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97-480: The DFPI protects California consumers and oversees the operations of state-licensed financial institutions, including banks, credit unions, debt collectors, nonbank mortgage lenders, student loan servicers, money transmitters, and others. Additionally, the department licenses and regulates a variety of financial businesses, including securities brokers and dealers, investment advisers, payday lenders, certain fiduciaries, and nonbank lenders. The department also regulates

194-468: A Caliph) on their way to Guerrero, Mexico where they played a future role in the wars of independence . Sebastián Vizcaíno explored and mapped the coast of California in 1602 for New Spain , putting ashore in Monterey . Despite the on-the-ground explorations of California in the 16th century, Rodríguez's idea of California as an island persisted. Such depictions appeared on many European maps well into

291-459: A Spanish navigator." The name most likely derived from the mythical island of California in the fictional story of Queen Calafia , as recorded in a 1510 work The Adventures of Esplandián by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo . Queen Calafia's kingdom was said to be a remote land rich in gold and pearls, inhabited by beautiful Black women who wore gold armor and lived like Amazons , as well as griffins and other strange beasts. Abbreviations of

388-575: A commodity until the 1849 California Gold Rush . From the 1820s, trappers and settlers from the United States and Canada began to arrive in Northern California. These new arrivals used the Siskiyou Trail , California Trail , Oregon Trail and Old Spanish Trail to cross the rugged mountains and harsh deserts in and surrounding California. The early government of the newly independent Mexico

485-1131: A dedicated and highly skilled staff of legal, technical, and administrative professionals. These professionals provide a wide range of support services including human resources, information technology, investigations, professional examinations, training, strategic planning, budgeting, and more. The Office of Administrative Services provides accounting, business, personnel, and budget services. It consists of Business Services, Human Resources, and Fiscal Operations. Business Services ensures that DCA entities promote sound business decisions and practices in contracting and purchasing goods and services. It also manages DCA's many facilities, vehicle fleet, emergency response, and its mailroom, copying, and imaging services. Human Resources provides human resources support for DCA employees. Fiscal Operations provides budget, accounting, and central cashiering services. The Office of Information Services directs and manages information technology for all of DCA. It consists of Applications Services, Enterprise Technology Services, Infrastructure Services, Client Services, Enterprise Project Services, and

582-560: A free state, the "loitering or orphaned Indians", were de facto enslaved by their new Anglo-American masters under the 1850 Act for the Government and Protection of Indians . One of these de facto slave auctions was approved by the Los Angeles City Council and occurred for nearly twenty years. There were many massacres in which hundreds of indigenous people were killed by settlers for their land. Between 1850 and 1860,

679-469: A live-person call center, the team logs thousands of calls a year and works with licensees to help consumers settle disputes and resolve issues. It offers translation services in dozens of languages and flags complaints that require investigation to the department's enforcement division. Communications and Outreach The Communications office offers strategic messaging, media relations, and digital communications support. Working to reach all Californians,

776-624: A modest home which in the 1960s cost $ 25,000 would cost half a million dollars or more in urban areas by 2005. More people commuted longer hours to afford a home in more rural areas while earning larger salaries in the urban areas. Speculators bought houses, expecting to make a huge profit in months, then rolling it over by buying more properties. Mortgage companies were compliant, as people assumed prices would keep rising. The bubble burst in 2007–8 as prices began to crash. Hundreds of billions in property values vanished and foreclosures soared, as financial institutions and investors were badly hurt. In

873-557: A national model for consumer protection and financial regulation. The DFPI outreach team works directly with stakeholders and community groups across California to educate consumers about the department's oversight, disseminate financial resources, and partner with community groups and local representatives on financial education opportunities. The team develops resources, conducts educational presentations, including on timely or current financial fraud and scams, and helps connect consumers to our consumer services office when needed. They manage

970-768: A new master contract with PSI Services LLC, resulting in cost savings of 10 percent for its clients that use the contract. The Office of Public Affairs creates and executes strategic media and communications plans for DCA, proactively provides news media with information of interest to consumers, and responds to media inquiries. OPA alerts media to unlicensed activity sweeps. The Office of Publications, Design & Editing designs, edits, updates, and distributes more than 200 consumer publications, newsletters, and reports produced by DCA's various entities and by its Executive Office. PDE supports DCA's licensees by producing and publishing online newsletters for many of its boards and bureaus, and supports DCA staff by producing Did You Know? ,

