Mayor Andrea Sorce Vice-Mayor Peter Bregenzer (District 5) Alexander Matias (District 1) Diosdado "JR" Matulac (District 2) Dr. Tonia Lediju (District 3) Charles Palmares (District 4) Helen-Marie "Kookie" Gordon (District 6)[2]
Vallejo was once home of theCoast Miwok as well asSuisunes and otherPatwin Native American tribes. There are three confirmedNative American sites located in the rockoutcrops in the hills above Blue Rock Springs Park. The California Archaeological Inventory has indicated that the three Indian sites are located on Sulphur Springs Mountain.[9]
The city of Vallejo was once part of the 84,000-acre (340 km2)Rancho Suscol Mexican land grant of 1843 by GovernorManuel Micheltorena to Gen.Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. The city was named after this Mexican military officer and title holder who was appointed in settling and overseeing the North Bay region. Gen. Vallejo was responsible for military peace in the region and founded the pueblo of Sonoma in 1836.
In 1846, independence-minded Anglo immigrants rose up against the Mexican government of California in what would be known as theBear Flag Revolt which resulted in Gen. Vallejo's imprisonment inSutter's Fort. This was subsequently followed by the annexation of the California Republic to the United States. Gen. Vallejo, though a Mexican army officer, generally acquiesced in the annexation of California to the United States, recognizing the greater resources of the United States and benefits that would bring to California.
In 1851, Vallejo was declared to become the official California State Capitol, with the new government prepared to meet for the first time the following year. In 1852, the legislature convened for the first time. However, Vallejo did not follow through with constructing a Capitol State Building for them to meet in. In 1853, it was again the meeting place for the legislature, solely for the purpose of moving the capitol officially toBenicia, which occurred on February 4, 1853, after only a month.Benicia is named after Vallejo's wife,Benicia de Vallejo. After the legislature left, thefederal government established anaval shipyard onMare Island, which helped the city overcome the loss. Due to the presence of the shipyard, Filipinos began to immigrate to Vallejo beginning in the first decades of the 20th century.[10] The yard functioned for over a hundred years, finally closing in 1996.[11]
The U.S. government appointed the influential Vallejo as Indian agent for Northern California. He also served on the state constitutional convention in 1849. Afterward, Vallejo remained active in state politics, but challenges to his land titles around Sonoma eventually left him impoverished and reduced his ranch from 250,000 acres to a mere 300. He eventually retired from public life, questioning the wisdom of his having welcomed the American acquisition of California in the first place. Vallejo died in 1890, a symbol of the eclipse of Californio wealth, power, and prestige.[12]
View of Vallejo in 1905
Although the town is named after General Vallejo, the man regarded as the true founder of Vallejo is GeneralJohn B. Frisbie.[13] Even before his daughter Epifania had formally married Frisbie, Vallejo had already granted himpower of attorney over the land grant.[13] It was Frisbie who hired E. H. Rowe, the man who designed the city layout and who named the east–west streets after states and the north–south streets after California counties.[14]
Mare Island Naval Shipyard was a critical submarine facility during WW II, both for constructing and overhauling vessels.
Downtown Vallejo retains many of its historicVictorian andCraftsman homes.
On May 6, 2008, the city council voted 7–0 to file forChapter 9 bankruptcy, at the time becoming the largest California city to do so.[15][16] Stephanie Gomes, Vallejo City Councilwoman, largely blamed exorbitant salaries and benefits for Vallejo firefighters and police officers. Reportedly, salaries and benefits for public safety workers accounted for at least 80 percent of Vallejo's general-fund budget. On November 1, 2011, a federal judge released Vallejo from bankruptcy after nearly three years.[17]
Aerial view of Vallejo, showingSan Pablo Bay to the center left and theNapa River dividing mainland Vallejo fromMare Island in the bottom left
According toUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 48.3 square miles (125 km2). Land area is 30.4 square miles (79 km2), and 17.9 square miles (46 km2) (37.02%) is water.[5] TheNapa River flows until it changes into the Mare Island Strait in Vallejo which then flows intoSan Pablo Bay, in the northeastern part ofSan Francisco Bay.
Several faults have been mapped in the vicinity of Vallejo. TheSan Andreas Fault andHayward Faults are the mostactive faults, although the San Andreas is at some distance. Locally, the Sulphur Springs Valley Thrust Fault and Southampton Fault are found. No quaternary seismic activity along these minor faults has been observed with the possible exception of a slight offset revealed by trenching. The no Sulphur Mountain and Green Valley faults have been associated with theConcord Fault to the south. The Concord Fault is considered active.
