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 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 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 2022-23 Budget: The Governor’s Homelessness Plan

Feb 9, 2022 - Where possible, applicants will be encouraged to leverage funding from both CCE and BH ‑ CIP —as well as other sources —to deliver more comprehensive residential and behavioral health services to eligible populations.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4521

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Housing, Homelessness and Local Government

Oct 22, 2025 - As a result of CEQA, unless a project falls under a statutory or certain other type of exemption, public agencies (such as cities and counties) generally must conduct a detailed study of the potential environmental effects of new housing construction (and many other types of development) prior to approving it.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5082

Climate Change Impacts Across California - Crosscutting Issues

Apr 5, 2022 - Costs for cities and counties might include adding drainage to roads to manage more intense rain events, or modifying water treatment plants located along the coast to accommodate higher sea levels. …And Private Residents and Businesses.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4575

The 2022-23 Budget: The Governor's Housing Plan

Feb 14, 2022 - Across all six rounds, the projects are estimated to reduce pollutants in the air equivalent to getting about 90,000 cars off the road for one year. Typically, the program releases a NOFA in October of each year —once proceeds from that year ’s cap ‑and ‑trade auctions are known —applications are accepted through February of each year and awards are announced annually in June.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4535