The 2026-27 Budget: Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation Proposals

Mar 19, 2026 - OPR started out as a small office with the purpose of long-term land use research and planning, as well as advising the Governor and the cabinet on such issues. However, the office ’s statutory responsibilities have expanded over time, including a new focus on climate change and serving as the state ’s lead entity on CEQA issues.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5167

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

Mar 2, 2026 - The administration had proposed to phase in an additional 12 positions (and $2.1  million) starting in 2025-26. The final budget agreement instead approved only the 26 positions beginning in 2024-25, and the Legislature indicated it desired more information about how specifically the water boards ’ workload would change before approving such a large number of ongoing positions and resources.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5144

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

Feb 10, 2026 - We urge the Legislature to start addressing the budget ’s structural imbalance during this budget cycle. Starting now, before a crisis is at the state ’s doorstep, would enable the Legislature to take a more thoughtful approach to rebalancing the state ’s commitments, including soliciting public input and weighing trade ‑offs and potential consequences of options being considered.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5116