The 2026-27 Budget: Re-Envisioning State Education Governance

Mar 18, 2026 - It warned that conflict and inefficiency were unavoidable because the two entities had overlapping responsibilities for governing the public school system. It specifically criticized the system for tasking the SPI with administering policies set by other entities with different policy goals.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5165

How Have Past Stock Market Downturns Affected Income Tax Revenue? [EconTax Blog]

Mar 9, 2026 - As our office warned last November, it now appears time to take seriously the notion that the stock market has become overheated. While there is a chance that this time is different and no such downturn is forthcoming, the risk appears strong enough that we have incorporated it into the state 's revenue outlook.  
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/852

How Have Past Stock Market Downturns Affected Income Tax Revenue? [EconTax Blog]

Mar 9, 2026 - As our office warned last November, it now appears time to take seriously the notion that the stock market has become overheated. While there is a chance that this time is different and no such downturn is forthcoming, the risk appears strong enough that we have incorporated it into the state 's revenue outlook.  
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/article/Detail/852

The 2026-27 Budget: Framework for Approaching the Natural Resources, Environmental Protection, and Agriculture Budget

Feb 10, 2026 - Through the earthquake monitoring network, the state keeps the earthquake early warning system operational and identifies weaknesses in critical infrastructure, which also helps inform building design and codes.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5116

California’s Strong Revenue Trends Mask Looming Budget Risk

Jan 23, 2026 - After the dot-com bust and the Great Recession, it took four and five years, respectively, for revenues to recover. Incorporating revenue risk into the budget now, therefore, reflects prudence, not pessimism.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5104

Oversight of certain public benefit artificial intelligence (AI) companies. [Ballot]

Jan 20, 2026 - The measure would have the following major fiscal effects: Increased state costs that would likely be in the tens of millions of dollars annually to establish and operate a new regulatory commission overseeing certain public benefit AI com panies.
https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Initiative/2025-033

Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Program Review

Dec 2, 2025 - After OSDS investigations, roughly two ‑thirds of all closed cases resulted in no violation; about one ‑third resulted in sanctions, ranging from warnings to the loss of ability to do business with the state.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5095

The 2026-27 Budget: California's Fiscal Outlook

Nov 19, 2025 - For California, the dot ‑com era —when stocks rose and then fell precipitously in response to widespread adoption of the internet —offers the most salient example. The internet has proven to be a transformative technology and, yet, the stock market ’s initial reaction was clearly overly exuberant.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5091

Retail Theft in California: Looking Back at a Decade of Change

Jun 12, 2025 - Examples include taking police reports online or over the phone instead of in ‑person, issuing warnings instead of making arrests, or delaying planned arrests unless doing so would have jeopardized public safety.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5055

Rethinking California's Reserve Policy

Apr 10, 2025 - In March of 2004, on the heels of the dot ‑com bust, voters passed Proposition  58, which created the Budget Stabilization Account (BSA). In the 2006 ‑07 budget, the Legislature deposited $472  million into the BSA and in 2007 ‑08 deposited $1.5  billion.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5028