The 2026-27 Budget: Food Assistance Programs

Feb 18, 2026 - CalFresh benefits can be used to buy most groceries and some prepared food at participating vendors, which include most grocery and convenience stores. Benefit amounts vary by household and depend on various factors including household size, income, and costs for housing and utilities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5126

The 2026-27 Budget: Child Welfare

Mar 3, 2026 - However, the program still may be underutilized, may not yet be achieving its intended impact, and/or may not necessarily be progressing in line with legislative expectations. CWS ‑CARES = Child Welfare Services ‑California Automated Response and Engagement System; CANS = Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths; BH ‑CONNECT = Behavioral Health Community ‑Based
https://lao.ca.gov/publications/report/5147

The 2026-27 Budget: CalWORKs

Feb 18, 2026 - Grants Still Not Estimated to Meet Legislature ’s Goal for All Recipients. As part of the 2018-19 Budget Act , the Legislature set a goal to increase CalWORKs grants to 50  percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) for a family that is one person larger than the number of people in the family for which the grant amount is calculated.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5122

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

Mar 5, 2026 - The value of lost eligibility and benefits to Medi ‑Cal and CalFresh enrollees is larger still. Addressing the structural budget problem will require difficult trade ‑offs. Backfilling lost federal benefits under H.R.  1 would require billions of dollars in additional budget solutions.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5149

Implementing California’s Child Welfare Prevention Services Program

Jan 28, 2026 - The  local child welfare agency still will need to be involved tangentially in the family ’s case in that the agency will be responsible for confirming the child/family is an eligible candidate for Title IV ‑E prevention services.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5106

The 2026-27 Budget: In-Home Supportive Services

Mar 18, 2026 - Taken Together, These Cost Drivers Account for Much of the Growth Overall, IHSS Cost Growth Can Be Attributed to Three Main Factors. IHSS costs can be largely attributed to three primary factors: caseload, cost per hour, and hours per case.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5166

The 2026-27 Budget: Streamlining California’s Affordable Housing Funding System

Mar 6, 2026 - Because 9   percent tax credits generally deliver more than twice the equity of 4   percent credits, they can be a powerful tool for supporting deeply affordable housing projects (that is, projects targeting people with the lowest income levels).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5154