The 2026-27 Budget: California Highway Patrol Proposals

Mar 6, 2026 - As such, why the department needs an augmentation for covering baseline costs this year rather than accommodating them through relying on its historical practice is unclear. Unclear Why the Department Is Unable to Use Salary Savings.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5152

California’s Strong Revenue Trends Mask Looming Budget Risk

Jan 23, 2026 - The added risk variable weighs on the range of revenue outcomes that we view as most plausible. The middle of the range, which becomes our main revenue forecast, is thus lower than if we did not include the stock market risk indicator.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5104

The 2026-27 Budget: Child Welfare

Mar 3, 2026 - The administration estimates that implementing the Tiered Rate Structure will cost more than $300  million General Fund in 2027-28, $500  million in 2028-29, and $700  million General Fund in 2029-30 (with some potential growth thereafter and ongoing).
https://lao.ca.gov/publications/report/5147

The 2026-27 Budget: California Competes Extension

Mar 18, 2026 - Second, any unawarded credits from the previous fiscal year can be added to the pool of available credits for the current fiscal year. Credit Pool Has Ballooned to over $923  million for the Current Year.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5162

The 2026-27 Budget: CDTFA’s Cannabis and Tobacco Programs

Feb 23, 2026 - New Laws Make Tobacco Inspections More Expensive. The flavor ban and hemp ‑derived cannabinoid laws add to CDTFA ’s enforcement costs in several ways. For example, they make inspections more complex; make citations and seizures more likely; and raise projected costs for transporting, storing, and destroying seized products.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5132

The 2026-27 Budget: Community College Facilities

Mar 17, 2026 - On the one hand, allocating more funding now would allow more projects to begin in 2026-27, avoiding the construction cost escalation associated with waiting until a future year. On the other hand, allocating less funding now would leave more available for high-priority projects (including life safety projects) that could emerge over the next year or two.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5159

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

Feb 10, 2026 - This is because frequent changes to the approach could increase customer confusion and make bills more unpredictable. While we expect that CPUC might need to reevaluate the specific amounts of credits that are provided each year, it is unclear why the commission would need to regularly rethink the core approach or implement significant changes.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5120

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

The 2025-26 Budget: Various California Air Resources Board Proposals

Feb 24, 2025 - While some additional funding may ultimately be needed for CARB to implement its programs and regulations, in our assessment, the department has not made an adequate case for why the proposed broad delegation of authority is warranted and why a more narrowly crafted authorization to increase fees for specific activities would not suffice.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4980

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