Attorney General of California: Difference between revisions

Attorney General of California
Attorney General of California
	Seal of the attorney general of California
	State flag
	Incumbent; Rob Bonta; since April 23, 2021
	Government of California; Department of Justice
Style	The Honorable
Term length	Four years, two term limit
Inaugural holder	Edward J. C. Kewen; 1849
Formation	California Constitution
Salary	$151,127
Website	oag.ca.gov

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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 during the same statewide election for the governor and other state offices. Several attorneys general have gone on to higher office or office on the 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

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

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

Stanley Mosk was the first adherent of Judaism to hold the office.^[10]
George Deukmejian was the first Armenian American to hold the office.
Kamala Harris was the first woman, the first Asian American to hold the office.^[11]
Xavier Becerra was the first Latino to hold the office.^[12]
Rob Bonta is the first Filipino American to hold the office.^[13]

List of attorneys general of California

No.	Name		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	December 8, 1871 – December 9, 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

References

^ "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

Official website
California Attorney General articles at ABA Journal
News and Commentary at FindLaw

[1] "Rob Bonta, Bay Area Democratic lawmaker, appointed California attorney general". Los Angeles Times. March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.

[2] 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.

[3] "Attorney General Rob Bonta". State of California - Department of Justice - Office of the Attorney General. December 21, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2021.

[cc-4] California Constitution, Article V, Section 13 Archived January 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine

[5] California Government Code §15000

[6] California Code of Civil Procedure §401

[7] "History of Initiative and Referendum in California". Retrieved September 10, 2018.

[8] "Proposition 4 (1934)". Propositions. January 1934.

[9] 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.

[10] Thurber, Jon; Dolan, Maura (June 20, 2001). "Stanley Mosk, State's Senior Justice, Dies". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 3, 2020.

[11] Dick, Jason (August 12, 2020). "'It's just history': Kamala Harris as the VP nominee". CQ Roll Call. FiscalNote. Retrieved October 3, 2020.

[12] "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.

[13] "Governor Newsom Swears in Rob Bonta as Attorney General of California". Office of Governor Gavin Newsom. April 23, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.

