Retail Theft in California: Looking Back at a Decade of Change

Jun 12, 2025 - To determine whether these specific law changes —as opposed to other factors that can affect crime — cause retail theft to go down will likely require a relatively sophisticated academic study. Absent or until such a study is completed, monitoring rates of reported shoplifting and commercial burglary can still provide a helpful indication of whether crime is declining, regardless of cause.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5055

The 2024-25 Budget: Juvenile Custodial Interrogation Mandate

May 28, 2024 - Interrogations can have significant implications on outcomes for youths in the juvenile justice system. As discussed above, the information collected through an interrogation can be used to file a petition in juvenile court.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4910

The 2022-23 Budget: Department of Justice Proposals

Feb 11, 2022 - We note that fee increases can impact purchaser behavior —for example, significantly higher fees can result in individuals buying more in one transaction which could then impact the total amount of revenue collected annually —which is difficult to predict.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4527

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 6 (Corrections)

Sep 7, 2023 - Many local governments still do not prefund the benefit and, instead, make payments on a pay-as-you-go basis after an employee retires. Of the six counties included in the survey, only two indicated that they make contributions towards the benefit during employees ’ careers (the Counties of Sacramento and San Bernardino).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4800

The 2025-26 Budget: Update on Implementation of New Firearm and Ammunition Tax

Feb 19, 2025 - It required that all entities subject to the tax apply to CDTFA for a registration certificate that can be revoked or suspended for failing to pay the excise tax. CDTFA is also required to notify the Department of Justice (DOJ) if registration certificates are revoked, suspe nded, or reinstated.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4970

Assessing Community College Programs at State Prisons

Jul 1, 2024 - Incarcerated students may use Pell Grants to cover tuition, textbooks and other course materials, supplies and equipment (such as to buy or rent a personal computer), and costs to obtain a certification or other first professional credential.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4913

The 2023-24 Budget: Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training—Office of Administrative Hearing Costs

Feb 13, 2023 - The administration can then submit a request for ongoing resources for legislative consideration as part of the Governor ’s 2026-27 budget proposal. Require Unspent Funds to Revert to General Fund. Because POST is still building its staffing capacity to review cases and the number of cases that will reach OAH is uncertain, it is possible that POST may have overestimated the amount of funding needed for OAH to hear decertification cases.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4677

The 2024-25 Budget: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Feb 22, 2024 - In some cases, people with the same security level must still be housed separately due to safety concerns. For  example, this can be the case for members of opposing gangs who may try to harm each  other.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4852

Achieving the Goals of the SB 678 County Probation Grant Program

Oct 10, 2023 - This means counties with relatively poor performance can still qualify for payment through Component 1. We find that this is inconsistent with the goal of reducing prison commitments. In addition, this prevents the state from maximizing state savings as it can result in the state paying some counties more than what they are actually saving.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4806

The 2023-24 Budget: Sexual Assault Evidence Kits Testing Mandate

Feb 27, 2023 - For example, if DNA evidence was collected and processed within two years of an offense, prosecution could still be initiated even if the identity of t he perpetrator is conclusively determined more than ten years after the commission of the offense.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4714