The 2023-24 Budget: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Major Capital Outlay Proposals

Feb 21, 2023 - CalFire has primary responsibility for wildland fire response in State Responsibility Areas, which are mostly privately owned wildlands that encompass about one ‑third of the acreage of the state.  CalFire also has various responsibilities for the management and protection of the state ’s forests.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4693

The 2023-24 Budget: Crafting Climate, Resources, and Environmental Budget Solutions

Feb 22, 2023 - Some federal programs also require a state or local funding contribution, which can result in higher barriers to access than some state programs. Indeed, state or local entities may have been planning to use some of the recent state augmentations to meet such matching fund requirements in order to be eligible for funding from federal programs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4692

The 2023-24 Budget: CalRecycle’s Zero Waste Plan Proposal

Feb 28, 2023 - The proposal indicates that the zero waste plan would recommend programmatic and statutory changes needed for the state to meet and exceed the goal established under AB 341 by 2035. As mentioned earlier, the state has not yet been able to make significant progress towards meeting the current statutory AB 341 goal.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4719

The 2023-24 Budget: Cap-and-Trade Expenditure Plan and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Revenue Estimates

Mar 2, 2023 - Based on preliminary results, the state will receive an estimated $983  million in revenue from the February 15, 2023 auction. This is roughly equivalent to the amount the state received from the November 2022 auction ($961  million).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4730

The 2023-24 Budget: Proposed Energy Policy Changes [Publication Details]

Mar 10, 2023 - This brief considers the Governor’s proposals to (1) establish a new central procurement role for the state to secure energy resources, and (2) require electric utilities that experience energy deficiencies to make payments for state-operated emergency backup electricity resources.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4735

Summary of Major 2022 Climate and Energy Legislation

Jan 6, 2023 - The legislation defines a state agency as a state agency, board, department, or commission. The legislation requires DGS, in consultation with CARB, to publish a plan no later than 2026 that includes actions and investments for how state agencies can reach the target of net-zero emissions in their operations.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4660

Assessing California's Climate Policies—The 2022 Scoping Plan Update

Jan 4, 2023 - Moreover, the 2017 plan then identified cap ‑and ‑trade as the state policy that would serve as a “backstop ” to ensure the state meets its target. That is, the plan explicitly stated that to the degree other policies collectively fell short of meeting the state ’s GHG reduction goals —sometimes referred as an emissions gap —the cap ‑and ‑trade program would reduce emissions further to make up the difference.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4656

The 2023-24 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 13, 2023 - Because the State Constitution requires the state to pass a balanced budget, the Governor must propose solutions when the administration estimates the state faces a budget problem. The state has many types of solutions —or tools —for addressing a budget problem, but the most important include: reserve withdrawals, spending reductions, revenue increases, and cost shifts (for example, between funds).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4662

Living Under Smoky Skies—Understanding the Challenges Posed by Wildfire Smoke in California

Nov 14, 2022 - A key component of the state ’s strategy to accomplish these improvements is to reintroduce a greater level of ongoing, controlled fire onto landscapes across the state. This includes expanding the use of prescribed fire by the state and its partners.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4644

The 2021-22 Spending Plan: Natural Resources and Environmental Protection

Oct 18, 2021 - Over the past several decades, the city has applied these taxes to the state ’s share of tidelands revenue, reducing the amount of revenue the state receives. Budget trailer legislation specifies that the state “consents ” to those previous city taxes but prohibits the state ’s share of revenues from being subject to any future local taxes, fees, or assessments without explicit statutory authorization.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4463