History of the Vault
On December 22, 1849, the California Legislature, at its meeting in San Jose, then the State Capitol, elected the first State Treasurer, Richard Roman. During that year, the Legislature appropriated $1,130 to purchase its first safe for the State Treasury. Based on the 1850 Treasurer's report, the balance in the State Treasury was $9,900. Between 1850 and 1854, the seat of the California Capitol moved to San Jose, Benicia and finally settled in Sacramento.
Between the years of 1850 and 1876, growth required a need for more safekeeping space. Records show that a second safe was purchased in 1855 at a cost of $2,300; a third safe in 1865 for $3,000; and in 1876, a fourth safe costing $4,500 was purchased. The safe purchased in 1876, a beautiful specimen for its day, is now on exhibit in the State Capitol.
In January, 1953, the addition of 1,200 square feet of vault space was completed in the State Capitol at a cost of $182,000. State Treasurer Charles Johnson, who had served since 1923, reported that the new vault included a total cash and security of approximately $2.4 billion.
Due to the need to provide the Capitol with earthquake reinforcement and the need for more space, the State Treasurer's Office moved from the Capitol to the present location, 915 Capitol Mall, in Sacramento across the street from the State Capitol. The construction of the vault which cost approximately $750,000 occurred during the 1975-76 fiscal year. The actual move occurred on June 13, 1976. The vault contents valued at $18 billion were transported from the State Capitol to its present location. The move required numerous trips by armored cars and of course, extensive security including protection by State Police sharp shooters located on building roof tops.
Vault Construction
The present vault contains 5,100 square feet of space (51 ft X 100 ft) and is constructed of 280 tons of concrete and steel reinforcing bars. It has walls and a ceiling three feet thick and a floor two feet thick. The vault's main door weighs 23 tons and is constructed of a combination of various metals and concrete to prevent drilling or torching. A wedgelock bolt and splines provides over 60,000 pounds of locking force.
All activities in the vault and its surrounding area are recorded by a closed-circuit video system. The immediate vault area is protected by sound and motion detectors that are linked to the alarm system. The alarm system is networked to the California Highway Patrol. Needless to say, the State Treasurer's open door policy does not apply to the vault.