Rio Vista Adopts 25-Year General Plan Overhaul, Creates Economic Development Post

The Rio Vista City Council replaced its quarter-century-old blueprint for growth, hired its first dedicated economic development staffer in over a decade, and launched a summer evening transit pilot — all in a single meeting that underscored the small Delta city's urgency to prepare for the shadow of California Forever. The council also rejected its own pay raise amid a spirited debate over whether higher stipends remove barriers to public service or send the wrong signal to a community already absorbing new taxes and higher utility rates.

• Council unanimously adopts 2045 General Plan, replacing the 2001 document and streamlining future environmental review for development projects

• New Economic Development Manager position created with salary benchmarked to Vacaville and $30K annual consulting budget, driven by California Forever concerns

• Council pay raise fails 2-3 after opponents cite Measure K, rising utility rates, and economic uncertainty

• Summer evening transit pilot approved for June through August, with Liberty Island stop added at council's request

• Chamber of Commerce's $10K tourism grant denied for seeking reimbursement of past expenses instead of funding future projects

• Cannabis operator warns of closure during public comment, claiming $109K in fee overpayments and $190K in disputed back taxes

A New Blueprint: Rio Vista 2045

The council unanimously certified the environmental impact report and adopted the Rio Vista 2045 General Plan, replacing a document that has governed the city's land use since 2001.

Why it matters: The new plan condenses 13 chapters to nine, eliminates roughly 200 pages, and — critically — establishes an urban reserve and planning area designation around lands associated with California Forever, the tech-backed development venture that has quietly assembled tens of thousands of acres in Solano County. Future development projects can now rely on the general plan Environmental Impact Report (EIR) rather than conducting individual environmental reviews, potentially accelerating permitting and reducing costs.

Where things stand: Paul Yunker, project manager with Interwest Consulting Group, walked the council through the plan's seven guiding principles, new land use designations — including a north waterfront category splitting river-adjacent industrial from light industrial — and specific designations for land north of Airport Road that had previously been labeled a vague "special planning area." The plan also incorporates the city's 63-acre Church/Airport Road residential project.

The EIR identified six significant and unavoidable impact areas, including greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled.

"What this process provides is you're saying, we're going to do everything we can to reduce these impacts, and that's going to be enough," said Yunker. "Those future projects can rely on the general plan EIR."

The plan cleared every required external hurdle: the Delta Protection Commission found consistency with Delta regulations on Jan. 8; the Solano Airport Land Use Commission unanimously found consistency with both the Rio Vista Airport and Travis AFB compatibility plans on April 9; and the Planning Commission unanimously recommended adoption at its March 11 meeting. Yunker noted that amendments are routine:

"You're limited to four per year. The fact that you can do four per year suggests that general plan amendments are expected."

Councilmember Walt Stanish, who chaired the general plan working group, moved adoption. Mayor Edwin Okamura commended Stanish and community participants who contributed through 26 working group meetings, five community workshops, surveys, and an interactive website.

Decisions: The vote was retaken after a procedural correction — the public hearing had not been formally closed before the first vote. It passed 5-0. (For: Okamura, Stanish, Donnelly, Duke, Dolk; Against: none).

Council Rejects Its Own Pay Raise

A second-reading ordinance to increase the monthly council stipend to $750 effective Jan. 1, 2027, with 3% annual increases over five years, failed 2-3 after a candid debate that exposed a genuine philosophical divide.

Why it matters: The vote crystallized tension between members who view higher stipends as essential for diversifying who can afford to serve and those who believe the timing is untenable given Measure K, rising water and sewer rates, and the upcoming Measure O.

Where things stand: Councilmember Lisa Duke pulled the item from consent, arguing that economic conditions had worsened since first reading six weeks earlier.

"I still think the optics are terrible with council voting themselves a raise when we've asked so much of the community already this year, with Measure K, higher water sewer rates," she said.

Councilmember Sarah Donnelly pushed back, framing the increase as a future-council issue.

"This is a decision for future councils, not our current council. It's on us to think about the future," she said.

