In the midst of waiting for President Trump to announce executive orders and unveil further measures to revitalize the American shipbuilding industry, at least two cities in California have declared their interest in constructing shipyards in the Central Valley with a mix of excitement, caution, and a touch of competition.
San Joaquin County’s Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi expressed on March 26 to The Epoch Times, “(Trump) has openly stated that this country used to be a leader in shipbuilding. However, now places like China are also involved in shipbuilding. We need to enhance our competitiveness. We can build ships here, we have done it before and we can do it again. If he (the president) is looking for a location, I will recommend Stockton Port to him.”
Fugazi pointed out that Stockton Port boasts 4,200 acres of land, stating, “I don’t know where else has such a large piece of land directly connected to the water. This is industrial land, and we have done it before. And it is a location accessible by railroad.”
In a statement on March 23, she urged federal and state leaders to designate Stockton Port as a hub for rebuilding the American shipbuilding industry. Fugazi mentioned that she was responding to another shipyard site proposal announced earlier by Rio Vista’s Mayor Edward Okamura of Solano County, which is located west of Stockton, approximately 30 miles away. Fugazi said, “I want Stockton to be the preferred location for shipbuilding in America.”
Okamura wrote on Facebook that on March 19, he and the city manager attended an online meeting with California Forever, veteran leaders, and county officials to discuss the shipbuilding executive order expected to be signed soon by President Trump.
“This plan is located near Collinsville—an area long considered to have the potential to be a port,” he wrote. Initial discussions suggest that the executive order may offer tax incentives to shipbuilding and related businesses, bring federal infrastructure funding (including Highway 12), and immediately create job opportunities. “This is still in the early stages, and we are gathering information,” Okamura said.
Collinsville is an unplanned waterfront community in the southern part of Solano County, located on the north bank of the Sacramento River. The river flows west to Suisun Bay, then merges into the San Francisco Bay, ultimately leading to the Pacific Ocean. Collinsville is about 16 miles away from Rio Vista.
Okamura informed The Epoch Times on March 26, “The entire region will see many benefits from economic development.” However, he also mentioned that such a project is large in scale, and although everyone is quickly supportive, he is concerned about “unintended consequences.” For instance, after operating for over 140 years, the Mare Island Naval Shipyard retired in 1996. The city where the shipyard was located—Vallejo, in Solano County—had to file for bankruptcy in 2008 and has not fully recovered from it till date.
Okamura stressed that the military and commercial shipbuilding ratio in the region would be a crucial factor to consider. “Constructing in Solano County makes more sense because of the synergies with Travis Air Force Base.” However, he acknowledged that before building a shipyard in Collinsville, which is 20 miles from the base, some infrastructure issues need to be addressed first.
California Forever organization, founded and led by Silicon Valley billionaire Jan Sramek, is involved in these discussions. According to their website, the company has acquired around 17,500 acres of land in the southeast of Solano County in recent years, with plans to build a new city. The proposed new city is about 20 miles away from Collinsville and adjacent to Rio Vista.
The Epoch Times reached out to California Forever for comments but had not received a response at the time of publication.
Fugazi noted that Stockton has a better shipbuilding infrastructure compared to Collinsville. In her statement, she expressed that the city has the infrastructure, labor force, and shipbuilding tradition necessary for the success of the project, without the risks and uncertainties of starting from scratch on greenfields (like farmland in Collinsville).
According to the Stockton Visitor Center and Mayor Fugazi, Stockton was once a shipbuilding hub in the early 20th century and operated by the U.S. War Department during World War II. Fugazi’s recommendation also holds personal sentiment. She told The Epoch Times that her great-great-grandfather Benedetto Ratto was one of the pioneers in the construction of the deep-water channel at Stockton Port in the 1880s.
When asked about regional collaboration for the potential shipyard, Okamura stated that whether the site is in Stockton, Vallejo, or Collinsville, “the entire region will cooperate” to coordinate labor and manufacture components in different locations. Fugazi also mentioned that if Stockton is chosen to build the shipyard, the city will require labor from various areas.
Fugazi envisioned an apprenticeship program to train workers. “This will generate a lot of job opportunities for us,” she said, noting that the wages for these jobs would be high enough for people to be able to buy homes instead of renting for life.
Fugazi informed The Epoch Times that she plans to lobby in Washington in May with some California legislators, “I hope to stand in front of the decision-makers who need me to make a recommendation. Then I will say, hey, come to Stockton, come see what Stockton Port can offer.”
In his address to Congress on March 4, President Trump unveiled his plan to revive the domestic shipbuilding industry, saying, “To strengthen our defense industrial base, we will also revitalize America’s shipbuilding industry, including the construction of commercial and military ships.”
Trump mentioned providing tax incentives to promote the domestic shipbuilding industry. It is expected that the president will sign executive orders in the coming weeks. ◇