SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Project leaders overseeing California’s Capitol Annex project remain quiet about the cost of what will be one of the most expensive buildings in the United States.
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The $1.1 billion (and counting) Capitol Annex Project had an original cost estimate of $543.2 million total in 2018. The building will house offices for the state’s 120 lawmakers, the governor, lieutenant governor, and staff. The building will also have committee hearing rooms where lawmakers will debate and vote on various issues. The price tag is also expected to pay for a parking garage and a new visitor’s center on the west side of the historic state capitol building.
KCRA 3 has learned the new building will also have beefed-up security that includes private hallways for lawmakers that will allow them to avoid the public and the media in some instances.
California taxpayers are paying for all of it.
The price tag is similar to Northern California’s NFL Stadium, Levi’s Stadium, in Santa Clara. The 68,500 seat stadium was built for $1.3 billion a decade ago, which is about $1.7 billion in today’s dollars adjusted for inflation.
The NBA Stadium in Sacramento, the Golden 1 Center, can hold 19,000 and cost $558.2 million in 2016, or $731 million in today’s dollars.
Now, six months after litigation against the Capitol Annex project ended, the California Legislature’s Joint Rules Committee overseeing the project has yet to give an update on how exactly the tax dollars are being spent. The last public update was in April 2021.
Despite repeated requests, no one with the Joint Rules Committee would do an interview with KCRA 3 about the project, even though the lawsuits are over.
Lia Lopez, the chief administrative officer for the committee, told KCRA 3 in an email that there are now no plans to construct the west side visitor’s center, but said the budget for the project overall will not change. Lopez went on to say the costs will actually rise because of the litigation.
Are you surprised?
Slick buys a mansion that even the D’s are surprised he can afford. It is like the USSR building massive monuments and then daring anyone to tear them down because it would cost more than the construction.
Heck you idiots who vote for them and the High Speed Rail have no understanding of what the real world is like.
Hey just thought, those hidden corridors. think they will only work 40% of the time just as the HSR authority has predicted the idiotic rail will work?
But again let’s steal more tax money and write checks in the $billions of debt.
And you vote Democrat? Are you that stupid?
Apparently they are!!!!
Add to that – the crooked chief of the state made mandates – yet didn’t abide by them. His kids went to school – ours were shut out. He went to the French Laundry Restaurant for a high-priced, SIT DOWN, be waited on meal – we were relegated to fast food and take out!!! I even was threatened by a “cop” for walking outside, ON the sidewalk, with no suffocating mask – and YET, CDC said people with breathing problems (which I have) should NOT wear those face diapers!!! And the list goes on!!!
I really don’t know when of IF this state will ever recover from these Nazis!!!!! Just heard some radio person say – the only thing we have here that’s worth anything is the weather. Am sure that IF Slick could figure out how to “F” that up, he would!!!! Too much hair gel – leaked into his little brain??????