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4,786 Publications Found
December 2, 2009 - In this six-minute video, analyst Mark Whitaker summarizes the findings from our report, Improving State Oversight Of Academic Expansions.
December 2, 2009 - The state’s public higher education segments periodically create new degree programs and schools, and each segment has internal procedures for reviewing and authorizing them. State law delegates the state’s oversight of proposals to the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) but their role is only advisory and limited to certain proposals. In 2007 CPEC determined that a new law school proposed for University of California (UC) Irvine was unnecessary and duplicative. The opening of the new law school this fall despite CPEC’s objections calls into question the ability of the state’s approval process to prevent unnecessary or nonpriority programs and schools. In this report, we examine a number of new programs and schools that have been approved in the last few years to determine the efficacy of the state’s approval process. We conclude that there are several structural changes that are needed to improve the approval process including (a) measuring supply and demand in major fields, (b) identifying the extent to which proposals fit with the state's priorities and resources, and (c) increasing oversight from the Legislature.
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November 30, 2009 - Presented to: Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on State Administration Hon. Mark DeSaulnier, Chair and Senate Public Safety Committee Hon. Mark Leno, Chair
November 23, 2009 - We reviewed the progress of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), local road agencies, and transit operators in their use of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds in the months since the enactment of the federal stimulus programs and found that (1) Caltrans has made good progress in the use of almost $1 billion made available to the department, already putting out to bid contracts for 92 percent of the funds; (2) local road agencies have been slower to use their obligated ARRA transportation funds, with contracts for only one–third of their funds out to bid; and (3) the progress of transit system operators is unclear due to a lack of complete information. From the data we were able to compile, however, the operators appear to be making good progress. We recommend that the Legislature hold oversight hearings on the use of ARRA transportation funds to determine if any actions are necessary to ensure that California meets various ARRA deadlines.
November 18, 2009 - Presented to Assembly Education Committee
November 18, 2009 - Presented to Assembly Education Committee
November 18, 2009 - Presented on 11/18/09
November 18, 2009 - Presented to Senate Health Committee
November 18, 2009 - Five brief webcasts summarizing our 2010-11 Fiscal Outlook publication. Includes: (1) Overview, (2) Methodology, (3) Correction/Prisons, (4) Proposition 98, and (5) Higher Education.
November 18, 2009 - Our forecast of California’s General Fund revenues and expenditures shows that the state must address a General Fund budget problem of $20.7 billion between now and the time the Legislature enacts a 2010–11 state budget plan. The budget problem consists of a $6.3 billion projected deficit for 2009–10 and a $14.4 billion gap between projected revenues and spending in 2010–11. Addressing this large shortfall will require painful choices—on top of the difficult choices the Legislature made earlier this year.
November 17, 2009 - Presented to Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee
November 12, 2009 - Presented to the Council of State Governments, La Quinta, California
November 12, 2009 - Almost 50 years ago, the state of California adopted a visionary plan for higher education that sought to forge the state’s colleges and universities into a coordinated system, founded on core principles and directed toward specified goals. Adherence to that vision has been uneven over the past five decades, while changes in demographics and the economy have caused the state’s educational needs to evolve. The 50th anniversary of the Master Plan thus presents a timely opportunity for policymakers to take stock of California’s higher education system in light of current and projected needs and priorities. In order to assist the Legislature in such an effort, our office is launching a series of publications examining key aspects of higher education policy and funding. The series is designed to frame key issues for legislative consideration, and assist in the refinement of higher education goals and policies. This report provides an overview of the series.
November 11, 2009 - In this four-minute video, analyst Erika Li summarizes the LAO report Expanding Multi–Stage Procurements for Large IT Systems.
November 11, 2009 - The state's traditional approach for IT procurement, called the firm fixed price (FFP) procurement, creates a prescriptive process that gives equal footing to all vendors to help ensure open competition and reduce the state’s exposure to protests and potential lawsuits due to perceived vendor bias. As an alternative the state is beginning to look to so-called multi–stage procurement because it creates a collaborative environment for state and vendor staff. Our analysis indicates that an earlier evaluation of procurement strategy can reduce the risks of cost overruns and schedule delays, so we recommend that the Legislature require state entities to include procurement strategies in project documents when they submit them for approval.
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