January 6, 2026 | Report

Assessing a Shift to Enrollment-Based School Funding

Provides our assessment of such a shift, describes a few policy alternatives that maintain the attendance-based system, and identifies key issues for the Legislature to consider if switching to enrollment-based funding.

December 10, 2025 | Report

Assessment of CSU’s Graduation Initiative 2025

Focuses on the California State University’s (CSU’s) Graduation Initiative 2025 (GI 2025); provides background, discusses associated funding and activities, analyzes outcomes, assesses the benefits and drawbacks, and makes recommendations for the Legislature to consider in the next GI.

December 10, 2025 | Report

Assessment of the Strong Workforce Program

Focuses on the California Community Colleges' Strong Workforce Program; provides background, assesses its implementation and outcomes, and raises a few issues to consider relating to coordination of workforce development programs more broadly.

June 12, 2025 | Report

Retail Theft in California:
Looking Back at a Decade of Change

Provides background on trends in retail theft over the past decade, discusses some of the possible contributors to these trends, describes recent retail theft-related law changes, and outlines key questions that the Legislature may want to ask as it continues to provide oversight of this issue.

May 24, 2025 | Post

The 2025‑26 Budget

Multiyear Budget Outlook

Presents our office’s forecast of the condition of the state General Fund budget through 2028-29 under our revenue estimates and assuming the Governor’s May Revision policies were adopted.

May 7, 2025 | Report

Assessing California’s Climate Policies:
Cap‑and‑Trade Reauthorization

Helps inform legislative decision-making around reauthorization of the cap-and-trade program.

April 30, 2025 | Brief

Trends in Higher Education

Facilities

This is the final brief of a six-part series covering higher education trends in California. It focuses on higher education facilities and includes key issues for the Legislature to consider as it makes related policy and budget decisions.

April 10, 2025 | Report

Rethinking California's Reserve Policy

Assesses proposed changes by the Governor to the state’s reserve policy and put forward our own recommendations that would allow the state to save enough in reserves to be able to afford its core service level over the long-term.

April 10, 2025 | Report

Improving Legislative Oversight of Emergency Authorities

Describes how the Legislature has delegated some of its core powers to allow the Governor to exercise emergency authorities during a state of emergency.

April 3, 2025 | Brief

Medi‑Cal Pharmacy Spending

Provides an overview of pharmacy spending in Medi-Cal, including historical spending trends, assumptions under the 2025-26 Governor’s Budget, and key issues and recommendations for the Legislature.

March 25, 2025 | Brief

Overview of K‑12 Career Technical Education

This brief is intended to give policymakers a high-level overview of the state’s role in supporting K-12 career technical education programs. It also raises key issues for the Legislature to consider.