Attorney General of California

Attorney General of California
Seal of the attorney general of California
Incumbent Rob Bonta since April 23, 2021
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

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.

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 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.

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.
• Heads the Department of Justice, which is responsible for providing state legal services and support for local law enforcement.
• Acts as the chief counsel in state litigation.
• Oversees law enforcement agencies, including district attorneys and sheriffs.

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, 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. Warren went on to become attorney general himself in 1938, reorganizing's the state's law enforcement into districts.

Diversity

• Stanley Mosk was the first adherent of Judaism to hold the office.
• George Deukmejian was the first Armenian American to hold the office.
• Kamala Harris was the first woman, the first Asian American, and the first African American to hold the office.
• Xavier Becerra was the first Latino to hold the office.
• Rob Bonta is the first Filipino American to hold the office.

List of attorneys general of California

#	Name	Took office	Left office	Party
1	Edward J. C. Kewen	1849	1850	Democratic
2	James A. McDougall	1850	1851	Democratic
3	S. Clinton Hastings	1852	1854	Democratic
4	John R. McConnell	1854	1856	Democratic
5	William M. Stewart Acting for McConnell	1854	1854	Democratic
6	William T. Wallace	1856	1858	American
7	Thomas H. Williams	1858	1862	Democratic
8	Frank M. Pixley	1862	1863	Republican
9	John G. McCullough	1863	1867	Union
10	Jo Hamilton	1867	1871	Democratic
11	John Lord Love	1871	1875	Republican
12	Jo Hamilton	1875	1880	Democratic
13	Augustus L. Hart	1880	1883	Republican
14	Edward C. Marshall	1883	1887	Democratic
15	George A. Johnson	1887	1891	Democratic
16	William H. H. Hart	1891	1895	Republican
17	William F. Fitzgerald	1895	1899	Republican
18	Tirey L. Ford	1899	1902	Republican
19	Ulysses S. Webb	1902	1939	Republican
20	Earl Warren	1939	1943	Republican
21	Robert W. Kenny	1943	1947	Democratic
22	Frederick N. Howser	1947	1951	Republican
23	Pat Brown	1951	1959	Democratic
24	Stanley Mosk	1959	1964	Democratic
25	Thomas C. Lynch	1964	1971	Democratic
26	Evelle J. Younger	1971	1979	Republican
27	George Deukmejian	1979	1983	Republican
28	John Van de Kamp	1983	1991	Democratic
29	Dan Lungren	1991	1999	Republican
30	Bill Lockyer	1999	2007	Democratic
31	Jerry Brown	2007	2011	Democratic
32	Kamala Harris	2011	2017	Democratic
33	Xavier Becerra	2017	2021	Democratic
34	Rob Bonta	2021	Present	Democratic

Major other offices held

• Xavier Becerra (2017–2021) – 25th Secretary of Health and Human Services (2021–present)
• Jerry Brown (2007–2011) – 34th and 39th Governor of California (1975–1983; 2011–2019)
• Pat Brown (1951–1959) – 32nd Governor of California (1959–1967)
• George Deukmejian (1979–1983) – 35th Governor of California (1983–1991)
• William F. Fitzgerald (1895–1899) – Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court (1893–1895); Associate Justice of the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court (1884–1885)
• Kamala Harris (2011–2017) – 49th Vice President of the United States (2021–present); U.S. Senator from California (2017–2021)
• S. Clinton Hastings (1852–1854) – 1st Chief Justice of California (1849–1851); 3rd Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court (1848–1849)
• Bill Lockyer (1999–2007) – 32nd California State Treasurer (2007–2015); 46th President pro tempore of the California State Senate (1994–1998)
• John G. McCullough (1863–1867) – 49th Governor of Vermont (1902–1904)
• James A. McDougall (1850–1851) – U.S. Senator from California (1861–1867); 14th Illinois Attorney General (1843–1846)
• Stanley Mosk (1959–1964) – Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court (1964–2001)
• William T. Wallace (1856–1858) – 12th Chief Justice of California (1872–1879); Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court (1871–1872)
• Earl Warren (1939–1943) – 14th Chief Justice of the United States (1953–1969); 30th Governor of California (1943–1953)
• Ulysses S. Webb (1902–1939) – longest serving at 37 years

External links

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