Construction of California state Capitol annex can begin

Updated Sept. 22, 8:49 a.m.

Construction of a new California state Capitol annex and an underground parking garage can legally begin after the state issued a final, court-ordered review of the project earlier this month.

A visitor’s center is also planned for beneath the west side of the Capitol, though construction is not imminent.

Plans for a new annex — a building attached to the historic domed Capitol which houses offices for state lawmakers and the governor — have been on hold since early 2021 due to a legal fight. 

A Sacramento appellate court ruled in December that the state needed to gather more public feedback on aspects of the project, including a proposed glass design for the new annex.

The court allowed for the former annex to be demolished, which happened earlier this summer.   State lawmakers and some administration officials moved to new office space in late 2021.

The final report means the project is certified and “annex construction is moving forward,” said a spokesperson for Assembly member James Ramos (D-Highland), who chairs the Legislature Joint Rules Committee. 

In its final environmental report, the Department of General Services wrote there will be “no changes to the proposed project” based on public feedback. 

The plans “[remain] the same and there are no project changes to evaluate.” 

The court-ordered report responds to public concerns about a new visitor’s center, focused on the project’s environmental impacts and did not address the project’s cost, which is expected to top $1.2 billion.

Concerns for Capitol Park trees

Members of a group that filed the lawsuit also worried about the impact such large-scale construction would have on the hundreds of trees in Capitol Park. Some trees — such as a redwood grown from a seedling that orbited the moon — will be protected in place during construction. 

The report acknowledges six trees have died during the construction project so far: five Japanese cherry trees and a fan palm. The state has said any tree that does not survive the construction would be replaced in-kind. 

“The five Japanese cherry trees that were lost are being replaced with Japanese cherry trees of the same species, although of a different horticultural variety,” the report reads. “During coordination with Capitol Park maintenance staff it was requested that this different horticultural variety be selected as it is better suited for the Sacramento climate.”

Other trees have been transplanted, including dozens of 141-year-old palm trees which appear to be struggling to survive.  

The report acknowledges the arborists contracting with the state to move the palms “are aware of the challenges” of transplantation “and are implementing best practices to maximize the survivorship of relocated trees.”

Report says design addresses security questions

Opponents criticized the new glass design as unsafe for elected officials and staff inside the building.

In response, the state said the new annex “has been designed in close coordination with the CHP staff responsible for security at the Capitol and the State Assembly and Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Departments. All security needs are adequately addressed in the proposed design and operation of the planned Annex.”

“Threats from explosives and drones are also part of the coordination with security personnel and security planning for the proposed project.”

Changes to Capitol gatherings, protests 

As part of the multi-year revamp, a new visitor’s center is planned for beneath the west side of the Capitol. Most visitors, tours and school groups will enter beneath a new ramped entrance on 10th Street. 

DGS issued approval for the annex to proceed, but not the visitor’s center at this time. 

Some Sacramento residents and business owners raised concerns that the visitor’s center will limit space on the west side, where large protests and other gatherings often take place. 

Planned construction could forever change the California Capitol’s west steps. What would that mean for protests and events?

DGS maintains in its final report that while “locations for people to congregate and paths of movement will be somewhat different from current conditions, very large events will continue to be supported.”

Permits for events on the Capitol’s west side are currently being issued through October. 

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that construction of the annex can begin, but construction on a new visitor’s center is not imminent.