California Attorney General Hopefuls Clash In Debate
DAVIS (AP) --The major party candidates for state attorney general clashed Tuesday on issues ranging from the environment to the death penalty as they tried to distinguish themselves in their only scheduled debate before Election Day.
From his opening statement, Republican Steve Cooley painted Democrat Kamala Harris as soft on crime for her personal opposition to capital punishment.
Cooley is the Los Angeles County district attorney, while Harris holds the same position in San Francisco.
To help make his point, Cooley introduced the widow, mother and sister of slain San Francisco Police Officer Isaac Espinoza as his guests in the audience.
"My opponent absolutely, ideologically opposes the death penalty, which is the law in California," Cooley said, accusing Harris of putting her own views before the will of the people.
Harris declined to seek the execution of Espinoza's killer in 2004, and he is now serving a life term. Harris, however, repeatedly said she would enforce the law on capital punishment if she is elected attorney general.
She noted, however, that DNA testing has shown some innocent people have served time on death row.
Harris criticized Cooley for being reluctant to endorse California's tough environmental restrictions and pending greenhouse gas reduction standards.
"The next attorney must be vigorous to take on criminals who pollute our environment, and I will do that," Harris said during the hour-long debate at the University of California, Davis School of Law.
Cooley said his office has a good track record of cracking down on polluters during his 10 years in office.
It was the only time Cooley has agreed to debate Harris. The two prosecutors are vying to replace Jerry Brown, who is running for governor.
Neither candidate committed any major gaffes and both did a good job illustrating the style they would bring to the office of attorney general, said Vikram Amar, a professor and assistant dean at the UC Davis law school.
He believes Harris would be an innovator who wants to move the office beyond its common perception as the state's "ubercop," while Cooley would be a more traditional, populist attorney general.
Cooley said during the debate he would appeal a ruling by a federal judge that overturned Proposition 8 -- the ballot measure that outlawed same-sex marriages—because it was constitutionally enacted.
Brown and Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have declined to appeal the ruling. Harris said she would decline as well.
"It should be defended by the attorney general whether the attorney general believes in it or not," Cooley said.
Harris criticized Cooley for refusing to take a position on Proposition 23, a November ballot measure that would suspend California's 2006 global warming law until the state jobless rate falls to 5.5 percent or less for 12 months, which rarely occurs.
Cooley told reporters after the debate that he views the proposition as a decision on the timing of greenhouse gas reduction efforts.
"It doesn't say, you know, throw it out, we're not going to do it, it says let's delay it," Cooley said. "Maybe a little delay is what the people want."
Cooley also intends to review the use of legal threats by Brown to force local governments to consider the impact on global warming before they approve development projects.
Brown may be "overreaching and beyond his jurisdiction," Cooley said.
Harris said she would try to fix California's broken prisons and the revolving doors that result in seven of 10 parolees going back behind bars. As a prosecutor, she has tried to attack underlying social problems like chronic school truancy that lead to crime, she said.
Cooley chastised Harris for supporting San Francisco's sanctuary city law that shields many illegal immigrants from deportation. He also said her failures to prosecute some illegal immigrants has led to further violence.
Harris said she opposes shielding anyone who committed a crime, regardless of their immigration status.
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