TL;DR
An interactive budget dataset published at california-budget.com presents year-by-year revenue and spending figures for California from FY 2023-24 through FY 2035-36. The display shows revenues rising but expenditures growing faster, producing widening deficits and a steep decline in projected net reserves.
What happened
The interactive budget table provides annual figures for major revenue streams and spending categories covering FY 2023-24 through projected FY 2035-36. It lists total revenue of $208.5 billion and total expenditure of $214.0 billion for 2023-24, yielding a net deficit of $5.51 billion and net reserves of $16.5 billion. Projections extend to 2035-36, where revenue is shown at $305.8 billion and expenditures at $364.0 billion, producing a projected net shortfall of $58.2 billion and net reserves of negative $407.4 billion. Personal income tax is the largest revenue source (about 55% in the 2023-24 snapshot), and Health & Human Services and K–12 are the largest spending areas. The table includes year-by-year line items such as personal income tax, sales and use tax, corporation tax, insurance tax, other revenues, transfers & loans, and a row labeled "Billionaire Wealth Tax Proposed" showing $0.00B across all years.
Why it matters
- The projections indicate expenditures growing faster than revenues, producing expanding annual deficits and rapidly declining reserves over the next decade.
- Personal income tax dominance in revenue composition makes the budget sensitive to income tax receipts and related economic conditions.
- Rising Health & Human Services and K–12 spending are principal drivers of larger projected outlays, shaping fiscal pressures on the state.
- Sharp changes in transfers and loans, from positive inflows to negative values in later years, affect net revenue availability and reserves.
Key facts
- Total revenue rises from $208.5 billion in FY 2023-24 to $305.8 billion in FY 2035-36 (projected).
- Total expenditure increases from $214.0 billion in FY 2023-24 to $364.0 billion in FY 2035-36 (projected).
- Net budget moves from a $5.51 billion deficit in 2023-24 to a projected $58.2 billion deficit in 2035-36.
- Net reserves fall from a $16.5 billion surplus in 2023-24 to a projected negative $407.4 billion by 2035-36.
- Personal income tax accounted for roughly 55% of revenue in the 2023-24 snapshot; corporation and sales taxes were about 17% and 16%, respectively.
- Health & Human Services and K–12 Education are the largest expenditure categories in 2023-24 (33% and 35% of spending, respectively).
- Health & Human Services spending is shown increasing from $70.0 billion in 2023-24 to $145.9 billion in 2035-36 (projected).
- K–12 spending is shown at $75.0 billion in 2023-24 and is projected to reach $117.9 billion by 2035-36.
- A row titled "Billionaire Wealth Tax Proposed" appears with $0.00B for every year in the table.
- Transfers & Loans are positive early (e.g., $11.5B in 2023-24, $13.6B in 2024-25) then flip to negative values in several later years (for example, -$2.60B in multiple years).
What to watch next
- The trajectory of net reserves, which move from a modest surplus in 2023-24 to large projected deficits by 2035-36.
- The growth rate of Health & Human Services spending relative to revenue gains, which appears to be a major contributor to rising expenditures.
- Changes in personal income tax receipts, given their outsized share of total revenue and their influence on overall fiscal balance.
- Year-to-year shifts in Transfers & Loans that change from net positive to net negative and their impact on available revenues.
Quick glossary
- Personal Income Tax: A tax imposed on individual income, shown here as the single largest revenue source in the budget snapshot.
- Net Reserves: The cumulative balance of reserves after accounting for annual surpluses or deficits; positive indicates a surplus, negative indicates a shortfall.
- LAO: Label used in the table for projected years; commonly an abbreviation for a fiscal analysis office, though further provenance is not confirmed in the source.
- Transfers & Loans: Movements of funds into or out of the budget labeled as transfers and loans; can be positive (inflows) or negative (outflows).
- Health & Human Services (HHS): Spending category covering public health and social services programs; one of the largest expenditure areas in the table.
Reader FAQ
Who created this interactive budget display?
The source title attributes the item to "Claude Code".
Is this the official California state budget?
Not confirmed in the source.
Does the table include a billionaire wealth tax?
The table contains a line labeled "Billionaire Wealth Tax Proposed" showing $0.00B for every year.
Where do the projections come from?
Projected years are labeled "LAO" in the table; additional provenance or methodology is not confirmed in the source.
Budget Item 2023-24 Actual 2024-25 Actual 2025-26 LAO 2026-27 LAO 2027-28 LAO 2028-29 LAO 2029-30 LAO 2030-31 Projected 2031-32 Projected 2032-33 Projected 2033-34 Projected 2034-35 Projected 2035-36 Projected Billionaire Wealth…
Sources
- Show HN: Interactive California Budget (by Claude Code)
- The 2026-27 Budget: California's Fiscal Outlook
- 2026-27 GB Budget Summary
- Big revenue gains may offset big deficit projections
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