
$1.1B California Capitol to include hidden corridors for lawmakers
A new $1.1 billion capitol building in California will have secret corridors for lawmakers to use to avoid the press, according to a state senator. The construction of the massive building, known as the Capitol Annex Project, was first introduced in 2018 with an estimated cost of $543.2 million to complete. Now, the building will cost more than a billion dollars, and that price tag will be footed by Golden State taxpayers, KCRA 3 reported. The structure will house 120 lawmakers, including the governor, lieutenant governor and other staff members.
Newsom did not commission the project, which was started before he even took office. He and several other lawmakers will not be housed there as they will be out of office by its completion date in the second half of 2027. It will also house committee hearing rooms for lawmakers to meet and debate on pressing issues related to the liberal state. Although details about the project have remained under wraps, Pro Tempore State Senator Mike McGuire confirmed there will be private hallways in the building for lawmakers to access so they can avoid the public and the media. 'Secure corridors have always been included in plans for the new annex (as they already exist in the swing space) and are designed to help ensure the safety and security of lawmakers, which is even more important today given the events that unfolded on January 6th at our nation's capital building and the active threats public officials continue to face,' McGuire told the outlet.
Despite the hidden tunnels, he said all legislators 'will continue to be accessible and responsive.' 'Regardless, legislators will continue to be accessible and responsive to the public, staff, and reporters no matter what hallway, elevator or stairwell they choose to use. The same is true when they're working in their communities or at events around town,' the Democrat said. Presently, lawmakers have their own private entrances to elevators and hearing rooms, but they still have to walk through a public hallway to get from one to the other - something McGuire called their 'swing space.' With the new corridors, the space in between will be no more - ultimately blocking journalists and lobbyists from getting to lawmakers after a hearing or vote.
The new addition has sparked anger in many Californians, including local lawmakers like Assemblyman Josh Hoover (pictured). He referred to the corridors as 'the height of hypocrisy,' adding: 'You are using taxpayer dollars for a taxpayer-funded facility and yet you are going to design it in a way that shields you from the public and shields you from accountability.' The project has long caused trouble, as it just got past a lawsuit that was filed by Cowan, the ex-chairman of the Historic State Capitol Commission, environmentalists and project opponents who claimed lawmakers did not get enough feedback from the public to move forward with the west side construction of the building.
The group also voiced concerns about the uprooting of several palm trees and the all-glass façade for the building. The lawsuit was recently settled after the California Supreme Court ruled last fall that lawmakers could exempt the project from the California Environmental Quality Act, which was passed and signed by former President Ronald Regan in 1970. With news of the new passageways, Cowan (pictured) said extra security expenses were made after the January 6 US capitol attack - when a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the building. 'The Capitol police in Washington D.C., were able to escort our nation's legislators safely through some corridors into safe rooms at the Capitol while the rioters were occupying the Capitol,' Cowan said. 'Shortly after that, managers for the Capitol annex project announced the project was 5 percent to 10 percent over budget.'
Following the attack, former Joint Rules Committee Chairman Ken Cooley said the budget for the Annex Project needed 10 percent more money for security purposes. He then lost his seat in the Assembly to Hoover in 2022, leaving many critics to think he was ousted for the handling of the project. 'We are just guessing, but if one were to say, "Yeah, we had to invest an additional $100,000,000 to create these potential escape corridors," that would make sense,' Cowan explained.
It is unclear how much money will actually be spent on security features for the project as these conversations took place in 2021, the outlet reported. The costly price tag of the building aside, many have been left frustrated for barely knowing any details about the new structure. In fact, lawmakers had to sign non-disclosure agreements that legally force them to keep all details of the project a secret. 'At this time, our priority is to complete the Annex. There is no discussion or construction occurring on the West side,' Lia Lopez, the chief administrative officer for the Joint Rules Committee, told KCRA 3.