1067-463: A part of Mexico. In 1846, the total settler population of the western part of the old Alta California had been estimated to be no more than 8,000, plus about 100,000 Native Americans, down from about 300,000 before Hispanic settlement in 1769. In 1848, only one week before the official American annexation of the area, gold was discovered in California, this being an event which was to forever alter both

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1164-591: A regulatory retreat by some federal agencies, most notably the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) . Modeled after the CFPB, the new law also was designed to promote innovation, clarify regulatory hurdles for emerging products, and increase education and outreach for vulnerable groups. Two pieces of legislation, AB 1864 and AB107, were passed on August 31, 2020. The bills advanced the CCFPL and signaled

1261-721: A short break in 1862 when legislative sessions were held in San Francisco due to flooding in Sacramento . Once the state's Constitutional Convention had finalized its state constitution, it applied to the U.S. Congress for admission to statehood . On September 9, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 , California became a free state and September   9 a state holiday . During the American Civil War (1861–1865), California sent gold shipments eastward to Washington in support of

1358-596: A state Constitutional Convention was first held in Monterey. Among the first tasks of the convention was a decision on a location for the new state capital. The first full legislative sessions were held in San Jose (1850–1851). Subsequent locations included Vallejo (1852–1853), and nearby Benicia (1853–1854); these locations eventually proved to be inadequate as well. The capital has been located in Sacramento since 1854 with only

1455-600: Is Sacramento . The state's diverse geography ranges from the Pacific Coast and metropolitan areas in the west to the Sierra Nevada mountains in the east, and from the redwood and Douglas fir forests in the northwest to the Mojave Desert in the southeast. Two-thirds of the nation's earthquake risk lies in California. The Central Valley , a fertile agricultural area, dominates the state's center. The large size of

1552-426: Is DCA's information resource center for consumers and licensees. Through its Call Center and Correspondence Unit, CIC provides consumers and licensees with user-friendly information and identifies for them the government agency or community organization that can best address their needs. CIC phone agents answer calls from consumers to DCA's toll-free number. Correspondence Unit staff respond to e-mails and letters sent to

1649-657: Is a department within the California Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency . DCA's stated mission is to serve the interests of California's consumers by ensuring a standard of professionalism in key industries and promoting informed consumer practices. The DCA provides the public with information on safe consumer practices, in an effort to protect the public from unscrupulous or unqualified people who promote deceptive products or services. DCA licenses or certifies practitioners in more than 255 professions. There are currently more than 2.4 million practitioners licensed by

1746-550: Is responsible for engaging with new industries and consumer advocates to encourage responsible innovation and job creation in California. Division of Consumer Financial Protection The Division of Consumer Financial Protection is responsible for supervising and regulating financial activities not previously overseen by the department. These include debt collection, debt relief, private post-secondary education finance, and newly emerging financial products or services. Division of Corporations and Financial Institutions With

1843-517: Is the home of Hollywood , the oldest and one of the largest film industries in the world, profoundly influencing global entertainment. The San Francisco Bay and the Greater Los Angeles areas are seen as the centers of the global technology and U.S. film industries, respectively. The Spaniards gave the name Las Californias to the peninsula of Baja California (in modern-day Mexico). As Spanish explorers and settlers moved north and inland,

1940-458: Is the only entity within DCA that employs investigators who are designated peace officers. DOI staff work to provide timely, objective, and cost-effective investigations regarding allegations of misconduct by licensees of client agencies, and to developing information for filing criminal, administrative, and civil actions on behalf of these agencies. DOI field investigations frequently involve allegations of

2037-500: The Battle of Providencia near Los Angeles, he convinced each side that they had no reason to be fighting each other. As a result of Marsh's actions, they abandoned the fight, Micheltorena was defeated, and California-born Pio Pico was returned to the governorship. This paved the way to California's ultimate acquisition by the United States. In 1846, a group of American settlers in and around Sonoma rebelled against Mexican rule during

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2134-631: The Bear Flag Revolt . Afterward, rebels raised the Bear Flag (featuring a bear, a star, a red stripe and the words "California Republic") at Sonoma. The Republic's only president was William B. Ide , who played a pivotal role during the Bear Flag Revolt. This revolt by American settlers served as a prelude to the later American military invasion of California and was closely coordinated with nearby American military commanders. The California Republic

2231-577: The California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) licenses or certifies more than 2.4 million practitioners across more than 255 professions (those outside DFPI jurisdiction). Both the DFPI and DCA seek to promote informed consumer practices and publish a variety of publications on consumer-related issues. California California is a state in the Western United States , lying on

