Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown Jr.

While there's been buzz as of late about a possible run - again - for the governor's office, Brown grabbed plenty of headlines this year for his role as the state's attorney general. When he wasn't busy fighting the federal Environmental Protection Agency over tailpipe emissions regulations, he sued Countrywide Financial, accusing the lender of using deceptive tactics to lure home buyers into risky loans. And, last month, he announced new guidelines to crack down on dealers masquerading as legitimate medical marijuana clubs, made legal when the state's voters passed Proposition 215 in 1996.