What’s Next for California Forever’s Proposal to Build a New City in Solano County

KQED's Forum

KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 15 August 2024

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Amid the Bay Area’s dire need for more housing, California Forever has set out a bold vision for a new city in east Solano County on 17,500 acres of mostly farmland. But the company, backed by various Silicon Valley billionaires, has so far struggled to garner enough local support. In July, California Forever scrapped plans to ask for voter approval for the project on this November’s ballot, but said it plans to try again in 2026. Many county officials and nearby residents oppose the project, while others want more information about how it would impact their communities. We’ll talk about the state of California Forever’s plans and what could happen next. Guests: Adhiti Bandlamud, housing reporter, KQED J.K. Dineen, Bay Area housing reporter, San Francisco Chronicle Jan Sramek, founder and CEO, California Forever Marc Weiss, chairman and CEO, Global Urban Development - a nonprofit organization focused on sustainable economic growth and urban development strategies. He is also a visiting professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hey, forum listeners, it's Mina. I have exciting news. We're taking forum beyond the airwaves,
0:05.5	beyond podcasts, to your screens. Now you can watch the forum conversations you love and be in the
0:11.3	room with me, Alexis, and our guests as we talk about the Bay Area, California, and beyond. Check it out
0:17.2	at YouTube.com slash KQED News. YouTube.com slash KQBD News. YouTube.com slash KQBD News.
0:24.5	Greetings, boomtown.
0:25.9	The Xfinity Wi-Fi is booming.
0:28.2	Xfinity combines the power of internet and mobile.
0:31.4	So we've all got lightning fast speeds at home and on the go.
0:35.0	Learn more at Xfinity.com.
0:36.8	Restrictions apply. Xfinity internet required.
0:38.6	Actual speeds vary. From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Alexis Madrigal.
0:57.0	Amid the Bay Area's dire need for more housing, California forever has set out a bold vision
1:03.0	for a new city in East Solano County on 17,500 acres of mostly farmland.
1:09.0	But the company, backed by various Silicon Valley billionaires, has so far struggled to
1:13.5	garner enough local support.
1:15.8	In July, California Forever scrapped plans to ask for voter approval for the project on this
1:20.9	November's ballot, but said it plans to try again in 2026.
1:24.9	What will the next two years hold for the most ambitious new urban project the
1:29.6	bay has seen in a long time? That's all coming up next after this news.
1:44.0	Welcome to Forum. I'm Alexis Madrigal.
1:47.5	Northern California cities are not Istanbul or Beijing or even Boston. Our region's urban
1:53.9	habitation is new in the civilizational scheme of things. And yet over the last few decades,
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from KQED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of KQED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.