U.S. Retail Sales Update: October 2020 [EconTax Blog]

Nov 17, 2020 - U.S. retail sales grew modestly in October. Total sales January-October 2020 were just 0.1% below January-October 2019.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/580

Update on School District Budgets

Nov 16, 2020 - The school district's budget must be reviewed by its county office of education (COE) by August 15. The main objective of the COE is to determine whether the budget allows the school district to meet its financial obligations during the fiscal year.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4301

Income Tax Withholding Tracker: November 9 - November 13 [EconTax Blog]

Nov 13, 2020 - Income Tax Withholding Tracker: November 9 - November 13 [EconTax Blog] Income Tax Withholding Tracker: November 9 - November 13 November 13, 2020 Brian Uhler Bottom Line:   California income tax withholding collections this week were 10 percent above the comparable week in 2019, boosting total withholding since late March to 3.6 percent above the same period last year.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/579

October 2020 State Tax Collections [EconTax Blog]

Nov 13, 2020 - October 2020 State Tax Collections [EconTax Blog] Seth Kerstein October revenue collections from the state ’s three largest taxes —the personal income tax, corporation tax, and sales tax —were ahead of budget projections by $2.8 billion (40 percent).  
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/578

Card Spending Update: October 2020 [EconTax Blog]

Nov 12, 2020 - To do this, we use an index—a weighted average of different spending categories—designed to track movements in California’s sales tax base. In this post, we update the index to include October data and to incorporate data revisions for earlier months.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/577

Expanding Access to Safe and Affordable Drinking Water in California—A Status Update

Nov 10, 2020 - Water quality is generally regulated by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), although in 29 counties SWRCB has delegated authority to regulate smaller systems with between 15 and 200 connections to county environmental health departments.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4294

Income Tax Withholding Tracker: November 2 - November 6 [EconTax Blog]

Nov 6, 2020 - Income Tax Withholding Tracker: November 2 - November 6 [EconTax Blog] Income Tax Withholding Tracker: November 2 - November 6 November 6, 2020 Brian Uhler Bottom Line:   California income tax withholding collections this week were 6 percent above the comparable week in 2019, boosting total withholding since late March to 3.5 percent above the same period last year.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/576

Update on COVID-19 Spending in California

Nov 5, 2020 - (While not included in this post, Los Angeles County also received direct CDC allocations, totaling $336.6  million.) Approximately 60  percent of California ’s allocation flowed from CDPH to local governments (not including Los Angeles County due to its direct allocation).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4292

Limiting government powers during a public health emergency. [Ballot]

Nov 4, 2020 - On the other hand, the limits on the state ’s ability to respond could result in more severe public health emergencies, resulting in reduced business activity and tax revenue. In addition, the limits on response activities could mean the state and local governments qualify for less federal disaster assistance funding.
https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Initiative/2020-004

Building Permits Update: September 2020 [EconTax Blog]

Nov 3, 2020 - The total was boosted by 402 units in Tulare County, whose previous monthly high dating back to 1988 was 248. Nonresidential construction permit activity remains weak. The September total of $1.546 billion was the lowest since May, and well below the average for September.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/574