California Spending Plan

State Spending in 2017-18 Budget

Each year, our office publishes the California Spending Plan that summarizes the annual state budget. This interactive graphic shows how this year's state budget spent $182 billion. (Similar to the Spending Plan, this figure generally reflects actions taken in budget package through September 2017. It excludes money from the federal government and from bond issuances.)

The drop-down menu allows the user to switch between two views—General Fund and General Fund + Special Funds.

The General Fund is the state's main operating account where most state tax revenues are deposited. You can think of it like a checking account that a household uses to pay its bills. This year's budget package allocated $125 billion in General Fund spending.

Special funds, on the other hand, are state accounts dedicated for specific purposes. A special fund is like a special account that some households use to dedicate income to pay certain expenses, like a mortgage payment or utility bill. This year's budget package allocated $56 billion in special fund spending.

The General Fund view shows the user how the state spends its tax revenues over which the state has relative discretion, while the General Fund + Special Funds view arguably provides a more comprehensive look at total state spending in the budget.