Will Sacramento Mayor Steinberg be California’s next AG? Newsom pick could come soon
With California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on track to be confirmed to the Biden administration sometime this week, Gov. Gavin Newsom is preparing to fill another high-ranking state position.
Rumored to be among the top candidates is Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, a former state Senate leader who has worked with Newsom on addressing homelessness.
Other potential candidates reported to be on Newsom’s short list include Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Alameda, and Congressman Adam Schiff.
Bonta, known as an advocate for criminal justice reform, has strong backing from Asian American leaders while Schiff reportedly has support from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Steinberg was widely reported as one of the leading candidates for the same post five years ago when then-Attorney General Kamala Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate. Steinberg, however, ran for and won election as Sacramento mayor.
The mayor’s office declined to comment about whether he would take the job if offered, but in talking with The Sacramento Bee last week, Steinberg said he’s focused on other issues at hand.
“I have a lot of very important current responsibilities with my city,” Steinberg said. “First, the AG needs to get confirmed,” he said, referring to Becerra.
Democratic political consultant Andrew Acosta said people know Steinberg as somebody who is a hard worker, and likes “sinking his teeth in and trying to get people to cut a deal, to find common ground on issues.”
In 2004, Steinberg championed a ballot initiative that taxes personal income above $1 million to fund mental health services in the state. In 2010, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library honored him with a “profile in courage” award to recognize him and other legislative leaders from the time for their efforts to break budget stalemates in the Great Recession.
“I think Darrell is pretty smart, and has a long record on the progressive side and the environmental side,” Acosta said. “I think he would be someone that a lot of progressives would be happy with his record.”
Who could be mayor?
Sacramento officials are gaming out how to fill the mayor’s seat if Newsom offers him Becerra’s job.
Vice Mayor Jay Schenirer likely would serve as interim mayor pending a special election to fill the remainder of Steinberg’s term. City code requires the city council to call a special election within two weeks of a mayoral vacancy, and such an election should be held on the next regular election date.
That race would likely have packed field of candidates, including a few current members of the City Council. Acosta said the issues facing the city could impact who runs for mayor. Homelessness, social justice issues and police reform could take on more importance compared to the last few races.
“Steinberg got elected (in 2020) by a solid margin, but what we’ve seen since is a lot of criticism — most of it on social media — of decisions made by the City Council,” Acosta said. “You could have activists running.”
Newsom’s appointments
Newsom in the past has prioritized diversity in his appointments, which could work against Steinberg.
Newsom appointed Alex Padilla to fill Harris’s Senate seat, making Padilla first Latino senator to represent California. Newsom then appointed Shirley Weber to succeed Padilla as secretary of state, making her the first African American to hold that position.
Democratic political consultant Garry South said Steinberg was a terrific Senate president and would be a good pick for the attorney general, but it’s more likely that Newsom will opt to make history with a diverse appointment.
“If you’re a Democrat, you understand the coalition politics that prevails on the Democratic side,” South said. “Appointing a white male attorney general, after the last two attorney generals have been the first African American to hold the job in Kamala Harris and then the first Latino to hold the job, Xavier Becerra, I don’t think the logical continuation of that is to appoint a white male.”
Several Democratic advocacy groups have lobbied Newsom on the attorney general pick.
The California Latino Legislative Caucus has floated four Latina women as prospective picks, including Sen. Anna Caballero, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, Assemblywoman Eloise Gómez Reyes and former Sen. Martha Escutia.
Two LGBTQ advocacy groups, the LGBTQ Victory Fund and HONOR PAC, have announced their support for Rick Chavez Zbur, the leader of the civil rights organization Equality California.
California Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu, meanwhile, received the backing of more than 160 Asian American leaders for the role of attorney general.
Representation is not the only factor in naming a statewide official, Acosta said. As the governor fights to hold onto his own job, he’s likely looking for an attorney general who can handle both the office and win statewide office in less than a year.
“[Newsom] still wants somebody who can win the office and not be a total charity case, and not have a ton of negatives come out of it, where it’s like, every day, they’re on defense,” Acosta said.
This story was originally published March 17, 2021 at 5:00 AM.