Company Profile
Legislative Analyst's Office
Company Overview
The primary activities of the LAO are to:
Assist the Legislature in all aspects of the budget process through its analytical and oversight activities.
Respond to legislative requests for information about and analysis of the state’s budget and programs.
Conduct independent studies and produce self-generated reports on topics of importance to the state.
The LAO deals with real-world problems that directly affect the public and assists the Legislature in setting budget priorities and state policy for one of the world’s largest economies. Working independently as well as in teams, the LAO serves as the eyes and ears of the California Legislature to ensure that state-funded programs are operating in an efficient and effective manner. The LAO values excellence, expertise, teamwork, service, and respect for each person’s individuality.
Company History
During the 1930s, Members of the California Legislature came to believe that the growing size and complexity of state government were generating demands upon their time, which severely taxed their ability to review, understand, and act on fiscal and policy questions. The Governor had large and experienced budget audit staffs capable of developing technical data, formulating programs, and pressing his requests before the Legislature. The Legislature, however, had little or no expert assistance when it reviewed the executive branch’s proposal. Moreover, the Legislature had no staff capacity to evaluate the performance of the executive branch in administering legislative enactments. This convinced many Members that the Legislature needed technical assistance from a staff of professionals that was directly responsible to it. As a result, bills were introduced to create a staff for this purpose. None of these bills were approved until 1941 when both houses passed a bill that provided for an independent fiscal post-audit of each state agency by an office directly responsible to the Legislature. This bill, however, was vetoed by the Governor on the recommendation of the Department of Finance (DOF).
Creation and Composition
In response to the Governor’s veto, the Legislature amended the Joint Rules of the two houses on June 9, 1941 to create the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) and the position of Legislative Auditor. (In 1957, the title of this position was changed to Legislative Analyst to avoid confusion with the newly created position of Auditor General.) The JLBC was organized on October 4, 1941, and on that date, it employed the first Legislative Analyst. Continuity of the committee and its staff was maintained in succeeding years through reaffirmation of Joint Rule 37.
In 1951, the Legislature enacted, and the Governor signed into law, Chapter 1667, which provided a statutory basis for the committee and the LAO. Chapter 1667 added Sections 9140-9147 to the Government Code (see Figure 2), which set forth the responsibilities of the JLBC. In 1990, Californians passed Proposition 140 which, among other things, imposed term limits on most statewide offices and reduced the amount of money that the Legislature could spend on itself each year. This measure directly affected the LAO because it was (and continues to be) funded by the Legislature, and LAO employees are employees of the Legislature. At the time this measure was passed, the LAO employed about 105 staff. As a result of Proposition 140 and subsequent actions taken by the Legislature to reduce its overall spending, the office shrank to about 45 employees. The office was directed to make corresponding workload changes, such as eliminating bill analyses and focusing on more significant budgetary issues.
Benefits
Internal and external training and professional development opportunities, structured onboarding, private offices, work-life balance, transportation subsidies.
Positions Available
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