Newsom skips Schiff and picks Rob Bonta as first Filipino American attorney general of California

“@RobBonta will make history as the 1st CA Filipino Attorney General,” Newsom tweeted on Wednesday. “He represents what makes CA great–taking on righteous fights & reversing injustices. In this moment of sickening attacks on AAPI Californians there’s no one better to defend CA values.”

Bonta thanked Newsom for entrusting him with the top law enforcement job.

“Thank you, governor. I am humbled by the confidence you have placed in me,” Bonta said. “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. 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.”

TAMMY DUCKWORTH BACKTRACKS ON OPPOSING ANY NON-‘DIVERSE’ BIDEN NOMINEES

Some of Bonta’s colleagues were publicly advocating for him prior to the appointment, with state Sen. Richard Pan writing an open letter to the governor supporting the assemblyman.

“Assemblymember Bonta’s legal, legislative and lived experiences make him the best choice to represent the diversity of this state,” Pan, who is the chairman of the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, wrote. “Moreover, his appointment would be a major step towards the equitable representation of California’s fastest growing racial and ethnic groups, Asian Pacific Islanders.”

Asian Americans have increasingly become targets of violent crime across the country, which some have attributed to the first cases of the novel coronavirus being reported in Wuhan, China, and leaders, including former President Donald Trump, espousing such names as the “China Virus.” Anti-Asian hate crimes rose 150% nationwide throughout 2020, and a mass shooting last week resulted in the deaths of eight people in the Atlanta area, six of whom were of Asian descent.

The rise in hate crimes compelled some to call for increased visibility of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in public office.

Democratic Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who is of Thai heritage and a veteran who lost her legs while she was deployed in the Middle East, pledged to vote against all of President Joe Biden’s nominees who were not “diversity nominees” until he increased representation of people of Asian descent in high-powered positions.

“There’s no AAPI representation, and in the Cabinet, there’s not a single AAPI in a Cabinet position. That’s not acceptable. That’s what I told the White House,” Duckworth said before walking back her ultimatum. “President Biden will be the first president in 20 years without a Cabinet secretary who’s AAPI.”

Duckworth backtracked on Tuesday after her office said she received “assurances that it will do much more to elevate AAPI voices and perspectives at the highest levels of government, including appointing an AAPI senior White House official to represent the community.”

Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, was reportedly being considered and lobbying for the position of California attorney general. Schiff was a House impeachment manager during the first impeachment investigation into Trump on two Ukraine-related charges in 2019. Trump was acquitted in the Senate. Trump was then impeached on a charge of inciting an insurrection in 2020 before he was again acquitted.

Newsom is currently in a politically precarious predicament in his state after an effort to recall him for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, high taxes, and rising crime rates. The effort appeared to earn the requisite number of votes to hold an election. Anne Dunsmore, campaign manager for Rescue California-Recall Gavin Newsom, said she expects that more than 2.1 million signatures will be submitted to election officials, far surpassing the 1.5 million signatures needed to qualify for the ballot, although the signatures need to pass a verification process for the measure to appear on the ballot.

“There was a massive, massive amount of support,” Dunsmore told the Washington Examiner. “We turned in signatures from every single county. It’s been really amazing, and I think he’s got a lot to worry about.”

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If the measure gets on the ballot, the recall election of Newsom would likely take place in the fall.

Representatives for Bonta and Schiff did not immediately reply to the Washington Examiner’s requests for comment.