California Attorney General Xavier Becerra made it his mission to defend the rights of every Californian — especially when it came to immigration, health care, and environmental protections.

Now, he has been tapped by the Biden administration to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services, the first ever Latino to hold the position. He will be charged with leading the U.S. out of this pandemic, while overseeing the CDC, FDA, Medicare, and Medicaid.

“It's our turn to build up and to back up our doctors and medical professionals, our hospitals and clinics battling the coronavirus,” Becerra said in his acceptance speech. “Our turn to restore faith and confidence in our leaders to deliver solutions that unite and heal us.”

As California’s "top cop," Becerra filed nearly 50 lawsuits against the Trump administration for what he calls "attempts to violate Californian’s constitutional rights and well-being."

On this episode of LA Stories with Giselle Fernandez, Becerra sat down with Fernandez before his Biden appointment to talk at length about the need for these lawsuits and the other big issues he’s worked on for California.

"No person, including the guy in the White House is above the law,” he said. "We’re going to lean as far forward as we can, and if you get in our way, be ready."

Becerra, the son of Mexican immigrants, also shares his parents' path to achieving their American dream. Seeing their hard work and determination to build a better future for their family in America is what fuels Becerra’s bold leadership — something he will certainly carry with him in his new position as Secretary of H.H.S.

"I think our best days are still ahead, certainly in California, but I think as a country as well,” he said. “My sense is that this is an era that lets us decide, 'Are we truly one nation, one family, or not?'" And I believe most Americans are going to say, 'It really is in our interest to treat each other as one family.'"