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

Feb 17, 2026 - Figure 1 2025 ‑26 Budget Agreement Allowed Legislature to Review Position Eliminations in Nine Departments Fish and Wildlife State Water Resources Control Board Toxic Substances Control Industrial Relations Office of the Inspector General JLBC Did Not Concur With the Elimination of About Two-Thirds of Residual Positions.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5124

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

Mar 18, 2026 - Populations of fall ‑run Chinook —the state ’s most abundant salmon run that supports commercial and recreational fishing —have declined by an average of 2  percent annually since 1995. (A “run ” refers to the season in which the majority of adults return from the ocean to spawn.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5163

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 2026-27 Budget: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Feb 23, 2026 - Receiver Has Greater Authority Than Special Master. The establishment of the mental health Receivership led to the dissolution of the Special Master. The Receiver differs from the Special Master in that a Receiver has direct executive authority and acts in place of the Secretary of CDCR in regard to the management of prison mental health.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5137

The 2026-27 Budget: Community College Facilities

Mar 17, 2026 - As Figure  2 shows, the Governor proposes to fund all ten projects selected by the Chancellor ’s Office. The Governor ’s budget includes $28  million Proposition  2 bond funds for the preliminary plans and working drawings phases of these projects.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5159

The 2026-27 Budget: Community College Facilities [Publication Details]

Mar 17, 2026 - This post assesses the Governor’s proposals to fund the second batch of community college capital outlay projects under Proposition 2, an education facilities bond.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5159

The 2026-27 Budget: California Public Utilities Commission’s Implementation of AB 1207

Feb 10, 2026 - These free allowances are intended to protect electric consumers from significant cost increases associated with the program. To that end, utilities are required to consign most of these free allowances to auction and use the proceeds to provide rebates to consumer s, known as the “California Climate Credit. ” These rebates currently are provided to residential customers each year in April and October.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5120

The 2026-27 Budget: Re-Envisioning State Education Governance

Mar 18, 2026 - This  shift would free up the SBE to focus on broader policy issues while making state administrative functions more efficient. Considering Adding Legislative Appointees to the SBE. The Legislature could consider adding two legislative appointees to the SBE.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5165

The 2026-27 Budget: Proposition 4 Spending Plan

Feb 10, 2026 - This amount was approved via three different 2025 budget actions: (1) $181  million provided through Chapter  2 of 2025 (A B  100 , Gabriel) (these funds were available for departments to spend during the final few months of 2024 ‑25), (2) $2.9  million through Chapter  5 of 2025 (A B  102 , Gabriel), and (3) $3.3  billion through Chapter  104 of 2025 (S B  105 , Wiener).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5115

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