The 2025-26 Budget: State Mandate—Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board

May 5, 2025 - Because the California Constitution does not require the state to reimburse local governments for costs to comply with federal law, disagreements have arisen over the years about whether all of the requirements in a given water quality permit are specifically required by federal law or whether they impose ad ditional requirements from the state.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5039

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Housing, Homelessness and Local Government

Oct 22, 2025 - Authorizes New Statewide Vehicles Miles Traveled (VMT) Mitigation “Bank. ” In addition, the budget package creates a new option for developers, at the discretion of the local public agency, to meet their transportation-related CEQA requirements for projects.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5082

The 2025-26 Budget: State Mandates—Regional Water Quality Control Boards

May 30, 2025 - In particular, state law directs our office to report on the annual state costs for new mandates and make recommendations to the Legislature as to whether the new mandate should be repealed (permanently eliminating it or making it optional), suspended (rendering it inoperative for one year), modified, or funded in the annual Budget Act.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5054

The 2023-24 Budget: County of Los Angeles Citizens Redistricting Commission Mandate

May 2, 2023 - Because the Legislature took specific steps to require Los Angeles to use an independent redistricting commission while making it optional for other jurisdictions, no longer requiring such a commission in Los Angeles would represent a significant policy change.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4766

The 2022-23 Budget: Municipal Stormwater and Urban Runoff Discharges Mandate

Feb 28, 2022 - The  state has exhausted its legal options for challenging this particular mandate decision. We therefore recommend the Legislature approve the proposal and fund this mandate, consistent with state law.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4565

How Has COVID-19 Affected Renters and Homeowners?

Jan 19, 2021 - We hope that by shedding light on how COVID ‑19 has added to the financial stress of renters, we can inform policy solutions to help renters through this crisis. In particular, the state and local governments will soon have to determine how to allocate recently authorized federal funding for emergency rental assistance.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4312

Climate Change Impacts Across California - Crosscutting Issues

Apr 5, 2022 - Costs for cities and counties might include adding drainage to roads to manage more intense rain events, or modifying water treatment plants located along the coast to accommodate higher sea levels. …And Private Residents and Businesses.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4575

The 2022-23 Budget: The Governor’s Homelessness Plan

Feb 9, 2022 - While some bridge resources may be necessary, whether the short‑term options proposed by the administration are most effective, especially in the context of what the state already has invested towards housing and homelessness infrastructure, is unclear.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4521

The 2022-23 Budget: The Governor's Housing Plan

Feb 14, 2022 - Specifically, these developments serve renters with incomes between 30  percent and 80  percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), with an option to serve renters with incomes up to 120  percent of AMI.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4535