Section 55.

(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.

(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 731, Sec. 2. Effective September 28, 2012. Note: See, in Sec. 5 of Ch. 731, the Legislature's declaration relating to this section.)