Silicon Valley Tech Titans Accused of Strong-arm Tactics in Farmland Acquisition
A group of Silicon Valley tech titans, led by Flannery Associates, is facing accusations of using strong-arm tactics and a divide-and-conquer strategy to obtain large areas of farmland in the Bay Area. Local farmers claim the company, backed by influential billionaires such as Marc Andreessen and Reid Hoffman, has employed underhanded tactics to secure a monopoly on regional real estate. These allegations were highlighted in a recent court filing related to a legal dispute over land rights.
Last year, the New York Times reported that Flannery Associates had purchased $800 million worth of farmland in Solano County. The company’s ultimate goal is to create a utopian new city called “California Forever.” However, in order to materialize this vision, Flannery had to buy out the existing farmers, who were predominantly owners of multigenerational, family-owned farms.
Negotiations between Flannery’s lawyers and the farmers did not always go smoothly. In May, the company sued several farmers, accusing them of engaging in anti-competitive practices and price fixing. In response, the farmers accused the corporate entity of bullying and attempting to manipulate them into selling their land. The recent court filing revealed allegations of strong-arm tactics, with Flannery allegedly attempting to play one family against another and misrepresenting the families’ intentions to pressure them into selling. One specific case was cited where Flannery acquired a portion of the family-owned land from one family member and then sued the remaining family members to acquire the rest.
California Forever denies these allegations and describes the farmers as a small group engaged in a targeted campaign to slander Flannery Associates.
The Viability of the Project
Despite the ambitions of Flannery Associates, the feasibility of California Forever remains questionable. The project must overcome various state and regional regulatory hurdles, many of which local politicians doubt can be cleared. Even if the hurdles are cleared, the project would still need to be constructed and attract a sustainable population. The city’s creators would also need to navigate the complexities of running such a metropolis indefinitely.
There are many unanswered questions surrounding California Forever. For instance, what kind of government would it have? Would it be a privately owned series of planned communities reminiscent of Disney’s Storyliving? While the project appears to be an expensive and potentially doomed endeavor, the disruptive nature of tech moguls’ infinite confidence should never be underestimated.
Source: Tech Billionaires’ Quest to Build a New City in California Is Already Mired in Trouble
