Government
Jan. 26, 2017
New state attorney general says he welcomes Holder
Gov. Jerry Brown delivered a fiery State of the State speech on Tuesday, moments after swearing in new Attorney General Xavier Becerra.
Daily Journal Staff Writer
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown delivered a fiery State of the State speech on Tuesday, moments after swearing in new Attorney General Xavier Becerra.
While he praised "civil" Republicans in the state Legislature, much of his speech dwelled on "disturbing" signs and "alternative facts" he said were coming from the new administration of President Donald J. Trump. Brown signaled defiance on immigration, health care and climate change policy.
A short time later, Becerra held his first press conference as attorney general and announced he would run for a full term in two years. His future plans had become the most contentious issue in his otherwise easy, three-week path to confirmation.
"2018 is around the corner," Becerra said. "Now that I am official, I will tell you that I will officially open an account and do everything it takes to be a candidate for this office. Before that, I didn't want to put the cart before the horse."
The announcement will likely dissuade most or all of the several Democrats who had previously declared for the office. Former Attorney General Kamala D. Harris was set to term out in two years, but instead won a seat in the U.S. Senate.
Earlier on Tuesday, Becerra resigned from the Los Angeles congressional seat he had held for 24 years.
Becerra again denied that he felt threatened that the Democratic leaders of the Legislature had retained former Obama administration Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. Holder's firm, Covington & Burling LLP, will advise on potential battles with the new presidential administration.
Republicans in the state Legislature have criticized the hiring of Holder and questioned whether his presence is necessary — or politically prudent — when Becerra will be the state's chief law enforcement officer.
Becerra called Holder a friend and said he looks forward to being on the same team.
"They'll get sage counsel from someone who understands the workings of the federal government, who understands the Department of Justice at the federal level," Becerra said.
Becerra said he plans to meet with attorneys general in other states "so we can start charting a path together as a team." He then announced plans to make an official visit to the Central Valley to meet with law enforcement and others in a part of California where he said people often feel "neglected."
The state's first Latino attorney general also thanked his parents, both of whom attended his swearing-in, "for never letting me forget my Spanish." He then answered several questions from Spanish language media.
Becerra offered few specifics about immigration or other areas on which he may clash with the Trump administration.
But these topics dominated Brown's speech. The governor praised Becerra as a "son of immigrants," before noting his own great-grandfather's 1852 arrival in California from Germany aboard "a ship named Perseverance."
He then cited "several protective measures for the undocumented" that he was prepared to defend, including driver's licenses, employment rights and the TRUST Act, a law that went into effect in 2014 that limits immigration holds in California jails with the goal of increasing cooperation between law enforcement and communities of people who have entered the country without legal permission.
"Let me be clear: We will defend everybody — every man, woman and child — who has come here for a better life and has contributed to the well-being of our state," Brown said.
malcolm_maclachlan@dailyjournal.com
Malcolm Maclachlan
malcolm_maclachlan@dailyjournal.com
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