(CALIFORNIA) – Michael Gates, a former Huntington Beach city attorney and Republican candidate for California attorney general, is campaigning on a platform focused on public safety, enforcement of existing laws, government accountability and constitutional rights.
Photo Credit: Michael Gates' Campaign Page / gates4ag.com
In an interview with OpGov.News, Gates discussed his legal career, time in Huntington Beach, and priorities for the Attorney General’s Office.
Gates said he is a lifelong California resident who has been married for nearly 30 years and has five children and four grandchildren. He began his career in private practice as a trial attorney before entering elected office.
He was first elected Huntington Beach city attorney in 2014 and reelected in 2018 and 2022. In February 2025, Gates resigned from the position to join the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division as a deputy assistant attorney general. He left the federal position in November 2025 and briefly returned to Huntington Beach before focusing on his campaign for attorney general.
Highlighting his experience as a trial attorney, Gates said he has handled multi-million-dollar cases, argued appeals in state and federal courts and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. His official 2026 voter guide statement also identified him as a trial attorney saying he is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.
“I just enjoy fighting for the people,” Gates said during the interview, pointing to his decade-long tenure as Huntington Beach city attorney as a major part of his campaign.
During the interview, Gates discussed his work involving public safety, election integrity, parental rights, police officers, COVID-19 restrictions and disputes between Huntington Beach and the state government.
He also emphasized his work defending police officers in court, saying that he personally handled cases rather than simply settling them.
Among other issues Gates highlighted was Huntington Beach's voter identification law, which was later struck down by an appellate court. In January 2026, the California Supreme Court declined to review the case, leaving the ruling that the city's voter ID law was unlawful and preempted by state law.
The conversation also included discussion of Gates’ role in Huntington Beach's declaration as a non-sanctuary city, the city's legal challenge to California's AB 1955, a state law concerning parental notification and students' gender identities, and the city's legal battles with the state over taxpayer funding. As for the latter, the candidate said that Huntington Beach obtained a $38 million judgment.
Public safety and enforcement of Proposition 36 are also central parts of Gates' campaign platform.
Photo Credit: Michael Gates' Campaign Page / gates4ag.com
Emphasizing his record as Huntington Beach city attorney, his campaign said he established a local criminal prosecutor program that reduced crime by double digits in its first year. That crime-reduction figure is a campaign claim and has not been independently verified by OpGov.News or the California Secretary of State.
When discussing why Gates decided to run for attorney general, he said that it’s because he believes California needs a different approach to public safety and law enforcement. Gates sharply criticized incumbent Attorney General Rob Bonta, arguing that Bonta has not sufficiently enforced criminal laws.
Gates described California as “lawless” under Bonta's leadership, and said he believes the Attorney General's Office should take a more aggressive approach to enforcing laws already on the books.
If elected, Gates said his first priority would be aggressive enforcement of California's criminal laws, including Proposition 36. This is also outlined in his official 2026 voter guide statement that said Gates would fully enforce Proposition 36 and prosecute crimes involving repeat theft and drug offenses.
With an approach to public safety based on aggressive enforcement of criminal laws, Gates described his philosophy as “zero nonsense, zero excuses, and zero exceptions.” He continued that as California Attorney General he would expect prosecutors throughout the state to aggressively prosecute crimes. Gates also said he believes the attorney general can intervene and prosecute cases when local prosecutors are not sufficiently enforcing the law.
“I’m just going to go back to basics and enforce the laws that are already on the books,” Gates said.
Gates also said he would focus on what he characterizes as waste, fraud and abuse within the state government.
Speaking to OpGov.News, Gates alleged that approximately $425 billion in taxpayer money has been lost through such activity. He said his administration would investigate alleged government misconduct and seek to recover taxpayer money when wrongdoing is established, using the criminal justice system where appropriate. The $425 billion figure is Gates' allegation and is presented as such here rather than as an independently verified figure.
Another major part of Gates' platform is ensuring California complies with federal law.
He identified immigration, elections, Title IX, Title VI, Title VII, the First Amendment and the Second Amendment as areas where he believes the attorney general should ensure state policies comply with federal requirements. Gates also criticized Bonta's litigation against the federal government, arguing that some disputes could be avoided if California complied with federal law.
At the same time, Gates said he would challenge the federal government when he believes federal actions violate Californians' rights.
“I’m going to ensure that we’re compliant with all federal laws,” Gates said.
Gates portrayed himself as fundamentally different from Bonta, emphasizing his background as a practicing trial attorney rather than a career legislator. The experience of personally litigating cases, he said, would shape how he operates the Attorney General’s Office.
“I’m actually a real lawyer,” Gates said during the interview, pointing to his trial and appellate experience.
His campaign materials similarly emphasize his legal background and experience as Huntington Beach city attorney. His official voter guide statement describes him as a trial attorney and prosecutor and says he enforced civil rights at the U.S. Department of Justice.
Other topics of conversation were education, sports and parental rights- saying those issues would be priorities for his administration.
Gates said he wants to make California communities safer and restore what he described as a law-and-order approach to state government. Additionally, Gates said he wants voters to remember that he is not a career politician and that he intends to bring his legal experience to Sacramento.
“I’m going to go to Sacramento and fight for them,” Gates said.
He acknowledged that his approach could create disagreements with state officials but said he intends to prioritize what he views as the interests of everyday Californians.
The campaign has continued to focus on public safety, law enforcement and government accountability. In May 2026, Gates' campaign announced that it had raised $1 million in four months. The campaign described the fundraising milestone as evidence of momentum and support for its message.
For Gates, the campaign ultimately comes back to his experience in Huntington Beach and his belief that the approach he used there can be applied statewide.
“If they remember me for nothing else but one thing,” Gates said, “it’s that I returned California to a law and order state.”
To add to or correct any information in this report, please email me at yashi.s@lead4earth.org or leave a comment below.
0
0
Comments