California’s Child Welfare System: Addressing Disproportionalities and Disparities

Apr 24, 2024 - This report examines disproportionalities and disparities across California’s child welfare system in terms of income and race/ethnicity. The report provides background on the child welfare system, describes child welfare system disproportionalities and disparities, and lays out potential drivers of these inequities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4897

The 2025-26 Budget: Child Welfare

Feb 13, 2025 - The demonstration authorizes expenditure authority under federal funds over five years for coverage of “activity funds ” —services and items to support the social and emotional well-being of eligible youth involved with the foster care system, AAP, or Family Maintenance Program.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4962

The 2025-26 Budget: In-Home Supportive Services

Mar 6, 2025 - Available IHSS case information provides the percent of authorized IHSS cases that receive services. We call this the IHSS utilization rate. Historically, The IHSS utilization rate has been quite high —in the high-80  percent to low-90  percent range.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5009

The 2024-25 California Spending Plan: Housing and Homelessness

Oct 16, 2024 - Figure  1 shows that the 2024-25 budget package authorizes a total of nearly $1.8  billion in new one-time funding for three programs. At the same time, the budget generates a total of about $1.5  billion in budget solutions by reducing funding for nine previously authorized purposes.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4936

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

Mar 7, 2025 - Shortly after CDT approved the CSPS IT project through the PAL process, DOF notified the JLBC of the project ’s approval through PAL and its authorization of the $10.4  million available for development and implementation costs in 2024-25.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5011

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

Feb 21, 2025 - Federal TANF Work and Family Well-Being Pilot The federal Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (FRA) authorized a five-state pilot project to test alternative performance measures to the WPR —largely focused on long-term employment outcomes and family well-being —in the TANF program for six years.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4978

The 2024-25 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Oct 2, 2024 - Permanently Authorizes the Emergency Food Bank Reserve Program. The Emergency Food Bank Reserve Program, created in the 2 020-21 Budget Act , provides food banks with food and funding to help prevent hunger during natural or human-made disasters.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4933/3

The 2024-25 Budget: Broadband Infrastructure at May Revision

May 23, 2024 - Federal BEAD Program Authorizes $1.86  Billion in Additional Federal Trust Fund Authority for CPUC to Receive the State ’s BEAD Program Allocation. The May Revision proposes a one-time increase in CPUC ’s Federal Trust Fund authority to receive the state ’s $1.86  billion allocation from the federal BEAD program in 2024 ‑25.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4906

The 2024-25 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Oct 2, 2024 - The spending plan requires CDSS, after consulting with stakeholders, to apply to participate in the pilot program; states the Legislature’s intent to continue to reimagine CalWORKs; and authorizes CDSS to consider certain program changes, such as repealing the county share of the federal work participation rate penalty and aligning sanctions with minimum federal requirements.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4933/2

The 2024-25 Budget: In-Home Supportive Services

Feb 29, 2024 - However, our analysis of hours per case data reveals that for authorized cases that are paid, there was a slight decline in the percentage of authorized hours that were claimed since the start of COVID-19.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4868