The 2026-27 Budget: Proposition 4 Spending Plan

Feb 10, 2026 - While the Legislature did approve some funding for a few of these activities in 2025 ‑26, notable discretion remains around how specifically the funds can and will be used. As such, these proposed appropriations represent a key opportunity for the Legislature to articulate its priorities and provide guidance about how specifically these funds will be spent, to the degree it has any.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5115

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

Mar 18, 2026 - To conduct its oversight, the Legislature could hold informational and/or oversight hearings, require reporting by SWRCB to the Legislature, require independent scientific evaluation of plan implementation and the VA pathway, and review how state funds are being spent.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5163

The 2026-27 Budget: California Public Utilities Commission’s Implementation of AB 1207

Feb 10, 2026 - Absent such additional direction, the Legislature will largely be deferring to CPUC to make decisions about how to allocate this funding —which could total in the tens of billions of dollars over the next twenty years —to utility customers.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5120

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

Mar 2, 2026 - How Waters Are Defined Affects How They Are Regulated. Federal CWA requirements only apply to “waters of the United States ” (WOTUS), so the definition of WOTUS is important. The broader the definition, the more bodies of water will fall under federal jurisdiction —and vice versa.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5144

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

Mar 19, 2026 - If it needs to provide less funding, the Legislature could also consider revisiting LCI ’s statutory requirements, time lines, and associated resource needs —for example, by reducing expectations around how the office should implement the CalHeatScore extreme heat ranking.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5167

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: Proposed Zero-Emission Vehicle Incentive

Feb 24, 2026 - The  absence of specific information on the program structure makes it impossible for the Legislature to understand how the program will work or evaluate its costs and benefits. For example, without information on the proposed incentive amounts, the Legislature cannot determine whether the incentives would be sufficient to meaningfully affect behavior.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5140

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

Feb 10, 2026 - Given the continued uncertainty around cap ‑and ‑invest revenues, we recommend the Legislature closely monitor upcoming quarterly auctions —in February  and May 2026 —to assess how revenues are materializing.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5114