Updating the California Necessities Index

Aug 14, 2025 - To score well on this assessment, the average of the differences across years should be small. It  is also important that these differences be symmetric: a new measure should minimize the extent to which changes are consistently higher or lower than the current CNI.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5065

Updating the California Necessities Index [Publication Details]

Aug 14, 2025 - Recent changes were made to the publication of statistics required to calculate the California Necessities Index, which is used to adjust certain benefit rates and cost-of-living adjustments. In this brief, we provide details on the changes and evaluate alternatives for the index that require only currently available data and conform to the original intent of the index.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5065

The 2022-23 Budget: Supply Chain and Port Infrastructure Proposals

Feb 15, 2022 - New vs. Existing Programs. Funding is currently proposed to be allocated through a new program under CalSTA. However, other existing programs—like the Trade Corridor Enhancement Program, which is administered by California Transportation Commission and funds similar goods movement infrastructure projects—could be used to allocate the proposed funding.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4540

The 2018-19 Budget: California Competes Proposal

Feb 21, 2018 - An applicant that requests a smaller tax credit —holding constant the proposed amount of hiring and investment —receives a higher score. Only the highest scoring applicants move on to the second stage.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3759

Evaluation of a Tax Exemption for Zero-Emission Buses

Apr 15, 2024 - ZEBs Are Growing Share of New Buses. Figure  2 displays the annual share of new buses that are ZEBs. This share has been growing over time. In 2020, 10  percent of buses entering service for large transit agencies were ZEBs; by 2022, that share had grown to 28  percent.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4890

Taxation of Sugary Drinks

Nov 26, 2018 - Key Trade ‑Off: Main Policy Goal vs. Other Health Effects. The potential exclusion of 100  p ercent juice illustrates a general trade ‑off in the design of sugary drink taxes. Some sugary drinks contain beneficial nutrients.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3903

California’s Low-Wage Workers and Minimum Wage

Mar 11, 2024 - As we noted in another post , a new law will raise many of these workers’ wages to $20 per hour on April 1, 2024. After that law goes into effect, fast-food workers very likely will not be a low-wage occupation as defined above.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4878/1

The 2026-27 Budget: California Competes Extension

Mar 18, 2026 - Complementing this, another study compared similarly scored applicants where one received a credit and the other did not and found that recipient firms subsequently increased employment and payroll in California relati ve to otherwise similar firms that narrowly missed receiving an award. 2018 Changes to Program Could Impact Employment Effects.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5162

Evaluation of the Property Tax Postponement Program

Oct 8, 2018 - All else equal, a low ‑income person living in Santa Clara County is likely to spend more on housing than a person with the same income living in Imperial County. Participation PTP Historically Has Had Low Participation.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3885

Evaluation of a Sales Tax Exemption for Certain Manufacturers

Dec 11, 2018 - After the Legislature passed Chapter   10 o f 2010 (S B  71 , Padilla), CAEATFA hired Blue Sky Consulting to help CAEATFA implement the new law. In particular, Blue Sky —in consultation with CAEATFA and others —developed the scoring system that the authority has used to evaluate applicants for the exemption.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3907