The 2025-26 Budget: Cap-and-Trade Reauthorization and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Proposals at May Revision

May 19, 2025 - Since the passage of AB  398 in 2017 (with a two-thirds vote of both houses of the Legislature), GGRF is considered akin to a tax. As such, it is a flexible funding source that can be used to help meet the state ’s most important activities (similar to the General Fund).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5049

Assessing California’s Climate Policies—Cap-and-Trade Reauthorization

May 7, 2025 - Accordingly, to the extent the Legislature would like the program to continue, providing explicit statutory authority passed with a two ‑thirds vote of both legislative houses would be important to increasing program certainty and flexibility.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5042

The 2025-26 Budget: Various California Air Resources Board Proposals

Feb 24, 2025 - The State Constitution allows the Legislature to increase fees to cover the costs of specific state activities with a majority vote of each house of the Legislature. (This is in contrast to taxes, from which revenues can be used for a broader range of activities and which require a two ‑thirds vote of each house of the Legislature.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4980

Frequently Asked Questions About Wildfires in California

Jan 28, 2025 - For instance, between 1990 and 2020, the number of housing units in California ’s WUI grew from 3.6  million to 5.1  million (a 42  percent increase). Besides placing more people and structures in locations with higher wildfire risk, increased development and activity in the WUI can also raise the chance of human-caused fire ignitions.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4952