February 13, 2023 - In response to the multibillion-dollar budget problem the state is facing, the Governor’s budget proposes $4 billion in multiyear budget solutions from the recent General Fund augmentations provided to transportation programs. In this brief we (1) provide background on the recent funding augmentations in transportation from both state and federal funds; (2) describe the Governor’s proposed transportation budget solutions; (3) discuss our assessment of the Governor’s proposals; and (4) offer recommendations for how the Legislature could craft its own package of solutions, including suggestions for potential additional reductions should the budget condition make them necessary.
February 1, 2022 - In this post, we assess the Governor’s 2022-23 budget proposals for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
October 1, 2021 - The 2021‑22 budget provides a total of $31.7 billion for transportation-related programs, including the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), local streets and roads (shared revenues), California Highway Patrol (CHP), Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA).
September 29, 2022 - The budget package provides a total of $33 billion for transportation-related programs in 2022-23, including for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), local streets and roads (shared revenues), California Highway Patrol (CHP), Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA).
February 8, 2022 - This publication provides our assessment and recommendations on the Governor’s 2022-23 budget proposals related to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation operations.
March 4, 2024 - In this brief, we provide background on the CalWORKs program followed by an overview and assessment of the Governor’s California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) budget proposals, which include a number of budget solutions. In addition, the brief provides issues for consideration to help the Legislature evaluate the administration’s proposals in the current year, budget year, and beyond.
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.
February 28, 2024 - In this brief, we (1) provide updates on three major state broadband programs and projects and three federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act broadband programs; (2) assess each of the broadband infrastructure proposals in the Governor’s 2024-25 budget within the context of a serious budget problem in 2024-25, as well as significant projected future budget deficits; and (3) offer a number of recommendations, including additional budget solutions for legislative consideration.
March 20, 2023 - This brief provides updates on federal and state broadband programs and projects, including the state’s 2021 broadband infrastructure spending plan, and considers the proposed delays of broadband infrastructure funding in the Governor’s 2023-24 budget.
February 15, 2023 - This brief analyzes the Governor’s budget proposals for the University of California. It covers the Governor’s proposals relating to core operations, enrollment, capital projects, and new transfer requirements.
February 28, 2024 - Presented to: Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 7 on Accountability and Oversight
January 25, 2022 - In this post, we provide a description and analysis of the Governor’s 2022-23 budget proposals to spend the additional revenues the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is expected to receive from last year’s governance and fiscal reform. Overall, we find that the proposals are consistent with the information the Legislature used as the basis for approving DTSC’s governance and fiscal reform. However, we recommend the Legislature continue to conduct oversight of the programmatic expansions being proposed and to revisit staffing levels in future years.
November 8, 2023 - This post discusses features of the state's spending plan that were not covered elsewhere in the 2023-24 Spending Plan series.
January 26, 2022 - In this brief, we provide our initial assessment and recommendations in response to the Governor's wildfire resilience package, which would provide $1.2 billion over two years (including $800 million of new funding) for proposals intended to reduce the risk of severe and damaging wildfires.