Solano supervisors oppose last-minute draft legislation to shore up Collinsville shipbuilding

By Ashley Sharp

The Solano County Board of Supervisors spent more than five hours in discussion and public comment on Tuesday concerning proposed state legislation to shore up shipbuilding in Collinsville.

County officials say they only received a copy of the draft legislation on Monday afternoon, with board members openly criticizing what they described as a rush to respond.

“I do not know why we have to be in a hurry either,” board chair Monica Brown said.

Tuesday, the board was asked to provide direction on what would be the county’s position on draft legislation to be called the Solano Maritime and Manufacturing Act, which has not yet been formally introduced in the state legislature and has no named bill author yet.

The deadline for bills to be formally introduced this legislative session is Friday, as the session ends at midnight on Monday, August 31.

“I do not support moving forward with the legislation at this time… three days ain’t gonna cut it,” Supervisor Mitch Mashburn said.

The board ultimately decided 3-2 after lengthy debate that it will oppose the draft legislation for this specific legislative cycle.

The board further decided it will direct staff to continue the discussion to a later date, hoping this would possibly push the proposed bill to the next legislative session in December 2026 to give community stakeholders the opportunity to weigh in on it.

Supervisors Brown and Vasquez issued the two “no” votes on the motion to push the board’s timeline out.  

There is no promise that this decision by the board will stall the state’s intentions to move forward with it.

“We need to have the time and the thoughtfulness to make sure we do it correctly… I’m saying we don’t need to rush,” Mashburn said.

It is important to note that no project application currently sits before the board concerning a shipbuilding project in Collinsville.

“Do I support shipbuilding? Yes. Do I support good-paying jobs? I definitely do… we have lost a lot of jobs in this county, and there is a serious need for jobs. Yet, I am still responsible to make sure there are protections and guardrails in,” Supervisor Wanda Williams said.

The greater conversation surrounding shipbuilding in Solano County has been gaining momentum since 2025, when a similar bill failed to advance in the California Legislature.

The controversial California Forever project has proposed, in addition to its goal of building a new city of 400,000 people on Solano County farmland, to also build what they call the Solano Shipyard in Collinsville.

The proposed shipyard recently suffered a major blow when defense technology company Saronic, which considered Collinsville a finalist, backed out of its negotiations with California Forever and instead sent its $3 billion shipyard and thousands of jobs to Texas. 

That got the attention of Governor Gavin Newsom’s economic development office, called “GO-Biz,” as CBS Sacramento first reported in July, which suggested the state take action so as not to lose major job-producing bids in the future.

“The United States is investing heavily in restoring the Navy and the vessels that support the Navy. A lot of money is in the defense department to support this. There is a chance to bring that legacy industry back, so many jobs lost, in this county and the Bay Area,” said Jim Wunderman, head of public affairs for California Forever, at Tuesday’s meeting. “There is only a small window of time here to get a bill done this year or else companies won’t come.” 

Since December, Solano County officials say they have met with Saronic, California Forever and GO-Biz more than 35 times. 

Still, Supervisor Mitch Mashburn said Tuesday that he felt the state was treating the board as “toddlers” and that Solano County deserves a seat at the table instead of having decisions “pushed down our throat.” 

Tuesday, the Board had so many people signed up to give public comment on this topic alone that they had to be limited to one minute each. 

The majority of the comments were for the Board to not support the draft legislation.

“I find this precedent deeply concerning. Every landowner and developer must follow zoning, general plans, environmental review and due diligence. A project of this magnitude should follow those same rules,” said one Solano County resident in public comment.

Many neighbors expressed their concern that this legislation was simply a back-door deal for the billionaire-backed California Forever project to green-light their development.

“They’ve been trying to stealth this through for a long time, and this is their new way of doing it. I don’t trust them whatsoever,” said another neighbor in public comment concerning California Forever.

In the draft legislation, the urgency of shipbuilding is outlined as they call Collinsville one of the largest vacant sites in the West that is suitable for heavy maritime use.

“Development of maritime uses in this area is urgent and a matter of statewide importance due to the urgent need to build ships and to maintain a maritime industrial base… for national security,” the draft legislation reads.

It also said that for every 1,000 ships built by China, the United States is producing only 5.

While no authors have yet been attached to the proposed bill, both Assemblywoman Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) and State Senator Christopher Cabaldon (D-West Sacramento) spoke in support of the legislation to the board at Tuesday’s meeting.

“The purpose of the legislation is simply to make it possible for the county to move quickly in order to achieve the rezoning and the general plan changes necessary,” Cabaldon said in his comments.

Cabaldon explained the legislation can apply to California Forever’s proposed shipyard, but is written to support greater maritime industry in Collinsville as a whole and bring new jobs to Solano County.

He says the legislation would align only with the group’s shipyard, not their greater ambitions to build a new city.

“This language does not authorize that in any way. It doesn’t waive any environmental, fiscal or democratic review of that project at all,” Cabaldon said of California Forever.

The draft legislation does outline the control that Solano County would keep, though it does streamline judicial review and expand the Governor’s existing power to certify these projects.

“Existing law authorizes the Governor to certify an infrastructure project that meets specified requirements for streamlining benefits related to CEQA,” the draft reads. “This bill would expand the definition of “infrastructure project” to include Solano maritime and manufacturing projects.”

Assemblywoman Wilson in her comments Tuesday said the legislation recognizes that federal and private investments are being made in shipbuilding, and that California has an opportunity to compete for those investments.

“We are not asking you to surrender local control. We are asking whether Solano County should put itself in a position to compete. This legislation creates a framework to do just that, while preserving the county’s authority over the project that may ultimately come before you,” Wilson said. 

Another point of contention by the supervisors was that the legislation outlines that a draft EIR approved 18 years ago would still apply to the Collinsville Special Study Area, east of Collinsville Road.

Sources told CBS News Sacramento Tuesday morning to expect the draft maritime legislation to be introduced formally by the Friday deadline.

It is unclear at this time how state lawmakers will move forward in light of the Board’s late-Tuesday decision not to support the legislation.