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4,623 Publications Found
February 19, 2003 - The regional housing planning process is not very effective at ensuring the construction of affordable housing or obtaining compliance with state law. As a result, we recommend that the regional planning mandate for councils of government be suspended, pending the enactment of reforms to the process.
February 19, 2003 - We recommend the Legislature suspend the mandate to reimburse local governments for the increased costs resulting from animal control. Furthermore, we recommend the Legislature refer the matter to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee for review.
February 19, 2003 - The 2003-04 Governor's Budget proposes to fully fund all phases of eight major capital outlay projects that use lease-revenue bonds as their source of funds. We recommend budget bill language requiring notification of proposed project augmentations or scope changes.
February 19, 2003 - As in the past, we recommend the Legislature fund higher education capital outlay based on year-round operation, statewide priorities and criteria, reasonable construction cost guidelines, and appropriate utilization of existing facilities.
February 19, 2003 - Assembly Constitutional Amendment 11, which will appear on the March 2004 statewide ballot, would establish the California Twenty-First Century Infrastructure Investment Fund, a dedicated financing source for state and local infrastructure projects. We provide background on state capital outlay planning and funding, explain how the measure works, and describe the measure's potential fiscal impact. (Reprint.)
February 19, 2003 - We review the administration's report, 2002: California's Five-Year Infrastructure Plan, its first legislatively mandated plan for funding public sector capital outlay needs. We examine its strengths and suggest improvements for future plans. (Reprint.)
February 19, 2003 - In reviewing the state's two major data centers, we found two options that could reduce department expenditures: (1) consolidation of data centers, and (2) consolidation of servers from various state departments to state data centers.
February 19, 2003 - The administration proposes a model for a new state information technology governance structure consisting of three components: a State Chief Information Officer, an oversight board, and state control agencies. Our review found that the proposal lacks details and leaves many questions unanswered. We recommend the Legislature evaluate the proposal based on the key objectives of leadership, accountability, and oversight.
February 19, 2003 - In November 2002, the voters approved a $2.1 billion housing bond. The General Fund will pay an average of $157 million annually for 30 years to pay for the principal and interest of the bonds. We review the administration's proposal for implementing the bond's provisions and outline potential options for using the bond to help address the budget situation.
February 19, 2003 - The administration proposes to increase the maximum 911 surcharge rate from 0.75 percent to 1 percent of intrastate phone charges. Since the proposal is inconsistent with current law and changes the nature of the 911 surcharge, we recommend the Legislature reject the proposal.
February 19, 2003 - Recently, the Legislature has taken various steps, through budget control sections, to reduce the number of vacant positions in state government. We found that the Department of Finance (DOF) has provided most of the information requested. We recommend that DOF provide updated information.
February 19, 2003 - The administration proposes to defer the costs of all general government mandates on local governments. By the end of the budget year, the state would owe over $1.2 billion to noneducation local governments. We recommend the Legislature adopt the general policy of either funding its mandate obligations or eliminating the state's liability for the mandate.
February 19, 2003 - To reduce budget costs, the administration proposes to finance up to $2.5 billion in scheduled retirement contributions to the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) and the State Teachers' Retirement System (STRS). We recommend rejecting this proposal because incurring decades worth of debt to avoid an annual operating expense is poor fiscal policy.
February 19, 2003 - We believe that the level of the proposed CCC fee--which would remain the lowest in the nation--is reasonable. However, the Governor's proposal misses an opportunity to significantly increase federal financial aid to needy students. This could be achieved by increasing the proposed fee by $1 per unit.
February 19, 2003 - The Governor's budget would increase campus-specific financial aid programs at UC and CSU by about 60 percent. We recommend that the state instead provide additional funding for statewide financial aid programs that are open to all students, irrespective of the particular campus or system they select.