Tax Credit Expansions in the American Rescue Plan

Apr 13, 2021 - Tax Credits Reduce Liability, Not Income. A credit is a tax provision that can be used to reduce a filer ’s final liability (amount of tax owed) after tax rates are applied. For example, the California income tax allows all single filers a personal exemption credit of $109.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4410

Building Permits Update: September 2021 [EconTax Blog]

Nov 1, 2021 - Los Angeles County led as usual with 1,197 units, far ahead of Contra Costa with 413, San Diego with 372, and (uncharacteristically) Yolo with 285. No other county broke 200 units. Nonresidential construction permit activity remains very weak.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/709

Did California Enter a Recession Last Fall? [EconTax Blog]

Oct 3, 2023 - First,  it offers an explanation for the recent slowdown in state tax collections. Despite some  improvements in the last few months, tax collections  have  been and are  anticipated to continue to be  weak by historical standards.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/785

The 2023-24 California Spending Plan: Resources and Environmental Protection

Oct 16, 2023 - The budget includes up to $135  million General Fund for contingencies related to the 2023 storms: $40  million split equally between the communities of Planada in Merced County and Pajaro in Monterey County (which experienced severe damage and displacement from the storms), and $95  million for other response and recovery activities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4807

Felony sentencing. [Ballot]

Dec 14, 2021 - County Jail and/or Community Supervision.  People who have no current or prior convictions for serious, violent, or sex offenses are typically sentenced to county jail or supervision in the community by a county probation officer, or both.
https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Initiative/2021-035

K-12 Funding by Source [EdBudget]

Aug 14, 2023 - Also includes one-time facility funding and operational expenses of the California Department of Education and certain other agencies. b Includes $938 million increase in funding for arts instruction as required by Proposition 28 (2022). c Includes revenue from property taxes collected in excess of the Local Control Funding Formula allotments, parcel taxes, fees,
https://lao.ca.gov/Education/EdBudget/Details/781

U.S. Retail Sales Update: June 2021 [EconTax Blog]

Jul 16, 2021 - U.S. retail sales (seasonally adjusted) grew 0.6 percent from May to June. Retail sales remain elevated due to dramatic growth in January and March.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/677

The 2021-22 Spending Plan: Human Services

Nov 22, 2021 - Funds Racial Equity and Implicit Bias Training for County CalWORKs Staff. The spending plan includes $3  million General Fund in 2021 ‑22 and $10  million in 2022 ‑23 to support racial equity training for CalWORKs county staff.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4476/2

Mental Health Services Act: Impact of Governor's Proposal on Funding for Children and Youth [Publication Details]

Aug 10, 2023 - In this post, we evaluate the impact of the Governor’s Behavioral Health Modernization proposal on Mental Health Services Act spending by counties on children and youth mental health services.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4786

U.S. Retail Sales Update: May 2021 [EconTax Blog]

Jun 15, 2021 - U.S. retail sales dropped by 1.3% from April to May (seasonally adjusted), but sales remain elevated, with 14% growth over the last 6 months.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/666