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@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2018}}
 {{Infobox Political post
-|post            = Attorney General
+| post = Attorney General of California
+| insignia = CA-DOJ-LOGO.png
-|body            = [[California]]
+| insigniasize = 120
-|insignia        = CA-DOJ-LOGO.png
+| insigniacaption = [[Great_Seal_of_California#Government_seals_of_California|Seal of the attorney general of California]]
-|insigniasize    = 180
-|insigniacaption = Seal of the attorney general of California
+| flag = Flag of California.svg
+| flagsize = 135
-|flag            = Flag of California.svg
+| flagborder = yes
-|flagsize        = 135
+| flagcaption = [[Flag of California|State flag]]
-|flagborder      = yes
+| image = File:Rob Bonta official portrait (cropped).jpg
-|flagcaption     = Flag of the California
-|image           =  AG Rob Bonta official (cropped).jpg
+| incumbent = [[Rob Bonta]]
+| incumbentsince = April 23, 2021
-|incumbent       = [[Rob Bonta]]
+| department = [[Government of California]]<br>[[California Department of Justice|Department of Justice]]
-|incumbentsince  = April 23, 2021
+| style = The Honorable
-|department      = [[California Department of Justice|Department of Justice]]
+| termlength = Four years, two term limit
-|style           = The Honorable
+| salary = $151,127
-|termlength      = Four years, two term limit
+| formation = [[California Constitution]]
-|salary          = $151,127
+| inaugural = [[Edward J. C. Kewen]]<br>1849
-|formation       = [[California Constitution]]
+| website = {{url|oag.ca.gov}}
-|inaugural       = [[Edward J. C. Kewen]]<br>1849
-|website         = {{url|oag.ca.gov}}
 }}
-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|date=July 2020}}
+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|date=July 2020}}
-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 of California|governor]], [[California Lieutenant Governor|lieutenant governor]], [[California State Controller|controller]], [[California Secretary of State|secretary of state]], [[California State Treasurer|treasurer]], [[California Superintendent of Public Instruction|superintendent of public instruction]], and [[California Insurance Commissioner|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 Senate|United States Senator]], [[Chief Justice of the United States|chief justice of the United States Supreme Court]], and [[vice president of the United States]].
+The California attorney general is elected to a four-year term, with a maximum of two terms. The election is held during the same statewide election for the [[Governor of California|governor]] and other state offices. Several attorneys general have gone on to higher office or office on the federal level, including the offices of governor, [[United States Senate|United States Senator]], [[Chief Justice of the United States|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 [[United States Secretary of Health and Human Services|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.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-03-24|title=Rob Bonta, Bay Area Democratic lawmaker, appointed California attorney general|url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-03-24/newsom-attorney-general-ag-california-rob-bonta-appointment|access-date=2021-03-24|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Hubler|first=Shawn|date=2021-03-24|title=Rob Bonta, an Asian-American Progressive, Is Named Attorney General in California|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/24/us/rob-bonta-california-attorney-general.html|access-date=2021-03-24|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2010-12-21|title=Attorney General Rob Bonta|url=https://oag.ca.gov/about|access-date=2021-07-15|website=State of California - Department of Justice - Office of the Attorney General|language=en}}</ref>
@@ Line 40: / Line 39: @@
 ==History==
 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,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/History_of_Initiative_and_Referendum_in_California|title=History of Initiative and Referendum in California|access-date=10 September 2018}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Proposition 4 (1934)|journal=Propositions |date=January 1934 |url=http://repository.uchastings.edu/ca_ballot_props/319/}}</ref> 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 [[Internment of Japanese Americans|incarceration of Japanese Americans]] during [[World War II]], a position it has since apologized for.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reports |first=Rafu |date=2023-08-15 |title=Bonta Issues Apology Acknowledging Complicity of State Attorney General’s Office in Incarceration of JAs |url=http://rafu.com/2023/08/bonta-issues-apology-acknowledging-complicity-of-state-attorney-generals-office-in-incarceration-of-jas/ |access-date=2023-08-16 |website=Rafu Shimpo |language=en-US}}</ref>
 ==Diversity==
 *[[Stanley Mosk]] was the first adherent of [[Judaism]] to hold the office.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jun-20-mn-12547-story.html |title=Stanley Mosk, State's Senior Justice, Dies |last1=Thurber |first1=Jon |last2=Dolan |first2=Maura |date=June 20, 2001 |website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=October 3, 2020}}</ref>
 *[[George Deukmejian]] was the first [[Armenian Americans|Armenian American]] to hold the office.
-*[[Kamala Harris]] was the first woman, the first [[Asian Americans|Asian American]], and the first [[African Americans|African American]] to hold the office.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rollcall.com/podcasts/political-theater/its-just-history-kamala-harris-as-the-vp-nominee/ |title='It's just history': Kamala Harris as the VP nominee |last=Dick |first=Jason |publisher=FiscalNote |date=August 12, 2020 |website=CQ Roll Call |access-date=October 3, 2020}}</ref>
+*[[Kamala Harris]] was the first woman, the first [[Asian Americans|Asian American]] to hold the office.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rollcall.com/podcasts/political-theater/its-just-history-kamala-harris-as-the-vp-nominee/ |title='It's just history': Kamala Harris as the VP nominee |last=Dick |first=Jason |publisher=FiscalNote |date=August 12, 2020 |website=CQ Roll Call |access-date=October 3, 2020}}</ref>
 *[[Xavier Becerra]] was the first [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Latino]] to hold the office.<ref>{{cite web|title=Attorney General Xavier Becerra|url=https://oag.ca.gov/about|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323051139/https://oag.ca.gov/about|archive-date=March 23, 2019|access-date=October 3, 2020|website=Office of the Attorney General|date=December 21, 2010 |publisher=State of California Department of Justice}}</ref>
 *[[Rob Bonta]] is the first [[Filipino Americans|Filipino American]] to hold the office.<ref>{{Cite news|date=April 23, 2021|title=Governor Newsom Swears in Rob Bonta as Attorney General of California|work=Office of Governor Gavin Newsom|url=https://www.gov.ca.gov/2021/04/23/governor-newsom-swears-in-rob-bonta-as-attorney-general-of-california/|access-date=July 14, 2021}}</ref>
@@ Line 131: / Line 132: @@
 | style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" |
 |[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
-| 1871 <br> – <br> 1875
+| December 8, 1871 <br> – <br> December 9, 1875
 |-
 !12
@@ Line 211: / Line 212: @@
 |-
 !23
-|[[File:Pat Brown, 1963.jpg|80px]]
+|[[File:Pat Brown, 1954.jpg|80px]]
 |[[Pat Brown]]
 | style="background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" |
@@ Line 218: / Line 219: @@
 |-
 !24
-|[[File:Stanley Mosk (cropped).jpg|80px]]
+|[[File:Stanley Mosk, 1963.jpg|80px]]
 |[[Stanley Mosk]]
 | style="background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" |
@@ Line 267: / Line 268: @@
 |-
 !31
-|[[File:JerryBrownByPhilKonstantin.jpg|80px]]
+|[[File:Edmund G Brown Jr (3x4).jpg|80px]]
 |[[Jerry Brown]]
 | style="background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" |
@@ Line 288: / Line 289: @@
 |-
 !34
-|[[File:AG Rob Bonta official (cropped).jpg|80px]]
+|[[File:Rob Bonta official portrait (cropped).jpg|101x101px]]
 |[[Rob Bonta]]
 | style="background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" |
@@ Line 294: / Line 295: @@
 | April 23, 2021 <br> – <br> ''Incumbent''
 |}
+==See also==
+* [[Impeachment in California]]
 ==References==
@@ Line 303: / Line 307: @@
 *[http://public.findlaw.com/LCsearch.html?restrict=consumer&entry=%22California+Attorney+General%22 News and Commentary] at [[FindLaw]]
-{{California}}
 {{U.S. State Attorneys General}}
 {{Attorneys General of California}}
@@ Line 310: / Line 313: @@
 {{authority control}}
-[[Category:California Attorneys General| ]]
+[[Category:California attorneys general| ]]
 [[Category:State law enforcement agencies of California|Attorney General]]
+[[Category:California law-related lists]]

