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The Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO), located in
Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, is a nonpartisan government agency that has provided fiscal and policy advice to the
California Legislature The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legisla ...
since 1941. The office is known for analyzing the state budget with the aim of making government programs more effective and less costly. The LAO was the first such institution in the United States that was designed to help both houses of a legislature manage the state budget in a strictly nonpartisan fashion; it inspired the creation of many similar agencies in other states, as well as the creation of the nonpartisan
Congressional Budget Office The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is a federal agency within the legislative branch of the United States government that provides budget and economic information to Congress. Inspired by California's Legislative Analyst's Office that manages ...
in 1974. The LAO should not be confused with the
California Legislative Counsel The California Office of Legislative Counsel (OLC) (officially the Legislative Counsel Bureau) was founded in 1913 and is a nonpartisan public agency that drafts legislative proposals, prepares legal opinions, and provides other confidential le ...
(a position established in 1913) which does not focus primarily on the budget. The LAO is overseen by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC), a 16-member bipartisan committee. The office has a staff of 43 analysts and approximately 13 support staff. The analytical staff is divided into four subject areas: Corrections, Environment, and Transportation; State and Local Finance; Education; and Health and Human Services. The Office was founded when the JLBC appointed the first "Legislative Auditor" on October 8, 1941 to assist with the state budgeting process. Because it was frequently confused with the state auditor, the title was changed to "Legislative Analyst" in 1957. The office has had five Legislative Analysts since its creation. Rolland Vandegrift served from 1941 to 1949,
A. Alan Post August Alan Post (September 17, 1914 – March 26, 2011) worked for 28 years (1949–1977) as California's legislative analyst. Early life and education Post was born on September 17, 1914, in Alhambra in Los Angeles County, California, the s ...
served from 1949 to 1977, William Hamm served from 1977 to 1986, Elizabeth Hill served from 1986 to 2008, Mac Taylor served from 2008-2018, and currently Gabriel Petek serves as legislative analyst. One of the most important responsibilities of the LAO has been to analyze the annual Governor's budget and publish a detailed review at the end of February. The office has presented a series of analyses from the beginning to the end of the budget process on overarching fiscal issues and specific departmental budget proposals and offered its recommendations for legislative action. In order to provide the Legislature with timely advice on these matters, the LAO has published its budget comments and advice in the form of separate written reports, handouts for hearings, and entries on a Web-based online list, all of which are available at its website. These documents help set the agenda for the work of the Legislature's fiscal committees in developing a state budget. Staff of the office work with these committees throughout the budget process and provide public testimony on the office's recommendations. More generally, the office is a staff resource to all legislators. The LAO also performs the following functions: *''Budget "Control."'' The LAO reviews requests by the administration to make changes to the budget after it is enacted. These reviews are used primarily by members of the JLBC and the fiscal committees. *''Special Reports.'' Throughout the year, the office prepares special reports on the state budget and topics of interest to the Legislature. *''Initiatives and Ballot Measures.'' The office estimates the fiscal effect on state and local government of all proposed initiatives (prior to circulation) and prepares analyses of all measures that qualify for the statewide ballot. *''Forecasting.'' The LAO forecasts the state revenues and expenditures.


References


External links


California Legislative Analyst's Office website
{{California California State Legislature