Search Results

A century or so ago, the Sears Corp. sold tens of thousands of catalog homes that were constructed across the United States. Today, the Sears company is still creating homes, as its former stores are converted and redeveloped into housing developments.

A contentious three-year planning effort to redevelop a former state mental hospital in Sonoma County is coming to a close, with land use decisions expected by the Board of Supervisors during December—or else the state takes back control of the property. Current proposals call for allowing a development that has 1,000 housing units and creates 900 jobs in retail and offices uses on the site of the Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC), which closed in 2018. Those numbers could increase if the state takes control. Local residents are asking for only 450 units, while developers are expected to propose a far higher number. Affordable housing and open space preservation are expected to be hallmarks of whatever is approved. The board is expected to act at a special December meeting to approve a specific plan and EIR for the 945-acre site. Current plans call for over 700 acres to be preserved as open space, and development to occur within the existing footprint of buildings on the site, which is located in a wine growing region halfway between the cities of Santa Rosa and Napa. The open space will be integrated into adjacent Jack London State Historical Park on the west and Sonoma Valley Regional Park on its east. Unlike other mental hospitals that the state has closed, the SDC site is in a rural area prone to wildfire, with little transportation access and 130 aging structures. Buildings on the site burned during big fires in 2017. And yet, housing pressures are fierce. With a population of about a half million people, Sonoma County grew only by 1 percent between the 2010 and 2020 censuses. But like much of California, it needs more affordable housing, as residents continue to be priced out of existing units. Most of the county’s growth has occurred in its cities along Highway 101, north and south of Santa Rosa, its most populous city. The 2023-2031 Regional Housing Needs Assessment allocation for unincorporated Sonoma County is 3,881 units. California’s Department of General Services is currently trying to determine which developer to choose for the 180-acre project to be built around existing buildings at SDC. One development project, submitted by local environmentalists, calls for 450 homes and the creation of 600 jobs. Two other big-name developers have submitted proposals, according to the Kenwood Press— Napa developer Keith Rogal and Related California, which is building a huge project near Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium. Details of their SDC proposals have not yet been released. County Supervisor Susan Gorin, whose district encompasses SDC, said she expects a developer to be chosen sometime next year.

A trial judge has ruled that Huntington Beach – perhaps the most resistant city in California to state housing law – must adopt a housing element. Attorney General Rob Bonta said the judge is requiring the city to adopt the housing element within 120 days – which would be mid-September – though the judge’s order didn’t seem to include that specification.

