The 2025-26 Budget: California's Fiscal Outlook

Nov 20, 2024 - Instead, much of the bounce appears to be tied to special forms of pay for high ‑income workers, such as bonuses and stock  compensation. Booming Stock Market Driving Income Growth. The recent run ‑up in the stock market, which appears tied to optimism surrounding artificial intelligence, is a primary driver of the rapid growth in pay to high ‑income workers.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4939

California Labor Market Showing Broad Signs of Weakness [EconTax Blog]

Sep 30, 2025 - The long-term unemployed now make up about 30 percent of all unemployed workers, up from 20 percent in 2023.     Average Length of Unemployment Spell Now Five Weeks Longer Than in 2023.   The figure below shows the average weeks of unemployment duration for workers who are currently unemployed.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/839

California Labor Market Showing Broad Signs of Weakness [EconTax Blog]

Sep 30, 2025 - The long-term unemployed now make up about 30 percent of all unemployed workers, up from 20 percent in 2023.     Average Length of Unemployment Spell Now Five Weeks Longer Than in 2023.   The figure below shows the average weeks of unemployment duration for workers who are currently unemployed.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/article/Detail/839

Increasing Oversight of the State Litigation Deposit Fund

Jan 28, 2021 - For example, the Antitrust Section received around $ 5  m illion more in support from the UCL in 2019 ‑ 20 t han in prior years, while primary support for the Privacy Enforcement and Protection Unit shifted from the PRLESF to the UCL in 2019 ‑20.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4322

Local Sales Tax Rebates in 2023-24

Sep 16, 2025 - For example, to encourage a retailer to set up shop in a city, the city could refund half of the Bradley-Burns tax paid by the retailer. If retailers respond strongly to these rebates, then cities providing them could end up with higher revenues.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5074

Income Tax Withholding Tracker: December 1 - December 23 [EconTax Blog]

Dec 23, 2020 - As shown in the graph, total collections between March 23 and December 23 are up 5.2 percent ($2.660 billion)   from the same period in 2019.  As of November 20, the tracker showed an increase of 3.5 percent ($1.550 billion).  
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/603

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 6 (Corrections)

Jun 23, 2025 - If the fund averaged an annual return of 5  percent over the next 20 years, the $206.8  million would more than double to nearly $550  million. Suspending the state ’s contribution to prefund OPEB reduces costs today but contributes to a significant and growing unfunded liability and creates risk that the benefit will not be fully funded by 2048.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5058

Proposition 2 [Ballot]

Nov 5, 2024 - Since the state has to pay interest on the money it borrows, the total cost of the bond would be about 10  percent more (after adjusting for inflation) than if the state paid up front with money it already has.
https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Proposition?number=2&year=2024

Income Tax Withholding Tracker: January 1 - January 25 [EconTax Blog]

Jan 26, 2021 - As shown in the graph, total collections between March 23 and January 25 are up 6.1 percent ($3.599 billion) from the same period in 2019-20. As of December 23, the tracker showed an increase of 5.2 percent ($2.660 billion).
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/614

Home building and downpayment assistance. [Ballot]

Oct 6, 2025 - To be eligible for a mortgage, lenders generally require homebuyers to provide a downpayment, which is an up-front lump sum —traditionally equal to about 20  percent of the sales price —toward the purchase of a home.
https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Initiative/2025-013