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Rio Vista residents press council for transparency after city confirms California Forever application
Summary
Council members were briefed that California Forever submitted a development application; public commenters said the city has not been sufficiently transparent about meetings with consultants and urged full public disclosure as the city begins environmental review.
Mayor Okamura and the city manager told the council on Oct. 7 that the city has received a development application from California Forever and is evaluating it, and that staff has met with a consultant to analyze planning services.
At a public-information item, several residents urged clearer public disclosure. John Lompa, of 507 Main Street, said he learned of consultant meetings through the city manager’s weekly update and told the council the lack of earlier public notice undercut trust. “The transparency is the issue,” Lompa said, and later added that county polling he cited showed broad opposition to the project.
City Manager (unnamed) acknowledged the disclosure in the weekly update and apologized that he had not announced the meeting at the dais: “It was disclosed in my weekly update. I apologize for forgetting to announce it,” he said, and confirmed the city is evaluating the application.
Council members did not take action on the application on Oct. 7. The city manager said the general plan environmental-impact report (EIR) is on track to come before the council in December or January and that the city extended the EIR comment period by 30 days. The city also said any consulting‑service agreements related to the project will be brought before the council for approval.
Why it matters: California Forever is a large, multi‑jurisdictional proposal that residents said could alter land-use and local services. Citizens at the meeting called on the council to provide clearer timelines and public notice about meetings with consultants and to ensure the EIR process is fully visible to the public.
What’s next: The city intends to return the EIR and related items to council for review and public comment in the coming months; councilmembers and residents said they expect more detail at that time.
