Cal. Gov. Code § 3401

The Governor annually may award and present, in the name of the State of California, a Public Safety Medal of Valor of appropriate design, with ribbons and appurtenances, to one or more public safety officers cited by the Attorney General pursuant to Section 3402 for extraordinary valor above and beyond the call of duty. The medal shall be the highest state award for valor awarded to a public safety officer, which includes any person serving a public agency, with or without compensation, as a firefighter, an ocean lifeguard, a law enforcement officer, including a corrections or court officer or a civil defense officer, or an emergency services officer.