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June 2, 2003 - A summary of the Assembly Budget Bill as adopted by the Budget Committee.
June 2, 2003 - A summary of the Senate Budget Bill as adopted by the Budget and Fiscal Review Committee.
May 19, 2003 - The May Revision adopts a multiyear approach to addressing the state's massive budget problem, relying more on borrowing and less on near-term spending reductions than the January proposal. Adoption of the plan would likely result in a precariously balanced 2003-04 budget, but would leave the state with a still-formidable structural imbalance between ongoing revenues and expenditures in the future. Primarily because of this imbalance, we believe that if the Governor's multiyear approach is adopted, it should include additional ongoing solutions beyond those proposed in the May Revision.
March 25, 2003 - Presented to Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee
February 26, 2003 - Overview of 2003-04 Budget presented to the California Transportation Foundation.
February 19, 2003 - California faces an unprecedented budget shortfall--roughly one-third of the General Fund budget-- due to an unexpected dramatic decline in state tax receipts combined with ongoing increases in state government costs. The Governor's budget proposal, would eliminate the while its large amount of ongoing savings would also address California's long-term structural imbalance.
February 19, 2003 - The United States and California economies continue to struggle in early 2003, due primarily to restrained hiring and investment pending by businesses. We assume that stronger economic growth will resume in the second half of 2003
February 19, 2003 - The Governor's budget proposes total spending in 2003-04 of $89.2 billion. This total budget-year spending is significantly less than current-year spending--by $5.4 billion (5.7 percent). Proposed spending translates into $2,469 for every man, woman, and child in California, or $244 million per calendar day.
February 19, 2003 - Our annual detailed examination of the Budget Bill based on the Governor's Budget. It includes hundreds of findings and recommendations related to education, health and social services, criminal justice, transportation, resources, capital outlay, information technology, and local government.
January 29, 2003 - Presented to the Assembly Commission on Structural Challenges to Budgeting in California
January 15, 2003 - On January 10, the Governor released a plan for addressing his projected $34.6 billion General Fund budget shortfall. Although this shortfall estimate and the level of required solutions is somewhat overstated, the problem is still enormous. The Legislature faces a formidable task in carefully evaluating the plan's individual elements and the many important policy issues it raises. It is also important that the Legislature take early and decisive action to get the state's fiscal house in order.
December 16, 2002 - The Governor recently released his current-year plan for partially addressing the state's enormous budget shortfall. The plan calls for $10.2 billion in budgetary reductions and adjustments. We discuss the Governor's proposal, consider its general viability, and identify additional options available to the Legislature.