February 24, 1983 - An overview of California school finance, including significant changes since Proposition 13 and the outlook for fiscal year 1983-84. The material is organized in the order of (1) total education funding, (2) general aid funding, (3) categorical aid funding, and (4) school facilities funding.
December 13, 2018 - In this report, we first provide information on what the Census is. Second, we discuss how the Census is conducted—including the steps the federal government has taken to date and what it plans to do over the next few years to conduct the 2020 Census. (We also describe state efforts to supplement these federal activities.) We then discuss the likelihood of an undercount in California in 2020. Finally, we discuss the implications of an undercount for California both in terms of representation in Congress and federal funding.
June 6, 1990 - This document provides a review of 14 revenue options that could be put into effect for the 1990-91 fiscal year. It was prepared at the request of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, in order to assist the Committee's review of its fiscal choices for the 1990-91 Budget.
February 7, 2018 - In this report, we analyze the Governor’s overall Proposition 98 budget package as well as his specific spending proposals for K‑12 education and early education.
May 3, 2006 - Despite reform attempts, California continues to lag the nation in the collection of child support and in its performance on federal outcome measures. We recommend creating a performance-based system which gives counties the flexibility and financial incentives to meet state-established performance benchmarks. If enacted, our proposed reforms would (1) likely increase the amount of child support collected on behalf of custodial parents and (2) restore accountability to the child support enforcement system.
February 21, 1996 - Federal Spending in California
January 26, 2018 - In this post, we answer many questions legislators and others commonly ask about K-12 education in California. We begin by providing information on the main components of California’s public school system. We then review the state’s K-12 accountability system. Lastly, we explain the basics of school finance in California.
November 24, 1997 - Federal Bill Would Reduce California's Child Support Incentive Funds
January 22, 1992 - The child support enforcement program could be improved by changing the existing set of incentives that affect decision making on program funding. To accomplish this, we present two options for the Legislature. Under the first option, the responsibility for administration and funding of the program would be transferred from the counties to the state. In the second option, the state would provide a state-funded incentive payment to augment program funding, based on each county's efficiency as measured by the ratio of the marginal increase in child support collections to the marginal increase in administrative costs.
February 21, 1996 - The Governor's Tax Reduction Proposal
August 11, 1994 - On June 14, 1994, President Clinton formally released his welfare reform proposal, generally designed to facilitate employment for AFDC recipients. This policy brief assesses the proposal's fiscal impact on California. It is a revised version of our July 7 report, based on more recent information.
January 18, 2018 - In October 2017, the Pew Charitable Trusts released a report comparing how much each state spends on inmate health care, including medical, mental health, and dental care. Data from this report showed that California had the highest per inmate health care costs among the 49 states that reported data. In this post, we present various findings from this report and reasons for California’s relatively high per inmate health care costs.