The 2026-27 Budget: Child Welfare

Mar 3, 2026 - In addition to restructuring foster care maintenance payments, the 2024-25 statutory changes also added two new foster care programs and corresponding rate components: (1)  Strengths Building and Child and Family Determination Program, and (2)  Immediate Needs Program.
https://lao.ca.gov/publications/report/5147

The 2026-27 Budget: In-Home Supportive Services

Mar 18, 2026 - The average number of service hours that will be provided to an estimated 875,344 IHSS recipients is projected to be 127 hours per month in 2026 ‑27 (up from 125.1 in 2025 ‑26). IHSS Costs Split Between Federal Government, State, and Counties.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5166

The 2026-27 Budget: Food Assistance Programs

Feb 18, 2026 - H.R. 1 Makes Significant Changes Impacting CalFresh and CFAP H.R. 1 was passed by Congress and signed by the President in July 2025. H.R. 1 introduces multiple significant changes to CalFresh and CFAP that are expected to result in reduced enrollment, lower benefits, and higher state costs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5126

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Nov 21, 2025 - (As of this writing, whether these savings will be achieved is unclear as the administration ’s recently signed contract with a consultant does not appear to include DSS.) Proposed Solutions Not Adopted in Spending Plan.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5086/4

The 2026-27 Budget: Streamlining California’s Affordable Housing Funding System

Mar 6, 2026 - This split, in turn, is based on SGC ’s practice of awarding up to $35   million per project (70   percent) for affordable housing and up to $15   million (30   percent) for transportation. Yet, there is no inherent policy rationale for that 70/30 split.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5154

The 2025-26 Budget: CWS-CARES

Mar 5, 2025 - Recent bills signed into law seek to address issues in the state ’s child welfare programs, and addressing these issues will require improved data collection and disaggregation. In some cases, additional data collection and disaggregation requires the completion of CWS-CARES V1.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5006

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Nov 21, 2025 - As part of a special legislative session held in January 2025, the Legislature added Control Section 5.26 to the 2024-25 Budget Act, providing an additional one-time allocation of $10  million to support immigration related services, including removal defense.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5086/8

The 2026-27 Budget: County Administration and H.R. 1 Implementation

Mar 5, 2026 - Additionally, in taking this task on, the administration will be adding to the many competing priorities that are underway. This means that temporary funding may need to be in place until ongoing methodologies can be  established.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5149

Implementing California’s Child Welfare Prevention Services Program

Jan 28, 2026 - Namely, for any new services added to the plan that are rated as supported or promising, DSS would need to ensure that at least 50  percent of Title IV ‑E dollars are claimed for well ‑supported services.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5106

The 2026-27 Budget: CalWORKs

Feb 18, 2026 - Finally, the state can transfer up to 10  percent of its annual TANF block grant to the SSBG, to be used for a variety of purposes, such as providing developmental services through Regional Centers. TANF and Related MOE Spending Involve More Than Just CalWORKs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5122