The 2026-27 California Spending Plan

Natural Resources and Environmental Protection

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• Overview
• Cross-Cutting Issues
• Natural Resources
• Environmental Protection
• Proposition 4

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This post begins by providing an overview of total spending for the departments overseen by the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) and California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA). Next, we discuss certain cross-cutting issues that affect departments in both agencies, including spending from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). We then discuss individual departments that had notable budget changes within each of the two agencies. We conclude with a summary of budget allocations from Proposition 4, the climate bond approved by voters in November 2024.

Overview

The 2026-27 budget package provides a total of $19.7 billion from various fund sources—the General Fund, a number of special funds, bond funds, and federal funds—for the departments overseen by CNRA and CalEPA. This amount represents a 28 percent decline compared to total 2025-26 estimated expenditure levels. This year-to-year decrease is primarily due to significant one-time funding—from the General Fund, GGRF, and Proposition 4—available for the departments within both agencies in 2025-26, including large amounts carried over from prior years. Figures 1 and 2 show the funding totals for the major departments within CNRA and CalEPA. These totals incorporate authorized spending from Proposition 4 and GGRF adopted through August 2026 budget actions.

Cross-Cutting Issues

GGRF Expenditure Plan

Budget Implements SB 840 Spending Framework for the First Time. In September 2025, the Legislature adopted Chapter 117 (AB 1207, Irwin) and Chapter 121 of 2025 (SB 840, Limón), which made various changes to the cap-and-invest program and extended it from 2030 to 2045. Notably, SB 840 established a new framework for allocating the GGRF revenues generated by the program starting in 2026-27. (We discuss AB 1207 and SB 840 in greater detail in our 2025 report, Overview of New Updates to the Cap-and-Invest Program.) The budget package largely allocates funding pursuant to this framework, with some exceptions as noted below.

Assumes $2.8 Billion in GGRF Auction Revenues to Be Allocated Through SB 840’s Methodology. As of August 2026, the Department of Finance estimates that cap-and-invest auctions will generate $2.8 billion in revenues for GGRF in 2026-27. This estimate incorporates the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB’s) revised cap-and-invest regulations, which are expected to take effect midway through the fiscal year. The budget package allocates those estimated auction revenues as shown in Figure 3. This includes:

• Tier 1 ($356 Million). As shown in the figure, these allocations include $113 million for state operations, which include $3 million in new expenditures at CARB and the California Public Utilities Commission approved as part of the 2026-27 budget package.

• Tier 2 ($2 Billion). This includes $1 billion for the High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) and $1 billion for discretionary allocations made as part of the annual budget process (discussed below and itemized in Figure 4).

• Tier 3 ($468 Million). These funds are continuously appropriated rather than allocated through the budget act. The actual amount of funding for these programs will depend on how much revenue the state receives from cap-and-invest program auctions over the coming year.

Provides $1.7 Billion in Discretionary GGRF Appropriations, Including $715 Million Outside of SB 840 Framework. The budget provides a total of $1.7 billion in discretionary allocations to various programs, as shown in Figure 4. These funds come from (1) the $1 billion Tier 2 discretionary set-aside discussed above and (2) monies provided outside of SB 840’s framework, including the GGRF entering fund balance ($155 million) and estimated interest earned on unspent prior-year GGRF funds ($560 million). (As discussed below, starting in 2027-28, the GGRF entering fund balance and interest earnings will instead be allocated pursuant to SB 840’s spending framework.) As shown in the figure, the largest discretionary spending item is to backfill $1.15 billion in General Fund costs for at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire). The package also includes $230 million to provide financial assistance to public transit agencies through the Zero-Emission Transit Capital Program established via Chapter 54 of 2023 (SB 125, Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review). Several of the other discretionary spending items provide supplementary funding for programs that also receive support through Tier 3 of the SB 840 framework.

Makes Slight Revision to General Fund Backfill Plan. To aid the state’s fiscal condition, the 2025-26 budget agreement included an intention to dedicate GGRF in lieu of General Fund for a portion of basic operational costs at CalFire in multiple years: $1.25 billion in 2026-27 and $500 million in both 2027-28 and 2028-29. The 2026-27 budget package slightly modifies this plan by instead providing $1.15 billion from GGRF this fiscal year (resulting in $100 million in additional General Fund costs in 2026-27) but planning to provide $600 million from GGRF in lieu of General Fund for CalFire in 2027-28 (neutralizing the impact on the budget condition across the two years).

Includes Budget Trailer Legislation Modifying SB 840 Framework. The budget package includes Chapter 259 of 2026 (SB 193, Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review), which makes various modifications to SB 840’s GGRF allocation framework. Some notable changes include: (1) specifying that, starting in 2027-28, interest on GGRF funds and the GGRF entering fund balance will be allocated pursuant to the SB 840 spending framework (not set aside for discretionary purposes outside of that framework, as is the case in 2026-27); (2) clarifying that state operations costs should be considered part of Tier 1; (3) dividing the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program into two allocations consistent with Chapter 68 of 2026 (AB 179, Committee on Budget); (4) enhancing flexibility across two portions of wildfire resilience funding; and (5) expanding the eligible uses for HSRA’s GGRF allocation to include its administrative and state operations costs.

