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June 13, 2008 - Item 5225-101-0001, 9210-101-0001, 9210-105-0001, 9210-607-0001 of the 2008 Budget Conference Committee (pages 328, 423-425)
June 3, 2008 - Difference Between LAO and DOF K-14 Property Tax Estimates
May 6, 2008 - While we believe our proposal for parole realignment continues to have merit, we recognize that there is no single way to implement parole realignment and that there is value in considering alternative approaches. With that in mind, we are writing this letter to identify for the Legislature the key concerns that have been raised, options for addressing these concerns, potential tradeoffs with each of these options, and other implementation issues. We hope that this letter will serve the Legislature by furthering the discussion regarding parole realignment.
April 24, 2008 - Presented to Assembly Judiciary Committee, Assembly Local Government Committee, and Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee
April 2, 2008 - Questions and answers regarding parole realignment financing. A companion piece to "LAO Parole Realignment."
April 2, 2008 - Water and waste district enterprise special district property taxes redirected to support public safety/parole realignment.
March 27, 2008 - The past 35 years in California have seen significant changes in the fiscal relationship between state and local government. This time line highlights the major events that have altered the state-local fiscal relationship since 1972. The milestones illustrate a number of key themes that have emerged over the past quarter century. (For older versions of Acrobat Reader, adjustment may be needed in the Page Scale field of Print Settings in order to print on 8.5" X 11" paper.)
March 27, 2008 - Presented to: Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee
March 10, 2008 - Water and Waste District Enterprise Special District Property Taxes Redirected to Support Public Safety/Parole Realignment
March 10, 2008 - Handout summarizing the LAO's proposed realignment of responsibility for supervision of low-level criminal offenders from the state parole system to county probation.
February 20, 2008 - We propose a nearly $500 million realignment of responsibility for supervision of low-level criminal offenders from the state parole system to county probation. Funding for parole realignment would come from a reallocation of waste and water district property taxes, city Proposition 172 sales taxes, and vehicle license fees. Our plan is designed to give counties a greater stake in the success of these offenders in the community, thereby reducing their likelihood of reoffending.
February 20, 2008 - The Governor’s budget proposes 10 percent across-the-board reductions for criminal justice local assistance programs to achieve about $60 million in savings. We recommend instead that the Legislature achieve savings of about $270 million by eliminating or reducing General Fund support for programs that have not demonstrated results, do not serve a statewide purpose, could be consolidated, or could be funded from other sources.
February 20, 2008 - The administration proposes special session legislation to eliminate local government authority to submit estimated cost claims. We review this proposal and conclude that, on balance, its benefits outweigh the loss to local governments from less timely reimbursement payments.
February 20, 2008 - The Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (I-Bank) provides low cost loans to local governments for infrastructure projects that are supposed to promote economic development and improve land use. However, loans made by the I-Bank do not effectively meet these objectives. We recommend modifying the program to better target limited state funds.