California’s $631 Billion Of Spending In 2022-23

When the 2022-23 state budget was enacted last June, most Californians read that the state would spend $308 billion. That’s because $308 billion is the figure displayed in the Summary Chart that accompanied the Enacted Budget:

But $308 billion is less than half of the amount the state will actually spend. That’s because omitted from the Summary Chart are the details of agency spending, which include funds administered by the state but provided by federal and other governments, other funds and reimbursements. To see actual spending, you have to dive a bit deeper. For example, actual spending by the Health and Human Services agency this year is $231 billion, not $101 billion, as you can see here and below:

With a bit more diving, you can see that among all agencies the state is actually spending $631 billion this year:

Those agencies operate under laws enacted by the legislature and governor. How effective is that spending? We’ll explore that subject in future posts.