California’s Strong Revenue Trends Mask Looming Budget Risk

Jan 23, 2026 - The added risk variable weighs on the range of revenue outcomes that we view as most plausible. The middle of the range, which becomes our main revenue forecast, is thus lower than if we did not include the stock market risk indicator.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5104

The 2025-26 Budget: California's Fiscal Outlook

Nov 20, 2024 - Outside of government and health care, the state has added no jobs in a year and a half. Similarly, the number of Californians who are unemployed is 25  percent higher than during the strong labor markets of 2019 and 2022.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4939

The 2025-26 Budget: Overview of the Spending Plan

Oct 16, 2025 - During the special session, the Legislature added Control Sections 90.00 and 90.01 to the 2024 ‑25 Budget Act providing up to $2.5  billion one ‑time for response and recovery costs related to the January 2025 Southern California wildfires.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5079

The 2023-24 Budget: Multiyear Assessment

Feb 15, 2023 - None of these levels—both on the revenue and spending side—are consistent with shortfalls seen during recessions. Because Recent Budgets Focused on One ‑Time and Temporary Spending, Ongoing Spending Level Is Still Sustainable.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4687

California's Legislative Analyst's Office and the Value of Independence

Nov 15, 2024 - As such, our independent fiscal assessment underlies the Legislature ’s ability to assert an informed check on the executive branch, making any added complexity from diverging estimates a worthwhile trade-off.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4938

The 2025-26 Budget: Initial Comments on the Governor's May Revision

May 17, 2025 - Finally, although we have not previously recommended the Leg islature take decisive action to address the structural deficits, the state ’s persistent fiscal imbalance and the added downside risks —particularly from potential federal actions —suggest a need for a more proactive approach.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5044

The 2023-24 Budget: Multiyear Budget Outlook

May 23, 2023 - As seen in the figure, while the revenues required to balance the budget (in green) are optimistic, but plausible, in the budget window, they are improbable in the out ‑years. For example, to eliminate the operating deficit in 2024 ‑25, revenues would need to be roughly $30  billion higher than our forecast (in dark purple).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4772

New Inflation Poses Not So New Budget Risk

Dec 15, 2022 - New Inflation Poses Not So New Budget Risk December 15, 2022 Tweet Gabriel PetekLegislative Analyst Persistent high inflation presents federal and state policymakers with an economic problem not seen in roughly four decades.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4653

The 2023-24 Budget: Considering Inflation's Effects on State Programs

Nov 16, 2022 - Other economic forecasters also see a significant risk of future inflation exceeding levels seen in recent years. For example, in a recent survey of professional forecasters, respondents put a 62 percent probability on U.S. inflation being 3  percent or higher in 2023 —notably higher than the 2019 survey and the recent historical average.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4647

The 2021-22 California Spending Plan: The State Appropriations Limit

Aug 30, 2021 - The 2021-22 California Spending Plan: The State Appropriations Limit The 2021-22 California Spending Plan The State Appropriations Limit In the late 1970s, voters passed Proposition  4 (1979), which added Article XIIIB to the State Constitution.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4449