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. (a) A person serving in the position of inspector general shall
satisfy all of the following requirements:
(1) Be appointed by the Governor, with consideration of the
recommendation of the Adjutant General and notification to the Senate
Committee on Rules, and shall serve a four-year term from the
effective date of appointment. The inspector general may not be
removed from office during that term, except for good cause. An
inspector general may not serve more than two consecutive terms.
(2) Meet the same qualifications established in this code for the
Assistant Adjutant General.
(3) Be subordinate to the Adjutant General and serve on state
active duty at the grade of O-6 or higher.
(b) (1) The inspector general may not serve as the Adjutant
General or the Assistant Adjutant General for four years from the
date of leaving the position of inspector general.
(2) A commissioned officer on state active duty appointed to the
position of inspector general who, immediately prior to that duty,
held a permanent state active duty position shall remain on state
active duty upon vacating the inspector general position.
(c) The department shall, from the amount annually appropriated to
it for purposes of this office, continue to fund the position of
inspector general.
(d) The inspector general shall have access to all employees and
documents of the department.
(e) The inspector general may receive communications from any
person, including, but not limited to, any member of the department.
(f) The inspector general shall, at a minimum, continue to perform
the functions of inspections, assistance, investigations, and
teaching and training. The functions of the inspector general shall
be performed in accordance with applicable service laws, rules, and
regulations governing federal inspectors general.
(g) The inspector general shall continue to maintain a toll-free
public telephone number and an Internet Web site to receive
complaints and allegations, including, but not limited to, those
described in subdivision (h) or the California Military Whistleblower
Protection Act. The inspector general shall continue to post the
telephone number and Internet Web site in clear view at every
California National Guard armory, flight facility, airfield, or
installation.
(h) (1) At the discretion of the inspector general or the Adjutant
General, or upon a written request by the Governor, a Member of the
Legislature, any member of the department, or any member of the
public, the inspector general may investigate any complaint or
allegation regarding the following:
(A) A violation of law, including, but not limited to,
regulations, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and any law
prohibiting sexual harassment or unlawful discrimination.
(B) Gross mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of
authority, or a substantial and specified danger to the public health
or safety.
(2) (A) For all written requests submitted by a Member of the
Legislature, the inspector general shall respond in writing with his
or her findings. The response shall contain only that information
that may be lawfully disclosed, and, if a complaint or allegation is
at issue, the response shall contain, at a minimum, information
regarding whether the complaint or allegation was unfounded or
sustained.
(B) If the inspector general conducts an investigation at the
request of a Member of the Legislature, the inspector general shall
submit to that member a report of his or her findings of that
investigation. The report shall contain only information that may be
lawfully disclosed, and shall contain, at a minimum, information
regarding whether the complaint or allegations were unfounded or
sustained.
(3) (A) A request described in paragraph (1) is not a public
record and is not subject to disclosure under the California Public
Records Act set forth in Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 6250)
of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code.
(B) The inspector general shall not disclose to any person or
entity the identity of a person making a written request or an
allegation or complaint described in paragraph (1), unless the person
making the request, allegation, or complaint has consented to the
disclosure in writing.
(4) (A) When deemed appropriate by the inspector general, the
inspector general may refer to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau
any complaints or allegations described in paragraph (1), any
violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, or any violations
of any other state or federal law.
(B) When deemed appropriate by the inspector general, the
inspector general may refer to the State Auditor any complaints or
allegations described in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) or any
violation of state or federal law.
(i) If the inspector general receives, or becomes aware of, an
allegation, complaint, or misconduct regarding the Adjutant General
or the Assistant Adjutant General, the inspector general shall
immediately refer the matter to the Chief of the National Guard
Bureau and the Governor for review. The inspector general, by order
of the Governor, shall conduct an investigation regarding the
allegations concerning the Adjutant General or the Assistant Adjutant
General concurrently with any federal investigation where
appropriate. The inspector general shall report the findings to the
Governor under this subdivision.
(j) (1) (A) The inspector general shall, on or before July 1,
2013, and on or before July 1 each year thereafter, submit a report
to the Governor, the Legislature, the Senate Committee on Veterans
Affairs, and the Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs. The report
shall include, but not be limited to, a description of significant
problems discovered by the office and a summary of investigations
conducted by the office during the previous year. Upon submitting the
report to the Governor, the Legislature, the Senate Committee on
Veterans Affairs, and the Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs the
report shall be made available to the public and posted on the office'
s Internet Web site.
(B) A report to be submitted pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall be
submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(2) Upon the completion of an investigation conducted by the
inspector general pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (h) or
Section 56, he or she shall also prepare and issue on a quarterly
basis a public report that includes all investigations completed in
the previous quarter. The inspector general shall submit a copy of
the quarterly report to the Legislature, the Senate Committee on
Veterans Affairs, and the Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs. The
inspector general shall have the discretion to redact or otherwise
protect the names of individuals, specific locations, or other facts
that, if not redacted, might hinder prosecution under state or
federal law or the Uniform Code of Military Justice related to the
investigation, or where disclosure of the information is otherwise
prohibited by law, and to decline to produce any of the underlying
materials. In a case where allegations were deemed to be unfounded,
all applicable identifying information shall be redacted. Each
quarterly report shall be made available to the public and posted on
the office's Internet Web site.
(k) For purposes of this section, all of the following shall
apply:
(1) "Department" means the Military Department.
(2) "Inspector general" means the California Military Department
Inspector General.
(3) "Member of the department" means the Adjutant General, any
person under the command of the Adjutant General, any person employed
by the department, including, but not limited to, any service member
or employee of the office of the Adjutant General, the California
National Guard, the State Military Reserve, the California Cadet
Corps, or the Naval Militia, any person on state active duty, any
person with a state commission, or any civil service or part-time
employee of the department.
(4) "Office" means the Office of the California Military
Department Inspector General.