Assessing California’s Climate Policies—Cap-and-Trade Reauthorization

May 7, 2025 - Emitters pay for allowances, similar to the way they would pay a tax on their GHG emissions. A key difference between allowances and taxes is how the revenues are allocated. In the case of taxes, all of the revenues come directly to the state.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5042

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

May 19, 2025 - Since the passage of AB  398 in 2017 (with a two-thirds vote of both houses of the Legislature), GGRF is considered akin to a tax. As such, it is a flexible funding source that can be used to help meet the state ’s most important activities (similar to the General Fund).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5049

The 2025-26 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 13, 2025 - Significant Changes to Solutions From June 2024 Budget Package Managed Care Organization (MCO) Tax Package. Some of the largest budget solutions in the June budget package involved the MCO tax, a tax on health plans that supports the Medi ‑Cal program.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4951

The 2025-26 Budget: State Mandate—Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board

May 5, 2025 - Proposition  218 amended the Constitution to require voter approval for new or increased local taxes, assessments, and property-related fees. However, for certain property-related services —water, sewer, and refuse collection —local governments can raise fees without voter approval unless a majority of affected property owners submit written protests (majority protest).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5039

CalFacts 2024 [Publication Details]

Dec 2, 2024 - CalFacts presents a wide range of facts and trends about the state's economy, finances, and programs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4942

Assessing California’s Climate Policies—Residential Electricity Rates in California

Jan 7, 2025 - Electric utility bills often reflect a number of other state and local taxes and charges. For  example, many local jurisdictions impose utility taxes that are used to support local programs, such as fire response and parks.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4950

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

Feb 24, 2025 - (This is in contrast to taxes, from which revenues can be used for a broader range of activities and which require a two ‑thirds vote of each house of the Legislature.) Legislature Has Longstanding Practice of Granting Departments Authority to Assess Specific Fees.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4980

The 2025-26 Budget: Natural Resources and Agriculture Discretionary Spending Proposals

Feb 18, 2025 - As we discuss in our January 2025 report, The 2025‑26 Budget: Overview of the Governor’s Budget , the Governor proposes $2.2 billion in actions that would create capacity in the General Fund to support $570 million of discretionary proposals (including the three proposals discussed in this brief), $150 million of tax expenditures, and a larger discretionary reserve than the state typically plans.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4967

The 2022-23 Budget: Fuel Price and Other Fiscal Relief Options

May 12, 2022 - Figure 3 Key Legislative Options for Providing Fiscal Relief Fuel Price Focus Reduce gasoline and diesel excise tax rates. a,b Reduce diesel sales tax rate. a Provide tax refunds to vehicle owners. a Targeted Economic Focus Provide tax refunds to lower ‑income households.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4597

The 2022-23 Budget: Fuel Price and Other Fiscal Relief Options [Publication Details]

May 12, 2022 - In response to increasing prices across the economy—particularly fuel prices—the Legislature is contemplating a number of policies for providing fiscal relief to Californians. In this post, we identify key questions for the Legislature to consider when analyzing the merits of the options proposed by the Governor and in designing its own relief package.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4597