The race for California attorney general marks just the latest clash between Democratic incumbent Rob Bonta and Republican challenger Michael Gates.
In 2023, while Gates was still city attorney for Huntington Beach, Bonta’s office sued the Orange County coastal community for refusing to submit a compliant “housing element” plan to lay out where new housing, including affordable units, can be built. Cities throughout the state are expected to adopt such plans to help address the state’s housing crisis.
But Huntington Beach officials turned around and filed a federal lawsuit against the state, arguing that as a charter city, it’s not required to abide by certain state laws. A lower court and a federal appeals court ultimately rejected the city’s argument.
Beyond the Huntington Beach case, Bonta, a former Assembly member, has sued the federal government dozens of times since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025.
This overlaps with a 10-month period during which Gates served as a deputy assistant U.S. attorney general before leaving the Trump administration in November.
Given the backgrounds of Bonta and Gates, it’s not surprising then to find the two have different ideas when it comes to dealing with California’s housing and homelessness crises and the Trump administration.
We lay out their positions below, based on their responses to questions from Southern California News Group. (A third candidate, Marjorie Mikels, did not participate in the Voter Guide.)
When it comes to the way local municipalities deal with housing demands and homelessness, Bonta said local governments have the right to set rules. But, he added, “that local authority has a ceiling: state law.”
“My job is to make sure no city or county operates outside of it,” Bonta, a Yale Law School alumnus, said.
He referenced a Housing Justice Team he created “to enforce state housing law against local governments that refuse to do their part” and noted that the state secured a court order mandating the city of Huntington Beach to adopt a compliant “housing element” plan, laying out how it plans to meet the community’s housing needs for different income levels.
“Housing affordability and homelessness are two sides of the same coin,” Bonta said. “When cities block new housing, they drive up costs, push working families to the financial edge and put more people on the streets. That’s a harm to Californians, and it’s my job to pursue accountability and address the problem.”
Gates, however, has a different take on the scope of authority the attorney general has.
“The attorney general’s office should play a stronger role in making sure housing and homelessness laws are enforced fairly and consistently, but that role must respect constitutional limits and local control. Local governments have real authority, and that should be respected,” said Gates, an alumnus of Chapman University’s law school.
He added that anti-camping laws to keep public spaces safe are important.
The attorney general, Gates said, should “support practical solutions that restore order without turning every local dispute into a Sacramento power grab.”
Gates has returned to Huntington Beach — a city known for its support of Trump and his policies — after his stint in Washington, D.C., at the U.S. Department of Justice. (At first, the Justice Department indicated that Gates had been fired “for cause,” according to personnel records, but it later rescinded the firing and accepted his resignation.)
On the topic of dealing with the Trump administration, Gates accused the incumbent of using the state attorney general’s office “to score political points and attempt to build a political brand, while letting serious problems here at home fester.” Gates pledged to end that if elected, saying he’d focus instead on protecting California’s streets and communities.
“As the state’s top cop, we must be laser-focused on keeping residents safe and ensuring that our own state government doesn’t overstep its legal bounds,” Gates said. “That means investigating claims of waste, fraud and abuse within state and local government, and stopping an out-of-control bureaucracy from passing illegal regulations that increase our cost of living.”
Bonta, for his part, said it’s the job of the attorney general to enforce the law, regardless of who’s in the Oval Office.
“When to challenge federal authority is a legal consideration, not a political one. When the federal government acts outside its authority and Californians are harmed as a result, the attorney general has an obligation to act,” Bonta said.
“What guides me is … whether the law has been violated. When the answer is yes, I will act. When the answer is no, I won’t,” he added, noting that his office has been involved in over 60 lawsuits against the federal government in the past year.
Mikels is a Green Party candidate whose campaign website lists protecting free speech rights and resisting “Big Tech,” particularly in government, as priorities. Mikels earned a law degree from UCLA and is a grandmother and attorney, according to her website.
Read more about Bonta’s and Gates’ positions, including their views on Proposition 36, the 2024 voter-approved measure that increased penalties for certain drug and retail theft crimes and was intended to provide a path for some to enter drug treatment programs; artificial intelligence regulations; and climate-related lawsuits in our voter guides.
Voters have until June 2 to cast their ballots for California’s primary election.