Opinion No. (1997)

DANIEL E. LUNGREN Attorney General ANTHONY M. SUMMERS Deputy Attorney General THE HONORABLE STEVEN M. WOODSIDE, COUNTY COUNSEL, COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA, has requested an opinion on the following question: May a superior court judge accept the California Peace Prize Award, a cash prize of $25,000, from the California Wellness Foundation for his efforts to prevent violence, both in his professional role as a juvenile court judge and as a community leader? CONCLUSION A superior court judge may not accept the California Peace Prize Award, a cash prize of $25,000, from the California Wellness Foundation for his efforts to prevent violence, both in his professional role as a juvenile court judge and as a community leader. ANALYSIS The California Wellness Foundation is a private, non-profit charitable organization that was initially funded in 1992 by a substantial endowment from a major California health maintenance organization. It provides grants totalling approximately $40 million each year to improve the health and well-being of the people of California. It named a superior court judge as one of three winners of its 1996 California Peace Prize Award. In addition to the public…