Increasing Oversight of the State Litigation Deposit Fund

Jan 28, 2021 - As shown in the figure below, the amount of money in the LDF at the end of the year has grown significantly over the past decade —reaching $ 633  m illion at the end of 2019 ‑20. This is because funds remain in the LDF until DOJ decides to make an allocation.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4322

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

Jun 12, 2025 - Examples include taking police reports online or over the phone instead of in ‑person, issuing warnings instead of making arrests, or delaying planned arrests unless doing so would have jeopardized public safety.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5055

The 2020-21 Budget: Criminal Justice Proposals

Feb 18, 2020 - Telecommuting —an arrangement in which telehealth providers work from home using telehealth technology rather than commuting to an office to use the technology —could be a viable alternative to providing office space for providers.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4164

The 2025-26 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 13, 2025 - The reason for the reduction is the recent voter approval of Proposition  35 (2024), which requires the state to spend less MCO tax money on offsetting General Fund spending and more money on provider rate increases.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4951

Assessing Community College Programs at State Prisons

Jul 1, 2024 - We did not hear the same level of challenges from colleges that provide instruction via correspondence education. Several Colleges Are Piloting Online Models That Appear Promising. With the recent distribution of laptops to students, community colleges and CDCR have an opportunity to rethink how instruction is delivered to students from a distance.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4913

The 2021-22 Budget: Initial Comments on the Governor’s May Revision

May 17, 2021 - Put another way, $12  billion  of spending in the May Revision is attributable to reserve withdrawals and borrowing from 2020 (see Figure  7). Figure 7 Governor Still Uses Budget Solutions Despite Historic Revenue Growth Budget Solutions From 2020 Maintained in 2021 May Revision (In Billions) Reserve Withdrawals Make Budget Stabilization Account withdrawal $7.8 Make Safety Net Reserve withdrawal 0.5
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4432

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Judiciary and Criminal Justice

Oct 24, 2025 - In addition, the budget package continues to include language —without a specific amount in the CDCR budget –that would allow the Department of Finance (DOF) to make payments from the General Fund for any fines related to staffing vacancies in the   Coleman v.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5085

The 2021-22 Budget: Initial Comments on the Governor’s May Revision

May 17, 2021 - The 2021-22 Budget: Initial Comments on the Governor’s May Revision $2,099 $510 Note: This reflects our best understanding as of May 15, 2021; however, we are still receiving information from the administration about these proposals.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4432/5

Potential Impacts of Recent State Asset Forfeiture Changes

Jan 6, 2020 - Proceeds theory allows the forfeiture of items that can be traced back to a benefit that resulted from an illegal exchange. For example, items purchased legally using money deposited into a bank from the sale of illegal drugs would be eligible for forfeiture.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4128

Addressing Chronic Vacancies in Prison Mental Health Care

Feb 23, 2026 - To the extent the mental health Receiver denies a plan to deactivate excess bed capacity, we recommend the Legislature request from the Receiver what criteria, threshold, or buffer the state would have to achieve in order to deactivate some, if not all, of the excess capacity and direct CDCR to make changes  accordingly.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5134