The 2026-27 Budget: Child Welfare

Mar 3, 2026 - The 2025-26 spending plan (Chapter  79 of 2025 [SB  119, Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review]) added language around the Tiered Rate Structure ’s implementation timeline to specify that the new care and supervision rates as well as the strengths building and immediate needs components shall become operative on July 1, 2027, or the date after both of the following
https://lao.ca.gov/publications/report/5147

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Nov 21, 2025 - As part of a special legislative session held in January 2025, the Legislature added Control Section 5.26 to the 2024-25 Budget Act, providing an additional one-time allocation of $10  million to support immigration related services, including removal defense.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5086/8

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

Mar 5, 2026 - Additionally, in taking this task on, the administration will be adding to the many competing priorities that are underway. This means that temporary funding may need to be in place until ongoing methodologies can be  established.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5149

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Nov 21, 2025 - The spending plan makes some statutory changes related to food assistance programs, including allowing for certain CalFresh participant forms to be delivered to the participant electronically (at the election of the participant) and codifies existing (previously uncodified) law that continuously appropriates $300,000 to CDSS for Disaster CalFresh administration in the event of a declared disaster.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5086/3

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Nov 21, 2025 - In addition to rejecting this cap on overtime, as part of the final budget package, the Legislature adopted budget-related legislation that states t hat any hours worked that exceed 40 hours in a workweek will continue to be paid overtime rates even in the event that the federal government makes a future decision to no longer require overtime, or pay a share of the cost of overtime.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5086/4

The 2026-27 Budget: In-Home Supportive Services

Mar 18, 2026 - Added to the MOE were any county costs associated with local IHSS wage increases. The state General Fund assumed the remaining nonfederal IHSS costs. Over the five years in which the 2012 IHSS MOE was in effect (2012 ‑13 to 2016 ‑17), growth in the county IHSS MOE was  less than  the growth in total IHSS costs, resulting in counties paying for a smaller share of the nonfederal
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5166

Implementing California’s Child Welfare Prevention Services Program

Jan 28, 2026 - 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 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Other Provisions

Oct 16, 2025 - The budget package excludes any settlements related to the Chiquita Canyon elevated temperature landfill event from state taxation. This exclusion applies to tax years 2024 through 2028 and is estimated to reduce revenues by $600,000 in fiscal year 2024-25.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5081

The 2025-26 Budget: Child Welfare

Feb 13, 2025 - In addition to restructuring foster care maintenance payments, the 2024-25 statutory changes also added two new foster care programs and corresponding rate components: (1)  Strengths Building and Child and Family Determination Program, and (2)  Immediate Needs Program.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4962

The 2025-26 Budget: CWS-CARES

Mar 5, 2025 - New required data fields could be added to county social worker reporting forms, but the new fields would need to be automated in CWS-CARES. Also, aggregated data on county social worker use of structured decision-making (SDM) tools could help identify certain decision points at which some groups are disproportionately impacted, but SDM tools are also scheduled for integration into CWS-CARES.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5006