A group of tech billionaires hoping to build a new master-planned community in Northern California has scooped up more than 60,000 acres of farmland in the last six years, according to court documents.

California Forever has committed upward of $800 million for about 150 properties to become the largest private landowner in Solano County, which has a population of about 450,000 northeast of the Bay Area.

But the project hasn’t gone as planned.

The secretive manner of land purchases initially led officials to worry the acquisitions might be part of a foreign power’s efforts to gain property near Travis Air Force Base.

The first in a series of informational meetings held by California Forever was met with fierce pushback and served as a de facto protest.

“They tried to control the questions but it wasn’t long before people were shouting out,” said Vallejo resident Anne Carr.

Then there’s a $510 million lawsuit filed by Flannery Associates, a subsidiary of California Forever, against several families accusing them of price fixing when selling their land. No criminal charges have been filed.

The defendants claim Flannery hounded residents with offers and used pressure tactics, such as terminating leases and evicting holdout farmers, playing family members against each other and suing to coerce sales.

Hard feelings might make settlements difficult. One farmer vowed “(expletive) vengeance” on Flannery, according to court paperwork.

Farmer William Brazelton, president of the Solano County Farm Bureau, worried about the loss of farmland.

“It’s very concerning for the future of agriculture in Solano County that a group of wealthy investors can essentially bully their way into a community,” he said.

Company background

The founder of California Forever is Jan Sramek, a former Goldman Sachs trader.

Investors include Marc Andreesen, his firm Andreesen Horowitz; LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman; venture capitalist Michael Moritz; and Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

California Forever and Solano County did not respond to requests for comment by deadline.

‘The California Dream’

The vision of California Forever includes walkable neighborhoods, solar farms and a greenbelt of agriculture and wildlife habitat.

The community would create thousands of jobs, homes for the middle class, and support Solano County’s tax base, according to the company.

“California Forever was created to bring back the California Dream,” states the company’s website.

California Forever’s town halls are scheduled through mid-December.

In early 2024, the company will propose project plans and hold another series of meetings, according to its website.

California Forever has said it will put its community concept before Solano County voters for approval, as required by local growth rules, in November 2024.

Local response

California Forever has already changed Solano County, Brazelton said.

Local farmers have leased land to neighbors and shared equipment for generations. “There are families that no longer speak to each other and probably never will,” Brazelton said.

Carr said Solano County has a goal of preserving agricultural land and focusing development on existing cities hoping for infill.

“People are mindful of not having suburban sprawl just cover the county,” she said.

Andrea Sorce, an economics professor running for Vallejo mayor, was concerned about scarce details regarding infrastructure such as water and transportation.

With the secrecy and lawsuit, attempts to engage communities seem disingenuous, she said.

“Solano County is the lowest income county in the Bay Area and it feels like we are being used as a laboratory for billionaires,” Sorce said.