Secretary of State of California

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Secretary of State of California
Seal of California.svg
Flag of California.svg
Shirley Weber (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
Shirley Weber
since January 29, 2021
Government of California
Style The Honorable
Madam Secretary
Term length Four years, two term limit
Inaugural holderWilliam Van Voorhies
1849
Formation Constitution of California
Salary$163,917
Website www.sos.ca.gov

The secretary of state of California is the chief clerk of the U.S. state of California, overseeing a department of 500 people. The secretary of state is elected for four year terms, like the state's other constitutional officers; the officeholder is restricted by term limits to two terms. The current secretary of state is Shirley Weber, who assumed the role in 2021 after Alex Padilla's appointment to the US Senate. [1]

Contents

Duties

Elections

Office of the Secretary of State of California in Sacramento California Secretary of State building on October 7, 2003-750px.jpg
Office of the Secretary of State of California in Sacramento

The secretary of state is California's chief elections officer, overseeing all federal and state elections in the state and maintaining a database of registered voters. [2] The officeholder is also responsible for disclosure of campaign and lobbyist financial information, under the California Political Reform Act of 1974.

Corporations

The Office of the Secretary of State has a number of responsibilities related to corporations; the largest portion office is the Business Programs Division, which handles corporate filings. The Business Entities Section processes, files and maintains records related to corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships and other business entities conducting or planning to conduct business in California.

Registries

The office also maintains a number of registries, including the Safe at Home confidential address program and the Domestic Partners and Advance Health Care Directive. [3] Other roles of the secretary of state include safeguarding the California State Archives and sitting on the board of trustees of the California Museum, though the officeholder has not been responsible for the California State Library since 1862. [4] [5]

Organization

The Secretary of State's Office is divided into six main divisions:[ citation needed ]

The Secretary of State's Office also works in conjunction with the state Voting Modernization Board.

List of secretaries of state of California

#ImageNameTerm of officeParty
1 William Van Voorhies 1849–1853 Democratic
2 Pd james w denver.jpg James W. Denver 1853–1855Democratic
3 Charles H. Hempstead 1855–1856Democratic
4 David F. Douglass 1856–1858 American
5 Ferris Foreman 1858–1860Democratic
6 Johnson Price 1860–1862Democratic
7 William H. Weeks 1862–1863 Republican
8 A. A. H. Tuttle 1863Republican
9 Benjamin B. Redding (1824 - 1882).jpg Benjamin B. Redding 1863–1867Unionist Republican
10 Henry L. Nichols 1867–1871Democratic
11 Drury Melone 1871–1875Republican
12 Thomas Beck 1875–1880Democratic
13 Daniel M. Burns 1880–1883Republican
14 ThomasLarkinThompson.jpg Thomas Larkin Thompson 1883–1887Democratic
15 William C. Hendricks 1887–1891Democratic
16 Edwin G. Waite 1891–1894Republican
17 Albert Hart 1894–1895Republican
18 Lewis H. Brown 1895–1899Republican
19 Charles F. Curry - Clara Barton Centenary.jpg Charles F. Curry 1899–1911Republican
20 Frank C. Jordan 1911–1940Republican
21 Paul Peek 1940–1943Democratic
22 Frank M. Jordan, 1967.jpg Frank M. Jordan 1943–1970Republican
Acting H. P. Sullivan 1970–1971Republican
23 Jerry Brown, SoS '72 (croppedcloser).jpg Jerry Brown 1971–1975Democratic
24 March Fong Eu, 1975.jpg March Fong Eu 1975–1994Democratic
Acting Tony Miller 1994–1995Democratic
25 Bill Jones, 1995.jpg Bill Jones 1995–2003Republican
26 SHELLEY C 12JUN99 MN NW.jpg Kevin Shelley 2003–2005Democratic
27 Cathy Mitchell 2005Democratic
28 BruceMcPherson (cropped).jpg Bruce McPherson 2005–2007Republican
29 Debra Bowen op.png Debra Bowen 2007–2015Democratic
30 Alex Padilla official photo (1).jpg Alex Padilla 2015–2021Democratic
ActingJames Schwab2021Democratic
31 Shirley Weber (cropped).jpg Shirley Weber 2021–presentDemocratic

See also

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References

  1. "Alex Padilla Resigns as California Secretary of State; James Schwab to Serve as Interim Secretary". Secretary of State of California. January 18, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  2. "Ca - Departments". www.allgov.com. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  3. "Safe at Home". Secretary of State of California. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  4. "Board of Trustees - California Museum". www.californiamuseum.org. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  5. Library, California State. "California State Library - California State Librarians". www.library.ca.gov. Retrieved February 19, 2017.