Vallejo has a mild, coastalMediterranean climate and can be an average of 10 °F (−12 °C) cooler than nearby inland cities. Vallejo is influenced by its position on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay, but is less sheltered from heatwaves than areas directly on or nearer the Pacific Ocean/Golden Gate such asSan Francisco andOakland. Although slightly less marine, average temperatures range between 8 °C (46 °F) in January and 19.8 °C (67.6 °F) in July.[19] However, summer is very long with June–September being almost equal in historical average temperatures. Thisseasonal lag sees October averages being higher than in May[19] in spite of it being after theEquinox (meaning less daylight than darkness).
Vallejo was named the most diverse city in the United States in a 2012 study by Brown University based on 2010 census data,[23][24] and the most diverse city in California by a Niche study based on 2017 American Community Survey data.[25] In 2022, Vallejo was again named the most diverse small town in America, with a 77% chance any two residents would be of a different census racial category.[26] Hispanics comprise 28% of the local population, 23% are White, 23% are Asian, 19% are Black, and 7% are of mixed or other heritages.
Vallejo city, California – Racial and Ethnic Composition
Note: the U.S. Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
The census reported that 98.3% of the population lived in households, 1.3% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.4% were institutionalized.[28]
There were 43,539 households, out of which 32.2% included children under the age of 18, 42.4% were married-couple households, 7.8% werecohabiting couple households, 30.6% had a female householder with no partner present, and 19.2% had a male householder with no partner present. 23.9% of households were one person, and 10.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.85.[28] There were 29,987families (68.9% of all households).[29]
The age distribution was 20.5% under the age of 18, 8.8% aged 18 to 24, 27.1% aged 25 to 44, 26.3% aged 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 39.8years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males.[28]
There were 45,523 housing units at an average density of 1,496.5 units per square mile (577.8 units/km2), of which 43,539 (95.6%) were occupied. Of these, 56.3% were owner-occupied, and 43.7% were occupied by renters.[28]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $89,496, and theper capita income was $40,845. About 8.9% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line.[30]
The2010 United States census[31] reported that Vallejo had a population of 115,942. The population density was 2,340.3 inhabitants per square mile (903.6/km2). The racial makeup of Vallejo was 38,066 (32.9%)White, 25,572 (22.1%)African American, 757 (0.7%)Native American, 28,895 (24.9%)Asian (21.1%Filipino, 1.0% Indian, 0.9% Chinese, 0.5% Vietnamese, 0.2% Japanese, 0.2% Korean, 0.1% Laotian), 1,239 (1.1%)Pacific Islander, 12,759 (11.0%) fromother races, and 8,656 (7.5%) from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 26,165 persons (22.6%).Non-Hispanic Whites numbered 28,946 persons (25.0%).[32]
The Census reported that 114,279 people (98.6% of the population) lived in households, 1,130 (1.0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 533 (0.5%) were institutionalized.
There were 40,559 households, out of which 14,398 (35.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 17,819 (43.9%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 7,214 (17.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2,755 (6.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,804 (6.9%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 497 (1.2%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 9,870 households (24.3%) were made up of individuals, and 3,255 (8.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82. There were 27,788families (68.5% of all households); the average family size was 3.36.
The population was spread out, with 26,911 people (23.2%) under the age of 18, 11, 69 people (10.1%) aged 18 to 24, 30,053 people (25.9%) aged 25 to 44, 33,312 people (28.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 13,999 people (12.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.
There were 44,433 housing units at an average density of 896.9 units per square mile (346.3 units/km2), of which 24,188 (59.6%) were owner-occupied, and 16,371 (40.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.4%. 68,236 people (58.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 46,043 people (39.7%) lived in rental housing units.
In recent years, Vallejo has attracted a large community of artists to the region in search of lower rent and larger work-spaces.[36] Artists pushed out of larger Bay Area cities like San Francisco and Oakland have been working with city leaders to revitalize the once blighted downtown area.
