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 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 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: 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 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: 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: Cap-and-Invest Expenditure Plan

Feb 10, 2026 - For example, CARB recently released draft regulations that propose to make various changes to the program—including to the total number of allowances issued and the allocation of those allowances across various purposes (such as GGRF and free allowances to utilities and industry)—that could affect GGRF revenues.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5114

The 2026-27 Budget: Proposed Zero-Emission Vehicle Incentive

Feb 24, 2026 - Additionally, APCF potentially could be used to support some activities currently being funded with GGRF, thereby freeing up those dollars to help fund other priorities. ZEV Proposal Does Not Meet High Bar for New Expenditures.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5140