Maintaining Certain Vacant Environmental Positions

Spending Plan Maintains 215 Vacant State Positions at Environmental Departments. Reflecting a multiyear effort to eliminate certain vacant state positions, the Governor had proposed eliminating a total of 1,001 vacant positions at environmental departments. As shown in Figure 5, the final 2026-27 budget agreement instead maintains 215 of these positions and associated funding of approximately $29 million from other funds (including special funds, bond funds, and federal funds). The elimination of the other 786 vacant environmental positions achieves annual ongoing savings of $43 million in General Fund and $46 million in other funds.

Funding Shifts

Shifts Funding for Various Activities From General Fund to Special Funds. The budget package shifts a total of $9.6 million in 2026-27—increasing to $9.8 million in 2027-28 and ongoing—from the General Fund to various special funds in order to help improve the General Fund condition. The selected special funds are legally appropriate to support the specific activities they are absorbing and have sufficient fund balances to support the expenditures. These shifts are as follows:

• CARB. Shifts $2.2 million in 2026-27 and $2.3 million in 2027-28 and ongoing from the General Fund to the Air Quality Improvement Fund. These funds support state operations costs associated with CARB’s mobile source, stationary source, and climate change programs related to implementing Chapter 748 of 2021 (AB 794, Carillo), which required drayage and short-haul trucking fleets participating in various state incentive programs to meet specified labor and workforce requirements.

• Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). Shifts $4.3 million in 2026-27 and ongoing from the General Fund to the Toxic Substances Control Account. These funds support DTSC operations related to investigating and cleaning up contaminated sites.

• CalEPA. Shifts $3.1 million in 2026-27 and $3.2 million in 2027-28 and ongoing from the General Fund to various special funds. These funds support CalEPA in overseeing the boards, departments, and offices under its purview.

Natural Resources

California Natural Resources Agency

The budget provides $498 million from various fund sources to support CNRA in 2026-27, which represents a decrease of $266 million (35 percent) when compared to the revised 2025-26 expenditure level due primarily to the expiration of one-time funds. (This total includes funding the agency receives on behalf of the Ocean Protection Council, including for the Once-Through Cooling Interim Mitigation Program Payments, and for the Salton Sea Conservancy.) The 2026-27 spending plan appropriates $247 million from Proposition 4 through CNRA’s budget—including $69 million for regional conveyance projects and repairs (in coordination with the Department of Water Resources [DWR]), $25 million for the Ocean Protection Council’s sea level rise mitigation and adaptation activities, and $23 million to improve conditions on wildlife refuges and wetland habitat areas—and $10 million from GGRF for geothermal resource development. Additionally, the budget includes a total of $164 million General Fund in 2026-27 for CNRA to coordinate and distribute across a variety of one-time efforts and projects. The largest of these allocations include $20 million for California’s Holocaust Center, $12 million for the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, $10 million for the California Police Memorial in Sacramento, and an additional $10 million for geothermal resource development.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

The budget provides $4.8 billion from various fund sources to support CalFire in 2026-27, which represents a decrease of $229 million (5 percent) when compared to the revised 2025-26 expenditure level. This total includes an estimated $1.4 billion from GGRF in 2026-27, including the $1.15 billion General Fund backfill discussed above. The 2026-27 spending plan also appropriates $207 million from Proposition 4 to the department, including $64 million for local fire prevention grants, $39 million for regional projects, and $37 million for the forest health program. CalFire’s budget also includes $468 million and 1,453 positions in 2026-27 to continue implementing the department’s shift to a 66-hour workweek, an increase of $163 million and 551 positions for this effort compared to 2025-26. Other notable features of CalFire’s 2026-27 budget include the following:

• Fixed-Wing Pilot and Mechanics Contract Increases. The budget provides $66.5 million General Fund in 2026-27 and increasing amounts in future years, growing to $74.2 million ongoing in 2030-31, for CalFire to cover the increased costs of its air tanker and command center aircraft mechanic and pilot contracts.

• Defensible Space Inspectors. The budget includes $6.2 million General Fund and 31 positions in 2026-27 (and a similar amount ongoing) for the department to perform defensible space inspections of parcels within the State Responsibility Area once every three years.

• Home Hardening Compliance Report. The budget provides $2.5 million General Fund in 2026-27 for the State Fire Marshal to compile a report estimating the total number of homes in each fire hazard severity zone and responsibility area that meet or do not meet specific home hardening standards, pursuant to the requirements of Chapter 765 of 2026 (AB 1964, Bennett).

• Capital Outlay Projects. The budget includes $112.5 million—$82.2 million General Fund and $30.3 million in lease revenue bonds—for CalFire capital outlay projects in 2026-27. These projects include $30.3 million to replace the Potrero Fire Station, $28.9 million to replace CalFire communications facilities across the state, and $10 million to relocate the Riverside Unit Headquarters. These 2026-27 allocations represent the first year of CalFire’s five-year capital outlay plan which, including current and future projects, is estimated to cost a total of $1.7 billion.

