A Filipino-American, Robert “Rob” Andres Bonta, has been nominated as Attorney General of California, the most populous state in the US, by Governor Gavin Newsom. Until 2017, the same office was occupied by US Vice President Kamala Harris prior to her election as the first colored American Senator from her state. As we now know, Kamala Harris was elected Vice President of the US in a turbulent election last year. Bonta will fill the remaining term of Xavier Becerra who was appointed by President Joe Biden as the new US Health and Human Services Secretary.
Bonta was born a day after martial law was declared in the Philippines on September 22, 1972. He was barely two months old when the family left Quezon City to settle in California Central Valley where his parents worked for the United Farm Workers of America. They resisted the authoritarian regime of Marcos in the Philippines and found home organizing the California farmworkers who were mostly Filipinos and Mexicans. His early exposures to injustices and social wrongs committed against the poor ingrained in him the intense desire to right them. Bonta spoke with passion and commitment when he said: “Those lessons stuck with me, and it became clear to me that an injustice against one is an injustice against all. It made me want to become an attorney to fight for people who’ve been wronged, who’ve been hurt, who’ve been harmed, who’ve been mistreated, and be their champion.” Bonta personally believed that the law provided the best path to make a positive difference in the lives of many people. Big words but he has matched it with actions.
Bonta has caught initial public attention by getting elected as the first Fil-Am in the State Legislature of California where he has served the state’s 18th Assembly District covering the East Bay area of Oakland, Alameda and San Leandro. He has authored several laws seeking to improve the criminal justice system such as a legislation that will phase out the use of private or for-profit prisons and detention facilities. Recently, he has filed a bill denominating racially motivated 911 calls as hate crimes. He has also proposed a legislation to provide funds to community-based organizations that render mental health services for victims of hate crimes and restorative justice. It also recommends eligibility for compensation to victims of hate violence even if they do not submit a police report. Bonta currently serves as the Assistant Majority Leader in the California State Legislature.
Bonta finished his Bachelor’s Degree in History at Yale University and pursued a law degree at the same school, pitting talents and locking horns with the best and the brightest legal minds both from the faculty and the student ranks. Soon after leaving Yale, he served as a law clerk for one of the more progressive and respected judges in the country, Judge Alvin W. Thompson of the US District Court for the District of Connecticut. Then he worked in a reputable law firm in the San Francisco Bay Area where he further honed his legal practice. Later, he joined the public service as Deputy City Attorney of the City of San Francisco where he stayed for 10 years until he got elected to the state legislature in 2012.
Bonta is our pride and joy. Together with other prominent Fil-Ams who have brought honor to our country, we trust that Bonta will continue to distinguish themselves in public service. After his nomination was announced, Bonta declared that one of his top agenda “is to make sure that we protect those who are facing the forces of hate and that we hold accountable those who perpetrate hate violence against others in our community.” In an interview made by the Managing Editor of the Asian Journal, Bonta recalled the early years when many business establishments in California posted signs at their doors which read: “No Filipinos allowed.” But now, Bonta avers that: “In today’s California everyone is not just allowed, we belong.” And it is heartwarming to hear him say, “I will do everything in my power to make sure everyone continues to belong and that I fight for them.” Bonta vowed that the “government should work for the people—not the powerful—and as Attorney General, I will make it my mission to hold the powerful accountable when they cheat Californians and abuse the public trust.” This must be music to the ears of every Filipino who has adopted the US as their own country particularly in the light of the ongoing hate crimes being waged against the Asian Americans. The post of Attorney General of a major American state in the US like New York, California and Texas is a stepping stone to get elected or appointed to a higher office. The incumbent governor or Texas, Greg Abbott, and his predecessor, Texas Senator John Cornyn, both served as attorney general of the state. Current New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, and the disgraced former NY Governor Eliot Spitzer, made their name as a crusading attorney General of New York. We are now all familiar with the career path of Vice President Kamala Harris whose political star rose when she was elected the Attorney General of California. Former Governor Jerry Brown had earlier used the office as a springboard to catapult him to the governorship. The state attorney general is the chief lawyer and head of the state’s department of justice. He wields great power which can promote one’s political stock and destroy political enemies. California has the largest legal department in the US, second only to the US Federal Department of Justice. Bonta, if confirmed, will lead more than 1,100 lawyers and 3,700 non-attorneys in his department. Reared by parents who were both civil rights advocates who had worked and rubbed elbows with Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, two acknowledged champions of farmworkers in the US, Bonta has the DNA to protect the legal rights of every American, particularly the oppressed. Getting the best education and exceptional work experience which his keen intellect deserved, Bonta is equipped with adequate tools to overcome his challenging tasks. Since his father is an American citizen, Bonta is considered an American citizen at birth although he was born in Quezon City. He will have limitless opportunities to achieve his American dream. Let’s all pray to that.