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

Mar 5, 2026 - What role do state policy decisions about eligibility processes play in affecting the complexity of operations and increasing or reducing the error rate in each program? Are there changes in state policy the state could consider that would reduce errors?
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5149

The 2026-27 Budget: CalWORKs

Feb 18, 2026 - Overestimates led to a large amount of unspent TANF —$767  million —estimated to be available to reduce state spending in CalWORKs in 2022-23. Similarly, $664  million in unspent TANF funds was estimated to be available in 2024-25.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5122

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

Mar 6, 2026 - Also, HCD currently plays a key role in the review and implementation of AHSC, so it already has “in house ” knowledge of the program. Further, the intent is that this knowledge and program capacity will be transmitted to HDFC through the proposed position transfers from HCD  to HDFC.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5154

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

Mar 18, 2026 - VA Parties Submitted an Alternative Proposal in 2022. Water users missed the 2019 deadline to submit a VA proposal to SWRCB. In March  2022, they came forward with an initial Memorandum of Understanding detailing terms to advance a VA for the Sacramento/Delta.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5163

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

Feb 24, 2026 - While ZEV ‑specific programs can play a role in augmenting the state ’s broader programs —such as by making ZEVs more accessible to low ‑income households and helping to encourage the market to produce a greater number and variety of vehicles —they are less critical than they otherwise would be without the “backstop ” of those broader GHG ‑reducing programs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5140

How Have Past Stock Market Downturns Affected Income Tax Revenue? [EconTax Blog]

Mar 9, 2026 - Revenues regained their nominal levels in 55 months after the dot-com bubble, 53 months following the global financial crisis, and 40 months after the 2022 rate hike drawdown. Multi-year revenue declines amplify the strain on the state budget during major market downturns.  
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/852

How Have Past Stock Market Downturns Affected Income Tax Revenue? [EconTax Blog]

Mar 9, 2026 - Revenues regained their nominal levels in 55 months after the dot-com bubble, 53 months following the global financial crisis, and 40 months after the 2022 rate hike drawdown. Multi-year revenue declines amplify the strain on the state budget during major market downturns.  
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/article/Detail/852

The 2026-27 Budget: Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) Program

Mar 3, 2026 - SSP Grants Were Increased in 2016-17, 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24.  Since the Great Recession, as seen in Figure  2, grants for individuals and couples have been increased four times —in 2016-17 (by 2.76  percent), 2021-22 (by 23.95  percent), 2022-23 (by 10.3  percent), and 2023-24 (by 9.2  percent).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5148

Cannabis Tax Revenue Update (2025 Q4) [EconTax Blog]

Feb 26, 2026 - Chapter 56 of 2022 (AB 195, Committee on Budget) eliminated the cultivation tax on July 1, 2022. Preliminary Total for Fourth Quarter of 2025: $145 Million. The administration currently estimates that retail excise tax revenue was $145 million in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2025 (October through December).
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/851

Cannabis Tax Revenue Update (2025 Q4) [EconTax Blog]

Feb 26, 2026 - Chapter 56 of 2022 (AB 195, Committee on Budget) eliminated the cultivation tax on July 1, 2022. Preliminary Total for Fourth Quarter of 2025: $145 Million. The administration currently estimates that retail excise tax revenue was $145 million in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2025 (October through December).
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/article/Detail/851