Two weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized the California Legislature’s lack of transparency with the California Capitol Annex Project and said he would help with the issue, the project’s leaders are still refusing to say how much it’s estimated to cost taxpayers. It has been at least three years since the Legislature’s Joint Rules Committee overseeing the project provided a cost estimate of $1.1 billion for the new 525,000 square foot office building and parking garage that will house the offices of California’s 120 state lawmakers, governor and lieutenant governor. The committee, led by Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco and State Senator John Laird, continues to withhold key financial records KCRA 3 asked for in a Legislative Open Records Request in August that would show the most recent construction cost estimates. While Pacheco and Laird continue to ignore KCRA 3’s request for an interview, the Chief Administrative Officers for the California Legislature blamed a lawsuit against the project that ended more than a year ago for the lack of public updates. “Litigation stalled and delayed the Capitol Annex project for years, and the fiscal impacts resulting from the associated construction cost escalation continue to be received and assessed by project managers to ensure that any public update reflects accurate information,” said Erika Contreras and Lia Lopez, the officers for the Senate and Assembly, respectively. “The litigation delays were compounded by the pandemic, supply-chain disruptions, and other challenges typical of large-scale construction projects,” Contreras and Lopez said in the statement. “While the project team continues its review, construction continues. The Annex project was conceived and approved a decade ago, by a different governor and Legislature, with a simple goal: replace an unsafe, outdated building with a modern, accessible space that enhances Californians’ ability to participate in state government. The project team is committed to completing the work responsibly and providing accurate updates as they become available.”The committee has not said when those updates will become available. The committee earlier this year said it would provide a public update, but never did before lawmakers left Sacramento for the year in September. KCRA 3 has only learned about certain project developments through information leaks provided by anonymous sources.”That is not a good explanation as to why we don’t have an estimated cost estimate,” said Chris Micheli, a longtime lobbyist and adjunct McGeorge School of Law Professor. Micheli said it’s likely that project leaders will need more money for the construction. “If the legislature is going to put a pot of money into the state budget, clearly that should be publicly disclosable,” Micheli said. More than 2,000 people have signed, and others continue to sign, non-disclosure agreements that legally require those involved to keep broad information about the construction a secret. The NDAs were established when the project began in 2018. Between 2018 and 2022, the project price tag doubled. Gov. Newsom’s spokesperson, Tara Gallegos, on Tuesday reiterated comments she made two weeks ago on the governor’s limited access to information regarding the project.Gallegos, as of Tuesday afternoon, had yet to respond when KCRA 3 asked what the governor is doing to help deliver the promise he made two weeks ago to try to get the Joint Rules Committee to be more transparent about the project. The governor is in Brazil for the United Nations climate conference known as COP30. Assemblymen Josh Hoover, R-Folsom, and Joe Patterson, R-Rocklin, sent a letter to the governor’s office late Monday afternoon noting he has the authority and obligation to ensure transparency with the project. The governor oversees the California Department of General Services and Department of Finance, which play roles in the money and logistics associated with the project. The two Assemblymen requested that he direct the departments to provide briefings, budget documents and other updates to the public and state lawmakers. They asked him to formally request the Assembly Speaker and Senate Pro Tem to direct the Joint Rules Committee to release documents. They also requested that he formally request the California State Controller, Malia Cohen, to make public the invoices and payments related to the project. Hoover and Patterson also requested Newsom’s office release all documents, correspondence, meeting notes, recommendations and other materials from the three-member executive committee that has been allowed to meet confidentially to discuss the project. The committee includes Pacheco, Laird and Newsom’s Director of Operations, Miroslava de la O. Documents provided to KCRA 3 in a public records request through the governor’s office Monday show the executive committee had four meetings scheduled since Gov. Newsom took office. The most recent meeting was scheduled for February 11, 2025. The governor’s legal unit noted that while it could provide what was scheduled, it did not have records confirming the actual date, time or duration of the meeting. The office said it did not have records related to votes and other members who were present. Assemblyman Hoover told KCRA 3 on Tuesday that his office did get a brief response from the governor’s office. He said the office “basically told us this is the responsibility of the Joint Rules committee, which we agree with.””However, we really do hope he reconsiders and decides that he does want to help provide more transparency here,” Hoover added.”The public has a right to know when you’re going to build one of the most expensive buildings ever built in the world,” Assemblyman Patterson said. Patterson noted that as a member of the state budget committee, he has never received a briefing on the cost. In a tour of the construction this summer, lawmakers were told the building is expected to be complete in August 2027. KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

Two weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized the California Legislature’s lack of transparency with the California Capitol Annex Project and said he would help with the issue, the project’s leaders are still refusing to say how much it’s estimated to cost taxpayers.

