California Not-so-Forever

Aerial rendering from California Forever (SFGate)

California Forever's plans to build a utopian city in Solano County have suffered a setback. The group pulled its November ballot measure: [bold added]

that measure, if passed, would have removed some zoning restrictions that prevent this type of development in the area.

California Forever will instead "submit an application for a General Plan & Zoning Amendment and proceed with the normal County process which includes preparation of a full Environmental Impact Report and the negotiation and execution of Development Agreement,” Solano County Board of Supervisors Chair Mitch Mashburn said in a statement Monday.

The news was celebrated by many in Solano County, where skepticism about the project ran deep. The group’s secretive purchases of huge tracts of land first brought about national security fears, even from local politicians, who had no idea who was behind the project. When the plan to build a futuristic city was announced, California Forever faced widespread pushback, ranging from concerns about billionaire backers like Reid Hoffman and Laurene Powell Jobs to questions about the impacts on traffic, water usage and proximity to Travis Air Force Base.

Almost every Californian involved in a construction project groans under the entanglement of red tape, and the billionaire investor group is no exception.

Reid Hoffman and Laurene Powell Jobs are ardent supporters of the Democratic Party--most recently they have pledged support to Kamala Harris' Presidential run--implying that they want to spread California's Progressive principles to the rest of the country.

However, when it comes to their business, they can't stand living under those strictures either.