To browse all LAO publications, visit our Publications page.
February 27, 2023 - In this post, we discuss the Sexual Assault Evidence Kits Testing mandate, which is a newly identified state mandate funded in the Governor's 2023-24 budget proposal.
February 27, 2023 - Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on Public Safety
February 23, 2023 - We recommend that the Legislature reject the Governor’s proposal for two primary reasons. First, the proposed funding is likely not needed. Second, given the state’s budget problem, dedicating new General Fund to this purpose would come at the expense of previously identified priorities, and we do not find it sufficiently justified for prioritizing limited state resources.
February 22, 2023 - In this post, we analyze the Governor’s budget proposal to provide increased federal spending authority to the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) in order to allow the receipt of federal grant monies that were recently made available to the state. We provide key background on the grant, describe the state’s initial plan to spend the grant funds, assess the plan and the Governor’s proposal, and provide associated recommendations.
February 15, 2023 - This post provides an overview of the Governor’s proposed budget for the Office of the State Public Defender to engage in activities to improve DEI in the recruitment, hiring, and retention of staff.
February 13, 2023 - In this post, we assess and make recommendations on the Governor’s budget proposal to provide additional resources to the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) to fund the costs of peace officer decertification hearings before the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) within the Department of General Services (DGS).
February 10, 2023 - This brief provides our analysis of a proposal seeking court-specific resources for the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Program and a proposal to address the solvency of the State Court Facilities Construction Fund.
January 31, 2023 - Presented to: Assembly Committee on Accountability and Administrative Review Assembly Committee on Public Safety
January 13, 2023 - On January 10, 2023, Governor Newsom presented his proposed state budget to the Legislature. In this report, we provide a brief summary of the proposed budget based on our initial review. In the coming weeks, we will analyze the plan in more detail and release several additional budget analyses.
January 6, 2023 - As required by Chapter 723 of 2021 (SB 211, Umberg), this report presents our assessment of the California State Bar’s proposed (1) caseload processing standards for resolving attorney discipline cases within its Office of Chief Trial Counsel, (2) establishment of a backlog goal and metrics to measure such a goal, and (3) staffing requirements needed to achieve the new standards.
January 5, 2023 - In this report, we (1) provide background on California’s parole hearing process, (2) identify current aspects of the process that could disadvantage certain groups, and (3) recommend steps to promote greater equity in the parole hearing process.
September 29, 2022 - Each year, our office publishes California Spending Plan, a series of publications that summarize the annual state budget. The Overview of the California Spending Plan is presented here along with short online posts that focus on major areas and features of the 2022-23 budget package. As more of these posts become available, we will add them below.
September 26, 2022 - The 2022-23 budget provides $18.7 billion from the General Fund for judicial and criminal justice programs, including support for program operations and capital outlay projects. This is an increase of $852 million, or 5 percent, above the revised 2021-22 spending level.