 |
| Assemblymember Rob Bonta in front of a portrait of a former tenant of the International Hotel, was nominated to become California's next Attorney General. |
Picking the site of the old International Hotel in San Francisco for Rob Bonta's first press conference after being nominated as California's new Attorney General is full of meaning tying the past with the future.
“Thank you, Governor Newsom, for the privilege and honor of a lifetime,” Bonta said on Wednesday, speaking from I-Hotel Manilatown Center. “I’m so humbled in the trust, faith and the confidence that you placed in me.The I-Hotel was the last remaining vestige of the city's Manilatown and the home for elderly Filipino and Chinese tenants. It was the site of years of protests as young Asian Americans fought to save the affordable residential hotel for its residents.The protests helped fuel a rise in AAPI political activism.
Bonta’s mother was on hand today to witness Newsom announce her son's selection. In the 1970s, she worked with Emil de Guzman organizing the protests to save the hotel. "He has a certain tenaciousness that I saw when he was a young kid," said de Guzman, who has known Bonta and his family for decades.
If Assemblyman Bonta's nomination is approved -- and it is likely he will be approved by the Democrat-majority in the state legislature -- he would become the first Filipino American to occupy that high-profile post which is often the launching pad for higher office.
The 48-year old legislator is filling the seat vacated by Xavier Becerra, who was recently sworn in as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
One of Bonta's noteworthy pieces of legislation was to make the state recognize and observe the birthday of Larry Itliong, a Filipino American labor leader who led the nationwide grape boycott in 1965 and with Cesar Chavez, formed the United Farmworkers.
Throughout his career in public service, Bonta has taken on big fights to reverse historic injustice – many affecting communities of color. He has been a leader in the fight to reform California's justice system and stand up to the forces of hate.
“Rob represents what makes California great – our desire to take on righteous fights and reverse systematic injustices,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “Growing up with parents steeped in social justice movements, Rob has become a national leader in the fight to repair our justice system and defend the rights of every Californian. And most importantly, at this moment when so many communities are under attack for who they are and who they love, Rob has fought to strengthen hate crime laws and protect our communities from the forces of hate. He will be a phenomenal Attorney General, and I can’t wait to see him get to work.”
Assemblymember Rob Bonta was elected to the California State Assembly’s 18th District in 2012, where he represents the cities of Oakland, Alameda and San Leandro. He became the first Filipino American state legislator in California’s then 160-plus-year history.
“I became a lawyer because I saw the law as the best way to make a positive difference for the most people, and it would be an honor of a lifetime to serve as the attorney for the people of this great state.," said Bonta.
"As California’s Attorney General, I will work tirelessly every day to ensure that every Californian who has been wronged can find justice and that every person is treated fairly under the law.”
Newsom made the announcement at the historic International Hotel in San Francisco, a site where Asian and Pacific Islander Californians famously rallied in 1977 to save homes of elderly residents and preserve their community. The protests helped fuel a rise in AAPI political activism. Bonta’s mother, who helped organize the protest at the International Hotel, was on hand today to witness the Governor making his selection.
Bonta grew up the son of activists. His mother, Cynthia, a proud Filipina, immigrated to California in the 1960s. His father, Warren, who grew up in Ventura County, was committed to service and social justice from a young age. As a student, the elder Bonta joined Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights organizing in Alabama to pass the Voting Rights Act.
Warren and Cynthia Bonta were working as missionaries in the Philippines when Rob was born, training young people to serve the needs of rural Philippine villages through service, community organizing and ministry.
When Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law, the Bonta family decided to return to the U.S.
Shortly after leaving the Philippines, the Bontas moved to a trailer in La Paz, in the Tehachapi Mountains outside Bakersfield and served in the headquarters for the United Farm Workers movement. Rob Bontas parents worked alongside Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta and Philip Veracruz, organizing Latino and Filipino farmworkers for racial, economic and civil rights.
It was in La Paz, surrounded by other UFW families, that Rob Bonta’s parents gave him his first lessons in right and wrong and taught him that everyone had an obligation to speak out when another person is treated unfairly.
Growing up, Bonta had been inspired by characters like Atticus Finch in “To Kill A Mockingbird” to pursue justice through the law, and reflecting on the stories of the farmworkers his family had known only strengthened that resolve. Bonta was accepted to Yale Law School. It was also at Yale that he met his wife Mia, who he calls “his partner in life and in service.”
 |
TWITTER / BONTA California Assemblymember Rob Bonta, left, and his family. |
After law school, Bonta moved back to California and went into private practice, working pro-bono to protect Californians from exploitation and racial profiling. A few years later, Bonta decided to pursue his passion for public service and put his legal experience to work to help his community full-time. Bonta served nine years as a Deputy City Attorney in the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, representing the city and its employees, before running for local office in Alameda County.
At the State Capitol, Bonta passed major reforms that reversed long-standing injustices. He quickly became a statewide leader in the fights for racial, economic and environmental justice, advancing reforms that put California on the cutting edge.
The AAPI communities make up about 16% of California's population of 40 million, according to the US Census. Attacks against AAPI have been occurring throughout the state but concentrations of incidents have been in the Los Angeles and San Francisco urban areas.
Bonta's nomination was the result of a lobbying campaign by AAPI leaders that began the day after the November presidential election that saw Harris take the Vice President post. All of California's Filipino American elected officials sent a letter to Newsom's office urging him to pick Bonta. Potential rivals withdrew their name in favor of the Assemlymember.
“Rob is a fighter for justice and will protect Californians at every opportunity,” David Chiu, a Democratic assemblyman and member of the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) legislative caucus, tweeted on Wednesday. “This is a historic nomination for API communities at a time when it could not be more critical.”
If named AG, one of the issues he'll tackle is the current wave of violence targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. As an Assemblymember, Bonta introduced a number of bills to improve hate crime statutes, support victims of hate violence, and build bridges between law enforcement and targeted communities.
Bonta told the San Francisco Chronicle that one of his top priorities would be to “protect those facing the forces of hate” and hold accountable perpetrators of hate crimes.
“Hate crimes targeting the API community have skyrocketed over the last year, and we need a champion who will make the pursuit of justice for these victims a top priority,” fellow Assemblymember Evan Low told the Chronicle.
“I have full faith AG Bonta is the right person to meet this moment.”
CORRECTION: Earlier versions of this posting incorrectly said Xavier Becerra replaced Kamala Harris. Becerra was elected to the AG post in 2016.
No comments:
Post a Comment