Drug and theft crimes. [Ballot]

Oct 11, 2023 - The measure adds fentanyl to the set of drugs to which this felony applies, thereby increasing the sentences for people convicted of this crime for fentanyl from up to one year in jail in most cases to up to four years in prison.
https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Initiative/2023-017

Achieving the Goals of the SB 678 County Probation Grant Program

Oct 10, 2023 - However, significant changes to probation and modifications to the formula over the years have made it unclear whether the program continues to achieve those goals. For example, as a result of pandemic ‑related and other policy changes, the formula has been put on hold until 2024 ‑25.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4806

Voting in California. [Ballot]

Oct 4, 2023 - To register to vote, a person must be a U.S. citizen, be a resid ent of California, not currently be incarcerated or found mentally incompetent to vote by a court, and be at least 18 years old. (Eligible people who are 16 or 17 years old can pre -register to vote; however, they are not eligible to vote until they reach  18 years of age.)
https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Initiative/2023-016

Did California Enter a Recession Last Fall? [EconTax Blog]

Oct 3, 2023 - Over the last year, there have been a number of signs that the state 's economy may be slowing. State tax collections have weakened. Investment in young and growing technology firms has dried up. Housing market activity has dropped off.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/785

Uptick in Unemployment Rate Triggered a Recession Indicator [EconTax Blog]

Oct 3, 2023 - Sahm Rule Recession Indicator Triggered On Earlier This Year. The state ’s unemployment rate has moved upwards since last fall —climbing from 3.8 percent in August 2022 to 4.6 percent in August 2023.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/article/Detail/786

Uptick in Unemployment Rate Triggered a Recession Indicator [EconTax Blog]

Oct 3, 2023 - Sahm Rule Recession Indicator Triggered On Earlier This Year. The state ’s unemployment rate has moved upwards since last fall —climbing from 3.8 percent in August 2022 to 4.6 percent in August 2023.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/786

The 2023-24 Budget: California Spending Plan Series [Publication Details]

Oct 2, 2023 - Each year, our office publishes California Spending Plan, a series of publications that summarize the annual state budget. The final version of Overview of the California Spending Plan is presented here along with short online posts that focus on major areas and features of the 2023-24 budget package. As these posts become available, we will add them below.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4835

Restrictions on certain oil drilling permits (Amendment #1). [Ballot]

Sep 21, 2023 - If voters reject SB  1137 on the November 2024 ballot but pass this measure, it could result in the following fiscal effects: Decreased State Revenues. We estimate that within a few years of implementation, the measure would reduce state revenues by tens of millions of dollars annually resulting from a decrease in oil extraction.
https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Initiative/2023-014

Public access to state and local government records (Amendment #1). [Ballot]

Sep 21, 2023 - Upon the filing of a legislative records request, the measure requires the Legislature to (1)  determine whether there are disclosable records within ten calendar days or 14 calendar days for extraordinary circumstances, and (2)  provide records within 30 calendar days or on a rolling basis but no more than 90 days if there are extraordinary circumstances (such as requiring programming to extract data).
https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Initiative/2023-015

Newest Early Jobs Revision Shows No Net Job Growth During 2023 [EconTax Blog]

Sep 15, 2023 - With the fourth quarter revision, calendar year 2023 saw essentially no net job growth (+9,000 jobs overall). Data since January 2024 has not yet been rebenched. As such, the figure includes the Early Benchmark Revision for these recent months growing  at the same rate as the official CES estimates.    
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/783