SAN FRANCISCO — State Bar Executive Director Judy Johnson is stepping down, a victim of a year of unexpected lows, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s veto of the organization’s dues bill.

Four members of the State Bar Board of Governors confirmed Monday that the events of 2009 led Johnson to announce her resignation over the weekend, though she won’t actually leave until 2011. One governor said that among many members of the board there was a “lack of confidence” in upper management.