⏰ 7 min read
Pork In The Pig Pen
California’s new budget hides hundreds of millions in earmarks, even as the state claimed it was cutting back. The absurdity of it is almost easier to understand visually than in text: picture Gavin Newsom standing in a mud pit, smiling for the cameras, surrounded by plump, well-fed pigs — each one tagged with the name of a favored local project. It would almost be funny if it weren’t real. But as the latest CalMatters investigation makes clear, this isn’t satire. It’s the governing model.
An Explosive CalMatters Investigation — And a Warning About Power
This isn’t an accounting footnote — this is the story. As first reported by CalMatters journalist Ryan Sabalow, the latest state budget hides hundreds of millions in targeted earmarks. Sabalow’s reporting pulls the curtain back on how Democratic supermajorities operate when no one is watching. When the same party controls the purse, the rules, and the vote count, the incentives are no longer aligned with taxpayers — they’re aligned with the political class. In Sacramento, pork-barrel spending isn’t an exception — it’s the operating model. And that should unsettle every Californian.
The Pork Is in the Budget Right Now
Sabalow identified nearly 100 district-specific earmarks quietly inserted into a single budget bill, which passed, totaling roughly $415 million in taxpayer dollars. (The secrecy of the whole budget process itself could be the subject of a slew of columns.) At the same time, Democratic leadership insisted it was making “difficult” cuts to close a $12 billion deficit. The public was informed that there was no alternative but to freeze hiring, pause healthcare benefits, withhold firefighter pay increases, tap the rainy-day fund, and borrow at high interest rates to cover essential programs. At the same time, Democratic leaders allocated funds for politically advantageous neighborhood projects, nonprofit subsidies, and photo-op ribbon cuttings. This wasn’t about managing scarcity. It was about shielding political projects while everyone else was told to tighten their belts. The message was unmistakable: the pain in this budget year was for ordinary Californians, not for the politicians who carved off pieces of pork for their well-connected special interest friends.
What Sacramento Hoped You Wouldn’t See
These earmarks weren’t debated openly or justified publicly but rushed through in a budget bill that suffered no meaningful discussion. Among the most notable examples is the $5 million allocated to support a historic LGBTQ+ event venue in San Francisco. An additional $2.5 million was allocated to a private day school in Southern California. And $250,000 went to a private farm-animal sanctuary on the North Coast.
Meanwhile, approximately $250 million appears to have been diverted from Proposition 4 — the $10 billion climate bond voters approved, believing it would support broad statewide environmental investment, rather than individualized political favor-trading.
At the same time, Senate President pro tem Mike McGuire’s district appears to have received more than two dozen separate earmarks totaling over $100 million. That didn’t happen by accident. It reflects the internal reward system of Democratic caucus power — senior Democrats protect and advance themselves and other Democrats, using taxpayer dollars as the currency. This is not neutral budgeting. This is a political reward.
For This Unsavery Spending, Secrecy Is The Norm
No one votes against a bill that makes special interests smile, donors happy, and allows they to put out a local district press release. The price of loyalty is paid in public dollars — and the public rarely sees the transaction…