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San Francisco ChronicleSacramento -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration has quietly begun building a new execution chamber at San Quentin State Prison, prompting angry lawmakers who just learned about the construction this week to accuse the governor of hiding the project from the Legislature and the public.
Prison officials began construction in January after concluding it would cost $399,000 -- just under the $400,000 price tag that would have required legislative approval, according to an administration document obtained Friday by the Chronicle. The new death chamber is being built as the state's use of capital punishment is under review by a federal court and lawmakers have yet to authorize a larger construction project to revamp the prison's entire Death Row.
"To sneak a project like this through is just outrageous,'' said Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, whose Marin County district includes San Quentin. "We will find out what kind of creative accounting they've done.''
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