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

Feb 18, 2025 - We  therefore find that the Legislature should view this proposal as a new and distinct set of projects and evaluate their merits accordingly. Key Question Is Whether Improvements to Nonstate ‑Owned Infrastructure Are a Top Priority Given Current Budget Constraints.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4967

The 2025-26 Budget: Proposition 4 Spending Plan

Feb 12, 2025 - While the Governor ’s administration presented a proposal for how to implement Proposition   4 —consistent with the traditional budget process —the Legislature should view this as a starting place for determining the timing and details of funding allocations.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4958

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

Feb 24, 2025 - However, in our view, such processes are not an adequate substitute for decisions made by the Legislature, which is the state’s elected body charged with determining overall state fee and expenditure policies.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4980

The 2024-25 Budget: Flood Management Proposals

Feb 26, 2024 - In our view, the urban flood risk reduction projects (including the state operations activities required to support them) also meet this high threshold for justifying new spending for the reasons described below.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4856

The 2023-24 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 13, 2023 - (That is, in our view, these costs would not have occurred absent legislative action and as a result do not contribute to the budget problem the Legislature faces today.) Comparison to LAO November Outlook.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4662

The 2022-23 Budget: Zero-Emission Vehicle Package

Feb 23, 2022 - Second, most of these programs focus on light ‑duty vehicle and mobility programs which, in our view, only have modest potential to drive technological advancements —likely less than some of the heavy ‑duty ZEV programs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4561

The 2023-24 Budget: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Major Capital Outlay Proposals

Feb 21, 2023 - Why the administration views the Growlersburg project as a higher priority for funding than potential alternative capital outlay projects that play a central role in providing state services—by CalFire or other departments—is unclear.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4693

The 2013-14 Budget: Analysis of Governor’s Proposition 39 Proposal [Publication Details]

Feb 21, 2013 - In view of the above concerns, we recommend the Legislature exclude from the Proposition 98 calculation all Proposition 39 revenues required to be used on energy-related projects and not count spending from these revenues as Proposition 98 expenditures.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/2691

The 2024-25 Budget: Sustainable Funding for the Department of Pesticide Regulation

Mar 5, 2024 - The ongoing nature of these augmentations suggests that the administration views this workload as a core department function. Moreover, DPR indicates that these activities —working with local communities on air pollution impacts caused by pesticides —are needed even in areas that do not currently participate in the A B  617 program.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4873

The 2023-24 Budget: California Volunteers Proposed Program Expansions

Mar 1, 2023 - In our view, given this program has only just begun on a limited ‑term basis and its effectiveness and outcomes are therefore still uncertain, this proposal does not meet that higher  bar. Proposed Reversion of Summer 2023 Funding Reasonable Given Budget Shortfall.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4723