Rethinking California's Reserve Policy

Apr 10, 2025 - That is, we aim to construct a reserve policy that has the best chance of withstanding the test of time and minimizes the need for the Legislature to ask voters to make further changes to the Constitution in a few years.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5028

The 2025-26 Budget: Educator Workforce

Mar 7, 2025 - Various studies suggest that math and literacy coaches can improve student test scores if experienced coaches are placed in the lowest ‑performing schools. For example, a 2010  study from the RAND Corporation found that literacy coaches placed in Florida middle schools improved student reading test scores for some students, with the greatest impacts being among the lowest ‑performing schools where coaching was implemented for a number of years.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5012

The 2025-26 Budget: The California State Payroll System IT Project

Mar 7, 2025 - Some of these conditions attempt to align the forthcoming May Revision budget proposal (which we discuss later) with the project cost documents o r incorporate additional information that is only available once the primary vendor contract is awarded (such as updated project management and testing plans).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5011

The 2025-26 Budget: Understanding Recent Increases in the Medi-Cal Senior Caseload [Publication Details]

Mar 6, 2025 - The senior caseload in Medi-Cal has grown about 40 percent since the COVID-19 pandemic. This brief explores the causes of this growth and raises issues we think merit legislative oversight.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5010

The 2025-26 Budget: Understanding Recent Increases in the Medi-Cal Senior Caseload

Mar 6, 2025 - Figure  10 shows the average number of Medi ‑Cal enrollees over 65 who are enrolled in Medi ‑Cal for the first time in their lives in four selected time periods —before the continuous coverage period, during continuous coverage but before the asset test phase out, the asset test phase ‑out period, and finally after elimination of the asset test.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5010

The 2025-26 Budget: CWS-CARES

Mar 5, 2025 - (Four of the six milestones are now expected to be tested in EUST 2, and the remaining two milestones are expected to be tested in EUST 3.) During the four-week EUST session, participants identified a significant amount of required rework prior to implementation of the three (and several other related) milestones.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5006

The 2025-26 Budget: California Community Colleges

Mar 5, 2025 - The Common Cloud Data Platform demonstration project provides an opportunity for the Chancellor ’s Office to develop and test the platform with a small group of districts, assess the outcomes, and apply the lessons learned toward future decisions about expanding the platform.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5005

The 2025-26 Budget: California’s Film Tax Credit

Feb 28, 2025 - Finally, California and New York ’s programs tend to stand out as having the most additional requirements such as diversity and workforce development plans, although the tax credit programs outside the U.S. that we analyzed do have cultural tests relating primarily to hiring a certain number of local crewmembers and/or executives.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5000

The 2025-26 Budget: Undertaking Fiscal Oversight

Feb 24, 2025 - For instance, California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal, a recent initiative to test new ways of delivering services, could be a focus of Medi -Cal oversight. Focusing on key elements of larger programs can provide the Legislature more detailed and practicable insight into program dynamics.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4983

The 2025-26 Budget: Overview of the Federal CalWORKs Pilot

Feb 21, 2025 - California was recently selected as one of five states to participate in a federal, six-year pilot to test new Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program performance metrics focused on long-term employment and family well-being.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4978