The 2025-26 Budget: State Mandates—Regional Water Quality Control Boards

May 30, 2025 - Governor ’s Proposal Suspends Mandates for Time Period in Question, Does Not Reimburse Local Governments for Their Past Costs. The Governor ’s revised 2025-26 budget proposes to suspend the three mandates discussed above, which CSM determined were reimbursable by the state for the pre-2018 time periods noted.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5054

The 2025-26 Budget: May Revision Trailer Bill Proposals on the Delta Conveyance Project and Water Quality Control Plans

May 27, 2025 - The Legislature has not been part of the conversation to develop the VA program nor the workshops SWRCB has held to review it. Given the important implications of these VA proposals, the Legislature would benefit from additional time to consider the plan before taking action that would likely expedite its approval.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5053

The 2025-26 Budget: State Mandate—Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board

May 5, 2025 - Depending on commission determinations, the Legislature will receive future proposals from the administration to suspend or modify mandates or to reimburse eligible costs for at least some of these claims, potentially including three as part of the May Revision.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5039

Frequently Asked Questions About Wildfires in California

Jan 28, 2025 - This is more than four times the average annual amount of acreage that has burned in recent decades, due in large part to the state ’s focus on suppressing wildfires. Many plant and tree species native to California adapted to these regular, low- and moderate-intensity wildfires.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4952

The 2025-26 Budget: Cap-and-Trade Reauthorization and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Proposals at May Revision

May 19, 2025 - The 2025-26 Budget: Cap-and-Trade Reauthorization and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Proposals at May Revision May Revision Proposals for Cap-and-Trade Reauthorization and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Cap-and-Trade Extension Trailer Bill LAO Bottom Line: We recommend the Legislature —after taking as much time as it needs to adequately deliberate —modify the Governor ’s proposal,
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5049

The 2025-26 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 13, 2025 - The  administration appears to share some of these concerns, noting recent job losses among high ‑wage workers and the risks posed by the inherent volatility of tax receipts tied to stock market gains.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4951

Assessing California’s Climate Policies—Cap-and-Trade Reauthorization

May 7, 2025 - These potential increases come at a time when the state is implementing changes to other programs and policies —such as updates to LCFS —that also are expected to raise consumer costs, including for transportation fuels.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5042

The 2025-26 Budget: Natural Resources and Agriculture Discretionary Spending Proposals

Feb 18, 2025 - The  department ’s rationale for including this request as part of this overall proposal is that supporting technical assistance might help develop a wider procurement network of producers that utilize these practices that can then serve schools.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4967

Assessing California’s Climate Policies—Residential Electricity Rates in California

Jan 7, 2025 - Time ‑of ‑use rates are one way to do so, since they assess higher volumetric charges during hours when electricity typically is relatively scarce and expensive, which can help reduce demand during those times.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4950

The 2025-26 Budget: Various California Air Resources Board Proposals

Feb 24, 2025 - Should the regulatory process culminate in the adoption of an E15 regulation, CARB could request the requisite amount of ongoing funding for the appropriate number and classifications of permanent positions to implement and enforce the regulation as part of a future budget request.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4980