2328-695: The California Master Plan for Higher Education in 1960 to develop an efficient system of public education. Meanwhile, attracted to the mild Mediterranean climate, cheap land, and the state's variety of geography, filmmakers established the studio system in Hollywood in the 1920s. California manufactured 9% of US armaments produced during World War II , ranking third behind New York and Michigan . California easily ranked first in production of military ships at drydock facilities in San Diego, Los Angeles, and

2425-554: The Graham Affair , which was resolved in part with the intercession of Royal Navy officials. One of the largest ranchers in California was John Marsh . After failing to obtain justice against squatters on his land from the Mexican courts, he determined that California should become part of the United States. Marsh conducted a letter-writing campaign espousing the California climate, the soil, and other reasons to settle there, as well as

2522-541: The Indigenous people of California had not yet developed a natural immunity. Under its new American administration, California's first governor Peter Hardeman Burnett instituted policies that have been described as a state-sanctioned policy of elimination of California's indigenous people. Burnett announced in 1851 in his Second Annual Message to the Legislature: "That a war of extermination will continue to be waged between

2619-602: The Presidio of San Diego , the first religious and military settlements founded by the Spanish in California. By the end of the expedition in 1770, they would establish the Presidio of Monterey and Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo on Monterey Bay. After the Portolà expedition, Spanish missionaries led by Father-President Serra set out to establish 21 Spanish missions of California along El Camino Real ("The Royal Road") and along

2716-745: The Route 66 . From 1900 to 1965, the population grew from fewer than one million to the greatest in the Union. In 1940, the Census Bureau reported California's population as 6% Hispanic, 2.4% Asian, and 90% non-Hispanic white. To meet the population's needs, engineering feats like the California and Los Angeles Aqueducts ; the Oroville and Shasta Dams ; and the Bay and Golden Gate Bridges were built. The state government adopted

2813-518: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (February 2, 1848) that ended the war, the westernmost portion of the annexed Mexican territory of Alta California soon became the American state of California, and the remainder of the old territory was then subdivided into the new American Territories of Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Utah . The even more lightly populated and arid lower region of old Baja California remained as

2910-653: The coast of California were the members of a Spanish maritime expedition led by Portuguese captain Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo in 1542. Cabrillo was commissioned by Antonio de Mendoza , the Viceroy of New Spain , to lead an expedition up the Pacific coast in search of trade opportunities; they entered San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542, and reached at least as far north as San Miguel Island . Privateer and explorer Francis Drake explored and claimed an undefined portion of

3007-513: The 18th century. The Portolá expedition of 1769–70 was a pivotal event in the Spanish colonization of California, resulting in the establishment of numerous missions, presidios , and pueblos . The military and civil contingent of the expedition was led by Gaspar de Portolá , who traveled over land from Sonora into California, while the religious component was headed by Junípero Serra , who came by sea from Baja California . In 1769, Portolá and Serra established Mission San Diego de Alcalá and

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3104-482: The 1992 Rodney King riots. California was the hub of the Black Panther Party , known for arming African Americans to defend against racial injustice. Mexican, Filipino, and other migrant farm workers rallied in the state around Cesar Chavez for better pay in the 1960s and 70s. During the 20th century, two great disasters happened: the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and 1928 St. Francis Dam flood remain

3201-403: The 21st century, droughts and frequent wildfires attributed to climate change have occurred. From 2011 to 2017, a persistent drought was the worst in its recorded history. The 2018 wildfire season was the state's deadliest and most destructive. One of the first confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States occurred in California on January 26, 2020. A state of emergency was declared in

3298-639: The American Pacific Coast . It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California to the south. With nearly 39   million residents across an area of 163,696 square miles (423,970 km ), it is the most populous U.S. state, the third-largest by area, and most populated subnational entity in North America . Prior to European colonization , California

3395-516: The CalMoneySmart grant program, which awards California nonprofits with up to $ 100,000 in funding to execute financial literacy programs. Legislation The Legislative team monitors and tracks bills related to the DFPI, and provides guidance on legislative issues. While the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation regulates a variety of financial services, products, and professionals,

3492-513: The California coast in 1579, landing north of the future city of San Francisco . The first Asians to set foot on what would be the United States occurred in 1587, when Filipino sailors arrived in Spanish ships at Morro Bay . Coincidentally the descendants of the Muslim Caliph Hasan ibn Ali in formerly Islamic Manila and had converted, then mixed Christianity with Islam, upon Spanish conquest, transited through California (Named after

