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

Oct 22, 2025 - The budget package included a number of notable policy changes aimed at speeding up and streamlining CEQA, which was originally enacted by the Legislature in 1970. As a result of CEQA, unless a project falls under a statutory or certain other type of exemption, public agencies (such as cities and counties) generally must conduct a detailed study of the potential environmental effects of new housing construction (and many other types of development) prior to approving it.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5082

The 2025-26 Budget: Oversight of Encampment Resolution Funding

Mar 5, 2025 - (Separately, the Legislature has provided Caltrans with funding for encampment clean-up purposes and to improve coordination with local jurisdictions.) Figure 2 Through 2024 ‑25, the State Has Provided $900 Million for Four Rounds of ERF General Fund (In Millions)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5007

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

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

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

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

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

Feb 9, 2022 - The preservation funding will include $55  million for a capitalized operating subsidy reserve —for facilities running operating deficits —for use up to five years. Regional Approach With Set ‑Asides.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4521

An Initial Look at Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Local Government Fiscal Condition

May 12, 2021 - Local governments that rely more heavily on TOT revenues —meaning TOT makes up a larger share of overall revenue sources —likely have seen larger revenue declines than those that rely on other revenues.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4428