Federal buildings in California potentially on chopping block as Trump looks to cut costs

The future of several prominent federal buildings in California that provide resources for broad swaths of the state’s residents is in jeopardy, as the Trump administration seeks to reduce the national government’s footprint across the country in a cost-cutting effort.

Among hundreds of federal properties listed earlier this month as potentially on the chopping block for closure or sale, at least 16 were in California, notably the sprawling federal building in downtown Los Angeles. But nothing is certain given the chaotic pattern of the Trump administration announcing policy and then reversing course.

Larger than 1 million square feet, it’s among the biggest federal buildings in the nation initially included in a list of “properties designated for disposal” that was published Tuesday by the U.S. General Services Administration. Major tenants include U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“We are identifying buildings and facilities that are not core to government operations, or non-core properties for disposal,” according to a notice by the agency last week. “Selling ensures that taxpayer dollars are no longer spent on vacant or underutilized federal spaces. Disposing of these assets helps eliminate costly maintenance and allows us to reinvest in high-quality work environments that support agency missions.”

Hours after the list of properties was posted online, it was winnowed by more than 100 but still included 16 California properties. Then the list was removed from the GSA’s website, with a note that the “non-core property list” would be “Coming soon.”

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A GSA spokesperson said that the initial list was published to meet President Trump’s goals about federal workplaces and the need to derive “maximum value” for taxpayers from federal properties across the nation.

“To be clear, just because an asset is on the list doesn’t mean it’s immediately for sale. However, we will consider compelling offers,” the spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the list will be republished shortly once the agency evaluates the input it has received. “Since publishing the initial list on March 4, 2025, we have received an overwhelming amount of interest.”

As with many policies and pronouncements by the Trump administration, such as the recently enacted and then halted tariffs on some imports from Mexico and Canada, it’s unclear what will ultimately happen.

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Some conjecture in the nation’s capital is that the White House wants to sell some of the properties and then lease back the space.

“People are confused about GSA’s activities, and Congress has little visibility into what exactly GSA is doing. And I don’t know if GSA knows what it is doing,” Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) said during a congressional subcommittee hearing about this proposal last week. “My own staff is largely getting news of GSA’s activities from the press, from a Reddit thread titled ‘GSA RIF Megathread’ — you’ll never hear me say that again — and occasionally from ex-GSA employees.”

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said the potential closures would deeply affect the state’s residents.

“From courthouses to congressional offices, there are 16 federal buildings in our state alone that Californians depend on for critical constituent services like updating your passport, accessing veteran assistance, Social Security benefits and so much more,” he said. “The haphazard closure of federal buildings that constituents depend on is far from efficient and yet another example of the administration’s incompetence in cutting now and thinking about the consequences later.”

Immigration, citizenship, tax and housing services are among the resources provided at the federal complex in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, at 300 N. Los Angeles St.

“Downtown should be a place where people come to work, live and play,” said Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado, who represents the area. “If the federal building does indeed close, it will be a hit to the heart of our city, but one that would be unsurprising given this federal administration’s tendency to slash key services to score cheap political points.”

The Trump administration has sought to save taxpayer dollars by closing or selling federal buildings even as it required federal workers to resume working in the office.

The proposed closure of landmarks in Washington, D.C., such as the FBI headquarters, the former site of Trump’s hotel at the historic Old Post Office building and multiple agency headquarters, drew the most attention and headlines.

But most of the 440 buildings that the administration initially targeted are outside of Washington, D.C., which makes sense given that 4 out of 5 of the nation’s 2.4 million federal workers don’t work in the nation’s capital, according to the Associated Press.

Many facilities listed for closure were named after prominent elected officials, such as President John F. Kennedy Jr. in Boston; former Vice President Dick Cheney in Casper, Wyo.; former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco; and Rep. Leo Ryan, a Californian who was killed while investigating Jim Jones’ cult in Guyana in 1978, in San Bruno.

Others were named after civil rights icons, including Martin Luther King Jr. in Atlanta, Cesar E. Chavez in Denver and Rosa Parks in Detroit.

Additional California properties listed for potential closure are in Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, Long Beach, Santa Ana, Van Nuys, Huntington Park and Pasadena.