This article is brought to you courtesy of the paying subscribers to California Planning & Development Report . You can subscribe to CP&DR by clicking here . You can sign up for CP&DR 's free weekly newsletter here . Self-Certification Movement Spreads to Los Angeles County Los Angeles County has introduced a pilot initiative allowing licensed architects and engineers to self-certify that their building plans comply with county codes, hoping to expedite the rebuilding process in unincorporated areas impacted by recent Eaton and Palisades fires. Despite self-certification, projects still require approval from other departments including Regional Planning, Public Health and Fire Departments before a building permit is issued. Licensed professionals assume full responsibility for compliance fof their plans. The county plans to conduct random audits on plans and inspections throughout construction phases to guarantee compliance. Plans can be submitted via the online portal or at designated One-Stop Permit Centers in Calabasas and Altadena. (See related CP&DR coverage .) S.F. Mayor Seeks to Reduce Commercial Vacancies San Francisco Mayor Dan Lurie introduced legislation aimed at simplifying the city's permitting system in the hopes of supporting small businesses. Under the proposed ordinances, minor upgrades including outdoor seating, signage and minor upgrades would not require permits. The legislation also seeks to broaden the types of businesses allowed in ground-floor spaces to address widespread commercial vacancies. These changes build on earlier reforms expanding service hours, removing minor approval steps and introducing centralized online resources. While the initiative has broad support, some critics voiced concern about limited community impacts and potential impact on neighborhoods facing economic pressure. Menlo Park Ballot Measure Would Quash Housing, Preserve Downtown Parking Save Downtown Menlo Park is seeking to place an initiative on an upcoming ballot requiring voter approval on any city plans to diminish downtown parking. The group, which recently filed a notice of intent with the city of Menlo Park, seeks to halt the proposed development of at least 340 housing units on Parking Plazas 1, 2, and 3 in downtown Menlo Park. Opponents of the project argue that by eliminating over 500 parking places, it would harm nearby small businesses that rely on parking access for patronage and diminish the downtown's capacity as a community center. Save Downtown Menlo Park also sued the city in April to try to stop the project. At least 10% of Menlo Park's roughly 20,000 registered voters must sign the initiative before a measure can be placed on a ballot. Multiple developers have submitted site proposals, and city officials say they will recommend next steps to the city council this month. Texas-Based Plaintiff Seeks to Undo Designation of Chuckwalla National Monument A lawsuit filed in federal court this month seeks to overturn President Biden's creation of the 624,000 acre Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California, arguing President Biden exceeded the authority of the Antiquities Act, and that the act itself is unconstitutional. The suit, filed by the Texas Public Policy Foundation on behalf of a Michigan resident with mining claims and the BlueRibbon Coalition, claims the designation violates the act's requirement that monuments be limited to the smallest area that meets protection needs. It also claims the monument would place onerous restrictions on Plaintiff Daniel Torongo's mining claims, as well as on outdoor recreation access. Package of Bills to Revitalize Downtowns Introduced in Assembly Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) as Chair of the Downtown Recovery Committee, unveiled a legislative plan to help breathe life back into the state's urban cores. Joined by mayors from across the state and members of the Assembly's Downtown Recovery Committee, Haney, who recently conducted a "tour" of nine downtowns across the state, announced a package of 13 bills--five of which are sponsored by Haney--aimed at reversing high vacancy rates, supporting small businesses, tackling homelessness, and reigniting local economies. The Recovery Committees bill package includes measures to spur infill housing near jobs and transit, streamline approvals for office to housing conversions, support struggling nightlife and entertainment venues, and getting homeless people of the streets and into housing. (See related CP&DR coverage .) CP&DR Coverage: How Feds Could Undermine California Habitat Conservation Plans The Trump Administration has proposed eliminating protection of critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act, which is the foundation of the longstanding system of habitat conservation plans that California has put into place over the last 30 years. It's unclear what the actual impact on California will be given the fact that the state has its own Endangered Species Act, which is in some ways is more stringent than the federal law. But the rule does create uncertainty around the federal habitat conservation plans - as well as state natural communities conservation plans that have been created with federal cooperation - that have shaped private development for decades, especially in Riverside, Orange, and San Diego Counties. In many cases, these conservation plans are now embedded in local general plans as well. The new rule is also aimed partly at federal land, such as land owned by the Bureau of Land Management and the National Forest Service, in order to open up that land for logging, oil drilling, and possibly development of Trump's proposed "freedom towns." Quick Hits & Updates A new report finds that 49 downtown San Francisco properties are prime candidates for conversion into housing, potentially creating up to 4,400 new units under a proposed special financing district. The city hopes to incentivize these projects with long-term developer reimbursements and waiving affordable housing mandates for early projects. A recent survey found rents are rising in most SoCal cities, with only six out of 32 cities surveyed—Temecula, Murrieta, West Covina, Long Beach, Escondido and Santa Clarita—seeing year-over-year declines in April. This time last year, 44% of SoCal areas experienced rent decreases, indicating landlords have regained some pricing power amid increased demand due to unaffordable homeownership and housing losses related to recent wildfires. Former Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet has pled guilty to multiple bribery and corruption charges, admitting he accepted payments in exchange for supporting certain real-estate projects. The payments were alleged to take place between 2012 and 2014 and include up to $375,000 in bribes paid to Pougnet by two developers. California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed two lawsuits against the Trump administration over a policy that threatens to withhold billions of dollars in transportation and homeland security grants unless states comply with federal immigration enforcement. Bonta argues that this policy unlawfully attempts to coerce states into using their resources for immigration enforcement, as these funds are unrelated to immigration matters and are crucial for public safety and infrastructure. In a leaked email to a donor, the chair of the San Francisco Parks Alliance admitted that the nonprofit misused at least $3.8 million in restricted funds. As the organization collapsed financially, funds designated for specific projects were used to cover operating expenses. Viewed as a critical partner for a wide variety of projects from new parks to habitat restoration, the Alliance now faces calls for a criminal investigation, as well as the possibility of shutting down. According to a report released by Streets for All, proposed state bill SB 79 could generate up to $1 billion annually in property tax revenue for Los Angeles, roughly equivalent to the city's 2025 budget shortfall. A modest growth scenario would generate $200M, more than enough to cover the estimated savings of laying off 1,600 city employees. SB 79 would set minimum zoning densities within a 1/2-mile radius of high quality transit stops, and gives transit agencies more flexibility in developing land they own. The Irvine Company has proposed redeveloping the Oak Creek Golf Course into a 3,100-home village, known as the Irvine Spectrum District Village, situated between Jeffrey Road and Sand Canyon Avenue in Irvine. The plan includes 1,500 single-family homes, 1,600 apartment units, a new school, parks and trail connections, aiming to address the city's housing needs while maintaining proximity to jobs and amenities. Marin County is experiencing a significant outflow of low-income residents due to high housing costs, with data showing the county has the largest rate of negative net migration for low-income households in the Bay Area. This trend is contributing to population losses, school enrollment declines and increasing difficulty for workers to live in the area where they work, further exacerbated by the county's historical resistance to new housing development and policies like rent control. According to the state of the Region 2025 Economic and Election Report, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario counties are expected to experience modest economic growth in 2025, driven primarily by the logistics sector and housing demand. While new regulatory changes and uncertainties around tariffs and federal policies could create challenges, lower interest rates will support the housing and construction industries. Despite limited growth in healthcare and education due to state budget constraints, the region is poised to see positive impacts from housing market activity and property tax revenue.

