The 2026-27 Budget: Contract to Achieve Operational Efficiencies

Mar 10, 2026 - Difficult to Achieve Large Levels of Budgetary Savings Through Efficiencies Alone. Identifying efficiencies in state government can result in budgetary savings without reducing service levels. However, it is difficult to achieve large levels of savings through operational efficiencies alone (that is, without changes to policy or service levels).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5156

The 2026-27 Budget: Office of Emergency Services Next Generation 911 System

Feb 27, 2026 - While OES has provided high ‑level descriptions of its plans, it has not presented critical details to the Legislature, leaving key questions unanswered, including the following: What Is the Nature and Scope of the Problem?
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5145

The 2026-27 Budget: California Highway Patrol Proposals

Mar 6, 2026 - As shown in Figure  2, the department ’s uniformed officer vacancy rate including temporary positions, is still well above the pre-pandemic levels. Specifically, while the vacancy rate was 2.8  percent in 2019, it then rose to over 9  percent in 2021, and remained at 6.6  percent as of 2024, per the most recent data available.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5152

The 2026-2027 Budget: California Cannabis Control Appeals Panel Permanent Funding Request

Feb 11, 2026 - The 2026-27 amount is $127,000 (or 3.8  percent) more than the revised 2025-26 level. The Governor also proposes a one position reduction (from 13 to 12) in 2026-27 and ongoing. Assessment Still Too Early to Know What Actual Caseload and Workload Will Be.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5119

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Other Provisions

Oct 16, 2025 - This is a net increase of $5  million (3  percent) over the revised 2024-25 level. (This does not reflect some adjustments related to Control Sections 4.05 and 4.12 of the 2024-25 and 2025-26 budgets.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5081/

Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Program Review

Dec 2, 2025 - Underutilization —the failure of prime contractors (who are the entities directly awarded contracts) to provide the level of work committed to DVBE subcontractors —was the most commonly investigated violation.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5095

The 2025-26 Budget: Department of Financial Protection and Innovation

Apr 3, 2025 - This fee has not kept up with department costs, and even at the proposed level ($50 —a 100  percent increase), is well below inflation. (Depending on how inflation is adjusted for, the inflation-adjusted level for this fee would be between $246 to $380.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5025

The 2025-26 Budget: State Departments’ Operational Efficiencies (Control Sections 4.05 and 4.12)

Feb 19, 2025 - The suggestion that these departments cannot maintain service levels while reducing their expenditures by the levels identified as efficiency savings in the report to the Legislature raises concerns that the identified savings are not true efficiencies but rather constitute cuts that could negatively affect current se rvice levels.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4975

The 2025-26 Budget: Department of Real Estate

Mar 19, 2025 - This amount reflects an increase of $2.8  million (about 4  percent) from the revised 2024-25 level. The proposed budget would provide DRE with a total of about 387 positions in 2025-26 —an increase of 3 positions (less than 1  percent) from the revised 2024-25 level.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5019

The 2025-26 Budget: Office of Emergency Services—Request for Reappropriation of Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Fund Resources

Feb 24, 2025 - Actual Expenditures Far Below Authorized Levels . According to OES, the LEMA Assistance Fund roll-out was slow because it took time to circulate information about the availability of the LEMA Assistance Fund to eligible entities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4982