Head of the California Department of Justice
The
attorney general of California
is the
state attorney general
of the
Government of California
. The officer's duty is to ensure that "the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced" (
Constitution of California
, Article V, Section 13). The California attorney general carries out the responsibilities of the office through the
California Department of Justice
. The department employs over 1,100 attorneys and 3,700 non-attorney employees.
[
citation needed
]
The California attorney general is elected to a four-year term, with a maximum of two terms. The election is held at the same statewide election as the
governor
,
lieutenant governor
,
controller
,
secretary of state
,
treasurer
,
superintendent of public instruction
, and
insurance commissioner
. A few individual attorneys general have gone on to higher offices on the state and federal level, including the offices of governor,
United States Senator
,
chief justice of the United States Supreme Court
, and
vice president of the United States
.
On March 24, 2021, Governor
Gavin Newsom
announced that he would be appointing
Rob Bonta
as attorney general to succeed
Xavier Becerra
, who resigned from the position to become
Secretary of Health and Human Services
under President
Joe Biden
. Bonta's appointment was subject to confirmation by both houses of the
California State Legislature
, and he was sworn in on April 23, 2021.
[1]
[2]
[3]
Duties
[
edit
]
The California attorney general's main office in Sacramento is housed in this building
According to the
state Constitution
, the
Code of Civil Procedure
, and the Government Code, the attorney general:
- As the state's chief law officer, ensures that the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced.
[4]
- Heads the Department of Justice, which is responsible for providing state legal services and support for local law enforcement.
[5]
- Acts as the chief counsel in state litigation.
[6]
- Oversees law enforcement agencies, including district attorneys and sheriffs.
[4]
History
[
edit
]
Although the office of attorney general dates to the admission of California to the Union, the office in its modern form dates to Proposition 4 of 1934,
[7]
sponsored by Alameda County District Attorney
Earl Warren
as one of four initiatives he sponsored to substantially reform law enforcement and the judiciary. Previously, the attorney general lacked jurisdiction over matters in the jurisdiction of locally elected district attorneys and sheriffs.
[8]
Warren went on to become attorney general himself in 1938, reorganizing's the state's law enforcement into districts.
Under
Robert W. Kenny
, the office was complicit in the
incarceration of Japanese Americans
during
World War II
, a position it has since apologized for.
[9]
Diversity
[
edit
]
List of attorneys general of California
[
edit
]
No.
|
Portrait
|
Name
|
Party
|
Term
|
1
|
|
Edward J. C. Kewen
|
|
Democratic
|
1849
?
1850
|
2
|
|
James A. McDougall
|
|
Democratic
|
1850
?
1851
|
3
|
|
Serranus C. Hastings
|
|
Democratic
|
January 5, 1852
?
January 2, 1854
|
4
|
|
John R. McConnell
|
|
Democratic
|
1854
?
1856
|
5
|
|
William M. Stewart
|
|
Democratic
|
June 7, 1853
?
December 1853
(acting)
|
6
|
|
William T. Wallace
|
|
American
|
January 1856
?
January 1858
|
7
|
|
Thomas H. Williams
|
|
Democratic
|
1858
?
1862
|
8
|
|
Frank M. Pixley
|
|
Republican
|
1862
?
1863
|
9
|
|
John G. McCullough
|
|
Republican
|
1863
?
1867
|
10
|
|
Jo Hamilton
|
|
Democratic
|
December 5, 1867
?
December 8, 1871
|
11
|
|
John L. Love
|
|
Republican
|
1871
?
1875
|
12
|
|
Jo Hamilton
|
|
Democratic
|
December 9, 1875
?
January 8, 1880
|
13
|
|
Augustus L. Hart
|
|
Republican
|
January 8, 1880
?
January 10, 1883
|
14
|
|
Edward C. Marshall
|
|
Democratic
|
January 10, 1883
?
January 8, 1887
|
15
|
|
George A. Johnson
|
|
Democratic
|
January 8, 1887
?
January 8, 1891
|
16
|
|
William H. H. Hart
|
|
Republican
|
January 8, 1891
?
January 11, 1895
|
17
|
|
William F. Fitzgerald
|
|
Republican
|
January 7, 1895
?
