A review of SRIAs filed in California
For the Energy Commission’s SRIA program, a commissioned review of the SRIAs agencies had submitted: how the analyses were built, and where they diverged in method and quality.
PracticeRegulatory impact (SRIA)
Standardized Regulatory Impact Assessments that hold up in Department of Finance review.
Nine of the Standardized Regulatory Impact Assessments on the Department of Finance’s major regulations record since 2016 were prepared by BEAR or its team, for six state agencies. Each was estimated with the BEAR model on a baseline calibrated to the DOF forecast and carried through DOF review and comment. Further SRIAs for state agencies are under way.
9SRIAs on the Department of Finance major regulations record, 2016 to 2024
6State agencies: CPPA, DOJ, CHP, CalGEM, DIR / Cal-OSHA and the CEC
7Prepared under contract to BEAR directly; two earlier ones through UC Berkeley
2026Further SRIAs under contract for state agencies
The full record, with contracting entity
Past performance in a state solicitation is checkable, so the record states the contracting entity for each engagement and links to the public document where the agency has posted one.
Scroll the table sideways to see all columns
| Agency | Regulation | Year | Contracted through |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPPA | CCPA updates, cybersecurity audits, risk assessments, automated decisionmaking | 2024 | BEAR LLC |
| DOJ / Gambling Control | Cardroom player-dealer rotation and blackjack | 2024 | BEAR LLC |
| CalGEM | Well stimulation treatment permitting phase-out | 2023 | BEAR LLC |
| CHP | Electronic logging devices for intrastate carriers | 2022 | BEAR LLC |
| DOJ | California Consumer Privacy Act regulations, first rulemaking | 2019 | BEAR LLC |
| DIR / Cal-OSHA | Occupational lead standards (revised 2020) | 2019 | BEAR LLC |
| DIR / Cal-OSHA | Residential fall protection | 2019 | BEAR LLC |
| DIR / Cal-OSHA | Elevator Safety Orders, Title 8 | 2017 | UC Berkeley |
| CEC | Appliance efficiency: computers, monitors and signage displays | 2016 | UC Berkeley |
One team, one model, one continuous record. The engagements above were led by the same principal investigator with the same modeling team throughout. Before Berkeley Economic Advising and Research took on state contracts directly, that work was contracted through UC Berkeley; the column records the contracting party of record so past performance can be verified, not a change of team.
The state asked BEAR to evaluate the field, not only to work in it
SRIA implementation guidance for the CEC
The guidance the Energy Commission uses to scope and structure its regulatory impact assessments.
Comparison of economywide models
The same efficiency rule run through REMI PI+, IMPLAN, RIMS II and the BEAR model, with the REMI and BEAR baselines compared for 2015 to 2030.
A baseline that matches the state’s own
Assessments are built on a baseline calibrated to Department of Finance projections, so the reviewing analyst is not reconciling two pictures of the California economy.
Five stages, threshold determination through adoption
An agency rarely needs only a number. It needs a document that survives Department of Finance review and can be explained to stakeholders at hearing.
Threshold assessment
Determine whether the proposed regulation crosses the $50 million major-regulation threshold and therefore needs a SRIA at all. A short, early answer that protects the rulemaking calendar.
Scoping and baseline
Define the affected sectors, the alternatives to be tested, and a baseline calibrated to Department of Finance projections against which everything is measured.
Economywide assessment
Run the regulation and its alternatives through the BEAR model: direct compliance costs, then output, employment, income distribution and state and local fiscal effects over the analysis horizon.
Department of Finance review
Prepare the submission and the Form 399 economic and fiscal impact attachments, then answer DOF’s comments and revise.
Stakeholder communication
Plain-language materials, workshop and hearing support, and responses to public comment on the economic analysis.
Before the rulemaking calendar is set
When does a regulation need a SRIA?
When the agency estimates the regulation’s economic impact will exceed $50 million in any 12-month period between adoption and full implementation (Government Code section 11342.548). The SRIA goes to the Department of Finance for review before the notice of proposed action is published.
Can a small business contract be used for a SRIA?
Often, yes. BEAR is a California certified Small Business (Micro), so a single-regulation SRIA under $250,000 can be awarded through the SB/DVBE Option with two quotes. Details.
Do you also prepare the Form 399 economic and fiscal impact statement?
Yes. BEAR has prepared the Form 399 economic notes alongside its SRIAs, including for the California Privacy Protection Agency in 2022.
Read the work
The documents an evaluator would want first. All are public.
A certified Small Business, already known to the review process
California certified Small Business (Micro), no. 2026547. BEAR can provide a capability statement, the record above with contracting entity for each engagement, and references.