What to know about Kamala Harris' record as California attorney general
President Biden announced Sunday that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race and would endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic Party nomination.
Before her rise to the vice presidency, Harris began her career in the Bay Area, where she worked as an Alameda County prosecutor, and was later elected San Francisco district attorney in 2004.
She served two terms in that role from 2004 to 2010, becoming the first woman to be elected San Francisco district attorney and the first Black and South Asian American woman to hold the office.
In 2010, she succeeded Jerry Brown as California attorney general, becoming the first female, Black and South Asian attorney general in the state's history.
She was sworn into the role in January 2011 and served until 2017, when she joined the U.S. Senate after being elected in 2016.
Here are some things to know about Harris' record as California's top prosecutor.
Homeowner protections
One of Harris' key accomplishments as attorney general came in 2012 when she, along with 40 other attorneys general, reached a multi-billion dollar deal with five U.S. banks that settled over flawed mortgage foreclosure practices. The deal provided relief to those affected by those practices, with the average eligible homeowner receiving $20,000 in mortgage aid.
As the attorney general of the nation's most populous state, Harris had a leading role in the deal, calling the initial settlement figure "crumbs on the table."
In 2013, Harris announced more protections for homeowners facing foreclosure when the California Homeowner Bill of Rights was signed into law by then-Gov. Brown.
Opposition to the death penalty
Harris has previously said she personally opposes the death penalty, declining to pursue it earlier in her career. However, she announced in 2014 that she would appeal a federal court ruling that declared it unconstitutional on the grounds that delays in capital punishment in the state rendered it cruel and unusual.
"I am appealing the court's decision because it is not supported by the law, and it undermines important protections that our courts provide to defendants," Harris said in a statement at the time. "This flawed ruling requires appellate review."
Years later, as a senator and during her 2020 run for president, Harris pushed for a federal moratorium on the death penalty after California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order halting executions in the state.
Criminal justice reforms
Building off her Back on Track initiative as San Fransico's district attorney, Harris launched an initiative that was designed to curb recidivism. The initiative consisted of three subdivisions that focused on program development, evaluations and grants.
In 2015, the California Department of Justice became the first statewide agency to adopt a body camera program, which required all special agents to wear the devices. Later that year, Harris launched a first-of-its-kind law enforcement training on implicit bias and procedural justice in an effort to allow for more neutral policing.
Harris also launched a criminal justice open data initiative that aimed at increasing transparency to "strengthen trust, enhance government accountability and inform public policy."
The initiative included a dashboard that made public criminal justice data on arrests, in-custody deaths and officers killed or assaulted in the line of duty.
Anti-truancy efforts
Harris has long had a strong stance against truancy since her early days as a Bay Area prosecutor. As attorney general, Harris released the annual In School and On Track report from 2013 through 2016, which detailed truancy and absenteeism rates in the state.
Harris called for parents of truant children to face harsher consequences during her first year as attorney general, something she did while serving as a prosecutor. In 2010, legislation backed by then-District Attorney Harris was signed into law, allowing prosecutors to criminally charge parents of students who excessively missed school.
Critics argued that the law unfairly targeted low-income families and people of color. The criticism Harris has faced for her anti-truancy efforts followed her throughout her career, from when she was a prosecutor in San Francisco through her 2020 presidential run.
Environmental initiatives
In 2016, Harris was one of 17 attorneys general to stand behind efforts to fight climate change by addressing power plant greenhouse gas emissions. She joined a coalition led by then-New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to investigate whether fossil fuel companies misled the public on the impact of climate change.
The year prior, she defended President Obama's Clean Power Plan, which aimed to reduce emissions by 2030.
She also supported the Environmental Protection Agency's standards to limit gas emissions from oil and natural gas operations.
Over the course of her tenure as attorney general, she reached several settlements with oil companies over alleged violations of state laws. In 2011, she announced a $24.5 million settlement with Chevron over allegations it violated state hazardous materials and waste laws. Harris later reached a settlement with BP West Coast in 2016 for alleged violations of state laws governing the operation and maintenance of underground gasoline tanks.
Harris also defended in court California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard and the state's cap-and-trade program, which charges businesses for carbon emissions.
Student borrowers and for-profit colleges
In 2013, Harris began an investigation into California-based Corinthian Colleges and its subsidiaries, alleging that the for-profit college engaged in false and deceptive advertising, securities fraud and misrepresented its programs and success rates to prospective students.
Harris announced in 2016 that her office obtained a $1.1 billion judgment against Corinthian Colleges. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Education discharged debt for 560,000 borrowers who took out loans to attend Corinthian Colleges, totaling about $5.8 billion in student loan discharges.
