The 2026-27 Budget: Cap-and-Invest Expenditure Plan

Feb 10, 2026 - Funding Proposals From State Operations Has Implications for Money Left Available for Other Tiers. Under the administration ’s interpretation of the S B  840 methodology (which would be codified in the proposed budget trailer legislation), activities that are funded as part of GGRF state operations are prioritized above nearly all other programs and activities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5114

A Framework for Evaluating State-Level Green Stimulus Proposals

Jan 5, 2021 - In most cases, such shifts in how funding is allocated in the annual budget likely will not result in meaningful economic stimulus. (There might be some short ‑term stimulative benefits associated with spending additional money from one of the state ’s budget reserve accounts, but constitutional requirements likely limit the Legislature ’s ability to spend those funds on most environmental projects.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4308

Assessing California’s Climate Policies—Residential Electricity Rates in California

Jan 7, 2025 - Step 3: Determine How to Structure Residential Rates. The third step generally includes determining how to structure the rates for residential customers to generate the required revenues. This includes determining how much of the money should be generated from fixed charges versus from volumetric charges.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4950

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

Assessing California’s Climate Policies—Cap-and-Trade Reauthorization

May 7, 2025 - As a result, in concept, the decision about who gets the allowances essentially determines where the revenue from the charges paid by emitters will go, including which entities will receive these revenues and for what purposes.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5042

The 2025-26 Budget: Various California Air Resources Board Proposals

Feb 24, 2025 - CARB has not offered a persuasive explanation for why the Legislature should depart from this traditional approach to setting fee policy. Second, CARB has not provided adequate information over how it would use the proposed new authority.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4980

The 2026-27 Budget: Permitting Support at the State Water Resources Control Board

Mar 2, 2026 - How Waters Are Defined Affects How They Are Regulated. Federal CWA requirements only apply to “waters of the United States ” (WOTUS), so the definition of WOTUS is important. The broader the definition, the more bodies of water will fall under federal jurisdiction —and vice versa.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5144

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

May 17, 2021 - The Legislature can use excess revenues in three ways: (1)  appropriate more money for purposes excluded from the SAL (under the Governor ’s proposal, the common new spending for this purpose is capital outlay), (2)  split the excess between additional school and community college district spending and taxpayer rebates, or (3)  lower tax revenues.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4432

The 2025-26 Budget: May Revision Trailer Bill Proposals on the Delta Conveyance Project and Water Quality Control Plans

May 27, 2025 - Whether making all WQCPs exempt from CEQA is the best way to get the Bay-Delta Plan revised and adopted —without risk of CEQA-related lawsuits holding it up —is not clear. Other WQCPs, including regional WQCPs, presumably are less likely to face the prolonged delays that have plagued the Bay-Delta Plan.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5053

The 2026-27 Budget: Proposition 4 Spending Plan

Feb 10, 2026 - While the Legislature did approve some funding for a few of these activities in 2025 ‑26, notable discretion remains around how specifically the funds can and will be used. As such, these proposed appropriations represent a key opportunity for the Legislature to articulate its priorities and provide guidance about how specifically these funds will be spent, to the degree it has any.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5115