California Forever Gets Strong Endorsement from Governor’s Office

A transformative proposal the Bay Area Council supports to create thousands of jobs, launch advanced manufacturing and modern shipbuilding facilities and build thousands of housing units in Solano County recently received a ringing endorsement from the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) in a memo calling on state and local leaders in business, government, labor and education, among others, to collaboration in making it happen. A Bay Area Council Economic Institute study released in January highlighted the massive economic benefits of the project.

“As the country turns to rebuilding our advanced manufacturing sector,” the memo from GO-Biz Director Dee Dee Myers starts, “California is better positioned to attract billions of dollars in investment, tens of thousands of new good-paying jobs and a more resilient supply chain than it has been in decades. And no project represents this opportunity more clearly than the proposed Solano Shipyard and Solano Foundry.

“GO-Biz believes this is a moment for California to double down on the economy of the future — and to show the country and the world that we remain open for business. The path forward will require collaboration among state and local government, labor, business, community organizations, and private investors. This memo is meant to frame that conversation — not to prescribe a specific path or outcome.”

With the U.S. making big investments to restart the country’s advanced manufacturing and shipbuilding industries, the opportunity before Solano County and California is clear.

According to the memo, “the state has long been at its best when it has paired innovation with production — from aerospace and entertainment to semiconductors, biotechnology, and clean energy. The proposed Solano Shipyard and Solano Foundry present California with a chance to do exactly that again: attract large-scale industrial investments, create thousands of high-quality jobs, and send a broader signal that California can compete for and deliver transformational projects.”

To help it accelerate the review and approval process, California Forever is now pursuing streamlining legislation to simplify and fasttrack the project. The Council has signaled its support for the concept of the legislation, which hasn’t been formally submitted, and is engaging with California Forever and other partners on the details.