The California Office of Legislative Counsel (OLC) (referenced in statute by its original name, 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 legal services to the Legislature and certain other California agencies and offices. The OLC also provides computer services, data networking, customer support, and related technology services to the Legislature. This includes hosting the California Legislative Information Website where the official versions of legislative measures, statutes contained within the Codes of California , the California Constitution, various legislative publications, and other resources, are published. The head of the office, known as the Legislative Counsel of California, is appointed by a vote of the Legislature.
8-689: The OLC is separate from the California Legislative Analyst's Office , which is the Legislature's nonpartisan fiscal and policy advisor. As of 2024, the Legislative Counsel of California is Cara L. Jenkins, who first was appointed in 2020. The agency's main office, historically located within the State Capitol Building , moved with other legislative offices to an interim office building during
16-484: 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 in 1974. The LAO should not be confused with the California Legislative Counsel (a position established in 1913), which does not focus primarily on the budget. The LAO is overseen by
24-553: Is a nonpartisan government agency that has provided fiscal and policy advice to the California Legislature since 1941. Sometimes referred to as the "eyes and ears" of the Legislature, 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
32-538: The Capitol Annex project. This article about the politics of California is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article relating to law in the United States or its constituent jurisdictions is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . California Legislative Analyst%27s Office The Legislative Analyst's Office ( LAO ), located in Sacramento, California ,
40-582: 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
48-475: 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
56-448: 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,
64-482: 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 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
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