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

Mar 6, 2026 - We find that designating the vast majority of private activity bonds for this purpose, as CDLAC has done, is consistent with good public policy given (1)  the state ’s priority to support more affordable housing and that (2)  doing so unlocks federal funding via the 4   percent tax credits.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5154

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

The 2026-27 Budget: Food Assistance Programs

Feb 18, 2026 - Based on the state ’s most recently measured payment error rate of 11  percent, the state would have a 15  percent share of CalFresh benefit costs, resulting in about $2  billion in new annual costs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5126

The 2026-27 Budget: Child Welfare

Mar 3, 2026 - Flexible Family Supports and Home ‑Based Foster Care Funding Program $50 million one ‑time in 2022 ‑23 and again in 2023 ‑24, expendable for three years (through June 30, 2026 for the later allocation).
https://lao.ca.gov/publications/report/5147

The 2026-27 Budget: In-Home Supportive Services

Mar 18, 2026 - Counties were also given an increased share of state revenues to cover the net increase in costs. 1991 Realignment Provided Additional Revenue to Help Pay for Increased HHS Costs. As part of 1991 Realignment, the state dedicated certain revenue sources (specifically, a new portion of the sales tax and vehicle license fee revenue) to help pay for increased HHS costs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5166

Implementing California’s Child Welfare Prevention Services Program

Jan 28, 2026 - The FFPS Advisory Committee was launched in spring 2023 and meets quarterly. Additionally, as DSS often does when implementing new, significant program changes, the department hired some third ‑party contractors to assist with various elements of FFPS implementation.  
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5106

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

Mar 5, 2026 - In particular, DSS developed a revised CalFresh administration budgeting methodology, implemented starting in 2023 ‑24, that relies on estimates of unit costs for various mandated eligibility administration activities, based on a county survey.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5149