Report 2015-030 Recommendation 17 Responses

Report 2015-030: State Bar of California: It Has Not Consistently Protected the Public Through Its Attorney Discipline Process and Lacks Accountability (Release Date: June 2015)

Recommendation #17 To: Bar of California, State

To determine a reasonable and justified annual membership fee that better reflects its actual costs, the State Bar should conduct a thorough analysis of its operating costs and develop a biennial spending plan. It should work with the Legislature to set an appropriate annual membership fee based upon its analysis. The first biennial spending plan should also include an analysis of the State Bar's plans to spend its current fund balances.

1-Year Agency Response

See May 13, 2016, Spending Plan.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Resolved

The State Bar analyzed its operating costs and provided a spending plan to the Legislature that included an assessment of the annual membership fee. Although this spending plan is not a biennial plan, as indicated in our recommendation, the State Bar's plan addresses the underlying concern of our recommendation--that the State Bar be more cognizant of its actual costs and take steps to align its membership fee based on those costs.

6-Month Agency Response

The State Bar will prepare an analysis of its operating costs and develop a biennial spending plan, which will be submitted to the Legislature by May 15, 2016.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

The State Bar will prepare an analysis of its operating costs and develop a biennial spending plan, which will be submitted by May 15, 2016, to the Legislature, as provided in an amendment pending in Senate Bill No. 387. See Response to Recommendation 13 above.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2015-030

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.