The 2026-27 Budget: Estimated State Savings From Proposition 47

Feb 23, 2026 - Previously, some of these crimes could be punished as felonies depending on the type of property taken or if the defendant had certain previous theft-related convictions. The measure limited these reduced penalties to people who have not committed certain severe crimes, such as murder, and are not re quired to register as sex offenders.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5108

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

Feb 23, 2026 - As discussed in our recent report Addressing Chronic Vacancies in Prison Mental Health Care , CDCR and the Receiver’s proposals to address this issue have strengths, but additional steps could be taken.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5137

The 2026-27 Budget: Judicial Branch

Feb 11, 2026 - This led to the fund becoming insolvent and required various actions be taken —most notably the cancelation and suspension of projects supported by the construction account. Currently, the fund remains insolvent and is estimated to require a General Fund backfill in the tens of millions of dollars annually through 2036 ‑37 to maintain existing facility ‑related activities and to pay the debt service for completed construction  projects.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5113

Addressing Chronic Vacancies in Prison Mental Health Care

Feb 23, 2026 - Taken together, these steps will help the state better recruit and retain mental health staff. This, in turn, could reduce the use of costly registry staff and will allow the state to better meet its constitutional requirements, lead to more effective care, and help return the mental health system to state control.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5134

Addressing Chronic Vacancies in Prison Mental Health Care [Publication Details]

Feb 23, 2026 - For over three decades, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has faced litigation for providing unconstitutional levels of prison mental health care, in part due to chronic vacancies among mental health staff.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5134

The 2026-27 Budget: Department of Justice

Feb 11, 2026 - The Governor ’s budget estimates that the DROS Special Account will be insolvent in 2026-27 if no action is taken. Governor ’s Proposal The Governor ’s budget proposes $20.4  million General Fund in 2026-27 (decreasing to $259,000 ongoing beginning in 2029-30) to support DOJ firearm workload.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5118

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Judiciary and Criminal Justice

Oct 24, 2025 - We identify some of the major actions taken in the 2025-26 budget process below. State Court Operations. The budget provides a $6.3  million ongoing General Fund augmentation for the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal Court-Appointed Counsel Programs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5085

The 2025-26 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 13, 2025 - Moreover, specific budgetary conditions occurring this year —including legislative action taken last year to withdraw more in reserves this year —make interpretation of the budget position more complex.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4951

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

Jun 12, 2025 - Taken together, these changes may have impacted retail theft rates by reducing (1) the likelihood people are apprehended for crime and (2) the number of peop le incarcerated at a given time who might otherwise commit crime.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5055

Judicial Branch Actions Responding to COVID-19

May 6, 2020 - Examples of key actions taken by individual courts include: Closing Courthouses and Courtrooms. Courts have taken actions to temporarily close courthouses and courtrooms. Some courthouses are closed entirely, while others are closed except for specified essential court functions.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4227