What officers does my corporation have to have?

A corporation must have (1) a chairperson of the board or a president, (2) a secretary, and (3) a chief financial officer. See Cal. Corp. Code § 312. The corporation may have other officers, as stated in the bylaws or determined by the board of directors, but these officers are required by statute. That does not mean that you have to have three separate people serving as officers of your corporation. In fact, all of the offices can be held by the same person, so you can have a corporation with just you as the only officer (albeit with three different titles), director, and shareholder. Just remember that you still have to treat the corporation as a separate entity from yourself, even if it is a one-person show, if you want to maintain the limited-liability benefit of having incorporated your business. For more information on this last point, see Reducing Risk of Alter Ego with Some Simple Things.