An Initial Look at Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Local Government Fiscal Condition

May 12, 2021 - Cities and counties have been provided historically significant levels of federal funding to respond to the COVID ‑ 19 p andemic. The allocation of this past funding was designed to get money to cities and counties as fast as possible largely by using readily available metrics, such as a jurisdiction ’s population and other commonly used allocation formulas, to determine the level of funding allocated to each jurisdiction.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4428

Climate Change Impacts Across California - Housing

Apr 5, 2022 - What Role Should the State Play in Influencing Where New Homes Are Built? Cities and counties generally decide when, where, and to what extent housing can be built within their jurisdictions. As climate risks increase, the Legislature could consider whether to make changes to the existing processes for planning for new housing to more fully and consistently consider those risks.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4584

The 2025-26 Budget: Oversight of Encampment Resolution Funding

Mar 5, 2025 - The purpose of ERF is to provide competitive grants to cities, counties, and CoCs to address “critical encampment concerns ” in their communities and transition individuals to “safe and stable housing, ” with a focus on permanent housing.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5007

The 2018-19 Budget: County Assessor Funding

Feb 15, 2018 - Orange, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties get a comparatively small share and schools in these counties receive above-average shares. Los Angeles and San Francisco Counties, in contrast, get a larger share of the countywide property tax and their schools receive smaller shares.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3756

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

May 5, 2025 - It believes that local governments have fee authority even in cases where they have to obtain voter approval and even if obtaining voter approval is challenging. That is, the administration contends that having to obtain voter approval does not negate the underlying fee authority itself.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5039

The 2019-20 Budget: What Can Be Done to Improve Local Planning for Housing?

Feb 20, 2019 - Summary California ’s cities and counties make most decisions about when, where, and to what extent housing will be built. The state requires cities and counties to carry out certain planning exercises in an attempt to ensure they accommodate needed home building.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3938

The 2023-24 Budget: County of Los Angeles Citizens Redistricting Commission Mandate

May 2, 2023 - Census identifies (1)  the number of people who live in the United States and (2)  where people live across the country. The census shows changes in the number of people living in a jurisdiction and collects information regarding the demographics and characteristics of those people.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4766

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

May 30, 2025 - CSM determined that several of the requirements in the permit issued by the regional board in 2010 constitute state-reimbursable mandates for Riverside County and the cities of Riverside County that are within the Santa Ana region (some cities in Riverside County fall within the jurisdiction of the Santa Ana Regional Board and some within the jurisdiction of the San Diego Regional Board).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5054

The 2017-18 Budget: Local Update of Census Address Program Overview

Mar 23, 2017 - For the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau will only be doing in-field canvassing where addresses cannot be verified through other means. LAO Comments. Given the impact the U.S. Census results can have on California, taking steps to ensure an accurate count is meritorious.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3629

Understanding Your Property Tax Bill - The 1 Percent Tax—Where Does Your Money Go? [Video]

This includes cities, the county, special districts, and schools and community college districts. Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund (ERAF). This is a countywide multi-purpose fund originally created  to provide funding for schools For many reasons, the system of distributing these revenues has become very complex.
https://lao.ca.gov/Videos/Player?playlistId=96&videoId=144