The California State Bar’s proposal to more than double the licensing fees that lawyers would pay in 2020 to $813 goes too far and should be scaled back, the state auditor said in a report released Tuesday.

State Auditor Elaine Howle concluded that while the bar has made the case for a fee increase—which would be its first in 20 years—the lawyer-oversight agency can get by with a lower charge of $525 if it spreads certain costs over several years, cuts other expenses and derives more income from leases at its San Francisco office.