The Solano County Board of Supervisors voted 3–2 on the night of Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, to decline to support draft state legislation that would have fast-tracked a California Forever shipbuilding facility at Collinsville, according to CapRadio's report on the vote.
Because the legislative session was ending, the decision effectively killed the bill for 2026 and pushed any shipyard streamlining law to 2027 at the earliest. California Forever is the billionaire-backed company that owns land at Collinsville, a rural community at the mouth of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, where it wants to build the shipyard. The board's majority did not reject the project itself; they said they wanted more time to shape a bill they fully understand before backing it.
Table of Contents
- What the bill would have done
- How the vote broke down
- Why the stakes were high for California Forever and Newsom
- What this means for Solano County residents
- What happens next
- Frequently Asked Questions
What the bill would have done
The proposal, called the Solano Maritime and Manufacturing Act, would have exempted about 1,350 acres along the Delta from the California Environmental Quality Act for "maritime and manufacturing uses," including infrastructure projects, as reported by CalMatters. CEQA is the state law that normally requires a detailed environmental study before major construction. Instead of a new review, the legislation would have let California Forever rely on an environmental impact report that is roughly 18 years old, according to KQED.
That trade — speed now versus current environmental analysis — was the core of what supervisors were asked to endorse. The bill arrived as last-minute draft legislation late in the session. Supervisors were being asked to support text that had not gone through the usual months of committee review.
How the vote broke down
Three supervisors voted against supporting the bill this session; two voted to move ahead. Supervisors Cassandra James and Wanda Williams were part of the majority and agreed to revisit the proposal next year, while Monica Brown and John Vasquez cast the dissenting votes favoring immediate support, per the Vallejo Sun. The majority framed the vote as a pause, not a rejection.
They said they want the time between now and January 2027, when the next legislative session begins, to work with the governor's office, lawmakers, and community groups on a version they can fully support. CapRadio described the late-night decision as a surprise. Because state support hinged on the county's backing and the session was closing, the "no for now" functioned as a "no for the year.".
Why the stakes were high for California Forever and Newsom
California Forever had invested heavily in the bill's passage, spending $455,000 on lobbying according to state disclosure reports cited by CalMatters. The company has pitched the Collinsville shipyard as a major jobs project for Solano County, and the vote is a clear setback to that timeline. Gov.
Gavin Newsom, whose office led discussions on the legislation through the summer, criticized the board the next morning. "Continue to do what you've done, you'll get what you got. It's easy to punt something, but there's going to be some reckoning," he told reporters, per CBS Sacramento. The rebuke signals the administration still wants the project and may press the issue when the Legislature returns.
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What this means for Solano County residents
For residents, the practical effect is a delay, not a resolution. No CEQA-streamlining bill for the shipyard can pass before 2027, and the Collinsville project stays on hold while negotiations continue.
That delay creates a real window for public input. The board majority explicitly said it wants community groups at the table before the next session, so the coming months are when residents can weigh in: The jobs question cuts both ways. A shipyard would bring construction and manufacturing employment to a rural corner of the county, but the CEQA exemption means the environmental trade-offs — traffic, water, Delta habitat — would rest on an analysis nearly two decades old unless a new bill requires updated review.
- Watch the Board of Supervisors agenda for items on Collinsville, California Forever, or the Solano Maritime and Manufacturing Act, and comment in person or in writing.
- Contact your district supervisor; the 3–2 split means individual board members' positions matter.
- Follow the 2027 legislative session from January, since a revised bill would need both county support and state passage.
What happens next
The board committed to revisiting the proposal before the next session opens in January 2027. Expect negotiation among the county, the governor's office, lawmakers, and California Forever over what a revised bill looks like — particularly whether it keeps the old environmental report or requires fresh study.
Nothing about the vote changes California Forever's land ownership at Collinsville or its ability to pursue the project through the normal permitting path; the bill was about skipping steps, not authorizing the shipyard itself. If a new bill emerges in 2027, it will need the county support this one failed to get — which is why the board's stated conditions, not the governor's criticism, are the thing to watch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the vote kill the shipyard project?
No. It killed the streamlining bill for the 2026 session. The board majority said they want to negotiate a version they can support before the Legislature returns in January 2027.
What is CEQA and why does the exemption matter?
The California Environmental Quality Act requires environmental review before major projects. The bill would have exempted about 1,350 acres and let the project rely on a roughly 18-year-old environmental report instead of a new one.
How can residents influence the outcome?
The board asked for time to work with community groups before 2027, so public comment at supervisor meetings and contact with district supervisors during this window can shape the revised bill.
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