Attorney General

The Attorney General is the state’s top lawyer and law enforcement official, protecting and serving the people and interests of California through a broad range of duties. The Attorney General’s responsibilities include safeguarding Californians from harm and promoting community safety, preserving California’s spectacular natural resources, enforcing civil rights laws, and helping victims of identity theft, mortgage-related fraud, illegal business practices, and other consumer crimes.

Overseeing more than 5,400 lawyers, investigators, sworn peace officers, and other employees, the Attorney General:

• Manages programs and special projects to detect and crack down on fraudulent, unfair and illegal activities that victimize consumers or threaten public safety.
• Represents the People of California in civil and criminal matters before trial courts, appellate courts and the supreme courts of California and the United States.
• Serves as legal counsel to state officers and, with few exceptions, to state agencies, boards and commissions.
• Assists district attorneys, local law enforcement and federal and international criminal justice agencies in the administration of justice.
• Strengthens California’s law enforcement community by coordinating statewide narcotics enforcement efforts, supporting criminal investigations and providing forensic science services, identification and information services and telecommunication support.

California’s top cop carries out the governor’s law enforcement directives. The attorney general’s job touches almost every facet of life in California, from the environment to its tech sector and consumer protections. During both Trump administrations, the attorney general’s office led high-profile lawsuits defending policies favored by California Democrats.

• Democrat Rob Bonta, seeking reelection as California attorney general, centers his campaign on fighting Trump administration lawsuits while addressing the state’s affordability crisis.
• Republican Michael Gates attacks Bonta’s focus on federal battles, arguing California’s real problems are crime, homelessness and the nation’s highest cost of living.
• The race reflects deep divisions over whether California should prioritize resisting Trump policies or focus on bread-and-butter issues affecting residents’ everyday lives. – LA Times