Filipino Leaders Send Letter to Gov. Newsom Supporting Asm. Rob Bonta for California AG

December 29, 2020

HMG-CN was sent a letter this morning from the group which includes current Cerritos City Councilman Frank Aurelio Yokoyama, former Cerritos Mayor Mark Pulido, former Artesia Mayor Dr. Victor Manalo, former ABC School Board President and Armin Reyes.

Asm. Bonta is an  attorney and a Democrat, representing the 18th Assembly District, which covers the central East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area and includes the cities of Oakland, Alameda, and San Leandro.

Prior to being elected to the Assembly in 2012, he was an Alameda City Councilman. He is the chair of the California Asian & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus. Bonta was the first Filipino-American ever elected to the California Legislature.^[1]

Dear Governor Newsom:

As current and former Filipino American elected officials, we are proud to support one of our most outstanding colleagues, the Honorable Assemblymember Rob Bonta, and respectfully request that you appoint him to serve our diverse state as the next Attorney General. 

Collectively, we represent more than two centuries of elected public service experience in California local government. As our Governor, who also served in local government as a Supervisor and Mayor, we know you understand the important contributions local leaders make to our great state. We believe Mr. Bonta is the best choice to fill the position of Attorney General because he is the most qualified and we strongly believe his experience in local and state government make him the most well-rounded choice for the job.

Mr. Bonta has an Ivy League education and has obtained a Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School after attending Yale College and Oxford University in England. Although he has an elite education, he has never forgotten his humble beginning and his connection to communities up and down California. His personal story, having been raised as a child in La Paz, the United Farm Workers’ headquarters, where his parents organized Filipino American and Mexican American farm workers, to become the first Filipino American elected to the California State Assembly is truly remarkable.

Mr. Bonta has nearly 15 years of experience as a practicing attorney with litigation experience in the public and private sectors. Mr. Bonta has legal experience in key areas, including civil rights, criminal law, governmental affairs, consumer protection, contract, and fraud. He also has significant experience as a practicing governmental attorney, serving as a Deputy City Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco for nearly a decade.

Mr. Bonta has demonstrated himself to be one of the most effective and capable leaders in the legislature during his tenure. He has an excellent track record of authoring bold, ground-breaking legislation and building strong coalitions. Rob has effectively tackled a wide range of our state’s most urgent and difficult issues like: Criminal Justice Reform, Environmental Policy, Tenant Rights (Just Cause Evictions), Pension Reform (CalSTRS), Protecting Consumers from Surprise Medical Bills, Banning Private Prisons, and Cannabis Policy. His accomplishments as a state and local legislator also give him a deep understanding of the state’s laws and the functioning of government, which is critical to effectively enforcing state law and leading the Department of Justice. He is extremely competent and is also someone who will bring people together, listen, and lead. He is exactly who we need as our next Attorney General. 

For these reasons, we are excited to give our strong support to Mr. Bonta for the appointment of California Attorney General. If you have questions regarding this support letter, please contact Mark Pulido or Frank Aurelio Yokoyama at (310) 749-2845.

Sincerely,

MARK E. PULIDO

Mayor, City of Cerritos (Ret.)

FRANK AURELIO YOKOYAMA, ESQ.

Councilmember, City of Cerritos

ERIC ARIAS

Councilmember, City of Bakersfield

RACHELLE ARIZMENDI

Mayor, City of Sierra Madre

RAYMOND A. BUENAVENTURA, ESQ.

Council Member, City of Daly City

PAMELA BULAHAN

Vice Mayor, City of Isleton

CHRISTOPHER L. CABALDON

Mayor, City of West Sacramento (Ret.)

ANTONIO “TONY” CARTAGENA

Mayor, City of Walnut (Ret.)

DR. ROD DAUS-MAGBUAL

Vice Mayor, City of Daly City

PAT D. GACOSCOS

Vice Mayor, City of Union City

MICHAEL P. GUINGONA, ESQ.

Mayor, City of Daly City (Ret.)

JED LEANO, ESQ.

Mayor Pro Tem, City of Claremont

DR. VICTOR MANALO

Mayor, City of Artesia (Ret.)

HENRY C. MANAYAN, ESQ.

Mayor, City of Milpitas (Ret.)

TZEITEL PARAS-CARACCI

Councilmember, City of Duarte

ARMIN REYES

Board President, ABC Unified School District (Ret.)

SONNY SANTA INES

Councilmember, City of Bellflower

ELITO M. SANTARINA

Mayor Pro Tem, City of Carson (Ret.)

THOMAS AUJERO SMALL

Mayor, City of Culver City (Ret.)

Filipino-American History Month Celebrated in Cerritos