The 2025-26 Budget: State Mandate—Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board

May 5, 2025 - We recommend the Legislature reject the Governor ’s proposal and instead fund past costs —which total less than $1  million —for three reasons: (1)  in a similar case in the San Diego region, a 2022 court decision found that local governments lacked sufficient authority to raise fees for stormwater mandates when they had to seek voter approval to do so; (2)  CSM
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5039

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Housing, Homelessness and Local Government

Oct 22, 2025 - The reverted funds come from three sources: (1)  the Infill Infrastructure Grant (IIG) Program, (2)  IIG Catalytic Program, and (3)  Commercial Property Pilot Program. Savings were scored to 2024-25.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5082

The 2025-26 Budget: State Mandates—Regional Water Quality Control Boards

May 30, 2025 - Consistent with our recommendation on the stormwater-related mandate identified in the January budget, we recommend the Legislature reject the Governor ’s May Revision proposal and instead fund the three mandates for three key reasons: (1)  the appellate court found that local governments lacked sufficient authority to raise stormwater-related fees prior to 2018, (2)  CSM
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5054

The 2025-26 Budget: Oversight of Encampment Resolution Funding [Publication Details]

Mar 5, 2025 - To assist the Legislature in its fiscal oversight role of this large and multiyear program, this post: (1) provides data on the size of the population of people experiencing homelessness in California and recent state spending on housing and homelessness; (2) describes the ERF program’s goals, funding, and reporting requirements; (3) provides an update on ERF
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5007

Climate Change Impacts Across California - Crosscutting Issues

Apr 5, 2022 - As shown in Figure  1 , climate stressors present California with five key climate hazards: (1)  extreme heat events, (2)  more severe wildfires, (3)  more frequent and intense droughts, (4)  inland flooding due to extreme precipitation events, and (5)  coastal flooding and erosion from sea ‑level rise.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4575

The 2025-26 Budget: Oversight of Encampment Resolution Funding

Mar 5, 2025 - To assist the Legislature in its fiscal oversight role of this large and multiyear program, this post: (1)  provides data on the size of the population of people experiencing homelessness in California and recent state spending on housing and homelessness; (2)  describes the ERF program ’s goals, funding, and reporting requirements; (3)  provides an update on ERF
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5007

How Has COVID-19 Affected Renters and Homeowners?

Jan 19, 2021 - Mindful of this, our office collaborated with researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia to adjust key assumptions about ( 1)  r enter nonhousing costs, ( 2)  r enter savings rates, and ( 3)  s tatewide UI benefit amounts in their model to more accurately reflect economic conditions and policies in California.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4312

The 2022-23 Budget: The Governor’s Homelessness Plan

Feb 9, 2022 - For example, funds could be used on (1) short‑term crisis treatment beds, (2) residential treatment facilities in which treatment typically lasts for a few months, or (3) longer‑term rehabilitative facilities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4521

The 2022-23 Budget: The Governor's Housing Plan

Feb 14, 2022 - For each component of the Governor ’s housing proposal, we suggest the Legislature engage the administration in a discussion of the (1)  allocation process, (2)  eligible activities and program guidelines, and (3)  expected housing production achievements.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4535

The 2024-25 Budget: Juvenile Custodial Interrogation Mandate

May 28, 2024 - Additionally, the Commission estimates that the annual costs for the mandate could range between $19,000 and $1  million starting in 2022-23. Governor ’s Budget Governor Funds Mandate Reimbursement Costs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4910