The other side: Councilmember Walt Stanish proposed a compromise — placing the raise on the ballot every two years and letting voters decide.

"What I'm proposing is that every two years we put this on the ballot and see if the citizens of Rio Vista want to give us a raise," he said.

Mayor Edwin Okamura made the strongest case for adoption, arguing the raise was about removing barriers to civic participation.

"I think about how do we remove barriers to participation in the system? There are people that, due to financial constraints, they may have hourly jobs, they may be caregiving, they may have less flexible work schedules," he said, noting his own involvement in more than 20 community organizations.

Decisions: The motion, made by Okamura and seconded by Donnelly with a waiver of final reading, failed 2-3 (For: Okamura, Donnelly; Against: Duke, Stanish, Dolk). The stipend remains unchanged.

Next Steps: Okamura indicated staff would prepare a cost analysis for a potential ballot measure, keeping the door open for a future citizen vote.

Evening Bus Pilot Heads to Liberty Island

The council unanimously approved a three-month evening transit pilot for the Rio Vista Delta Breeze, running June through August with an amendment adding a Liberty Island stop.

The basics: The pilot features two service patterns — a fixed loop from 5–7:30 p.m. making four complete circuits through Trilogy, Homecoming, and downtown, followed by drop-off-only service from 7:30–9 p.m. departing Front and Main every 30 minutes.

Why it matters: The pilot addresses nighttime mobility gaps for seniors and teens, supports downtown restaurants with a car-free option, and carries a public safety rationale. Brandon Thompson, Delta Breeze's representative, was blunt about the stakes:

"I really want people to enjoy themselves downtown and not drive. So I want to be able to have a dull beverage and not worry about getting behind the wheel."

Where things stand: The fully loaded cost is approximately $160 per hour, totaling $38,400 for the pilot. Thompson submitted a $60,000 grant application through Yolo-Solano, with a board decision expected around May 18. The agency has $3.1 million in TDA reserves but prefers to conserve those for an unfunded fleet electrification mandate estimated at $5 million. Thompson said a benchmark of 10 riders per day would constitute success.

Mayor Edwin Okamura pushed strongly for including Liberty Island, noting residents feel disconnected from the rest of the city.

"I'm concerned about leaving out Liberty Island, being that they feel like they're the stepchild in many respects because they're so disconnected from the rest of the city physically," he said.

Thompson agreed to add the stop and trim one or two Trilogy stops to maintain the 30-minute headway. A public caller, Pamela Price, thanked the council for the inclusion.

Decisions: For: 5, Against: 0. Motion by Donnelly, seconded by Duke.

Rio Vista Hires for the California Forever Era

The council unanimously created a new Economic Development Manager position, filling a capacity gap that members described as one of the city's most pressing needs.

Why it matters: Rio Vista has lacked dedicated economic development staff for over a decade. With California Forever expected to reshape the region's competitive landscape, council members see this hire as essential to competing for business and revenue against every other city in the county.

Where things stand: The salary was benchmarked against the City of Vacaville, which recently filled the same position. The OPEIU Local 29 Mid Management unit confirmed no concerns about the job description or salary. The position includes a $30,000 annual consulting budget and will sit under the city manager's office.

The city manager cautioned that the role requires patience:

"This work takes time and it takes a commitment by the council. I don't want to leave you with the impression that success will happen overnight."

Councilmember Walt Stanish, a long-time advocate, was emphatic:

"This is, to me, one of the missing pieces the city's had for a long time. And I think we need to get our economic development moving in this city."

Councilmember Sarah Donnelly framed the position as foundational.

"We need to generate more revenue and then we can add other positions and fund ones that we've left not funded," she said.

Mayor Edwin Okamura named the pressure directly:

"Every single other one of those cities within the county and across the region are fighting for dollars. And we all know the elephant in the room, California Forever, is coming in some capacity."

He stressed the position should report directly to the city manager, not be buried in another department, and highlighted the Rio Vista Airport as a potential revenue asset.

