California’s $12 billion budget deficit is not stopping state lawmakers from sending hundreds of millions for pet projects to their home districts this year, a decision that could shape the fate of at least two Democrats seeking higher elected office.
In all, Golden State lawmakers spent at least $415 million on local projects to help curry favor with constituents and win their next election. There were nearly 100 earmarks tucked into just one of the state’s budget bills for local projects and programs that had little to no benefit for anyone outside of the specific lawmaker’s district.
“Politicians across generations — and in every country — try to use some portion of the budget on these clear signals that they’re directing the flow of government dollars to real people and real organizations right at home in their district,” said Thad Kousser, a former legislative staffer and political science professor at the University of California, San Diego. “Voters reward that.”
The pork spending this year went to general funds for museums, trails, and other amenities, some of which are in well-to-do communities. It also raised concerns about legislative priorities in a year where Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has spoken repeatedly about tightening pursestrings due to funding cuts and the threat of funding cuts from the Trump administration.
The earmarks arrived as Newsom and state lawmakers left key state jobs vacant, backed away from their universal healthcare pledges, controversially plugged budget holes with costly high-interest borrowing, and tapped billions from California’s “rainy day” reserve, CalMatters reported.
Lawmakers redirected $250 million from Proposition 4, a $10 billion climate bond approved in 2024 to fund projects related to the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act. The funds were instead channeled toward district-specific projects, prompting concerns over misuse of voter-backed funds.
After losing his legislative leadership seat earlier this year, Democratic state Sen. Mike McGuire, who is running for Congress next year, hauled in among the most funds of any state legislator.
McGuire’s district, which stretches from the San Francisco Bay to the Oregon border and includes parts of Sonoma, Marin, Mendocino, Lake, Humboldt, Trinity, and Del Norte counties, was the recipient of more than two dozen earmarks totaling more than $100 million. That’s about a quarter of the earmark funds for the state. Money went to fund everything from harbors to habitat projects and a $250,000 farm-animal rescue.
McGuire, who will be running for Rep. Doug LaMalfa’s (R-CA) First Congressional District, secured $50 million for a redwood trail that cuts through his district.
McGuire told KRCB that his accomplishments in the state Senate have given him the credibility to become an effective member of Congress: “We’ve delivered $3 billion for the North Coast and the North Bay, rebuilding and modernizing schools, investing record funding for our kids, passing the largest affordability package in our state’s history, [and] making life more affordable for every Californian.”
Another Democratic lawmaker funneling millions to his district is state Sen. Scott Wiener, who recently announced his candidacy for Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) House seat. Wiener, who chairs the state’s powerful Senate Budget Committee, secured $9 million in general fund earmarks that will directly help San Franciscans, many of whom will decide his congressional fate.
The money will go toward parks, restroom improvements, and to “support the preservation and revitalization of a historic LGBTQ+ venue” in the city’s Castro area. The Castro is known as one of the most prominent symbols of LGBT activism in the world.
BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL: NEWSOM CONTINUES TO SPEND CALIFORNIA INTO A BUDGET HOLE
San Francisco will also get $1 million for a new clinic for the Chinese Hospital and $250,000 for improvements to the Wah Mei child development center, according to CalMatters.
Some other big-dollar projects across the state included $20 million to help the public access a Santa Barbara County beach gated off by rich celebrities, a cattle operation, and 8 miles of undeveloped Pacific Ocean shoreline, as well as $15 million for “geological heritage sites” including the La Brea Tar Pits, which has been used to study climate change.