Attorney General of California

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

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

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.	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	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