Attorney General of California
Seal of the attorney general of California
Flag of the State 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 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, and the first African 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.	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

• Impeachment in California

References

External links

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