The 2026-27 Budget: Permitting Support at the State Water Resources Control Board

Mar 2, 2026 - (SWRCB estimates t hat exempting state-only permits from having to meet CEQA requirements would shorten their preparation time lines by at least a year.) Aligning Public Notification Requirements With Federal Processes.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5144

The 2026-27 Budget: Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation Proposals

Mar 19, 2026 - If the Legislature determines that its other existing state commitments are higher priority than the LCI activities that would be funded with these proposals, it could revise existing statutory requirements t o downscale LCI ’s responsibilities and resource needs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5167

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

Feb 10, 2026 - That decision ( Sackett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ) narrowed federal Clean Water Act protections, thereby indirectly shifting regulatory responsibilities for certain bodies of water to the state under state law.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5116

The 2026-27 Budget: Proposed Elimination of State Environmental Positions

Feb 17, 2026 - If eliminated, they would generate annual sav ings of $45  million ($19  million from the General Fund and $25  million from special funds). We find that eliminating certain positions could have undesirable programmatic impacts because they serve important purposes, even if they happen to be vacant for a period of time.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5124

The Bay-Delta Plan and Voluntary Agreements: Ensuring Effective Legislative Oversight

Mar 18, 2026 - This percentage of unimpaired flows could be lowered to 45  percent or 35  percent in certain water supply circumstances. Key LAO Takeaways Long Delays in Updating the Bay ‑Delta Plan Further Threaten Native Fish.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5163

The 2025-26 Budget: State Mandate—Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board

May 5, 2025 - State law further requires our office to analyze any new mandates identified by the C ommission as a part of our annual analysis of the state budget. In particular, state law directs our office to report on the annual state costs for new mandates and make recommendations to the Legislature as to whether the new mandate should be repealed
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5039

The 2026-27 Budget: Proposed Zero-Emission Vehicle Incentive

Feb 24, 2026 - Additionally, the incentives would only apply to first ‑time purchasers of ZEVs and to vehicles that do not exceed certain manufacturer ’s suggested retail prices, such as $55,000 for new sedans and $80,000 for new sport utility vehicles and light ‑duty trucks.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5140

The 2026-27 Budget: Governor’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel Tax Credit Proposal [Publication Details]

Feb 24, 2026 - The 2026-27 Budget: Governor’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel Tax Credit Proposal [Publication Details] Description: In this brief, we analyze the Governor's proposal to create a new credit against diesel excise tax liability to incentivize the use of sustainable aviation fuel in California.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5139

The 2026-27 Budget: Governor’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel Tax Credit Proposal

Feb 24, 2026 - The 2026-27 Budget: Governor’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel Tax Credit Proposal Summary The Governor proposes budget trailer legislation to create a new tax credit against diesel excise tax liability to incentivize the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in California.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5139

The 2026-27 Budget: Proposed Zero-Emission Vehicle Incentive [Publication Details]

Feb 24, 2026 - In this piece, we review the Governor's proposal to provide $200 million to create a new point-of-sale incentive program for light-duty zero-emission vehicles.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5140