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By Eric Johnson
Published Jan 29, 2024

A group of  powerful, ambitious and confident people are hoping to ease California’s housing crisis by building an urban Utopia in the middle of nowhere. A group of powerful, ambitious and confident people are hoping to ease California’s housing crisis by building an urban Utopia in the middle of nowhere. Image credit: California Forever

The California Exodus and ‘California Forever’

Welcome to the end of January, which seems to have arrived too quicky. A reminder that, as always, you can access the most important news in your community, and learn about local nonprofits doing good work, just below. And BTW: Go Niners!

In this week’s edition of The Newsletter, we take a look at two of the biggest stories of 2023. First, the “California Exodus” that has seen the state’s population shrink in recent years by more than 800,000, which could send a political shockwave through the state and the nation. Then, the secret plan, launched by some A-list Silicon Valley billionaires, to build a city of 400,000 in an agricultural area halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento. 

These stories are bound together by one thing—the state’s ongoing housing shortage. As Jon Vankin explains here, the cost of housing has one out of three Californians considering escape from the Golden State, and is the primary reason more than a million left in the past two years. And as the New York Times reports, the stated impetus behind the “California Forever” plan for a new city is the housing shortage that is throttling their limitless ambitions. 

Next, our colleague and product guru Chris Neklason reports on our newest Tracker, a one-stop resource that will make it easy to follow the potentially explosive developments in Solano County. 

And finally, our friends at Sacramento Digs Gardening provide a healthy winter recipe to keep you warm.


Our Dangerously Dwindling Population

Californians are fleeing the state. It’s a narrative promoted recently by Ron DeSantis, and by the state’s haters for almost a decade. Turns out it is not a myth. And the cause of the exodus is no mystery.


Updated: California Exodus, Housing and the State's Political Future

As residents continue to exit California, the state’s political power at the national level is at risk.
The California housing crisis is not only weakening the state politically at the national level, it could shift the political balance in Washington, D.C., as Republican-led states add population while California’s exodus continues.


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Direct your browser to https://sacramento.californialocal.com/ to catch up on the latest news in California and Sacramento County. Bookmark the link and visit often, there's a lot happening in your community!


The Plan for a Utopian City in the Delta

The billionaire backers of California Forever are buying up gobs of farmland in Solano County. Where sheep now graze beneath giant windmills, a bold (naive?) entrepreneur envisions a revolutionary urbanized future. Here’s the bombshell story from the New York Times, and CALocal’s plan to keep track of the story’s development.


Silicon Valley Billionaires vs. Bay Area’s Housing Crisis?


In NYT’s “The Farmers Had What the Billionaires Wanted,” we meet a man who wants to build a city in the middle of nowhere, and folks who are slowing him down.

Building a City From the Ground Up

New neighbors might be moving to Solano County soon. A whole lot of them.
We’re getting ready to track the progress of California Forever’s plans to build a city of 400,000 in what is now Solano County farm country.

Recipe of the Week

Our friends at Sacramento Digs Gardening publish a recipe from their gardens every Sunday, which we feature here so you can start your week with some yum.


Creamy broccoli-cheese soup has a secret: No cream, no flour

This hearty bowl of broccoli-cheese soup is creamy thanks to potato, not cream or flour.
Hearty winter warmer also is gluten-free


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Big Brothers Big Sisters logo Big Brothers Big Sisters

Big Brother Big Sisters provides children facing adversity with strong, enduring, professionally supported mentorship. The chapter serves Sacramento and Yolo counties, as well as southern Placer County.

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From Our Media Allies

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Sacramento News and Review logo Volunteers Set Out Across Region for Point-In-Time Count

The biennial survey, which continues in neighborhoods, parks and along riverbanks countywide, does more than just tally the region’s unhoused residents.

Folsom Times logo Samsung Semiconductor Opens New Folsom Location

The news about tech giant Samsung Semiconductor planting roots in the city came as Folsom Mayor Mike Koslowski closed his 2024 State of the Union speech to a sold-out crowd at Lakeside Church.

Folsom Times logo Scott Martin Named SMUD’s Chief Financial Officer

General Manager Paul Lau has named Scott Martin as the new chief financial officer for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.

The Sacramento Oracle logo $24M NIH Grant Extends Study of Healthy Aging in African Americans

The study, which launched in 2017, follows a group of about 750 older adults to understand how behaviors and lifestyle may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Folsom Times logo Folsom Council Recommends 7-Year Railroad Operating License

Over the last two months, the Placerville and Sacramento Valley Railroad faced uncertainty in with the looming renewal of its operating license.

Carmichael Times logo Meet Gabby Garbage

Sacramento County’s new mascot asks residents to rethink what they throw into the trash.

Carmichael Times logo Skilled Nursing Facility Nears Completion on Dewey Drive

Construction of a 24-hour skilled nursing facility in Citrus Heights moves forward with a projected opening date, pending final inspection approvals this spring.

Carmichael Times logo New Housing Development Coming to Carmichael

One of few remaining land parcels in Carmichael is being developed as a 46-home, all-electric community called The Paseos.

Sacramento News and Review logo Davis and Western Yolo Are Helping Fuel California Agave Spirits

New possibilities for a new year: That was the theme of a recent symposium at UC Davis hosted by the California Agave Council.