Department of Water Resources

The budget package includes a total of $2.9 billion from various fund sources to support DWR in 2026-27, including $272 million from the General Fund. (The total includes the roughly $1.5 billion in annual payments from water contractors for DWR’s work on the State Water Project that is continuously appropriated outside of the annual budget act.) The total DWR budget is down a net $1.8 billion (38 percent) from the estimated 2025-26 expenditure level. This decrease is mostly due to the expiration of one-time funds that were available to DWR in 2025-26 as well as a comparatively lower level of Proposition 4 spending in 2026-27. Below we highlight some of the main changes in the DWR budget.

Appropriates $361 Million From Proposition 4 for DWR Water Resilience Projects. In total, Proposition 4 includes nearly $2 billion for a variety of programs administered by DWR. The spending plan appropriates $361 million of this total for DWR in 2026-27, including $247.6 million for flood management; $77.5 million for regional watershed, groundwater management, and instream flow projects; $14 million for dam safety; $11.9 million for the Urban Streams Restoration Program; and $4.8 million for riverine stewardship projects. (Please see the later section on Proposition 4 for more details about the overall bond spending plan.)

Provides a Total of $267 Million for Flood Management and Related Programs. The spending plan includes $247.6 million from Proposition 4 and $19.1 million from the General Fund to support the following flood programs:

• State Plan of Flood Control Projects. Includes a total of $147.6 million one-time from Proposition 4 for the following programs: Small Communities Flood Risk Reduction Program ($14.4 million), Urban Flood Risk Reduction Program and projects conducted with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) ($109.1 million), and Systemwide Flood Risk Reduction Program ($24.1 million).

• Delta Levees. Includes a total of $75 million one time from Proposition 4 to support Delta Levees Special Flood Control Projects and the Delta Levee Maintenance Subventions Program. Budget language directs $30 million of the total to fund repair of Delta levees associated with the State Water Project.

• Statewide Flood Control Subventions Program. Includes $24.4 million one time from Proposition 4 for local flood projects conducted in partnership with USACE that are outside the State Plan of Flood Control.

• Urban Flood Risk Reduction—State Operations. Includes $12.5 million one time ($8.7 million from the General Fund and $3.8 million from Proposition 4) to support state operations associated with projects conducted in collaboration with USACE.

• Delta Levees Program Mitigation. Includes $7.9 million one time from the General Fund to support habitat mitigation that is required due to impacts from various Delta levee projects.

• Coyote Creek Flood Protection Project. Includes $2.5 million one time from the General Fund to the Coyote Creek project located in Santa Clara County.

Provides Funding and Spending Authority for the South Delta Gates Project. The budget provides $146 million one time to support construction of the South Delta Gates Project, including $35.8 million from the state ($4.4 million from Proposition 13 [2000] and $31.5 million from Proposition 50 [2002]) and $110 million in federal fund spending authority. The project involves installation of three permanent barriers with operable gates designed to manage water levels, water quality, and migratory fish passage in the South Delta. Through environmental reviews and collaborative planning, federal and state officials identified the project in 2000 to help resolve some of the challenges in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Includes $25 Million for Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program. The spending plan includes $25 million one time from the General Fund to support state costs associated with the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program (also known as the voluntary agreements). Funding will support habitat restoration projects and water purchases. The budget act includes language that makes the funding contingent on the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) adopting an update to the San Francisco Bay-Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Plan that includes this program.

Provides $25 Million One Time for a San Joaquin River Fish Passage Project. The spending plan includes $9.5 million one time from Proposition 1 (2014) bond funds and $15.5 million from Proposition 4 for the Eastside Bypass Control Structure Fish Passage Rock Ramp project on the San Joaquin River. This funding and project contribute to the state’s minimum $200 million obligation that is part of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program. (A 2006 settlement agreement requires the state, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and the Friant Water Users Authority to mitigate the detrimental effects of the Friant Dam on native salmon.)

Reallocates Funding for a Project at the Salton Sea. The spending plan makes a few funding changes to a habitat project at the Salton Sea. First, it reverts $16.8 million in Proposition 68 (2018) local assistance funds that had been approved in 2020-21 for the North Lake Pilot Demonstration Project. It then reallocates that funding to DWR ($16.2 million) and CNRA ($600,000). DWR will combine the pilot project with the larger adjacent North Lake Wetlands Project (which received Proposition 4 support in 2025-26) and award a single contract for both projects. CNRA will use $600,000 for an agreement with the Salton Sea Authority for its involvement in project delivery.

Backfills Federal Forecasting Services. The spending plan includes $9.5 million from the General Fund in 2026-27 and ongoing and 15 new permanent positions for statutorily required forecasting services, including 24-hour flood emergency response, river forecasting, and snow surveys for water supply forecasting. Positions and funding will help to replace federal staffing and resources that formerly supported these activities before being reduced in recent years.

