OPINION
BY DAVE PRICE
Daily Post Editor
California’s new attorney general, Democrat Rob Bonta, has more courage than I’ve seen in a Sacramento politician in years.
A little more than five months into the job, Bonta filed tax fraud and grand theft charges against state SEIU head Alma Hernandez and her husband.
Nobody messes with union bosses. The unions are the most powerful lobbying force in Sacramento.
They raise millions from the dues of their members and funnel it into campaigns of Democrats. SEIU’s money was a big reason why Gov. Gavin Newsom survived the recall. The unions were the major force behind high-speed rail.
Bonta, previously an East Bay state assemblyman, was appointed by Newsom in April to replace Xavier Becerra as the state’s top law enforcement officer.
Bonta is running for the job in next year’s election. In the campaign, he won’t get the multi-milllion-dollar checks from SEIU or the other unions. A lot of politicians will shy away from him too. He won’t get endorsements from big-name politicians like Newsom.
But it doesn’t matter. Arresting the head of SEIU will give him more credibility with the voters than any of his recent predecessors — Becerra, Kamala Harris, Jerry Brown or Bill Lockyer — all of whom ignored political corruption in Sacramento.
Editor Dave Price’s column appears on Mondays. His email address is [email protected].