“Can we finally once and for all in California have an Attorney General not associated with corruption?” asked Gates.
Earlier last week, the New York Post reported that a law firm founded by Trump administration advisor Stephen Miller had filed an appeal contesting California’s “sanctuary state” status on behalf of Huntington Beach. This may be the first time that some are hearing about this particular legal challenge, but the story goes back over a year to the early months of 2025.
And at the heart of the story is a familiar name: Michael Gates.
Astute readers may recall that Gates was Huntington Beach’s City Attorney when all of this began. Though the New York Post piece does not mention it, it was Gates who wrote the lawsuit on behalf of the City to begin with. Gates argued that the 2017 Sanctuary State Law directly violated Supremacy and Naturalization Clause of the U.S. Constitution and “forces our City officials to violate federal immigration laws.” A citywide resolution followed shortly thereafter.
“Emphatically, the State should not take a position of violating federal immigration laws or encouraging cities to violate federal immigration laws,” Gates said at the time.
After Attorney General Rob Bonta’s urging the courts to dismiss the lawsuit altogether, that’s precisely what they did last December. Bonta gloated that he no longer had to contend with the “meritless” lawsuit and said his office was “pleased with this decision.”
One month later, Gates announced his bid to replace Bonta as California’s next Attorney General. His campaign represents a repudiation of California’s lax tendencies on immigration and crime and corrections.
“We’re going to tackle crime. We’re going to be tough on crime. Make crime illegal again,” Gates said.
Though it will be a difficult battle for any Republican candidate to win a statewide race, there is no doubt that Gates has achieved local hero status. It was that reputation for challenging California’s progressive status quo that got the attention of President Trump and led to Gates being tapped on the shoulder for a high level position within the United States Department of Justice. After serving, Gates returned from Washington D.C. back to Huntington Beach to be with family.
One can imagine that Gates would be pleased to see that the lawsuit he drafted may yet get its fair day in court. That brings us to this week’s news that the firm America First Legal is arguing in collaboration with Huntington Beach City officials that the initial decision be overturned. AFL Senior Counsel James Rogers said it was “an outrage” that “a state government targeted its own officers for following federal law, and then a district court said those officers had no right to even walk into a courthouse to challenge it.”
But this is far from the only domain where the AG hopeful finds himself clashing with the Bonta family. Though it doesn’t come with a lawsuit, Gates has found himself fighting a familiar fight on a new legislative issue which, in his opinion, presents serious First Amendment concerns.
Gates went on the Rick & Kelly Show to talk in part about the constitionality—or lack thereof— of AB-2624, which has been dubbed the “Stop Nick Shirley Bill.” The most generous interpretation of the Democrat-sponsored bill is that it prohibits citizens from publishing information or images pertaining to immigration support services. Opponents argue its goal is to “block investigative reporting and intimidate journalists, watchdog groups, and members of the public documenting wrongdoing.”
And though Shirley himself is not mentioned in the language of the bill, some say the timing is too conspicuous not to be a response to Shirley’s ultra-viral videos exposing social services fraud in both Minnesota and California. When Shirley asked Senator Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) on a public street in Sacramento about his support for the bill, Weiner said “I think you’re a psycho scam artist,” before quickly walking away into a building.
“This is flagrantly unconstitutional,” said Gates of the bill. “It’s a brazen attack on our First Amendment Rights.”
“For us to go out and knock on doors and ask questions—especially where taxpayer money is being spent—that is a right of ours,” Gates continued. “For our government to be cracking down on that and [making] that punishable—a criminal offense—is so beyond the pale. It’s so offensive. I think it’s an attack on our American society.”
The bill’s author, Mia Bonta (D-Oakland)—who is, for those unfamiliar, the wife of Rob Bonta—has also sponsored another controversial bill which Gates has criticized. If passed, AB-2600 would establish a state program providing taxpayer-funded attorneys for illegal immigrants. Susan Crabtree, one of two reporters along with Christopher Rufo who broke the story, points out that this would be on top of the $1 billion Governor Gavin Newsom has spent “on nonprofits that want, among other things, to dismantle the border, ‘abolish ICE,’ and help immigrants ‘living with HIV.’”
“Since Newsom took office, California has granted massive contracts for migrant-related services: more than $250 million to Catholic Charities; $100 million to the Immigration Legal Resource Center, $85 million to Jewish Family Services; $12 million to Centro Legal de la Raza; $23 million to the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area; and more,” said Crabtree.
Gates called Bonta’s AB-2600 “absolutely ridiculous.”
“We must make the Bonta Corruption Syndicate FAMOUS!” said Gates on X. “They work for taxpayers!”
But can Gates pull off a feat which Republicans have not managed to do since the days of Governor Schwarzenegger—that is, win a statewide race? It’s too early to tell, but conservatives remain optimistic.
“He’s saying all the right things and he’s got plenty of experience. I’m thinking he’s got a shot,” said co-host Rick Leventhal regarding Gates’ election chances.
“I hope to God,” responded co-host Kelly Dodd.
