California Forever: Unveiling the New Vision for Solano County with Jim Wunderman

Host Jared Asch interviews Jim Wunderman, head of public affairs for California Forever, about plans to develop roughly 70,000 acres of largely undeveloped land in south-central Solano County between Suisun City and Rio Vista into a dense, walkable urban community with an adjacent 2,100-acre advanced manufacturing park and a proposed major shipyard along the Sacramento River. Wunderman argues Solano’s shrinking blue-collar economy—citing multiple recent closures—and high out-commuting make large-scale housing and job creation urgent, with starter homes projected around $400,000–$450,000 and union construction agreements in place. He says environmentally valuable areas would be preserved, development would avoid impacts to Travis Air Force Base, and an extensive EIR is underway via the expansion of Suisun City under current law. The conversation emphasizes rebuilding U.S. shipbuilding capacity on the West Coast, clean manufacturing, and growing public support.