As a California lawyer. Gen. Rob Bonta is mulling a run for governor. He faces scrutiny over his ties to people central to a federal corruption investigation in Oakland and payments to private lawyers.
Bonta has not been accused of misconduct, but the questions come at an inopportune time for the Democrat, who says he is reconsidering his candidacy for governor after being repeatedly rejected earlier this year.
Bonta said the decisions of former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Alex Padilla not to run for office have changed the contours of the race.
“I already had two horses in the governor’s race,” Bonta told The Times on Friday. “They decided in the end not to interfere… Today the race is fundamentally different, isn’t it?”
Bonta said he has received significant support to join the crowded governor's field and that he expects to make a decision “definitely sooner rather than later.” Political advisers to the 54-year-old Alameda politician have reached out to influential Democrats across the state to gauge his possible support.
Historically, the California attorney general position has been a launching pad to higher office or top office in Washington. Harris, elected to two terms as state attorney general, was later elected to the U.S. Senate and then vice president. Jerry Brown held the office before voters elected him to 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 in March 2021 by Gov. Gavin Newsom after Xavier Becerra resigned to become U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Bonta easily won the 2022 attorney general election.
Bonta was a deputy city attorney in San Francisco and vice mayor of Alameda before being elected to the state Assembly in 2012. During his tenure as Alameda borough representative, Bonta earned a reputation as a progressive willing to advance policies aimed at strengthening tenants' rights and reforming the criminal justice system.
As the state's top law enforcement official, Bonta aggressively fought President Trump's policies and actions, filing 46 lawsuits against the administration.
Bonta also faced controversy last week in what his advisers say they suspect is an attempt to harm him as he considers a potential run.
“Political hacks understand that this is actually a sign of respect, almost an endorsement. Obviously, others are afraid of him,” said veteran Democratic strategist Dan Newman, an adviser to Bonta.
KCRA reported Monday that Bonta spent almost $500,000 in campaign funds last year for personal lawyers to represent him against federal investigators working on a corruption probe in Oakland.
On Thursday on the site East Bay Insider reported that in the spring of 2024, as the investigation heated up, Bonta received a letter from an Oakland businessman warning him that he might soon be subject to blackmail.
The letter's author, Mario Juarez, warned Bonta that another businessman, Andy Duong, had “a tape of you in a compromising situation.”
Duong was later indicted on federal bribery charges along with his father, David Duong, and former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. All pleaded not guilty. David Duong's lawyer said this week that Juarez, widely believed to be an informant in the case against the Duongs and Thao, is not credible. Juarez could not be reached for comment.
Bonta said his legal fees arose after he began talking to the U.S. Attorney's Office, which reached out to him because prosecutors believed he may have been the victim of blackmail or extortion. Bonta said the outreach came after he provided law enforcement with a letter he received from Juarez.
Bonta said he has hired attorneys to help him verify information he has that could be useful to federal investigators.
“I wanted to give them all the information that they wanted, that they needed, give it to them as quickly as possible to help, to help,” Bonta said. “I may have a couple of puzzle pieces that could help them in their investigation.”
He said he may have “audibly gasped” when he saw the bill, but all documents and communications that may be relevant to the federal investigation must be turned over quickly.
“Billing rates at private law firms are high or low,” Bonta said. “We moved quickly to be as responsive as possible, to be as helpful as possible, to help as much as possible, and that meant several attorneys working long hours.”
Bonta said the state Fair Political Practices Commission also alerted him that it had received a complaint against him. Bonta and his advisers believe the case is about using campaign funds to pay legal fees and suspect the case was filed by the current gubernatorial candidate's campaign.
“We’re not worried,” Bonta said. “This is politics.”
Asked whether the news could create obstacles for a potential gubernatorial campaign, Bonta rejected any claims that he might have “baggage.” He said he is helping federal prosecutors with their investigation in hopes of bringing people to justice.
“That’s what I expect from any person, especially someone who is as dedicated to public safety as I am,” he said. “It’s my job to help, support, provide information, help.”
