Cal. Military and Veterans Code - MVC § 140. Section 140.
The Governor of the State, by virtue of his office, is the Commander in Chief of the Militia of the State.
ARTICLE 2. Commander in Chief [140. - 148.]
Cal. Military and Veterans Code - MVC 2.
in effectCal. Military and Veterans Code - MVC § 141. Section 141.
The staff of the Governor consists of The Adjutant General and such aides as the Governor designates from the personnel of the National Guard and Naval Militia to serve during his incumbency. Such staff may also include the following personal aides-de-camp: five aides-de-camp who may be appointed by the Governor and who shall have the rank of lieutenant colonel, and one naval aide with the rank of commander. Such appointments by the Governor shall operate as a commission of such aides-de-camp.
Cal. Military and Veterans Code - MVC § 141.5. Section 141.5.
The state active duty force consists of service members in active state military service when ordered by the Governor in accordance with this code.
Cal. Military and Veterans Code - MVC § 142. Section 142.
(a)
The Governor may order the active militia or any portion of it to perform military duty of every description, including necessary administrative duties, and to participate in small arms gunnery competitions in this state or in any other state or territory or the District of Columbia, or in any fort, camp, or reservation of the United States. The Governor may also authorize the performance of military duty or participation in small arms or gunnery competitions by any part of the active militia anywhere outside the state or outside the United States. Cruise duty ordered for the Naval Militia may be required to be performed on
United States vessels.
(b)
Service members selected for permanent positions shall be selected using a military competitive selection process. A service member ordered to state active duty in accordance with this section who remains on state active duty for six consecutive years shall be eligible for career state active duty status and may remain on state active duty until the service member reaches 60 years of age or is separated for cause. At 60 years of age, a service member may remain on state active duty under temporary orders, which may be renewed annually.
(c)
Orders for a service member with less than six years of state active duty service shall expire annually unless renewed or the service member is separated for cause.
(d)
When a service member reaches 64 years of age, or when federal recognition of
the service member’s grade or rank is withdrawn, whichever occurs later, the service member shall be retired from state active duty.
(e)
A service member on state active duty with the Military Department pursuant to this section shall be any of the following:
(1)
A current member of the California National Guard. For purposes of this section, a member described in subdivision (c) of Section 210 shall not be qualified to serve on state active duty unless the member maintains current membership in the
State Guard.
(2)
An individual who is retired or otherwise honorably separated from service with the active component of any branch of the United States Armed Forces, the federal reserve component of any branch of the United States Armed Forces, or the federally recognized National Guard of any state or United States territory, with current membership in the State Guard.
(3)
A current member of the State Guard with a
minimum of two years of service.
(f)
A service member already serving on state active duty who retires federally from the California National Guard shall assess into the State Guard
in order to retain eligibility for continued state active duty.
(g)
A commissioned officer on state active duty assigned to a general officer position who, previous to that duty, held a state active duty position at a lower grade, may revert to the grade last held upon vacation of the general officer position, if a position is available.
(h)
Notwithstanding any other law, a service member who is on state active duty may be relieved from state active duty if the Adjutant General, acting in good faith and on behalf of the Governor, abolishes a position. The department shall make reasonable attempts to place the service member in an available position for which the service member is otherwise qualified.
(i)
The Adjutant General, under the authority of the Governor as Commander in Chief, shall promulgate
regulations in conformity with this section.
Cal. Military and Veterans Code - MVC § 143. Section 143.
Whenever the Governor is satisfied that rebellion, insurrection, tumult, or riot exists in any part of the state, that the execution of civil or criminal process has been forcibly resisted by bodies of persons, that any conspiracy or combination exists to resist by force the execution of process, or that the officers of any county or city are unable or have failed for any reason to enforce the laws, the Governor may, by proclamation, declare any part of the State of California or the county or city or any portion thereof to be in a state of insurrection, and may thereupon order into the service of the state any number and description of the active militia, or unorganized militia, as deemed necessary, to serve for a term and
under the command of any officer as the Governor directs.
Cal. Military and Veterans Code - MVC § 144. Section 144.
The Governor may at any time revoke a proclamation of insurrection or declare that it shall terminate at a time or in the manner that the Governor directs.
Cal. Military and Veterans Code - MVC § 145. Section 145.
A person who, after publication of the proclamation authorized by Section 143, joins, participates or takes any part in a rebellion, insurrection, tumult or riot, or who is party to any conspiracy or combination to resist by force the execution of the laws or who resists or aids in resisting the execution of process in any county or city declared to be in a state of insurrection, or who aids or attempts the rescue or escape of another from lawful custody or confinement, or who resists or aids in resisting any force ordered out by the Governor to quell or suppress an insurrection, is punishable by a fine of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for two, three, or four years, or in a
county jail for not more than one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
Cal. Military and Veterans Code - MVC § 146. Section 146.
The Governor may call into active service any portion of the active militia as may be necessary, and if the number available be insufficient, the Governor may call into active service any portion of the unorganized militia as may be necessary, in any of the following events:
(a)
In case of war, insurrection, rebellion, invasion, tumult, riot, breach of the peace, public calamity or catastrophe, including, but not limited to, catastrophic fires, or other emergency, or imminent danger thereof, or resistance to the laws of this state or the United States.
(b)
Upon call or requisition of the President of the
United States.
(c)
Upon call of any United States marshal in California, or upon call of any officer of the United States Army commanding an army, army area, or military administrative or tactical command, including generally the State of California, or upon call of any officer of the United States Air Force commanding an air force, air defense force, air defense command, or air command, including generally the State of California.
(d)
Upon call of the chief executive officer of any city or city and county, or of any justice of the Supreme Court, or of any judge of the superior court, or of any sheriff, setting forth that there is an unlawful or riotous assembly with intent to commit a felony, or to offer violence to person or property, or to resist the laws of the State of
California or the United States or that there has occurred a public calamity or catastrophe requiring aid to the civil authorities.
(e)
Upon call of the sheriff setting forth that the civil power of the county is not sufficient to enable the sheriff to execute process delivered to them.
Cal. Military and Veterans Code - MVC § 147. Section 147.
In case of insurrection, invasion, war, rebellion, tumult, riot, breach of the peace, public calamity or catastrophe, or imminent danger thereof, or in the event of emergency in which all or any part of the militia is actively engaged in service upon order of the Governor, the Governor may suspend any and all provisions of this division or other laws of the State which require advertisement for bids for purchases of supplies or employment of services.
Cal. Military and Veterans Code - MVC § 148. Section 148.
The Governor shall direct the Adjutant General to make rules and regulations in conformity with this code which shall conform as nearly as practicable to those governing the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Navy. The rules and regulations shall have the same force and effect as the provisions of this code.
A finding by the Governor that it is impracticable to conform rules and regulations to those governing the United States Army, United States Air Force, or United States Navy shall be conclusive and the rules and regulations shall have force and effect over inconsistent rules, regulations, directives, manuals, or practices governing any of the Armed Forces
of the United States.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026