Provides Ongoing General Fund Appropriation to Update the California Water Plan. Chapter 210 of 2025 (SB 72, Caballero) requires DWR to update the California Water Plan—which is produced every five years—by setting long-term water supply targets and identifying the activities necessary to achieve those targets. The spending plan provides $5.8 million General Fund annually from 2026-27 through 2030-31 and $2.4 million General Fund annually thereafter to implement SB 72’s requirements.

Department of Parks and Recreation

The budget provides $1 billion from various fund sources to support the Department of Parks and Recreation (Parks) in 2026-27, which represents a decrease of $932 million (47 percent) when compared to the revised 2025-26 expenditure level. The decrease is primarily associated with the expiration of one-time funds that were available to Parks in 2025-26 and a year-over-year drop in Proposition 4 allocations. The 2026-27 spending plan appropriates $62 million from Proposition 4 to Parks, including $33 million for forest health and watershed improvement projects and $10 million for the County of Los Angeles’ Rory M. Shaw Wetlands Park Project. Other notable features of Parks’ budget include the following:

• Will Rogers and Dockweiler State Beaches Operations Transition. The budget includes $24.4 million ($19.2 million General Fund and $5.2 million from the State Parks and Recreation Fund [SPRF]) in 2026-27 and $12.1 million ($3.5 million General Fund and $8.6 million SPRF) in 2027-28 and ongoing to transition the operations of Dockweiler and Will Rogers State Beaches from Los Angeles County to Parks after the termination of their joint powers agreement in September 2026.

• California Indian Heritage Center (CIHC). The budget includes $2.1 million General Fund in 2026-27 to complete the initial phase of the CIHC project, as well as $1 million General Fund and three positions in 2026-27 (and a similar amount ongoing) to provide public access to the CIHC site. Proposed trailer bill language to establish a CIHC support organization, however, was deferred to the policy process and adopted in part through Chapter 451 of 2026 (AB 1592, Ramos).

• California State Parks Library Pass Program. The budget provides $6.8 million General Fund in 2026-27 and ongoing for the California State Parks Library Pass Program. The program provides free access to most state parks through passes that can be checked out from public library branches throughout the state. (Previous budgets had funded this program on a limited-term basis.)

• Capital Outlay Projects. The budget includes $22.5 million from various funding sources for Parks capital outlay projects in 2026-27. These projects include $10.8 million for public use facilities at the Bowtie subunit of Rio de Los Angeles State Park and $5 million to acquire property adjacent to or near State Vehicular Recreation Areas.

Department of Fish and Wildlife

The spending plan includes a total of $706 million from all funding sources in 2026-27 for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), including $194 million from the General Fund. Total spending for CDFW is down $111 million from 2025-26 on net, or 14 percent. The decline is mostly due to the expiration of prior one-time and bond funding but is partially offset by a comparatively higher level of Proposition 4 spending in 2026-27. The budget package also maintains 60 of 164 vacant CDFW positions (and an associated $5 million in other funds) initially proposed to be eliminated by the Governor but objected to by the Legislature. While it eliminates 104 vacant positions, the budget agreement allows CDFW to retain $6.6 million in other funds that had been tied to some of those positions. We discuss other notable changes in the CDFW budget below.

Provides $43 Million From Proposition 4 for Several Activities. The spending plan appropriates $43 million from Proposition 4 in 2026-27 for management of Central Valley Chinook salmon hatcheries ($19.8 million), upgrades at various state-owned properties as part of reducing climate impacts on disadvantaged communities ($21.6 million), and staffing costs within the Salton Sea Management Program ($1.7 million). In addition, the budget package appropriates $39.1 million to the Wildlife Conservation Board which will then transfer the funds to CDFW for the salmon monitoring, parental-based tagging, and cohort reconstruction program.

Provides Ongoing Funding for the Nutria Eradication Program. The budget provides $8.2 million in 2026-27 and $8 million in 2027-28 and ongoing from the General Fund, along with one new position, to support CDFW’s existing nutria eradication program. An invasive species detected in California in 2017, nutria carry pathogens and parasites that pose risks to human and animal health, damage flood-protection levees and water conveyance infrastructure with their burrowing behavior, destroy crops, degrade native vegetation, and contaminate water supplies. The funding provided will help to backfill expiring one-time funds and expand the program to address the increasing threat from nutria, whose population continues to grow and spread geographically.

Provides Support for Golden Mussel Containment. The spending plan provides authority for eight new permanent positions at CDFW for the statewide golden mussel containment program, to be supported for three years using a portion of a $20 million Proposition 4 appropriation provided in 2025-26. (The remainder of that funding will support other golden mussel containment activities, including outreach, education, and laboratory and field equipment and supplies.) The 2026-27 budget package also provides $6 million one time from the General Fund to support golden mussel decontamination control sites in the Delta. The highly invasive golden mussel was first detected in California in 2024 and can quickly clog vital water supply and delivery infrastructure, threaten drinking water systems, and degrade aquatic habitat for other species.

