Increasing Oversight of the State Litigation Deposit Fund

Jan 28, 2021 - Litigation proceeds are deposited into the LDF in cases where the state is a party to the legal action and no other state statutes specifically provide for ( 1)  t he handling and investing of the money and ( 2)  h ow any earned interest is distributed.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4322

The 2017-18 Budget: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Mar 1, 2017 - Instead of setting money aside when employees earn the benefit over the course of their careers, the state has —until recently —paid for these benefits on a pay-as-you-go basis after employees retire.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3595

The 2017-18 Budget: Department of State Hospitals (DSH)

Feb 22, 2017 - Acute Psychiatric Programs (APPs). APPs provide shorter-term, intensive treatment for inmates who show signs of a major mental illness or higher-level symptoms of a chronic mental illness. Currently, there are 372 APP beds, all of which are in state prisons.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3578

The 2018-19 Budget: Criminal Justice Proposals

Feb 27, 2018 - When working for IWL, inmates earn between $0.35 and $1. 00 p er hour. In addition, some IWL inmate workers participate in IWL ’s pre ‑apprenticeship program through which they earn seven weeks off of their prison sentence.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3762

The 2026-27 Budget: Department of Justice

Feb 11, 2026 - A large portion of the General Fund support is used to support the Armed and Prohibited Persons System (APPS) enforcement teams, which seize firearms from people prohibited from owning or possessing them.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5118

Addressing Chronic Vacancies in Prison Mental Health Care

Feb 23, 2026 - For example, CDCR psychologists, according to the state Auditor, earn between $56 and $85 per hour —well above the average hourly rate paid in other states. According to 2023 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, California is the highest paying state for psychologists with the average hourly wage at $64 per hour, whereas psychologists nationwide earned a median of $53 per hour (21  percent less).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5134

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 6 (Corrections)

Sep 7, 2023 - The normal cost is the amount of money that actuaries determine must be set aside for the benefit employees earn today so that the contribution and any future investment returns on that contribution are sufficient to pay for the benefit after the employee retires.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4800

The 2017‑18 Budget: Implementation of Proposition 57

Apr 6, 2017 - The measure states that these changes are intended to protect public safety, save money by reducing spending on prisons, prevent federal courts from releasing inmates, and reduce recidivism through rehabilitation.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3648

The 2024-25 Budget: Department of Justice

Feb 9, 2024 - The LDF is a state special fund that receives litigation proceeds —or monies required by settlement agreements or court judgements to resolve legal cases —in cases where the state is a party to the case and no other state law specifically provides for (1)  the handling and investing of the money and (2)  how any earned interest is distributed.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4831

The 2022-23 Budget: Governor’s Public Safety Package

Feb 17, 2022 - The  breadth of the existing language means that there are numerous possibilities for how the money ultimately could be used. A large portion of the funding could go to increasing law enforcement patrol of retail locations or to participate in task forces, instead of other activities such as the purchase of cameras or other technology that could achieve different outcomes and/or be a more effective use of limited ‑term funding.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4546