Live Coverage: California Forever holds conference call with reporters, county residents on economic gap report
(Courtesy image)
California Forever, the group funded by some of Silicon Valley's wealthiest individuals and families who are aiming to build a community along rural parts of Highway 12, have released their own commissioned study that purports to reveal economic disparities across Solano County.
The study was released ahead of a conference call with reporters scheduled to take place at 11 a.m., which will involve former California Director of Finance Michael Genest and some Solano County residents.
"Since 2000, Solano County has consistently lagged behind its neighbors on all the most important indicators of economic success, including household income, working-age employment rates, unemployment rates, amount of 'high-wage' jobs, and government tax revenue," California Forever said in a press release ahead of the call. "Alarmingly, the Solano Gap has been getting bigger over time for many of these metrics."
The group continued: "In 2002, average household income in Solano County was 10% lower than in other Bay Area counties ($60,800 for Solano vs $66,900 for other Bay Area counties). By 2022, the gap had grown so much that the average Solano household makes 30% less than in other Bay Area counties ($93,000 for Solano vs $133,000 for other Bay Area counties). This means that in the last two decades, the gap has tripled."
Solano NewsNet is posting live updates from the conference call with county residents and reporters on the Forth News service, which offers a free app for phones and tablets. Coverage can also be viewed on the Forth News website by clicking or tapping here.