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 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: 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: 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 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: Child Care and State Preschool

Mar 19, 2026 - In recent years, California made several changes intended to comply with changes to federal rules. For example, the 2025‑26 budget provided $30 million to support the transition to paying providers prospectively.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5168

Residency rules for state personal income tax purposes. [Ballot]

Jan 27, 2026 - Residency rules for state personal income tax purposes. [Ballot] Pursuant to Elections Code Section 9005, we have reviewed the proposed initiative that would change the state ’s residency rules for state personal income tax purposes (A.G.  
https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Initiative/2025-039

The 2026-27 Budget: Medi-Cal Analysis

Mar 2, 2026 - H.R. 1 tightens the existing rules around proportionality, generally prohibiting states from charging higher rates on Medicaid services than non ‑Medicaid services. This notably limits states ’ ability to obtain a waiver from proportionality rules.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5146

The 2026-27 Budget: Office of Emergency Services Next Generation 911 System

Feb 27, 2026 - After these dispatch centers have been migrated, OES will focus on deploying Next Generation 911 services to the Los  Angeles area, to help prepare for the 2028  Olympic and Paralympic games. In addition to these priorities, up to 20 other dispatch centers (those in most urgent need) will also be moved onto the statewide network.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5145

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