Reducing the Destructiveness of Wildfires: Promoting Defensible Space in California

Sep 30, 2021 - Notably, many of them are in lightly populated areas and small communities where human development abuts or intermingles with undeveloped wildlands, commonly referred to as the wildland ‑urban interface (WUI).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4457

The 2012–13 Budget: Cap–and–Trade Auction Revenues [Publication Details]

Feb 16, 2012 - These auctions are part of the state's plan to meet the goals of the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (commonly referred to as AB 32). In this report, we recommend that the Legislature first use the revenues in 2012-13 to offset General Fund costs of existing programs designed to mitigate GHG emissions.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/2563

Living Under Smoky Skies—Understanding the Challenges Posed by Wildfire Smoke in California

Nov 14, 2022 - Second, some individuals might be comparatively more susceptible to being harmed when they are exposed to a given amount of smoke (often referred to as sensitivity). Third, individuals and households can be more vulnerable if they do not have the capacity or resources to adapt to smoke exposure (often referred to as adaptive capacity).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4644

The 2014-15 Budget: Resources and Environmental Protection [Publication Details]

Feb 21, 2014 - While we find that it makes fiscal sense to address deferred maintenance, there is uncertainty about what factors have contributed to the large backlogs, as well as how the state can best address maintenance needs on an ongoing basis.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/2952

Improving Outcomes for California Conservation Corpsmembers

Feb 9, 2018 - Moreover, reporting would provide young adults with information they can use to make decisions about whether the CCC or other workforce development programs and educational opportunities would best meet their needs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3742

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

Mar 18, 2026 - In water management, VAs —also sometimes referred to as settlement agreements —are negotiated arrangements among multiple parties to address water allocation, environmental flows, and ecosystem restoration.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5163

Assessing California’s Climate Policies—Residential Electricity Rates in California

Jan 7, 2025 - Accordingly, the Legislature likely will confront difficult decisions about how to approach electricity rates in order to best support its varied goals, including balancing the desires to both mitigate and adapt to climate change as well as preserve affordability.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4950

Overview of New Updates to the Cap-and-Invest Program

Dec 9, 2025 - For example, S B  840 ’s requirement that CARB update offset compliance protocols to reflect the best available science could potentially result in lower emissions if they lead to a greater number of offset projects that provide real, permanent GHG reductions.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5097

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

Feb 17, 2026 - (We refer to these as “environmental positions. ”) By contrast, as shown in Figure  2, environmental positions comprised a majority of the residual positions reviewed by the Legislature (565 of 1,009) and of the positions the Legislature did not agree to eliminate (349 of 650).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5124

Assessing California’s Climate Policies—Cap-and-Trade Reauthorization

May 7, 2025 - (This approach often is referred to colloquially as placing offsets “under the cap. ”) In practice, this would lower the effective cap relative to what it would otherwise be, which would reduce the amount of allowable emissions and thereby likely increase the scarcity and costs of remaining allowances.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5042