Home Prices Update: May 2020 [EconTax Blog]

Jun 23, 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. May 2020 data indicate that the typical home in both California and the nation at large has appreciated 4.3 percent since May 2019.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/485

State and local government tax rules. [Ballot]

Nov 22, 2021 - This year ’s state budget spends over $255  billion in state funds. Over 90  percent of the state budget is funded with revenues from taxes. These include, for example, sales taxes paid on goods and income taxes paid on wages and other sources of income.
https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Initiative/2021-026

Building Permits Update: March 2020 [EconTax Blog]

May 5, 2020 - The multifamily housing permit total of 3,767 was roughly equal to the March 2019 total, although well below the March average over the past five years. The single family permit total of 3,852 was only modestly below both the March 2019 figure and the 2015-2019 average for March, but it marked a sharp reversal from January and February when permits greatly exceeded the averages for those months.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/461

Weekly Unemployment Claims Update: August 9 - August 15 [EconTax Blog]

Aug 21, 2020 - As of August 15, California had 3.5 million employees receiving traditional unemployment benefits, reaching a new peak since EDD began releasing this information earlier in the year. After accounting for self-employement claims, discussed below, the total number of workers receiving unemployment benefits in the state reached a new peak of 4.8 million last week.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/526

Weekly Unemployment Claims Update: August 2 - August 8 [EconTax Blog]

Aug 14, 2020 - As of August 8, California had 3.4 million employees receiving traditional unemployment benefits, level with the highest figure reported since EDD began releasing this information earlier in the year.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/521

The 2020-21 Budget: Higher Education Analysis [Publication Details]

Feb 20, 2020 - In this report, we analyze the Governor’s higher education budget proposals. Similar to last year, these proposals are wide ranging—including large base increases; targeted increases for apprenticeship programs and food pantries; one-time initiatives relating to extended education programs, work-based learning, faculty diversity, and animal shelters; and many facility projects.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4168

Building Permits Update: January 2020 [EconTax Blog]

Mar 5, 2020 - The multifamily housing permit total of 4,259 was right in line with the January average over the past five years, although nearly a third lower than the 6,356 units the state recorded last January. The single family housing permit total of 4,938 was in the middle of the narrow range of monthly totals we have observed since March 2019.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/440

Unemployment Claims Update: November and December 2020 [EconTax Blog]

Jan 20, 2021 - Initial Claims for Federal Self-Employment Benefits Falls Sharply at End of Year. During August and early September, new claims for the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program for self-employed workers spiked unexpectedly, as shown in the figure above.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/613

Weekly Unemployment Claims Update: July 26 - August 1 [EconTax Blog]

Aug 7, 2020 - As of August 1, California had 3.4 million employees receiving traditional unemployment benefits, the highest figure reported since EDD began releasing this information earlier in the year. Number of Self-Employment Claims Top 1.2 Million This Week.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/515

The 2021-22 Budget: Medi-Cal Enterprise System Modernization Effort

Feb 17, 2021 - The administration decided last year to consolidate the previous Medi ‑Cal IT system modernization initiatives and associated projects into a single MES Modernization effort. While DHCS expects MES Modernization to include the previous Medi ‑Cal IT system modernization initiatives, the new effort also will include other projects and substantially broadens the scope of Medi ‑Cal IT system modernization.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4375