Harris begins historic role as attorney general
She’ll push being ‘smart on crime’
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Continuing to push her theme “getting smart on crime” Kamala Harris was sworn in as the 32nd California attorney general and simultaneously became the first woman, African American and South Asian American to serve in the post.
With nearly 20 years of courtroom experience as a prosecutor, Harris is a litigator who takes a hard line against violent crime, especially victimization of children, but also understands that getting tough on crime and filling up prisons is not the only answer.
“It is often said that a good prosecutor wins convictions, but a great prosecutor has convictions,” Harris said during her swearing-in ceremony. “In the coming four years, and in the continuing work of the attorney general’s office, we are going to do whatever it takes in the cause of protecting and defending the lives and livelihoods of all Californians, by moving beyond the status quo. To do this, we are going to need to get smart on crime—tougher and smarter—about making California the undisputed national leader in innovation in crime fighting.”
Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas also commented on Harris’ crime-fighting approach, calling it “a new way forward for California’s criminal justice system.”
Ridley-Thomas said the attorney general’s goal of reducing the recidivism rate is of particular interest to him because seven of 10 of the120,000 California prisoners released on parole end up back in custody within three years—the highest recidivism rate in the country.
Among her duties as attorney general, Harris will serve as the chief law enforcement officer for the state, and is responsible for making sure all laws are uniformly applied. She (and her office) represents the state and its residents in civil and criminal matters in trial and appellate courts, as well as the supreme courts of California and the United States.
The attorney general also coordinates statewide narcotics enforcement, as well as establishes and operates programs and projects to protect Californians from fraudulent, unfair and illegal activities. The state’s chief lawyer also enforces laws that safeguard the state’s environment and natural resources.
The attorney general post is limited to two, four-year terms, and in the recent past, the job has served as a springboard to higher office. Most recently, Jerry Brown served as attorney general before being elected to governor last November. George Deukmejian moved straight from a four-year stint as the chief law enforcement officer into the governor’s office, and Gov. Brown’s father—Edmund G. Brown Sr.—worked two terms as the attorney general (1951-1959) then won election as governor in 1977.
Like much of the world, I watched with anticipation the rescue of the 33 Chilean miners stranded for 69 days more than 2,000 feet underground. With each extraction, two story lines emerged—the individual and the collective.
United States Senator:
Barbara Boxer
UNITED STATES HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVE
33rd Congressional District:
Karen Bass
55th Congressional District:
Laura Richardson
35th Congressional District:
Maxine Waters
State Senator 26th District:
Curren D. Price Jr.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—The African American Voter Registration, Education and Participation (AAVREP) project will close out its general election 2010 campaign activities with a get-out-the-vote (GOTV) rally on Saturday, at 10 a.m. at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, 3650 Martin Luther King Blvd., Los Angeles.
The GOTV rally will feature KJLH and KDAY radio stations as well as special guests and refreshments. It is the final push for AAVREP’s campaign to get more African American’s out to vote this November.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—The Democratic candidate for state attorney general, Kamala Harris, said she will announce legal action against a group that is airing a negative ad against her in her race with Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley.
According to her campaign, an out-of-state group calling itself The Republican State Leadership Association funded the ad, which criticizes Harris for her opposition to the death penalty and a decision she made as district attorney not to seek capital punishment against a man who killed a San Francisco police officer.
This week, as the deadline for new voter registration ended, they had exceed that goal by 1,150 people.
