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LAO Report

Report

The 2024-25 Budget: Crafting Climate, Resources, and Environmental Budget Solutions

February 14, 2024 - This report describes the Governor’s proposed budget solutions within climate, resources, and environmental programs, and provides the Legislature with suggestions for how it might modify the spending plan to better reflect its priorities and prepare to address a potentially larger budget problem.


Report

Key Fiscal and Policy Issues Facing California

February 7, 2024 - Key Fiscal and Policy Issues Facing California identifies some of the biggest and most complex policy issues facing the state and its policymakers. Given the significance and complexity of these issues, our discussion of each issue is necessarily high level and does not provide recommendations. Rather, our hope is that Key Issues can serve as a helpful resource to the Legislature as it evaluates fiscal and policy solutions aimed at tackling some of the state's most challenging, but critical, long-term issues.


Report

State Assistance to Businesses in Response to COVID-19

January 4, 2024 - This report provides an analysis of state assistance given to businesses in response to COVID-19. It includes: (1) background information on the state and federal programs that provided both broad and targeted relief to businesses; (2) a description of the industries that received the most public assistance; and (3) a description of the types of communities, defined using zip codes, that received more state and federal assistance. The report concludes with some findings and comments for the Legislature.


Report

Assessing Early Implementation of Urban Water Use Efficiency Requirements

January 4, 2024 - Legislation approved in 2018 established a long-term urban water use efficiency framework to “Make Conservation a California Way of Life,” creating new requirements for urban retail water suppliers across the state. This report responds to a requirement that our office assess implementation of the framework.


Report

Assessing California’s Climate Policies—Implications for State Transportation Funding and Programs

December 13, 2023 - This report discusses how meeting the state’s greenhouse gas reduction goals will affect existing fuel tax revenues and projects specific impacts on state transportation programs.


Report

Overview and Update on the Prison Receivership

November 8, 2023 - California’s prison medical system has been under direct management of a Receiver appointed by a federal court since 2006 because the state was found to be providing unconstitutional levels of care. In this brief, we provide an overview of the establishment of the Receivership, changes to prison medical care made by the Receiver, and the steps that the state needs to complete in order to exit the Receivership. We also raise some issues for legislative consideration related to the Receivership.


Report

Achieving the Goals of the SB 678 County Probation Grant Program

October 10, 2023 - In order to reduce admissions into state prison from people on county probation, the state enacted Chapter 608 of 2009 (SB 678, Leno) to establish the Community Corrections Performance Incentive grant program, commonly referred to as the SB 678 grant program. This report provides (1) background on the program—discussing its goals, funding formula, and modifications; (2) an assessment of the program; and (3) recommended steps to better achieve the goals of the program.


Report

Nonreporting Entities' Information Security Compliance

March 30, 2023 - This report satisfies supplemental report language adopted by the Legislature in 2022 on nonreporting entities’ information security (IS) compliance. Among other considerations, this report (1) identifies each of the nonreporting entities based on one statutory interpretation, (2) considers whether some of them could benefit from compliance with and reporting on IS policies and procedures similar to those set by the California Department of Technology, and (3) provides options for the Legislature to consider to improve nonreporting entities’ IS compliance and achieve a certain IS maturity level.


Report

The 2023-24 Budget: Crafting Climate, Resources, and Environmental Budget Solutions

February 22, 2023 - This report describes the Governor’s proposed budget solutions within climate, resources, and environmental programs, and provides the Legislature with a framework and suggestions for how it might modify those proposals to better reflect its priorities and prepare to address a potentially larger budget problem.
Correction (4/27/23): The amounts in Figure 1 for Wildfire and Forest Resilience and Nature-Based Activities and Extreme Heat have been corrected.


Report

The California State Bar: Assessment of Proposed Disciplinary Case Processing Standards

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.


Report

Promoting Equity in the Parole Hearing Process

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.


Report

Issues That Could Impact Californians' Health Care Coverage in 2023 and Beyond

December 16, 2022 - This brief looks at health care coverage in California; provides background on the drivers of the significant decline in the percentage of Californians without health care coverage over the last ten years; and discusses various issues that could impact the number of Californians with coverage, and how the type of coverage they have may change, in calendar year 2023 and beyond.


Report

Redesigning California's Adult Education Funding Model

December 13, 2022 - In this brief, we provide background on adult education funding, assess the current funding model, and offer recommendations to improve it.


Report

The 2023-24 Budget: Medi-Cal Fiscal Outlook

November 16, 2022 - This brief provides our annual fiscal outlook for General Fund spending in Medi-Cal. It summarizes our projections, describes the major factors driving our projections, and highlights several uncertainties.


Report

The 2023-24 Budget: Fiscal Outlook for Schools and Community Colleges

November 16, 2022 - Each year, the state calculates a “minimum guarantee” for school and community college funding based upon a set of formulas established by Proposition 98 (1988). Based upon recent signs of weakness in the economy, we estimate the guarantee in 2023‑24 is $2.2 billion (2 percent) below the 2022‑23 enacted budget level. Despite this drop, $7.6 billion would be available to provide increases for school and community college programs. In 2023‑24, the available funding could cover a cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) of up to 8.38 percent, which is slightly below our estimate of the statutory rate (8.73 percent). Over the next several years, growth in the guarantee and required reserve withdrawals would be just enough to cover the statutory COLA. Given this relatively precarious balance, we outline a few ways the Legislature could create a larger cushion to protect against revenue declines in the future.