By Save Our Capitol!

(Sacramento, CA) — Today, Save Our Capitol! issued the following statement in response to a Capitol Annex Project status update distributed by the Joint Committee on Rules Chair Blanca Pacheco and Vice Chair John Laird:

“For the better part of a decade, members of Save Our Capitol! and Public Accountability for Our Capitol have been raising concerns about the controversial Capitol Annex Project. Coalition members, including preservationists, historical architects, safety experts, environmental advocates, small businesses, and concerned Californian citizens repeatedly warned the Legislature about escalating costs, legal deficiencies, lack of transparency, and the risk of irreversible damage to one of California’s most significant historic locations.

“Warnings were largely ignored until sustained media scrutiny by KCRA 3 News finally forced legislative leaders to respond — years after basic information was requested by the public. With the project’s website not being updated since at least 2021, Californians have been sitting in the dark while the Legislature bulldozes ahead.

“We commend KCRA 3 and Political Director Ashley Zavala for their work, but it should not take investigative journalism to obtain essential clarity and accountability on a taxpayer funded project of this scale.

“If the Legislature had remained consistent with the original bill’s authorization, the original historic Capitol Annex would have been modernized at a fraction of the current cost. Despite the absence of a credible cost-benefit analysis, the Legislature instead moved forward with a costly demolition-and-rebuild.

“Since that time, Save Our Capitol! has documented deficiencies in the project’s environmental review and the Legislature’s failure to meaningfully evaluate renovation alternatives. When forced to answer for its violations of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Legislature voted to exempt the project from the law.  When the Legislature ignored the law governing the preservation of historic resources, the Legislature again changed the law at the last minute to exempt the project.

“Reporting expenditures to date is not a true cost update; it is merely an accounting snapshot. Californians still do not know what this project will ultimately cost.

“While it may be true that cutting rough stone in Italy was cheaper, it’s also true that California workers were denied hours of prevailing wages, pensions, and health benefits. Outsourcing key craftsmanship raises serious concerns about who benefits and who loses (Californians).

“The JRC’s latest update also confirms what experts have long feared: the destructive Visitor Center — which will demolish the West Steps & Plaza — has not been removed from the project; it has merely been deferred until 2027, after the Annex and garage are complete. This directly contradicts years of verbal legislative assurances suggesting the West Plaza of the historic 1860s Capitol was protected. Without binding legislation, this historic site remains at extreme risk.

“Equally troubling is the continued refusal to release key documents. If a cost-benefit analysis truly justified demolition of the original Annex, it should have been included in the 2017 Joint Rules Committee materials. It was not, and requests for that analysis were denied both publicly and during litigation.

“Transparency delayed is transparency denied.

“Californians deserve better: honesty, respect, and full disclosure – not dismissive remarks, partial updates, or after-the-fact rationalizations. Save Our Capitol! will continue to insist on transparency, accountability, and lawful decision-making, just as we have for years, even when the Legislature refused to listen.”