Former Huntington Beach city attorney, a Newsom critic, to run for state attorney general

Michael Gates, the former Huntington Beach city attorney who spent his tenure as a staunch antagonist to California’s liberal politics, is running for state attorney general as part of a slate with Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton.

Gates, 50, announced the launch of his campaign for the state’s top law enforcement job during an event at the Huntington Beach Pier on Wednesday flanked by Hilton, former state Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, who is running alongside Hilton for lieutenant governor, and a trove of supporters.

“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,” Gates said. “Sacramento has proven that it is completely out of touch with everyday Californians.”

Gates’ speech launching his campaign struck a similar tone to the messaging he employed in his role as Huntington Beach city attorney, where he positioned himself in direct opposition to the state’s Democratic leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom and current Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta.

Bonta this week announced he was running for reelection, opting not to run for California governor. As attorney general, Bonta has sued the Trump administration more than 50 times, calling the president’s policies “vicious, inhumane, unlawful” and, in many cases, unconstitutional.

Gates, a lifelong Republican, was first elected as Huntington Beach city attorney in 2014 and was reelected twice. He held the role until last year, when he was appointed as a deputy assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. After a 10-month stint with the federal government, Gates announced he had resigned the post so he could spend more time with his family. He was rehired to work as an assistant city attorney in Huntington Beach.

During his tenure with the city, Gates engaged in legal tussles with the state over voter identification, housing mandates, immigration and other issues with mixed results.

In recent years, the city successfully sued the state to recoup millions of dollars in redevelopment agency loan money from a waterfront development and an affordable senior housing project.

But legal fights over voter identification and housing have been less fruitful. Last year, the 4th District Court of Appeal struck down Huntington Beach’s law that would require residents to show an ID to cast their ballot in local elections.

The city’s legal battle over housing requirements was also delivered a blow last year when the state Supreme Court refused to review an appellate court ruling in the state’s favor compelling the city to adhere to state mandates for affordable housing. Huntington Beach had argued its designation as a charter city exempted it from the state’s directives.

“This man, Michael Gates, he is the fighter we need for California,” Hilton said on Wednesday, drawing cheers from the crowd. “You know better than anyone because he led that revolution right here in Huntington Beach.”