September 22, 2022 | Report
Assessing the Provision of Criminal Indigent Defense
Provides background on the provision of indigent defense in California, discusses existing indigent defense service levels, and makes recommendations to improve the state's oversight of indigent defense.
August 23, 2022 | Post
Overview of California's Ports
Describes how ports across the state operate and are funded, discusses related air quality and port congestion issues, and reviews recent state and federal actions regarding ports.
August 12, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Overview of the Spending Plan (Preliminary)
Provides an overview of the 2022-23 Budget Act, gives a brief description of how the budget process unfolded, and then highlights major features of the budget approved by the Legislature and signed by the Governor; all figures reflect actions taken through July 1, 2022.
August 8, 2022 | Report
Improving California’s Unemployment Insurance Program
Reports on the state’s unemployment insurance program and the changes needed to quickly and easily get UI payments to unemployed workers.
April 8, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Student Housing
Analyzes the Governor’s proposed first-round awards for the Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program.
March 30, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
State Appropriations Limit Implications
Estimates the condition of the budget over the multiyear taking state appropriations limit requirements into consideration.
March 10, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Analysis of the Care Economy Workforce Development Package
Analyzes the Governor’s proposed Care Economy Workforce Development Package; provides an assessment and recommendations for both the package as a whole and for two specific components of the package.
March 3, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Analysis of the Governor’s Major Behavioral Health Proposals
Analyzes the Governor’s proposals to (1) provide funding for behavioral health bridge housing, (2) provide funding to implement certain solutions developed by the felony incompetent to stand trial solutions workgroup, and (3) add mobile crisis intervention services as a new Medi-Cal benefit.
February 28, 2022 | Post
The 2022-23 Budget
CalHR California Leads Proposal
Analyzes the Governor’s proposal to provide resources to the Department of Human Resources (CalHR) to implement specific proposals recommended by a taskforce established by the Governor aimed at finding ways to make the state a better employer.
February 24, 2022 | Post
The 2022-23 Budget
College and Career Proposals
The Governor proposes $2 billion in one‑time funding across three programs to increase college and career readiness among high school students. This post provides background on the state’s programs, describes and assesses the Governor’s proposals, and provides our recommendations to the Legislature.
February 23, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Zero-Emission Vehicle Package
Provides our assessment and recommendations on the Governor’s proposed 2022‑23 zero‑emission vehicle package.
February 23, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Health Care Access and Affordability
Assesses proposals by the Governor intended to improve health care access and/or affordability; discusses options to improve affordability of health plans purchased through Covered California; highlights some key access and affordability challenges that would remain.
February 22, 2022 | Post
The 2022-23 Budget
Analysis of Child Welfare Proposals and Program Implementation Updates
Provides program background; outlines the Governor’s proposed 2022-23 budget for children and family programs, including child welfare services and foster care programs; provides implementation updates on a number of programs funded in 2021-22; issues for the Legislature to consider as it evaluates the budget proposal.
February 22, 2022 | Post
The 2022-23 Budget
State Preschool
Provides background on State Preschool; describes the Governor’s proposals; provides our comments associated with these proposals.
February 22, 2022 | Post
The 2022-23 Budget
Clean Energy Package
Provides overarching comments on the Governor’s $2 billion clean energy package and recommendations related to a few of the proposed programs.
February 22, 2022 | Post
The 2022-23 Budget
California Department of Technology
Provides background on the California Department of Technology’s cost recovery model and rate development process for IT services; evaluates related Governor’s budget proposals and available information on a proposed rate re-evaluation process; offers our recommendations to the Legislature.
February 20, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Proposals
Provides our assessment and recommendations on the Governor’s 2022-23 budget proposals for the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
February 18, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Analysis of Child Support Program Proposals
Describes the Governor’s 2022-23 budget proposals for the child support program and provides comments and recommendations to the Legislature.
February 18, 2022 | Post
The Definition of Qualified Capital Outlay for the State Appropriations Limit
Provides our view on some commonly asked questions about the statutory definition of capital outlay for the state appropriations limit (SAL).
February 18, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Student Financial Aid
Analyzes the Governor’s budget proposals related to student financial aid at the California Student Aid Commission, the Scholarshare Investment Board, and the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation.
February 17, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Governor’s Public Safety Package
Provides an overview of the Governor’s package of public safety proposals, our assessment of these proposals, as well as recommendations and options for legislative consideration.
February 16, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Public Health Foundational Support
Analyzes the Governor’s proposed spending plan for a $300 million ongoing General Fund augmentation for the California Department of Public Health; describes merits of the proposed plan; identifies ways it could be strengthened; offers issues for legislative consideration.
February 16, 2022 | Post
The 2022-23 Budget
Expanded Learning Programs
Provides background on the state’s expanded learning programs; describes and assesses the Governor’s proposal; provides our recommendations to the Legislature.