January 2, 1899
|
18
|
|
Tirey L. Ford
|
|
Republican
|
January 4, 1899
?
September 14, 1902
|
19
|
|
Ulysses S. Webb
|
|
Republican
|
September 15, 1902
?
January 3, 1939
|
20
|
|
Earl Warren
|
|
Republican
|
January 3, 1939
?
January 4, 1943
|
21
|
|
Robert W. Kenny
|
|
Democratic
|
January 4, 1943
?
January 5, 1947
|
22
|
|
Frederick N. Howser
|
|
Republican
|
January 5, 1947
?
January 8, 1951
|
23
|
|
Pat Brown
|
|
Democratic
|
January 8, 1951
?
January 5, 1959
|
24
|
|
Stanley Mosk
|
|
Democratic
|
January 5, 1959
?
August 31, 1964
|
25
|
|
Thomas C. Lynch
|
|
Democratic
|
August 31, 1964
?
January 4, 1971
|
26
|
|
Evelle J. Younger
|
|
Republican
|
January 4, 1971
?
January 8, 1979
|
27
|
|
George Deukmejian
|
|
Republican
|
January 8, 1979
?
January 3, 1983
|
28
|
|
John Van de Kamp
|
|
Democratic
|
January 3, 1983
?
January 7, 1991
|
29
|
|
Dan Lungren
|
|
Republican
|
January 7, 1991
?
January 4, 1999
|
30
|
|
Bill Lockyer
|
|
Democratic
|
January 4, 1999
?
January 8, 2007
|
31
|
|
Jerry Brown
|
|
Democratic
|
January 8, 2007
?
January 3, 2011
|
32
|
|
Kamala Harris
|
|
Democratic
|
January 3, 2011
?
January 3, 2017
|
33
|
|
Xavier Becerra
|
|
Democratic
|
January 24, 2017
?
March 18, 2021
|
34
|
|
Rob Bonta
|
|
Democratic
|
April 23, 2021
?
Incumbent
|
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Rob Bonta, Bay Area Democratic lawmaker, appointed California attorney general"
.
Los Angeles Times
. March 24, 2021
. Retrieved
March 24,
2021
.
- ^
Hubler, Shawn (March 24, 2021).
"Rob Bonta, an Asian-American Progressive, Is Named Attorney General in California"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
March 24,
2021
.
- ^
"Attorney General Rob Bonta"
.
State of California - Department of Justice - Office of the Attorney General
. December 21, 2010
. Retrieved
July 15,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
California Constitution, Article V, Section 13
Archived
January 8, 2011, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
California Government Code §15000
- ^
California Code of Civil Procedure §401
- ^
"History of Initiative and Referendum in California"
. Retrieved
September 10,
2018
.
- ^
"Proposition 4 (1934)"
.
Propositions
. January 1934.
- ^
Reports, Rafu (August 15, 2023).
"Bonta Issues Apology Acknowledging Complicity of State Attorney General's Office in Incarceration of JAs"
.
Rafu Shimpo
. Retrieved
August 16,
2023
.
- ^
Thurber, Jon; Dolan, Maura (June 20, 2001).
"Stanley Mosk, State's Senior Justice, Dies"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
October 3,
2020
.
- ^
Dick, Jason (August 12, 2020).
"
'It's just history': Kamala Harris as the VP nominee"
.
CQ Roll Call
. FiscalNote
. Retrieved
October 3,
2020
.
- ^
"Attorney General Xavier Becerra"
.
Office of the Attorney General
. State of California Department of Justice. December 21, 2010.
Archived
from the original on March 23, 2019
. Retrieved
October 3,
2020
.
- ^
"Governor Newsom Swears in Rob Bonta as Attorney General of California"
.
Office of Governor Gavin Newsom
. April 23, 2021
. Retrieved
July 14,
2021
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
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- Political party affiliations
- ?
28
Republicans
(27 states, 1 territory)
- ?
25
Democrats
(23 states, 1 territory, 1 district)
- ?
1
New Progressive
(1 territory)
- ?
2 Unknown (2 territories)
An asterisk (*) indicates that the officeholder is serving in an acting capacity.
State abbreviations link to position articles.
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Flag_of_California.svg/23px-Flag_of_California.svg.png) California statewide elected officials
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