California Department of Consumer Affairs

The Bureau of Household Goods and Services (BHGS) can trace its roots to the year 1911, when the Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation was established in response to unscrupulous manufacturing in the mattress industry, which contributed to fires following the1906 earthquake. More than 50 years later, a separate…

 ABOUT THE BOARD: 1891: Licensing for land surveyors (first in nation) was enacted on March 31, 1891 by the Legislature, which also established the State Surveyor General. 1920s: The Board was created by the Legislature. Registration was for civil engineers only. 1930s: Structural Engineer license was added by the Legislature. …

The California State Athletic Commission (Commission/CSAC) is responsible for protecting the health and safety of its licensees: boxers, kickboxers, and other martial arts athletes. Concerned with athlete injuries and death, the public established the Commission by initiative in 1924. The Commission is responsible for implementation and enforcement of the Federal…

The Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) is a state governmental agency established by law to protect the public by regulating the practice of registered nurses. BRN is responsible for implementation and enforcement of the Nursing Practice Act: the laws related to nursing education, licensure, practice, and discipline.  BRN regulates California…

If you’ve ever thought about applying for a state job, especially at the California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), there is an exciting opportunity happening September 7, 2023. DCA is partnering with the Sacramento Employment and Training Agency (SETA) to host an in-person workshop in Sacramento where job seekers in…

The responsibilities of DHBC include issuing, reviewing, and enforcing dental hygiene licenses as well as developing the Law and Ethics examinations. Additional functions include promulgating regulations, establishing and maintaining fees, oversight and approval of dental hygiene educational programs, and continuing education requirements for all dental hygiene licensure categories. DHBC is…

  Effective January 1, 2010, Assembly Bill 48 (Portantino, Chapter 310, Statutes of 2009) established the California Private Postsecondary Education Act (Act) and created the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (Bureau or BPPE) within the Department to provide oversight of private postsecondary educational institutions operating in California. Specifically, the Act…

Established in 1951 (Vocational Nurse Program) and 1959 (Psychiatric Technician Program); the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians (Board) is responsible for administering the laws related to the practice of licensed vocational nurses and psychiatric technicians. In 1970, the Psychiatric Technician certification was changed to a licensure program based…

  In 1945, California became the first state to register social workers with the formation of the Board of Social Work Examiners. Jump ahead 18 years to 1963, and this young regulatory agency received a new responsibility: administration of the Marriage, Family, and Child Counselor Act (later renamed the Social…

The California legislature established the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) in 1929 as the Contractors License Bureau under the Department of Professional and Vocational Standards. Today, CSLB is part of the Department of Consumer Affairs. The responsibility for licensing and regulating the 45 classifications and two certifications that constitute California’s…