February 15, 2022 | Post
The 2022-23 Budget
Assessing Proposals to Address Unemployment Insurance Fraud
Outlines the challenges the Employment Development Department faced paying legitimate Unemployment Insurance claims and preventing fraud during the pandemic; reviews steps the department has taken to improve since then; assesses whether the six proposed anti-fraud vendor contracts are warranted at this time.
February 15, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Supply Chain and Port Infrastructure Proposals
Provides our initial assessment and recommendations in response to the Governor’s supply chain and port infrastructure package.
February 15, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
California State University
Analyzes the Governor’s budget proposals for the California State University; covers base support, enrollment, foster youth programs, deferred maintenance, and climate-related initiatives.
February 15, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Transportation Infrastructure Package
Provides our initial assessment and recommendations in response to the Governor’s transportation infrastructure package.
February 14, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
The Governor’s Housing Plan
Provides an update on some major recent state budget actions related to housing; describes the Governor’s housing budget proposals; raises issues for the Legislature’s consideration.
February 11, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Analysis of Major CCC Proposals
Analyzes the Governor’s major budget proposals for the California Community Colleges, with a focus on apportionments increases, enrollment, modifications to the Student Centered Funding Formula, part-time faculty health insurance, and deferred maintenance.
February 10, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Green School Bus Grants
Analyzes the Governor’s proposal to provide $1.5 billion in one-time Proposition 98 funding for electric school buses; provides background on school transportation and school bus fleets; describes the advantages and limitations of electric school buses; makes recommendations to the Legislature.
February 9, 2022 | Post
The 2022-23 Budget
Office of Planning and Research Budget Proposals
Describes the Governor’s 2022-23 budget proposals for the Office of Planning and Research and provides comments and recommendations to the Legislature.
February 9, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Analysis of the Medi-Cal Budget
Analyzes the Governor’s budget proposal for Medi-Cal, including an analysis of the administration’s caseload projections; provides options for renewing the managed care organization tax; provides our assessment of the discretionary budget proposals.
February 9, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
The Governor’s Homelessness Plan
Provides an update on some major recent state budget actions related to homelessness; describes the Governor’s homelessness budget proposals; raises issues for the Legislature’s consideration.
February 8, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Governor’s Proposals for CDCR Operations
Provides our assessment and recommendations on the Governor’s 2022-23 budget proposals related to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation operations.
February 8, 2022 | Post
The 2022-23 Budget
School Nutrition
Provides background on various child nutrition programs and requirements; describes the Governor’s child nutrition proposals; offers associated assessments and recommendations to the Legislature.
February 4, 2022 | Post
The 2022-23 Budget
Initial Comments on the State Appropriations Limit Proposal
Provides our office’s initial analysis on and comments about the Governor’s proposals to address state appropriations limit (SAL) requirements in the 2022-23 Governor’s budget.
February 3, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Judicial Branch Proposals
Provides our assessment and recommendations on the Governor’s 2022-23 budget proposals related to the judicial branch.
February 2, 2022 | Post
The 2022-23 Budget
Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) Program
Summarizes the Governor’s budget assumptions and proposals related to the Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) program; summarizes other SSI/SSP goals the Legislature could pursue relative to the intended 2023-24 SSP grant increase.
February 2, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Analysis of Major UC Proposals
Analyzes the Governor’s major budget proposals for the University of California, with a focus on base support, enrollment, and deferred maintenance.
January 31, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Water and Drought Response Proposals
Describes and assesses the Governor’s 2022-23 water resilience and drought response funding proposals.
January 28, 2022 | Post
The 2022-23 Budget
Local Control Funding Formula
Provides background on the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF); describes and assesses the Governor’s proposals; and provides our recommendations to the Legislature.
January 28, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Wildfire Response Proposals
Provides our initial assessment and recommendations in response to the major wildfire response-related proposals included in the Governor’s 2022-23 budget.
January 27, 2022 | Handout
The 2022-23 Budget
Overview of Proposition 98 Proposals
Describes the overall structure of the Governor’s plan for school and community college funding, including the major spending proposals and underlying estimates of the Proposition 98 minimum guarantee.
January 26, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Wildfire and Forest Resilience Package
Provides our initial assessment and recommendations in response to the Governor’s wildfire resilience package.
January 26, 2022 | Report
The 2022-23 Budget
Overview of the Governor’s Higher Education Budget Proposals
Provides an overview and initial assessment of the Governor’s 2022-23 higher education budget package.
January 25, 2022 | Post
The 2022-23 Budget
Cap-and-Trade Expenditure Plan
Describes the Governor’s cap-and-trade expenditure plan; evaluates the revenue assumptions used to determine the amount of funding available; identifies issues for legislative consideration.
