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

Feb 17, 2026 - The Governor ’s budget released in January assumes all the residual positions are eliminated and, accordingly, scores associated annual savings in both 2025-26 and 2026-27. For environmental positions, this amounts to annual savings of about $71  million (about $32  million General Fund).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5124

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

Mar 18, 2026 - Other fish that migrate through or live in the Delta also are listed as threatened or endangered, including Central Valley steelhead and Delta smelt. State Failing to Meet Goal for Doubling Natural Salmon Population.
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: 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: Permitting Support at the State Water Resources Control Board

Mar 2, 2026 - The final budget agreement instead approved only the 26 positions beginning in 2024-25, and the Legislature indicated it desired more information about how specifically the water boards ’ workload would change before approving such a large number of ongoing positions and resources.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5144

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

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