Gov. Brown Appoints Rep. Xavier Becerra As Next State Attorney General

BAY AREA, CA – Gov. Jerry Brown today appointed U.S. Rep. Xavier Becerra to replace Kamala Harris as the state's next attorney general.

Harris, an Oakland native and Democrat who formerly served as San Francisco's district attorney, was elected to the U.S. Senate in November and will take up her new post in January.

Becerra, 58 and also a Democrat, has represented California's 34th Congressional District in Los Angeles since he was first elected in 1992.

He earned his law degree from Stanford University in 1984, currently serves as chairman of the House Democratic Caucus and is the first Latino member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee.

"Xavier has been an outstanding public servant -- in the State Legislature, U.S. Congress and as a deputy attorney general," Brown said in a statement. "I'm confident he will be a champion for all Californians and help our state aggressively combat climate change."

Becerra was a member of the state Assembly from 1990 to 1992 and served as a state deputy attorney general from 1987 to 1990.

The biography on his website says he's the son of working-class parents and was the first person in his family to graduate from college. His mother was born in Jalisco, Mexico, and immigrated to the United States after
marrying his father.

"Governor Brown has presented me with an opportunity I cannot refuse -- to serve as Attorney General of my home state," Becerra said in a statement posted to his Twitter account today. "As a former deputy attorney
general, I relished the chance to be our state's chief law enforcement officer, to protect consumers, advance criminal justice reform and, of course, keep our families safe."

Becerra still needs to win confirmation by the state Assembly and Senate, both of which are controlled by strong Democratic majorities. The governor's nomination will be officially submitted after Harris resigns from
the position.

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--Bay City News/Image courtesy of Xavier Becerra on Facebook