Category: Housing, Justice, Listening Sessions, Personal Stories, Poverty News & Policy Updates, The Safety Net, Wealth Building, Work
October 31st, 2025
Solano County is the last bastion of affordability in the Bay Area—a place where people historically are able to put down roots and build generational wealth. It is no surprise, therefore, that it is also the most diverse and Blackest county in the state.
But the county’s unique affordability is threatened by the general rise in the cost of living statewide as well as outmigration from Bay Area urban centers to Solano County.
This trend raises a key question: If we can’t succeed in ensuring that Solano County remains affordable, what hope do we have to make an already too expensive California affordable for people throughout the state?
That is why after conducting listening sessions in 26 counties across the state, EPIC has developed a continuing partnership with the people of Solano County even as our statewide listening tour continues.
In September 2024, along with newly elected Solano County Supervisor Cassandra James and Vallejo City Councilmember Dr. Tonia Lediju, EPIC convened stakeholders including elected officials, labor leaders, community based organization leaders, small business leaders, and community activists to get a sense of the current challenges facing the county, what we might be able to accomplish together, and to chart a path forward.
Participants discussed a need to bring more philanthropic and private sector actors to the area to give them a sense of the strengths, assets, and opportunities in the county. Others pointed to the importance of supporting political leaders who fight to protect and strengthen the community, as well as the need to create opportunities for upskilling, post-secondary education, and other multi-sector partnerships that lift-up communities. Overall, it was a wide-ranging discussion about the impacts and outcomes of current policies, strategies for investing in communities, and ensuring that all individuals and families in Solano County—especially working-class people—have access to wealth-building opportunities.
EPIC then continued our fact-finding by visiting with residents and community-based organizations living in poverty or proximate to poverty in both Fairfield and Vallejo. Although there are distinct challenges facing each city, we also heard some common themes—a sense that the jurisdictions are not getting the attention and resources merited from philanthropy and the state; the rising costs of rent and homeownership making it increasingly difficult to build wealth; and a need for higher wages and attracting industries with high-paying jobs.
Along with some of the folks we met in these sessions, we brought these stories and ideas we heard back to the original group we met with in the Fall of 2024. We challenged the stakeholders to offer some short-, medium-, and long-term actionable ideas, and they generated a formidable list. Some of the ideas include a financial literacy curriculum for public school students with a contribution to their CalKids accounts upon completion; a rent stabilization ordinance; a career pathways pilot coordinated between the school district, a community college, and private sector and non-profit organizations; transitional housing for young people that promotes post-secondary and career goals, structured after AB 12; and much more.
The idea is that we winnow down this list to a few efforts our coalition can achieve. As EPIC Founder Michael Tubbs said during the convening, “If we don’t do anything, nothing changes. And our inability to do everything is not an excuse to do nothing.”
The group is already moving forward with one idea: a legislative package focused on renter protections in Vallejo.
I am excited to see where our agenda takes us, and even more excited to do the work we need to do to see it through. And I know that these next victories will allow us to address even bigger challenges in the future. Ultimately, the work we are privileged to do in Solano County is designed to build something enduring—a people-powered infrastructure that continues to evolve and respond as needed. This infrastructure will build on the region’s unique history and provide a blueprint for the state on how to create a dynamic and equitable future.
Devon Gray is the president of End Poverty in California. He previously served as a special advisor in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration.