Newsom names Rob Bonta as AG, lifting Filipino leader after attacks on Asian Americans

Assemblyman Rob Bonta will be California’s next attorney general, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced today, making him the state’s top cop and first Filipino to hold the office.

Bonta, a Democrat from Alameda, will take the position following the departure of Xavier Becerra, who last week was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as Health and Human Services Secretary under President Joe Biden. Bonta’s appointment is subject to confirmation by the State Senate and Assembly within 90 days.

Newsom turned to Bonta after months of lobbying from advocacy groups who had urged him to choose an Asian American leader such as Bonta or California Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu.

In Bonta, Newsom selected a Democrat who has championed criminal justice reform throughout his career in the Legislature. He’s campaigned to end the cash bail system, curtail the use of private prisons and limit the influence of law enforcement unions.

Speaking live from the Bay Area on Wednesday, the governor spoke of Bonta’s roots in activism, his immigrant mother, and his career fighting for the disenfranchised, which Newsom said makes Bonta well-suited to the role of attorney general.

“This is an incredibly important office in the cause of racial justice, social justice, economic justice, environmental justice,” Newsom said. “All things professionally, since 2012, Rob Bonta, has been on the forefront of as well.”

Bonta accepted the nomination on Wednesday from San Francisco’s International Hotel, where 45 years earlier his mother had linked arms with other Filipino and Asian American activists to protect those inside from eviction.

“Now, my mother, Cynthia, and my father, Warren... will see a governor nominate their son to be the first Filipino American Attorney General in the history of California,” Bonta said.

Asian American leaders had lobbied for Bonta for weeks. They reiterated their support for him last week in the aftermath of killing spree in Atlanta that left eight people dead, six of whom were of Asian descent.

“Californians deserve to have a top cop who understands our community, diversity and has experience in building community-based solutions that target hate,” said Assemblyman David Chiu in a press conference with other leaders last week. “Our API community needs an attorney general who’s going to be ready on day one.”

Immigrant family

Bonta, 48, was elected to the Assembly in 2012, at which time he was the first Filipino American state legislator in California. Bonta immigrated to California with his parents at two months old, and the family originally lived in Kern County before moving to Fair Oaks, a suburb of Sacramento.

The son of social justice activists, Bonta credits his experience working with the United Farm Workers of America as having a profound impact on his life.

He attended Yale Law School before returning to California, where he spent time as a private litigator in San Francisco. During his time in the private sector, Bonta was part of a team that worked with the American Civil Liberties Union to prevent racial profiling among the California Highway Patrol. He lives with his wife and three children in the East Bay.

Bail and prisons

In 2018, Bonta co-authored a bill with State Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Los Angeles, that made California the first state in the nation to end cash bail for suspects awaiting trial. The initiative was overturned by a voter referendum in November, and allowing the money bail system to continue operating.

Last year, Bonta, along with California elected officials and Asian American leaders, urged Newsom to halt the transfers of immigrants released from prisons and jails to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody during the coronavirus pandemic.

Former Gov. Jerry Brown in 2016 signed legislation introduced by Bonta that requires immigrants in local custody to be informed of their rights to have an attorney present and decline an interview with ICE officials.

Andrew Acosta, a Democratic political consultant, said Bonta is likely to be hailed by progressives for his record in the Legislature.

“There will probably be some who would say that Rob Bonta is too progressive, too liberal for that position, but it depends on who the critics are,” he said. “There’s some progressives that think he’s great. And there’s some in the law enforcement community who don’t agree with some of his positions.”

Bonta on Wednesday said he wants to build trust between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve, and said he will work with officers to work toward criminal justice reform.

“I will have those conversations with law enforcement, they will have my respect, we will have dialogue,” Bonta said. “We will also have respectful disagreements, and that’s okay, that’s part of how we move forward, but it won’t be because we didn’t have a conservation, it won’t be because they didn’t have a chance to share their perspective.”

Will be up for election next year

Becerra used his power as attorney general to challenge the Trump administration again and again. Becerra filed more than 100 lawsuits against the Republican administration, contesting Trump policies on immigration, the environment and reproductive rights.

Bonta is coming into office with a friendlier-to-California Democratic administration in power. As attorney general, Bonta will oversee the California Department of Justice, the state’s top law enforcement agency, and have authority over about 5,000 and a budget of more than $1 billion.

He has less than a year before he will have to run for reelection, and needs to be able to quickly build a base of support in order to hold the seat.

Bonta addressed that quick turnaround on Wednesday, and said he expects to meet challengers when he is up for reelection in 2022.

“My theme in any election has always been ‘the voters will decide, but I will never be outworked,’” he said. “So I’m going to put in the elbow grease, the hard work. I know what it takes to win a campaign.”

Bonta’s seat in the 18th Assembly District, which contains parts of Oakland, Alameda, and San Leandro, will be filled via special election. The district is overwhelmingly Democratic, reelecting Bonta with 87% of the vote in 2020.

This story was originally published March 24, 2021 at 1:45 PM.