The 2025-26 Budget: Initial Comments on the Governor's May Revision

May 17, 2025 - Rebenching Proposition   98 for Wildfire ‑Related Property Tax Losses. The May Revision proposes rebenching the Proposition  98 minimum funding guarantee to account for property tax revenue losses resulting from the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5044

Rethinking California's Reserve Policy

Apr 10, 2025 - As a result, Proposition 98 creates a separate budget for K‑14 education that sits within the state’s larger budget. Budget Conditions Can Diverge. The budget situation within Proposition  98 can diverge sharply from the rest of the budget.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5028

The 2025-26 Budget: Multiyear Budget Outlook

May 24, 2025 - Offsetting this, our projections for school and community college spending are higher, reflecting Proposition  98 (1988) formulas that typically increase (or decrease) with changes in revenue. Additionally, our estimates for spending in other areas —primarily health and human services programs —are somewhat higher than the administration ’s projections.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5052

The 2025-26 Budget: Undertaking Fiscal Oversight

Feb 24, 2025 - For example, the minimum funding level for schools and community colleges is set by the constitutional requirements of Proposition  98 (1988). While the Legislature can change how funds within Proposition  98 are distributed, funding less than the constitutional minimum in any particular year requires a two-thirds vote and creates a future obligation for more school funding in subsequent budgets.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4983