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4,823 Publications Found
December 10, 2025 - This report focuses on the California State University’s (CSU’s) Graduation Initiative 2025 (GI 2025). This initiative aimed to increase graduation rates and close gaps in graduation rates among particular student groups by 2025. In the report, we provide background on GI 2025, then discuss associated funding and activities. Next, we analyze the outcomes and assess the benefits and drawbacks of GI 2025. Lastly, we make recommendations for the Legislature to consider as it contemplates its involvement in CSU’s next graduation initiative.
December 10, 2025 - This report focuses on the Strong Workforce Program, which the state created to increase the availability and quality of career technical education at the California Community Colleges. We provide background on the program, assess its implementation and outcomes, and raise a few issues to consider relating to coordination of workforce development programs more broadly.
December 9, 2025 - This report provides a summary of the major components of Chapter 117 of 2025 (AB 1207, Irwin) and Chapter 121 of 2025 (SB 840, Limón)—which extend and modify the cap-and-invest program—as well as a discussion of some of the legislation's key implications.
December 9, 2025 - In this post, we discuss the November 2025 cap-and-invest program auction results, as well as potential implications for the 2026-27 budget.
December 2, 2025 - As required by Chapter 80 of 2020 (SB 588, Archuleta), this brief reviews California’s Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) program. Specifically, it focuses on policies and practices designed to prevent program abuse and noncompliance.
November 21, 2025 - The 2025-26 spending plan provides around $38 billion from the General Fund for human services programs across ten state departments, councils, and commissions.
November 19, 2025 - Chapter 442 of 2023 (AB 543, Gipson) extended a longstanding sales tax exemption for certain purchases of bunker fuel, also known as maritime fuel. The law directs our office to submit an annual report containing data on three outcomes: the average monthly maritime fuel price at all domestic and international Pacific seaports, the average monthly maritime fuel price at California seaports, and maritime fuel deliveries at California seaports. This report fulfills that statutory requirement.
November 19, 2025 - We forecast that increases to the Proposition 98 guarantee in 2024-25 and 2025-26, coupled with a preexisting payment obligation, require the state to provide nearly $7.4 billion in one-time funds for schools and community colleges. For 2026-27, we estimate the guarantee is $117.8 billion, an increase of $3.2 billion (2.8 percent) from the previously enacted level. This growth—combined with a required reserve withdrawal—would be just enough to fund a 2.51 percent statutory cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). The state could use the one-time funds to build budget resiliency, which seems especially important given the risks of a stock market downturn.
November 19, 2025 - Each year, our office publishes the Fiscal Outlook in anticipation of the upcoming budget season. This report gives the Legislature our independent estimates and analysis of the state’s General Fund budget condition with the goal of helping lawmakers prepare for the 2026-27 budget process. As always, our Fiscal Outlook evaluates the budget’s condition based on current law and policy both at the state and federal level.
November 14, 2025 - This post summarizes the state’s 2025-26 spending package for higher education. It is part of our Spending Plan series. In this post, we provide an overview of the state’s higher education spending package, then cover spending for the California Community Colleges (CCC), California State University (CSU), University of California (UC), student financial aid, and California State Library. The EdBudget part of our website contains many tables providing more detail about the 2025-26 education budget.
November 14, 2025 - This post summarizes Child Care and State Preschool spending in the 2025-26 budget package.
November 13, 2025 - Presented to: Senate Committee on Human Services
November 10, 2025 - This post summarizes Proposition 98 funding and K-12 education spending in the 2025-26 budget package.
October 24, 2025 - The 2025-26 budget provides $17.3 billion from the General Fund for judicial and criminal justice programs, including support for program operations and capital outlay projects. This is a decrease of $569 million, or 3 percent, below the revised 2024-25 level.