Why Tech Billionaires Are Snatching Farmers' Land in Rural California

The California forever company claims to be against sustainable energy and the like but this project is exactly that wrapped into a smart city!!

Tech billionaires are waging a hostile takeover of rural Northern California. They want to build their own private city in Solano County, and they’re crushing farmers with lawsuits to do it.

Local activists delayed them last month, but the fight has just begun.

Flannery, seeking more than $510 million in damages for alleged price-fixing, in May sued various family land trusts and estates over the sale of properties in the Jepson Prairie and Montezuma Hills area of Solano County between San Francisco and Sacramento.

The defense lawyers said some of the land-owning families have farmed in the area for more than 100 years.

California Forever is gathering signatures for a ballot initiative in Solano County that would amend zoning codes to allow the project to be built on agricultural land. With 13,000 valid signatures, the ballot measure titled the East Solano Homes, Jobs, and Clean Energy Initiative would go before voters in November.

Backers of the project include Jan Sramek, a former Goldman Sachs trader who is chief executive of California Forever; LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman; venture capitalist Marc Andreessen; and Patrick and John Collison, who founded the payment-processing company Stripe.

The California state Senate's agriculture committee held a hearing Tuesday that covered threats to California's agriculture industry and heard testimony on the land acquisitions, which have included 400 parcels bought up over the last five years by a company that had no identifiable officers or investors.

Flannery Associates has bought 55,000 acres of land since 2018, much of it owned by family farmers, but investors in the company remained hidden because it was registered in Delaware, which does not require a corporation's officers to be public.

"Just last week, Aug. 22, Flannery Associates finally revealed, after five years, their plan to use an initiative to override local zoning that protects Travis Air Force Base and the farmers, in order to build a mega-city east of Fairfield," said U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, D-Fairfield, who testified during the state hearing.

California Forever

Silicon Valley tech investor group's development plan for new city of 400,000 in eastern Solano County, California

Department Overview - Solano County

Agricultural production and the related businesses continue to be a significant contributor to the county's economy, generating almost $1.3 billion each year in gross output value.
Agriculture provides 4,187 jobs directly employed on ranches and farms plus 5,890 indirect jobs through the multiplier

https://admin.solanocounty.com/depts/agriculture/department_overview.asp

Solano County’s Orderly Growth Initiative requires urban development to be concentrated in cities where housing already exists.

The proposed ballot measure California Forever released Wednesday is the first step to reclassifying its Solano County landholdings as eligible for this new development.

California Forever unveils more detailed plan, ‘legally binding’ commitments for proposed new Solano County city

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/california-forever-unveils-more-detailed-plan-legally-binding-commitments-for-new-solano-county-city/ar-AA1n8dGS

California Forever Project Must Overcome Land-Use Restrictions

https://www.cato.org/blog/california-forever-project-appears-be-good-news-golden-state

Silicon Valley billionaires identified as mystery group buying Solano County land for new city

https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/solano-county-land-purchase-mystery-flannery-associates-silicon-valley-billionaires/

'Not Just a Crazy Idea': California Forever Releases Ballot Details for New Bay Area City

https://www.kqed.org/news/11972769/not-just-a-crazy-idea-california-forever-releases-ballot-details-for-new-bay-area-city

The 83-page initiative, which could be on the ballot in November, lays out a series of commitments to existing Solano County residents, as well as plans to construct row houses, apartments, shops, parks and industrial spaces.

https://downloads.ctfassets.net/ivxuf0dn6dhw/7HRDCpGCxsRHFXTv0ZxDVZ/ed92f55f60f182530fab988d382da028/East_Solano_Homes_Jobs_and_Clean_Energy_Initiative_-_Submitted_to_Solano_ROV.pdf

Home - East Solano Plan - California Forever

https://eastsolanoplan.com/

A bird’s eye view of proposed Bay Area utopian community

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-03-09/california-forever-aerial-map-released

(because they didn't wanna sell)

The company filed a federal lawsuit in May against several families that it contends colluded to drive up the price of their land.

California landowners are sued for $510 million over 'inflated' real-estate prices

https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/california-landowners-are-sued-510-million-over-inflated-real-estate-prices-2023-05-19/

Expert Panel to Explore Ag Land, Development, Zoning & Orderly Growth in Solano

https://sustainablesolano.org/expert-panel-to-explore-ag-land-development-zoning-orderly-growth-in-solano/

California Forever gives $500,000 to Solano nonprofits

https://www.thereporter.com/2024/05/21/california-forever-give-500000-to-solano-nonprofits/

Visit Próspera: Experience Innovation & Caribbean Life

https://www.prospera.co/en/visit

The For-Profit City That Might Come Crashing Down
The dream of Próspera, founded by a U.S. corporation off the coast of Honduras, was to escape government control. The Honduran government wants it gone.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/28/magazine/prospera-honduras-crypto.html

original link found on More Perfect Union

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHlcAx-I0oY