Other Government Areas Publications

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Report

The 2020-21 Budget: California Department of Food and Agriculture

February 28, 2020 - In this analysis we assess the Governor’s 2020‑21 budget proposals for the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). Specifically, we make recommendations regarding the Governor’s proposals to (1) fund a comprehensive assessment to identify solutions to the California Exposition and State Fair’s (Cal Expo) declining revenues and make available funding to offset near‑term deficiencies, and (2) establish a Fresno‑Merced innovation corridor to boost the region’s economy.

Handout

California’s Homelessness Challenges in Context

February 27, 2020 - Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee

Report

The 2020-21 Budget: Reinventing the Department of Business Oversight

February 26, 2020 - The Governor proposes budget trailer legislation to make various changes related to the Department of Business Oversight. In this report, we assess the Governor's proposals and make recommendations for the Legislature to consider.

Handout

Local Government Revenues and Impact Fees

February 26, 2020 - Presented to: Senate Governance and Finance Committee Hon. Mike McGuire, Chair Senate Housing Committee Hon. Scott D. Wiener, Chair Assembly Local Government Committee Hon. Cecilia M. Aguiar-Curry, Chair Assembly Housing and Community Development Hon. David Chiu, Chair

Handout

Cannabis: Proposed Consolidation of Regulation and Identifying the Elements of the Illicit Market

February 25, 2020 - Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on State Administration Assembly Business and Professions Committee

Handout

Homelessness and the 2020-21 Budget

February 19, 2020 - Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 On Health and Human Services Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 4 On State Administration

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The 2020-21 Budget: Improving the State's Unpaid Wage Claim Process

February 19, 2020 - In this post, we provide a background on employment laws, take an initial look at worker outcomes in the wage claim process, and highlight several opportunities to improve the process. We also assess the Governor’s proposal to hire additional staff at the Department of Industrial Relations to reduce delays that have recently begun to affect wage claims.

Report

The 2020-21 Budget: The Governor’s Cannabis‑Related Proposals

February 14, 2020 - The Governor’s 2020-21 budget includes various cannabis-related proposals, including both budget trailer legislation and budget change proposals from multiple departments. In this report, we (1) provide some background on cannabis regulation and taxation in California; (2) describe the Governor’s proposals; and (3) provide recommendations on these proposals for legislative consideration.

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The 2020-21 Budget: Governor’s Proposal to Transfer the Seismic Safety Commission

February 12, 2020 - Various state departments are involved in seismic safety. In particular, the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission (SSC) is an independent entity under the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing (BCSH) Agency. The Governor proposes budget trailer legislation that would make various changes related to the SSC, including reorganizing it into a unit within OES and reducing the number of commissioners from 20 to 15. We find that the Governor’s proposal presents important trade‑offs for the Legislature to consider.

Report

The 2020-21 Budget: Department of General Services

February 12, 2020 - In this analysis, we assess the Governor’s 2020‑21 budget proposals for the Department of General Services (DGS). Specifically, we review and make recommendations regarding the Governor’s proposals for (1) additional staff for Contracted Fiscal Services (CFS) workload, including the establishment of a new strike team to assist departments performing accounting activities with the Financial Information System for California (FI$Cal); (2) renovating the Resources, Bateson, and Unruh buildings, and (3) funding elevator and fire system‑related deferred maintenance projects.

Report

The 2020-21 Budget: The Governor’s Homelessness Plan

February 11, 2020 - In this report we provide the Legislature context for the state’s homelessness crisis, provide an update on major recent state efforts to address homelessness, assess the Governor’s 2020‑21 homelessness plan, propose a framework to help the Legislature develop its own plan and funding allocations, and offer an alternative to the Governor’s 2020‑21 budget proposal.

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The 2020-21 Budget: Staffing to Address New Independent Contractor Test

February 11, 2020 - The 2020‑21 Governor’s budget includes two labor proposals related to Chapter 296 of 2019 (AB 5, Gonzalez), a new law that limits what types of work businesses can hire independent contractors to do. In this post, we provide a background on the new law, discuss how many workers it might affect, and make recommendations about the workload proposals at the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and the Employment Development Department (EDD).

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The 2020-21 Budget: California Arts Council

February 7, 2020 - The Arts Council conducts a range of activities in order to support arts in California. In carrying out this mandate, the Arts Council focuses its efforts on the development of various grant programs to support artists and organizations. In addition, the state budget has recently included funds for the Arts Council to distribute to specific museums and other cultural institutions. The Governor’s budget proposes $49 million, mostly from the General Fund, for support of the Arts Council in 2020‑21. As we discuss in this brief, the Governor’s budget proposes $10.5 million from the General Fund on a one‑time basis to expand and extend two existing Arts Council pilot programs­—one focused on state‑designated cultural districts and one focused on disaster preparedness. In order to facilitate the Legislature’s evaluation of these extended pilots when they are complete, we recommend that the Legislature (1) establish clear goals for the pilots and (2) direct the Arts Council to develop and evaluate measureable outcomes related to the goals prior to requesting additional funding for these programs.

Report

The 2020-21 Budget: Assessing the Governor's Reorganization Proposals

February 7, 2020 - As part of his budget plan for 2020‑21, the Governor proposes six government reorganizations across several policy areas. In many cases, the Governor proposes consolidating agencies or shifting responsibilities from existing agencies to newly established entities. The proposals would affect a broad array of state departments, offices, and commissions that perform a wide range of functions. In reviewing the Governor’s reorganization proposals, there are many issues for the Legislature to consider in determining whether to approve or reject each proposal. In this brief, we outline a broad framework to consider these issues. Specifically, we recommend that the Legislature consider key questions when evaluating the proposals.

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The 2020-21 Budget: Overview of Labor and Employment Programs

January 22, 2020 - The 2020-21 Governor’s Budget includes 18 budget proposals related to labor and employment programs. This post provides a high-level overview of these proposals. Our office plans to evaluate several of these proposals more closely in the coming weeks.

Other Government Areas Staff
Chas Alamo
(916) 319-8357
Personal Income Tax, Employment, and Labor Law
 
Ross Brown
(916) 319-8345
Property Taxes, Bonds, and the Economy
 
Ann Hollingshead
(916) 319-8305
State Budget and Federal Funding
 
Lourdes Morales
(916) 319-8320
Local Government, Housing, and Homelessness
 
Nick Schroeder
(916) 319-8314
Public Employment, CalPERS, and Elections
 
Angela Short
(916) 319-8309
Teachers' Retirement Policy/ Child Welfare/ Community Care Licensing
 
Jared Sippel
(916) 319-8335
Emergency Services and Business Regulation
 
Brian Weatherford
(916) 319-8337
Corporation Tax and Insurance
 
Seth Kerstein
(916) 319-8365
Sales and Excise Taxes and Demographics