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August 9, 1994 - Two bond measures totaling $1.2 billion will be considered by California voters in November. The Legislature soon must decide which, if any, additional general obligation bond measures to place on the November 1994 ballot. The following factors must be considered as the Legislature makes these decisions. (1) Tens of billions of dollars will be needed over the next five years to meet the state’s identified capital outlay needs; (2) Only $1.3 billion of previously authorized general; obligation bonds are available to address these needs; (3) How well the state addresses its capital outlay needs will influence the state’s future competitiveness and economic growth, and Californians’ quality of life; (4) the state’s annual debt burden has risen sharply in recent years. These debt costs are a direct trade-off to using General Fund monies for support of other state programs.
February 22, 1994 - Analysis of the 1994-95 Budget Bill, Capital Outlay Chapter
January 6, 1994 - The Legislature faces important decisions on the bond package to be placed on the 1994 ballots. We urge the Legislature not to use an arbitrary debt-service ratio as the sole or driving factor in making decisions on bonds. The key consideration should be the tradeoff of using state revenues to pay debt service on bonds to develop infrastructure versus using these revenues to support or enhance other state programs. It is critical that the Legislature establish infrastructure priorities and target future state bonds to address these priorities.
March 1, 1993 - This reprint from our Analysis of the 1993-94 Budget Bill discusses the problem of deferred maintenance in state facilities. State agencies that control significant state assets have developed a deferred maintenance backlog totaling $820 million. In general, this backlog has occurred due to the underfunding of ongoing maintenance and special repair projects and the redirection of monies budgeted for maintenance to other activities. Failure to address this backlog will shorten the useful life of state facilities and result in more costly expenditures for renovation or replacement. We make recommendations to prevent any further redirection of maintenance funding and to require the state agencies to prepare multi-year strategies to properly address their maintenance and to eliminate deferred maintenance backlogs.
January 1, 1992 - The Legislature faces critical decisions on the bond package to be placed on the 1992 ballots. In this policy brief, we discuss the many considerations involved in making these decisions in light of the large magnitude of the state's infrastructure needs.
October 10, 1991 - Local Housing Elements and State Housing Bonds: A Report on Housing Activities in Communities Applying for State Bond Funds
February 1, 1991 - In this analysis, we examine some of the major infrastructure- related problems facing the Legislature. These include: (1) identifying the state's infrastructure needs; (2) setting priorities to meet these needs; (3) assessing the state's ability to finance additional bonded indebtedness needed for infrastructure; and (4) establishing a financing plan to carry out the Legislature's priorities, including the extent and timing of future bond measure submittals to the voters.
February 1, 1991 - The state is faced with a large and growing need to revitalize and expand its infrastructure. As discussed in the preceding analysis, doing this requires that it rely on bonds as a financing source. As the state continues to increase its use of bonds for capital projects, it becomes even more important that the bond funds be used in ways that maximize their effectiveness in achieving the state's capital outlay goals.
February 21, 1990 - In this analysis, we assess for each segment of postsecondary education: (1) long-range enrollment plans, (2) the potential need for new campuses, and (3) how each segment's five-year capital outlay plan addresses needs associated with enrollment growth.
February 1, 1990 - The state is faced with a large and growing need to revitalize and expand its infrastructure. Although the state does not have a comprehensive plan to identify its specific capital outlay requirements and associated costs, it is clear that the state's infrastructure needs are in the tens of billions of dollars. To better identify these requirements, establish priorities and develop an appropriate financing plan for this infrastructure, the state needs a comprehensive multi-year capital outlay plan. Until such a plan is available, however, we suggest the Legislative establish criteria to assess specific capital outlay proposals. We also believe the Legislature should establish standards for maintenance of state facilities and set as a high priority goal the elimination of deferred maintenance.
January 1, 1990 - One of the more significant issues facing the Legislature during the next several months will be to decide what bond measures it should place on the June and November statewide ballots for voter approval. This decision is important because bonds are the principal means by which the state's infrastructure needs are currently being financed, and a large and growing inventory of unmet infrastructure needs exists. How well the state's infrastructure needs are addressed will be a principal determinant of the future health of the state's economy and the quality of life for many Californians in the years to come.
February 1, 1989 - The Level of State Indebtedness
December 1, 1987 - This report deals with the general subject of bond financing, including the policy factors which the Legislature must consider regarding the use of bonds.
February 1, 1987 - Transportation and Waste Treatment Infrastructure