Gavin Newsom rips local officials for stalling billionaire-backed California Forever shipyard
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 Caba...