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October 27, 2011 - California’s Budget Woes: How Is Our Fiscal Health? Presented at the Randall Lewis Seminar Series, University of California, Riverside. October 27, 2011.
October 19, 2011 - Alternative Energy Manufacturing Sales and Use Tax Exclusion (SB 71) Program
September 29, 2011 - An Overview of Federal Funding in California
August 11, 2011 - The 2011–12 state spending plan includes total budget expenditures of $120.1 billion from the General Fund and special funds. This consists of $85.9 billion from the General Fund and $34.1 billion from special funds. While General Fund spending has dropped by around 6 percent from 2010–11, this has, in part, been offset by increases in special fund spending as the state shifts some programs—from state to local responsibility under what has been called "realignment"—from General Fund support to special fund support. Federal funds spending continues to decline with the expiration of much of the funding made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
July 5, 2011 - We will not publish a Major Features report in 2011. Instead, in early August we will release The 2011-12 California Spending Plan, which will provide similar information, but in much more detail. Until then the link below points to a 7 page July 1, 2011 handout titled Summary Tables 2011-12 Budget Package.
July 1, 2011 - Summary Tables 2011-12 Budget Package
May 19, 2011 - Mac Taylor speaks to the media about the LAO report "The 2011-12 Budget: Overview of the May Revision."
May 19, 2011 - Significantly improved General Fund revenue trends since January and over $13 billion of budget actions already approved by the Legislature have reduced the size of the budget gap still to be addressed by California’s elected leaders. The administration identifies a $9.6 billion remaining budget problem based on generally reasonable 2010-11 and 2011-12 revenue and expenditure assumptions. The Governor’s plan to address this shortfall and leave the state with a $1.2 billion reserve at the end of 2011-12 has many positive aspects. It would help bring annual spending and resources much closer in line for the next five years, and its focus on reducing budgetary debt obligations is laudable. On the other hand, the Legislature has other options to address the reduced budget shortfall, including adoption of alternative tax proposals, additional program reductions, and selected fund transfers and internal borrowing. The improved economic and revenue situation, along with significant budgetary solutions already adopted, mean that California now is in a position to dramatically shrink its budget problem with a focus on ongoing budget solutions.
January 25, 2011 - Recently, the Legislature enacted a package of changes known as the “fuel tax swap” to achieve General Fund relief. However, the passage of ballot measures in November 2010 potentially undoes portions of the tax swap package. In response to these ballot measures, the Governor’s January 2011-12 budget proposes statutory changes to recapture the use of transportation funds to help balance the state’s budget. In this brief we describe and evaluate these recent changes and the Governor’s proposal. We also provide additional options that the Legislature may wish to consider that offer more solutions to achieve General Fund relief.
January 19, 2011 - We will release several reports aimed at addressing the 2011-12 budget situation. These will include all major areas of the budget, including Proposition 98 and K-12 Education, Higher Education, Health, Social Services, Resources, Transportation, and Criminal Justice.
January 18, 2011 - The 2011-12 Governor’s Budget proposes to dissolve redevelopment agencies and shift the revenue to other state and local programs. In this initial overview we provide background on redevelopment agencies, assess the Governor’s proposal, and provide some additional issues for the Legislature to consider.
January 13, 2011 - In this ten minute video, Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor discusses the building blocks that comprise California's state budget including the difference between general and special funds, major sources of revenue, and the largest categories of expenditure.
January 12, 2011 - Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor speaks with the media about the LAO's report The 2011-12 Budget: Overview of the Governor’s Budget.
January 12, 2011 - The Governor's proposed budget plan addresses an estimated $25.4 billion state budget problem—consisting of an $8.2 billion deficit that would remain at the end of 2010-11 absent additional budgetary action and an estimated $17.2 billion gap between current-law revenues and expenditures in 2011-12. We believe the Governor's proposal is a good starting point for legislative deliberations. It includes reductions in nearly every area of the state budget and a package of revenue proposals that merit serious legislative consideration. We credit the Governor's efforts to craft a budget plan that focuses on multiyear and ongoing solutions, and his proposals to realign state and local program responsibilities and change local economic development efforts have much merit. Still, there are some significant risks in his plan and some optimistic savings assumptions. There is significant work ahead to fill in the details of some of the Governor's ambitious, complex proposals, particularly given his proposed accelerated timeline for budget deliberations and a June special election concerning extensions of tax increases.