Imagine a world where tech billionaires decide to play real-life SimCity in rural Solano County. Jan Sramek and his band of Silicon Valley elites are at it again, this time proposing the “Solano Foundry” - a massive 2,100-acre manufacturing wonderland that promises to bring back the glory days of “designed in California, made in California”.

The Silicon Valley Dream Reborn

California Forever, backed by tech royalty like Marc Andreessen and Laurene Powell-Jobs, is pitching this massive project as the ultimate solution to bringing manufacturing jobs back to the Golden State. With promises of 40,000 jobs and a 40-million-square-foot ecosystem for “frontier tech,” they’re selling a vision of industrial renaissance that sounds more like a startup pitch deck than a realistic development plan.

Local Skepticism Meets Billionaire Ambition

Not everyone’s buying the hype. Local community group Solano Together is side-eyeing the project, pointing out that the land is still zoned for agriculture and questioning whether this is just another press-grabbing publicity stunt. Meanwhile, some local politicians are cautiously optimistic about potential job opportunities that could keep residents from commuting to Silicon Valley.

The Bigger Picture

This isn’t just about a manufacturing park - it’s a bold attempt to reimagine California’s economic landscape. By combining R&D and manufacturing in one location, Sramek and his team are betting on a future where tech and industry dance a new, innovative tango right in the heart of Solano County.