonnel land mines to help it slow Russia’s battlefield progress in the war, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday, as the U.S. and some other Western embassies in Kyiv stayed closed after a threat of a major Russian aerial attack on the Ukrainian capital.
Two undersea internet cables in the Baltic Sea have been suddenly disrupted, according to local telecommunications companies, amid fresh warnings of possible Russian interference with global undersea infrastructure.
Liam Payne's family, friends and former bandmates have come together to pay tribute to the British singer at his funeral in England on Wednesday, just over a month after the One Direction star died aged 31 in Argentina.
Two young women from New Brunswick have won one of the most prestigious and sought-after academic honours in the world.
Charities and non-profits are having to pivot after nearly 55,000 workers represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers walked off the job Friday. The strike has halted mail from going out and charities are concerned it may stop donations from coming in.
Hurricane-force winds of up to 159 km/h have slammed into parts of the British Columbia coast as a massive storm swirling off Vancouver Island severed highways and cut power to about 225,000 people.
Many commuters in and outside of Regina are facing tough driving conditions Wednesday morning following a significant snowfall on Tuesday that has closed highways and snarled traffic on many of the city's main throughfares.
Governance in Yukon's second-largest municipality has been at a standstill since its newly elected mayor and council refused to pledge allegiance to King Charles during their swearing-in ceremony.
Officials at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo are expected to share the results of a formal investigation into the death of its two-year-old western lowland gorilla Eyare.
This year’s Tree for Boston will be cut down at a special ceremony Wednesday morning in Nova Scotia’s Antigonish County.
Charities and non-profits are having to pivot after nearly 55,000 workers represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers walked off the job Friday. The strike has halted mail from going out and charities are concerned it may stop donations from coming in.
President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump has promised to dismantle.
Russia's upper house of parliament on Wednesday endorsed a bill banning adoption of Russian children by citizens of countries where gender transitioning is legal.
Susan Smith, the South Carolina mother convicted of killing her two sons by rolling her car into a lake in 1994 with the boys strapped in their seats inside, will ask a parole board for her freedom on Wednesday.
President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday tapped Dr. Mehmet Oz, a former television talk show host and heart surgeon, to head the agency that oversees health insurance programs for millions of older, poor and disabled Americans.
Former Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai denied in his landmark national security trial on Wednesday he had asked then U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to take action against the city and China during the territory's anti-government protests in 2019.
Gisele Pelicot, subjected to mass rape organized by her husband over 10 years, on Tuesday condemned the cowardice of the dozens of men accused of abusing her who claim they didn't realize it was rape, adding that France's patriarchal society must change.
Canadian human rights advocate and former Liberal justice minister Irwin Cotler — who was the target of an alleged foiled assassination plot by agents of Iran — says he isn’t concerned about the alleged threats, because he has confidence in his protective detail.
A Métis member of Parliament is calling on the employment minister to resign over what he calls harmful false claims to Indigenous ancestry.
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says Canada is facing critical issues that need an active, engaged federal government right now; but Prime Minister Trudeau seems to be running out the clock before the next election.
Raw pistachios sold by Nutworks are being recalled in Ontario due to possible Salmonella contamination.
A Waterloo, Ont. startup is using saliva to try and better detect concussions in athletes – before the symptoms even appear.
An inspection this year of a Tom’s of Maine’s facility in Sanford, Maine, turned up several violations, including bacteria in water used to make toothpaste, bacterial growth in another type of toothpaste and “a black mold-like substance” near manufacturing equipment, according to a warning letter from the US Food and Drug Administration to the CEO of the company’s parent firm.
SpaceX on Tuesday launched another Starship rocket, but passed up catching the booster with giant mechanical arms.
Hector Xu founded Rotor Technologies in 2021 and developed unmanned helicopters. Rotor has built two autonomous Sprayhawks and aims to have as many as 20 ready for market next year.
A Calgary teacher is embarking on the trip of a lifetime to one of the coldest places on the planet.
Liam Payne's family, friends and former bandmates have come together to pay tribute to the British singer at his funeral in England on Wednesday, just over a month after the One Direction star died aged 31 in Argentina.
The mother of late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is boycotting the world premiere of 'Rust' at a film festival in Poland on Wednesday, saying she views it as an attempt by Alec Baldwin to 'unjustly profit' from her daughter's death.
Jay Leno is 'black and blue' after falling down a 60-foot hill on his way out for dinner.
Canada Post and the postal workers union found slivers of consensus Tuesday amid talks with a special mediator, but 'a lot of ground' remains between them on the key concerns as a countrywide strike entered its fifth day.
A new poll suggests Canadians are supportive of government intervention in the labour disputes at ports and at Canada Post.
Target is expecting a surprisingly weak holiday shopping season, a warning sign for the retail industry.
CTVNews.ca wants to hear from digital nomads who have taken up location-independent jobs and can work from anywhere with an internet connection.
Delta Air Lines’ newest dining option for first class passengers isn’t anything fancy. In fact, it’s the exact opposite, because it’s fast food.
