The 2021-22 California Spending Plan: The State Appropriations Limit

Aug 30, 2021 - Second, the budget made the Golden State Stimulus payments an emergency expenditure, which is excluded from the SA L (described below). Third, the budget shifted some capital outlay spending from federal funds (specifically, American Rescue Plan fiscal relief funds) to General Fund, increasing room under the limit.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4449

The 2026-27 Budget: How to Use One-Time Revenue Improvements

Feb 20, 2026 - Instead, using one-time resources to improve budget resilience would help the state meet its coming fiscal challenges. Figure 1 The State ’s New Wall of Debt (In Billions)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5133

The 2026-27 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 12, 2026 - Administration Acknowledges These Challenges, but Governor ’s Budget Does Not Materially Address Them. In the budget summary and presentation, the Governor and administration officials have acknowledged the downside risk to the state ’s revenue picture and the multiyear challenges facing the budget.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5101

California’s Strong Revenue Trends Mask Looming Budget Risk

Jan 23, 2026 - These challenges would not be short-lived either. 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

The 2026-27 Budget: How to Use One-Time Revenue Improvements [Publication Details]

Feb 20, 2026 - Recent stock market performance continues to boost income tax collections. In our Fiscal Outlook, we strongly advised the Legislature to treat near-term strength in tax collections as temporary because we expect these gains to reverse. Further, the state faces significant structural deficits in the future.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5133

The 2023-24 Budget: Considering Inflation's Effects on State Programs

Nov 16, 2022 - If persistent, lower salaries can make hiring and retaining employees challenging for state departments. Moreover, when a state department must compete with the private sector and/or local government for employees, these challenges can be particularly acute.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4647

The 2025-26 Budget: Undertaking Fiscal Oversight

Feb 24, 2025 - Evaluating Program Success Challenging. Identifying the effect of state programs on key outcomes of interest is often challenging because it usually requires in-depth research to determine whether state funding —or some other external factor —is driving the observed trends.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4983

A Framework for Allocating Federal Recovery Funds

May 4, 2021 - Define Goals and Invest in Planning Identify Significant Challenges. The federal assistance provided under the ARP is unprecedented. The magnitude of the federal package represents a unique opportunity for the state to take significant steps towards addressing various longstanding challenges that the pandemic has served to magnify.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4422

The 2025-26 Budget: Multiyear Budget Outlook

May 24, 2025 - As such, the Governor ’s approach to the May Revision reflects the reality of the budget challenge before the Legislature. While the Governor focuses solutions in Medi-Cal —constituting $11  billion of the total $16  billion in solutions —the Legislature could pursue a different mix of spending and/or revenue solutions than those proposed.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5052

The 2024-25 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 13, 2024 - The 2024-25 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget $3,135 $4,677 BCH = Secretary for Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency; HHAPP = Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention Program; FHC = Family Homelessness Challenge Grants; BSCC  =  Board of State and Community Corrections; CalFire = California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection; CalRecycle = California
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4825/1