The 2017-18 Budget: Resources and Environmental Protection

Feb 15, 2017 - In this report, we assess many of the Governor's 2017-18 budget proposals in the resources and environmental protection areas and recommend various changes. We provide a complete listing of our recommendations at the end of this report.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3558

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

Feb 17, 2026 - For example, at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), positions include game wardens who prov ide important law enforcement and wildlife and resource protection services. Some CDFW positions also administer various permits, a key function to ensure that projects —from habitat restoration to infrastructure and housing development —can be completed with less damage to the environment.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5124

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

Mar 18, 2026 - The box below describes some of the primary ways that state and federal rules govern water use in the Bay ‑Delta watershed and how they  interact. Numerous State and Federal Rules Govern Water Use in the Bay‑Delta Watershed Water allocations from the San Francisco Bay ‑Delta watershed depend not only on available supply from rainfall and snowmelt, but also on a
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5163

The 2025-26 Budget: May Revision Trailer Bill Proposals on the Delta Conveyance Project and Water Quality Control Plans

May 27, 2025 - (This responds to a court ruling that DWR exceeded its authority in seeking to issue revenue bonds for a broader “Delta Program, ” which the court ruled was more than a modification of the SWP) (Section 6) .
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5053

The 2026-27 Budget: Proposed Elimination of State Environmental Positions [Publication Details]

Feb 17, 2026 - In this post, we assess the Governor’s proposal to eliminate certain vacant state environmental positions.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5124

The 2021-22 Budget: California Department of Fish and Wildlife [Publication Details]

Jan 27, 2021 - The 2021-22 Budget: California Department of Fish and Wildlife [Publication Details] Translate Our Website This Google ™ translation feature provided on the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) website is for informational purposes only.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4325

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

Mar 2, 2026 - The state has a statutory responsibility to regulate waters that were formerly under federal jurisdiction (and has an interest in doing so given the implications for drinking and agricultural water quality and fish and wildlife habitat).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5144

The Bay-Delta Plan and Voluntary Agreements: Ensuring Effective Legislative Oversight [Publication Details]

Mar 18, 2026 - This report discusses the State Water Resources Control Board’s (SWRCB’s) proposed—and long-overdue—update of the water quality control plan for the San Francisco Bay-Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which includes an alternative compliance pathway for certain water users called voluntary agreements (VAs, also known as Healthy Rivers and Landscapes).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5163

The 2022-23 Budget: State Water Resources Control Board—Bay-Delta Plan Update

Jan 31, 2022 - Moreover, the Delta Smelt, a fish endemic to California that only occurs in the Bay ‑Delta and which used to be the most abundant fish in the estuary —once numbering in the millions —has not been observed in the wild at all for the past four years.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4506

The 2024-25 Budget: Salton Sea Management Program

Feb 26, 2024 - Between the 1940s and 1960s, the Sea was a popular destination for tourism, fishing (the Sea was stocke d with sport fish), and water sports. However, due to episodes of flooding, fish die ‑offs, and some of the other trends described in this report, tourism over recent decades has largely faded away.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4859