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

Feb 17, 2026 - For example, at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), positions include game wardens who prov ide important law enforcement and wildlife and resource protection services. Some CDFW positions also administer various permits, a key function to ensure that projects —from habitat restoration to infrastructure and housing development —can be completed with less damage to the environment.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5124

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

Feb 10, 2026 - Without the additional funding, DWR would have less capacity to implement current law and ensure dam owners are following rules designed to protect people and property from dam failures. DWR: Urban Flood Risk Reduction.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5116

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

Mar 18, 2026 - The box below describes some of the primary ways that state and federal rules govern water use in the Bay ‑Delta watershed and how they  interact. Numerous State and Federal Rules Govern Water Use in the Bay‑Delta Watershed Water allocations from the San Francisco Bay ‑Delta watershed depend not only on available supply from rainfall and snowmelt, but also on a
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5163

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

Mar 2, 2026 - Army Corps of Engineers recently released a proposed rule to effectuate the narrowed definition of WOTUS. …Shifting Regulation of Certain Waters to the State. At the state level, all WOTUS —and many other waters, wetlands, and streams —meet the state statutory definition for “waters of the state ” because it is much broader than the federal definition.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5144