Weekly Unemployment Claims Update: April 26-May 2 [EconTax Blog]

May 7, 2020 - Department of Labor (DOL) released data on the number of unemployment claims processed by state labor departments during the week of April 19 to April 25. Below we offer some observations on these weekly claims data.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/462

Proposition 30 [Ballot]

Nov 8, 2022 - Last year, the personal income tax raised over $130  billion in revenue. Most of the revenue helps pay for education, prisons, health care, and other public services. Zero-Emission Vehicle Programs.  
https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Proposition?number=30&year=2022

Changes in University of California General Fund Spending [EdBudget]

Sep 18, 2019 - Changes in University of California General Fund Spending [EdBudget] a Replaces one-time funding provided in 2018-19. b Backfills reduction in Proposition 56 funds previously used for UC operations. c Of this amount, $5 million is designated for enrollment growth and student services and $2.5 million is designated for upgrades to academic facilities. d For high schools having at least 75 percent of their students classified as low-income, English learner, and/or foster youth.
https://lao.ca.gov/Education/EdBudget/Details/304

Annual Tuition and Fees by Higher Education Segment [EdBudget]

Jan 12, 2023 - Tuition and fee charges for continuing students remain at the levels set in the year the student first enrolled at UC. d For 2023-24, we assume campus fees increase on average by 5 percent. UC amount reflects average for undergraduates, with graduate students charged less on average.
https://lao.ca.gov/Education/EdBudget/Details/681

COVID-19: Federal Health-Related Response

Mar 23, 2020 - Provides $25  Billion Nationwide for COVID-19 Testing-Related Activities. COVID Phase 3.5 provides an additional $25  billion to PHSSEF available nationwide for COVID-19 testing-related activities. (We discuss previous funding provided to PHSSEF earlier in this post under our discussion of the CARES Act.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4209

California's Cooling Housing Market [EconTax Blog]

Aug 30, 2022 - As a result of monetary policy interventions by the Federal Reserve (Fed), 30 year mortgage rates averaged 3 percent across 2020 and 2021, 2 5 percent lower than the average of the prior five years (4 percent).
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/749

Changes in California Community Colleges Proposition 98 Spending [EdBudget]

Jan 17, 2023 - Whereas the budget agreement last year provided a total of $841 million for this purpose, the adjusted total under the Governor's proposal is $628 million. b Applies to the Adult Education Program, apprenticeship programs, CalWORKs student services, campus child care support, Disabled Students Programs and Services, Extended Opportunity Programs and Services, and mandates block
https://lao.ca.gov/Education/EdBudget/Details/684

U.S. Retail Sales Update: December 2022 [EconTax Blog]

Jan 18, 2023 - In the 30-year history of the monthly retail sales data, this is just the ninth two-month drop of 2 percent or more. Seven of the prior eight instances (September-December 2008, March 2009, and March-April 2020) occurred during recessions, while the other (December 2001) occurred immediately after a recession.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/767

Income Tax Witholding Tracker: August 2022 [EconTax Blog]

Sep 1, 2022 - To make an apples-to-apples comparison for August, we compare the same five-week period covering August across the two years. Using this method, each year contains the same weeks of the year and the same number of "collection days ".)
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/752

The 2022-23 Budget: UC Climate-Related Proposals

Feb 16, 2022 - For occupations requiring less than a bachelor ’s degree, the state ’s programs are primarily concentrated at high schools, community colleges, and local workforce development boards. These programs identify state and regional workforce needs, support credit and noncredit coursework in career ‑focused fields, and provide a variety of other training opportunities (including apprenticeships).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4538