3589-522: The California coast, 16 sites of which having been chosen during the Portolá expedition. Numerous major cities in California grew out of missions, including San Francisco ( Mission San Francisco de Asís ), San Diego ( Mission San Diego de Alcalá ), Ventura ( Mission San Buenaventura ), or Santa Barbara ( Mission Santa Barbara ), among others. Juan Bautista de Anza led a similarly important expedition throughout California in 1775–76, which would extend deeper into

3686-529: The California government in 2022. These groups were also diverse in their political organization, with bands, tribes, villages, and, on the resource-rich coasts, large chiefdoms , such as the Chumash , Pomo and Salinan . Trade, intermarriage, craft specialists, and military alliances fostered social and economic relationships between many groups. Although nations would sometimes war, most armed conflicts were between groups of men for vengeance . Acquiring territory

3783-443: The California state government paid around 1.5   million dollars (some 250,000 of which was reimbursed by the federal government) to hire militias with the stated purpose of protecting settlers, however these militias perpetrated numerous massacres of indigenous people. Indigenous people were also forcibly moved to reservations and rancherias, which were often small and isolated and without enough natural resources or funding from

3880-469: The Communications team helps draft and edit external communications, including consumer alerts, emergency proclamations, website content, social media campaigns, presentations, media releases, educational resources, and more. The team helps coordinates events, statewide communications campaigns and works with internal and external stakeholders to help tell the story of the department's work and our impact as

3977-469: The DCA. The department consists of more than 40 bureaus, boards, committees, commission, and other entities that license and regulate practitioners. Regulatory duties include investigating complaints against licensees and disciplining violators. Boards, committees, and commissions operate independently but rely on DCA for administrative support. Fees paid by these licensees fund DCA operations almost exclusively. Bureaus, programs, divisions, and offices are under

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4074-701: The DFPI in 2020 with the passage of the California Consumer Financial Protection Law (CCFPL). Formation of State Banking Department (1909) and State Corporations Department (1913) In 1909, California passed the Bank Act, creating the State Banking Department. By doing this, California looked to protect depositors and ensure responsible regulation within the banking system. In 1913, the California Legislature enacted

4171-649: The Department of Business Oversight (DBO). The measure included an increase in staff and authority, to enhance the department's regulatory scope and enable it to become a national model for consumer protection . Effective September 29, 2020, the DBO changed its name to the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation.  The California Consumer Financial Protection Law (CCFPL) gave the DFPI expanded enforcement powers to protect California consumers from unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices committed by unlicensed financial services or products; COVID-19 pandemic -inspired scams; and

4268-673: The Family Support Unit, which maintains systems that involve processing limited license hold issues related to child support systems, and the Service Desk. Enterprise Project Services provides project management assistance, control agency liaison services, oversees the OIS change management and release process, manages the BreEZe project that will replace the DCA legacy systems, and is implementing IT Governance. The Information Security Office establishes

4365-563: The IT security and data privacy policies, maintains the business continuity planning process, investigates IT security breaches, and acts as liaison to the State Information Technology Agency in matters related to the IT security of DCA. The Complaint Resolution Program helps resolve complaints that consumers have filed after experiencing difficulty or disappointment in the California marketplace. The Consumer information Center

4462-803: The Information Security Office. Application Services maintains the Consumer Affairs System and the Applicant Tracking System databases that form the core of DCA's business processes. Enterprise Technology maintains and supports DCA's UNIX/Wide Area Network as well as the Internet and intranet sites, and maintains the enterprise architecture. Infrastructure Services maintains the desktop and network services, and phone services. Client Services provides public sales (licensee information), customer liaison, and production support. It includes

4559-633: The Investment Companies Act, which created the State Corporations Department. The new department was led by a Commissioner of Corporations who released annual reports about the state of the department.  Department of Financial Institutions (1997) The Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) became operative on July 1, 1997, and worked to reduce unnecessary regulations and costs for state-chartered banks, credit unions, trust companies, and other licensees formerly regulated by

4656-585: The Office of the Attorney General of California and local district attorneys to investigate fraudulent activity in the marketplace. Many investigations are initiated as a result of complaints from consumers. DCA has a Complaint Resolution Program to help resolve disputes between consumers and businesses. Consumer protection in California began with the passage of the Medical Practice Act of 1876. The Act

