Secret, exceeds the cost of plague CA Capitol Annex Project

By Richard Cowan, special for Calmatters

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For more than half a decade, the defenders of the State Capitol have sounded the alarm for the Capitol Capitol Capitol project of $ 1.1 billion. This endeavor is an example of a textbook on how not to implement a project for public works.

All Californians will be affected by her angry secret, non -disclosure agreements, Mass exceeding costs and decimating our Park CapitoliaS Experts and appointed employees, charged with the protection of the historical building of Capitol, have strongly argued for profitable, transparent alternatives that preserve the historical integrity of Capitol and public access. But every concern was ignored.

For example, the new application of Capitol will be wider, longer and higher than the historic building it replaces, despite the commitments to follow Secretary of the Internal Directions for Historical PropertyS The glass exterior of the application will encounter the original white capitol of plaster, visually exceeding the landmark of the 1860s.

How did we get here?

In 2018, when the Capitol Applications project was It is expected to cost $ 500-750 millionI resigned as a chairman of the Historical State Committee on Capitol. I objected to withholding documents, as details were hidden and stakeholders – especially the public – Turn off.

Now, hard to hit presentationAlong with increasing bilateral concerns about the Open Government, show that public conversation is finally catching up. Even The news is stone walls When you request information about contracts, costs and plans for the access of the project.

Californians deserve to know how their money is spent. Assembly Joe Patersonis an impetus for ASSESBLATE BAG 1370which would prohibits legislators from signing agreements of non -disclosure While running a public business, it is a step in the right direction. We hope that this leads to the lifting of all NDA related to this project, which allows citizens to ask questions.

But there are concerns about the most emblematic public space of Capitol: the Western steps. For generations, this playground has been the literal and symbolic scene for civic commitment, where countless Californians from all spheres of life gathered.

Despite the verbal allegations that plans for a partial above -ground center for visitors have been dropped, current designs still require digging in the Western steps, grass and plaza. Officials refused to give written guarantees that these spaces would be protected.

In fact, the legislature in June Quietly accepted a budget trailer bill To avoid the provision of a written guarantee to preserve the west site. It was the second time in three years they changed state legislation To improve the project with a last -minute trailers bill. It shows a disturbing model of rear door tactics to deviate from public accountability.

Recent Return to California Law on Environmental Quality is another nail in the casket of public review. By quickly tracking politically preferred projects and eliminating environmental supervision and historical preservation, the CEQA reform further erodes transparency and refuses the Californians voice into decisions converting public spaces.

The Application Project has unfolded under a veil of secrecy unprecedented in the history of the state. California needs a full, independent audit that digs deeper than superficial accounting-to investigate contracts, scope, budget decisions and financial deals behind this billion dollars.

Governor Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders must direct the State Auditor to launch this review and adopt legislation that constantly protects the steps in the West and Plaza as a place for a public assembly.

Perhaps now, with more eyes to this and more legislators who speak, there is a chance to change the course of the application project. It is not too late to restore confidence, but it will take more than statements and symbolic gestures.

This article was Originally Published on CalMatters and was reissued under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives License.