{"id":72899,"date":"2025-11-28T03:32:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T03:32:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/72899\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T03:32:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T03:32:15","slug":"ca-dems-push-pet-projects-despite-12b-deficit-blamed-on-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/72899\/","title":{"rendered":"CA Dems push pet projects despite $12B deficit blamed on Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"

California\u2019s<\/a> $12 billion budget deficit<\/a> is not stopping state lawmakers from sending hundreds of millions for pet projects to their home districts this year, a decision that could shape the fate of at least two Democrats seeking higher elected office.<\/p>\n

In all, Golden State lawmakers spent at least $415 million on local projects to help curry favor with constituents and win their next election. There were nearly 100 earmarks tucked into just one of the state\u2019s budget bills for local projects and programs that had little to no benefit for anyone outside of the specific lawmaker\u2019s district.<\/p>\n

\u201cPoliticians across generations \u2014 and in every country \u2014 try to use some portion of the budget on these clear signals that they\u2019re directing the flow of government dollars to real people and real organizations right at home in their district,\u201d said Thad Kousser<\/a>, a former legislative staffer and political science professor at the University of California, San Diego<\/a>. \u201cVoters reward that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pork spending this year went to general funds for museums, trails, and other amenities, some of which are in well-to-do communities. It also raised concerns about legislative priorities in a year where Gov. Gavin Newsom<\/a> (D-CA) has spoken repeatedly about tightening pursestrings due to funding cuts and the threat of funding cuts from the Trump administration<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The earmarks arrived as Newsom and state lawmakers left key state jobs vacant, backed away from their universal healthcare pledges, controversially plugged budget holes with costly high-interest borrowing, and tapped billions from California\u2019s \u201crainy day\u201d reserve, CalMatters reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers redirected $250 million from Proposition 4<\/a>, a $10 billion climate bond approved in 2024 to fund projects related to the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act. The funds were instead channeled toward district-specific projects, prompting concerns over misuse of voter-backed funds.<\/p>\n

After losing his legislative leadership seat earlier this year, Democratic state Sen. Mike McGuire<\/a>, who is running for Congress<\/a> next year, hauled in among the most funds of any state legislator.<\/p>\n

McGuire\u2019s district, which stretches from the San Francisco<\/a> Bay to the Oregon border and includes parts of Sonoma, Marin, Mendocino, Lake, Humboldt, Trinity, and Del Norte counties, was the recipient of more than two dozen earmarks totaling more than $100 million. That\u2019s about a quarter of the earmark funds for the state. Money went to fund everything from harbors to habitat projects and a $250,000 farm-animal rescue.<\/p>\n

McGuire, who will be running<\/a> for Rep. Doug LaMalfa\u2019s (R-CA) First Congressional District, secured $50 million for a redwood trail that cuts through his district.<\/p>\n

McGuire told KRCB that his accomplishments in the state Senate have given him the credibility to become an effective member of Congress: \u201cWe\u2019ve delivered $3 billion for the North Coast and the North Bay, rebuilding and modernizing schools, investing record funding for our kids, passing the largest affordability package in our state\u2019s history, [and] making life more affordable for every Californian.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another Democratic lawmaker funneling millions to his district is state Sen. Scott Wiener<\/a>, who recently announced his candidacy<\/a> for Rep. Nancy Pelosi\u2019s<\/a> (D-CA) House seat. Wiener, who chairs the state\u2019s powerful Senate Budget Committee, secured $9 million in general fund earmarks that will directly help San Franciscans, many of whom will decide his congressional fate.<\/p>\n

The money will go toward parks, restroom improvements, and to \u201csupport the preservation and revitalization of a historic LGBTQ+ venue\u201d in the city\u2019s Castro area. The Castro is known as one of the most prominent symbols of LGBT activism in the world.<\/p>\n

BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL: NEWSOM CONTINUES TO SPEND CALIFORNIA INTO A BUDGET HOLE<\/a><\/p>\n

San Francisco will also get $1 million for a new clinic for the Chinese Hospital <\/a>and $250,000 for improvements to the Wah Mei child development center, according to CalMatters.<\/p>\n

Some other big-dollar projects across the state included $20 million to help the public access a Santa Barbara County beach gated off by rich celebrities, a cattle operation, and 8 miles of undeveloped Pacific Ocean shoreline, as well as $15 million for \u201cgeological heritage sites\u201d including the La Brea Tar Pits, which has been used to study climate change<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"California\u2019s $12 billion budget deficit is not stopping state lawmakers from sending hundreds of millions for pet projects…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":72900,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1400,18249,7,9,8,536,457,42681],"class_list":{"0":"post-72899","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-california","8":"tag-2026-elections","9":"tag-budgets-and-deficits","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-california-headlines","12":"tag-california-news","13":"tag-donald-trump","14":"tag-gavin-newsom","15":"tag-state-legislatures"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72899"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72899\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}