4753-609: The San Francisco Bay Area. Due to the hiring opportunities California offered during the conflict, the population multiplied from the immigration it received due to the work in its war factories, military bases, and training facilities. After World War II, California's economy expanded due to strong aerospace and defense industries, whose size decreased following the end of the Cold War . Stanford University began encouraging faculty and graduates to stay instead of leaving

4850-472: The State Banking Department. The DFI also focused on further regulatory reforms and helped create an environment of innovation within financial institutions. Department of Business Oversight (2013) Effective July 1, 2013, the Department of Corporations (DOC) and the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) merged to form the Department of Business Oversight (DBO), which reported to a newly formed Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. This change

4947-490: The U.S. Army. In the 20th century, thousands of Japanese people migrated to California. The state in 1913 passed the Alien Land Act , excluding Asian immigrants from owning land. During World War II, Japanese Americans in California were interned in concentration camps; in 2020, California apologized. Migration to California accelerated during the early 20th century with the completion of transcontinental highways like

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5044-454: The Union . However, due to the existence of a large contingent of pro-South sympathizers within the state, the state was not able to muster any full military regiments to send eastwards to officially serve in the Union war effort. Still, several smaller military units within the Union army, such as the "California 100 Company" , were unofficially associated with the state of California due to a majority of their members being from California. At

5141-454: The best land in the state, were secularized by 1834 and became the property of the Mexican government. The governor granted many square leagues of land to others with political influence. These huge ranchos or cattle ranches emerged as the dominant institutions of Mexican California. The ranchos developed under ownership by Californios (Hispanics native of California) who traded cowhides and tallow with Boston merchants. Beef did not become

5238-464: The best route to follow, which became known as "Marsh's route". His letters were read, reread, passed around, and printed in newspapers throughout the country, and started the first wagon trains rolling to California. After ushering in the period of organized emigration to California, Marsh became involved in a military battle between the much-hated Mexican general, Manuel Micheltorena and the California governor he had replaced, Juan Bautista Alvarado. At

5335-536: The conquest include the Battle of San Pasqual and the Battle of Dominguez Rancho in Southern California, as well as the Battle of Olómpali and the Battle of Santa Clara in Northern California. After a series of defensive battles in the south, the Treaty of Cahuenga was signed by the Californios on January 13, 1847, securing a censure and establishing de facto American control in California. Following

5432-535: The deadliest in U.S. history. Although air pollution has been reduced, health problems associated with pollution continue. Brown haze known as " smog " has been substantially abated after federal and state restrictions on automobile exhaust. An energy crisis in 2001 led to rolling blackouts , soaring power rates, and the importation of electricity from neighboring states. Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas and Electric Company came under heavy criticism. Housing prices in urban areas continued to increase;

5529-738: The department's administrative divisions and Division of Investigation and represents DCA before the State Personnel Board and the Department of Personnel Administration. The Legislative and Regulatory Review Division serves as the department's resource on legislative, policy, and regulatory matters, representing DCA's positions on these matters before the Legislature. The Division monitors and analyzes legislative bills on consumer issues, reviews proposed regulation packages, and provides substantive policy consultation and review on myriad issues throughout DCA and its entities. Division staff also advise

5626-401: The department. The Equal Employment Opportunity Office promotes equal employment opportunity at DCA. The EEO Office also promotes affirmative action for people with disabilities and works to prevent and eliminate discriminatory practices through policy implementation, training, education, and outreach. The Division of Investigation is the law enforcement and investigative branch of DCA. It

5723-1008: The director as well as the boards, bureaus, programs, and other entities of DCA. Legal Office lawyers provide legal analysis and opinions on laws, issues, proposed legislation, government contracts, employer-employee matters, the Open Meetings Act, the Public Records Act, and the Information Practices Act. The Legal Services Unit counsels the director in carrying out the consumer mandates of the Consumer Affairs Act. This unit created and maintains several consumer handbooks and guides, including California Tenants: A Guide to Residential Tenants’ and Landlords’ Rights and Responsibilities; The Small Claims Court: A Guide to Its Practical Use; and more than 30 consumer-oriented legal guides. The Administrative Unit provides in-house counsel to

5820-639: The director on public policy affecting consumers, as well as on any proposed regulations that impact the health, safety, and welfare of Californians. Division staff attend all board and bureau meetings to identify, analyze, and monitor policy issues, as well as other matters of interest. The Office of Professional Examination Services provides psychometric consulting services for the management of occupational licensure examination programs. OPES’ services include occupational analysis, item writing, examination development, standard setting, program evaluation, and statistical analysis of examination performance. OPES follows

