Environmental Quality Agency

Administrative History

The Environmental Affairs Agency was formed through a series of executive actions in the 1970s, in order to maintain and enforce existing environmental laws in California. The agency played an integral part in the development of California's environmental policies, some of which were the first of their kind nationwide. However, the agency was never formally established in statute, and its haphazard development reflected the fragmented nature of California's early environmental policies. Beginning in the 1950s, environmental programs were created by statute and focused on singular issues, like air pollution. These programs were scattered throughout a variety of different agencies, which presented a significant obstacle in implementing a comprehensive environmental plan for the state. In 1961, Governor Pat Brown reorganized the executive branch of California's government and placed all existing environmental quality programs, commissions and departments within the Resources Agency. Created to improve California's natural resources through careful use and conservation, the formation and organization of the Resources Agency marked the first attempt to consolidate the state's environmental programs.

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