Justice for ALL Californians
Thank you, Governor. I am humbled by the confidence you have placed in me. And I would like to thank my wife Mia and my kids for always being by my side.
I stand here today on the shoulders of giants. People like the Asian & Filipino activists who assembled here to save the International Hotel in 1977. They were joined in solidarity by LGBT, Latino and Black brothers and sisters in the fight for their homes and the survival of their community.
Forty-five years ago, my mom helped lead that protest. And today, she is here to see a Governor nominate her son to be California’s first Filipino American Attorney General.
My parents – they are my heroes. They were activists who marched for civil rights in Selma and advocated for democracy in the Philippines. When I was a few months old, they joined Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta to organize exploited farmworkers in the Central Valley for better pay and working conditions.
They instilled in my siblings and me a commitment to making the world a better place. They taught me to call out – and root out – injustice whenever I saw it. That’s why I decided to become a lawyer for the people, because I understood that a crime against any one of us is a crime against all of us.
Inspired by characters like Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird and the stories of the farmworkers our family had known, I knew the law provided the best path to make a positive difference for the most people.
After serving as a deputy city attorney in San Francisco for almost a decade, I was fortunate enough to be elected by the people of Oakland, Alameda, and San Leandro to the State Legislature.
In the Assembly, I have focused on how our state can fix systemic injustices – taking on big polluters, fighting for a fairer criminal justice system, protecting consumers and defending our communities from the forces of hate. As your Attorney General, I won’t back down in pursuing justice for all of our residents.
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.
Thank you again, Governor, for this awesome responsibility and honor. I intend to make you, my family, and the people of California proud.
