There’s a deeply troubling ongoing pattern in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s approach to land and water policies in California involving closed doors, backroom deals and disingenuous — or more often than not — inadequate community engagement to move projects forward.

Circumventing guardrails and sidestepping public opinion have become the norm with the Delta Conveyance Project and voluntary water agreements, all while the Newsom administration continued its attempts to fast-track California Forever — another potential boondoggle.

Billionaires, lobbyists and administrative insiders should not be shaping California’s future; Californians should. This pattern of bad governance is preventing the people of California from receiving the transparency and due process they deserve, along with the chance to weigh in on decisions that directly impact their communities.

Who exactly is bearing the cost for these projects? The rest of us.