Increasing Oversight of the State Litigation Deposit Fund

Jan 28, 2021 - Litigation proceeds are deposited into the LDF in cases where the state is a party to the legal action and no other state statutes specifically provide for ( 1)  t he handling and investing of the money and ( 2)  h ow any earned interest is distributed.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4322

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

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

Assessing Community College Programs at State Prisons

Jul 1, 2024 - In 2022 ‑23, a total of 731 students at CDCR earned their first associate degree. The average time to degree for these students was about nine years. Funding In this section, we explain how community college programs, including those offered at state prisons, are funded.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4913

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 2025-26 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 13, 2025 - The reason for the reduction is the recent voter approval of Proposition  35 (2024), which requires the state to spend less MCO tax money on offsetting General Fund spending and more money on provider rate increases.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4951

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

Jun 12, 2025 - Broader technological changes may have also impacted people ’s decisions about whether and how to commit retail theft. For example, social media may be making it easier for people to organize theft schemes or share ideas for how to commit thefts without getting caught.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5055

The 2024-25 Budget: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Feb 22, 2024 - Accordingly, deactivating prisons or yards and maintaining them on warm shutdown allows the state to save money on an annual basis without foreclosing the possibility of reactivating capacity if it is needed in the future.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4852

The 2022-23 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 13, 2022 - For example, the Governor proposes a major expansion of the Part ‑Time Faculty Health Insurance program (increasing the existing $490,000 allocation by $200  million), without a clear explanation of how this augmentation works in concert with the Governor ’s other proposals to expand health care coverage and reduce associated costs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4492

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

May 17, 2021 - If the Legislature wants to make different decisions about this spending (without statutory changes or fund shifts), it can either: (1)  use the funds to make tax rebates and additional payments to schools, (2)  spend on other SAL-excluded purposes, or (3)  use the funds to reduce taxes.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4432