The 2026-27 Budget: Cap-and-Invest Expenditure Plan

Feb 10, 2026 - The practical implication of the administration considering revenues from interest income and the entering fund balance outside of the S B  840 allocation process is that more than $1  billion annually will be set aside as available for discretionary purposes prior to computing allotments for Tier 3 programs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5114

The 2026-27 Budget: Governor’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel Tax Credit Proposal

Feb 24, 2026 - These include (1)  support for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and its highway maintenance and rehabilitation programs, (2)  direct suballocations to cities and counties for local streets and roads, and (3)  competitive infrastructure grants on freight corridors through the Trade Corridor Enhancement Program (TCEP).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5139

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

Mar 18, 2026 - Some notable examples of previous VAs include: (1)  the Quantification Settlement Agreement , adopted in 2003 to address longstanding disputes over Colorado River water rights and to reduce use of Colorado River water in California; (2)  the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement , agreed to in 2006 following an 18 ‑year legal dispute, with the goal of restoring fish
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5163

The 2026-27 Budget: Proposition 4 Spending Plan

Feb 10, 2026 - This amount was approved via three different 2025 budget actions: (1) $181  million provided through Chapter  2 of 2025 (A B  100 , Gabriel) (these funds were available for departments to spend during the final few months of 2024 ‑25), (2) $2.9  million through Chapter  5 of 2025 (A B  102 , Gabriel), and (3) $3.3  billion through Chapter  104 of 2025 (S B  105 , Wiener).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5115

The 2026-27 Budget: Proposed Zero-Emission Vehicle Incentive

Feb 24, 2026 - As we discuss in our December 2018 report, Assessing California’s Climate Policies—Transportation , such challenges can include (1) program interactions that can affect cost‑effectiveness, (2) difficulty evaluating programs,(3) potential lack of program coordination, and (4) increased administrative costs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5140

The 2026-27 Budget: Permitting Support at the State Water Resources Control Board

Mar 2, 2026 - To that end, the 2024-25 budget package included language requiring SWRCB to submit a report to the Legislature by January 2026 on (1)  the impacts of the Sackett decision on workload, permitting, and enforcement processes; (2)  the nature of any legal challenges to state regulatory authority; and (3)  any regulatory limitations it was experiencing under current statute.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5144

The 2026-27 Budget: Framework for Approaching the Natural Resources, Environmental Protection, and Agriculture Budget

Feb 10, 2026 - CCC would use the proposed funds to hire (1)  100 new Corpsmembers dedicated to conservation work, including fire prevention and suppression activities (but  not hand crews); (2)  19 on ‑site personnel to support daily operations at the residential center; and (3)  5  headquarters staff to help manage increased administrative workload.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5116

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

Mar 19, 2026 - Figure  1 provides a breakdown of the proposals. As shown, the funding request includes $10.5  million ongoing to support IT, administrative, legislative, and land policy staff and activities. For implementing various statutory responsibilities, the Governor proposes $741,000 in 2026-27, $1.7  million in 2027-28, $1.5  million from 2028-29 through 2031-32, and $522,000 ongoing thereafter.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5167

The 2026-27 Budget: Proposed Elimination of State Environmental Positions

Feb 17, 2026 - The final budget agreement instead eliminated fewer positions (4,994) and provided the Legislature additional time to review 1,009 additional positions which we refer to as “residual: ” (1)  those associated with implementing legislation chaptered in 2022 and 2023 across numerous departments, and (2)  all of those in nine specified departments which we highlight in Figure  1.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5124

The 2026-27 Budget: California Public Utilities Commission’s Implementation of AB 1207

Feb 10, 2026 - We recommend the Legislature (1)  assess whether these additional activities are consistent with legislative intent, as well as whether they are high priorities for funding given the state ’s serious budget challenges and (2)  make corresponding changes to the level of staffing and funding provided, as relevant.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5120