New Infrastructure Legislation: Summary and Issues for Legislative Oversight

Aug 8, 2023 - The legislation also authorizes Caltrans to use job order contracting for certain maintenance and other activities. Additionally, this legislation extends and expands the California State Transportation Agency ’s (CalSTA ’s) existing authority to assume the responsibilities of the federal government for the purposes of compliance with the National Environmental
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4785

Frequently Asked Questions About Wildfires in California

Jan 28, 2025 -  $25  million annually beginning in 2017 ‑18 to pre ‑position mutual aid fire engines and other related equipment in order to decrease local response times to potentially destructive wildfires and other disasters.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4952

New Infrastructure Legislation: Summary and Issues for Legislative Oversight [Publication Details]

Aug 8, 2023 - The Legislature recently adopted a package of bills aimed at expediting infrastructure projects. In this post, we provide a summary of the key components of the bills that comprise this infrastructure package, including provisions related to legislative oversight. We conclude by identifying key issues for the Legislature to consider as it oversees the implementation of this legislation.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4785

Preparing for Rising Seas: How the State Can Help Support Local Coastal Adaptation Efforts

Dec 10, 2019 - Specifically, a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ‑sponsored study by the National Institute of Building Sciences found that for every $ 1 t he federal government invested in various types of pre ‑disaster mitigation activities in recent years, it avoided public and private losses totaling $6.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4121

Improving Outcomes for California Conservation Corpsmembers

Feb 9, 2018 - Education outcome measures could include ( 1)  g ains in math and reading levels, ( 2)  p ercentage of corpsmembers who earn a high school diploma or GED during or after CCC service, or ( 3)  p ercentage of corpsmembers who earn college credits and post ‑secondary credentials after CCC.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3742

Assessing California’s Climate Policies—Residential Electricity Rates in California

Jan 7, 2025 - Figure 3 provides a breakdown of the relative magnitude of the activities that rates supported for the three large IOUs in 2023. Electricity Bills Include Some Additional Charges. Electric utility bills often reflect a number of other state and local taxes and charges.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4950

The 2024-25 Budget: Salton Sea Management Program

Feb 26, 2024 - Anticipating the potential effects of the QSA, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) ordered delays in the pace of water flow reductions. Specifically, the board issued a water rights order in 2002 requiring that for 15 years, IID had to continue to provide inflow water to the Sea at levels sufficient to maintain the salinity levels that would have existed absent the transfer.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4859

Managing Floods in California

Mar 22, 2017 - National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Program Intended to Reduce Flood Impacts. Congress established the NFIP in 1968 to address a number of policy objectives, including (1)  offering affordable insurance premiums to residents in flood ‑prone areas, (2)  reducing federal disaster assistance costs, (3)  encouraging better community ‑based floodplain management, and (4)  identifying flood risk across the nation.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3571

The 2025-26 Budget: Various California Air Resources Board Proposals

Feb 24, 2025 - In order to avoid a patchwork of differing state ‑level regulatory requirements from developing across the country, federal law generally preempts state governments from adopting their own air pollutant emissions standards for new motor vehicles and new motor vehicle engines.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4980

The 2025-26 Budget: Natural Resources and Agriculture Discretionary Spending Proposals

Feb 18, 2025 - Moreover, over the past few years, the state has provided funds to schools in order to improve their ability to provide more healthy meals, procure California ‑grown foods, and incorporate more freshly prepared foods.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4967