California’s Low-Wage Workers and Minimum Wage

Mar 11, 2024 - Finally, we described how we matched household types to apartment types for the analysis of housing costs. Strengths and Weaknesses of Data Sources Primary Data Source: Monthly Current Population Surveys (CPS).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4878/4

The 2025-26 Budget: California’s Film Tax Credit

Feb 28, 2025 - Motion Picture Industry Workers Earn Above Average Wages. In 2023, workers in California ’s motion picture industry earned a weekly wage of over $2,700 on average, 60  percent higher than the average weekly wage in California across all industries ($1,730).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5000

California’s Low-Wage Workers and Minimum Wage

Mar 11, 2024 - Fair market rent is the 40 th percentile of the rent distribution for a given apartment type (such as studios or two-bedrooms). We make these comparisons for seven different types of households, matching each household type to an apartment type that is modest but sufficient to avoid overcrowding (see the Appendix for details).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4878/3

Tax Credit Expansions in the American Rescue Plan

Apr 13, 2021 - This piece will briefly describe the changes to three credits that apply to many lower-income and middle-income filers: the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the Child Tax Credit (CTC), and the Child and Dependent Care Expenses Credit ( “child care credit ”).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4410

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

Mar 18, 2025 - Overall, most programs increase employment and earnings among participants while receiving a subsidy. However, the ultimate goal is to improve long-term employment prospects of these workers. Research suggests that it is less common that programs lead to h igher employment or earnings after the subsidy ends.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5018

Fixing Unemployment Insurance

Dec 2, 2024 - Employers pay UI taxes on the first $7,000 of each worker ’s earnings, but the vast majority of workers earn more than $7,000  in each job annually. As a result, employers pay the same amount in UI taxes on behalf of basically every employee in the state, regardless of how much that employee earns.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4943

Effect of Returning to Historical Estimated Tax Payment Schedule

Feb 27, 2023 - These payments are made in April, June, and September of the year the income is earned, as well as January of the following year. State Changed Payment Schedule During Great Recession to Address Budget Problem.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4722

Sales Tax Exemption for Bunker Fuel

Nov 19, 2025 - According to Ship & Bunker , the average price of marine gas oil (a major type of maritime fuel) at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach was $781 per metric ton in October 2025. In the same month, the average prices per metric ton of marine gas oil in the Americas and in the Asia-Pacific region were $837 and $786, respectively.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5094

The 2026-27 Budget: California Competes Extension

Mar 18, 2026 - Two types of businesses fall under this category. First, some firms lack tax liability in California due to ongoing and substantial use of other tax deductions and credits, most commonly the Research & Development Tax Credit and the Net Operating Loss deduction.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5162

Improving California’s Unemployment Insurance Program

Aug 8, 2022 - The state sets weekly UI payments based on prior earnings. Workers receive half of their average weekly earnings, based on their highest earning quarter of their base year. State law set in 2005 also caps the maximum payment at $450 per week.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4615