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

Feb 17, 2026 - However, in many cases, the residual positions in question supported by special funds do not have a direct impact on the General Fund and thus do not factor directly into efforts to balance the budget.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5124

The 2026-27 Budget: Proposed Elimination of State Environmental Positions [Publication Details]

Feb 17, 2026 - In this post, we assess the Governor’s proposal to eliminate certain vacant state environmental positions.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5124

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

Mar 18, 2026 - The other pathway —more traditionally regulatory —would apply to water users that do not choose to be part of the VA program. Key features of the two pathways include: VA Pathway Includes Flows and Habitat Projects.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5163

The Bay-Delta Plan and Voluntary Agreements: Ensuring Effective Legislative Oversight [Publication Details]

Mar 18, 2026 - This report discusses the State Water Resources Control Board’s (SWRCB’s) proposed—and long-overdue—update of the water quality control plan for the San Francisco Bay-Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which includes an alternative compliance pathway for certain water users called voluntary agreements (VAs, also known as Healthy Rivers and Landscapes).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5163

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

Mar 2, 2026 - The state has a statutory responsibility to regulate waters that were formerly under federal jurisdiction (and has an interest in doing so given the implications for drinking and agricultural water quality and fish and wildlife habitat).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5144

The 2026-27 Budget: Proposition 4 Spending Plan

Feb 10, 2026 - The proposal also includes funding for 14 new positions at three departments —eight at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), five at the State Coastal Conservancy (SCC), and one at the Sierra Nevada Conservancy —to support the administration of their bond programs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5115

The 2026-27 Budget: Child Care and State Preschool

Mar 19, 2026 - For example, a family of three must earn less than $93,418 annually in 2025 ‑26 to be eligible for programs. b Family earned at least 50 percent of their total gross income from employment in fishing, agriculture, or agriculturally related work during the 12 months immediately preceding the date of application for services. c Child must have an individualized education program or
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5168

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

Feb 10, 2026 - This includes $11.3 million annually for the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), $11.2 million annually for the Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and $8.6 million annually for the Department of Parks and Recreation (Parks), among others.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5116

The 2026-27 Budget: County Administration and H.R. 1 Implementation

Mar 5, 2026 - What role do county policies and processes and the design and operation of automation and data systems play in determining the state ’s error rates in each program? Do some counties have significantly higher or lower error rates than others and are there practices or other circumstances that contribute to this  variation?
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5149

The 2026-27 Budget: California Highway Patrol Proposals

Mar 6, 2026 - We recommend the Legislature reject the proposed equipment and operating cost augmentations, as we do not find them to be well justified. We recommend the Legislature approve the capital outlay projects, but switch their funding source from the General Fund to the MVA.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5152