Staff
- Frank Jimenez
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(916) 319-8324
Highways and Roads, Recycling, and Toxics - Helen Kerstein
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(916) 319-8364
Air Quality, Energy, Climate Change, and High-Speed Rail - Brian Metzker
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(916) 319-8354
Forestry, Parks, and Agriculture - Sonja Petek
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(916) 319-8340
Water, Coastal Development, and Fish and Wildlife - Gökçe Sencan
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(916) 319-8329
Mass Transportation, Traffic Enforcement, Statewide Planning and Infrastructure - Rachel Ehlers
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(916) 319-8330
Deputy Legislative Analyst: Environment and Transportation
Publications
Environment and Natural Resources
To browse all LAO publications, visit our Publications page.
Energy Efficiency and Alternative Energy Programs
December 19, 2012 - California currently maintains over a dozen major programs that are intended to support the development of energy efficiency and alternative energy in the state. Over the past 10 to 15 years, the state has spent a combined total of roughly $15 billion on such efforts. In response to the Supplemental Report of the 2012-13 Budget Package, this report provides an overview of these different programs, as well as a preliminary assessment of them in terms of priority, overlap, and redundancy. We find that the state currently lacks a comprehensive framework that fully coordinates the state's energy incentive programs to help ensure that the state’s goals are being achieved in the most cost-effective manner. The absence of such a comprehensive framework (1) results in some level of program duplication, (2) results in some departments making policy choices that may not be aligned to legislative priorities, and (3) makes it difficult to compare effectiveness across programs. As a result, we recommend that the Legislature develop a comprehensive strategy for meeting the state’s energy efficiency and alternative energy objectives. In general, the comprehensive strategy should specify: (1) the state’s energy efficiency and alternative energy goals, (2) how programs should fit together to achieve the state’s goals, and (3) how program effectiveness will be measured.
Funding and Options for Near-Term Actions in the Delta
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October 16, 2012 - Presented to: Senate Select Committee on Delta Stewardship and Sustainability Hon. Lois Wolk, Chair
Proposition 37: Genetically Engineered Foods
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September 13, 2012 - Presented to: Assembly Committee on Agriculture Hon. Cathleen Galgiani, Chair and Senate Committee on Agriculture Hon. Anthony Cannella, Chair
Department of Parks and Recreation: Current Funding Issues
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August 9, 2012 - Department of Parks and Recreation: Current Funding Issues
Meeting the Environmental Goals of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
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April 11, 2012 - Presented to: Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Resources, Environmental Protection, Energy and Transportation Hon. S. Joseph Simitian, Chair
Overview of the Beverage Container Recycling Fund
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April 11, 2012 - Presented to: Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on Resources and Transportation Hon. Richard S. Gordon, Chair
The 2012-13 Budget: Strategies to Maintain California's Park System
March 2, 2012 - The 2012-13 Governor’s Budget includes proposals to address some of the funding challenges currently faced by parks, including the continuation of the plan to close up to 70 state parks by July 2012. However, the Legislature and stakeholders have expressed interest in identifying alternative ways to prevent park closures and, more importantly, help ensure that the park system is adequately maintained and operated in the future. In this report, we evaluate various options that could be adopted to reduce costs or increase revenue for the state park system. Based on this analysis, we recommend specific steps to help maintain the park system, such as transferring the ownership of some state parks to local governments, eliminating the use of peace officers for certain park tasks, allowing private companies to operate some state parks, and increasing park user fees.
The 2012–13 Budget: Cap–and–Trade Auction Revenues
February 16, 2012 - This report examines the Governor's budget proposal regarding the use of revenues expected to be generated from the cap-and-trade auctions that the California Air Resources Board (ARB) will hold in 2012-13. These auctions are part of the state's plan to meet the goals of the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (commonly referred to as AB 32). In this report, we recommend that the Legislature first use the revenues in 2012-13 to offset General Fund costs of existing programs designed to mitigate GHG emissions. Since the Legislature will need to decide which General Fund costs to offset as part of the 2012-13 budget process, such decisions are best made this spring. In addition, the Legislature will need to begin the process of determining how effectively to allocate the remaining auction revenues on new or expanded programs.
Evaluating the Policy Trade-Offs in ARB's Cap-and-Trade Program
February 9, 2012 - This report analyzes the design of the cap-and-trade program as adopted by the California Air Resources Board (ARB). This new, complex program is part of the state's plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions statewide to 1990 levels by 2020—a goal set by the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (commonly referred to as AB 32). The report examines in detail the specific policy choices made by the ARB in the design of the program, some specific policy trade-offs inherent in those decisions, and options for program design changes that the Legislature may wish to make depending on its policy priorities.
Governance and Funding Options for Restoring the Salton Sea
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November 29, 2011 - Presented to: Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on Resources and Transportation
Potential Funding Alternatives for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan Planning Process
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October 19, 2011 - Potential Funding Alternatives for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan Planning Process
Funding Timber Harvest Regulation
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September 28, 2011 - Presented to Assembly Accountability and Administrative Review Committee
Fish and Wildlife Agency Structures and Best Practices: A Study of Florida, Texas, Washington, and New York
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September 14, 2011 - Presented to Fish and Wildlife Strategic Vision Executive Committee and Blue Ribbon Citizen Commission
Department of Fish and Game: Budget and Policy Overview
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July 21, 2011 - Presented to Fish and Wildlife Strategic Vision, Blue Ribbon Citizen Commission
Cap-and-Trade Market Issues
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June 29, 2011 - Presented to Senate Select Committee on the Environment, the Economy,and Climate Change