Addressing Chronic Vacancies in Prison Mental Health Care

Feb 23, 2026 - The fiscal cost of these changes would be minimal and likely absorbable, depending on how CDCR pursues greater out ‑of ‑state recruitment. Increase Use of CDCR Tele ‑Mental Health to Maximum Court ‑Approved Levels.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5134

Retail Theft in California: Looking Back at a Decade of Change

Jun 12, 2025 - Added Time for Certain Theft or Property Damage Felonies. Chapter  174 of 2024 (S B  1416 , Newman), Chapter  220 of 2024 (A B  1960 , Rivas), and Proposition  36 all added similar language to state law, which allows for increased sentences for people convicted of felonies in which the amount of property that was stolen or damaged is over $50,000,  with longer enhancement terms as the dollar amounts increase.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5055

The 2026-27 Budget: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Feb 23, 2026 - Adding More Licensing Exemptions for Those Who Work at Prisons. Currently, providers with out ‑of ‑state licenses are required to obtain a California license to work in CDCR, though some may use their out ‑of ‑state license on a temporary basis.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5137

The 2026-27 Budget: Department of Justice

Feb 11, 2026 - When and how this loan would be repaid could be considered as part of the Legislatur e ’s deliberations on how to support firearm-related workload on an ongoing basis. Such an action would ensure that existing BOF operations are maintained while the Legislature weighs its options for how to support firearm-related workload moving forward.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5118

The 2025-26 Budget: Department of Justice

Feb 19, 2025 - In addition, requiring agencies to pay for a portion of the BFS services they use would provide them a greater incentive to carefully prioritize what evidence should be tested and how quickly it should be done.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4972

Assessing Community College Programs at State Prisons

Jul 1, 2024 - Model Left Unchanged How Colleges Are Funded for Incarcerated Students. The new funding model —known as the Student Centered Funding Formula (SCFF) —did not change how the state funds incarcerated students.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4913

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Judiciary and Criminal Justice

Oct 24, 2025 - DOJ is required to report regularly on how these funds are used. Ongoing Funding ($14.2  Million). Similarly, the budget includes $14.2  million (mainly General Fund) ongoing beginning in 2025-26 to support this workload permanently.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5085

The 2025-26 Budget: Judicial Branch

Feb 12, 2025 - Both components of the Governor ’s proposed augmentation provide Judicial Council with complete discretion over (1)  what the funds are used for and (2)  how the funds are allocated to the trial courts.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4959

The 2023-24 Budget: Judicial Branch Budget Proposals

Feb 10, 2023 - Finally, as of the writing of this brief, it is unclear whether a court ruling could delay or prevent impleme ntation of the CARE Program, such as if a court rules in favor of the group of disability and civil rights advocates seeking to block implementation of S B  1338 .
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4673

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

Jan 13, 2025 - As such, if the Legislature wishes to have substantively more reserves available when responding to downturns or other emergencies, we would recommend also changing the formulas that set aside funds each year to increase how much is saved.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4951