The 2025-26 Budget: Cap-and-Trade Reauthorization and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Proposals at May Revision

May 19, 2025 - The planned reductions affect multiyear spending plans included in prior budget agreements for activities such as the AB  617 community air protection program, support for local transit agencies, and various zero-emission vehicle programs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5049

The 2025-26 Budget: Concession Bargaining

May 19, 2025 - Collective bargaining between the Governor and the state ’s rank-and-file employees (organized into 21 bargaining units) is governed by the Ralph C. Dills Act (Dills Act). The product of negotiations at the bargaining table is a labor agreement referred to as a memorandum of understanding (MOU).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5047

Assessing California’s Climate Policies: Cap-and-Trade Reauthorization

May 7, 2025 - As part of reauthorization, the Legislature faces important decisions about which choices to defer to CARB —allowing the agency the discretion to weigh the trade ‑offs associated with various policy options and make program design choices consistent with its statutory mandates —and which to direct through statute.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5042

The 2025-26 Budget: Scholarshare Investment Board

Apr 30, 2025 - To balance the 2024-25 budget, the state authorized reductions in most agencies ’ state operations funding. Specifically, most agencies were subject to reductions of up to 7.95  percent, in addition to having certain vacant positions eliminated.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5035

Preliminary Assessment of Significant Changes to State's Technology Project Approval and Oversight Processes

Apr 29, 2025 - GenAI = generative artificial intelligence; POC = proof of concept; CalHHS = California Health and Human Services Agency; Caltrans = California Department of Transportation; CDPH = California Department of Public Health; CDTFA = California Department of Tax and Fee Administration; DOF = Department of Finance; EDD = Employment Development Department; and HCD = Department of Hous ing and Community Development.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5034

Improving Legislative Oversight of Emergency Authorities

Apr 10, 2025 - However, the state of emergency proclamation authorized the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency and the Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency to suspend state environmental permitting requirements in order for CalFire to implement the 35 projects immediately.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5029

Rethinking California's Reserve Policy

Apr 10, 2025 - These problems are also clear when California ’s reserves are compared to other states —California ranks near the top in terms of revenue volatility, but below average in terms of reserves. As such, our recommendations are an honest reflection of the volatility in the state ’s tax system.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5028

The 2025-26 Budget: Department of Financial Protection and Innovation

Apr 3, 2025 - The independent assessment of DFPI ’s financial condition identified annual salary adjustments (agency-wide) and start-up costs for new programs as the main sources of increased expenditures at DFPI.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5025

The 2025-26 Budget: Child Care and State Preschool

Mar 28, 2025 - (County welfare departments are responsible for administering CalWORKs Stage 1, although most counties contract with an AP agency to administer the program.) Most AP agencies are community ‑based organizations, but in some regions the AP agency is a local governmental agency, such as a county office of education, county welfare department, or school district.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5024

The 2025-26 Budget: Department of Real Estate

Mar 19, 2025 - DRE is within the Business, Consumer Ser vices, and Housing (BCSH) agency. It is responsible for issuing licenses as well as more broadly regulating California ’s real estate and mortgage lending professionals.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5019