California Forever dealt huge blow as $3 billion contract goes to Texas - SFGATE

What the report says

SFGate reported that California Forever, the controversial Solano County development effort backed by large rural land purchases near Suisun City and Rio Vista, lost out on a major manufacturing opportunity when Saronic Technologies chose Texas for a new shipyard. The Austin-based autonomous vessel company awarded the project, valued by SFGate at about $3.2 billion, to the Port of Brownsville rather than a finalist site tied to California Forever.

The decision is a setback for California Forever as it tries to reposition part of its plan around industrial and defense-related manufacturing. The group became widely known after reports in 2024 that billionaire-backed investors had acquired roughly 65,000 acres in Solano County with ambitions to build a new city. Facing local opposition and poor polling, it withdrew a November 2024 ballot measure that would have eased some zoning barriers.

According to SFGate, Saronic said the Brownsville project is expected to begin construction this year and become operational in 2028. California Forever responded in a joint statement by saying it was frustrated California missed the opportunity and argued the state’s approval process could not move fast enough without special legislation. The group also pointed to permitting timelines as a factor in losing the project.

The episode matters because California Forever has proposed growth on a scale that could reshape Solano County, including earlier statements about building for decades and potentially adding up to 400,000 residents. SFGate noted the organization is still seeking other companies for manufacturing uses on its land, but the Texas decision removes a high-profile potential anchor for that strategy.