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

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

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

May Revision proposal related to President's executive actions on immigration

May 16, 2015 - The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service reports approximately 60 per cent of the current DACA-eligible population applied for DACA status in the first two years the program was in effect.
https://lao.ca.gov/Recommendations/Details/849

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

May Revision: LAO Economic Outlook [EconTax Blog]

May 15, 2015 - The wealth and dynamism of the technology sector is such that other states and countries constantly try to capture more of the industry.  
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/104