The 2026-27 Budget: California's Fiscal Outlook

Nov 19, 2025 - The 2026-27 Budget: California's Fiscal Outlook Executive Summary Not Safe to Bet Artificial Intelligence ( AI) Fueled Exuberance Is Sustainable. Both the California and U.S. economies currently face significant headwinds.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5091

The 2026-27 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 12, 2026 - That said, recent budgets have set the SFEU bet ween $3.5  billion and $4.5  billion, so the Governor ’s budget proposal to set the balance to $4.5  billion is generally in line with recent policy.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5101

The 2024-25 Budget: Initial Comments on the Governor’s May Revision

May 17, 2024 - Together, these scoring differences account for the roughly $27  billion difference in our office ’s accounting of the budget problem and the administration ’s scoring. While we would maintain that our approach more accurately reflects current law, these scoring differences do not reflect substantive differences in state ’s fiscal position.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4902

The 2022-23 California Spending Plan: The State Appropriations Limit

Sep 30, 2022 - As a result, these types of tax refunds are scored as spending rather than revenue reductions. The spending plan includes $9.5  billion General Fund for a one-time payment, the Better for Families tax refund.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4631

California’s Strong Revenue Trends Mask Looming Budget Risk

Jan 23, 2026 - These challenges would not be short-lived either. After the dot-com bust and the Great Recession, it took four and five years, respectively, for revenues to recover. Incorporating revenue risk into the budget now, therefore, reflects prudence, not pessimism.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5104

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

Jan 13, 2025 - We understand that while the administration indicates it will provide this payment in the future—after the final calculation of the minimum funding requirement—it also has not scored this future obligation in its multiyear budget.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4951

The 2023-24 Budget: Considering Inflation's Effects on State Programs

Nov 16, 2022 - To support these functions, the state pays a share of counties ’ costs based expected workload. In the case of Medi ‑Cal, state payments to counties for program administration are automatically adjusted for inflation annually.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4647

The 2022-23 Budget: California’s Fiscal Outlook

Nov 17, 2021 - After accounting for a 5.35 percent statutory cost ‑of ‑living adjustment (COLA), deposits into the Proposition 98 reserve, and various other adjustments, we estimate the Legislature has $9.5 billion in ongoing funds available for allocation in 2022 ‑23.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4472

The 2021-22 Budget: Overview of the Spending Plan (Final Version)

Oct 27, 2021 - APS = Adult Protective Services; CFAP = California Food Access Program; Cal ‑OAR = California CalWORKs Outcomes and Accountability Review; COLA = cost ‑of ‑living adjustment; GF = General Fund; ARPA = Advanced Research Projects Administration; LCSAs = local child support agencies; FFPSA = Family First Prevention Services Act; DDS = Department of Developmental Services; MSSP=
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4448/1

The 2021-22 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 10, 2021 - Conclusion The pandemic has disrupted the lives and livelihoods of millions of Californians and continues to take the lives of thousands of Californians each month. In the spring of 2020, the Legislature faced an unprecedented challenge to respond to the pandemic and adopt a budget in the face of unprecedented economic uncertainty.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4309