California Assemblyman Ted Lieu officially announced his bid to run for attorney general in 2010. According to his campaign biography, he’s ridiculously qualified, in only the way that an Asian American model minority could be:
“Elected to the California Legislature in 2005, Assembly member Ted Lieu has ascended to a key leadership post as Chair of the powerful Assembly Rules Committee. Dedicated to his country, Assembly member Lieu holds the rank of Major in the United States Air Force Reserves and served on active duty for four years as a member of the JAG Corps as a military prosecutor. Prior to his election to the State Assembly, Assembly member Lieu was a civil litigator. He also served on the Torrance City Council and the City’s Environmental Quality & Energy Conservation Commission. He graduated with a B.S. and B.A. from Stanford University, and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review and received four American Jurisprudence awards. He is married to Betty Chim, a former Deputy Attorney General, and has two rambunctious children, Brennan and Austin.”
Not only is current San Francisco City Attorney Kamala Harris a potential contender, but Facebook Chief Privacy Officer Chris Kelly is rumored to run as well. But Lieu has the upper hand in fundraising, having announced that he’s raised over $1 million and has $350k cash on hand.
But what exactly what does the California Attorney General do? According to the California State Constitution, the officer’s duty is to ensure that “the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced” — in other words, he’s the chief law prosecutor. Best of luck to Ted!
