Department of Finance Today
The Director is part of the Governor’s Cabinet, and is thus an appointed position. Appointments must be confirmed by the state Senate. The Governor’s Cabinet is composed of the governor’s immediate staff as well as the secretaries and directors of the following state agencies: (1) Secretary of Food and Agriculture, (2) Secretary of Transportation, (3) Secretary of Environmental Protection; (4) Secretary of Child Development and Education; (5) Secretary of Health and Human Services; (6) Secretary of Natural Resources; (7) Secretary of Business, Consumer Services and Housing; (8) Secretary of Veterans Affairs; (9) Secretary of Corrections and Rehabilitation; (10) Director of Finance; and (11) Director of Industrial Relations.
The department itself is part of the executive branch of government, and is considered a “line agency” that reports directly to the Governor and has an appointed leader; this type of agency is in contrast to an independent agency, which may have appointed members but do not report directly to the Governor, or the roles of “plural executives” who are constitutional officers that are elected by voters. Finance is also a control agency, which means it has been granted authority for fiscal stewardship and oversight of related financial and business policies.
In pursuit of these duties, the Director (or designee) sits on many boards, commissions, and committees to promote fiscal stewardship and oversight. As of 2022, the Chief Deputy Director, Policy is the designee for more than 100 boards and commissions.
Finance provides staffing support for the following boards and committees.
- State Public Works Board
- Golden State Tobacco Securitization Corporation
The Director (or designee) serves as the Chair of the following boards, commissions or committees:
- State Teacher’s Retirement Board
- Pooled Money Investment Board
- State Allocation Board
- State Coastal Conservancy
A complete list of boards, commissions, and committees is available in Appendix – Boards, Commissions, Committees.
Finance Headquarters
The Director and their staff work in the State Capitol, but the Finance staff originally worked at 1025 P Street and now reside at 915 L Street.
Original Finance Office at 1025 P Street
Photo: Historic American Buildings Survey, C., Strub, C. H., Barton, F. E., Weitze, K. & California Department Of General Services, O. O. P. D. A. M., Oroke, B., photographer. (1933) Strub Building, P Street, Sacramento, Sacramento County, CA. Sacramento, Sacramento County, California, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/ca1666/.
Current Finance Office at 915 L Street