It has been at least three years since the Legislature’s Joint Rules Committee overseeing the project provided a cost estimate of $1.1 billion for the new 525,000 square foot office building and parking garage that will house the offices of California’s 120 state lawmakers, governor and lieutenant governor.

The committee, led by Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco and State Senator John Laird, continues to withhold key financial records KCRA 3 asked for in a Legislative Open Records Request in August that would show the most recent construction cost estimates.

While Pacheco and Laird continue to ignore KCRA 3’s request for an interview, the Chief Administrative Officers for the California Legislature blamed a lawsuit against the project that ended more than a year ago for the lack of public updates.

“Litigation stalled and delayed the Capitol Annex project for years, and the fiscal impacts resulting from the associated construction cost escalation continue to be received and assessed by project managers to ensure that any public update reflects accurate information,” said Erika Contreras and Lia Lopez, the officers for the Senate and Assembly, respectively.

“The litigation delays were compounded by the pandemic, supply-chain disruptions, and other challenges typical of large-scale construction projects,” Contreras and Lopez said in the statement. “While the project team continues its review, construction continues. The Annex project was conceived and approved a decade ago, by a different governor and Legislature, with a simple goal: replace an unsafe, outdated building with a modern, accessible space that enhances Californians’ ability to participate in state government. The project team is committed to completing the work responsibly and providing accurate updates as they become available.”

The committee has not said when those updates will become available. The committee earlier this year said it would provide a public update, but never did before lawmakers left Sacramento for the year in September. KCRA 3 has only learned about certain project developments through information leaks provided by anonymous sources.

“That is not a good explanation as to why we don’t have an estimated cost estimate,” said Chris Micheli, a longtime lobbyist and adjunct McGeorge School of Law Professor. Micheli said it’s likely that project leaders will need more money for the construction.

“If the legislature is going to put a pot of money into the state budget, clearly that should be publicly disclosable,” Micheli said.

More than 2,000 people have signed, and others continue to sign, non-disclosure agreements that legally require those involved to keep broad information about the construction a secret. The NDAs were established when the project began in 2018. Between 2018 and 2022, the project price tag doubled.

Gov. Newsom’s spokesperson, Tara Gallegos, on Tuesday reiterated comments she made two weeks ago on the governor’s limited access to information regarding the project.

Gallegos, as of Tuesday afternoon, had yet to respond when KCRA 3 asked what the governor is doing to help deliver the promise he made two weeks ago to try to get the Joint Rules Committee to be more transparent about the project. The governor is in Brazil for the United Nations climate conference known as COP30.

Assemblymen Josh Hoover, R-Folsom, and Joe Patterson, R-Rocklin, sent a letter to the governor’s office late Monday afternoon noting he has the authority and obligation to ensure transparency with the project. The governor oversees the California Department of General Services and Department of Finance, which play roles in the money and logistics associated with the project.

The two Assemblymen requested that he direct the departments to provide briefings, budget documents and other updates to the public and state lawmakers. They asked him to formally request the Assembly Speaker and Senate Pro Tem to direct the Joint Rules Committee to release documents. They also requested that he formally request the California State Controller, Malia Cohen, to make public the invoices and payments related to the project.

Hoover and Patterson also requested Newsom’s office release all documents, correspondence, meeting notes, recommendations and other materials from the three-member executive committee that has been allowed to meet confidentially to discuss the project. The committee includes Pacheco, Laird and Newsom’s Director of Operations, Miroslava de la O.

Documents provided to KCRA 3 in a public records request through the governor’s office Monday show the executive committee had four meetings scheduled since Gov. Newsom took office. The most recent meeting was scheduled for February 11, 2025. The governor’s legal unit noted that while it could provide what was scheduled, it did not have records confirming the actual date, time or duration of the meeting. The office said it did not have records related to votes and other members who were present.

Assemblyman Hoover told KCRA 3 on Tuesday that his office did get a brief response from the governor’s office. He said the office “basically told us this is the responsibility of the Joint Rules committee, which we agree with.”

“However, we really do hope he reconsiders and decides that he does want to help provide more transparency here,” Hoover added.

“The public has a right to know when you’re going to build one of the most expensive buildings ever built in the world,” Assemblyman Patterson said. Patterson noted that as a member of the state budget committee, he has never received a briefing on the cost.

In a tour of the construction this summer, lawmakers were told the building is expected to be complete in August 2027.

KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.