Provides $6 Million One Time for Coexisting With Wildlife Programs. The budget provides $5 million from the General Fund for the Wolf-Livestock Compensation Program ($2.5 million) and rapid-response and wolf management needs ($2.5 million). It also provides $1 million for the Coexisting with Wildlife Initiative using funds from the Environmental License Plate Fund that had previously been supporting other CDFW activities. The budget backfills and maintains support for those other activities—such as hunting and fishing—by providing a like amount of increased spending from the Fish and Game Preservation Fund. (These shifts help ensure that expenditures comply with the allowable uses of various special funds.)

Other Staffing and Facility Augmentations. Other notable spending plan increases in staffing and funding for CDFW include: (1) 22 new positions in the cannabis program to remediate lands damaged by cannabis growing and to provide enforcement support (funded with continuously appropriated cannabis tax revenues); (2) three positions and $5 million in 2026-27 growing to $5.4 million in 2027-28 and ongoing from the General Fund to support the San Joaquin Research and Conservation Hatchery Facility, the San Joaquin River Restoration Program, and the Merced River Hatchery; and (3) five positions, $1.4 million in 2026-27, and $1.3 million annually in 2027-28 through 2031-32—all from the General Fund—to implement Chapter 638 of 2025 (AB 1319, Schultz), which requires CDFW to monitor reductions in federal protections of endangered species and potentially list affected species under the California Endangered Species Act.

California Energy Commission

The budget includes a total of $457 million, almost entirely from special funds, for the California Energy Commission (CEC) in 2026-27. This is a significant decrease from the estimated prior-year expenditure level of $2.8 billion, due largely to the expiration of one-time state and federal funding that was available in 2025-26. We discuss notable changes to CEC’s 2026-27 budget below.

Implements Various Pieces of Legislation. The budget package includes a total of $5.7 million from various special funds in 2026-27, as well as some out-year funding, and 14 positions to support the implementation of six recently adopted policy bills. This includes $2 million annually for four years from the Energy Resources Programs Account (ERPA) and four positions to prepare program environmental impact reports for categories of clean energy projects, as required by Chapter 119 of 2025 (SB 254, Becker). The budget also provides $1.3 million in 2026-27, decreasing to $1.1 million in 2027-28 and ongoing, from ERPA and ten positions to implement Chapter 35 of 2026 (SB 1350, McNerney), which allows hydrogen generated from certain renewable sources to be used to fulfill Renewables Portfolio Standard requirements.

Augments Funding for Petroleum Research and Oversight. The budget package includes a total of $1.9 million from ERPA in 2026-27 and ongoing and eight positions for activities related to overseeing the petroleum industry, including: (1) $1.7 million and seven positions for petroleum market price and supply research and (2) $173,000 and one position to support data analysis at the independent Division of Petroleum Market Oversight.

Modifies Funding for the Demand Side Grid Support (DSGS) Program and Distributed Electricity Backup Assets (DEBA) Program. The DSGS and DEBA programs are both intended to support the state’s electrical grid during times of high usage, such as by reducing electricity demand. The budget package includes the following actions related to these programs in 2026-27:

• Shifts Some DEBA Funding to DSGS. Budget trailer legislation, Chapter 81 of 2026 (SB 168, Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review) authorizes the transfer of unspent General Fund monies originally appropriated for DEBA—totaling an estimated $27 million—to DSGS. (Absent this action, this funding would have reverted back to the General Fund.)

• Provides Additional General Fund for DEBA. Allocates $10 million from the General Fund on a one-time basis for DEBA, directing the funding for new clean microgrids or new nonresidential or aggregated residential distributed clean energy and storage projects.

Funds Incentives for Heat Pump Adoption. The budget includes $2 million one-time General Fund to incentivize heat pump adoption and support contractors meeting certain labor standards and requirements.

California Conservation Corps

The budget provides $214 million from various fund sources to support the California Conservation Corps (CCC) in 2026-27, which represents a decrease of $9 million (4 percent) when compared to the revised 2025-26 expenditure level. The 2026-27 spending plan appropriates $11 million from Proposition 4 and an estimated $12 million from GGRF specifically for CCC Corpsmembers and staff to train and work on climate resilience projects in energy conservation, urban greening, vegetation management, and other areas. Other notable features of CCC’s budget include the following:

• Greenwood Residential Center Staffing. The budget includes $12.3 million—$6.8 million General Fund and $5.5 million in reimbursements—and 24 positions in 2026-27 and a similar amount ongoing to open the new Greenwood Residential Center in El Dorado County. The funding is intended to support 100 new Corpsmembers and 19 on-site personnel, as well as 5 additional CCC headquarters staff for administrative services.

• Hand Crew Resources. The budget provides $11.7 million General Fund and 49 positions in 2026-27 and a similar amount ongoing for CCC hand crews to operate on a daily, year-round schedule that aligns with CalFire’s hand crew requirements. This includes support for staffing relief when Corpsmembers are temporarily unavailable due to injury or illness.