Not long ago, Menlo Park determined  that a guy splitting his lot into two under SB 9 should pay $127,000 in Quimby Fees.

Subscribers -Log In to read the CP&DR Vol. 41 No. 2 February 2026 Report

As the global economy has wobbled in the face of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, the California logistics industry has followed suit. The promise of jobs and economic development has pushed jurisdictions to embrace warehouses by the millions of square feet -- totaling over 1.17 billion square feet of warehouse space in southern Calfornia alone. Meanwhile, local opponents remain vigilant.

All through COVID, the massive population losses being experienced in coastal California – especially in Los Angeles County – were being offset by some population growth in inland counties from Sacramento to the Inland Empire.

Glendale Reverses Course on Rejection of By-Right Project The Glendale City Council is set to rescind  its October 2025 decision to reject a large housing and mixed-use development at the former Sears site at 236 N. Central Avenue after state officials warned that the denial violated California’s Housing Accountability Act. The council originally rejected the plan on a 4–1 vote, largely because members felt the design didn’t sufficiently honor the old Sears building’s Art Deco character, despite Mayor Ara Najarian and an attorney for the developer warning that this could result in legal consequences. (See previous CP& DR coverage here .) After the state Department of Housing and Community Development issued a notice of violation and set a January 29 deadline to reverse the decision, city staff recommended rescinding the denial and moving forward with the project. The proposed project by Trammell Crow Residential would build an eight-story, approximately 650,000-square-foot complex with 682 rental apartments, including 72 very low-income units, ground-floor commercial space, and a 930-car garage. Trump Claims Authority to Speed Up Permitting for Fire Recovery President Donald Trump   signed  an executive order aimed at speeding up rebuilding in Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon one year after wildfires destroyed nearly 40,000 acres and an estimated 17,000 structures. The order seeks to cut what Trump calls “bureaucratic red tape” by allowing the federal government to preempt state and local permitting processes and move approvals to the federal level. The order   seeks  to "preempt State or local permitting processes, and other similar pre-approval requirements, that... have unduly impeded the timely use of Federal emergency-relief funds." Trump again accused California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of catastrophic failures in wildfire preparation, response, and rebuilding, particularly criticizing forest management, water systems, and permitting delays. Newsom’s office dismissed the order as ineffective and urged Trump to release withheld federal disaster funding instead, arguing that money, not permitting, is the main barrier to rebuilding. “Mr. President, please actually help us. We are begging you,” the mayor’s office posted on social media. “Release the federal disaster aid you’re withholding that will help communities rebuild their homes, schools, parks, and infrastructure.” Los Angeles Tables Measure to Reform Controversial ‘Mansion Tax’ The Los Angeles City Council   postponed  a vote on a proposed ballot measure that would have exempted newer apartment buildings from the Measure ULA real estate transfer tax, delaying any change until at least the November election. Councilmember Nithya Raman sponsored the proposal, asking her colleagues to place a measure that would exempt sellers of newer apartment buildings from paying the tax. She claimed ULA is holding back housing production and warned that lenders and investors are pulling out of Los Angeles. Labor unions and tenant advocacy groups strongly opposed the changes, arguing that ULA has generated about $1 billion to fund affordable housing and provide assistance to thousands of people at risk of homelessness. Developers argue that ULA, approved by voters in 2022, has made many housing projects financially unviable and contributed to a slowdown in apartment construction, while ULA backers say other factors such as high interest rates are the cause. The council sent Raman’s proposal to the Housing and Homelessness Committee for further review, missing the deadline for the June ballot. CP&DR Coverage: Constitutionality of SB 9 Will Be Reconsidered   In effect since 2022, SB 9 permits landowners to build up to four units on their single-family parcels by splitting their parcels in two and build two units on each of the resulting parcels, all by ministerial action. However, SB 9 mentioned only “affordable housing” and not “a lack of housing supply” as the justification for interfering with home rule. This was the basis of the constitutional challenge brought by several cities, led by Redondo Beach, to which Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Curtis Kin ruled  in favor of the charter cities in 2024, saying that housing affordability and housing supply are not the same thing. This year, however, the Legislature passed SB 450, which expanded the purpose of SB 9 to include housing supply as well as affordability. For this reason, Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office argued that Kin’s ruling no longer applied, and the Second District Court of Appeal, agreeing with Bonta, sent the case back to Kin for reconsideration. Another appellate ruling declaring SB 9 constitutional as it relates to general-law cities still stands.   Quick Hits & Update ​​ A new economic report from the San Francisco city controller   shows  job losses picking up while the housing market becomes stronger. The report attributes job losses largely to continued tech layoffs, while office attendance and transit ridership both dropped. At the same time, rents have remained at fairly consistent levels, home prices are rising and housing permits are steadily increasing. Mill Valley  in Marin County is   offering  a one-time payment of up to $14,000 to property owners who sign a one-year lease with someone who works in the city. The average cost of rent in Mill Valley is around $3,500 per month while the average home price hovers around $2 million. The “Lease to Locals” program is being run by PlaceMate, based on a model the company generally uses in vacation destinations which has placed about 2,000 locals in 850 units across 15 markets. San Jose planning administrators   gave  final approval to a plan to build two housing towers containing 768 residential units in the downtown area. The building would also include 10,700 square feet of ground-floor retail, 26,100 square feet of residential lobbies, and five underground levels, four of which are reserved for parking. California has   sued  the  Trump administration over its decision to take federal control of pipelines tied to Sable Offshore Corp.’s plan to restart offshore oil production near Santa Barbara. Attorney General Rob Bonta argues that the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration unlawfully seized oversight from the state and improperly approved Sable’s pipeline restart. State officials say the federal move contradicts prior agreements that gave California authority to review any restart and undermines environmental and public safety protections. A previously privately owned and inaccessible stretch of Northern California coastline near Bodega Bay has   opened  to the public for the first time in over a century. The 547‑acre Estero Americano Coast Preserve now offers walking trails, scenic beaches, panoramic ocean views, and natural habitats for wildlife. The preserve is open daily from sunrise to sunset, and entry is free. Vanderbilt University has   acquired  the California College of Arts campus in San Francisco, with plans to establish a full-time academic campus in the city beginning in the fall of 2027. The Trump administration has   filed  a lawsuit against California over Senate Bill 1137 , a law establishing a 3,200-foot buffer between new oil and gas wells and homes, schools, hospitals, and parks. The U.S. Department of Justice argues that the law violates federal law by restricting federally authorized oil and gas leases, while California officials say the setback protects public health and is based on scientific evidence.

A judge in Stanislaus County has relied heavily on the U.S. Supreme Court’s Sheetz case to strike down the City of Patterson’s newly updated impact fees.

