Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Solano County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
45 issues with high priority
Public safety dispatcher market equity increase
The Board was scheduled to consider an 11.6% market equity raise for entry-level public safety dispatchers, raising the monthly range to $6,398.30–$7,777.17. Competitive pay helps the county recruit and retain the people who answer 911 calls.
Behavioral health interoperability contract
Consent items totaling over $1.1 million would fund transitional housing (Bay Area Community Services, Caminar) and behavioral health services (Seneca, St. Joseph's) for residents in need.
Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan
The county's road, bridge and drainage wishlist for the next six years was approved, funded heavily by the 2017 gas tax. Highlights: sidewalks at Suisun Valley/Rockville Roads, a 70-year-old culvert replacement, and 30+ miles of chip sealing a year.
English Hills Transportation Impact Fee update
New homes in the English Hills area will pay $8,384 (up about $188) toward fixing substandard roads there, starting January 1, 2027. Fire rebuilds and small ADUs stay exempt.
CIF FY2026/27 annual grants and NAMI Solano funding gap
NAMI Solano, which serves over 1,000 people a year with free mental illness support, lost all its county funding — about $325,000 — after Proposition 1 changes, and a nonprofit grant application was denied. They asked the board to help find a path forward.
2027 Legislative Platforms
The county's advocacy playbook for next year targets HR 1's cost shifts to counties for Medi-Cal and CalFresh, a proposed census rule that could cut California's federal funding, and potential PG&E wildfire-liability legislation — all with real dollar consequences for county services.
Winter storm and flood preparedness
A very strong El Niño is already driving up tides, Suisun's drainage district has declared early, and crews are prepping roads, culverts, and the Justice Campus flood walls. Residents are urged to clean their own culverts and sign up for Alert Solano before the first big storm flushes debris downstream.
NorthBay health facilities revenue bonds
Ten NorthBay health facilities in Fairfield and Vacaville will get up to $250.6 million in tax-exempt financing for renovations and $42.5 million in new exam rooms and services. The county isn't on the hook for repayment — the bonds are issued by a state financing authority for the nonprofit borrower.
Domestic violence awareness and services
Supervisors recognized Domestic Violence Awareness Month, hearing that the DA's office has filed 544 DV cases in nine months and advocates have served over 844 victims this year. Local services are expanding into Vallejo, including a supervised visitation program and an October 10 awareness walk.
West Nile virus warning
The acting public health officer warned that West Nile-positive mosquitoes are running high countywide, especially around Dixon and northern Solano, with two deaths already in Yolo County. Residents are urged to dump standing water, wear repellent, and get flu shots.
Transitional housing and behavioral health contracts
Over $826K in contracts with Bay Area Community Services and Caminar will provide transitional housing through June 2027 for people who are homeless or at risk and have behavioral health needs.
Lawsuit over Delta Conveyance Project
The Board declared Delta Week, and Supervisor Mashburn used the occasion to warn the Delta is 'under siege' by water export interests — and to explain why he's giving up his regional transportation seat to focus on Delta and water fights.
FY2026/27 County Budget
The Board quietly set next year's property tax rates for the county, cities, schools and special districts — the routine annual action that determines what appears on property tax bills.
North Meridian Road drainage and flood risk
A resident says the county's road widening pushed material into her drainage canals and they've never been cleared, raising flood fears ahead of a predicted wet El Niño winter. County staff say Public Works is already coordinating storm prep and will report back on possible state emergency funding.
Solano 5 Wind Repower Project and Travis AFB compatibility
An ad hoc committee visited Travis AFB's Radar Approach Control Center to understand how wind turbines might interfere with radar and the base's training mission, and is working to visit the FAA facility as well.
Psychiatric inpatient services contract
The county locked in $767,390 with Sierra Vista Hospital for acute psychiatric inpatient beds for Medi-Cal beneficiaries through June 2028. This keeps treatment options available for residents in mental health crisis.
Drug Medi-Cal program transition to county control
The Sheriff's Office will enroll eligible inmates in Medi-Cal starting July 1, 2026, under agreements with the state through June 2029. Connecting people in custody to health coverage can improve reentry outcomes.
IHSS caregiver contract
SEIU Local 2015 in-home care providers got a new contract approved unanimously, aimed at recruiting and retaining the caregivers who keep seniors and people with disabilities living at home.
Battery energy storage siting near airports
A resident warned that battery energy storage certification reports are being withheld as trade secrets and may be outdated, limiting the fire marshal's ability to write emergency response plans.
Housing Element zoning consistency update
The ordinance codifies state requirements for farmworker housing, density bonuses, residential care facilities, emergency shelters and low-barrier navigation centers.
California Forever development proposal
Multiple residents used general public comment to oppose California Forever-related growth, citing affordability and livability, while a later speaker argued development itself is not the driver of cost increases.
Affordable housing funding for Fairfield and Vacaville projects
The Board put $600,000 in Housing Trust Fund money into two affordable housing projects — Tabor Commons apartments in Fairfield and Harmony Village homes in Vacaville — plus a $446,354 fee deferral. The Fairfield money is contingent on the city approving its own $800,000 in impact-fee credits.
California Forever annexation and IHSS labor negotiations
Residents raised opposition to city annexations of unincorporated county land around Suisun City and Vacaville, and one commenter asked the county to track potential agricultural losses from those annexations.
