February 25, 2016 - In this post, we provide a brief description of the CWS-NS information technology project; discuss recent changes to the project’s implementation approach; describe the Governor’s 2016-17 budget proposal for expenditure authority and various staff changes to assist with planning and procurement activities and to prepare for the design, development, and implementation phase of the project; and recommend approval of the Governor’s budget proposal, with our recommended updates to a reporting requirement.
February 13, 2025 - This post provides an overview of the Governor’s proposed 2025-26 budget for child welfare and foster care programs under the Department of Social Services, and raises questions and issues for the Legislature to consider.
February 27, 2013 - The Governor's budget proposes $28.3 billion in expenditures from the General Fund for health and human services programs in 2013-14. This reflects a 3.4 percent increase for health programs and a 7.9 percent increase for human services programs over 2012-13 estimated expenditures. For the most part, the year-over-year budget changes reflect caseload changes, technical budget adjustments, and the implementation of previously enacted policy changes, as opposed to new policy proposals. In the report, we find that the budget does not reflect the fiscal impact of the proposed Medi-Cal expansion, nor does it reflect potential costs and savings related to various other provisions of federal health care reform. We find that the Governor's Medi-Cal budget proposal assumes General Fund savings that are subject to significant uncertainty. We also provide a status update on the transition of the Healthy Families Program enrollees to Medi-Cal, finding that the transition is generally proceeding as planned, with some delays. We discuss problems in the operation of the state's Developmental Centers (DCs) by the Department of Developmental Services, and recommend that oversight of the DCs be strengthened by the creation of an independent Office of the Inspector General. We discuss the recent major program changes to the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) that are reflected in the budget, and recommend that the Legislature augment CalWORKs employment services funding--a Governor's budget proposal--to a level of funding it deems appropriate in light of its priorities for the program. We raise various fiscal and policy concerns about the Governor's budget assumption that a 20 percent across-the-board reduction in In-Home Supportive Services service hours will be implemented beginning on November 1, 2013. In light of these concerns, we recommend that the Legislature repeal the 20 percent reduction and instead continue a 3.6 percent across-the-board reduction that would otherwise sunset at the end of the 2012-13 fiscal year.
February 21, 2025 - In this post, we provide background on the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids program, information on the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families pilot and California’s pilot application, and comments and questions for the Legislature to consider surrounding the implementation of the pilot.
February 26, 2024 - In this post, we analyze the Governor’s budget proposals relating to child welfare and foster care programs, which include a number of budget solutions. In addition, the post provides comments and questions to help the Legislature weigh in regarding the administration’s proposal for the statutorily required new foster care rates structure.
November 11, 2009 -
The state's traditional approach for IT procurement, called the firm fixed price (FFP) procurement, creates a prescriptive process that gives equal footing to all vendors to help ensure open competition and reduce the state’s exposure to protests and potential lawsuits due to perceived vendor bias. As an alternative the state is beginning to look to so-called multi–stage procurement because it creates a collaborative environment for state and vendor staff. Our analysis indicates that an earlier evaluation of procurement strategy can reduce the risks of cost overruns and schedule delays, so we recommend that the Legislature require state entities to include procurement strategies in project documents when they submit them for approval.
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January 22, 2009 - At a cost of approximately $10.2 billion in 2008-09, California’s major social services provide a wide array of benefits to its citizens. The Governor proposes $3 billion in budget reductions for social services programs in 2009-10, mostly in grant payments to the aged, blind and disabled or low-income families. We present alternative approaches to reducing costs which tend to have less savings and less adverse impacts on recipients and clients. We also present approaches to drawing down more federal funds pursuant to recently enacted federal legislation.