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

Mar 5, 2026 - Addressing the structural budget problem will require difficult trade ‑offs. Backfilling lost federal benefits under H.R.  1 would require billions of dollars in additional budget solutions. …While Counties Face Multiple Cost Pressures.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5149

Implementing California’s Child Welfare Prevention Services Program

Jan 28, 2026 - …While Weighing Trade ‑Offs. Importantly, however, inclusion of additional EBPs in the state plan would not be without trade ‑offs. 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: In-Home Supportive Services

Mar 18, 2026 - We Recommend the Legislature Ask Clarifying Questions and Weigh Trade ‑Offs of Each Proposal. For each of the proposed solutions in the IHSS program, we suggest the Legislature ask the administration key, clarifying questions as it weighs the trade ‑offs of each proposal.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5166

The 2026-27 Budget: Child Welfare

Mar 3, 2026 - What would be the impact on foster youth and families of a different implementation approach —such as implementing only the new foster care maintenance payment rates but holding off on the strengths building and immediate needs components —while the state addresses its structural deficit?
https://lao.ca.gov/publications/report/5147

The 2024-25 Budget: Overview of the Federal Fiscal Responsibility Act's Impacts on CalWORKs

Mar 5, 2024 - We recommend the Legislature begin considering the potential trade-offs of pilot participation, such as the time and effort participating may entail versus the potential short- and lo ng-term benefits for California.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4877

The 2023-24 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Nov 6, 2023 - However, when CSD ultimately disbursed the funds in the fall of 2022, only $647  million was needed to pay off identified remaining eligible arrears. (The difference between the estimated remaining arrearages as of spring 2022 and the actual amount needed to address identified arrearages as of fall 2022 likely stems from a variety of factors; see our prior post for more analysis on this issue.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4812/7

The 2025-26 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 13, 2025 - This means that, going forward, decisions to balance the budget will involve more difficult trade ‑offs. We recommend the Legislature use the next few months to review program performance to develop its own approach to addressing the deficits.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4951

Trends in CalWORKs: Participant Characteristics

Jun 16, 2025 - This report is the first of a three-part series focused on trends in the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program. Each part of the series focuses on an area of the program, beginning with this report on participant characteristics.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5057

The 2023-24 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Nov 6, 2023 - (Guardian is an off-the-shelf product —used by several other government agencies —which did not go through the PAL process but was adapted for CCL ’s needs, with limitations.) Finally, budget language directs DSS to provide quarterly updates to the Legislature on the status of the Guardian system backlog, beginning August 1, 2023.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4812/8

The 2024-25 Budget: Broadband Infrastructure at May Revision

May 23, 2024 - To help ameliorate some of the trade-offs associated with these changes, such as less broadband infrastructure funds for unserved and underserved communities and households, the Legislature could consider ways to mitigate the impacts of these chang es.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4906