California Attorney General Opinions
Free plain-English summaries of attorney general opinions issued in California, with full citations and the original source on every page.
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Can a California county deposit government grant money and private gifts into its treasury without violating the ban on private deposits?
Yes to both. Government grant money is not a barred 'private and unofficial source' even when a nonprofit intermediary hands it to the county, because the government remains the true source. Gifts and…
Our California city expanded its council from five to seven members. Can we now seat the entire seven-member council as the library board?
No. California Education Code section 18910 mandates a five-member library board of trustees, and the statute provides no exception for cities that have grown their councils. The Municipal Libraries A…
Can a California special water district hire its own staff or contract with an outside vendor for staff, when the district's enabling statute says it may contract with two named partner agencies for staff services?
No. The Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency cannot hire its own employees or contract with a private vendor for staff. Its enabling statute lets it get staff only from the County of Ventura or th…
Does California law require every member of a municipal utility district's security force to be a sworn peace officer with POST training?
No. Public Utilities Code section 12820 imposes peace-officer status and POST training only on those security force members the general manager designates as 'security officers' whose primary duty is …
When does a hospital have to file an 805 report after revoking or restricting a physician's privileges?
Within 15 days after the peer review body's decision becomes final, which is generally after the licentiate's appeal to the peer review body has been completed. Section 805.01 cases involving particul…
Can a California water district contribute to its directors' retirement plans or pensions without violating the Water Code's caps on director compensation?
Yes. Water Code sections 20201 and 20202 cap daily stipend amounts for water district directors, but they were enacted to spare the Legislature from approving every stipend bump, not to override the v…
When California's jail strip-search rule says the person conducting or watching a strip search must be the 'same sex' as the inmate being searched, does that include the inmate's gender identity and expression?
Yes. The AG concluded that 'sex' in Penal Code section 4030, subdivision (k), means gender, which the Penal Code expressly defines to include gender identity and gender expression. So a transgender de…
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Attorney general opinions in California are written by the California Attorney General's office in response to questions from state agencies, legislators, and prosecutors. They are not binding like court decisions, but courts and agencies treat them as persuasive guidance on how state law applies. Every opinion above has a plain-English question and short answer, plus a link to the full original text.