California Forever

Between 2018 and 2023, California Forever's subsidiary Flannery Associates secretly purchased over 50,000 acres of farmland in Solano County for approximately $900 million, becoming the county's largest private landowner. From 2019 to 2023, the company told county officials it only intended to use the land for agricultural purposes including olive farming and long-term farmer leases. The true plan - building a new city of up to 400,000 people - was only revealed when the New York Times exposed the scheme in August 2023. The land's proximity to Travis Air Force Base triggered an Air Force Foreign Investment Risk Review investigation and FBI/CFIUS referrals from Congress.

In May 2023, Flannery Associates (California Forever's subsidiary) filed a $510 million lawsuit against dozens of farmers, family trusts, and ranchers accusing them of an 'illegal price-fixing conspiracy' for refusing to sell. The lawsuit named multi-generational farming families including McCormack Sheep and Grain, which has farmed 3,700 acres near Rio Vista since the 1880s. Farmers reported the legal fees were 'draining their savings and jeopardizing their farm's financial future.' Some described the lawsuits as an 'intimidation campaign.' The Solano Together Coalition (Greenbelt Alliance, Sierra Club) formed in opposition, and voters viewed Flannery Associates unfavorably by a 34-to-8% margin.