SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The race to become California’s top cop is among the most watched races on election day.
Two Republicans, one No Party Preference candidate and a member of the Green Party are vying to unseat California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Bonta, a progressive, in 2021 after his predecessor, Xavier Becerra, vacated that office to serve in President’s Joe Biden’s cabinet.
What You Need To Know
- Rob Bonta was appointed by Gov. Newsom after the former attorney general took a job with the Biden administration
- Bonta is a progressive Democrat and former state assemblyman
- The four candidates facing Bonta are Anne Marie Schubert, Nathan Hochman, Eric Early and Dan Kapelovitz
- The top two candidates, regardless of party, advance to the general election.
The two GOP candidates are Eric Early and Nathan Hochman.
Hochman is Los Angeles native and former U.S. Assistant Attorney General. The father of three said safety and security are the top reasons he is running.
“Part of my focus is to bring back consequences for crime,” noted the former federal prosecutor, who blames Proposition 47 for the uptick in crime across the state. “There are some forms of punishment that are more effective outside of prison, but there has to always be consequences for criminal action.”
Hochman, who’s also chaired LA's City Ethics Commission is endorsed by the California Republican Party. If elected, Hochman shares he would also like to focus on the homelessness and fentanyl crisis.
“We should be having task forces — federal, state and local task forces,” adds Hochman. “Give resources to those task forces to go after the fentanyl dealers and suppliers.”
The other Republican candidate in the race, Eric Early, has been an attorney in Southern California for 30 years. Early’s name might sound familiar because he ran for Congress in 2020 and for state attorney general in 2018.
“I ran then, and I ran now because I’m so concerned with what’s happening with our state,” said Early.
Early describes California as a "criminal’s paradise" and says the AG’s office needs to be tougher on crime.
“I will do whatever I can to get rid of this Proposition 47,” Early emphasized.
The LA-based attorney explains how he would repeal the controversial proposition if elected.
“I was the lead lawyer for the recall Gavin Newsom movement, and I will work with the folks that ran the Recall Newsom team, and we will get what’s called a referendum in the books,” explained Hochman.
As for the No Party Preference candidate, Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said she joined the race because she feels California has lost its way when it comes to crime and public safety.
“I’m a fixer by nature, and I believe very strongly that I can get in and address the problems, which, right now, the most significant ones that face every day Californians are violent crime, rampant drug addiction, mental health and homelessness,” Schubert said.
The 31-year career prosecutor gained national attention for the arrest and prosecution of Joseph James DeAngelo, also known as the Golden State Killer.
The majority of district attorneys across California endorsed Schubert, as well as dozens of law enforcement groups.
“I have built a reputation in this state for many years as someone who’s a true advocate for justice, public safety, and victims. I wasn’t handed those endorsements. I think I earned them,” she noted.
The openly gay district attorney and only woman in the race points out that while she doesn’t think we should go back to the tough on crime approach from the 1990s, she does believe in more accountability from the attorney general’s office.
“There’s always a place for rehabilitation and for individuals that lose their way, but when somebody commits a violent crime, they have to be held accountable. That’s something the victim deserves. That’s what society deserves,” Schubert added.
Green Party candidate Dan Kapelovitz is a criminal defense and animal rights attorney.
“As attorney general, I’ll fight to end mass-incarceration, reform the criminal justice system, take on corporate polluters and aggressively enforce laws meant to protect animals, the environment and civil rights,” Kapelovitz wrote on his campaign website.
Spectrum News reached out to Bonta’s campaign multiple times to request an interview but did not receive a response.
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