The 2026-27 Budget: Child Care and State Preschool

Mar 19, 2026 - Three ‑ and four ‑year old children are generally eligible for State Preschool if their family earns at or below the state median income ($109,904 annual income for a family of three and $127,338 annual income for a family of four).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5168

The 2026-27 Budget: Department of Developmental Services

Mar 13, 2026 - For the period spanning from January 1, 2025 through June  30,  2026, providers could earn the quality incentive portion of rate models by enrolling in DDS ’s Provider Directory. As a budget solution, the 2025 ‑26 Budget Act added three criteria that providers must satisfy to be eligible to earn a quality payment equal to 10   percent of the rate model beginning
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5157

The 2026-27 Budget: Contract to Achieve Operational Efficiencies

Mar 10, 2026 - BCG is expected to develop and pilot an analytical model that could save money in Medi-Cal by detecting pre-payment fraud, reducing improper claims, and flagging areas of possible waste and abuse. Workstream 5: DHCS —Hospital Financing.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5156

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

Mar 9, 2026 - March 9, 2026 Chas Alamo State Budget Is Heavily Reliant on Stock Market Earnings. 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 - March 9, 2026 Chas Alamo State Budget Is Heavily Reliant on Stock Market Earnings. 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: Medi-Cal Analysis

Mar 2, 2026 - Individuals must generally work, study, or volunteer at least 80  hours per month, or meet an earnings threshold (about $580 per month, equivalent to 80 hours at the federal minimum wage) unless they qualify for certain exemptions (such as having young children or being medically frail).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5146

The 2026-27 Budget: Office of Emergency Services Next Generation 911 System

Feb 27, 2026 - After these dispatch centers have been migrated, OES will focus on deploying Next Generation 911 services to the Los  Angeles area, to help prepare for the 2028  Olympic and Paralympic games. In addition to these priorities, up to 20 other dispatch centers (those in most urgent need) will also be moved onto the statewide network.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5145

The 2026-27 Budget: University of California

Feb 26, 2026 - In addition, UC intends to use $20  million from its investment earnings for its core operating costs in 2026 ‑27. UC also anticipates generating $15  million in freed ‑up funds from procurement savings and other operational efficiencies that it will use for its core operations in 2026 ‑27.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5143

The 2026-27 Budget: CDTFA’s Cannabis and Tobacco Programs

Feb 23, 2026 - Money returned to the General Fund can be spent on a much wider array of programs than those supported by the Cannabis Tax Fund. Consequently, shifting enforcement costs from the Cannabis Tax Fund to the General Fund is inefficient.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5132

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