The 2025-26 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 13, 2025 - New Tax Expenditures of $150   Million. The Governor ’s budget includes some revenue proposals, which would expand existing tax expenditures and create new ones. This includes increasing the existing film tax credit from $330  million to $750  million per year and excluding some military retirement income from taxation.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4951

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

Feb 18, 2025 - As we discuss in our January 2025 report, The 2025‑26 Budget: Overview of the Governor’s Budget , the Governor proposes $2.2 billion in actions that would create capacity in the General Fund to support $570 million of discretionary proposals (including the three proposals discussed in this brief), $150 million of tax expenditures, and a larger discretionary reserve than the state typically plans.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4967

The 2025-26 Budget: Cap-and-Trade Reauthorization and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Proposals at May Revision

May 19, 2025 - Since the passage of AB  398 in 2017 (with a two-thirds vote of both houses of the Legislature), GGRF is considered akin to a tax. As such, it is a flexible funding source that can be used to help meet the state ’s most important activities (similar to the General Fund).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5049

The 2025-26 Budget: Cap-and-Trade Expenditure Plan

Feb 12, 2025 - Assessment Governor ’s Proposal Maintains Agreed ‑Upon Expenditure Plan. We find the Governor ’s GGRF proposal to be largely consistent with the expenditure plan agreed to in 2024 ‑25. (The one relatively small modification is related to the proposed fund shift for CERIP.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4960

Assessing California’s Climate Policies—Cap-and-Trade Reauthorization

May 7, 2025 - Emitters pay for allowances, similar to the way they would pay a tax on their GHG emissions. A key difference between allowances and taxes is how the revenues are allocated. In the case of taxes, all of the revenues come directly to the state.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5042

The 2025-26 Budget: Cap-and-Trade Expenditure Plan [Publication Details]

Feb 12, 2025 - The 2025-26 Budget: Cap-and-Trade Expenditure Plan [Publication Details] Translate Our Website This Google ™ translation feature provided on the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) website is for informational purposes only.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4960

The 2024-25 Budget: Insolvency Risks for Environmental and Transportation Special Funds

Feb 27, 2024 - Typically, doing so requires increasing existing taxes or fees or establishing a new revenue stream. In some circumstances, fee or tax increases must be approved by the Legislature or by voters. In  other cases, the Legislature has granted the administration statutory authority to increase charges, sometimes up to a threshold or according to a schedule.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4858

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: Sustainable Funding for the Department of Pesticide Regulation

Mar 5, 2024 - For instance, a single tax rate is easier for the state to administer and offers a more predictable revenue stream. It  also is simpler and more predictable for the entities that pay the tax. A flat increase also aligns with the recommendations in the independent contractor ’s report.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4873

The 2024-25 California Spending Plan: Resources and Environmental Protection

Sep 12, 2024 - Cap-and-Trade Expenditure Plan Directs Nearly All Cap-and-Trade Discretionary Spending to Offset General Fund Reductions.  The budget package assumes a total of $5.8  billion in expenditures from GGRF in 2024 ‑25.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4928