Despite that, Cowan is skeptical if the legislature will actually not build on the west side of the building, which would save about $100,000 for taxpayers. The hefty price tag is said to also go toward a new visitor's center and parking garage on the west side, per the outlet. Meanwhile, Hoover is frustrated with his lack of knowledge on the project as a whole. 'What frustrates me is, as a lawmaker that is going to potentially be in this building some day, we have almost zero information about what's going on there and I think we deserve that information, and so do our taxpayers and constituents,' he said. DailyMail.com contacted Lopez for comment.
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NBC News
7 hours ago
- NBC News
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Bramnick, a longtime state legislator who is also a standup comedian, has called for a return to civility, and he has sharply criticized Trump in the past. Two other candidates are also on the Republican primary ballot: former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac, a a self-described 'forever Trumper' who has been endorsed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and contractor Justin Barbera. Will the millions of dollars matter? Tuesday's primaries in New Jersey will also test outside groups' influence as they've spent millions of dollars in the pricey New York and Philadelphia media markets to reach Garden State voters. The pro-Spiller super PAC Working New Jersey, which is tied to the state's teachers' union, had spent a whopping $35 million on the race as of May 27, according to the latest campaign finance reports, while Spiller's campaign itself had spent $342,000. The group has spent $12.1 million on ads this year, according to AdImpact. 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Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
USA travel warning issued for Brits as LA demonstrations and protests rage on
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STV News
8 hours ago
- STV News
Trump sends thousands more troops to LA as unrest continues
US President Donald Trump has deployed a further 2,000 National Guard troops as well as 700 US Marines to LA, escalating a military presence local officials describe as unhelpful and 'sowing terror.' An initial 2,000 troops began arriving on Sunday, which saw the most violence out of three days, with Governor Gavin Newsom claiming only 300 troops were actually used. 'The first 2,000? Given no food or water. Only approx. 300 are deployed – the rest are sitting, unused, in federal buildings without orders,' Newsom posted on X. Despite Monday's protests being less violent, Trump has continued to describe Los Angeles in dire terms that Mayor Karen Bass and Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth. They say he is putting public safety at risk by adding military personnel, even though police say they don't need the help. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said in a statement he was confident in the police department's ability to handle large-scale demonstrations and that the Marines' arrival without coordinating with the police department presented a 'significant logistical and operational challenge' for them. Newsom called the deployments reckless and 'disrespectful to our troops' in a post on X. Bass also criticised the deployment of National Guard troops and marines, calling it a 'deliberate attempt' by the Trump administration to 'create disorder and chaos in our city.' 'I feel like we are part of an experiment that we did not ask to be a part of,' Bass said. A line of California National Guard, stand in formation guarding a Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles. / Credit: AP The protests began Friday in downtown Los Angeles after federal immigration authorities arrested more than 40 people across the city. The smell of smoke hung in the air downtown Monday, one day after crowds blocked a major road and set self-driving cars on fire as police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. Additional protests against immigration raids continued into the evening on Monday in several other cities, including San Francisco and Santa Ana in California and Dallas and Austin in Texas. Local officials have pushed back against the president's orders, with California Attorney General Rob Bonta filing a lawsuit over the use of National Guard troops. He told reporters in his announcement Monday that Trump had 'trampled' the state's sovereignty. 'We don't take lightly to the president abusing his authority and unlawfully mobilising California National Guard troops,' Bonta said. He sought a court order declaring Trump's use of the Guard unlawful and asking for a restraining order to halt the deployment. Trump said Monday that the city would have been 'completely obliterated' if he had not deployed the Guard. Despite their presence, there has been limited engagement so far between the Guard and protesters while local law enforcement implements crowd control. A police officer fires a soft round near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles. / Credit: AP The deployment appeared to be the first time in decades that a state's National Guard was activated without a request from its governor, a significant escalation against those who have sought to hinder the administration's mass deportation efforts. The last time the National Guard was activated without a governor's permission was in 1965, when President Lyndon B Johnson sent troops to protect a civil rights march in Alabama, according to the Brennan Centre for Justice. In a directive Saturday, Trump invoked a legal provision allowing him to deploy federal service members when there is 'a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country