Counting special fund loan interest could free up $27 million of General Fund resources in 2015-16

May 21, 2015 - Under the Governor ’s budget plan, the state also would pay $26.8 million in interest related to those loans in 2015-16. (Such payments are budgeted annually in Item 9620 of the state budget act.) Relative to the  administration ’s January 2015 estimates, counting special fund loan interest toward meeting Proposition 2 requirements —and reducing other proposed
https://lao.ca.gov/Recommendations/Details/838

The Neighborhood Legislature Reform Act [Ballot]

May 19, 2015 - Fiscal Effect Decreased State Costs. The changes to the legislative spending limit would reduce state spending by over $130  million annually. Every ten years, some of these state savings would be offset by increased costs —probably in the millions of dollars —by the Citizens Redistricting Commission to draw boundaries for the new neighborhood districts.
https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Initiative/2015-015

The 2015-16 Budget: Analysis of Higher Education May Revision Proposals [Publication Details]

May 18, 2015 - In the next three sections, we describe and assess the Governor’s major proposals for the University of California (UC), the California State University (CSU), and the Awards for Innovation program, respectively.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/3258

Administration proposals to change workforce budgeting.

May 18, 2015 - Consider how administration proposal affects legislative oversight of state departments' workforces. Further Detail State Workforce of Large Interest During Budget Deliberations. A significant share of the state ’s budget pays salary and benefit costs for state employees.
https://lao.ca.gov/Recommendations/Details/853

Control Section 3.61

May 17, 2015 - This decentralized method is similar to how th e state makes its contribution payments towards pension benefits for state employees. Paying these costs through departmental budgets provides greater certainty as to the state ’s prefunding obligations.
https://lao.ca.gov/Recommendations/Details/850

May Revision: Earned Income Tax Credit Proposal [EconTax Blog]

May 17, 2015 - Some States Provide Credits to Supplement Federal EITC. As of 2014, 25 states and the District of Columbia had EITC provisions in their own income tax laws. In general, these state EITCs “piggyback” on the federal EITC by simply matching a fixed percentage of the federal credit amount, such that all individuals who qualify for the federal EITC also qualify for the state EITC.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/107

May Revision: Proposition 30 Estimates, Accrual Uncertainties [EconTax Blog]

May 17, 2015 - We have discussed the state 's revenue accrual (fiscal-year attribution) practices on various occasions over the  last   four   years . While the state's pre-Proposition 30 accrual practices were difficult enough to estimate, the  completely different accrual method for Proposition 30 and 39 revenues first approved by the Legislature in 2012 adds considerably to the complexity of state revenue estimation.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/106

Changes to the state's hiring process

May 17, 2015 - California ’s current system of state civil service employment dates back to the November 1934 election, when voters approved Proposition 7, adding what is now Article VII to the State Consti tution.  
https://lao.ca.gov/Recommendations/Details/851

May Revision: LAO Revenue Outlook [EconTax Blog]

May 16, 2015 - The state 's budgeting system is becoming even more complex. The existing method of revenue accruals seems to us a needless additional distraction for the state ’s elected legislators, as these changes  move revenues up and down for years after passage of a fiscal year 's original budget act, thereby compounding the complexity of revenue estimating that already exists due to changes in the stock market and the economy.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/105

Governor's May Revision proposal to close Developmental Centers

May 16, 2015 - Under state law, a DC closure plan submitted to the Legislature shall not be implemented without the approval of the Legislature. Therefore, it is important that DDS limit its clo sure-related activities to those allowable under state law prior to legislative approval of a closure plan.
https://lao.ca.gov/Recommendations/Details/848