Increasing Oversight of the State Litigation Deposit Fund

Jan 28, 2021 - The level of detail, however, can vary by case. For example, a legal agreement might only specify the broad purposes the funds can be used for. In cases where there is not a lot detail, DOJ has some flexibility in determining how the money can be used.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4322

Assessing Community College Programs at State Prisons

Jul 1, 2024 - This year, several community colleges that are large providers of correspondence courses are piloting a form of online instruction in place of the traditional paper ‑and ‑mail model. For example, Lake Tahoe Community College is piloting an online synchronous (live) format in which students and faculty can communicate through videoconferencing and submit assignments online.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4913

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 6 (Corrections)

Sep 7, 2023 - The normal cost is the amount of money that actuaries determine must be set aside for the benefit employees earn today so that the contribution and any future investment returns on that contribution are sufficient to pay for the benefit after the employee retires.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4800

Retail Theft in California: Looking Back at a Decade of Change

Jun 12, 2025 - For example, in May 2021, CDCR modified its regulations to allow people with convictions for violent crimes to earn up to 33.3  percent off of their sentence (an increase from 20  percent) for maintaining good behavior.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5055

The 2021-22 Budget: Trial Court Operations Proposals

Feb 11, 2021 - However, the final pieces of a cost ‑benefit analysis —specifically ( 1)  c alculating the monetary value of identified benefits, ( 2)  i dentifying the corresponding costs, and ( 3)  i dentifying the net benefit of the various self ‑help delivery methods by case type —are not included in the report.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4362

Addressing Chronic Vacancies in Prison Mental Health Care

Feb 23, 2026 - For example, CDCR psychologists, according to the state Auditor, earn between $56 and $85 per hour —well above the average hourly rate paid in other states. According to 2023 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, California is the highest paying state for psychologists with the average hourly wage at $64 per hour, whereas psychologists nationwide earned a median of $53 per hour (21  percent less).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5134

The 2024-25 Budget: Department of Justice

Feb 9, 2024 - The LDF is a state special fund that receives litigation proceeds —or monies required by settlement agreements or court judgements to resolve legal cases —in cases where the state is a party to the case and no other state law specifically provides for (1)  the handling and investing of the money and (2)  how any earned interest is distributed.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4831

The 2021-22 Budget: Initial Comments on the Governor’s May Revision

May 17, 2021 - How Can These Monies Be Used? In a normal budget year, General Fund surplus monies are available to use for any public purposes. This is not necessarily the case in this May Revision. That is because the SAL, which limits how the state can use revenues that exceed a specified threshold, is salient to the state budget process this year.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4432

The 2023-24 Budget: Increased Federal Authority For State Crisis Intervention Program

Feb 22, 2023 - However, at this time it is not clear how this money would be used. Accordingly, we recommend not providing federal funds authority to BSCC for such funds at this time. The administration can request the necessary adjustments in future budget cycles when more information is available about how the funds would be used and when associated reimbursements from the federal government would be received.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4697

The 2023-24 Budget: Department of Justice Budget Proposals

Feb 23, 2023 - However, this flexibility can make it difficult to monitor how resources provided to support DOJ ’s legal workload are used over time. Some DOJ budget requests seek additional funding for particular purposes.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4701