California Code
CHAPTER 1 - Payment of Claims and Judgments Against the State
Section 965.8.

965.8. Where any provision of this division requires a certificate of the Director of Finance or the Director of Transportation that a sufficient appropriation exists for the payment of a claim, settlement, compromise, or judgment or requires a certificate of the Director of Finance or the Director of Transportation that a sufficient appropriation exists to provide for an offset, a writ of mandate is an appropriate remedy to compel the Director of Finance or the Director of Transportation to so certify if a sufficient appropriation in fact exists for that purpose.

(Amended by Stats. 1985, Ch. 778, Sec. 5.)