Overview of New Updates to the Cap-and-Invest Program

Dec 9, 2025 - Moreover, S B  840 added two new statutory allocations for the Climate Bureau and A B  617 , signaling the Legislature ’s interest in prioritizing ongoing funding in these  areas. Modifying Prioritization Order Affects How Much Funding Programs Receive Under Lower Revenue Scenarios.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5097

The 2026-27 Budget: Cap-and-Invest Expenditure Plan

Feb 10, 2026 - Given the continued uncertainty around cap ‑and ‑invest revenues, we recommend the Legislature closely monitor upcoming quarterly auctions —in February  and May 2026 —to assess how revenues are materializing.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5114

The Bay-Delta Plan and Voluntary Agreements: Ensuring Effective Legislative Oversight

Mar 18, 2026 - The state added the doubling goal as a narrative water quality objective in the 1995 Bay ‑Delta Plan. Doubling natural production relative to the average annual 1967 ‑1991 baseline would mean nearly 900,000 naturally produced salmon annually.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5163

An Initial Review of the Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program

Dec 13, 2021 - Recognizing the different needs of grantees, DOC has intentionally made the RFFC block grants flexible in how they can be used. There are some minimum requirements that all grant recipients must fulfill, such as developing a regional priority plan.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4482

The 2025-26 Budget: Cap-and-Trade Reauthorization and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Proposals at May Revision

May 19, 2025 - Moreover, if the Legislature does not use GGRF to help ad dress the state ’s budget problems, it will be faced with making even greater reductions to General Fund-supported programs or increasing revenues by a like amount.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5049

The 2026-27 Budget: Proposition 4 Spending Plan

Feb 10, 2026 - While the Legislature did approve some funding for a few of these activities in 2025 ‑26, notable discretion remains around how specifically the funds can and will be used. As such, these proposed appropriations represent a key opportunity for the Legislature to articulate its priorities and provide guidance about how specifically these funds will be spent, to the degree it has any.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5115

The 2025-26 Budget: Proposition 4 Spending Plan

Feb 12, 2025 - To avoid adding undue reporting burdens for the administration, we recommend the Legislature be selective and focus any such requirements on the areas for which additional information would be most helpful in informing future efforts.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4958

The 2026-27 Budget: Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation Proposals

Mar 19, 2026 - If it needs to provide less funding, the Legislature could also consider revisiting LCI ’s statutory requirements, time lines, and associated resource needs —for example, by reducing expectations around how the office should implement the CalHeatScore extreme heat ranking.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5167

The 2026-27 Budget: Permitting Support at the State Water Resources Control Board

Mar 2, 2026 - How Waters Are Defined Affects How They Are Regulated. Federal CWA requirements only apply to “waters of the United States ” (WOTUS), so the definition of WOTUS is important. The broader the definition, the more bodies of water will fall under federal jurisdiction —and vice versa.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5144

The 2026-27 Budget: California Public Utilities Commission’s Implementation of AB 1207

Feb 10, 2026 - Absent such additional direction, the Legislature will largely be deferring to CPUC to make decisions about how to allocate this funding —which could total in the tens of billions of dollars over the next twenty years —to utility customers.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5120