“You are using taxpayer dollars for a taxpayer-funded facility,” charged Assemblyman Hoover, scolding Sacramento over covert “secure corridors” for a gaudy Capitol renovation. “And yet you are going to design it in a way that shields you from the public.”
As the California State Senate ended their Spring Recess and reconvened on April 21, public outrage has since flared up in Sacramento over recent leaks about the suspicious renovation project for the East Annex at the State Capitol, which will reportedly cost taxpayers $1.1B.
“Have you heard of the Capitol Annex Project? Probably not,” wrote Dick Cowan, on behalf of Save our Capitol, a group who previously sued against the Capitol project. “Though with a price tag of more than $1 billion (coming from taxpayers wallets), you should have.”
A dramatic climb from its original 2018 estimate of $543.2M, the public has finally received some semblance of where Californians’ tax dollars are being spent on. Based on findings by Ashley Zavala at KCRA 3, $700M of the construction costs will come out of the revenue from the state’s General Fund. The remainder will be handled in both this and next year’s budget.
Curiously enough, KCRA 3 have been doing as best they can with very little transparency from local officials, and have only been able to gather this new insight based on internal leaks. It bears mentioning that Californians have not received any formal public update about the project’s development since April 2021.
“No one asked for or voted for this building and it will now cost more than a sports stadium,” Sac news group The 916 Times commented on X, blasting the uncovered $1.1B expenditure. “All to make lawmakers feel safer after they vote to lessen the penalties for child predators apparently.”
The alleged “safety” element in question, for the legislators inheriting the new offices, is the astonishing detail that the new offices will include secret hallways and covert passageways in order for politicians to avoid public and press confrontations more freely.
Pro Tem Mike McGuire confirmed that the “secure corridors have always been included in plans for the new annex,” citing the January 6th events as justification. Against the shifty looks of things, he reasoned that “legislators will continue to be accessible and responsive to the public.”
The recent leaks have only inflamed the growing notions of distrust felt by Californians. This Annex has already been mired with controversy for lawmakers’ use of NDAs to conceal much of its planning. A bill is currently moving along in the Assembly to ban the practice.
To add fuel to the fire, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas announced he and 57 other CA Democrats will here on out refrain from communicating openly with the public over X, as Rivas believes that “hate speech is everywhere on X.”
“I think this is the height of hypocrisy,” is what Assemblyman Josh Hoover (R-Folsom) had to say about the Capitol Annex fiasco. “You are using taxpayer dollars for a taxpayer-funded facility and yet you are going to design it in a way that shields you from the public.”
Many have punctually compared the illusive project to another one just as much in limbo. The infamous high-speed rail project, which is now five years behind schedule, is now in need of “another $7 billion by June” and is at risk of getting pushed back even further.
At $1.1B and counting, the new Capitol Annex building is shaping up to be just as expensive if not more than many popular arenas in CA. For comparison, Levi Stadium in Santa Clara totaled at $1.7B after inflation, while the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento just under $800M.
