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.
^"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 bCalifornia 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