California has begun installing Italian‑finished granite on a new Capitol Annex complex that is now estimated to cost $1.2 billion, according to local reporting cited by the source. KCRA reported the granite was quarried in Raymond, California, shipped to Italy for fabrication, and then sent back to Sacramento for installation.
Stone mined in California, finished in Italy
KCRA reported that approximately two million pounds of California granite were mined in the Central Valley, sent overseas to Italian fabricators, and returned to the Capitol construction site for installation. The Post Millennial reported taxpayers are paying about $5.2 million tied to the stone’s overseas fabrication and transport. KCRA also cited unnamed sources who said sending the granite abroad for finishing may have been cheaper than doing the work in California due to differences in labor and environmental regulations.
Costs climb and timeline lengthens
The source states the project’s total cost estimate began at $543 million in 2018, surpassed $1 billion by 2022, and now sits at $1.2 billion, with $668 million reportedly spent to date. Completion is projected for October 2027, according to the source.
Transparency questions around a major state build
According to the source’s summary of local reporting, lawmakers overseeing the project have not released certain financial records and plan to do so after construction concludes. The source also asserts there have been no public hearings since 2021 and that thousands of people involved in the construction signed nondisclosure agreements; these claims require independent verification.
KCRA interviewed Greg Burt of the California Family Council, whose office overlooks the construction site. “Where is all that money going? There’s no regard for taxpayer money? That’s disturbing,” Burt told KCRA. “Taxpayers, they work every day, and they expect politicians to spend their money wisely.”
The source further reports $64 million of the project is designated for “secure hallways” intended to allow lawmakers and staff to move through parts of the building without direct contact with the public; this figure was not independently verified here.
Budget backdrop and official scrutiny
The source describes a wider fiscal context, citing an $18.5 billion operating deficit and a decline in state reserves from $40.7 billion to about $19.6 billion in a single fiscal year. It attributes to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office the assessment that “the underlying budget condition is not sound.”
According to the source’s account of an exchange covered by KCRA, Gov. Gavin Newsom was pressed about the Capitol Annex’s costs and, when asked about transparency, said: “As a taxpayer, I’d like to know as well.” That remark, and the extent of the governor’s office’s involvement, should be independently confirmed against original KCRA materials.
What remains unclear
Key financial records, the total cost of the granite’s overseas work, the rationale for vendor selection, and the scope of any nondisclosure requirements remain points of contention in local reporting. This article reflects claims attributed to KCRA and The Post Millennial and flags areas that need further on‑the‑record documentation.
