How Have Past Stock Market Downturns Affected Income Tax Revenue? [EconTax Blog]

Mar 9, 2026 - The three minor downturns  (1981, 1987, and 1990) led to income tax declines of less less than 10 percent (average of 5 percent), with revenues recovering quickly. The four major downturns were more severe, with income tax declines ranging from 17 percent to 30 percent (average of 24 percent).
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/852

How Have Past Stock Market Downturns Affected Income Tax Revenue? [EconTax Blog]

Mar 9, 2026 - The three minor downturns  (1981, 1987, and 1990) led to income tax declines of less less than 10 percent (average of 5 percent), with revenues recovering quickly. The four major downturns were more severe, with income tax declines ranging from 17 percent to 30 percent (average of 24 percent).
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/article/Detail/852

California’s Strong Revenue Trends Mask Looming Budget Risk

Jan 23, 2026 - 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

Oversight of certain public benefit artificial intelligence (AI) companies. [Ballot]

Jan 20, 2026 - Such executives may be subject to penalties of up to $10 million per violation. In addition, certain willful misconduct —such as unauthorized expansion of AI capabilities or obstruction of investigations —would be punishable as a felony, with potential imprisonment of up to five years and fines of up to $10 million, or an amount equal to twice the financial gains resulting from the misconduct.
https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Initiative/2025-033

Whether or Not to Tap Reserves to Solve Estimated Budget Problem Emerges as Key Fiscal Decision Facing California’s Legislature

Apr 19, 2023 - Other downturns, such as the 2001 so-called dot-com recession, had severe fiscal implications while inflicting somewhat milder economic damage. The 2008 Great Recession had brutal effects on both the state ’s economy and budget.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4762

The 2026-27 Budget: California's Fiscal Outlook

Nov 19, 2025 - The state solved a $27  billion deficit in 2023 ‑24, a $55  billion deficit in 2024 ‑25, and a $15  billion deficit in 2025 ‑26 (in addition to roughly $28  billion in proactive budget ‑balancing actions taken the year before).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5091

The 2023-24 Budget: May Revenue Outlook [EconTax Blog]

May 13, 2023 - In the last 30 years, comparable two-quarter declines have occurred only around the Dot-Com Recession and the Great Recession. Similarly, income tax withholding (the largest component of income tax collections) has declined 5 percent so far this year, a stark departure from the double digit growth of the preceding two years.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/774

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Units 10 (Professional Scientists) and 18 (Psychiatric Technician)

Sep 9, 2025 - The facilities where Unit 18 members work provide care to patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When there are not enough psychiatric technicians scheduled to adequately provide care to patients —either due to lack of resources, unexpected absences, scheduling error, emergency, or other causes —the state may require staff to work overtime.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5073

The 2023-24 Budget: Multiyear Assessment

Feb 15, 2023 - Three of those —the recession in the early 1990s, the dot ‑com bust in the early 2000s, and the Great Recession —resulted in large revenue shortfalls and ensuing multiyear deficits, even for some years after each recession ended.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4687

2022-23 Fiscal Outlook Revenue Estimates [EconTax Blog]

Nov 17, 2021 - As a result of this surge, collections so far this fiscal year are already over $10 billion ahead of 2021-22 Budget Act (budget act) assumptions. Underlying the recent surge is a meteoric rise in several measures of economic activity.
https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/712