What Can We Learn From How the State Responded to the Last Major Drought? [Publication Details]

May 13, 2021 - Format: HTML Description: For the second consecutive year, the state is experiencing extremely low rates of precipitation. As we prepare for what could be an extended period of dry conditions, it is helpful to review how the state responded to the last major drought.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4429

Assessing California’s Climate Policies—Electricity Generation

Jan 6, 2020 - The incentives reduced the cost of installing a residential solar unit by about 25  p ercent in the early years of the program and by about 5 p ercent to 10  p ercent in the final years. This design was intended to gradually reduce customer reliance on subsidies as the solar industry matured and market prices declined.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4131

State Wildfire Response Costs Estimated to Be Higher Than Budgeted

Oct 19, 2020 - The amount budgeted for the E-Fund each year is an estimate, in part based on the average costs of the large-incident firefighting incidents over the most recent five years. The Legislature approved, as part of the budget, authority for the Director of Finance to augment the item to pay for emergency fire suppression costs following notification of the Joint Legislative Bu dget Committee.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4285

Expanding Access to Safe and Affordable Drinking Water in California—A Status Update [Publication Details]

Nov 10, 2020 - One year later, SWRCB has made good progress in establishing spending priorities, beginning to allocate funds and execute projects, and collecting essential data to identify the communities that should be targeted for improvements.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4294

An Initial Review of the Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program [Publication Details]

Dec 13, 2021 - In recent years, as wildfires have increased in severity and damage, the Legislature has shown growing interest in state support of wildfire prevention efforts, including regional planning for forest health activities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4482

The 2021-22 Budget: Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) [Publication Details]

Feb 10, 2021 - This publication analyzes the Governor’s $1.6 billion proposed budget for the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), which reflects a $2.3 billion (60 percent) decrease compared to estimated current-year expenditures. The decrease is almost entirely due to one-time General Fund expenditures in 2020-21 related to wildfire debris removal.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4359

The 2020-21 Budget: California Public Utilities Commission

Feb 27, 2020 - The Legislature can reconsider providing additional outreach funding in future years —potentially as soon as next year ’s budget process —after the assessment is complete, which is expected to be sometime during the middle of 2020 ‑21.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4184

Improving California’s Response to the Environmental and Safety Hazards Caused by Abandoned Mines

Aug 4, 2020 - It would likely take one to two years to develop the initial strategic plan. Thereafter, the strategic plan should be updated at least once every five years, establish specific goals and measurable objectives, and prioritize remediation projects.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4258

The 2020-21 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget [Publication Details]

Jan 13, 2020 - The Governor allocates most of the surplus toward one-time purposes, including maintaining a positive year-end balance in the state’s discretionary reserve. Under the administration’s estimates, total reserves would reach $20.5 billion at the end of 2020-21—this represents a $1.7 billion increase from the 2019-20 enacted level.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4135

Allocating Utility Wildfire Costs: Options and Issues for Consideration

Jun 21, 2019 - Even though resolving wildfire claims made by insurers and uninsured property owners can take several years under a strict liability standard, the time line for resolution can be shorter than under a fault ‑based standard.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4079