California Governor Gavin Newsom nominated Filipino American Rob Bonta to become the next attorney general of California on Wednesday, March 24 (March 25 in Manila).

Governor Gavin Newsom held a press conference in San Francisco to announce his selection for attorney general.

“It’s one of the most important positions not just in the state, but in the United States. Just consider what our former attorney general [Xavier] Becerra did pushing back against all things Trump and Trumpism,” Newsom said.  

The 48-year-old Bonta said in a tweet after the announcement that he was “honored and humbled” to be chosen for the post. Bonta was also the first Filipino American to be elected to California’s state assembly, where he has been representing the district covering the cities of Oakland, Alameda and San Leandro since 2012.

Bonta’s nomination comes after US President Joe Biden tapped former attorney general Xavier Becerra as secretary of health and human services.

Bonta was born in Quezon City in 1972 and migrated to California when he was only two months old.

His parents were both activists involved in the overseas movement against the regime of Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos and the labor rights movement for migrant farmworkers in California.

Activist and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams were among those who congratulated Bonta, her former law school classmate.

Bonta’s legislative priorities as assembly member included several criminal justice reform measures such as expunging marijuana-related offenses from criminal records, and eliminating private prisons.

He also proposed state laws that would ban evictions without just cause and the creation of an independent body that would review shootings involving the police. – Rappler.com