The 2026-27 Budget: California Competes Extension

Mar 18, 2026 - All three of these changes could have contributed to the trend shown in Figure  2 if (1)  The 25  percent rule was favoring smaller businesses above better-qualified applicants from larger firms, (2)  larger businesses provide better evidence on how the credit affects their decision-making, and (3)  larger firms are more likely to have, or participate in, job training programs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5162

Community Land Trust Property Tax Exemption

Dec 20, 2024 - Chapter  636 of 2022 (AB  1206, Bennett) modified the rules community land trust properties must meet to qualify for the property tax exemption, making it easier for properties to maintain their exemption when low-income residents experience a modest gain in income.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4946

Improving California’s Unemployment Insurance Program

Aug 8, 2022 - For claims denied because an eligible worker did not follow EDD rules, reevaluate rules to make sure benefits outweigh costs. Give UI appeals board authority and staff to correct state practices that make it difficult to get UI benefits.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4615

The 2025-26 Budget: Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development

Mar 18, 2025 - Additionally, the administration proposes removing a rule that prohibits awarding more than 30  percent of total grants to a single applicant. Analysis Grants Address Limitation of Current Tax Credit.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5018

Overview of Diversity Efforts in the Film Tax Credit Program

May 1, 2025 - Evaluating Changes Made in Program 4.0 New Diversity Rules Provide a More Credible Incentive for Applicants. Compared to the version 3.0 diversity requirements, the upcoming changes in version 4.0 represent a more significant incentive for production companies to engage in DEIA activities, since 4  percent of the total credit is contingent on enacting and documenting specific initiatives.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5036

California’s Low-Wage Workers and Minimum Wage

Mar 11, 2024 - Figure  1 seems to suggest that many people stay in low-wage work for a long time, but it does not rule out some alternative explanations. One might speculate, for instance, that older low-wage workers tend to be recent immigrants who have not worked in the U.S. long enough to move into mid-to-high-wage jobs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4878/2

The 2023-24 Budget: Multiyear Budget Outlook

May 23, 2023 - These formulas include spending on schools and community colleges (under Proposition  98 [1988]), as well as debt payments and reserve deposits (under the rules of Proposition  2  [2014]). If the Legislature adopts the administration ’s revenue estimates —and does not solve the additional budget problem we identify above —we anticipate there will be a revenue shortfall in 2023 ‑24.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4772

Fixing Unemployment Insurance

Dec 2, 2024 - Under federal rules, states must borrow federal dollars to pay benefits when state reserves run out. Over the course of the pandemic, the state borrowed about $20  billion to keep paying benefits associated with the state ’s UI program.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4943

The 2023-24 Budget: California's Film Tax Credit

Feb 28, 2023 - The Governor ’s proposed rules to limit the amount of film tax credits refunded each year are unnecessarily complex and would increase administrative burden for applicants and FTB. We think there are more straightforward methods to limit state costs while making the film tax credit fully refundable, which we discuss below.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4713

The 2023-24 Budget: Considering Inflation's Effects on State Programs

Nov 16, 2022 - (There are some narrow exceptions to these rules, depending on the department, type of contract, and the terms of the agreement.) New awards, grants, and contracts can account for inflation as bidders and applicants develop and negotiate costs in their subsequent applications and proposals.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4647