Exposition Park

The budget provides $167 million from various fund sources to support Exposition (Expo) Park in 2026-27, which represents an increase of $120 million (258 percent) when compared to the revised 2025-26 expenditure level. The increase is primarily due to significant one-time funding for improvements and repairs. Notable features of Expo Park’s budget include the following:

• Site Improvements and Utility Replacement. The budget includes $96.5 million in one-time funding ($76 million General Fund and $20.5 million from the Exposition Park Improvement Fund) in 2026-27 primarily to repair sidewalk curbs, streets, and walkways in the park ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

• California Science Center: Phase III Air and Space Center Facility Operations and Opening. The budget provides $9.3 million General Fund and 31 positions in 2026-27 (and a similar amount ongoing) to open the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Museum portion of the center with the administrative, curatorial, maintenance, and support staff needed for its operation.

• Funding for Other Expo Park Projects. The budget package provides one-time General Fund for some other Expo Park projects in 2026-27, including (1) $7 million for a parkwide surveillance camera system, (2) $5 million for operational needs at the California African American Museum, and (3) $3 million to make the Black Arts Collection publicly available.

Environmental Protection

Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery

The budget provides $2.2 billion to support the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) in 2026-27. This represents a $73 million (4 percent) increase when compared to the estimated 2025-26 expenditure level. The increase largely reflects additional spending authorized from the Beverage Container Recycling Fund (BCRF), as we describe below. The budget package also maintains nine of 95 vacant CalRecycle positions (and an associated $1.2 million in other funds) initially proposed to be eliminated by the Governor but objected to by the Legislature.

Augmentation From BCRF to Support Various Programs. The budget package authorizes additional limited-term, multiyear funding from BCRF to support several existing and new beverage container recycling programs, including $190 million in 2026-27, $35 million in 2027-28, and $30 million in 2028-29.

• Rural Recycling Incentive Payment Program. The budget includes $50 million in 2026-27 to establish this new program, which will provide funding to rural jurisdictions to support the development of new beverage container redemption locations. The budget also authorizes $282,000 ongoing and two positions to support the program.

• Beverage Container Quality Infrastructure Grant Program. The budget includes $100 million in 2026-27 to support this existing program, which provides infrastructure grants to improve the sorting of beverage containers gathered from curbside recycling and drop-off collection programs.

• Plastic Market Development Payment Program. Budget trailer legislation—Chapter 62 of 2026 (SB 166, Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review)—extends and funds the Plastic Market Development Payment Program through 2028-29. Specifically, the legislation authorizes continuous appropriations of $35 million in 2026-27, $30 million in 2027-28, and $25 million in 2028-29. The program provides incentive payments to eligible processors and manufacturers that use recycled plastic beverage containers to produce new products. The legislation also increases the maximum payment rate from $150 per ton to $250 per ton.

• Plastic Reclaimers and Manufacturers Grant Program. Senate Bill 166 also establishes and provides funding for a new Plastic Reclaimers and Manufacturers Grant Program. Specifically, the legislation authorizes annual continuous appropriations of $5 million from 2026-27 through 2028-29. The program will provide infrastructure grants to support eligible plastic reclaimers and manufacturers in using recycled plastic beverage containers to produce new products.

Subsurface Elevated Temperature (SET) Events. The budget includes $2 million from the Integrated Waste Management Account and four positions to support CalRecycle in addressing SET events at landfills. SET events are subsurface reactions that increase temperatures within landfills, which can potentially damage liners and gas collection systems and pose risks to the environment and nearby communities. The budget also includes $3.2 million from various special funds for DTSC, CalEPA, and SWRCB to support their activities related to SET events. Specifically, this funding will address the additional workload related to two active SET events occurring in the state; enhance overall state oversight; and update regulations to strengthen monitoring, response, and enforcement for future SET events.

State Water Resources Control Board

The spending plan includes a total of $2 billion from all funding sources in 2026-27 for SWRCB, including $90 million from the General Fund. This total is down $696 million on net, or 26 percent, from 2025-26. The year-to-year decline is mostly due to the expiration of one-time General Fund and GGRF funding and a comparatively lower level of Proposition 4 spending. The budget package also maintains 29 of 91 vacant SWRCB positions (and an associated $5.7 million in other funds) initially proposed to be eliminated by the Governor but objected to by the Legislature. We discuss notable changes in the SWRCB budget below.

Includes $432 Million From Proposition 4 for Water Resilience Activities. Proposition 4 includes a total of nearly $1.2 billion for six programs administered by SWRCB. The spending plan appropriates $432 million of this total in 2026-27. Funding supports drinking water grants and loans ($265.7 million—of which $100 million is explicitly for the Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience [SAFER] program),—tribal drinking water infrastructure projects ($12.9 million), multi-benefit urban stormwater projects ($49.2 million), and water reuse and recycling ($103.4 million). (As shown above in Figures 3 and 4, the budget package also assumes the SAFER program will receive $71 million from GGRF in 2026-27, though final funding amounts will depend on how much cap-and-invest auction revenue the state receives in the coming year.)