This article is brought to you courtesy of the paying subscribers to  California Planning & Development Report . You can subscribe to  CP&DR  by clicking  here . You can sign up for  CP&DR ’s free weekly newsletter  here . Los Angeles Seeks to Promote "Missing Middle" Housing The Los Angeles Department of City Planning launched  the Missing Middle LA program to expand housing options by making it easier to build smaller, neighborhood-scale homes such as accessory dwelling units, duplexes, townhomes, and other “missing middle” housing types across the city’s residential zones. The median home cost in Los Angeles is over $1 million, and only 36% of Angelenos own a home. Missing Middle attempts to address the rising cost of living by creating infill housing. The initiative will implement targeted zoning code amendments organized around three pillars: updating rules to allow the sale of ADUs and implement state two-unit provisions, revising small-lot subdivision regulations to enable a range of ownership models, and creating objective design standards. Draft ordinances are expected to be released for public review, with community outreach planned to gather input and refine proposals before formal hearings and adoption. Federal Government Releases Details on Leases of Over 1 Million Acres for Extraction  The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is proposing  to lease 1 million acres of public land in California to oil and gas developers. The report claims that the environmental impact is minimal, though The Center for Biological Diversity sued the federal agency over similar previous proposals, leading to a settlement in 2022 and agreement that development would be halted until an additional environmental review. Despite this agreement, the new report analyzed no new alternatives, and attorneys for the Center say the science used in more recent reports is out of date. The proposal seeks to lease over 400,000 acres of surface land throughout central California, plus over 1 million acres of underground mineral estate. The proposal could include acreage in parks and conservation areas, including Pinnacles National Park and Mount Diablo State Park. San Francisco to Merge Development-Related Departments San Francisco plans  to consolidate its Department of Building Inspection, Planning Department and PermitSF into a single entity. San Francisco is one of the few large California cities that currently keeps building inspection and planning fully separate. The merger is targeted for completion by mid-2027, but will first require changes to the city charter and approval by voters. The move comes amid long-standing issues with the Department of Building Inspection, which has been working to overcome past corruption scandals and challenges posed by outdated software systems that are incompatible with other departments. The proposed consolidation of building and permitting into one entity reflects broader efforts within San Francisco to keep up with housing mandates by helping move stalled development projects forward and shortening lengthy permitting timelines. Pro-Housing Groups Sue to Compel San Francisco to Upzone YIMBY Law, California Housing Defense Fund (CalHDF) and Californians for Homeownership filed  a lawsuit against San Francisco regarding the recently adopted Family Zoning Plan. The lawsuit argues that the city is in violation of state housing requirements in their failure to zone enough land to meet its legal obligation to enable at least 36,000 new homes, instead adopting a plan that would produce far fewer units. The law also creates new constraints on unit size, parking, and curb cuts for new developments, which the plaintiffs claim will slow housing production further. The lawsuit alleges that the city is also out of compliance with density standards and non-residential use limits for lower-income housing. Two Housing Bills Advance in Congress The House of Representatives passed  the bipartisan Housing for the 21st Century Act by 390-9. The bill aims to speed up housing development, sharing many similarities with last year’s Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream to Housing Act. It also directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development to create guidelines for local officials in zoning and to create preapproved designs to streamline permit approval. The bill also revises the definition of manufactured housing, removing the previously required steel chassis. The two measures are expected to be combined before being sent to the president in a few weeks. While the Trump administration supports the bill’s general direction, it noted the absence of a proposal to restrict large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes. Another bipartisan housing bill known as The Build Housing, Unlock Benefits and Services Act (Build HUBS) was introduced  in Congress with aims to encourage development near transit. It would make TIFIA and RRIF more available for transit-oriented development (TOD) projects by extending their authorization through 2031 and clarifying what qualifies as TOD. The bill also aims to accelerate review timelines, implement a lending model that retains federal