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Someone bought 52,000 acres in the Bay Area. No one knows who they are.
San Francisco Chronicle / SFGate.com ^ | Aug 15, 2023 | Katie Dowd , SFGATE

Posted on 08/16/2023 10:06:12 PM PDT by thecodont

One of the biggest mysteries in Solano County may be one step closer to being solved.

Since 2018, a shadowy company called Flannery Associates has been buying up land around Travis Air Force Base — so much land, in fact, that it is now the biggest property owner in the county. Its land now surrounds the military base on three sides, said Congressman John Garamendi, who represents California’s 8th District.

In July, the story went public when the Wall Street Journal published a report about how Flannery Associates has spent nearly $1 billion in land acquisitions in the county. Because the group incorporated in Delaware, state regulations mean there is no public paper trail of who is behind the limited liability company. Even government officials are stumped, prompting Garamendi to publicly voice his concerns that it could be a national security issue.

[...]

Now, a government probe into Flannery’s investors may be in the works.

CNN first reported that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States may be looking into the secretive purchases. CFIUS, which falls under the Treasury Department’s purview, has the power to review certain real estate or investment transactions by foreign buyers to determine if there is a security risk to the United States.

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: blackrock; flannery; fortresssanfrancisco; realestate; sfbayarea; travisafb
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To: thecodont

Want to know who owns it? Have Eric Swalwell check with Fang Fang.


41 posted on 08/17/2023 4:01:00 AM PDT by popdonnelly (All the enormous crimes in history have been committed by governments.)
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To: popdonnelly

52,000 acres, or a little more than 80 square miles. That’s a lot of land. For example, Central Park in NYCity is only 843 acres. The Alamo? Three acres.


42 posted on 08/17/2023 4:17:52 AM PDT by Bookshelf
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To: thecodont

Come with eggroll.


43 posted on 08/17/2023 4:38:25 AM PDT by Alas Babylon! (Repeal the Patriot Act; Abolish the DHS; reform FBI top to bottom!)
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To: MileHi

The story of the Delaware Mafia has yet to be told. It should be a doozy!! Imo, Joe is running the government from a Delaware beach.


44 posted on 08/17/2023 4:39:07 AM PDT by AuntB (Trump is our Ben Franklin - Brilliant, Boisterous, Brave and ALL AMERICAN!)
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To: thecodont

Let me guess: Red Chinese.


45 posted on 08/17/2023 4:42:47 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (FBI out of Florida!)
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To: Repeal The 17th

CHINA


46 posted on 08/17/2023 4:51:05 AM PDT by GailA (Constitution vs evil Treasonous political Apparatchiks, Constitutional Conservative.)
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To: thecodont

No one is invading another continent.

They will try to take over the ports by buying them.

China isn’t going to crush our military. They will beat us economically. That has always been their plan.


47 posted on 08/17/2023 5:23:46 AM PDT by Vermont Lt
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To: thecodont

Use constitutional eminent domain to condemn the land. I’m pretty sure the rightful owners will show up to assert their rights.


48 posted on 08/17/2023 5:35:26 AM PDT by jeffersondem
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To: Jess Kitting

It says the CFIUS MAY be looking into this. Maybe yesterday was too late. Why does it take so long to get the first clue?
This should have been looked into right away & particularly since no one seems to know the buyer. That should certainly at least suggest that someone is trying to hide something. Maybe one of the first things to investigate would be if Joe Biden is in any way involved.


49 posted on 08/17/2023 5:37:08 AM PDT by oldtech
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To: thecodont

Here’s a clue to investigate. I will post more of the article when I get to my computer.
Flannery is suing the landowners for so called “price fixing”

https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/some-california-landowners-fight-while-other-settle-510-mln-antitrust-lawsuit-2023-08-07/


50 posted on 08/17/2023 5:54:34 AM PDT by CaptainPhilFan ( Bring back insane asylums)
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To: thecodont
One possibility not so far floated, as best I can see.

Political corruption. How?

Plans as not yet announced by government to enlarge Travis, such that additional land will have to bought from owners for said expansion. Been done before.

Expansion for some so-called "space port" for the newly created U.S. Space Force.

Source:_ https://www.spaceforce.mil/

51 posted on 08/17/2023 6:29:51 AM PDT by Worldtraveler once upon a time (Degrow government)
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To: metmom

We can go all the way back to Carter ceding control of the Panama Canal to the Chinese…


52 posted on 08/17/2023 6:56:53 AM PDT by telescope115 (I NEED MY SPACE!!! 🔭)
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To: thecodont

This reminds me of reading about the Krupps family. During the plague years in Germany, they very cheaply bought up land and properties in the cities.

In subsequent years, they became one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in Europe!


53 posted on 08/17/2023 7:13:45 AM PDT by SMARTY (“Liberalism is totalitarianism with a human face.” Thomas Sowell)
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To: MarMema

Owner is Thomas Mather. Really strange since near Travis AFB is the closed Mather AFB. It was named for a WW one pilot. Could Thomas just want a family home stead?


54 posted on 08/17/2023 7:16:39 AM PDT by larryjohnson (FReepersonaltrainer)
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To: thecodont

Has anybody checked the county’s General plan? They go out fifty years maybe a hundred.


55 posted on 08/17/2023 7:39:15 AM PDT by Pocketdoor
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To: thecodont

Ill take CCP for $500 Alex.


56 posted on 08/17/2023 7:55:19 AM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: Worldtraveler once upon a time

I think you almost hit the nail on the head.

See my post 31.

You might not know this but there has been a trend toward expansion of military bases.

https://www.petoskeynews.com/story/news/environment/2022/11/07/dnr-to-decide-on-next-phase-of-proposed-camp-grayling-expansion/69617889007/

This buyer has told everyone using the land to continue use of it for however long they desire.
Could be decades.

So maybe the buyer wants to stop expansion.


57 posted on 08/17/2023 8:05:32 AM PDT by MarMema (Eat your bananas, enjoy the decline)
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To: Georgia Girl 2

Investors are 97% American.


58 posted on 08/17/2023 8:06:13 AM PDT by MarMema (Eat your bananas, enjoy the decline)
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To: larryjohnson

Yep. See my post 57.

Fits for me.


59 posted on 08/17/2023 8:07:14 AM PDT by MarMema (Eat your bananas, enjoy the decline)
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To: thecodont

No one knows who they are.

The red star on the trucks may be a clue.


60 posted on 08/17/2023 8:42:04 AM PDT by Vaduz (....)
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