California’s Low-Wage Workers and Minimum Wage

Mar 11, 2024 - (We estimate the 2024 poverty thresholds using the 2023 thresholds and an inflation forecast.) For this comparison, we assume that each adult works for the statewide minimum wage 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year, and that the household has no other sources of income.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4878/3

California’s Low-Wage Workers and Minimum Wage

Mar 11, 2024 - One of the risks of being a “ frontline worker ”—exposure to respiratory disease—became especially salient in the initial years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Low-Wage Workers ’ Basic Demographics Low-Wage Workers Roughly Half Men, Half Women.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4878/1

The 2023-24 Budget: Proposed Energy Policy Changes

Mar 10, 2023 - Senate Bill  846 also included legislative intent to provide a total of $1  billion General Fund from 2023 ‑24 through 2025 ‑26 —$100  million in 2023 ‑24, $400  million in 2024 ‑25, and $500  million in 2025 ‑ 26 —to support the CERIP, which CEC recently developed.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4735

Funding for students attending private schools. [Ballot]

Oct 13, 2021 - (The law waives a few rules for small schools.) Funding Private Schools Generate Most of Their Revenue From Tuition. Available data suggest that private school tuition in California averages roughly $12,000 per year for elementary schools and $20,000 per year for high schools.
https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Initiative/2021-011

The 2025-26 Budget: EDDNext [Publication Details]

Feb 25, 2025 - The 2025-26 Budget: EDDNext [Publication Details] HTML Description: The post assesses the adminstration's 2025-26 proposal for the fourth year of information technology (IT) modernization at the Employment Development Department (EDD).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4985

Fixing Unemployment Insurance

Dec 2, 2024 - At the time, average benefits replaced roughly 20  percent to 25  percent of workers ’ average  wages. In response, the state increased UI benefits in 2001. This legislation: (1)  increased the maximum weekly benefit from $230 per week to $450 per week and (2)  increased the wage replacement rate from 39  percent to 50  percent.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4943

The 2021-22 Budget: Overview of May Revision K-12 Education Proposals [Publication Details]

May 18, 2021 - This handout analyzes the overall architecture of the Governor's May Revision plan for school funding, including major spending proposals and underlying estimates of the Proposition 98 minimum guarantee.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4433

Mental Health Services Act: Revenue Volatility and the Governor’s Proposal to Reduce Allowable County Reserves

Jul 13, 2023 - This means that the caps are equal to 25  percent of total county MHSA revenues (the product of 33  percent and 76  percent). Second, the caps are based on an average of the previous five years of CSS funding.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4780

Overview of Special Education Funding Models [Publication Details]

Dec 17, 2021 - This brief provides background on the state’s current funding allocation formula for special education, describes funding formulas used in other states, establishes a framework for evaluating these formulas, and offers some issues for the Legislature to consider.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4486

California Housing Affordability Tracker (1st Quarter 2025) [EconTax Blog]

Jan 24, 2024 - Monthly payments for a newly purchased mid-tier home —including mortgage, taxes, and homeowners ’ insurance —fell between April and September 2024 before recovering to a similar level in March 2025. Payments for a mid-tier home were nearly $5,900 a month in March2024 —a 82  percent increase since January 2020.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/article/Detail/793