Anticipation heats up for name of new attorney general

With an announcement expected this week, Gov. Gavin Newsom is under increased pressure to name an Asian American to replace Xavier Becerra as state attorney general.

A spokesperson for Newsom declined to comment on Monday. Also not commenting: spokespersons for two of the people reputed to be on Newsom’s shortlist, Sacramento Mayor Darrell S. Steinberg and Assemblyman Robert A. Bonta, D-Alameda.

Another name mentioned is Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Los Angeles. Once reputed to be the front-runner, and long known as a favorite of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, progressives have spoken out against Schiff over his role in tough-on-crime laws passed when he was a member of the California State Senate.

Four others on the lists of the speculators are: Equality California Executive Director Rick Zbur, Santa Clara District Attorney Jeffrey A. Rosen, Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton, and California Supreme Court Justice Goodwin H. Liu.

Of those four, people speaking off the record on Monday named only Liu as being part of Newsom’s shortlist. The governor has been under growing pressure to name an Asian-American attorney general in the face of new awareness of anti-Asian violence around the nation.

Meanwhile, there has been growing buzz around Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance. Like Bonta and Steinberg — and unlike Schiff — Lieu has maintained his active membership in the State Bar for many years while serving in elected office.

Unlike Bonta and Liu, both of whom sources say have aggressively sought the job, Lieu has reportedly not tried as hard to put pressure on Newsom. Lieu’s congressional office did not respond to a call seeking comment on Monday.

Naming Lieu may also come with other advantages. While several of the top candidates would help bolster Newsom’s left flank as he seeks to defeat a recall attempt, Lieu might be uniquely suited to do so. Like Schiff, he has the national name identification that Bonta, Liu and Steinberg lack. He has 1.6 million Twitter followers. This is fewer than Schiff, but Lieu has developed a reputation as a Twitter personality who aggressively criticizes Republicans.

Lieu also served in the California Legislature for 10 years, six years longer than Schiff, and did so far more recently, in an era of progressive dominance. He chaired the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus and was known for legislation on environmental issues, criminal justice, foreclosures and domestic violence. Like Schiff, he now serves in a district Democrats consider safe.

Unlike other top attorney general prospects, Lieu has run for the office in the past. In 2010, he raised about $1.5 million and came in fourth in a crowded Democratic primary with 10.5% of the vote. The winner of that race, with just 33.1%, was then San Francisco District Attorney Kamala D. Harris.

That last name puts the value of the job into perspective. Unlike Becerra, who parlayed more than 100 lawsuits against President Donald Trump’s administration into a Cabinet position under President Joe Biden, the new attorney general won’t have the foil of a Republican president. But neither did Harris when she rode the job into the U.S. Senate.