Buying life insurance in your 20s can feel like an added cost to an already long list of expenses. But experts say it can safeguard loved ones if life doesn't go as planned.
Despite an offence that's gone ice cold, the Calgary Flames remained red hot on Tuesday night, eking out another narrow victory.
When the Vancouver Canucks face off against the New York Rangers on Tuesday, there will be a notable absence on the ice.
Rogers Sports and Media has cut what it says are a 'few dozen' jobs in its audio business.
In Canada a car is stolen every six minutes, though some vehicles are more sought after than others.
In part two of a three-part series into how thieves are able to drive off with modern vehicles so easily, CTV W5 correspondent Jon Woodward uses a device flagged by police to easily clone a car key.
When a Tesla crashed on Lakeshore Boulevard in Toronto last month, the first people on scene knew there were occupants inside but couldn't immediately get them out.
Toronto radio and podcast host Jax Irwin has recently gone viral for videos of her cute -- and at times confusing -- phone conversations.
Two young women from New Brunswick have won one of the most prestigious and sought-after academic honours in the world.
Stretching 3,000 kilometres from the tip of New Zealand to its southernmost point, with just a bicycle for transport and a tent to call home, bikepacking event Tour Aotearoa is not for the faint of heart.
When he first moved to his urban neighbourhood, Barry Devonald was surprised to be welcomed by a whole flock of new neighbours.
When George Arcioni began renovating his kitchen last summer, he didn’t expect to find a stack of letters hidden in the wall behind his oven.
A Nova Scotia couple fulfilled their wildest dreams Thursday night when they got engaged at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Toronto.
Some Calgary residents caught what appeared to be a meteor streaking across the sky early on Wednesday morning.
Four years ago, Phill Hebb started up 'Phil’s Unique Birdhouses' and since then, they’ve made their way all across Canada and into the United States.
A New Brunswick fashion designer recently won the top prize at a national event for a dress she made using an unconventional material.
Hurricane-force winds of up to 159 km/h have slammed into parts of the British Columbia coast as a massive storm swirling off Vancouver Island severed highways and cut power to about 225,000 people.
Premier David Eby’s new cabinet is a big one. Despite winning ten fewer seats than former premier John Horgan, he has three more ministers than the previous leader.
An almost 40 kilometre stretch of Highway 4 on Vancouver Island was closed Tuesday evening due to the impacts of a storm that forecasted to batter the South Coast.
As Taylor Swift is set to perform her final three sold-out shows at the Rogers Centre this week, many people who have fallen victim to an alleged ticket scam are trying to find answers to what happened.
Raw pistachios sold by Nutworks are being recalled in Ontario due to possible Salmonella contamination.
Ontario Provincial Police are investigating after a man was robbed at gunpoint on Highway 410 in Brampton.
Officials at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo are expected to share the results of a formal investigation into the death of its two-year-old western lowland gorilla Eyare.
Despite an offence that's gone ice cold, the Calgary Flames remained red hot on Tuesday night, eking out another narrow victory.
A Canadian Taylor Swift fan has some 'Bad Blood' with the Calgary International Airport after security staff confiscated hundreds of dollars worth of beads she was going to use to make friendship bracelets.
Thirty-nine new photo radar cameras will be installed to keep an eye on Ottawa roads over the next 14 months, including on roads in the rural villages of Dunrobin, Manotick, Richmond and Vars.
NHL Commission Gary Bettman says "everybody needs be on board" with the idea of building a new home for the Ottawa Senators at LeBreton Flats, but it will take "one step at a time" to move forward with the plan.
A cozy dining spot in Ottawa's Little Italy has cracked OpenTable's top 100 restaurants in Canada for 2024.
The use of French as a greeting and service language in Quebec businesses is declining across the province, but particularly in the Montreal and Gatineau regions, a situation that is leaving more and more Quebecers indifferent, especially among young people.
A Quebec Superior Court judge has ordered the seizure of two Montreal-area residences belonging to billionaire Robert Miller, at the request of four women who have filed civil lawsuits alleging he sexually abused them as minors.
Canada Post and the postal workers union found slivers of consensus Tuesday amid talks with a special mediator, but 'a lot of ground' remains between them on the key concerns as a countrywide strike entered its fifth day.
Adebayo Chris Katiiti, jailed for being a transgender man in Uganda, was brutally beaten as a child for wearing his brothers' clothes.
Canada Post and the postal workers union found slivers of consensus Tuesday amid talks with a special mediator, but 'a lot of ground' remains between them on the key concerns as a countrywide strike entered its fifth day.
From text messages to phone calls and in-person interactions, scam artists are trying to con you out of your money.
Police in Halifax are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man allegedly connected to scams targeting seniors.
A 68-year-old woman has been charged with stunting after police say they clocked her driving 66 km/h over the posted speed limit.
Police in Cape Breton are now treating the disappearance of Kenneth “Justin” MacDonald as a homicide.