The artist-run Vallejo Art Walk scheduled on the second Friday of every month in downtown Vallejo has been recognized as a hub for artists in the Bay Area and the entirety of California.[37]
As early as the 1940s and before, Vallejo is known to have had a well-formed gay community, which was a short drive or boat ride away from San Francisco.[38] At one time, Vallejo boasted eight gay bars. After a migration ofgays and lesbians fromSan Francisco in the decade 2000–2009,[39] openly gay members of the community encountered what they described as a backlash against them. Theschool district was threatened by theACLU with a lawsuit for harassment on behalf of a 17-year-old lesbian by school administrators. The school settled the lawsuit with the student. The school agreed to pay her $25,000, adopt a more stringent non-discrimination policy, and include a curriculum that positively portrayed gay and lesbian people.[40]
The Government of Vallejo is defined under the Charter of the City of Vallejo. It is acouncil–manager government and consists of the Mayor, City Council, and numerous departments and officers under the supervision of the City Manager, such as the Vallejo Police Department, Vallejo Fire Department, Vallejo Public Works Department, and Vallejo Economic Development Department. As of October 2025, the council consists of Andrea Sorce (Mayor), Peter Bregenzer (Vice Mayor), Alexander Matias, Diosdado "JR" Matulac, Tonia Lediju, Charles Palmares, and Helen-Marie Gordon.[2]
Residents of Vallejo participate in elections for Solano County Board of Supervisors Districts 1 and 2. As of November 2022, these seats were represented by Supervisors Cassandra James and Monica Brown, respectively.[41]
In 2008 the government of Vallejo filed for bankruptcy.[43] A judge declared the bankruptcy over in 2011, but analysts have noted that the city did little to resolve its largest expense—public pensions—and may face a second round of bankruptcy.[44][45]
As of September 2022, there were 69,546 registered voters in Vallejo; of these, 40,818 (58.7%) are Democrats, 8,751 (12.6%) are Republicans, and 15,612 (22.4%) stated no party preference.
On April 17, 2012, the City Council approved the first no citywideparticipatory budgeting (PB) process in the United States. The Council allocated $3.4 million to the Vallejo PB process and since then, Vallejo residents and business and property owners have been developing and designing project ideas. They have vetted and reduced more than 800 project ideas to 36 projects that will be on the ballot. Vallejo residents 14 years of age and older will vote and choose six out of 36 projects to vote on from May 11 through May 18, 2013.
The second cycle of participatory budgeting in Vallejo was initiated on February 4, 2014, with $2.4 million allocated. A public vote open to all residents of Vallejo age 16 and over took place in October 2014.
Vallejo has had one of California's highest rates of police killings in recent years.[46] A 2023Vallejo Sun story described Vallejo's police department as "one of California’s most deadly."[47] In 2020, the department engaged a consulting firm to assess how to address extensive killings by its officers. The firm issued 45 recommendations, which were endorsed by the California attorney general; but according to reporting from theVallejo Free Press andProPublica, only two of the recommendations had been fully implemented by 2022.[48]
Vallejo has seen a rate of killings by police officers that is significantly higher than the national average and other Bay Area cities. These incidents included the fatalshooting of Willie McCoy by six officers in 2019 and theshooting of Sean Monterrosa, who was unarmed, duringprotests following themurder of George Floyd in 2020. One of the officers who killed McCoy had previously killed an unarmed man as he fled, while another killed three men over a five-month period and was later promoted.[49] Vallejo Police killed 19 people between 2010 and 2020.[50] In 2012, police shootings accounted for six of the 20 homicides to occur in the city, and the frequency of officer-involved shootings stood at around 38 times the national rate.[51]
Vallejo is served by one school district: the Vallejo City Unified School District (VCUSD). The city is also served by a community college district, private schools, and colleges.
Vallejo is within theSolano Community College district. The college has two campuses in Vallejo: the Vallejo Center, which is located along Columbus Parkway; and the Auto Tech Center, which is located along North Ascot Parkway.
The principal local newspaper is theVallejo Times Herald. The community is also served by the Vallejo Independent Bulletin and by Vallejo Community Access Television (VCAT 27).[60][61][62][63]
TheVallejo Sun is an independent, for-profit newsletter and website that serves Vallejo and Solano County with city, police, housing, education and events coverage.[65]
Local radio broadcast stations includeKZCT 89.5 FM community radio station andKDIA/KDYAChristian radio stations
^C.Michael Hogan, Marc Papineau et al.,Environmental Assessment of the Columbus Parkway Widening between Ascot Parkway and the Northgate Development, Vallejo, Earth Metrics Inc. Report 7853, California State Clearinghouse, Sept 1989
^"Vallejo (city), California".State & County QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau.Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. RetrievedFebruary 23, 2015.
^James, Scott (November 20, 2009)."The Burning Voice of Vallejo".The Bay Area. The New York Times.Archived from the original on November 21, 2009. RetrievedMay 6, 2011.
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