The 2026-27 Budget: California Education Learning Lab

Mar 25, 2026 - Learning Lab grants, in turn, have helped improve some student learning outcomes and narrowed equity gaps in certain courses at certain campuses. For example, some Learning Lab projects have resulted in higher pass rates for certain STEM courses while other projects have been linked to improving students ’ motivation and sense of belonging.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5171

The 2026-27 Budget: Child Care and State Preschool

Mar 19, 2026 - Although reducing funding would run counter to the Legislature’s stated goal of increasing child care slots over the long term, this could help the state avoid reductions to other programs that would result in a reduction in the level of services provided to Californians.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5168

The 2026-27 Budget: Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation Proposals

Mar 19, 2026 - However, while previous General Fund appropriations provided some flexibility to use funding to help cover officewide administrative costs, more recent rounds such as Proposition  4 bond funding came with additional limitations and made this practice more difficult.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5167

The 2026-27 Budget: California Competes Extension

Mar 18, 2026 - Together, these features help mitigate the so-called “windfall effect, ” in which businesses receive incentives for activity that would have occurred absent the subsidy. Finally, agreements include recapture provisions that allow GO-Biz to reduce or reclaim credits if recipients fail to meet hiring or investment commitments.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5162

The 2026-27 Budget: Re-Envisioning State Education Governance

Mar 18, 2026 - The district leaders believed that clearer, more consistent guidance from the state would help them implement local programs more effectively. Governor ’s Proposal Would Promote More Coherent Policymaking.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5165

The Bay-Delta Plan and Voluntary Agreements: Ensuring Effective Legislative Oversight [Publication Details]

Mar 18, 2026 - This report discusses the State Water Resources Control Board’s (SWRCB’s) proposed—and long-overdue—update of the water quality control plan for the San Francisco Bay-Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which includes an alternative compliance pathway for certain water users called voluntary agreements (VAs, also known as Healthy Rivers and Landscapes).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5163

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

Mar 18, 2026 - State Uses Bay‑Delta Plan to Help Balance Multiple Water Uses Water quality control plans —including the Bay ‑Delta Plan —are key tools the state uses to protect water quality and help manage water resources throughout the state.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5163

The 2026-27 Budget: In-Home Supportive Services

Mar 18, 2026 - Counties were also given an increased share of state revenues to cover the net increase in costs. 1991 Realignment Provided Additional Revenue to Help Pay for Increased HHS Costs. As part of 1991 Realignment, the state dedicated certain revenue sources (specifically, a new portion of the sales tax and vehicle license fee revenue) to help pay for increased HHS costs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5166

The 2026-27 Budget: Community College Facilities

Mar 17, 2026 - Having clear standards in evaluating projects can help guide the Legislature in identifying which projects have the strongest justification. The scoring system also places highest priority on life safety projects, with requirements in place to ensure that districts submit only immediate needs under this category.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5159

The 2026-27 Budget: Department of Developmental Services

Mar 13, 2026 - This will help the department determine the levels of performance that would be reasonable as a standard for future quality measures. The department indicated that early attention to these process ‑oriented measures will help prepare for eventually measuring individual outcomes.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5157