California Budget

Newsletters

Next governor’s life or death decisions

Good Monday morning, California. Death penalty: What would candidates do A life-or-death decision: California’s next governor could quickly face a stark choice: allow an execution to take place or commute it. As part of our 2018 election guide, which we introduce today, we asked major candidates for governor how they would confront that decision, and compiled their answers […]

By Dan Morain • April 23, 2018

Elections

News Analysis: Why big-city politician Villaraigosa is spending so much time in farm country

Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa apparently believes his path to the governor's office runs through the San Joaquin Valley.

By Dan Morain • April 16, 2018

Education

A Community College online? Gov. Brown’s plan re-imagines cyber learning, but faces skeptics

Gov. Jerry Brown faces challenges to convince the Legislature and a skeptical community college faculty that online education is the key to reaching the 2.5 million Californians aged 25 to 34 who graduated from high school but lack a college degree.

By Felicia Mello • February 8, 2018

Economy

California is sitting on a surplus, but don’t expect a refund

California's focus: what to do with an expected surplus of at least $6.1 billion. Republicans say return it to California’s 40 million residents as a nice tax refund. The governor's priority is to fill up the state's rainy day fund. Democratic legislators mostly want to spend it.

By Judy Lin • January 10, 2018

Economy

Here’s the most detailed visual of the California budget we know of—come get lost in it

A mutant octopus? A psychedelic Rorschach test? The world’s most elaborate Chinese finger trap? No, this CALmatters creation is the California state budget for the 2017-18 fiscal year. Follow its fiscal tributaries from tax revenues on the left to spending on the right, and you’ll see where the state’s priorities lie—all 183 billion of them. […]

By Ben Christopher • July 12, 2017

Education

California lawmakers chip away at state’s college affordability crisis

Update:  Assembly Bill 19 was signed into law in 2017, paving the way to free community college for full-time, first-year students.  California’s economy is one of the world’s largest, and according to a new report, the state needs 1 million more workers with bachelor’s degrees by 2030 to keep up with economic demand. The Public […]

By Jessica Calefati • July 6, 2017

Politics

Bitter or sweet, trailer bills let California lawmakers slip new policies into budget

“Trailer bills,” said Sen. Richard Roth—referring to pieces of legislation tied to the budget but often bearing little connection to it—“are a box of chocolates. And you never know what you’re going to get.” Surprises abound each year as lawmakers craft the annual budget that keeps the state running. While most of the budget involves big-ticket items such as how much to spend on public education ($74.5 billion) or health care for the poor ($105.6 billion), a few extra nuggets are always thrown in that don’t involve much money but make significant policy changes.

By Laurel Rosenhall • June 21, 2017

Health

Democrats eye more health care for California’s undocumented

California’s Democratic legislators want to extend health benefits to undocumented young adults, the continuation of an effort that ushered children without legal status into the state’s publicly funded health care system last year. It is unclear when the program would start or how much the state would spend if the proposal, which could cost up […]

By Elizabeth Aguilera • June 7, 2017

Economy

Bridging the foster care gap: Lawmakers weigh more funding to help families take in children

Amy Woods got a call last year from the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, informing her that the mother of her 2-and-a-half-year-old foster son had just given birth to another boy. The newborn needed a home: Would she take him in? Woods was given 24 hours to make the decision, but […]

By Ben Christopher • June 7, 2017

Economy

California’s undocumented kids could be first to lose medical care under Trump

On a recent rainy morning in Los Angeles, Maria Bernal’s stove clicks to life with a bright blue flame to toast bread on a griddle for her 9-year-old son Edwin to smear with peanut butter. As she scoops papaya chunks into the blender for a smoothie, she recalls her worry during all the years when […]

By Elizabeth Aguilera • January 25, 2017