After months of speculation, Rob Bonta is California’s new Attorney General. As a proven environmental champion with a lifetime score of 100% on our environmental scorecard, we are thrilled with this decision and what this means for our movement.
As an organization, we are dedicated to the fight against the climate crisis and the fight for equality and equity for all. A key player in this is our state’s attorney general.
California’s Attorney General is responsible for enforcing our state’s laws, which includes environmental regulations that could protect our futures. As the fifth largest economy in the world, our attorney general is essential to enforcing regulations against the 100 companies responsible for 71% of global carbon emissions.
In recent years, we’ve supported Xavier Becerra as he fought back against the Trump administration’s attacks on our environment and our state’s efforts to lead with establishing our own clean air and fuel emission standards.
Our attorney general also has the power to stand up for Californians against big corporations, polluters, and organizations that prey on the most vulnerable communities. In this role, Becerra was the first state attorney general to establish an environmental justice bureau and consistently fought for clean air and water for all Californians.
With less than 10 years to avert a climate catastrophe, a lot was riding on this appointment because the Attorney General can make or break our state’s progress. Becerra’s legacy laid the groundwork for ambitious climate moves, and we are confident Rob Bonta has what it takes to keep this momentum going. After being sworn in as Attorney General, Bonta has already moved to expand the environmental justice bureau, which will allow for more support in the fight to protect communities disproportionately impacted by pollution and public health risks.
Bonta has been an environmental champion for California’s families with a proven track record of centering climate and equity in his work. As Deputy City Attorney in San Francisco, Bonta protected California consumers, worked to prevent racial profiling, and uplifted the voices of marginalized communities. As Assemblymember, Bonta consistently led on key legislation to advance climate justice and protect our future. With the recent increase of anti-Asian hate crimes, Bonta serving as the first Filipino-American Attorney General will be the representation the AAPI community needs during this time.
With all this said, EnviroVoters looks forward to working with Rob Bonta and what our movement can accomplish with him in this role.
