February 20, 2015 - The Governor’s budget proposes a total of $15 billion from various fund sources for judicial and criminal justice programs in 2015-16. This is an increase of $306 million, or about 2 percent, above estimated expenditures for the current year. In the report we provide an analysis of the Governor's budget proposals for state criminal justice departments and programs, including for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the judicial branch, various local public safety programs, and the Department of Justice. The report reviews the most significant proposals in these areas and offers corresponding recommendations for the Legislature's consideration.
February 10, 2023 - This brief provides our analysis of a proposal seeking court-specific resources for the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Program and a proposal to address the solvency of the State Court Facilities Construction Fund.
February 12, 2021 - This publication provides an overview of the current status of the trial court construction program. It also provides our analysis of the Governor’s 2021-22 budget proposals to consolidate two special funds supporting trial court construction and to fund new court construction projects from the General Fund.
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.
February 19, 2019 - In this report, we assess many of the Governor’s budget proposals in the judicial and criminal justice area and recommend various changes. We provide a complete listing of our recommendations at the end of the report.
February 11, 2021 - This publication examines the impacts of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and prior-year reductions on trial court operations. The publication also identifies issues for the Legislature to consider when determining the appropriate level of overall funding for trial court operations in 2021-22 and our analysis of three of the Governor’s major budget proposals for trial court operations.
April 13, 2012 - Over the last four years, the judicial branch has experienced various one–time and ongoing budget reductions as the state has faced large budget shortfalls. The Governor's 2012–13 budget continues the ongoing reduction to the branch, provides the Judicial Council with full authority to implement the reduction among branch entities, and proposes increasing civil fees to generate $50 million in new revenues to help the branch address their reduction. To the extent the Legislature approves the Governor's proposal, ongoing solutions should be identified and implemented in 2012–13, particularly since recent transfers and loans from branch special funds have greatly reduced the fund balances available as a potential budget solution. Specifically, we recommend the Legislature reject the Governor's proposed budget bill language authorizing the Judicial Council to allocate the reductions, adopt specific actions to achieve ongoing savings in the judicial branch, and require that the judicial branch submit a report on potential operational efficiencies.
February 27, 2023 - Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on Public Safety
April 9, 2018 - Presented to Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on Public Safety
March 12, 2021 - This publication provides our analysis of the Governor's 2021-22 budget proposals to authorize remote court proceedings.
October 16, 2023 - The 2023-24 budget provides $18.6 billion from the General Fund for judicial and criminal justice programs, including support for program operations and capital outlay projects. This is a decrease of $1.2 billion, or 6 percent, below the revised 2022-23 spending level. A large portion of this reduction is due to the expiration of limited-term funding provided in previous years.
October 17, 2019 - This post describes the major features of the 2019-20 budget related to judicial and criminal justice programs. The 2019-20 budget provides $15.4 billion from the General Fund for judicial and criminal justice programs, an increase of $514 million, or 3.5 percent, above the revised 2018-19 level.