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

Jan 13, 2025 - The underlying budget dynamics today are particularly challenging for three reasons. First, revenues have not caught up with expenditures. Second, under our estimates, expenditure growth exceeds estimated revenue growth.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4951

The 2026-27 Budget: Proposed Elimination of State Environmental Positions

Feb 17, 2026 - The Governor ’s budget released in January assumes all the residual positions are eliminated and, accordingly, scores associated annual savings in both 2025-26 and 2026-27. For environmental positions, this amounts to annual savings of about $71  million (about $32  million General Fund).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5124

The 2022-23 Budget: Zero-Emission Vehicle Package

Feb 23, 2022 - Programs that focus on promoting ZEV technologies that are in the early stages of commercial availability (such as truck and bus vouchers) generally score medium. Programs that focus on pilots and demonstrations for new technologies generally score high.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4561

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Natural Resources and Environmental Protection

Oct 16, 2025 - The budget package scored $108  million in savings from vacant positions at CNRA and CalEPA pursuant to this control section for the 2024-25 fiscal year, but did not permanently eliminate any positions.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5080

The Bay-Delta Plan and Voluntary Agreements: Ensuring Effective Legislative Oversight

Mar 18, 2026 - The last comprehensive update occurred in 1995 and largely guides management today. (The 1995  update concerned the entire Bay ‑Delta watershed and included substantive changes to water quality objectives for fish and wildlife beneficial uses.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5163

Overview of California's Ports

Aug 23, 2022 - Such a score indicates high levels of cumulative environmental and health impacts, and identifies these areas as “disadvantaged communities ” eligible for prioritized funding from certain state programs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4618

The 2026-27 Budget: Framework for Approaching the Natural Resources, Environmental Protection, and Agriculture Budget

Feb 10, 2026 - Recommended Framework for Approaching Environment Budget Decisions Below, we offer a framework for approaching environment budget decisions in today ’s challenging fiscal circumstances —namely , how to evaluate the Governor ’s new spending proposals across CNRA, CalEPA, and CDFA in the context of a General Fund condition that is only precariously balanced in the near term and faces significant deficits in the coming years.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5116

The 2023-24 Budget: Crafting Climate, Resources, and Environmental Budget Solutions

Feb 22, 2023 - The proposal includes a total of about $800  million in funding delays, all scored towards solving the 2023 ‑24  budget  problem. Suggests Some Proposed Reductions Could Be Restored if General Fund “Trigger ” Conditions Are Met.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4692

The 2023-24 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 13, 2023 - (That is, in our view, these costs would not have occurred absent legislative action and as a result do not contribute to the budget problem the Legislature faces today.) Comparison to LAO November Outlook.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4662

Living Under Smoky Skies—Understanding the Challenges Posed by Wildfire Smoke in California

Nov 14, 2022 - For example, one 2022 study found a relationship between wildfire smoke levels and poorer cognitive performance on a brain‑training game, and another 2022 study found a link between smoke exposure and lower test scores.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4644