A blast of winter weather has caused school closures and bus cancellations around Manitoba.
Stormy weather and strong winds have touched down in western Manitoba, with some areas expected to receive up to 50 centimetres (cm) of snow.
An incident involving reports of a man armed with a knife at the University of Manitoba Fort Garry Campus has been resolved according to Winnipeg police.
Many commuters in and outside of Regina are facing tough driving conditions Wednesday morning following a significant snowfall on Tuesday that has closed highways and snarled traffic on many of the city's main throughfares.
A group of Indigenous elders, archaeologists and scholars have come together to explore historically significant sites pertaining to Indigenous ancestry.
Those in Saskatchewan may get an alert on their cell phones, TV, and radio Wednesday afternoon as part of a provincial emergency alert test.
The mother of a man who was fatally shot in Cambridge is marking the painful anniversary of his death by giving to others.
A Ukrainian, now living in Kitchener, describes what life is like back home and what she's doing to help her fellow refugees.
The first snowfall of the season could come this week – but don’t worry, it won’t be sticking around.
Clients of a medical aesthetics business in Saskatoon are left waiting for any indication their pre-bought services will be fulfilled after the business closed permanently.
As Saskatoon buckles down for winter, the staff at Prairie Harm Reduction gears up for the influx of people through their doors.
Saskatchewan's Opposition NDP says Premier Scott Moe's government needs to address high food prices in light of recent scurvy cases in the province's north.
A Canadian Taylor Swift fan has some 'Bad Blood' with the Calgary International Airport after security staff confiscated hundreds of dollars worth of beads she was going to use to make friendship bracelets.
Avalon Lupini, who has been a pharmacy technician in Sudbury for 17 years, has come up with an innovative solution to a common problem.
The smell of pot from a vehicle during a RIDE check in Espanola led police to find $41,200 in cannabis, along with 140 gummies and 50 vape pens.
Environment Canada has issued a fog advisory, warning that dense fog has developed with near zero visibility in some areas.
On Tuesday, 45 Londoners took part in a public participation meeting to voice their priorities for municipal spending amid another anticipated property tax hike.
The Knights have now won 12 straight games and sit at the top of the CHL rankings as of Tuesday.
Police in Barrie say a man involved in a situation in the city’s north end that resulted in evacuations surrendered to officers roughly 14 hours after barricading himself inside a camper.
A young driver may be taking public transit for the next month after police charged him with stunt driving along Highway 400.
Less than a month after postponing her concert at Casino Rama Resort, Sarah McLachlan announced her Fumbling Towards Ecstasy 30th Anniversary Canadian Tour is cancelled.
Windsor police have confirmed the death of two people following a crash in the city on Monday. Around 2 p.m., officers were called to Walker Road and Niagara Street after a single-vehicle crash involving two pedestrians.
OPP are advising drivers to slow down and be cautious of reduced visibility due to fog.
The Board of Trustees for the Greater Essex County District School Board will fill a recently vacated trustee position by appointment rather than an election.
Hurricane-force winds of up to 159 km/h have slammed into parts of the British Columbia coast as a massive storm swirling off Vancouver Island severed highways and cut power to about 225,000 people.
An almost 40 kilometre stretch of Highway 4 on Vancouver Island was closed Tuesday evening due to the impacts of a storm that forecasted to batter the South Coast.
Premier David Eby’s new cabinet is a big one. Despite winning ten fewer seats than former premier John Horgan, he has three more ministers than the previous leader.
Police are appealing for information on a targeted shooting that resulted in the hospitalization of a man in Kamloops.
British Columbia's independent police watchdog has cleared officers of wrongdoing in a crash where three people were killed south of Kamloops in July of last year.
A B.C. woman who stole more than $14,000 in volunteer-raised funds that were supposed to be spent on school supplies and programs – including hot meals for vulnerable kids – won't spend any time in jail.
On Tuesday night, Alberta country music star Corb Lund used his platform to turn the volume up on the issue, just as Crowsnest Pass residents voted on whether they want coal mining in their backyard.
Lethbridge awoke to its first snowfall of the season on Tuesday. It was only a few centimetres, but it left many Lethbridge roads icy. Much of it melted in the afternoon.
The ongoing Canada Post workers strike is affecting the ability of many to go about their day-to-day, Lethbridge Police Service included.
Avalon Lupini, who has been a pharmacy technician in Sudbury for 17 years, has come up with an innovative solution to a common problem.
Taylor Swift kicked off her Eras Tour stops in Toronto last week and the frenzy for the pop star is expanding north with a tribute show and event later this month.
A company hoping to build a multi-billion-dollar wind-to-hydrogen project in western Newfoundland is eyeing other options as Canada's plans to supply Europe with green energy have not yet materialized.
The four women sipping tea around an antique wooden table in rural Newfoundland said they weren't looking for much in a mate: kindness, humour, a good sense of fun and, ideally, a full set of teeth.
Newfoundland and Labrador's return on investment for sponsoring a professional English soccer team was not quite as rosy as previously claimed.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