Chris Armbrust of Rio Vision raised a valid public concern about setting specific measurable performance criteria so success could be tracked.

Decisions: For: 5, Against: 0. Motion by Stanish, seconded by Donnelly.

Chamber Grant Denied, Tourism Dollars Redirected

Two linked items reshaped how Rio Vista spends its transient occupancy tax revenue: the council denied the Chamber of Commerce's $10,000 grant application and then allocated $30,000 in available TOT funds across three categories.

No Grant for Past Expenses

The Rio Vista Chamber of Commerce was the sole applicant for the city's $10,000 TOT grant program — but sought reimbursement for expenses already incurred at an October event, inconsistent with guidelines adopted in November 2025 requiring grants to fund future projects. No Chamber representative attended the meeting to advocate for the application.

Chris Armbrust of Rio Vision explained that his organization deliberately chose not to apply because its existing activities did not meet the forward-looking criteria — a point that undercut the Chamber's case. Mayor Edwin Okamura said the application lacked the thoughtfulness expected for a grant. The request died for lack of a motion, setting a precedent that the city's new framework means what it says.

$30K Split: Data, Banners, Social Media

With the denied grant freeing up additional funds, the council allocated $30,000: $13,000 for visitor data analytics (without psychographics), $12,000 for downtown light pole banner replacement, and $5,000 for social media consulting. City Manager Kristina Miller was given discretion to leverage community organization contributions toward banner costs.

Councilmember Lisa Duke championed banners as an immediate beautification measure. Armbrust suggested timely event-specific banners rather than just seasonal themes and proposed community organizations share costs.

Decisions: For: 5, Against: 0. Motion by Donnelly, seconded by Dolk.

What's next: The data analytics investment will allow the city and community organizations to measure event impact for the first time — a shift from intuition-based tourism promotion to evidence-based strategy.

Cannabis Operator Warns of Closure

During public comment, brothers Andrew Wesley and Martin Wesley of Rio Vista Farms delivered detailed complaints about what they described as inequitable cannabis taxation and unresponsive city treatment of their conditional use permit and development agreement modification applications.

Andrew Wesley said the business has remitted $2.3 million in fees since opening in June 2018, representing 62% of all cannabis fees collected by the city, while 10 other operators contributed 38%. He said they received threatening notices regarding approximately $190,000 in past-due balances and requested the council instruct City Manager Kristina Miller to cease notices and provide a not-to-exceed figure for processing their application.

Martin Wesley provided spreadsheets comparing Rio Vista Farms' facility fees ($50,880 per year) to CalVista's ($25,296 per year), despite CalVista having a much larger cultivation canopy — 22,000 square feet versus Rio Vista Farms' 10,000. He alleged the company had overpaid $109,000 in square footage fees over five years.

Mayor Edwin Okamura acknowledged receipt of the spreadsheets but did not engage substantively, noting the comments were for the record. The issue received no formal council action.

Minor Items

• Consent calendar approved 5-0, covering items 6.1–6.5 and 6.7–6.9 (item 6.6 pulled for separate vote).

• $1,000 student scholarship awarded to Student B by unanimous vote after a 4-1 preference selection.

• Sexual Assault Awareness Month proclaimed for April 2026; Randy Zawaite, executive director of SAVE Solano, accepted on behalf of partner agencies including SafeQuest, the Solano Family Justice Center, and Travis Air Force Base programs.

• $37,440 special assessment against 301 Sunset Court for cat hoarding abatement costs approved for public hearing on June 2, 2026. Costs included trapping and capture ($1,447), hospice services ($6,725), staff time ($13,453), and attorney fees ($12,636). The lien would be in first position on the unencumbered property.

• Public commenter Henry Giovannetti reported an Easter Sunday car fire in the police department parking lot where responding officers lacked fire extinguishers in their patrol vehicles, requesting a formal city response.

• California Forever update: City Manager Kristina Miller reported no meetings since the last council session; Mayor Okamura reported an April 15 call with a California Forever representative. No new details were shared.