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

Mar 2, 2026 - Supreme Court Decision in 2023 Narrowed Federal Jurisdiction … A 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision — Sackett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ( Sackett ) —narrowed the definition of WOTUS. The ruling limits federal jurisdiction to relatively permanent bodies of water and to wetlands that have a continuous surface connection to WOTUS.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5144

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

Feb 17, 2026 - The final budget agreement instead eliminated fewer positions (4,994) and provided the Legislature additional time to review 1,009 additional positions which we refer to as “residual: ” (1)  those associated with implementing legislation chaptered in 2022 and 2023 across numerous departments, and (2)  all of those in nine specified departments which we highlight in Figure  1.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5124

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

Mar 19, 2026 - In 2023, the Legislature approved the administration ’s request to transition most of the office ’s employees to traditional civil service status, which required standardization of various processes such as hiring and employee classifications.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5167

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

Mar 18, 2026 - According to estimates from the Delta Stewardship Council, California achieved only about 10 percent of the annual target on average between 2018 and 2023. Recognition That Rivers Need More Water to Support Native Fish.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5163

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

Feb 24, 2026 - Finally, we have concerns that the creation of a new program adds complexity and potential duplication. In light of these factors and the constrained state budget condition, we recommend the Legislature reject the proposal.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5140

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

Feb 10, 2026 - Finally, after it has identified what level of funding its budget can support, we suggest the Legislature think about revisiting the mix of how those resources are dedicated to prioritize the most important activities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5116

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: Governor’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel Tax Credit Proposal

Feb 24, 2026 - These pressures are expected to grow as the state works to further increase ZEV adoption to meet its ambitious climate goals, as we discuss in our 2023 report, Assessing California’s Climate Policies—Implications for State Transportation Funding and Programs .
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5139

The 2026-27 Budget: Cap-and-Invest Expenditure Plan

Feb 10, 2026 - The Legislature may want to learn more about potential consequences that could ensue from the administration’s proposal to not fund these planned amounts and consider them as it develops its final GGRF spending package.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5114