From farmers markets to MMA fighters, state lawmakers quietly steer $1.3B to pet projects

by Yue Stella Yu, CalMatters September 15, 2026September 15, 2026

California lawmakers on the Senate floor during the final days of session in Sacramento on Aug. 31, 2026. (Fred Greaves for CalMatters)

TWENTY-NINE MILLION DOLLARS TO RENOVATE a gym at a Santa Barbara college in Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón’s district.

$13 million for a farmers market and food innovation hub in wealthy Marin County, where Gov. Gavin Newsom lives.

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