The 2026-27 Budget: Re-Envisioning State Education Governance [Publication Details]

Mar 18, 2026 - In this brief, we examine the Governor’s proposal to restructure state governance. The first section explains how the current system evolved and describes the main entities and their responsibilities. The second section reviews previous governance studies and explains how governance works in other contexts.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5165

The 2026-27 Budget: California Competes Extension

Mar 18, 2026 - Complementing this, another study compared similarly scored applicants where one received a credit and the other did not and found that recipient firms subsequently increased employment and payroll in California relati ve to otherwise similar firms that narrowly missed receiving an award. 2018 Changes to Program Could Impact Employment Effects.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5162

The 2026-27 Budget: Re-Envisioning State Education Governance

Mar 18, 2026 - Figure 3 Four Common Education Governance Models Models Governor appoints state board of education and chief state school officer. 14 Governor appoints state board of education. State board of education appoints chief state school officer. 10 Governor appoints state board of education.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5165

The Bay-Delta Plan and Voluntary Agreements: Ensuring Effective Legislative Oversight [Publication Details]

Mar 18, 2026 - This report discusses the State Water Resources Control Board’s (SWRCB’s) proposed—and long-overdue—update of the water quality control plan for the San Francisco Bay-Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which includes an alternative compliance pathway for certain water users called voluntary agreements (VAs, also known as Healthy Rivers and Landscapes).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5163

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

Mar 18, 2026 - Rather, it assumes the board adopts the plan largely as currently proposed —and as recommended by board staff —and raises some key issues for the Legislature to consider as implementation begins. This report has three major sections.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5163

The 2026-27 Budget: Community College Facilities

Mar 17, 2026 - The CCC Board of Governors adopted the current scoring system in September 2020. Scoring System Includes Three Project Categories. Under its current scoring system, the Chancellor ’s Office allocates available bond funding across three project categories: life safety, modernization, and growth.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5159

The 2026-27 Budget: Department of Developmental Services

Mar 13, 2026 - Such solutions included across ‑the ‑board provider rate reductions and the full suspension of a particular service. Going forward, richer data could help the Legislature take a more targeted approach to minimize programmatic harm, retain services to the extent possible to consumers with the highest needs, and reduce the potential for increasing disparities among consumers.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5157

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

Mar 9, 2026 - This Time Might Be Different, but It Is Not Safe to Bet on It.   As our office warned last November, it now appears time to take seriously the notion that the stock market has become overheated. While there is a chance that this time is different and no such downturn is forthcoming, the risk appears strong enough that we have incorporated it into the state 's revenue outlook.  
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/852

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

Mar 9, 2026 - This Time Might Be Different, but It Is Not Safe to Bet on It.   As our office warned last November, it now appears time to take seriously the notion that the stock market has become overheated. While there is a chance that this time is different and no such downturn is forthcoming, the risk appears strong enough that we have incorporated it into the state 's revenue outlook.  
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/article/Detail/852

The 2026-27 Budget: California Community Colleges

Mar 5, 2026 - Because employer contribution rates for these two systems are set by their respective state boards, all community college districts statewide are subject to the same rates. Districts ’ pension costs have generally been increasing over time.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5150