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

May 5, 2025 - Since 2016, the water boa rds have been trying to design permits in a way that minimizes creation of state-reimbursable mandates while also continuing to enforce state and federal water quality laws.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5039

Assessing Early Implementation of Urban Water Use Efficiency Requirements

Jan 4, 2024 - The plan was updated in 2016 and a final implementation report was released by CNRA in 2019. 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act: Chapter 346 (SB 1168, Pavley) Chapter 347 (AB 1739, Dickinson) Chapter 348 (SB 1319, Pavley) Requires monitoring and operating groundwater basins to avoid overdraft with the goal of achieving long ‑term groundwater resource
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4823

The Bay-Delta Plan and Voluntary Agreements: Ensuring Effective Legislative Oversight

Mar 18, 2026 - Four distinct runs of Chinook salmon —including the fall ‑run and endangered winter ‑run Chinook —depend on the Sacramento River and its tributaries. SWRCB Adopted First Phase Amendments in 2018 … SWRCB formally adopted the Bay ‑Delta  Plan amendments for the Lower San Joaquin/Southern Delta in 2018.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5163

The 2025-26 Budget: State Mandates—Regional Water Quality Control Boards

May 30, 2025 - Four Mandates Addressed in Proposed 2025-26 Budget, Including Three in May Revision. CSM has identified four new state-reimbursable mandates since enactment of the 2024-25 Budget Act . All four concern municipal stormwater permits issued by regional water quality control boards and costs incurred by local governments prior to 2018.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5054

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

Feb 10, 2026 - For example, CPUC could elect to only change the specific months in which the credits are provided —switching them from April and October to four typically high-billed months (such as June, July, August, and September).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5120

The 2026-27 Budget: Cap-and-Invest Expenditure Plan

Feb 10, 2026 - The 2026-27 Budget: Cap-and-Invest Expenditure Plan $4,066 $4,221 a Revenue estimates assume allowances will sell at the same average premium above the price floor as has been the case for the last four quarters with fully subscribed auctions.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5114

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Natural Resources and Environmental Protection

Oct 16, 2025 - The 2025-26 spending plan provides $178  million in multiyear authority —$100  million in 2025-26, $60  million in 2026-27, $12  million in 2027-28, and $6  million in 2028-29 —for the final installment plus a separate $2  million federal reimbursement agreement.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5080

What Can We Learn From How the State Responded to the Last Major Drought?

May 13, 2021 - State Experienced Major Drought Last Decade Severe Drought Lasted From 2012 Through 2016. California ’s most recent drought included the driest consecutive four ‑year stretch since statewide precipitation record ‑keeping began — 2012 t hrough 2015 —with 2014 r epresenting the third driest year on record.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4429

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Other Provisions

Oct 16, 2025 - Final Year of Funding for California Education Learning Lab. The budget package includes a final year of funding totaling $5.5  million from the General Fund for the California Education Learning Lab, with the intention to eliminate the program beginning in 2026-27 (which will achieve $4  million in ongoing savings).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5081/

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

Feb 24, 2025 - CARB indicates that it initiated a multimedia evaluation for E15 in 2018 and finalized the Tier I analysis in 2020. The department has not yet completed Tier II or Tier III but anticipates finishing these remaining steps by summer 2025.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4980