Pondering governor run, Atty. Gen. faces questions on legal spending

California Adv. Gen. Rob Bonta is considering running for governor. He faces scrutiny over his ties to people at the center of the federal corruption investigation in Oakland and his payments to private attorneys.

Bonta has not been accused of impropriety, but the questions come at an inconvenient time for the Democrat, who said earlier this year he was reconsidering his bid for governor after being repeatedly rejected.

Bonta said former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Alex Padilla’s decisions not to run for office changed the course of the race.

“I already had two horses in the governor’s race,” Bonta said in an interview with The Times on Friday. “They ultimately decided not to get involved. … Racing is fundamentally different today, isn’t it?”

Bonta said he has received significant incentive to join the crowded governor’s field and expects to make a decision “absolutely sooner rather than later.” Political advisors for the 54-year-old Alameda politician are reaching out to powerful Democrats across the state to gauge his potential support.

Historically, serving as California attorney general has been a starting point for advancement to higher office or a senior post in Washington. Harris, who was elected as state attorney general for two terms, was later elected to the US Senate and then vice president. Jerry Brown held the post before voters elected him a second term as governor in 2010. Earl Warren later became chief justice of the Supreme Court.

Bonta, the first Filipino American to serve as the state’s top law enforcement official, was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in March 2021 after Xavier Becerra resigned to become U.S. Health and Human Services secretary. Bonta easily won election for attorney general in 2022.

Before being elected to the State Assembly in 2012, Bonta was assistant city attorney in San Francisco and deputy mayor of the city of Alameda. During his tenure representing the Alameda area, Bonta earned a reputation as a progressive willing to push policies to strengthen tenants’ rights and reform the criminal justice system.

As the state’s top law enforcement official, Bonta has aggressively fought President Trump’s policies and actions, filing 46 lawsuits against the administration.

Bonta also faced controversy last week when Bonta’s advisers said they suspected an attempt to harm him as they evaluated a potential escape.

“Political hackers understand that it’s actually a sign of respect, almost an endorsement. Clearly others are afraid of him,” said senior Democratic strategist Dan Newman, an adviser to Bonta.

On Monday, KCRA reported that Bonta spent about $500,000 His campaign fund last year included personal lawyers to represent him in dealings with federal investigators working on a public corruption investigation in Oakland.

website on Thursday East Bay Insider As the investigation heated up in the spring of 2024, Bonta reportedly received a letter from an Oakland businessman warning him that he might soon be subject to blackmail.

Letter writer Mario Juarez warned Bonta that another businessman, Andy Duong, had “a recording of him in an inappropriate situation.”

Duong was later indicted on federal bribery charges along with his father, David Duong, and former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. They all pleaded not guilty. This week, an attorney for David Duong said Juarez, widely believed to be the informant in the case against the Duongs and Thao, is not trustworthy. Juarez could not be reached for comment.

Bonta said his legal expenses came to light after he began meeting with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, saying prosecutors approached him because they thought he might be the victim of blackmail or extortion. Bonta said the help came after he turned over the letter he received from Juarez to law enforcement.

Bonta said he has hired attorneys to help him review information he has that could help federal investigators.

“I wanted to give them all the information they wanted, all the information they needed, to help, to help, get it to him as quickly as I could,” Bonta said. “Maybe there was a puzzle piece or two that could help them in their investigation.”

He said there may have been an “audible gasp” when he saw the bill, but that all documents and communications that may be relevant to the federal investigation must be turned over quickly.

“Billing rates at private law firms are not high or insignificant,” Bonta said. “We were moving quickly to be as responsive as possible, to be as helpful as possible, to be as helpful as possible, and that meant multiple attorneys working long hours.”

Bonta said the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission also alerted him that it had received a complaint against him. Bonta and his advisers believe the case involves the use of campaign funds to pay legal fees and suspect it was done by the campaign of a current gubernatorial candidate.

“We’re not worried,” Bonta said. “This is politics.”

Asked whether the news would hinder a potential gubernatorial campaign, Bonta dismissed any suggestion that it might have “baggage.” He said he was assisting federal prosecutors with their investigations in hopes of holding people accountable.

“That’s what I expect everyone to do, especially someone as committed to public safety as I am.” he said. “This is my job: to help, to support, to provide information, to assist.”