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HomeBusiness and Professions CodeDiv. 7Pt. 2Ch. 2Art. 3§ 16759 District Attorney Enforcement Powers

§ 16759 District Attorney Enforcement Powers

Business and Professions Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 16759 District Attorney Enforcement Powers

Key Takeaways

  • •District attorneys can investigate certain crimes, like unfair business tricks or environmental harm, just like the Attorney General.
  • •In big cities (over 750,000 people), the city attorney or county counsel can also investigate unfair business tricks.
  • •If someone gets a subpoena (a legal order to share info) and doesn’t like it, they can talk to the lawyer who sent it to try to fix the problem.
  • •If they still can’t agree, a judge can decide if the subpoena is fair or needs to be changed.

Example

A big company in Los Angeles is tricking customers by selling fake 'organic' food.

The city attorney in LA can investigate this trick, just like the Attorney General could. If the company refuses to share records, the city attorney can ask a judge to make them do it.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 16759 District Attorney Enforcement Powers

(a) All those powers granted to the Attorney General as a head of a department under Article 2 (commencing with Section 11180) of Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code shall be granted to the district attorney of any county when that district attorney reasonably believes that there may have been a violation of Article 2 (commencing with Section 16720) or Article 3 (commencing with Section 16750) of this chapter, or a violation of Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 17000) of this part, or a violation of Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 17200) of this part, and shall be subject to the provisions of Chapter 20 (commencing with Section 7460) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code. (b) All those powers granted to the Attorney General as head of a department under Article 2 (commencing with Section 11180) of Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code shall be granted to the city attorney of any city having a population in excess of 750,000, to the county counsel of any county within which a city has a population in excess of 750,000, or to a city attorney of a city and county, when the city attorney or county counsel reasonably believes that there may have been a violation of Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 17200) of this part and shall be subject to the provisions of Chapter 20 (commencing with Section 7460) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code. (c) Any investigation pursuant to these powers shall be conducted in accordance with the procedures set forth in Article 2 (commencing with Section 11180) of Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, including all applicable principles relating to immunity from self-incrimination. However, Section 16758 shall not be construed as providing automatic immunity with respect to the subject of a subpoena issued in connection with that investigation. Court orders sought pursuant to this section shall be sought in the superior court of the county in which the district attorney, authorized pursuant to subdivision (a), or the city attorney or county counsel, authorized pursuant to subdivision (b), seeking the order holds office. (d) Should the recipient of such subpoena issued pursuant to the powers granted in subdivision (b) object to the request in whole or in part, the recipient must serve objections and meet and confer with the issuer of the subpoena in an attempt to address those objections. If after meeting and conferring, the issuer and recipient cannot reach agreement, the recipient may petition the superior court for an order quashing or modifying the subpoena in whole or in part. (Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 698, Sec. 1. (AB 2766) Effective January 1, 2023.)

Last verified: January 22, 2026

Key Terms

violationsubpoenaattorney generalpopulationinvestigationimmunityaccordanceincrimination

Related Statutes

  • § 16752 Corporate Charter Forfeiture Proceedings
  • § 16755 Trade Conspiracy Penalties
  • § 312.2 Annual Accusation Reporting Requirements
  • § 6051 Contempt Enforcement By Court
  • § 7044.01 Owner-Builder Violation Injunctions

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Business and Professions Code. Section 16759.
View Official Source