The 2026-27 Budget: California Education Learning Lab

Mar 25, 2026 - This work includes developing requests for proposals, evaluating project proposals, executing grant agreements, monitoring project progress, and closing out grants upon their expiration. Program staff also coordinate special initiatives and activities such as hosting intersegmental meetings, overseeing the public resource library, and writing annual reports.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5171

Comparing Options to Raise and Lower Taxes [Publication Details]

Mar 24, 2026 - This report lays out various options to raise and lower taxes in California and offers a comparative evaluation of those options in the areas of budgeting, economy, taxpayer experience, progressivity, and fairness.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5170

The 2026-27 Budget: Child Care and State Preschool

Mar 19, 2026 - As part of the 2021‑22 budget package, the Legislature and Governor agreed to add 206,800 non‑CalWORKs child care slots over a multiyear period. To date, the state has funded 129,800 additional slots—a 113.8 percent increase in non‑CalWORKs slots compared to 2020‑21 levels.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5168

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

Mar 18, 2026 - Making near ‑term progress on updating the plan is a critical step in beginning to reverse these trends. Board Likely to Adopt VAs, Which Theoretically Could Balance Multiple Competing Goals … Although it has not formally adopted updates to the Bay ‑Delta Plan, SWRCB has signaled its intent to move forward with the VA approach.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5163

The 2026-27 Budget: Department of Developmental Services

Mar 13, 2026 - Given that the department has made progress in planning LOIS, it is generally reasonable to continue the PAL process, particularly in light of the administration ’s success in securing enhanced federal funding.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5157

The 2026-27 Budget: Contract to Achieve Operational Efficiencies [Publication Details]

Mar 10, 2026 - This post provides background on the state’s recent efforts to identify efficiencies to achieve budget savings and our office’s comments and recommendations concerning the progress of the administration’s efforts to reduce state costs through this contract.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5156

The 2026-27 Budget: Contract to Achieve Operational Efficiencies

Mar 10, 2026 - In addition, by February 1 of each year of a contract and during implementation of the contractor ’s recommendations, the budget requires DOF to provide a status report to JLBC on (1)  any proposals put forth by the contractor, (2)  any expected programmatic or process changes needed to implement the proposal, (3)  the expected time line for implementation, and (4)  the progress
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5156

How Have Past Stock Market Downturns Affected Income Tax Revenue? [EconTax Blog]

Mar 9, 2026 - California 's progressive income tax system is heavily reliant on stock market earnings because the state has concentrated its tax collections among high-income earners whose incomes are most tied to the stock market through capital gains, equity compensation, and investment returns.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/852

How Have Past Stock Market Downturns Affected Income Tax Revenue? [EconTax Blog]

Mar 9, 2026 - California 's progressive income tax system is heavily reliant on stock market earnings because the state has concentrated its tax collections among high-income earners whose incomes are most tied to the stock market through capital gains, equity compensation, and investment returns.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/article/Detail/852

The 2026-27 Budget: Child Welfare

Mar 3, 2026 - DSS Making Significant Progress Toward Implementation. In spite of this uncertainty around future funding, DSS has been undertaking significant efforts to prepare for implementation to begin in 2027-28.
https://lao.ca.gov/publications/report/5147