oversight while utilizing private involvement, and waive certain environmental review requirements for specific infill and conversion projects. CP&DR Coverage: Affluent Communities Still Fight Builder's Remedy Projects Builder’s remedy projects continue to generate controversy  in affluent communities around the state – and the whole process has now received national publicity. Much of the debate is focused in the expensive but traditionally low-rise communities in Silicon Valley. Most recently, Mountain View approved a 15-story builder’s remedy project. Meanwhile, Menlo Park has – so far – rejected a builder’s remedy project on the iconic Sunset Magazine headquarters site because, the city says, only 61% of the site is devoted to residential, rather than two-thirds. In Beverly Hills, the planning commission rejected a 26-story housing project but the developer has appealed to the city council, saying the city has no choice but to approve the project because it did not have a valid housing element at the time the project was submitted. Quick Hits & Updates California Forever   signed  what it describes as the largest construction labor agreement in history, a 40-year deal with the Napa/Solano Building Trades Council and the Northern California Carpenters Union covering nearly 70,000 acres in Solano County. The pact mandates that most construction on the site, including infrastructure, public works, major commercial, office, retail, industrial, defense and energy projects, will be done by union labor under project labor agreements. (See related CP&DR coverage .) The Washoe Tribe  of Nevada and California has purchased  10,000 acres north of Lake Tahoe from the city of Santa Clara for $6 million, 175 years after the tribe was forced to leave the lands in the wake of the Gold Rush. The Wildlife Conservation Board contributed $5.5 million toward the deal, with the rest of the funding coming from private donations with fundraising efforts aided by the Northern Sierra Partnership and the Feather River Land Trust. California’s fire safety regulators are more than a month late in delivering  a state-mandated study on whether mid-rise apartment buildings can safely be built with just a single staircase . The report was ordered to help assess whether relaxing the current requirement for two staircases in buildings over three stories could expand housing options on tight urban lots. Calfire's assistant deputy director of legislation has said that the report is still under review, but did not provide an expected release date. A California appeals court has ruled  in favor of the town of Tiburon  in a legal challenge over its environmental review of an updated housing plan and general plan. The case centered on whether Tiburon’s program-level environmental review under CEQA needed to include a detailed, site-specific analysis for a 9-acre parcel rezoned for higher-density housing, which local opponents argued was required. The court found that because no specific housing project has been proposed for that parcel yet, the town’s broader environmental review was appropriate and that detailed review can wait until a concrete development is planned. The Santa Barbara  County Board of Supervisors adopted  phase two of three of a set of new zoning ordinances including increasing the residential area height limit to 45 feet and a density of 20 units per acre, creating specific design exceptions for ADUs, and increasing the required open space for some projects. A federal bankruptcy judge approved  a bankruptcy exit agreement for downtown Los Angeles's Oceanwide Plaza skyscraper known as the "Graffiti Towers," bringing the property one step closer to a sale. The agreement resolves disputes among creditors, sets repayment terms, and establishes a framework for selling the $1 billion mixed-use complex. Construction on the Oceanwide Holdings project was halted after the company ran out of money; they also planned to build two skyscrapers in San Francisco’s financial district, but construction was halted for the same reason in 2020. The Beverly Hills City Council granted  a developer’s appeal for a Builder’s Remedy housing project at 9229 Wilshire Boulevard, sending a revised proposal back to the Planning Commission for review. The original 14‑story plan would include 116 apartments, 24 of which are affordable, a 60‑room hotel, retail space, and parking. The applicant is now pursuing a larger 26‑story version with more units and parking. The California Department of Housing and Community Development launched  the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Data Tracking Program & Dashboard , a statewide initiative established through AB 653. The program requires all public housing authorities in California to report key data metrics on tenant-based Housing Choice Vouchers and for HCD to make the reported data publicly available. Los Angeles's top budget official proposed  fee relief for all types of properties that were damaged in the Pacific Palisades during the January 2025 wildfires. The revised plan expands relief from just single-family homes to include condos, apartments, townhouses, and commercial buildings. (See related CP&DR coverage .)