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• Galt Teacher Makes Write-in Assembly Bid

Longtime Galt teacher Rosella Rowlison has thrown her hat in the ring for the 9th Assembly District race, but she will not be appearing on the March 5 ballot.

(01/26/2024) → LodiNews

• Approaching Bay Area Deadline a ‘Test Case’ for California’s Housing Crisis

On Jan. 31, dozens of cities and counties are expected to convert thousands of suburban-style tracts into apartment-ready parcels. Will the state hold them to it?

(01/24/2024) → CalMatters

• To Poopenaut, That Is the Question: Rancho Cordova to Change Street Name

City leaders in Rancho Cordova have voted to change a street name they didn’t even want a city clerk to say aloud during last week’s City Council meeting.

(01/24/2024) → CapPublicRadio

• Jailed for Missing a Court Date, He Died After Not Being Given His HIV Medicine

An El Dorado County Jail inmate died after not receiving vital HIV medication for weeks, a new lawsuit claims.

(01/23/2024) → Los Angeles Times

• Cal State Faculty Strike Ends With Tentative Contract Agreement

A Cal State systemwide strike secured what more than half a year of negotiations and partial strikes couldn’t: a deal.

(01/22/2024) → CalMatters
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Recent Statewide News

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• Will More Outdoor Drinking Give CA Economy a Buzz?

State Sen. Scott Wiener wants to allow California cities and counties to designate “entertainment zones” where bars and restaurants could serve alcoholic drinks that people can consume on public streets and sidewalks.

(01/29/2024) → CalMatters

• New Pickleball Equipment Takes a Swing at the Sport’s Noise Problem

The “pop, pop, pop” that’s become synonymous with Pickleball may soon be a racket of the past. That’s the goal promised by a new generation of equipment developed to lessen the overall acoustic burden of the sport.

(01/29/2024) → Daily Democrat

• Tribal Leaders Cite Problems with California’s Feather Alert for Native People Who Go Missing

In the first year of California’s Feather Alert system, authorities denied some requests to issue bulletins on missing people, causing concerns.

(01/28/2024) → Los Angeles Times

• Gavin Newsom Raised Millions for His Mental Health Ballot Measure. His Opponents Have $1,000

The March ballot measure would raise billions for mental health care, but some clinics fear it would strip them of revenue they need for services they provide today.

(01/28/2024) → CalMatters

• ‘Hot Droughts’ Are Becoming More Common in the Arid West, New Study Finds

Take a period of limited rainfall. Add heat. And you have what scientists call a “hot drought”—dry conditions made more intense by the evaporative power of hotter temperatures.

(01/28/2024) → CapPublicRadio

• Disneyland’s New Vision Includes Up to $2.5-billion Investment and Plan to Take Over City Streets

Disneyland’s plan to reimagine the theme park into a more “immersive” experience may require up to $2.5 billion and a plan to privatize some Anaheim streets.

(01/26/2024) → Los Angeles Times

• Collapse of California’s News Industry Is So Severe It’ll Require Taxpayer Support to Rebuild

A combination of tax credits, revenue sharing and coupons could bring stability, writes Steven Waldman, president of Rebuild Local News.

(01/25/2024) → CalMatters

• A Record Number of Californians Are Visiting Emergency Rooms for Dog Bites

Those pandemic puppies are growing up to be a public health concern.

(01/25/2024) → KFF Health News

• Senate Probes the Cost of Assisted Living and Its Burden on American Families

A U.S. Senate committee launched an examination of assisted living, holding its first hearing in two decades on the industry as leaders of both parties expressed concern about the high cost and mixed quality of care facilities.

(01/25/2024) → California Healthline

• Controversial California Bill Would Physically Stop New Cars From Speeding

The proposed bill would require new California cars to have a speed limiter.

(01/25/2024) → SF Gate

• New USGS Map Shows California Is at High Risk for Damaging Earthquakes

An updated earthquake hazard map from USGS shows a high shaking risk in California.

(01/24/2024) → SF Gate

• California Ranks High Worldwide for Rapidly Depleted Groundwater

In a sign of the ongoing threats to its precious groundwater stores, half a dozen regions in California rank among the world’s most rapidly declining aquifers.

(01/24/2024) → CalMatters

• A Guide to License Plates

The numbers and letters on your car can reveal more than you think.

(01/23/2024) → The California Aggie

• 988-Hotline Counselors Air Concerns: More Training Needed to Juggle Calls

In the year and a half since its launch, 988—the country’s easy-to-remember suicide and crisis hotline—has received about 8.1 million calls, texts, and chats. Curiosity is growing about the people taking those calls.

(01/23/2024) → California Healthline

• Key Takeaways From U.S. Senate Debate

The four leading U.S. Senate contenders in California tried to use 90 minutes of free air time to solidify their pitches to voters—and also to set themselves apart from their opponents.

(01/22/2024) → CalMatters

• Will $20 Minimum Wage Crush Fast Food in California?

Fast food lives in a consumer sweet spot: demand, convenience and relative affordability. And this pay hike—equal to minimum wage increases during the past five years—will create grand economic unknowns.

(01/22/2024) → Daily Democrat
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