Local leaders launch Solano Forward
More than 35 local leaders in business, agriculture and labor announced a new organization on Tuesday named Solano Forward that will seek to reverse recent job losses in the county following layoffs at Valero, Budweiser, Jelly Belly and Mare Island Dry Dock.
"Solano County is trending in the wrong direction when it comes to jobs. Skilled labor jobs are disappearing in our region while they're growing elsewhere. We have well-trained members who aren't working because local jobs are just leaving," said Steve McCall, Business Manager for UA Local 343.
The organization launched a website at SolanoForward.org, where it expresses support for six priority projects: The Suisun Expansion Plan, the Solano Shipyard, supply-chain projects within the county's seven cities, and the redevelopment of manufacturing at the Valero refinery, Anheuser-Busch Brewery and Mare Island.
"There are obvious solutions like Solano Shipyard, finding a new occupant for the Budweiser plant and reinvigorating the Benicia Industrial Park, but the discussions are being drowned out by the loudest voices who don't represent the communities," McCall said.
John Wilkerson, President of the Northern Solano County Association of Realtors and the Chair of the Vacaville Planning Commission, said the group grew organically out of a series of casual meetings between county leaders.
"When Steve McCall and I started getting together for lunch last fall, we decided to share notes from those meetings in local newspaper opinion pieces," Wilkerson said. "What came of those were phone calls and emails from people telling us that they wanted to be part of those conversations. We hit pause on our letters and started convening these small meetings with others."
Wilkerson and McCall will sit on the organization's advisory committee and will be joined by Defense and Economic Development expert Sandy Person, fifth-generation Suisun Valley farmer Derrick Lum and waste industry expert Gina Vasquez.
"The organization will not be a political group and will not engage in local elections," the release reads. "Rather, it will focus on convening more small coffees and informal lunches to share stories and opportunities beyond those that have happened to date."
In the future, the organization will educate residents on economic development opportunities and align local stakeholders regarding opportunities to bring jobs, infrastructure and tax base growth.
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This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 8:07 PM.