Supports SWRCB’s Staffing Costs to Assume Regulation and Oversight in Three Counties. Three local counties recently terminated agreements to serve as local primacy agencies for certain delegated state water quality management responsibilities. The budget therefore includes ongoing funding from the Safe Drinking Water Account for SWRCB to assume these responsibilities. This includes $952,000 annually and four permanent positions to regulate public small water systems in Contra Costa and Kings Counties and $785,000 annually and three permanent positions to oversee recycled water projects in San Diego County.

Provides $2.6 Million and 12 Positions to Support Water Quality Permitting Work. A 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Sackett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency case led to a narrowing of which wetlands and ephemeral bodies of water are protected under the federal Clean Water Act. To provide state-level protections for bodies of water that are now excluded from federal regulation, the spending plan includes $2.6 million on an ongoing basis from the Waste Discharge Permit Fund and 12 permanent positions to conduct increased water quality and waste discharge permitting workload at SWRCB. (Previous budgets had provided $6.1 million in 2024-25 and $4.8 million ongoing beginning in 2025-26 as well as 26 permanent positions for similar activities.)

Includes $1 Million and Four Positions for the Border Water Quality Protection Unit. The budget includes $1 million from the Waste Discharge Permit Fund on an ongoing basis and four permanent positions to establish a Border Water Quality Protection Unit based at the San Diego Regional Water Quality Board. The new unit will manage increased regulatory, permitting, and enforcement workload associated with projects and activities to address cross-border pollution from Mexico discharged into the Tijuana River and Estuary.

Increases Expenditure Authority to Support the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Program. SWRCB administers funding from the federal government to support local drinking water capital projects through its Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan program. Although the federal program sets aside 4 percent of the annual allocation to pay for state administrative expenditures, this amount often is not sufficient to cover these costs. To close the gap, the spending plan provides $3.5 million annually beginning in 2026-27 from the state’s Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Administration Fund.

California Air Resources Board

The spending plan includes a total of $1.3 billion for CARB in 2026-27, almost entirely from special funds. This represents a decrease of $69 million (5 percent) compared to CARB’s estimated expenditure level in 2025-26. We discuss notable changes to CARB’s budget in 2026-27 below.

Increases Funding for the Community Air Protection Program. The budget includes $150 million on a one-time basis from the General Fund to support the Community Air Protection Program created by Chapter 136 of 2017 (AB 617, C. Garcia). This is in addition to a projected $79 million from GGRF for the program—$20 million in discretionary funds and a projected $59 million from Tier 3 allocations—as highlighted above in Figures 3 and 4.

Funds Zero-Emission Cars and Trucks. The budget includes a total of $288 million from various special funds in 2026-27 and additional funding in the out-years to support zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) adoption. Specifically, the budget:

• Creates New ZEV Incentive Program. Includes a cumulative total of $135.5 million—$115 million from GGRF and $20.5 million from the Air Pollution Control Fund (APCF)—in 2026-27 and associated budget trailer legislation (SB 168) to create a new point-of-sale incentive program for light-duty ZEVs.

• Augments Existing Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP). Includes a total of $135.5 million in 2026-27 from APCF for ZEV truck incentives through HVIP.

• Provides Funding for Clean Cars 4 All Program. Includes $17 million annually for five years from the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Subaccount for the districts participating in the Clean Cars 4 All program.

Appropriates Settlement Funds. The budget package includes funding related to two legal settlements. First, it authorizes $95.6 million from APCF over three fiscal years ($72.4 million in 2026-27 and $11.6 million in 2027-28 and 2028-29) to support various one-time activities, such as improvements in air pollution-related certification, testing, and enforcement. This funding is available because of a legal settlement between the state and Hino Motors (a subsidiary of Toyota). Second, the budget includes $14.4 million in reimbursement authority from APCF on a one-time basis to support staffing costs to monitor and close out projects funded by monies from a 2016 Volkswagen consent decree.

Supports the Funding Agricultural Replacement Measures for Emission Reductions (FARMER) Program. The budget includes $10 million on a one-time basis from GGRF to support the FARMER program, which provides funding to local air districts to replace agricultural vehicles and equipment with cleaner alternatives.

State Operations Activities. The budget includes a number of allocations for CARB staff to undertake statutory responsibilities, as well as to support contracts with other state agencies or entities. These include:

• Litigation Costs. The budget includes $5 million annually in 2026-27 and 2027-28 from APCF to support increased litigation costs related to defending the state’s environmental laws and regulations from actions taken by the federal government.

• Implementing AB 1207 and SB 840. The budget includes $3.6 million and ten positions in 2026-27 and ongoing ($2.8 million from the Cost of Implementation Account and $871,000 from GGRF) for CARB to undertake new activities associated with implementing AB 1207 and SB 840 requirements.

• Implementing SB 352. The budget includes $1.6 million ongoing and 5.2 positions to implement Chapter 118 of 2025 (SB 352, Reyes) related to the AB 617 Community Air Protection Program.

• Activities to Protect Against Acrolein and Ethylene Oxide. The budget includes a total of $2.2 million on a one-time basis from APCF for CARB (as well as $300,000 for the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment) to support contracts for research and analysis on cancer risk from acrolein and ethylene oxide.