January 25, 2022 | Post
The 2022-23 Budget
Special Education Proposals
This post provides background on various special education programs, describes the Governor’s proposals related to these topics, and offers associated recommendations and issues for the Legislature to consider.
January 6, 2022 | Report
An Analysis of the University of California’s Agricultural and Natural Resource Programs
This report provides an overview of these programs—discussing their statutory origin, structure, employees, and budget. The report also raises a few concerns with the state’s oversight of these programs and concludes by providing recommendations to enhance oversight.
January 4, 2022 | Report
Options for a Forestry Management Training Center in Northern California
This report identifies key design choices and options for establishing a forestry management training center in Northern California. Additionally, this report discusses some other strategies that the Legislature could consider pursuing—either in addition to or instead of establishing a new training center—to meet its policy goals.
December 17, 2021 | Report
Overview of Special Education Funding Models
This brief provides background on the state’s current funding allocation formula for special education, describes funding formulas used in other states, establishes a framework for evaluating these formulas, and offers some issues for the Legislature to consider.
December 15, 2021 | Report
Assessing California’s Climate Policies—Agriculture
This report provides our assessment of the effects of major programs in the agricultural sector that are aimed at reducing emissions and sequestering carbon, as well as identifies key issues for the Legislature to consider as it makes future policy and budget decisions.
December 13, 2021 | Report
An Initial Review of the Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program
Provides an initial review of the Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program, including a discussion of the current activities funded by the program, the promise and limitations of the program, and recommendations to improve program outcomes and oversight.
December 10, 2021 | Post
Overview of Mental Health Services for College Students
This post describes the mental health services available to students attending California’s public colleges and universities, highlights recent developments in student mental health since the start of the pandemic, and assesses the data currently available on student mental health issues.
December 6, 2021 | Post
Cap-And-Trade Auction Update and GGRF Projections
Summarizes results from the November 2021 cap-and-trade auction, describes cap-and-trade revenue scenarios and the amount of funding available for discretionary spending, and identifies key issues for legislative consideration when developing an expenditure plan.
September 30, 2021 | Report
Reducing the Destructiveness of Wildfires: Promoting Defensible Space in California
Identifies the challenges to improving the number of homeowners in compliance with existing state and local defensible space requirements and provides recommendations to address these challenges in order to reduce the destructiveness of future wildfires.
May 13, 2021 | Report
What Can We Learn From How the State Responded to the Last Major Drought?
Summarizes how the state responded to the 2012-to-2016 drought and highlights key lessons for current and future droughts.
May 12, 2021 | Report
An Initial Look at Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Local Government Fiscal Condition
Examines what is known about the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on local governments’ fiscal condition.
All Publications
Other Publications
- September 30, 2022
- Post The 2022-23 California Spending Plan: The State Appropriations Limit
- September 29, 2022
- Post The 2022-23 Budget: California Spending Plan Series
- September 29, 2022
- Post The 2022-23 California Spending Plan: Transportation
- September 28, 2022
- Handout LAO Report Overview: California’s Unemployment Insurance Program
- September 27, 2022
- Report Supplemental Report of the 2022-23 Budget Act
- September 27, 2022
- Post The 2022-23 California Spending Plan: Other Provisions
- September 16, 2022
- Post The 2022-23 California Spending Plan: Housing and Homelessness
- August 26, 2022
- Post Unit 8 (Firefighters) MOU Analysis
- August 25, 2022
- Post Unit 9 (Professional Engineers) MOU Analysis
- August 25, 2022
- Post Unit 2 (Attorneys) MOU Analysis
- August 12, 2022
- Post MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 18
- August 10, 2022
- Handout Proposition 30: Provides Funding for Programs to Reduce Air Pollution and Prevent Wildfires by Increasing Tax on Personal Income Over $2 Million. Initiative Statute.
- August 10, 2022
- Handout Proposition 27: Allows Online and Mobile Sports Wagering Outside Tribal Lands. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.
- August 10, 2022
- Handout Proposition 26: Allows In-Person Roulette, Dice Games, Sports Wagering on Tribal Lands. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.
- August 8, 2022
- Handout Proposition 29 Requires On-Site Licensed Medical Professional at Kidney Dialysis Clinics and Establishes Other State Requirements
- August 3, 2022
- Handout Budget Reserves
- August 2, 2022
- Handout Proposition 31: Referendum on 2020 Law That Would Prohibit the Retail Sale of Certain Flavored Tobacco Products
- June 24, 2022
- Post Annual Report on Tax Exemptions for Medicinal Cannabis
- June 24, 2022
- Post MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 13 (Stationary Engineers)
- June 13, 2022
- Handout Overview of Legislature’s Budget Package
All Publications