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590 Publications Found
March 25, 2026 - This post assesses the Governor’s budget proposal to retain the California Education Learning Lab.
March 25, 2026 - This post assesses the Governor’s proposal to provide a General Fund appropriation for the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, a regulatory agency within the Department of Consumer Affairs.
March 19, 2026 - In this post, we assess the Governor's budget augmentation proposals for the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation's administrative and policy activities and statutorily required activities.
March 18, 2026 - This post assesses the Governor’s proposal to extend the California Competes Tax Credit program.
March 17, 2026 - This post assesses the Governor’s proposals to fund the second batch of community college capital outlay projects under Proposition 2, an education facilities bond.
March 10, 2026 - The 2025-26 budget appropriated up to $20 million to the Department of Finance (DOF) to contract with a consulting firm to assist and advise DOF in creating efficiencies through process improvements in state government. The budget assumed that the process changes resulting from the contract would reduce state costs by $500 million in 2025-26, growing to $2 billion in annual savings by 2028-29. This post provides background on the state’s recent efforts to identify efficiencies to achieve budget savings and our office’s comments and recommendations concerning the progress of the administration’s efforts to reduce state costs through this contract.
March 6, 2026 - This post analyzes the Governor’s budget proposal to increase the size of grants and extend the Computer Science Supplementary Authorization Incentive program.
March 6, 2026 - In this post, we assess the Governor's California Highway Patrol budget proposals for (1) equipment and operating costs and (2) capital outlay projects.
March 3, 2026 - For 2026-27, the Governor’s budget proposes $3.6 billion from the General Fund for the state’s share of SSI/SSP—an increase of $94 million (2.7 percent) from the Governor’s revised 2025-26 budget estimate. This increase would bring total program funding to $11.5 billion ($3.6 billion from the General Fund and $7.9 billion federal funds) in 2026-27. We note that while the year-over-year change in General Fund costs for the program is relatively flat, it is increasing slightly despite the fact that caseload is expected to decline and the average state cost for grants is remaining flat. We have been informed by the administration that this is due to a technical adjustment to the current year and we discuss this at a high level in this post.
March 3, 2026 - California’s children and family programs include an array of services to protect children from abuse and neglect and to keep families safely together when possible. This analysis outlines the Governor’s proposed 2026-27 budget for child welfare and foster care programs under the Department of Social Services (DSS), and raises questions and issues for the Legislature to consider.
March 2, 2026 - In this post, we assess the Governor’s proposal for new positions and associated funding at the State Water Resources Control Board to manage increased workload stemming from a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.
February 23, 2026 - In this post, we discuss three Governor’s budget proposals for the Department of Tax and Fee Administration’s (CDTFA’s) cannabis and tobacco programs.
February 23, 2026 - The 2026-27 Budget: Estimated State Savings From Proposition 47
February 20, 2026 - Recent stock market performance continues to boost income tax collections. In our Fiscal Outlook, we strongly advised the Legislature to treat near-term strength in tax collections as temporary because we expect these gains to reverse. Further, the state faces significant structural deficits in the future. Accordingly, any windfall received from this revenue uptick represents an opportunity for the Legislature to prepare for future fiscal challenges.
February 19, 2026 - In this post, we discuss “Disclosure Requirements and Deferral of Property Taxation,” a newly identified mandate since enactment of the 2025-26 Budget Act.