| Additional Detail Available? |
Program |
Budget Issue | LAO Finding Or
Recommendation |
Last Updated |
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See Detail
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Colorado River Board
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Proposed elimination of the Colorado River Board (CRB)
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Approve Governor’s May Revision proposal to eliminate the CRB.
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5-20-11
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See Detail
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State Water Project
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State Water Project staffing for regulatory compliance, safety, and maintenance
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Updated recommendation: Approve three positions for "AB 32 compliance" as these positions have been justified on a workload basis. In summary, we recommend rejection of 33 positions requested for future years. We recommend approving 90 positions for State Water Project maintenance, regulatory compliance, and safety improvements (including the three AB 32-related positions).
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5-20-11
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See Detail
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Salton Sea Restoration Council
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Proposed elimination of the Salton Sea Restoration Council
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The Governor’s May Revision proposal to eliminate the council affords the Legislature the opportunity to consider whether Salton Sea restoration remains a fiscal and policy priority. If considered not to be a priority, then the Governor's proposal should be approved. If considered to be a priority, there are alternative governance structures to the Salton Sea Restoration Council that could be explored. Whatever form restoration efforts move forward in, a viable funding plan should be required.
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5-20-11
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See Detail
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Department of Conservation
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Staffing in Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR)
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Deny Governor's proposal for an increase of 30 permanent positions and six limited-term positions, and a baseline appropriation of $4,686,000 from the Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Administrative Fund, for DOGGR's offshore and onshore regulatory programs.
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5-20-11
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See Detail
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Department of Parks and Recreation
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Funding for public safety technology modernization project
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Approve requested reversion of $4.5 million of unexpended General Fund monies, but deny both the requested appropriation of $4.5 million from State Parks and Recreation Fund and reappropriation of $1.6 million from Off-Highway Vehicle Trust Fund for this technology project. It is premature to approve the budget-year funding until a new Special Project Report has been submitted to the California Technology Agency reflecting a rescoping of the project that is currently under development.
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5-20-11
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See Detail
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Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission
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Funding shift for AB 32-related activities
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Updated Recommendation: Approve the Governor's April Finance letter proposal to shift funding of $483,000 for AB 32-related activities from the Energy Resources Programs Account to the AB 32 fee.
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5-20-11
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See Detail
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Public Utilities Commission
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Request for 10 positions to implement 33 percent Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS)
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Recommend that one position requested for Governor's distributed generation initiative be denied and that four positions requested for transmission planning and permitting be approved only on a limited-term basis. Recommend that the five remaining positions in the request (two of which are for a limited term) be approved as requested.
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5-20-11
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See Detail
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Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission
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Implementation of 33 percent Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS)
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Approve Governor's May Revision proposal requesting $646,000 for five permanent positions and contract funds to implement the state's 33 percent RPS.
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5-20-11
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See Detail
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AB 32 Implementation
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Recommendations from our review of AB 32 zero-based budget submitted by Administration on May 4
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Reduce cap-and-trade-related expenditures budgeted for 2011-12 by $8 million (Air Pollution Control Fund) and direct remaining $961,000 budgeted for cap-and-trade to be used only to complete an alternatives analysis required by the courts. Direct Air Resources Board to cease all work on the cap-and-trade program until it has completed the required alternatives analysis and presented the results to the Legislature.
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5-20-11
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See Detail
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State Water Project
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Lake Perris Dam Rehabilitation
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Deny request for $757,000 in Proposition 84 funds for seismic repairs at Perris Dam because action on this issue is premature until a more comprehensive analysis of the costs and benefits of various repair alternatives has been conducted and provided to the Legislature for its policy consideration.
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4-28-11
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See Detail
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AB 32 Implementation
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Statutory requirement for submittal of AB 32 zero-based budget by April 1, 2011
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Reverse prior approval of AB 32 expenditures in 2011-12 budget due to failure of administration to submit a statutorily required zero-based budget justifying AB 32 workload across state government.
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4-28-11
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See Detail
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Public Utilities Commission
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April Finance Letter: Advanced energy storage
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Approve Governor's April Finance Letter to increase the Public Utilities Commission Utilities Reimbursement Account by $452,000 and redirect four positions from the workforce cap reduction to evaluate the cost-effective use of advanced energy storage.
