Recommendations concerning postsecondary accreditation in California are presented, with attention to public reliance on nongovernmental accreditation. After a review of the history of accreditation and its role in institutional oversight, attention is directed to national accreditation of colleges, regional accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), specialized accreditation, and law school accreditation. Fifteen recommendations are offered concerning the following issues: assuring and increasing educational quality, monitoring private institutions to assure their compliance with minimum standards, monitoring institutional refund policies to assure consumer protection, identifying institutions eligible to participate in state-funded student assistance programs, identifying institutions and programs for licensing professional practitioners, identifying quality teacher education programs, assuring oversight of out-of-state operations, encouraging agency operation in the public interest, and relating specialized accreditation to institutions and institutional policies. Information on WASC's accreditation standards for senior- and junior-level institutions is appended, as are lists of accredited schools. (SW)