The 2023-24 Budget: Improving Legislative Oversight of CalFire’s Emergency Fire Protection Budget

May 1, 2023 - The California Constitution entrusts the Legislature with the power of appropriation, including through the annual state budget act and other legislation. This role provides an important check and balance in the state ’s system of separation of powers, as well as helps to ensure that state funds are being spent efficiently and effectively and in
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4765

The 2023-24 Budget: Proposed Energy Policy Changes [Publication Details]

Mar 10, 2023 - This brief considers the Governor’s proposals to (1) establish a new central procurement role for the state to secure energy resources, and (2) require electric utilities that experience energy deficiencies to make payments for state-operated emergency backup electricity resources.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4735

The 2023-24 Budget: Proposed Energy Policy Changes

Mar 10, 2023 - State Has Some Limited History of Undertaking Procurement Activities. While the state mostly tasks LSEs with procurement responsibilities, it has occasionally stepped in to undertake these activities in the past.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4735

The 2023-24 Budget: Department of Water Resources

Mar 2, 2023 - State Has Provided Significant Funding to Implement SGMA. As  shown in Figure  6 , the state has provided more than $800  million since 2014 ‑15 for SGMA implementation activities. This  includes: State Operations.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4725

The 2023-24 Budget: Cap-and-Trade Expenditure Plan and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Revenue Estimates

Mar 2, 2023 - Based on preliminary results, the state will receive an estimated $983  million in revenue from the February 15, 2023 auction. This is roughly equivalent to the amount the state received from the November 2022 auction ($961  million).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4730

The 2023-24 Budget: California Volunteers Proposed Program Expansions

Mar 1, 2023 - Given the state ’s current budget shortfall, we also do not find a compelling rationale for prioritizing this program at the expense of existing state  commitments. Adopt Governor ’s Proposed $25   Million Reduction.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4723

The 2023-24 Budget: CalRecycle’s Zero Waste Plan Proposal

Feb 28, 2023 - The proposal indicates that the zero waste plan would recommend programmatic and statutory changes needed for the state to meet and exceed the goal established under AB 341 by 2035. As mentioned earlier, the state has not yet been able to make significant progress towards meeting the current statutory AB 341 goal.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4719

The 2023-24 Budget: Crafting Climate, Resources, and Environmental Budget Solutions

Feb 22, 2023 - Some federal programs also require a state or local funding contribution, which can result in higher barriers to access than some state programs. Indeed, state or local entities may have been planning to use some of the recent state augmentations to meet such matching fund requirements in order to be eligible for funding from federal programs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4692

The 2023-24 Budget: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Major Capital Outlay Proposals

Feb 21, 2023 - CalFire has primary responsibility for wildland fire response in State Responsibility Areas, which are mostly privately owned wildlands that encompass about one ‑third of the acreage of the state.  CalFire also has various responsibilities for the management and protection of the state ’s forests.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4693

The 2023-24 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 13, 2023 - On January 10, 2023, Governor Newsom presented his proposed state budget to the Legislature. In this report, we provide a brief summary of the proposed budget based on our initial review. In the coming weeks, we will analyze the plan in more detail and release several additional budget analyses.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4662/2