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4-27-11
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See Detail
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Public Utilities Commission
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April Finance Letter: Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant Seismic Study Review
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Approve Governor's April Finance Letter to increase the California Public Utilities Commision's (CPUC's) reimbursement authority by $393,000 to fund an interdepartmental review panel that will review seismic studies of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant.
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4-27-11
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See Detail
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Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
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Budget solution: reduce amount of zero-based budget for fire protection permanent funding by $9.7m
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The Governor’s January budget proposal to make permanent $42.8m of expenditures temporarily shifted from the emergency fund to CalFire's base budget has merit. However, to serve as an option for General Fund budget solution, we have identified a reduction to the request totaling $9.7m of lower priority activities. This includes eliminating: Large Air Tanker, Victorville Base, 1.0 PY Aviation coordinator, Lake Tahoe engine/staffing, Defensible space program, and 1.0 PY of CAL Card support.
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4-27-11
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See Detail
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State Water Project
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Davis-Dolwig cost allocation study
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Amend requested budget bill language to have the study instead focus on legal issues that need to be resolved before the Legislature can proceed with making needed policy reforms to the Davis-Dolwig Act
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4-27-11
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See Detail
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Salton Sea Restoration (Departments of Fish and Game, Water Resources)
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Salton Sea Restoration Funding (Reappropriations and Reimbursement Expenditure Authority)
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Deny April Finance Letter request for reappropriation of $13 million from the Salton Sea Restoration Fund (SSRF)--which includes Proposition 84 bond funds--to Department of Fish and Game (DFG). Deny April Finance Letter request for $4.2 million in reimbursement authority for Department of Water Resources (DWR). Expenditures are not appropriate at this time because of a lack of a formally approved restoration plan and legal uncertainty surrounding the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA).
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4-27-11
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See Detail
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State Water Project
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State Water Project staffing for implementation of biological opinions
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As an update to our January 2011 recommendation: Reject six of 18 positions proposed in the Governor's January budget for improving State Water Project (SWP) compliance with wildlife-related regulations, for a savings of $795,000 (SWP funds). We find that some additional staff are needed to meet missed regulatory deadlines and for new workload associated with the regulations relating to SWP operations in the Delta and Suisun Marsh.
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4-27-11
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See Detail
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Public Utilities Commission
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Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant Seismic Study Review (See April Finance Letter for Update)
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Reject Governor's January budget proposal to appropriate $500,000 to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to contract for consultant services to review PG&E's seismic study of the vicinity surrounding Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. Instead recommend administration return with revised lower-cost proposal using services of Department of Conservation's California Geological Survey for the review.
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4-27-11
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See Detail
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Public Utilities Commission
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Advanced energy storage (See April Finance Letter for update on issue)
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Deny, without prejudice, Governor's January budget proposal for two positions and $229,000 to develop policies and incentives regarding advanced energy storage (AES), until such time as the administration provides a workload analysis that provides sufficient justification for the proposal and adequately accounts for legislative policy direction provided in 2010 legislation.
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4-27-11
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See Detail
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Wildlife Conservation Board
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Reappropriations of Propositions 40 and 84 bond funds
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As an updated recommendation regarding the Governor's January budget proposal: (1) Deny reappropriations of $11 million Proposition 84 and $3 million from Proposition 40 for restoration of the San Joaquin River Parkway because WCB has informally withdrawn their request for these reappropriations; (2) Approve reappropriation of $25 million from Proposition 84 for Natural Communities Conservation Planning because WCB has provided a detailed and specific action plan for expenditure of the funds.
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4-20-11
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See Detail
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Resources Bonds
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Overview of resources bonds
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Presented handout on status of resources bond fund conditions, Governor's proposed resources bond expenditures, impact of delayed spring bond sale, and other issues.
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2-11-11
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See Detail
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Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery
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Overview of the Beverage Container Recycling Fund
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Presented handout providing an overview of the Beverage Container Recycling Fund and the beverage container recycling program administered by the department.
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2-08-11
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See Detail
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Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire)
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Realignment of fire and emergency response activities
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The Governor’s proposal to realign a portion of CalFire's fire protection program to local government has merit and warrants serious consideration by Legislature.The context of the Governor's proposal, discussed further below, has been the rapid development in State Responsibility Areas that has raised state costs to fight wildland fires and has resulted in the department being increasingly involved in activities that are outside its core mission and more appropriately a local responsibility.
