California Legislative Analyst's Office
From Ballotpedia
It is overseen by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee of the California State Legislature. In March 2009, the LAO had a staff of 43 analysts and 13 support staff.
The LAO performs and publishes extensive analysis of the state's budget.
Given the multitude of ballot propositions that regularly appear on the state ballot, one important function performed by CLAO is to produce non-partisan descriptions and analyses of ballot initiatives.
2009 Fiscal Outlook Analysis
The LAO released a document, "The 2010-11 Budget: California's Fiscal Outlook", on November 18, 2009. The report says "...the state must address a General Fund budget problem of $20.7 billion between now and the time the Legislature enacts a 2010–11 state budget plan. The budget problem consists of a $6.3 billion projected deficit for 2009–10 and a $14.4 billion gap between projected revenues and spending in 2010–11. Addressing this large shortfall will require painful choices—on top of the difficult choices the Legislature made earlier this year." The report also says "The vast majority" of the current year problem can be attributed to the state's inability to implement several major solutions in the July 2009 budget plan."[1]
The hard-hitting report was written by LAO Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor and other LAO staff.
John Myers, the Sacramento Bureau Chief for KQED's "The California Report", said that Taylor is "quickly gaining a reputation for telling the ugly truth to power."[2]
Myers says of the November LAO report that it "makes it clear that the current problem really lies at the feet of 120 legislators and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger."[2]
The November LAO analysis says that because of the way California Proposition 98 (1988) is worded, California's declining revenues translate into an extra $1 billion for the state's public schools, even as revenues available for other programs shrink. According to Myers, "In a nutshell: Prop 98 ties school funding, in part, to year-to-year changes in state revenue. But the year-to-year changes projected by this year's budget deal ended up being wrong, making it seem as though revenues are growing faster than projected, thus guaranteeing schools more money. Remember, this is contrary to reality, where revenues are actually declining. Nonetheless, you can expect education advocates to demand that $1 billion ASAP, given the budget reductions to schools over the past two years."[2]
Ballot summaries
For each ballot proposition that is set to appear on a statewide ballot in California, the LAO is charged in Section 9085 of the California Elections Code with providing a ballot summary.
External links
- Official website of the California Legislative Analyst's Office
- Historical data on California propositions provided by the LAO
References
- ↑ Legislative Analyst's Office, "The 2010-11 Budget: California's Fiscal Outlook", November 18, 2009
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 KQED Capital Notes, "$21 billion deficit now, worse later", November 18, 2009
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