The 2026-27 Budget: Department of Justice

Feb 11, 2026 - It also directs DOJ require licensed firearms dealers charge a fee of up to $5 per check (not to exceed actual processing costs). This fee may be increased annually by up to $1, but may not exceed actual costs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5118

California New Car Registrations: January 2026 [EconTax Blog]

Mar 11, 2026 - After growing just 0.3 percent from December to January, registrations are still 5 percent below the average level over the last couple of years. This multi-month slump could be a worrisome sign for California ’s short-term economic trajectory.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/853

California New Car Registrations: January 2026 [EconTax Blog]

Mar 11, 2026 - After growing just 0.3 percent from December to January, registrations are still 5 percent below the average level over the last couple of years. This multi-month slump could be a worrisome sign for California ’s short-term economic trajectory.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/article/Detail/853

Addressing Chronic Vacancies in Prison Mental Health Care

Feb 23, 2026 - We found that (1)  most mental health classifications appear to be relatively well paid compared to the broader market even before recent bonuses, (2)  other non ‑compensation factors appear to influence vacancy rates, (3)  the mental health Receiver plans to reassess whether further changes in pay are necessary, (4)  various other efforts are underway to improve recruitment and
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5134

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

Feb 23, 2026 - Second, the Legislature passed and the Governor signed Chapter  269 (AB  573, Rogers). This law will raise the annual license fee from $265 to $450 on July 1, 2026. It also authorized CDTFA to make further fee adjustments to cover program costs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5132

The 2026-27 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 12, 2026 - Ongoing, the Governor ’s spending ‑related solutions provide $5  billion in savings within a few years. Appendix 1 provides a list of the Governor ’s budget solutions. Generates $5.6 Billion School and Community College Settle‑Up Obligation in 2025‑26.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5101

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

Temporary tax increases. [Ballot]

Jan 27, 2026 - People who want to raise taxes using an initiative first have voters sign a p etition for the initiative. If enough voters sign the petition, the initiative is put up for a vote as a ballot proposition.
https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Initiative/2025-037

The 2026-27 Budget: Proposition 98 Guarantee and K-12 Spending Plan

Feb 4, 2026 - Several signs, however, suggest that the stock market has become overvalued. For example, the ratio of stock prices to corporate earnings (a measure of how expensive stocks are) is near historically high levels ( Figure  5 ).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5110

The 2026-27 Budget: California Community Colleges

Mar 5, 2026 - For example, the state i ncreased funding for the Student Equity and Achievement Program by $24  million (5  percent) in 2021 ‑22 and another $25  million (5  percent) in 2022 ‑23. Figure 5 Certain Categorical Programs Have Received a COLA in Recent Years 2019 ‑20
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5150