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1-26-11
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See Detail
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Delta Stewardship Council
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Reimbursement funding
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Reject $5.8 million in reimbursement authority requested in the Governor's January budget that is stated to come from unknown sources and be for "unallocated" purposes. (The amount of such unallocated reimbursement authority was updated on January 21, based on a technical correction and clarification from the Department of Finance.)
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1-21-11
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See Detail
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California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority
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Reimbursement authority to implement the AB 118-funded ethanol producer incentive program
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Deny, without prejudice, the Governor's January budget proposal to provide reimbursement expenditure authority of $9 million to the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority to implement the California Energy Commission’s (CEC's) AB 118-funded Ethanol Producer Incentive Program, until such time as the CEC has submitted for legislative review a draft of its 2011-12 Investment Plan for the AB 118 Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program.
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1-21-11
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See Detail
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California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority
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Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program loan loss reserve
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Reverse, without prejudice, the Governor’s January budget inclusion of a $15 million transfer from the Renewable Resource Trust Fund to the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority for the PACE Reserve program, pending resolution of a legally contested matter that has essentially put PACE programs in the state operationally on hold.
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1-21-11
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See Detail
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Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
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Staffing levels on CalFire fire engines
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Approve Governor's January budget proposal to create $30.7 million in 2011-12 General Fund savings in CalFire from eliminating funding in CalFire for the fourth firefighter on CalFire fire engines. This returns the department to the pre-2003 level of per-engine staffing.
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1-20-11
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See Detail
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Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery
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Department's October 19, 2010 reorganization plan
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Hold hearings on department's recent reorganization plan to shed light on which reorganization options would serve to implement department's programs as effectively as possible and create intended efficiencies and savings. Adopt supplemental report language requiring reporting on timing and amount of savings from implementing the reorganization.
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1-20-11
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See Detail
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California Coastal Commission
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California Coastal Commission's enforcement authority
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Provide the California Coastal Commission with the authority to levy administrative civil penalties, which will help stabilize funding for and to reduce costs associated with enforcement actions.
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1-19-11
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See Detail
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Delta Habitat Conservation and Conveyance Program (DHCCP)
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Position authority for DHCCP
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Reject request in the Governor's January budget proposal to make permanent the existing 15 limited-term positions for the planning and implementation stages of DHCCP. Instead, approve extending these positions by one year (through FY 2011-12) to allow the conclusion of the planning stage of DHCCP.
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1-19-11
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See Detail
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Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
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Budget option: enact a state fire protection service benefit assessment
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As a budget option potentially creating $300 million in GF savings, the Legislature should consider enacting a fee on residential property owners who live in "State Responsibility Areas" and therefore benefit directly from the state's fire protection services that operate to protect structures on these mostly private lands. As outlined in a prior-year budget analysis, this would result in an appropriate sharing of costs between the public-at-large and private property owners for this activity.
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1-19-11
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See Detail
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California Coastal Commission
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Budget option to create General Fund savings by fully funding regulatory activities from fees
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Increase California Coastal Commission permitting fees to fully fund coastal development regulatory activities, creating about $5 million in General Fund savings.
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1-13-11
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See Detail
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Department of Conservation
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Williamson Act subvention funding
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Approve Governor's January budget proposal to eliminate the one-time, current-year appropriation of $10 million from the General Fund for Williamson Act subvention payments to local governments that was made in 2010 policy legislation.
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1-13-11
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See Detail
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Department of Parks and Recreation
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General Fund support for state park operations
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Approve Governor’s January budget proposal to create $11 million in ongoing General Fund savings beginning in 2011-12, resulting in a General Fund support budget of $119 million--a level consistent with the 2009 budget plan approved by the Legislature and previous LAO recommendations. The Governor also proposes an additional $11 million of ongoing savings beginning in 2012-13. We withhold recommendation on this component of the proposal, pending submittal of a plan for achieving these savings.
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1-13-11
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See Detail
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State Water Resources Control Board
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Fee-based funding for water quality and water rights regulation
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Approve Governor's January budget proposal to shift funding for $13.6 million of the board's core regulatory program expenditures from the General Fund to the Waste Discharge Permit Fund (WDPF) and Water Rights Fund (WRF), on the basis that regulatory activities are appropriately funded from regulatory fees.
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1-13-11
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