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The 2017-18 Budget: Department of Transportation

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February 14, 2017 - In this web post, we assess and make recommendations regarding the Governor’s proposal for Department of Transportation electric vehicle charging stations.

The 2017-18 Budget: Judicial Branch

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February 14, 2017 -

In this web post, we provide an overview of the judicial branch and the level of funding proposed in the Governor’s 2017-18 budget. We also assess and make recommendations on two specific judicial branch proposals. The first proposal consists of a $4.1 million augmentation to replace case management systems in nine trial courts. The second proposal consists of a $842,000 augmentation to support various court interpreter-related activities, including a video remote interpreting pilot.

The 2017-18 Budget: Military Department

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February 10, 2017 - In this analysis, we discuss our findings and recommendations regarding two proposals for the Military Department included in the Governor’s 2017-18 budget: (1) the Sacramento Consolidated Headquarters Complex and (2) Advance Plans and Studies.

The 2017-18 Budget: County Offices of Education and The Minimum State Aid Provision

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February 10, 2017 - Our 2016-17 Proposition 98 Education Analysis provided an in-depth analysis of the county office of education “minimum state aid” provision. In this analysis, we provide an update on the escalating cost of the provision and recommend the Legislature repeal the provision.

The 2017-18 Budget: California Highway Patrol

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February 9, 2017 - In this web post, we assess and make recommendations regarding the Governor's proposal for California Highway Patrol office replacements.

The 2017-18 Budget: California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission

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February 3, 2017 - In this web post, we recommend that the Legislature reject the Governor’s proposal to increase the CDIAC’s expenditure authority by $200,000. We find that there is insufficient justification for the higher budget expenditure authority.

The 2017-18 Budget: State Treasurer’s Office

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February 3, 2017 - The Governor proposes $799,000 from various special funds on an ongoing basis and five permanent positions to continue to support STO’s website and data sharing efforts. We recommend approving funding for these positions on a two-year limited-term rather than on a permanent basis.

The 2017-18 Budget: Department of General Services

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February 3, 2017 - This analysis includes reviews of the following budget proposals for DGS in the Governor’s 2017-18 budget plan:

• State Project Infrastructure Funding in 2017-18
• Sacramento Region: State Printing Plant Demolition Preliminary Plans
• Zero Emission Vehicle Project
• Model Water Efficient Landscaping Ordinance (AB 2515)
• Building Standards Commission, Exterior Elevated Elements (SB 465)

The 2017-18 Budget: Department of Justice

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January 31, 2017 - In this web post, we provide an overview of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the level of funding proposed for the department in the Governor’s 2017-18 budget. We also assess and make recommendations on two specific DOJ budget proposals: (1) a one-time $5 million unallocated General Fund reduction and (2) a $45 million funding increase related to Proposition 56 revenues.

The 2017-18 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Criminal Justice Budget

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January 27, 2017 - The primary goal of California’s criminal justice system is to provide public safety by deterring and preventing crime, punishing individuals who commit crime, and reintegrating criminals back into the community. The state’s major criminal justice programs include the court system, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), and the Department of Justice (DOJ). The Governor’s budget for 2017-18 proposes total expenditures of $16.1 billion for judicial and criminal justice programs. In this post, we describe recent trends in state spending on criminal justice and provide an overview of the major changes in the Governor’s proposed budget for criminal justice programs in 2017-18.

The 2017-18 Budget: Trial Court Security Funding for Counties

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January 25, 2017 - The Governor’s budget for 2017-18 proposes a $280,000 General Fund augmentation to counties for increased trial court security levels resulting from a separate proposal to reallocate four existing vacant trial court judgeships to trial courts with greatest judicial need as of January 1, 2018. We recommend the Legislature reject the Governor’s proposal due to a lack of justification that the proposed funding is needed.

The 2017-18 Budget: Overview of the Governor’s Transportation Budget

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January 18, 2017 - The Governor’s budget for 2017-18 proposes a total of about $20 billion in expenditures for the state’s various transportation departments and programs. In this web post we provide an overview of the proposed transportation budget.

Federal Spending in California

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January 18, 2017 - These online posts estimate and explore federal expenditures in California, which we define as the amount of federal spending that we can directly attribute to recipients in California. In this set of posts, we display total federal expenditures by major program, recipient, and county. We also compare federal expenditures in California to other states.

The 2017-18 Budget: Overview of the Governor’s Proposition 98 Budget Package

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January 13, 2017 - On January 10, 2017, the Governor presented his Proposition 98 budget package to the Legislature. In this post, we provide an overview and initial assessment of the package.

Ten Years Later: Progress Towards Expending the 2006 Bond Funds

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January 3, 2017 - In November 2006, voters approved over $42 billion in bonds. In this web post, we summarize a variety of the reasons why some of these bonds remain unspent ten years later. We also identify some lessons for crafting future bonds.