California’s attorney general faces a serious Republican challenger. Here’s our choice
If there’s one issue on which California Attorney General Rob Bonta and challenger Nathan Hochman agree, it’s that public safety is job Nos. 1, 2 and 3 for the office. Mass shootings, viral videos of retail theft and open-air drug markets have preoccupied the state, and frustrated voters are understandably seeking a more convincing response to crime.
In truth, however, crime is fought at the local level, and criminal penalties are determined by the Legislature and judges. The attorney general heads an agency required to enforce the laws on the books, provide support and oversight of local agencies, and protect the constitutional rights of Californians.
Since Bonta’s historic appointment last year as the first Filipino American to serve as California attorney general, allowing him to serve the remainder of now-Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra’s term, the Democrat has shown attentive leadership on many of the state’s most pressing public safety challenges. He has also worked to put teeth in the state’s housing laws, protect reproductive rights, enforce sensible gun laws and address environmental justice issues that matter to ordinary Californians. He deserves the opportunity to serve a full four-year term.
Bonta has been aggressive in addressing the scourge of gun violence, which was responsible for more than 3,400 deaths in 2020 and a surge in homicides over the last few years in Sacramento and other cities. He recently announced the creation of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, the first of its kind. The state Department of Justice is also fighting attempts to roll back California’s assault weapons ban and large-capacity magazine restrictions while bolstering efforts to hold ghost gun manufacturers accountable, whether through the courts or regulation.
A Yale Law graduate and former state assemblyman from the Bay Area, Bonta boasts invaluable relationships in the Legislature that have helped attract resources and manpower to California’s Department of Justice. Notably, Bonta recently secured a roughly $7 million annual commitment to a fentanyl task force as well as additional funding to address issues such as organized retail theft.
Bonta’s aggressive stance on housing oversight has been a refreshing and needed departure, forcing local officials in several cities to abandon attempts to block state laws designed to alleviate California’s far-reaching housing crisis. In a case in Livermore, the state DOJ intervened to help an affordable-housing development overcome bad-faith attempts to delay construction and compromise funding.
Hochman, Bonta’s Republican challenger, boasts three decades of criminal justice experience as both a prosecutor and defense attorney. The Stanford Law graduate served as a federal prosecutor in California and as an assistant attorney general overseeing the U.S. Department of Justice’s Tax Division under President George W. Bush. He currently works in private practice in Southern California.
Hochman is the sort of Republican candidate California could use more of. He’s an experienced public official who is pro-choice, anti-Trump and apparently interested in serving all Californians, not just the Republican base.
But in his interviews with California’s McClatchy editorial boards this year, Hochman failed to make a compelling case for why he would be a superior alternative to the incumbent. Nor could Hochman explain why voters should expect more conservative law enforcement to stem an increase in homicides that has unfolded nationwide, regardless of the party in power. His campaign echoes grievances over criminal justice reforms that align with right-wing narratives but not broader crime rates, which generally remain close to their lowest levels in five decades.
Bonta has shown an ability to honor calls for greater public safety while boosting his office’s efforts in key areas such as hate crimes, environmental justice, civil rights and housing. He has earned another four years.
This story was originally published October 4, 2022 at 12:00 PM.