The 2026-27 Budget: County Administration and H.R. 1 Implementation

Mar 5, 2026 - H.R. 1 Puts Strain on State and County Budgets State Faces Structural Deficit … Even before considering H.R.  1, our office and the administration estimate that the state faces significant structural budget deficits starting in 2027 ‑28.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5149

Implementing California’s Child Welfare Prevention Services Program

Jan 28, 2026 - Nearly all counties noted in their CPPs and during conversations that they struggle to recruit and retain child welfare social workers (and oftentimes local service providers face similar challenges).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5106

The 2026-27 Budget: CalWORKs

Feb 18, 2026 - Should the freeze be implemented, the state could be faced with losing access to federal TANF funding for weeks or longer. Based on our understanding of how TANF funds flow to the state, California would likely start experiencing funding shortfalls and programmatic impacts within weeks of a freeze.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5122

Implementing California’s Child Welfare Prevention Services Program [Publication Details]

Jan 28, 2026 - This report discusses ongoing implementation of California’s Family First Prevention Services program since 2021-22.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5106

The 2023-24 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 13, 2023 - Both our office and the administration project that the state faces a manageable budget problem this year. The Governor addresses the budget problem primarily with spending ‑related solutions, as shown in the figure below.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4662

The 2023-24 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Nov 6, 2023 - The Legislature also adopted supplemental report language that requires both the administration and CalSAWS to submit a report on or before January 10, 2024 on the project ’s efforts to improve its engagement with stakeholders to solicit and integrate their feedback and input into the public-facing elements of CalSAWS.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4812/5

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Other Provisions

Oct 16, 2025 - The language also requires OES to provide the Legislature with two progress reports on the project —which has faced significant implementation challenges —on or before November 1, 2025 and March  1, 2026.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5081/

The 2024-25 Budget: CalWORKs

Mar 4, 2024 - This credit will lower California ’s WPR requirements and the associated risk of facing financial penalties. The Legislature might begin to consider if and how it would like to respond to this change in 2025 ‑26.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4872

The 2024-25 Budget: Overview of the Federal Fiscal Responsibility Act's Impacts on CalWORKs

Mar 5, 2024 - Depending on how quickly and significantly caseload changes, California may face a future scenario where a program like WINS could again be helpful in ensuring the state can meet its WPR targets. Legislature Might Consider Future Goals for WINS.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4877

The 2025-26 Budget: CalWORKs

Feb 19, 2025 - What challenges have counties faced in implementing CalWORKs in recent years? What challenges have CalWORKs participants faced in achieving self-sufficiency and family well-being? To what extent and how has the state addressed these issues?
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4969