Proposed constitutional initiative regarding how Californians vote and the composition of the State Senate. [Ballot]

Oct 9, 2019 - Under the measure, Senators continue to be elected to four-year terms with terms staggered so that one-half of the Senate is elected every two years. Under the measure, the five seats of each Senate district would be on the same election cycle.
https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Initiative/2019-013

Unemployment Claims Update: July 2019 [EconTax Blog]

Aug 19, 2019 - Unemployment claims have been relatively flat over the past year, fluctuating slightly around an average of about 175,000. This pattern signals a strong labor market and, contrary to other recent economic data , offers little evidence of an impending economic slowdown.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/392

Building Permits Update: November 2018 [EconTax Blog]

Jan 4, 2019 - In November, multifamily permits fell 10 percent below the same month a year ago. Despite starting the year on pace to beat 2017 levels, multifamily permits in the first eleven months of 2018 now are slightly below 2017.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/338

Home Sales Update: May 2020 [EconTax Blog]

Jun 24, 2020 - California home sales were running at a relatively high level earlier in the year, but have dropped sharply as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The slump deepened in May, as the state recorded barely half as many sales as in May 2019.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/486

Home Prices Update: November 2020 [EconTax Blog]

Dec 22, 2020 - In the longer term, chronically high housing costs have hurt the state ’s business climate and been a key reason California loses residents to other states on net in most years. November 2020 data suggest that home price growth has accelerated even more in California than nationwide in recent months.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/602

The 2020-21 Budget: Reinventing the Department of Business Oversight

Feb 26, 2020 - Given Uncertainty, Inadequate Rationale for Funding Out ‑Year Increases. The Governor proposes to ramp ‑up staffing over a few years. For example, in 2020 ‑21, the Governor proposes 44 p ositions, growing to 72 i n 2021 ‑22 and 90 i n 2022 ‑23.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4181

Building Permits Update: March 2019 [EconTax Blog]

May 2, 2019 - After a strong January, multifamily permits fell 32 percent below the prior year in February and 23 percent below the prior year in March. It  appears January probably was a blip and multifamily permitting has  returned  to a trend of weakening that started in the second half of 2018.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/366

Local land use. [Ballot]

Oct 15, 2021 - In recent years, the state increasingly has seen issues of zoning and land use as matters of statewide concern. Nevertheless, local governments retain significant control over zo ning, land use, and housing.
https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Initiative/2021-016

State Tax Collections Update: April 2020 to July 2020 [EconTax Blog]

Aug 20, 2020 - Timing of Tax Payments Irregular This Year. Delays in several important tax payment deadlines this year mean the timing of tax payments in recent months has not matched typical patterns. This complicates the interpretation of tax collections numbers, especially for any single month.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/525

Amid Good Fiscal Times, Planning for the Future Is Crucial

May 21, 2019 - New Ongoing Spending in the May Revision Is Nearing the Sustainable Limit To assess whether the state has capacity for new ongoing spending commitments, we estimate the difference between revenues and expenditures in the budget year and for several years ahead.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4051