Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on State Administration left the Secretary of State’s budget items open Tuesday after questioning a $5.962 million building security request for the office’s Sacramento headquarters.
According to the hearing summary, interim Chief Financial Officer Kristen Dagshir presented the proposal on behalf of Secretary of State Shirley Weber’s office, saying the project would fund a security phase for the building. The summary says the office said the project was reviewed with the Department of General Services, the California Highway Patrol and the State Fire Marshal.
Members pressed the office on why the estimate had climbed, asking about security vulnerabilities and whether the increase reflected inflation, higher construction costs or changes to the project scope. The hearing summary says the same item also included a $1.93 million federal election security grant with a required $386,000 state match, and lawmakers asked whether those federal dollars could be used for voter education or proofreading election materials.
The record available here does not include the office’s full justification for the revised estimate or any final committee recommendation. The subcommittee took no vote and left the proposal open.
The hearing summary also notes that the Secretary of State’s office presented a separate California State payroll system item, but the security project drew the central scrutiny in this part of the hearing.