• Implementation of Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation. The budget includes $1.7 million ongoing from APCF and ten positions to support the implementation of the state and local government provisions of the Advanced Clean Fleets regulation.

• Augmenting Consolidated Administration. The budget includes $995,000 in 2026-27 and ongoing from various special funds and six positions to support various human resources and information technology-related functions.

Shifts Funds From the Certification and Compliance Fund (CCF). The budget shifts a total of $7.2 million from CCF to other special funds, in part to help maintain the solvency of CCF. This includes shifting: (1) $4.5 million related to maintenance and operations of the Southern California Headquarters Building to various other special funds and (2) $2.8 million related to the implementation and enforcement of the In-Use Locomotive Regulation to APCF.

Department of Toxic Substances Control

The budget provides $427 million to support DTSC in 2026-27. This represents a $78 million (15 percent) decrease when compared to the estimated 2025-26 expenditure level. The decrease largely reflects (1) lower General Fund and GGRF spending as one-time funding provided in prior budget packages phases out and (2) the timing of when previously approved expenditures associated with the former Exide facility are reflected. The budget package also maintains 75 of 112 vacant DTSC positions (and an associated $10.6 million in other funds) initially proposed to be eliminated by the Governor but objected to by the Legislature.

Exide Residential Cleanup. The budget package includes $70 million in both 2026-27 and 2027-28—$20 million from the Lead-Acid Battery Cleanup Fund and $50 million from the General Fund as a loan to the Toxic Substances Control Account—to support DTSC in cleaning up additional residential properties impacted by lead-contaminated soil linked to the former Exide facility in the City of Vernon. The funding is estimated to support the cleanup of approximately 1,000 properties (about 500 per year), though DTSC estimates that about 2,100 properties still would require remediation thereafter.

Proposition 4

Budget Package Provides $2.7 Billion for Second Year of Proposition 4 Implementation. As shown in Figure 6, the budget package authorizes the state to spend $2.7 billion, or slightly more than 25 percent, of the $10 billion climate bond in 2025-26. This amount was approved in three different 2026 budget actions: (1) $67 million provided through Chapter 19 of 2026 (AB 109, Gabriel), (2) $15 million through Chapter 21 of 2026 (SB 111, Laird), and (3) $2.6 billion through Chapter 248 of 2026 (AB 113, Gabriel). This total is higher than the $2.1 billion that the administration had proposed in January, largely reflecting legislative augmentations. As shown in the figure, the total amount of bond funding available for future years is $3.8 billion, with the largest remaining balances in the Safe Drinking Water, Drought, Flood, and Water Resilience ($1.5 billion); Coastal Resilience ($697 million); and Wildfire and Forest Resilience ($561 million) categories.

New Statutory Language Intended to Facilitate Large-Scale Projects and Reduce Administrative Burdens. The budget package adds Control Section 15.04 to the 2025-26 and 2026-27 budget acts to allow state departments that each administer different Proposition 4 grant programs to jointly fund projects at a landscape and/or multi-jurisdictional scale and consolidate funding, administration, and oversight under one lead department. The lead department will then work directly with the grantee to complete the project with the consolidated funding, including ensuring compliance with bond requirements. When one department awards a Proposition 4 grant to another department, the control section also allows the Department of Finance to transfer spending authority directly to the receiving department rather than that department needing to request and wait for reimbursement.

New Administrative Procedure Act Exemption. Chapter 106 of 2025 (AB 149, Committee on Budget) required departments that are administering Proposition 4-funded programs to use emergency regulations to develop and adopt program guidelines and selection criteria. This is now superseded by Chapter 5 of 2026 (AB 107, Gabriel) and Chapter 89 of 2026 (AB 35, Alvarez), which exempt Proposition 4-funded programs in 2025-26, 2026-27, and future fiscal years from the need to adopt regulations and instead require administering departments to submit their proposed guidelines and processes to CNRA.

Funding for Specified Projects and Programs. In many cases, Proposition 4 requires that funding be allocated through preexisting programs or via competitive grants. However, in some instances, the bond language provides for more discretion around exactly how funds will be used, thereby allowing the annual budget act to allocate funds for specific projects. The 2026-27 budget package targets some Proposition 4 funding for specific projects or programs that are not explicitly stipulated in the bond language. The largest of these set-asides is $125 million for the acquisition of the Golden Gate Fields property in the San Francisco Bay Area using funding in three different bond categories—$60 million from Coastal Resilience, $53 million from Biodiversity and Nature-Based Climate Solutions, and $12 million from Park Creation and Outdoor Access. Figure 7 lists the specified programs and projects that the 2026-27 budget package supports with Proposition 4, along with their respective bond spending categories.

Overview of Specific Spending Categories

Below, we provide Figures 8 through 15 showing how the 2026-27 spending plan allocates funding within each of Proposition 4’s eight spending categories. (The amounts displayed in these tables include the specific projects identified in Figure 7.)