Sacramento DA Anne Marie Schubert To Run For CA Attorney General

SACRAMENTO, CA — Anne Marie Schubert, Sacramento County District Attorney, announced Monday that she will run against incumbent Rob Bonta in 2022 for California attorney general.

Some of her notable accomplishments included her role in the prosecution of the Golden State Killer and fighting to uncover a fraud scheme within the state's unemployment agency.

"California's criminal justice system is in chaos," Schubert said in a news conference Monday. "When politicians pass laws after law or issue directive after directive that erode accountability and public safety, that's chaos. ... When billions of dollars are stolen from the state's Employment Development Department [and] are put in the hands of criminals to buy guns — that is chaos."

Gov. Gavin Newsom in late March nominated Bonta, a Democratic state assemblyman representing Alameda, to fill the seat vacated by Xavier Becerra. He was officially confirmed by the California Senate Friday.

Bonta made history on two fronts: He was one of the most progressive choices for the post and is California's first attorney general of Filipino descent.

Bonta will stand for election to retain his seat in 2022 against U.S. Assistant Attorney General Nathan Hochman, a Republican, and now Schubert. She challenged Bonta's platform Monday.

"Let me be clear: The newly appointed attorney general has voted for and supported policies and laws that are not only destroying the rights of crime victims but are destroying public safety in the state," she said.

Bonta has said he would defend those facing "the forces of hate" during his term. "Throughout history, so many of us have felt the sting of hate and discrimination," Bonta said at a news conference last month. "I have."

SEE ALSO: Newsom Names Rob Bonta As CA's First Filipino Attorney General

Some of his efforts in the Legislature included authoring a ban on for-profit prisons and immigration detention centers and introducing a number of bills to strengthen hate crime statutes. He also co-authored a law that required an independent investigation when there is a death of an unarmed civilian by a law enforcement officer.

Schubert could prove to be a formidable opponent against both Bonta and Hochman as an openly lesbian woman who dumped the Republican Party during former President Donald Trump's term.

"Please make no mistake about justice. Yes, at times, and it should, and it must be gentle. I have and always will advocate for other alternatives to incarceration," she said. "I have and always will be listening, willing to exercise compassion in the right set of circumstances." Schubert on Monday spoke at length about holding those convicted of crimes "accountable."

Schubert spent more than 30 years as a prosecutor and said that much of her work revolved around advocating for victims of violent crime. "These are the people who I have sat with, I've listened to, I sometimes cried with who I've advocated for and who I've represented in courtrooms," she said.

Schubert received criticism for her handling of police shootings, and she has never charged a police officer since taking office as DA. In both the 2018 shooting death of Stephon Clark and the 2016 fatal shooting of Joseph Mann, she deemed the officers' actions lawful.

If elected, Schubert would be the first openly lesbian woman to serve as state attorney general. "'Safety and security don't just happen,'" she said, quoting Nelson Mandela on Monday. "'They are the result of a collective consensus in public investment.'"