5917-477: The full control of DCA. DCA provides the public with live telephone assistance in more than 170 languages for consumer-related questions and concerns. The department publishes a number of publications on consumer-related issues, the most popular being the California Tenants Guide . Publications are free to the public and are made available on the department's website. DCA's enforcement staff works with

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6014-618: The government to adequately sustain the populations living on them. As a result, settler colonialism was a calamity for indigenous people. Several scholars and Native American activists, including Benjamin Madley and Ed Castillo , have described the actions of the California government as a genocide , as well as the 40th governor of California Gavin Newsom . Benjamin Madley estimates that from 1846 to 1873, between 9,492 and 16,092 indigenous people were killed, including between 1,680 and 3,741 killed by

6111-456: The highest output of any U.S. state, and is led by its dairy , almonds , and grapes . With the busiest port in the country ( Los Angeles ), California plays a pivotal role in the global supply chain, hauling in about 40% of goods imported to the US. Notable contributions to popular culture , ranging from entertainment , sports , music , and fashion , have their origins in California. California

6208-450: The highest technical and professional standards in the industry to ensure that licensing examinations are valid, job-related, and legally defensible. In addition to servicing 30—40 interagency contracts with DCA boards, bureaus, and committees, OPES also oversees the master contract for examination administration at computer-based testing centers throughout the State. In June 2013, OPES implemented

6305-760: The illegal use and theft of drugs, sexual misconduct, quality-of-care issues, and unlicensed activity. Within the DOI is the Special Operations Unit which is responsible for workplace security and employee safety at DCA. The Legal Division includes the Legal Office, the Legal Services Unit, and the Administrative Unit. These units provide legal services to the Department's Executive staff and to all DCA entities. The Legal Office serves as in-house counsel for

6402-410: The indigenous peoples developed complex forms of ecosystem management, including forest gardening to ensure the regular availability of food and medicinal plants . This was a form of sustainable agriculture . To mitigate destructive large wildfires from ravaging the natural environment, indigenous peoples developed a practice of controlled burning . This practice was recognized for its benefits by

6499-439: The interior and north of California. The Anza expedition selected numerous sites for missions, presidios, and pueblos, which subsequently would be established by settlers. Gabriel Moraga , a member of the expedition, would also christen many of California's prominent rivers with their names in 1775–1776, such as the Sacramento River and the San Joaquin River . After the expedition, Gabriel's son, José Joaquín Moraga , would found

6596-469: The largest dam removal and river restoration project in US history was announced for the Klamath River , as a win for California tribes. Covering an area of 163,696 sq mi (423,970 km ), California is the third-largest state in the United States in area, after Alaska and Texas . California is one of the most geographically diverse states in the union and is often geographically bisected into two regions, Southern California , comprising

6693-422: The laws administered by the DFPI. Legal Division The Legal Division serves as in-house legal counsel for all of the department's programs and also regulates the offer and sale of securities and franchises. Consumer Services The Consumer Services Office is the main point of contact for Californians filing a complaint with the department or requesting additional information about licensees. Offering

6790-414: The middle of the state lies the California Central Valley , bounded by the Sierra Nevada in the east, the coastal mountain ranges in the west, the Cascade Range to the north and by the Tehachapi Mountains in the south. The Central Valley is California's productive agricultural heartland. Divided in two by the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta , the northern portion, the Sacramento Valley serves as

6887-400: The next 30 years. By the late 1920s, the Department of Vocational and Professional Standards was responsible for licensing or certifying accountants, barbers, cosmetologists, dentists, embalmers, optometrists, pharmacists, physicians, and veterinarians. The Consumer Affairs Act was passed in 1970, giving the department its current name. DCA's boards, bureaus, and other entities are supported by

6984-400: The offer and sale of securities, franchises, and off-exchange commodities. As of December 6, 2021, Commissioner Clothilde V. Hewlett leads the department, which has offices in Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. The Department of Financial Protection and Innovation has a long history, dating back to the formation of California's first banking department. It became

