January 28, 2021 - In this report, we (1) provide an overview of the Litigation Deposit Fund (LDF), a state special fund created to receive certain litigation proceeds, (2) review the Legislature’s oversight of the LDF and the use of litigation proceeds, and (3) make recommendations to facilitate increased legislative oversight.
March 14, 2023 - Presented to: Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on State Administration
March 16, 2023 - Presented to: Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 5 On Corrections, Public Safety, Judiciary, Labor and Transportation
February 23, 2023 - This brief provides our analysis of the Governor’s 2023-24 budget proposals for the Department of Justice related to the Bureau of Forensic Services, firearms workload, and legal workload.
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.
February 11, 2022 - This publication provides our assessment and recommendations on two of the Governor’s 2022-23 budget proposals related to the Department of Justice.
April 16, 2021 - Assembly Budget Subcommittee No 5. on Public Safety
March 4, 2024 - In this post, we assess and make recommendations on the Governor’s budget proposal to provide resources to the Department of Cannabis Control to fund the costs of legal services from the Department of Justice and administrative hearings before the Office of Administrative Hearings within the Department of General Services.
February 3, 2022 - This publication provides our assessment and recommendations on the Governor’s 2022-23 budget proposals related to the judicial branch.
April 4, 2018 - The 2017-18 budget package authorized a plan to borrow $6 billion from the Pooled Money Investment Account—an account that is essentially the state’s checking account—to make a one-time supplemental payment to the California Public Employees' Retirement System. All funds that make pension payments will repay the loan over the next decade or so. Authorizing legislation gives the administration some discretion over how funds will repay the loan, but the statute includes a variety of repayment requirements. In our view, while the basic elements of the administration’s repayment plan are reasonable, we have serious concerns about some choices the administration made. To address these concerns, in this report, we recommend a modified repayment approach that would: (1) be consistent with the authorizing legislation, (2) allocate repayment costs across funds appropriately and publicly, and (3) provide incentives to create more cost-effective outcomes.
February 21, 2007 - Analysis of the 2007-08 Budget Bill, Judiciary and Criminal Justice Chapter
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.
March 14, 2023 - Presented to: Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on State Administration
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.