v t e Attorneys general of the United States
United States Attorney General: ▌Merrick Garland (NP)
AL ▌Steve Marshall (R) AK ▌Treg Taylor (R) AZ ▌Kris Mayes (D) AR ▌Tim Griffin (R) CA ▌Rob Bonta (D) CO ▌Phil Weiser (D) CT ▌William Tong (D) DE ▌Kathy Jennings (D) FL ▌Ashley Moody (R) GA ▌Christopher M. Carr (R) HI ▌Anne E. Lopez (D) ID ▌Raúl Labrador (R) IL ▌Kwame Raoul (D) IN ▌Todd Rokita (R) IA ▌Brenna Bird (R) KS ▌Kris Kobach (R) KY ▌Russell Coleman (R) LA ▌Liz Murrill (R) ME ▌Aaron Frey (D) MD ▌Anthony Brown (D) MA ▌Andrea Campbell (D) MI ▌Dana Nessel (D) MN ▌Keith Ellison (DFL) MS ▌Lynn Fitch (R) MO ▌Andrew Bailey (R) MT ▌Austin Knudsen (R) NE ▌Mike Hilgers (R) NV ▌Aaron D. Ford (D) NH ▌John Formella (R) NJ ▌Matt Platkin (D) NM ▌Raúl Torrez (D) NY ▌Letitia James (D) NC ▌Josh Stein (D) ND ▌Drew Wrigley (R) OH ▌Dave Yost (R) OK ▌Gentner Drummond (R) OR ▌Ellen Rosenblum (D) PA ▌Michelle Henry (D) RI ▌Peter Neronha (D) SC ▌Alan Wilson (R) SD ▌Marty Jackley (R) TN ▌Jonathan Skrmetti (R) TX ▌Ken Paxton (R) UT ▌Sean Reyes (R) VT ▌Charity Clark (D) VA ▌Jason Miyares (R) WA ▌Bob Ferguson (D) WV ▌Patrick Morrisey (R) WI ▌Josh Kaul (D) WY ▌Bridget Hill (R) Federal districts: DC ▌Brian Schwalb (D) Territories: AS ▌Fainu'ulelei Alailima-Utu GU ▌Doug Moylan (R) MP ▌Ed Manibusan (D) PR ▌Domingo Emanuelli (NPP) VI ▌Gordon Rhea
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.