Trends in Higher Education: Facilities [Publication Details]

Apr 30, 2025 - This is the final brief of a six-part series covering higher education trends in California. This brief focuses on higher education facilities. The brief includes key issues for the Legislature to consider as it makes related policy and budget decisions.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5037

The 2025-26 Budget: College of the Law, San Francisco

Mar 10, 2025 - The school could revisit its project design and financing options to ensure it could still deliver at least 257 beds at below ‑market rates. The school ’s reserve currently is healthy, which could help as the school reconsiders its financing options.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5014

The 2025-26 Budget: University of California

Feb 27, 2025 - Way UC Finances Its Facilities Differs From Other State Agencies. Prior to 2013‑14, the state financed UC academic facilities the same way it financed most other state facilities—using state general obligation bonds and state lease revenue bonds.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4998

The 2025-26 Budget: Community College Facilities

Mar 18, 2025 - In this post, we first provide background on CCC facilities and capital outlay financing. We then describe the Governor ’s proposals to fund many new CCC capital outlay projects, assess those proposals, and provide an associated recommendation.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5017

The 2025-26 Budget: California State Library

Mar 7, 2025 - The Department of Finance has not yet indicated whether or when it would act to recapture the associated $2  million. We recommend the Legislature adopt provisional budget language reverting the funds as part of its budget closeout activities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5013

The 2025-26 Budget: California Community Colleges

Mar 5, 2025 - Most state IT projects undergo a planning process managed by the California Department of Technology (CDT), in consultation with the Department of Finance, called the Project Approval Lifecycle (PAL).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5005

The 2025-26 Budget: Higher Education Overview

Feb 6, 2025 - The Government Finance Officers Association historically has recommended that government agencies hold at least two months of unrestricted budgetary fund balances (though exceptions are considered depending on certain factors such as the size of the agency, its diversification of revenue streams, the volatility of those revenue streams, and overall risk exposure).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4957

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

Jan 13, 2025 - The 2024 ‑25 budget package assumed that the Department of Finance would reduce state operations expenditures through two unallocated reductions across most state departments. These included (1)  a $1.5  billion ($760  million General Fund) reduction through the permanent and ongoing reduction of 10,000 vacant positions and the associated funding and (2)  a reduction to General Fund operating expenditures of $2.2  billion in 2024 ‑25 and $2.8  billion in 2025 ‑26 and ongoing.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4951