California’s latest state budget sent millions of dollars to an unusual mix of recipients, including martial artists, mime performers and a farmers market, through a process that gives the public limited opportunity to see how projects are selected. The funding came through earmarks: money set aside in the budget for specific projects. State lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom can use them to direct taxpayer dollars, but the process has long operated with little public transparency or advance notice. The range of recipients illustrates how earmarks can reach community organizations and specialized projects outside the state’s better-known spending programs. But when the decisions are difficult to follow, residents have less ability to assess why a project received public money, what outcomes it is expected to deliver or how spending will be monitored. The budget allocations were made this past summer. The process remains a longstanding part of California’s budget-making, even as the limited public visibility around individual awards leaves basic questions about accountability and priorities.