The 2023-24 Budget: Office of the State Public Defender

Feb 15, 2023 - This would prov ide the Legislature with the necessary information to determine whether state funds were used effectively as well as whether there are any unintended challenges or unanticipated outcomes.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4680

The 2026-27 Budget: Proposed Elimination of State Environmental Positions

Feb 17, 2026 - For example, at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), positions include game wardens who prov ide important law enforcement and wildlife and resource protection services. Some CDFW positions also administer various permits, a key function to ensure that projects —from habitat restoration to infrastructure and housing development —can be completed with less damage to the environment.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5124

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

The 2024-25 Budget: Juvenile Custodial Interrogation Mandate

May 28, 2024 - Below, we discuss the Juvenile Custodial Interrogations mandate, which is a newly ide ntified state mandate funded in the Governor ’s 2024-25 May Revision budget. Background Arrested Youths Have Rights to Prevent Self-Incrimination.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4910

California’s Strong Revenue Trends Mask Looming Budget Risk

Jan 23, 2026 - After the dot-com bust and the Great Recession, it took four and five years, respectively, for revenues to recover. Incorporating revenue risk into the budget now, therefore, reflects prudence, not pessimism.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5104

Oversight of certain public benefit artificial intelligence (AI) companies. [Ballot]

Jan 20, 2026 - The measure would have the following major fiscal effects: Increased state costs that would likely be in the tens of millions of dollars annually to establish and operate a new regulatory commission overseeing certain public benefit AI com panies.
https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Initiative/2025-033

An Update on the Public Health Laboratory System After the Pandemic

Jun 12, 2025 - The state public health laboratory may also prov ide technical assistance or supplies needed for certain tests to local public health laboratories. State and Local Public Health Laboratories Participate in Several Networks to Strengthen Testing Capabilities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5056

The 2022-23 California Spending Plan: Health

Oct 24, 2022 - A portion of the funding will also be used for a statew ide learning collaborative for grantees. PHE-Related Adjustments. During the PHE, various changes were made to the Medi-Cal program. These included the suspension of eligibility determinations (which increased the caseload from what it otherwise would be), increased utilization of telehealth, COVID-19 testing, and various temporary benefit expansions.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4642

The 2026-27 Budget: California's Fiscal Outlook

Nov 19, 2025 - For California, the dot ‑com era —when stocks rose and then fell precipitously in response to widespread adoption of the internet —offers the most salient example. The internet has proven to be a transformative technology and, yet, the stock market ’s initial reaction was clearly overly exuberant.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5091