blog post Most Californians Favor Newsom’s Budget Proposal By Rachel Lawler Feb 7, 2022 The governor’s proposed state budget has the support of a solid majority of Californians as does the COVID-19 Emergency Response Package included in his spending plan.
Occasional Paper, Report The State Budget and Local Health Services in California: Surveys of County Officials By Paul Lewis, Mark Baldassare, Mina Yaroslavsky May 6, 2004 This report represents the first comprehensive analysis of how health programs in California have fared in the context of the state’s budget situation in fiscal year 2003-2004. The findings are based on a mail survey of county officials conducted from late December 2003 through March 2004.
Report Building California’s Future: Current Conditions in Infrastructure Planning, Budgeting, and Financing By Michael Neuman, Jan Whittington Jun 1, 2000 California’s identified infrastructure needs now outstrip available funds. To address this problem, the governor has charged the Commission on Building for the 21st Century with investigating financial options for narrowing the gap between needs and resources. This important and timely charge seems to neglect another important policy consideration: the way infrastructure decisions are made in the first place. In Building California’s Future: Current Conditions in Infrastructure Planning, Budgeting, and Financing, Michael Neuman and Jan Whittington examine California’s decision-making process at the state level. Based on interviews with policymakers as well as a thorough review of laws, rules, and budgets, their study evaluates how state agencies, legislators, and the governor interact to plan, budget, finance, and prioritize infrastructure projects.
blog post In Memoriam: Phil Isenberg By Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Ellen Hanak Oct 27, 2023 Remembering Phil Isenberg, an exceptional public servant. A highly valued member of both the PPIC Board of Directors and the PPIC Water Policy Center Advisory Council, his wise counsel will inform our work far into the future.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Special Survey on the California State Budget By Mark Baldassare Jan 27, 2005 Some findings of the current survey A vast majority of California’s likely voters (76%) view the state’s multibillion dollar fiscal gap between revenues and spending as a big problem. Californians are fed up with the state’s fiscal fiasco, and they don’t trust the governor or legislature to resolve the problem: An overwhelming majority (68%) believe that voters should make decisions about the budget process at the ballot box, rather than abdicate that responsibility to the governor and legislature. A majority of residents (69%) support raising the tax rate on the state’s top income bracket. Most residents (73%) express concern about the effects of budget cuts in the governor’s plan. Few residents (29%) believe that the Social Security program is in crisis, although 42% do agree that the program has major problems. 46% of the state’s residents think that the Bush administration’s proposal to allow people to invest their Social Security contributions in the stock market is a bad idea. This survey is the fourth in a series of special PPIC Statewide Surveys on the California State Budget and Fiscal System, begun in June 2003 and conducted in collaboration with The James Irvine Foundation. The intent of this series is to raise public awareness, inform decisionmakers, and stimulate public discussion about the current state budget and the underlying state and local finance system.
Report Budget Practices and State Expenditures: Lessons for California By Jaime Calleja Alderete Mar 5, 2007 This report examines whether the adoption of certain kinds of administrative mechanisms in California’s annual budget process could make that process more efficient. If so, some of these budget practices could help reduce state spending. Six practices are used by other large-population states. But California now uses only one: the May revision of the governor’s budget. The author finds that the adoption of certain practices might indeed reduce per capita expenditures, but that others are unlikely to do so. The May revision, however, produced no significant savings.
Fact Sheet Financing California’s Public Schools By Julien Lafortune Nov 29, 2023 K–12 funding has been at record-high levels in recent years, and California’s per student spending is now slightly above the national average. Spending is higher for low-income students, English Learners, and foster youth. However, enrollment declines, rising costs, and the expiration of pandemic funding pose fiscal challenges for school districts.
