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: State Mandate—Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board

May 5, 2025 - Because the California Constitution does not require the state to reimburse local governments for costs to comply with federal law, disagreements have arisen over the years about whether all of the requirements in a given water quality permit are specifically required by federal law or whether they impose ad ditional requirements from the state.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5039

Climate Change Impacts Across California - Crosscutting Issues

Apr 5, 2022 - Costs for cities and counties might include adding drainage to roads to manage more intense rain events, or modifying water treatment plants located along the coast to accommodate higher sea levels. …And Private Residents and Businesses.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4575

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

How Has COVID-19 Affected Renters and Homeowners?

Jan 19, 2021 - We hope that by shedding light on how COVID ‑19 has added to the financial stress of renters, we can inform policy solutions to help renters through this crisis. In particular, the state and local governments will soon have to determine how to allocate recently authorized federal funding for emergency rental assistance.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4312

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