Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates Announces GOP Bid for California Attorney General

Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates announced his candidacy for California Attorney General on Wednesday via a video posted on X. Gates, a vocal conservative known for his clashes with state officials over issues like housing mandates, sanctuary laws, parental rights, and election integrity, positions himself as a fighter for law and order in a state he describes as “broken.”

“It’s official. I’m running for California Attorney General. California is broken. We’ve got businesses leaving the state in droves. We’ve got residents leaving as well, one every minute and 44 seconds. It’s because California has lost its way. Sacramento frankly ignores us. They abuse us. They’re up there scheming on ways to raise our tax rates while leaving our streets completely unsafe.”

He continued, outlining his priorities: “When I’m your attorney general, we are going to be toughest on crime. We’re going to enforce Prop 36 on day one and restore public safety. We’re going to enforce Prop 36 up and down the state of California. We’re going to ensure that cities maintain their local control to make their decisions on what to build, in how to build it, when they want to build it. We are going to make sure that elections are safe, that we have election integrity by enforcing election laws. I am going to work for you, the people of California, while I’m in Sacramento.”

It's official! I’m running for California Attorney General! 

Our state is broken and deserves so much better – we need leaders who fight for the people, who will crack down hard on crime so we have safer streets and a welcoming environment for businesses. We need accountability… pic.twitter.com/ObJL44A355

— Attorney Michael E. Gates (@MichaelGatesESQ) January 14, 2026

Gates emphasized the need for stronger leadership: “Our state is broken and deserves so much better – we need leaders who fight for the people, who will crack down hard on crime so we have safer streets and a welcoming environment for businesses. We need accountability in government, strong local communities, and leaders who listen to our people. I’ll enforce the law, defend our police and sheriffs departments, protect parents’ rights, ensure elections integrity, and stand up for Californians.”

He concluded with a call to action: “I want you to join me. Help me join the fight to restore California. Please go to my website, gates4ag.com…We can do this together. Now is a critical time in California’s history, and I believe that we can make a difference in this election. Please join me to fight for California. Thank you, and God bless.”

As reported by The Globe, Governor Gavin Newsom refused to fund Prop 36 despite the initiative passing overwhelmingly with over 70 percent of the vote.

California voters overwhelmingly passed Prop. 36 in November 2024, along with all 58 counties, to make crime illegal again, mostly overturning the awful Prop. 47. Passed in 2014, Proposition 47 converted many drug felonies and all property crimes valued at $950 or less to misdemeanors, with little to no consequences. The growth of California’s drug-addicted homeless population, the epidemic of fatal fentanyl overdoses and smash and grab robberies are directly tied to Prop. 47, the Globe reported. Notably, the ACLU and groups funded by billionaire George Soros pooled roughly $10 million to fool state voters into passing an initiative called “The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act.”

But Gavin Newsom opposed Prop. 36, and worked against it. Even after its passage, Newsom did nothing to uphold voter’s clear wishes and fund it in the state budget.

In additional remarks at his campaign launch event on the Huntington Beach Pier, flanked by supporters including Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton and former state Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, Gates sharply criticized Sacramento’s leadership: “California has the highest cost of living and the highest taxes, which are crushing families, and Sacramento elites keep scheming for ways to raise our taxes while leaving our streets unsafe for our families and our businesses.”

He added: “When I am your attorney general, it’ll be my charge, my responsibility to protect our families and keep our communities safe.” Gates also referenced a recent California State Auditor report on wasted taxpayer funds, calling it a “scathing indictment of our leadership in Sacramento.”

Gates’ announcement comes amid growing frustration with current Attorney General Rob Bonta, whom critics accuse of prioritizing progressive policies over public safety and local control. As Huntington Beach’s city attorney since 2014, Gates has been at the forefront of several high-profile legal battles against the state, often defending charter city rights against what he views as Sacramento overreach.

For instance, in 2019, Gates successfully argued in court that California’s sanctuary state law was unconstitutional as applied to charter cities like Huntington Beach, though the decision was later overturned on appeal. The appeals court ultimately ruled that all cities must comply with the sanctuary law, prompting discussions about further appeals to the California Supreme Court.

Gates has also been instrumental in Huntington Beach’s resistance to state housing mandates. In 2019, the city faced a lawsuit from Governor Gavin Newsom for non-compliance with housing laws, highlighting tensions between state overreach and local control. More recently, in 2023, the city council directed Gates to challenge additional housing requirements, even as affluent areas like Marin County received exemptions.

On parental rights, Gates led the charge in 2024 when Huntington Beach sued the state over a law requiring schools to conceal students’ gender transitions from parents. Gates called the law “unconstitutional in the first place.”

Election integrity has been another flashpoint. In 2025, an appellate court struck down Huntington Beach’s voter ID law, a measure Gates defended as within the city’s charter rights.

Gates’ experience extends beyond local government; he served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice during the Trump administration. His campaign website emphasizes themes of cracking down on crime, protecting parental rights, ensuring election integrity, and promoting government accountability.