Editor’s note: Sacramento Snapshot is a weekly series during the legislative session detailing what Orange County’s representatives in the Assembly and Senate are working on — from committee work to bill passages and more.
Dirt, dust, scaffolding and construction equipment are the latest features at California’s state Capitol building, as the demolition phase of a highly-controversial construction project has kicked into gear.
Workers are replacing the East Annex portion of the Capitol, a building that holds the offices used by the governor, legislators and other state officials. But the 71-year-old building, according to the Department of General Services, has “reached a critical deterioration point.” And a replacement structure — meant to “convey to visitors California’s positive and hope-filled outlook,” according to the project’s website — is planned for the site.
Steve Davis, a Sacramento resident who worked in television for 30 years, is documenting the physical transformation.
It’s safe to say that Davis, 62, is most comfortable behind a camera lens. “I eat, sleep and be a cameraman,” as he puts it.
A few years ago, Davis was injured in an accident involving an 18-wheeler and had to relearn how to walk on his left leg.
“I lost my purpose and my identity,” said Davis. He said he also lost the ability to earn income because “I was in a lot of pain.”
But in 2021, as he and his wife were driving driving through downtown Sacramento, Davis noticed cranes and construction equipment outside the Capitol, removing and relocating trees as part of the project. It prompted him to pull out his camera and take a video.
“That was the beginning,” said Davis.
He soon set to work documenting the construction, demolition, tree removal and more, trekking from his home in North Sacramento to the Capitol three to four times a week. Now, he’s there almost every day and spends an estimated $200 a month in gas for this project…
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