Gov. Gavin Newsom ripped Solano County officials for stalling California Forever’s shipyard — warning of a “reckoning” after county supervisors rejected a proposal to advance the controversial project.
Newsom publicly weighed in on the billionaire-backed developer’s shipyard plans for the Northern California county for the first time Wednesday, saying he would have supported a failed effort to advance its proposed shipyard “in a nanosecond.”
“I don’t understand it,” Newsom told reporters Wednesday, a day after Solano County supervisors declined to support special legislation sought to fast-track the project.
“People are struggling. People are suffering. This community, a lot of people are left behind,” he said, pointing to a string of economic losses.
California Forever — led by former Goldman Sachs trader Jan Sramek and backed by Silicon Valley billionaires Marc Andreessen, Reid Hoffman and Laurene Powell Jobs — suffered a blow last month when a key anchor tenant, Saronic, bailed for Texas.
“You lost a refinery here. You lost a brewery here. You lost a dry dock here, Jelly Belly lost,” he added. “I mean, this is my commute, and I’ve watched it [for the] last couple years.”
The governor’s comments mark his strongest public embrace yet of California Forever’s industrial ambitions, although he stopped short of endorsing every element of the developer’s broader plans.
California Forever has purchased nearly 70,000 acres in Solano County and spent years pushing plans for a new city that could eventually house 400,000 people.
The company recently scaled back its Sacramento ambitions, temporarily shelving the proposed metropolis to focus on special legislation aimed at speeding development of a massive shipyard near Collinsville.
But that effort suffered a setback Tuesday when Solano County supervisors, after a contentious five-hour meeting, declined to support the legislation.
Assemblywoman Lori Wilson and state Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, two Democrats representing the area, have engaged in negotiations about the shipyard, but neither has committed to carrying Califrnia Forever’s legislation.
“Solano County leaders have made clear they do not support the proposed Solano Maritime and Manufacturing Act at this time, and I will continue to let the county take the lead on shipbuilding and manufacturing opportunities,” Wilson said in a statement.
Newsom suggested the supervisors made a mistake.
“They didn’t deny it — the Board of Supervisors, they delayed it. But delay can be denial in the context of the competitive landscape that’s out there,” Newsom said. “And time matters.”
Newsom argued the project dovetails with his administration’s push to revive industrial development and accelerate construction in a state notorious for lengthy permitting battles.
“It’s not about bypassing process — it’s about limiting process, so it’s not abused,” he said.
Solano County officials have argued they already offered California Forever an expedited local approval process and held dozens of meetings with company representatives between December and June. The company had not submitted a formal application or detailed shipyard proposal during that period.
Newsom nevertheless lashed out at the state’s development bureaucracy and local governments that he believes too often stand in the way.
“We got to step up our game in this state,” Newsom said.
The governor described California’s permitting system as a “jungle gym, not even a ladder” and complained of “paralysis by analysis.”
However, Newsom avoided giving California Forever’s entire sprawling development plan his blessing.
“I’m not attaching myself to any specific proposals. I’m attaching myself directionally,” he said, adding that California Forever’s industrial ambitions are “very consistent with everything I’ve been promoting.”
Newsom also confirmed he has been “engaging with them directly” after The California Post’s reported a private meeting at the governor’s office between him and California Forever’s CEO. He said his administration has been in discussions with California Forever “for years and years,” as economic development is a key focus of his administration.
Newsom said Wednesday that he still expects Solano County officials to eventually get behind the project.
“I support localism. I support local decision making,” he said. “But this framework is a well-established framework. I don’t think it was a big, big ask that was being asked of the Board of Supervisors.”
He added, “They delayed it, they didn’t deny it — and I think it’s inevitable they’ll ultimately embrace it.”