California Forever development dispute
Speakers split on the California Forever project: supporters asked the Board to form a business-leader commission to smooth its path, while opponents urged the Board to resist state legislation that would weaken local land-use control.
Suisun Valley sewer service study
The Board approved a broader feasibility study of sewer service for Suisun Valley, including the I-80 corridor, Woodcreek 60, and Rockville Corners. Supervisors pledged the study won't change the Suisun Valley Strategic Plan or trigger annexation pressures.
Business license tax on energy producers and data centers
Voters will decide in November whether to modernize and raise business license taxes on data centers, commercial energy production, and resource extraction facilities. Supervisors pitched it as a backstop against state-forced data center projects; critics wanted a full moratorium instead.
Land Use Development Debate
Solano County is split over California Forever’s push to bring manufacturing jobs to the area. Supporters see a big economic boost, while critics worry about unplanned growth and sprawl. It’s likely to keep drawing crowds and tension at county meetings.
Transient Occupancy Tax increase on November ballot
A proposed November 2026 ballot measure would raise the hotel tax in unincorporated Solano County from 5% to 12%, more in line with neighboring cities. It would mostly hit visitors, generating about $58,000 a year.
New EMS advisory committee after SEMSC exit
Solano County is formally pulling out of the Solano Emergency Medical Services Cooperative JPA, putting ambulance oversight directly under the Board and county health officials. The new EMS advisory committee's makeup — and whether the contracted ambulance company gets a vote — was too contested to decide, so it comes back later.
Public Safety Radio Tower Site Agreements
The county will keep using city-owned land in Dixon and Rio Vista for its emergency radio towers at no cost for ten years — critical for sheriff, fire, and EMS radio coverage.
Brann Ranch mixed-use development in Rio Vista
A big mixed-use development proposed in Rio Vista sits inside Travis Air Force Base's compatibility Zone D and the Rio Vista Municipal Airport's planning area. The Commission signed off that the project can go forward without conflicting with airport safety and noise rules.
County withdraws from regional EMS joint powers authority
Solano County is formally pulling out of the Solano Emergency Medical Services Cooperative JPA, putting ambulance oversight directly under the Board and county health officials. The new EMS advisory committee's makeup — and whether the contracted ambulance company gets a vote — was too contested to decide, so it comes back later.
Rise Vallejo early education center
First 5 Solano and Child Start celebrated the Rise Vallejo center expanding childcare and preschool in a historically underserved part of Vallejo — but roughly $4 million is still needed to finish the planned community resource center.
Regional emergency radio interoperability
Sheriff's deputies, Vallejo and Benicia police currently can't talk directly on the radio — they rely on workarounds. The new P25 system, backed by $1.03 million in federal funding, will put every agency on one network, potentially spanning Sacramento to San Francisco.
Ongoing county labor negotiations
Several residents urged the board during public comment over ongoing labor negotiations, especially for In-Home Supportive Services providers who care for disabled and elderly residents at home.
Federal H.R. 1 impacts on Medi-Cal and CalFresh
New federal work requirements could hit about 30,000 Medi-Cal members and 52,000 CalFresh recipients, with over 8,000 CalFresh recipients at risk of losing benefits. County staff are still waiting for state guidance and coordinating with the food bank for increased demand.
New City Development Plan
A billionaire-backed plan to build a new 400,000-person city in Solano County is dividing locals. If it moves forward, it could reshape housing, land use, traffic, and public services for decades—so the fight is really about what the county looks like next.
Heavy truck traffic on rural county roads
Trucks are dodging freeway congestion by cutting through rural roads, wrecking pavement and worrying residents and cyclists. Traffic Order 438 puts a 7-ton limit on 18 roads, with signs going up in about two months, ag trucks exempt, and the CHP handling enforcement. Staff may add more roads (like McCormick Road) later.
North Village development airport compatibility
Vacaville's North Village project needs airport safety sign-off because the site sits in Nut Tree Airport and Travis Air Force Base compatibility zones. The developer reduced Lot H homes from 84 to 63 and dedicated 5.3 acres of open space on Lot E to meet density limits.
Valero and Anheuser-Busch closures displace 600+ workers
Two big local employers are closing and more than 600 workers are already affected — possibly 2,000 by year's end with secondary job losses. The Workforce Development Board is running rapid-response sessions, career fairs and reemployment services, and reallocated $189,000 to help.
Vallejo law enforcement staffing backfill
The county is lending a hand to Vallejo by bringing nine retired deputies and two retired dispatchers out of retirement on a temporary basis through 2026, freeing active staff to help the city.
Harvest Ridge residential development near Travis AFB
A Vacaville housing project wants to downzone from high-density to medium-density residential, and it sits in Compatibility Zone D of the Travis AFB land use plan. The commission's compatibility finding shapes whether and how it can be built.
Proposed New City Development
A group of Silicon Valley billionaires wants to build a brand-new city in Solano County, and local residents are pushing back. The fight could reshape land use, housing, and local politics for years, so it’s worth watching even if you don’t live near the proposed site.
New City Incorporation
Tech and industry players are reportedly looking at creating a brand-new city in Solano County, and there’s a past incorporation attempt that could shape what happens next. The big question is who pays for new infrastructure and services—and who gets to decide.
New City Development Ballot Measure
A billionaire-backed group wants to build an entirely new city in Solano County, and voters—not county planners—will decide whether it moves forward. It’s a big land-use fight that could reshape growth, housing, and open space in the county.