The 2026-27 Budget: Child Care and State Preschool

Mar 19, 2026 - To date, the state has funded 129,800 additional slots—a 113.8 percent increase in non‑CalWORKs slots compared to 2020‑21 levels. CalWORKs caseload has also grown by over 31,000 (23.9 percent) over this period.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5168

The 2026-27 Budget: In-Home Supportive Services

Mar 18, 2026 - Despite slower caseload growth between 2016 ‑17 and 2020 ‑21 (the caseload continued to grow during this period, just at a slower than usual rate). As seen in Figure  4, the IHSS caseload growth rate has since grown at historic rates —reaching a growth rate of 10.3  percent in 2024 ‑25.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5166

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

Mar 9, 2026 - By most measures, the global financial crisis was more severe than the dot-com crash. The state 's unemployment rate, for example, peaked at 7 percent following the dot-com crash but reached nearly double that during the financial crisis and remained elevated for much longer.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/852

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

Mar 9, 2026 - By most measures, the global financial crisis was more severe than the dot-com crash. The state 's unemployment rate, for example, peaked at 7 percent following the dot-com crash but reached nearly double that during the financial crisis and remained elevated for much longer.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/article/Detail/852

The 2026-27 Budget: California Community Colleges

Mar 5, 2026 - (In 2020 ‑21, the state did not provide a COLA for any CCC programs because it anticipated a significant budget shortfall due to the pandemic.) The state has also provided a COLA for certain other categorical programs in one or two of these years.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5150

The 2026-27 Budget: Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) Program

Mar 3, 2026 - As shown in Figure  5, from 2013-14 through 2020-21, the maximum combined SSI/SSP monthly grant amount for individuals (the bulk of the SSI/SSP caseload) and couples had increased on average by 1.2  percent annually —predominantly due to the provision of federal SSI COLAs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5148

The 2026-27 Budget: Medi-Cal Analysis

Mar 2, 2026 - In addition, lawfully residing individuals who are pregnant or under age 21 can retain eligibility for federally funded full ‑scope Medi ‑Cal coverage through the state option under the Children ’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5146

The 2026-27 Budget: California State University

Feb 24, 2026 - Specifically, employee health premiums are expected to increase by $21  million in 2026 ‑27. Cover the cost associated with enrollment growth, particularly for the hiring of additional faculty and support staff.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5142

Addressing Chronic Vacancies in Prison Mental Health Care

Feb 23, 2026 - According to 2023 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, California is the highest paying state for psychologists with the average hourly wage at $64 per hour, whereas psychologists nationwide earned a median of $53 per hour (21  percent less).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5134

The 2026-27 Budget: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Feb 23, 2026 - CDCR reports that from 2020 ‑21 to 2024 ‑25, it paid about $130  million annually on average in these payments. Accordingly, the proposal would provide dedicated funding for a portion of the department ’s expected annual costs of these payments.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5137