California’s Strong Revenue Trends Mask Looming Budget Risk

Jan 23, 2026 - The current discrepancy over the size of the state ’s budget deficit —$18  billion under the Legislative Analyst ’s Office estimate versus $3  billion in the Governor ’s budget —fits squarely within that pattern.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5104

How Have Past Stock Market Downturns Affected Income Tax Revenue? [EconTax Blog]

Mar 9, 2026 - By most measures, the global financial crisis was more severe than the dot-com crash. The state 's unemployment rate, for example, peaked at 7 percent following the dot-com crash but reached nearly double that during the financial crisis and remained elevated for much longer.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/852

How Have Past Stock Market Downturns Affected Income Tax Revenue? [EconTax Blog]

Mar 9, 2026 - By most measures, the global financial crisis was more severe than the dot-com crash. The state 's unemployment rate, for example, peaked at 7 percent following the dot-com crash but reached nearly double that during the financial crisis and remained elevated for much longer.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/article/Detail/852

Firearms and Ammunition Revenue Update (2025 Q2) [EconTax Blog]

Aug 18, 2025 - Preliminary Total for 2024-25: $58 Million. For firearm and ammunition excise tax returns filed for 2024-25, the total amount of tax due is $58 million —a bit lower than the budget package revenue assumption.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/836

Firearms and Ammunition Revenue Update (2025 Q3) [EconTax Blog]

Nov 18, 2025 - Firearms and Ammunition Revenue Update (2025 Q3) [EconTax Blog] Firearms and Ammunition Revenue Update (2025 Q3) November 18, 2025 Seth Kerstein Beginning July 2024, Chapter 231 of 2023 (AB 28, Gabriel) imposed an 11 percent excise tax on retail sales of firearms, firearm precursor parts, and ammunition, with some exemptions.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/842

Firearms and Ammunition Revenue Update (2025 Q3) [EconTax Blog]

Nov 18, 2025 - Firearms and Ammunition Revenue Update (2025 Q3) [EconTax Blog] Firearms and Ammunition Revenue Update (2025 Q3) November 18, 2025 Seth Kerstein Beginning July 2024, Chapter 231 of 2023 (AB 28, Gabriel) imposed an 11 percent excise tax on retail sales of firearms, firearm precursor parts, and ammunition, with some exemptions.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/article/Detail/842

The 2026-27 Budget: California's Fiscal Outlook

Nov 19, 2025 - Figure 3 General Fund Condition Under Fiscal Outlook (In Millions)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5091

Home Price Update: October 2021 [EconTax Blog]

Nov 18, 2021 - The next figure shows a sharp slowdown in California month to month home price growth over the past 3 months. The October state growth rate of 0.70 percent was the lowest since July 2020, if still high by historical standards.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/714

The 2026-27 Budget: Judicial Branch

Feb 11, 2026 - This is less than the $106  million the trial courts could have retained under the current 3  percent cap. Background Judicial Branch Has Extensive Facility Needs. The judicial branch currently manages around 430 facilities across all 58 counties.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5113

California’s Low-Wage Workers and Minimum Wage

Mar 11, 2024 - We apply this method to monthly CPS data from January 2022 through December 2023 to construct the estimates that appear in Figures 3 through 7 in the post Is California’s Minimum Wage High, Low, or Somewhere in Between?
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4878/4