In the two years since plans for a new city of potentially hundreds of thousands of people in Solano County were leaked, the project has already cycled through several names: Flannery Associates, California Forever, and the East Solano Plan. If the latest suppositions are true, it could gain yet another: East Suisun City. Last month, the city council of Suisun City — a city of 28,000 in the southwest corner of Solano County — voted 4-1 to study the annexation of potentially all land within its sphere of influence. That would encompass a trapezoidal area east of the city and south of Travis Air Force Base. It includes some of the 60,000 acres owned by Flannery Associates throughout unincorporated portions of the county and would abut a major industrial development planned by the company. “We gave direction to begin conversations with our local partners like (the Local Agency Formation Commission),” said Suisun City Mayor Alma Hernandez, who sits on the LAFCO board and brought the item to council. Those conversations will cover “all the areas within our sphere of influence.” She insisted that the city and Flannery Associates have had essentially no contact with each other, with Flannery collaborating more closely with cities such as Fairfield and Vallejo in their ballot measure campaign, including promised investments in those cities. Suisun City is financially distressed with little infill opportunity. Annexation could enable the city to gain jurisdiction over a portion of the East Solano Plan, which has, thus far, failed to receive support from the county Board of Supervisors or and has not yet been submitted to county voters (California Forever’s backers pulled a proposed ballot measure a few months ago; see related CP&DR coverage ). The move could enable a portion of the plan to go forward purely through municipal action. The East Solano Plan envisions a mixed-use, New Urbanist-style city to the east of its proposed industrial zone.