Capitol Annex Secrecy Deepens as Public Still Blocked from Cost Details

SACRAMENTO – What started as a $453 million Capitol renovation project has turned into a billion-dollar taxpayer mystery. For more than three years, the Legislature’s Joint Rules Committee has refused to release updated cost estimates or financial records for the Capitol Annex project, despite repeated requests from lawmakers and the media.

As KCRA’s Ashley Zavala reports, thousands of contractors and consultants tied to the project have signed non-disclosure agreements. Leaders overseeing the Annex continue to keep critical information from the public, even after Governor Gavin Newsom admitted the secrecy was “inappropriate.”

This week, Assemblymembers Joe Patterson (R-Rocklin) and Josh Hoover (R-Folsom) sent a letter to Governor Newsom demanding full transparency. They are calling on him to direct state agencies to release all project records, including cost overruns, invoices, and correspondence with legislative leaders.

“Californians should have the right to know how their tax dollars are being spent,” said Assemblyman Josh Hoover. “We deserve accountability and answers, not more excuses.”

Assemblyman Joe Patterson added, “What are they hiding? Keeping secrets from the public like this is a sign that something is seriously wrong, and we deserve to know what it is.”

Governor Newsom plays watchdog when it comes to renovation projects outside of California. But when the questions turn to a billion-dollar project in his own backyard, he vanishes.

View the full letter from Asms. Hoover and Patterson to Governor Newsom here.

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