In July, a referendum seeking approval for the project from county voters was pulled off the November ballot in the face of mounting opposition.

California Forever said in July it would negotiate a development agreement with the county and submit an application for a general plan and zoning amendment, including a full environmental impact report.

In January, the group pivoted and began negotiating with Suisan City, a four-square-mile municipality with a population of 29K, on an annexation deal that may enable California Forever to build its new city without the approval of county voters.

Last month, Rio Vista Mayor Edwin Okamura told the San Francisco Chronicle that he met with California Forever representatives, county officials and retired military leaders to discuss a proposal to include in the project a major shipbuilding hub on a 1,400-acre site owned by California Forever near the tiny town of Collinsville.

The meeting was convened in anticipation of President Trump’s executive order creating a Maritime Security Trust Fund to provide financial backing to revive shipbuilding capacity in the United States. Last week, Trump signed the directive, which also creates an Office of Shipbuilding.

“A proposed site for this initiative is near Collinsville, an area long suspected as a potential port,” Okamura said. “Early discussions suggest tax incentives for shipbuilding and related businesses, federal infrastructure funding and immediate job creation.”

In a statement, California Forever confirmed the group was considering constructing a shipbuilding facility on a site about two miles east of Collinsville, an unincorporated community with fewer than 100 residents.

“Solano County is uniquely positioned to answer the call for rebuilding our nation’s naval power,” California Forever said. “Developing shipbuilding, ship repair, and related maritime industries would revive the Delta’s maritime legacy and drive economic revitalization across Solano County.”

The large swath of land owned by California Forever in Solano County includes property near Collinsville on the Sacramento River. The 1,400-acre tract is zoned for maritime industrial uses, a designation that was also included in the county’s 2008 General Plan.

Previously, the California Forever initiative said it was planning the development of light manufacturing, including drones, robotics and modular housing.

Solano County Supervisor Mitch Mashburn, who played a key role in convincing Sramek to postpone the 2024 ballot initiative on California Forever, told the Chronicle that his support for the concept of a port on California Forever’s land should not be construed as an endorsement of its proposed new city.

“There is no quid pro quo,” Mashburn said. “It’s not attached to the building of a city of 400,000 people. This project is only about a shipbuilding complex in Collinsville.”

U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, whose congressional district includes Solano County, is co-sponsoring a bipartisan bill to bolster America’s maritime industry by funding the rebuilding of shipyards and training of maritime and shipyard workers.

However, Garamendi expressed skepticism about the plan to put a new shipyard on California Forever’s land. “Rather than choosing to develop a plan in consultation with the community, California Forever is seeking federal tax dollars to finance their shipbuilding proposal,” Garamendi said in a statement.