The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Housing, Homelessness and Local Government

Oct 22, 2025 - The changes, which are contained in three budget trailer bills, include: (1)  narrowing the scope of existing required environmental reviews for housing projects that meet all but one criterion for an exemption from the CEQA process and (2)  eliminating the requirement for CEQA review entirely when local governments rezone (change land-use restrictions for) neighborhoods to meet their state-mandated housing goals, subject to certain restrictions.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5082

The 2025-26 Budget: Oversight of Encampment Resolution Funding

Mar 5, 2025 - Staff reviews the applications, scores them, and makes the awards. (Cal ICH staff administered the program through 2023-24. The state transferred program administration to HCD —also under the BCSH Agency umbrella —beginning in 2024-25.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5007

Review of Recent Department of Social Services Housing and Homelessness Augmentations [Publication Details]

Jul 14, 2023 - Review of Recent Department of Social Services Housing and Homelessness Augmentations [Publication Details] Translate Our Website This Google ™ translation feature provided on the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) website is for informational purposes only.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4783

California’s Housing and Homelessness Challenges in Context [Publication Details]

Feb 6, 2023 - Presented to: Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4668

The 2024-25 Budget: Juvenile Custodial Interrogation Mandate

May 28, 2024 - In our review, we did not identify robust research on the effects of providing youths with legal counsel before the waiver of Miranda rights or interrogations. Accordingly, we were not able to determine whether there are positive, negative, or neutral outcomes for youths suspected of committing a crime that are provided with legal counsel at this stage.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4910

Recent Housing and Homelessness Augmentations and Oversight [Publication Details]

Feb 15, 2023 - Presented to: Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development, Assembly Committee on Accountability and Administrative Review, Assembly Committee on Health, Assembly Committee on Human Services,
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4685

The 2022-23 Budget: The Governor's Housing Plan

Feb 14, 2022 - The state’s review of excess properties has resulted in a dynamic list of sites that are suitable for development. So far, 18 sites have been authorized to move forward with development and between 3,800 and 4,500 units of housing are anticipated on these properties.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4535

The 2022-23 Budget: Municipal Stormwater and Urban Runoff Discharges Mandate

Feb 28, 2022 - Ultimately, the state would have limited recourse when it comes to funding costs incurred by local governments from activities the commission finds to be reimbursable mandates during the tim e the mandate claims were under review.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4565

The 2022-23 Budget: The Governor’s Homelessness Plan

Feb 9, 2022 - We are reviewing the proposed legislation. LAO Comments Devote Attention to Overseeing Recent Augmentations. We suggest the Legislature dedicate the early part of the budget process to overseeing the implementation of last year ’s significant homelessness augmentations.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4521

An Initial Look at Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Local Government Fiscal Condition

May 12, 2021 - As the Legislature contemplates how it would assess whether a local government could benefit from additional relief as a result of COVID ‑19, we recommend the Legislature consider what additional information it might want to collect as part of the review process.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4428