Solano County
Congressman Garamendi is proud to represent many communities in Solano County, including Birds Landing, Dixon, Elmira, Fairfield, Suisun City, and Travis Air Force Base.
Created in 1850 when California became a state, Solano County is now one of California's most important breadbasket counties. The gorgeous rolling green hills and beautiful waterways of Solano County are also home to a number of rare and endangered species. Travis Air Force Base, an important base of operations for American humanitarian aid abroad, is also in Solano County, and thousands of military families, military personnel, and veterans call Solano County home. The 60th Air Mobility Wing, the largest air mobility organization in the Air Force, and the 349th Air Mobility Wing (Reserve), the largest associate wing in the United States Air Force Reserve, are both based out of Travis. With a Fairfield/Suisun City stop on Amtrak's Capitol Corridor, eight major highways crisscrossing the county, and a number of bus services, Solano County is also an important transportation corridor.
Congressman Garamendi's top priorities for Solano County include:
- Bringing more stimulus and other federal dollars to the county to help put residents back to work;
- Revitalizing and widening the county's aging highway infrastructure while broadening the availability and reliability of public transportation to reduce congestion (See Transportation and Infrastructure for more information);
- Providing veterans and all past and current military personnel and their families with the tools and services they need to live a fulfilling life and making sure that Travis Air Force Base has all the resources it needs to complete its important missions;
- Encouraging water conservation and stopping efforts to develop a peripheral canal that will further drain the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, helping to protect wildlife, fisheries, and water recreation;
- Developing solutions to prevent home foreclosures, an issue of particular importance for Fairfield;
- Safeguarding the county's treasured natural wonders and scenic waterfronts from pollution and blight;
- Expanding financial aid availability to encourage more young adults to apply to college while providing additional federal assistance to public schools; and
- Defending the civil rights of all of the county's diverse residents.
According to the 2008 U.S. Census Department estimate, 407,515 people live in Solano County. Solano County is 63.6 percent White, 15.4 percent Black, 14.1 percent Asian, 1.0 percent American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.9 percent Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. 22.6 percent of Solano County residents are of Latino or Hispanic origin, and 5.0 percent of residents report being of two or more races. 7,228 nonfarm private establishments employ 107,987 employees in Solano County. As of September 2009, 11.5 percent of Solano County residents are unemployed. Solano County has a household median income of $66,575, and 8.4 percent of residents are below the poverty line.