Last Chance to Stop Replacement of Historic Part of State Capitol with $1.4 Billion Monument to Misplaced Priorities

Dear Friends,

Unless a judge issues an injunction within the next week - or unless we're able to exert enough pressure on key state legislators to persuade them to "do the right thing" - the first irreversible steps in the demolition of the State Capitol East Annex and the construction of an entirely new, larger, and more luxurious building to house the offices of state legislators and their staff will begin on February 15.

The existing East Annex - the six story rectangular building connected to the original West Wing of the Capitol and the iconic Capitol dome - was carefully designed to blend architecturally with the West Wing. The Annex has been aptly described as “an inseparable part of the Historic Capitol.” The planned replacement building, with exterior walls consisting almost entirely of glass panels, has been dubbed, the “Crystal Palace.” The cost of demolishing the existing East Annex and constructing the Crystal Palace has been conservatively estimated to be $1.4 billion.

PSR/Sacramento opposes the Crystal Palace Project. We believe that at a time when homelessness is rampant in Sacramento and in many other parts of the state - and particulary at a time when many, if not most, legislative staff are working remotely from the comfort of their own homes and will probably continue to do so even after the Covid pandemic ends - it is unconscionable for lawmakers to spend $1.4 billion in public funds to build themselves more luxurious and spacious offices.

We also believe that lawmakers should ensure that all Californians have access to necessary medical care; that our state's level of per student spending on public education should be raised from 41st in the nation; and that a host of other basic needs of the people of California should be met before lawmakers build themselves a $1.4 billion Crystal Palace.

We also oppose the Crystal Palace Project for local environmental reasons. It's estimated that the project will destroy or damage more than 160 of the trees in Capitol Park, some of which are over 100 years old and represent unique species. The demolition of the existing East Annex will also create a huge amount of debris, including hazardous waste from the asbestos insulation that is sealed within the walls of the Annex and that currently poses no risk to occupants of the building, but that will be exposed when the walls are torn down. And construction of a new, larger annex will consume an even greater amount of natural resources than the materials wasted by the demolition of the existing one.

We also oppose the Crystal Palace Project because of the secretive manner in which the project has been advanced. The transparency of the glass walls of the planned Crystal Palace stands in marked contrast to the lack of transparency concerning how the decision was made to demolish the exsting Annex and replace it with an entirely new one. The decision cerainly didn't involve the California electorate. A survey conducted in December of 2021 found that when informed of the project, 75% of likely voters opposed it, including supermajorities of both Democrats and Republicans. Furthermore, at least four lawsuits have been filed alleging that the Department of General Services and the legislature's Joint Rules Committee, which is chaired by local Assemblyman Ken Cooley, violated state law, including the California Environmental Quality Act, by proceeding with the plans to build an entirely new annex without adequately considering the option of renovating the existing one.

In addition to the other opaque and undemocratic aspects of the Crystal Palace Project, for no apparent reason, in addition to demolishing the historic East Annex at the rear of the original Capitol building, the project also includes destroying the historic West Steps and plaza immediately in front of the Capitol and replacing them with a "visitor's center." For more than a century, the West Steps and plaza have served as a venue for the citizens of California to peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom to petition the government for a redress of grievances. In recent years, PSR members have participated in rallies on the West Steps and plaza concerning our focus areas of opposing war and militarism, ensuring universal access to necessary medical care, preventing interpersonal violence, protecting our environment, and promoting social justice.

We have requested a meeting with Assemblyman Cooley, who has been one of the main proponents of the Crystal Palace Project, but he hasn't responded to our requests. Whether or not Assemblyman Cooley is your own California State Assembly member, please call him today and let him know that you oppose proceeding any further on the project without the express consent of the majority of California voters. An approve/disapprove measure could be added by the legislature to the June primary ballot. Assemblyman Cooley’s Capitol office number is (916) 319-2008, and his local office number is (916) 464-1910. (Some of our members who have already contacted Cooley's office have been sent a document entitled "Capitol State Annex Project FAQ's" that contains statements that we believe to be misleading at best, and in some cases entirely false. A discussion of the "FAQ's" document is appended below.)

Other key elected officials who have the power to put the Crystal Palace Project on hold pending an approve/disapprove vote of the California electorate include Governor Gavin Newsom, State Assmbly Speaker Anthony Rendon, and State Senate President Pro Temp Toni Atkins. The Save Our Capitol website has a convenient automated phone system for calling these officials. Please contact them today to express your opposition to the Crystal Palace Project. (You can access the automated phone system by clicking on this link, then clicking on the telephone icon in the right upper corner of the page, and then scrolling down and clicking on the "Call Officials" box.)

If the Crystal Palace project is allowed to proceed to completion, it will stand as a lasting monument to misplaced priorities in the State of California. Thanks for your support and activism in opposing this fiscally irresponsible, environmentally harmful, and socially and morally unconscionable project.

Yours truly,

Bill Durston, MD
Vice-President, PSR/Sacramento

Responses to the "California State Capitol Annex Project FAQ's" Document

Distributed by Assemblyman Ken Cooley's Office

1. The claim that there are extensive safety and security hazards in the existing Annex that can only be remedied by competely demolishing the Annex and constructing a new one.

Engineers with extensive experience in renovating the existing Capitol buildings refute this claim. They state that the existing Annex can be completely renovated to meet any safety hazards at less than half the cost of demolishing it and creating a new one. Furthermore, security experts state that the plan to create a new Annex with a glass exterior creates serious security risks for the occupants of the building.

2. The claim that the Annex demolition and construction project will create new jobs.

There is currently a shortage of construction workers in California. The Crystal Palace Project will exacerbate this shortage. Even if there were a need to create new jobs in the construction industry, building houses for the homeless would be a much greater priority than buidling a luxurious new office building for legislators and their staff.

3. The claim that the Annex demolition project and the associated underground garage will "preserve as many trees as possible" in Capitol Park. (The document lists seven trees by name that will be preserved.)

Renovation of the existing Annex would save all the trees in Capitol Park. There is already more than enough parking for legislators and their staff in and around the Capitol, and there's a light rail station a block from the Capitol.

4. The claim that the Annex demolition and reconstruction project is already fully funded.

The State Legislature never formally approved spending $1.4 billion to completely demolish the existing Annex and construct an entirely new one. Projects of this size almost always end up going well over budget. The Crystal Palace Project will be paid for with taxpayer money taken out of California's general fund. As discussed above, there are many other far greater priorities for this money than building luxurious new offices for state legislators and their staff.