The 2025-26 Budget: Overview of the Federal CalWORKs Pilot

Feb 21, 2025 - Generally, if an individual is ineligible for CalWORKs, other members of his or her family (including children) who themselves meet eligibility requirements can receive aid. Grants Based on Number of Eligible Family Members, Not Overall Family Size.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4978

Trends in CalWORKs: Participant Characteristics

Jun 16, 2025 - Data Limited on Other Family Members. As mentioned, demographic data are generally collected on the CalWORKs applicant. However, an applicant is generally not asked to provide demographic information on other members of his or her family, even if the characteristics of other family members differ from those of the applicant.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5057

Preliminary Assessment of Significant Changes to State's Technology Project Approval and Oversight Processes

Apr 29, 2025 - New PDL Process Could Improve Technology Project Outcomes … Based on our preliminary assessment of the new PDL process, we acknowledge that PDL —in concept —could improve the outcomes of GenAI (and potentially other) technology projects.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5034

The 2025-26 Budget: Child Welfare

Feb 13, 2025 - Funds must be used for services/items that meet an assessed need and must (1)  promote inclusion in the community, (2)  increase safety in the home environment, and/or (3)  facilitate age-appropriate participation or autonomy in making decisions that improve physical or behavioral health outcomes.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4962

The 2025-26 Budget: In-Home Supportive Services

Mar 6, 2025 - The administration has noted that because undocumented individuals remain ineligible to be IHSS providers, and a majority of IHSS recipients receive services from a family member, recipients with undocu mented family members may have a more difficult time securing an eligible provider.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5009

The 2025-26 Budget: Food Assistance Programs

Feb 19, 2025 - The Governor ’s budget shifts about $61 million total funds ($19  million General Fund) in previously appropriated funds for EBT card improvements to 2024-25 to align with remaining project payment milestones (it is our understanding that the projected multi-year cost of the EBT card improvement project remains about $75 million).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4971

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

Jan 13, 2025 - These gains are not tied to improvements in the state ’s broader economy, which has been lackluster, with elevated unemployment, a stagnant job market outside of government and healthcare, and sluggish consumer spending.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4951

The 2025-26 Budget: CWS-CARES [Publication Details]

Mar 5, 2025 - This post provides our analysis of the administration’s 2025-26 proposal for the Child Welfare Services-California Automated Response and Engagement System information technology project.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5006

The 2025-26 Budget: CWS-CARES

Mar 5, 2025 - Recent bills signed into law seek to address issues in the state ’s child welfare programs, and addressing these issues will require improved data collection and disaggregation. In some cases, additional data collection and disaggregation requires the completion of CWS-CARES V1.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5006

The 2025-26 Budget: The California State Payroll System IT Project

Mar 7, 2025 - The primary purpose of the PAL process is to improve the planning of state IT projects through four discrete stages, all of which taken together create a complete project plan with a baseline cost, schedule, and scope that is approved by CDT and DOF.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5011