Below are some of the Treasurer's key responsibilities:
- The Treasurer's Office manages the State's Pooled Money Investment Account, which invests monies on behalf of state government and local jurisdictions to help them manage their fiscal affairs.
- The Treasurer serves on the boards of the Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) and State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS). CalPERS and CalSTRS are significant investors/stockholders in the American and global economies. The pension funds provide for the retirement of their members and also perform a variety of other services for them. As an example, CalPERS is the second largest purchaser of health care services in the country.
- The Treasurer's Office finances a variety of important public works needed for the State's future, including schools and higher education facilities, transportation projects, parks, and environmental projects.
- The Treasurer chairs authorities that finance a wide range of significant projects, including pollution clean-up, small businesses and health care facilities. The Treasurer chairs the State commission that allocates tax-exemption for financing for various purposes such as housing, economic development, and student loans.
- The Treasurer plays a key role in statewide housing finance as Chair of the Tax Credit Allocation Committee that awards hundreds of millions of dollars in tax credits for affordable housing and as a member of the Board of the California Housing Finance Agency, which finances affordable housing.
- The Treasurer oversees the Financial Security For All, the nation’s largest and most inclusive public savings plan collective, helping build financial security for underserved populations at all stages of life.