The 2026-27 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 12, 2026 - Budget Solutions Budget solutions are proposals that create more budget capacity. Taken together, the budget solutions in the Governor ’s budget result in an improvement in the budget ’s bottom line by $9  billion.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5101

The 2026-27 Budget: California's Fiscal Outlook

Nov 19, 2025 - New tariffs on imports into the U.S. are creating cost pressures for businesses and consumers. And uncertainty with the federal government appears to be contributing to a general anxiety about the economy.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5091

The 2025-26 Budget: Overview of the Spending Plan

Oct 16, 2025 - (This borrowing is similar to the measures used during the Great Recession —collectively previously referred to as the state ’s “wall of debt ” —and create obligations that should be repaid or reversed in the future.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5079

Rethinking California's Reserve Policy

Apr 10, 2025 - Proposition  4 sets up a system in which all tax revenues —with only limited exceptions —are counted at some level of government (for example, the state, or a city, county, or school district). Funds transferred between these entities of government are counted at some part of the structure.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5028

The 2018-19 Budget: California Spending Plan (Final Version)

Oct 2, 2018 - In 2016, the Legislature created the NPLH program to construct and rehabilitate permanent supportive housing for those with mental illness who are homeless. The program authorizes the issuance of bonds backed by personal income tax revenues raised under the Mental Health Services Act (Proposition   63 o f 2004).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3870/8

The 2020-21 Budget: Overview of the California Spending Plan (Final Version)

Oct 5, 2020 - Cities. The budget provides $ 500  m illion to cities for homelessness, public health, public safety, and other services to combat the COVID ‑ 19 p andemic. Of this total, $ 225  m illion is provided to cities with populations greater than 300, 000 t hat did not receive a direct federal allocation and $ 275  m illion is provided to cities with a population of less than 300,000.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4263

The 2019-20 Budget: California Spending Plan (Final Version)

Oct 17, 2019 - Creates New Incentives for Adopting “Pro ‑Housing ” Policies. The budget package creates new incentives for cities and counties to adopt pro ‑housing policies. Cities and counties that adopt these policies would receive additional points in the scoring of their applications for certain state grant programs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4083

The State Appropriations Limit

Apr 21, 2021 - How the Limits Work for Other Entities Proposition   4 n ot only created an appropriations limit for the state, but also for most types of local government entities, including: counties, cities, special districts, and local educational agencies.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4416

Flexible Funding to California in the American Rescue Plan

Mar 23, 2021 - Cities and counties will receive fiscal recovery funds based on a set of formulas that considers the jurisdiction ’s population, among other factors. The federal government will distribute funds directly to all counties and cities with populations greater than 50,000.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4407

Federal Spending in California

Jan 18, 2017 - Cities and Special Districts Receive Almost $8 Billion in Federal Funds. Cities received over $4 billion in federal funds in 2014-15. The federal Community Development Block Grant—supporting local housing and economic development activities—was the single largest program for which cities received federal funding ($231 million).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3531/5