Senate subcommittee presses administration on Prop 4 spending plan and $125 million Golden Gate Fields grant

The Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Resources, Environmental Protection, and Energy received an overview of the administration’s Proposition 4 expenditure plan and probed a proposal to contribute $125,000,000 toward the acquisition of Golden Gate Fields to expand regional parkland.

Rachel Ehlers of the Legislative Analyst’s Office told members the fiscal-year 2026–27 plan before them totaled about $2.25 billion and noted that “one of the key decisions before you is the timing for when to allocate those funds,” including tradeoffs between front‑loading spending and retaining capacity for future needs. Ehlers also described the bond’s structure, which divides authorized spending into chapters and restricts how some pots can be used.

Members pressed administration witnesses on whether the state would hold title or liability for the Golden Gate Fields property if the acquisition proceeds. Bridal Cash of the Natural Resources Agency said the state will not take title. “By providing a grant so that it can be acquired by others, ultimately it would be... East Bay Regional Park District, and they would be operating and maintaining it,” Bridal Cash said.

Erica Williams, senior project manager for Trust for Public Land, described the planned transaction: Trust for Public Land would exercise an option to purchase and, on closing, “almost simultaneously convey the property” to East Bay Regional Park District under a disposition agreement. Williams said the purchaser will arrange pollution legal liability (PLL) insurance for the Park District’s benefit and that an environmental site assessment has not flagged significant issues so far.

Committee members probed whether the state had considered loaning the funds instead of making a grant and whether philanthropic partners could reduce the state’s spend. The administration said Prop 4 is not set up to authorize loans and noted the May revision includes provisional budget‑bill language allowing the state’s contribution to be reduced if philanthropic funds are raised.

Supporters from the park community and former legislators urged the subcommittee to keep the acquisition in the budget. Former Assemblymember Tom Bates said the opportunity to add the site “is a once‑in‑a‑lifetime opportunity” to extend parkland along the East Shore State Park. East Bay Regional Park District representatives said they are prepared to own and manage the property.

The subcommittee did not take formal action; members concluded their questions and moved on to the hearing’s second issue. The Trust for Public Land and East Bay Regional Park District remain the administration’s proposed partners for the acquisition, and the administration said escrow, insurance and indemnity provisions will be addressed in the grant and purchase agreements.