As a member of Westview’s mock trial team, I have been deeply invested in the upcoming election of our state’s next attorney general. Since the attorney general represents the people of California in civil and criminal court cases at all levels of court, it is imperative that the candidate we elect shares the beliefs of Californians and is open to discussing the concerns of our citizens. After extensively researching both candidates, I’ve come to the conclusion that California’s values best align with that of the incumbent candidate Rob Bonta and if I were able to cast my vote this year, I’d vote for Bonta as attorney general. 

Bonta has been serving as our attorney general for two years now with a prior two years of experience on the Alameda City Council and eight years in the California State Legislature. Bonta was admitted into the California State Bar in 1999 and has worked on cases ranging from patent infringement to legal malpractice to violent crime.

Throughout his career, Bonta continuously demonstrated his strong sense of civic engagement. While earning his J.D. from Yale Law School, Bonta concurrently served as a site coordinator for Leadership, Education, and Athletics in Partnership (LEAP), a non-profit organization that mentors youth in high-poverty urban neighborhoods through developing responsible decision-making skills.

 Further, as a member of the California State Assembly, Bonta showed his regard for the general public by actively responding to current events. Following the murder of George Floyd, Bonta introduced a bill to criminalize making police calls for reasons of racial, religious, or gender bias. When Bonta served as a state legislator, he also co-authored a Constitutional Amendment against enforcing the death penalty with California governor Gavin Newsom. 

Throughout his first two years in office thus far, Bonta has gained my trust as an outspoken advocate for people of color, the LGBTQIA+ community, and many more underrepresented communities, just as he had promised to be to voters during his campaign. Bonta spearheaded the launch of multiple outreach programs, one of which being the Regional Human Trafficking and Sexual Predator Apprehension Teams (HT/SPAT), a program in which law enforcement officials investigate trends in human trafficking and work with non-governmental organizations to provide resources to sexual abuse victims and survivors. He also created the Office of Community Awareness, Response, and Engagement (CARE), which ensures that decisions made in the Department of Justice are preapproved by communities such as people of color or indigenous groups. He launched an Office of Gun Violence Prevention, in which law enforcement individuals investigate data as to whether or not current California gun laws are effective and to regulate the seizure of guns and firearms from dangerous individuals. 

Aside from his accomplishments on behalf of all Americans, Bonta has also made advancements in protecting our environment by leading a coalition to defend California’s waiver under the Clean Air Act. Bonta pushed for zero-emission vehicles because he sought to protect the health of Californians by decreasing pollution and improving air quality. 

In his current campaign to attain a second  term as attorney general, Bonta said he hopes to “redefine ‘violent crime’” by adding 23 offenses to the scope of the phrase, including domestic violence and rape of an unconscious person and he vows to push against the death penalty. 

Bonta has also spoken out against notario fraud, a type of fraud where individuals pose as legal professionals and give false legal advice to immigrant communities, and he aims to seek greater legal repercussions for this crime. By understanding the specific and intricate issues that people of color and immigrants in America may face, Bonta demonstrates his awareness of issues impacting all demographics.

One major difference between Bonta and opposing candidate Nathan Hochman is the amount of information they share with the media. While Bonta speaks candidly on his pro-choice stance and advocacy for common sense gun laws, Hochman has given minimal comments on controversial issues including gun control, abortion, and the death penalty. Hochman stated in an interview with Fox40 that he is pro-choice, but he later stated in that same interview that he would allow state legislature to decide whether or not out-of-state women should be allowed to seek safe abortions in California.

With more than 80% of California voters indicating that abortion is an important issue in our nation, I find that a candidate’s clear stance on the topic would provide voters with greater clarity of who they would like to vote for and support to lead the California Supreme Court.

Through his legislative efforts on the behalf of various underrepresented communities and his transparency, Bonta has gained my trust thus far in the 18 months he has served as our attorney general. With clear objectives in mind and his constant communication with Californians, I believe Bonta is, as he states, an “attorney for the people” who will continue to make positive change in our state if he is re-elected.