7081-759: The passage of the CCFLP, the Division of Corporations and Division of Financial Institutions were merged into a single division, the Division of Corporations and Financial Institutions, in 2020. The Division of Corporations and Financial Institutions licenses and regulates broker-dealer and investment advisers; financial service providers like payday lenders, finance lenders and brokers, and escrow companies; residential mortgage lenders and loan originators; commercial, industrial, and foreign (other nation and other state) banks; state-chartered credit unions; and money transmitters. Enforcement Division The Enforcement Division enforces

7178-414: The population of San Francisco increased from 500 to 150,000. The seat of government for California under Spanish and later Mexican rule had been located in Monterey from 1777 until 1845. Pio Pico, the last Mexican governor of Alta California, had briefly moved the capital to Los Angeles in 1845. The United States consulate had also been located in Monterey, under consul Thomas O. Larkin . In 1849,

7275-710: The pueblo of San Jose in 1777, making it the first civilian-established city in California. During this same period, sailors from the Russian Empire explored along the northern coast of California. In 1812, the Russian-American Company established a trading post and small fortification at Fort Ross on the North Coast . Fort Ross was primarily used to supply Russia's Alaskan colonies with food supplies. The settlement did not meet much success, failing to attract settlers or establish long term trade viability, and

7372-465: The races until the Indian race becomes extinct must be expected. While we cannot anticipate the result with but painful regret, the inevitable destiny of the race is beyond the power and wisdom of man to avert." As in other American states, indigenous peoples were forcibly removed from their lands by American settlers , like miners, ranchers, and farmers. Although California had entered the American union as

7469-403: The region known as California , or Las Californias , grew. Eventually it included lands north of the peninsula, Alta California , part of which became the present-day U.S. state of California. A 2017 state legislative document states, "Numerous theories exist as to the origin and meaning of the word 'California, ' " and that all anyone knows is the name was added to a map by 1541 "presumably by

7566-453: The start of the DFPI's transition and name change. The CCFPL went into full effect on January 1, 2021. Governor Newsom's initiative also created the Division of Consumer Financial Protection and the Office of Financial Technology Innovation within the DFPI. The Division of Consumer Financial Protection is responsible for supervising those financial services not previously regulated by the department. The Office of Financial Technology Innovation

7663-644: The state as part of the Gold Rush or to seek work. Even though the Chinese proved indispensable in building the transcontinental railroad from California to Utah, perceived job competition with the Chinese led to anti-Chinese riots in the state, and eventually the US ended migration from China partially as a response to pressure from California with the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act . Under earlier Spanish and Mexican rule, California's original native population had precipitously declined, above all, from Eurasian diseases to which

7760-511: The state on March 4, 2020, and remained in effect until Governor Gavin Newsom ended it in February 2023. A mandatory statewide stay-at-home order was issued on March 19, 2020, which was ended in January 2021. Cultural and language revitalization efforts among indigenous Californians have progressed among tribes as of 2022. Some land returns to indigenous stewardship have occurred. In 2022,

7857-430: The state results in climates that vary from moist temperate rainforest in the north to arid desert in the interior, as well as snowy alpine in the mountains . Droughts and wildfires are an ongoing issue. California's economy is the largest of any U.S. state, with a $ 4.0 trillion gross state product as of 2024 . It is the largest sub-national economy in the world. California's agricultural industry has

7954-515: The state's demographics and its finances. Soon afterward, a massive influx of immigration into the area resulted, as prospectors and miners arrived by the thousands. The population burgeoned with United States citizens, Europeans, Middle Easterns, Chinese and other immigrants during the great California gold rush . By the time of California's application for statehood in 1850, the settler population of California had multiplied to 100,000. By 1854, more than 300,000 settlers had come. Between 1847 and 1870,

8051-522: The state's name include CA, Cal., Calif., Califas , and US-CA . California was one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in pre-Columbian North America . Historians generally agree that there were at least 300,000 people living in California prior to European colonization. The Indigenous peoples of California included more than 70 distinct ethnic groups , inhabiting environments ranging from mountains and deserts to islands and redwood forests. Living in these diverse geographic areas,

8148-614: The state, and develop a high-tech region, now known as Silicon Valley . As a result of this, California is a world center of the entertainment and music industries, of technology, engineering, and the aerospace industry, and as the US center of agricultural production. Just before the Dot Com Bust , California had the fifth-largest economy in the world. In the mid and late twentieth century, race-related incidents occurred. Tensions between police and African Americans, combined with unemployment and poverty in inner cities, led to riots, such as

8245-504: The ten southernmost counties, and Northern California , comprising the 48 northernmost counties. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east and northeast, Arizona to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California to the south (with which it makes up part of The Californias region of North America , alongside Baja California Sur ). In

