Building Reserves to Prepare for a Recession

Mar 7, 2018 - Given these formulas, General Fund spending on schools and community colleges tends to increase when revenues are growing and decline when revenues decline. The Legislature can provide more than the minimum funding level for schools and community colleges, but it typically funds at the guarantee.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3769

The 2018-19 May Revision: LAO Economic Outlook

May 12, 2018 - With a limited number of people looking for jobs, competition among employers for workers is high. This competition typically forces employers to pay higher wages to attract new workers. Rising wage costs, in turn, cause businesses to raise th eir prices.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3829

The 2026-27 Budget: California Competes Extension

Mar 18, 2026 - Required applicants to demonstrate that receiving the credit would influence their decision to create jobs in California. Allowed GO-Biz to consider job training opportunities as a factor when awarding credits.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5162

The 2026-27 Budget: CDTFA’s Cannabis and Tobacco Programs

Feb 23, 2026 - By proposing a Cannabis Tax Fund augmentation for these costs, the administration acknowledges that spending General Fund for this purpose is not ideal. We recommend that the Legislature adopt a modified version of this proposal and conside r whether new provisional language is needed to prevent such problems from recurring.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5132

California’s Low-Wage Workers and Minimum Wage

Mar 11, 2024 - As shown in Figure  5, roughly half of low-wage workers work at least 40 hours per week at their primary jobs. (In the CPS, roughly 4  percent of California ’s low-wage workers indicate that they hold multiple jobs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4878/1

The 2021-22 Budget: Business Tax Incentives

Jan 28, 2021 - In September 2020, the Legislature created the Main Street Credit, which provides income or sales tax credits to eligible small businesses that added jobs in the second half of 2020. Each eligible business receives a credit of $1,000 for each new job.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4327

Improving California’s Unemployment Insurance Program

Aug 8, 2022 - Develop an “ideal ” UI claim application and recertification form to simplify process. LAO Perspective. The strike team ’s findings were generally consistent with our office ’s understanding of the major causes of the processing delays and backlog at EDD.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4615

The 2025-26 Budget: Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development

Mar 18, 2025 - Funding another round of California Competes grants could create jobs at a time when private sector job growth has been sluggish. However, we suggest weighing the expansion of these economic development efforts against other budget priorities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5018

Fixing Unemployment Insurance

Dec 2, 2024 - During the phase ‑in period, the state also entered the dot ‑com recession. These two cost pressures absorbed the remaining flexibility in the state ’s UI tax system. As  shown in Figure  4 , the state began this period in Schedule C but quickly moved to Schedule F+, the highest tax schedule, where it has remained since.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4943

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Other Provisions

Oct 16, 2025 - The budget package includes a few notable changes for GO-SERVE in 2025-26, including: Expansion and Extension of College Corps Program.  The budget includes a $5  million one-time General Fund augmentation for College Corps in 2025-26 to expand the program, laying the groundwork for more campuses to operate the program beginning in 2026-27.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5081