A mysterious company, Flannery Associates, controlled by Jan Sramek, had been buying up farmland in Rio Vista, California, for years, sparking rumors and lawsuits.
Backed by Silicon Valley billionaires, Sramek aimed to build a city of 400,000 in the agricultural region, which faced strong opposition from local farmers and residents.
Sramek faced skepticism and resentment at a town hall meeting, with accusations of pushing small farms out of business.
His company filed a proposed ballot initiative to seek voter approval for the project, which would require significant regulatory approval if successful.
The initiative promises various benefits to the community but is expected to face strong opposition.
“You might be asking yourself, ‘Why is this guy with a funny accent here?’” Sramek said.
“Good neighbors don’t sue their neighbors!” one listener yelled.
“If we go back six or seven years, the popular hit in the press was ‘Silicon Valley is not doing enough in the real world,’” Sramek said. “And I was sitting there working on this.”
“We paid way over market value, and created hundreds of millionaires in the process,” Sramek said. “We are glad that we have been able to settle most of our disputes, and we are open to settling the remaining ones.”
“There’s a cultural moment where we realize the pendulum has gone too far,” Sramek said. “We can’t say we are about economic opportunity and working-class Californians are leaving the state every year.”
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