Newsom's Presidential Campaign

For more than half a decade, advocates of the state Capitol have sounded the alarm about the $1.1 billion Capitol annex project. This venture is a textbook example of how not to run a public works project. All Californians will be affected by its rampant secrecy, nondisclosure agreements, massive cost overruns and the decimation of our treasured Capitol Park. Experts and appointed officials tasked with protecting the historic Capitol building have strongly argued for cost-effective, transparent alternatives that preserve the Capitol’s historic integrity and public access. But every concern was ignored. For instance, the new Capitol annex will be wider, longer and taller than the historic building it replaces, despite commitments to follow the Secretary of the Interior guidelines for historic properties. The annex’s glass exterior will clash with the original white plaster Capitol, visually overpowering the 1860s landmark.

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In September 2020, while California was still suffering under Governor Gavin Newsom’s oppressive COVID restrictions of lockdowns of business and school closures, the Joint Legislative Committee on Rules held a hearing on the plans for the $543.2 million renovation of the State Capitol while ignoring actual state business urgencies. Notably, the project has ballooned to $1.5 billion – that we know of. The entire state budget is about $321.1 billion in total state spending.

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Gavin Newsom gave a furious response to a reporter who asked the California governor if his billion-dollar Capitol building expansion was comparable to Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful ballroom.' The new $1.1 billion capitol building in Sacramento has been the subject of controversy for its cost and design, which include secret corridors for lawmakers to use to avoid the press. Newsom, one of the biggest critics of Donald Trump's demolition of the East Wing to build the new ballroom, was not thrilled when reporter Ashley Zavala compared Trump's project to his.

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