California New Car Registrations: January 2026 [EconTax Blog]

Mar 11, 2026 - California New Car Registrations: January 2026 [EconTax Blog] California New Car Registrations: January 2026 March 11, 2026 Seth Kerstein As discussed in an earlier post , new car purchases can be a useful, timely economic indicator.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/853

California New Car Registrations: January 2026 [EconTax Blog]

Mar 11, 2026 - California New Car Registrations: January 2026 [EconTax Blog] California New Car Registrations: January 2026 March 11, 2026 Seth Kerstein As discussed in an earlier post , new car purchases can be a useful, timely economic indicator.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/article/Detail/853

The 2026-27 Budget: Food Assistance Programs

Feb 18, 2026 - California ’s most recent payment error rate, for federal fiscal year 2023-24, is about 11  percent. (The comparable national error rate is similarly about 11  percent.) Payment error rates in California and nationally have risen in recent years, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5126

Firearms and Ammunition Revenue Update (2025 Q4) [EconTax Blog]

Feb 18, 2026 - Firearms and Ammunition Revenue Update (2025 Q4) [EconTax Blog] Firearms and Ammunition Revenue Update (2025 Q4) February 18, 2026 Seth Kerstein Beginning July 2024, Chapter 231 of 2023 (AB 28, Gabriel) imposed an 11 percent excise tax on retail sales of firearms, firearm precursor parts, and ammunition, with some exemptions.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/article/Detail/849

Firearms and Ammunition Revenue Update (2025 Q4) [EconTax Blog]

Feb 18, 2026 - Firearms and Ammunition Revenue Update (2025 Q4) [EconTax Blog] Firearms and Ammunition Revenue Update (2025 Q4) February 18, 2026 Seth Kerstein Beginning July 2024, Chapter 231 of 2023 (AB 28, Gabriel) imposed an 11 percent excise tax on retail sales of firearms, firearm precursor parts, and ammunition, with some exemptions.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/849

UC Federal Grants and Contracts for Medical Care, R&D, and Other Purposes [EdBudget]

Feb 21, 2026 - UC Federal Grants and Contracts for Medical Care, R&D, and Other Purposes [EdBudget] a Amounts for 2024-25 are estimates based on 11 months of actuals. b Reflects expenditures, not annual grant award amounts. c This row excludes expenditures from NIH grants. 
https://lao.ca.gov/Education/EdBudget/Details/1047

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

Mar 18, 2026 - While VAs can result from litigation, they differ from regular court orders or traditional top ‑down regulations in that the affected parties negotiate a settlement to try to achieve agreed ‑upon objectives.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5163

The 2026-27 Budget: California Student Aid Commission

Feb 17, 2026 - This income level equates to roughly the top 90th percentile of households in California (meaning only about one in ten households makes above that level). Lastly, under the revamped program, students at private universities remain ineligible for MCS awards.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5127

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

Feb 10, 2026 - By including funding for state operations in Tier 1, they are taken “off the top ” before allocations are computed for nearly all other activities. The main implication of this approach is that any activities that are added to this category essentially result in less funding available to support programs in other tiers and a greater likelihood that Tier 3 programs may not receive their full statutory allotments.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5114

The 2026-27 Budget: California Community Colleges

Mar 5, 2026 - The Legislature has historically made this a top CCC  budget priority because it helps districts address increases in their core operating costs and, in turn, maintain the quality of their instructional programs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5150