The 2025-26 Budget: Overview of the Spending Plan

Oct 16, 2025 - How the Spending Plan Addresses the Budget Problem The state has several types of solutions —or options —for addressing a budget problem, but the most important include: reserve withdrawals, spending reductions, revenue increases, and borrowing (for example, loaning money from other funds to the General Fund).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5079

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

Jan 13, 2025 - The reason for the reduction is the recent voter approval of Proposition  35 (2024), which requires the state to spend less MCO tax money on offsetting General Fund spending and more money on provider rate increases.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4951

Rethinking California's Reserve Policy

Apr 10, 2025 - Functionally, borrowing has the same impact as reserves —it moves money from a period when state revenues are surging to one when they fall short —but generally involves higher interest costs for the state.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5028