8342-407: The time of California's admission into the Union, travel between California and the rest of the continental United States had been a time-consuming and dangerous feat. Nineteen years later, and seven years after it was greenlighted by President Lincoln, the first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869. California was then reachable from the eastern States in a week's time. Much of the state

8439-557: The transition from Spanish colonial rule to independent Mexican rule. In 1821, the Mexican War of Independence gave the Mexican Empire (which included California) independence from Spain. For the next 25 years, Alta California remained a remote, sparsely populated, northwestern administrative district of the newly independent country of Mexico, which shortly after independence became a republic. The missions , which controlled most of

8536-685: The watershed of the Sacramento River , while the southern portion, the San Joaquin Valley is the watershed for the San Joaquin River . Both valleys derive their names from the rivers that flow through them. With dredging, the Sacramento and the San Joaquin Rivers have remained deep enough for several inland cities to be seaports . California Department of Consumer Affairs The California Department of Consumer Affairs ( DCA )

8633-541: Was abandoned by 1841. During the War of Mexican Independence , Alta California was largely unaffected and uninvolved in the revolution, though many Californios supported independence from Spain , which many believed had neglected California and limited its development. Spain's trade monopoly on California had limited local trade prospects. Following Mexican independence, California ports were freely able to trade with foreign merchants. Governor Pablo Vicente de Solá presided over

8730-509: Was designed to regulate the State's medical professionals, who up to that point had operated virtually unchecked. However, an actual government agency with the legal authority to enforce the Act was not created until 1878. The three boards created that year were later consolidated into what is now the Medical Board of California. Additional professions and vocations were brought under State authority in

8827-536: Was extremely well suited to fruit cultivation and agriculture in general. Vast expanses of wheat, other cereal crops, vegetable crops, cotton, and nut and fruit trees were grown (including oranges in Southern California), and the foundation was laid for the state's prodigious agricultural production in the Central Valley and elsewhere. In the nineteenth century, a large number of migrants from China traveled to

8924-607: Was highly unstable, and in a reflection of this, from 1831 onwards, California also experienced a series of armed disputes, both internal and with the central Mexican government. During this tumultuous political period Juan Bautista Alvarado was able to secure the governorship during 1836–1842. The military action which first brought Alvarado to power had momentarily declared California to be an independent state, and had been aided by Anglo-American residents of California, including Isaac Graham . In 1840, one hundred of those residents who did not have passports were arrested, leading to

9021-714: Was not usually the purpose of these small-scale battles. Men and women generally had different roles in society. Women were often responsible for weaving, harvesting, processing, and preparing food, while men for hunting and other forms of physical labor. Most societies also had roles for people whom the Spanish referred to as joyas , who they saw as "men who dressed as women". Joyas were responsible for death , burial , and mourning rituals , and they performed women's social roles. Indigenous societies had terms such as two-spirit to refer to them. The Chumash referred to them as 'aqi. The early Spanish settlers detested and sought to eliminate them. The first Europeans to explore

9118-659: Was one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in pre-Columbian North America . European exploration in the 16th and 17th centuries led to the colonization by the Spanish Empire . The area became a part of Mexico in 1821, following its successful war for independence , but was ceded to the United States in 1848 after the Mexican–American War . The California gold rush started in 1848 and led to social and demographic changes, including depopulation of Indigenous tribes. The western portion of Alta California

9215-611: Was part of Governor Jerry Brown 's plan to increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of state government. The former DOC and DFI continued to operate as separate divisions within the DBO, enabling the core missions of both departments to continue. All applications, examinations, and reports continued to be processed by the attorneys and staff who worked for the former departments. Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (2020) In an effort to strengthen consumer financial protections in California, Governor Gavin Newsom in 2020 proposed an initiative to modernize and revamp

9312-494: Was short-lived; the same year marked the outbreak of the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). Commodore John D. Sloat of the United States Navy sailed into Monterey Bay in 1846 and began the U.S. military invasion of California , with Northern California capitulating in less than a month to the United States forces. In Southern California, Californios continued to resist American forces. Notable military engagements of

9409-399: Was then organized and admitted as the 31st state in 1850 , as a free state , following the Compromise of 1850 . The Greater Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas are the nation's second- and fifth-most populous urban regions , with 19 million and 10 million residents respectively. Los Angeles is the state's most populous city and the nation's second-most ; California's capital

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