Connect with us

News

Black Lawyers Submit Names of Three Candidates for California Attorney General

The CABL recommends that either Diane Becton, Paul Henderson or Terry Wiley to replace California Attorney General Xavier Becerra

Published

on

Terry Wiley, Diane Becton, Paul Henderson

The California Association of Black Lawyers (CABL) submitted the names of three accomplished African American attorneys to the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) as possible candidates for the state’s soon-to-be open Attorney General position.

In a 46-page document that includes biographical data of the organization’s recommendations, CABL called on Black members of the state Legislature to support attorneys Diane Becton, Paul Henderson or Terry Wiley to become the next Attorney General. The group also forwarded the proposal listing the candidates they are supporting – all public servants with significant experience — to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“We are in a unique position to know, understand, and recommend one of our own members to serve as the next California Attorney General,” stated the letter dated December 23 from Melinda Murray, president of CABL.  “We strongly urge the Legislative Black Caucus to consider the above three candidates and to interview them for recommendation to Governor Newsom.”

Earlier in December, President-elect Joe Biden nominated current California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to be Secretary of Health and Human Services in his administration. Since then, various candidates have emerged as possible replacements for the state’s top lawyer and law enforcement official.

CABL’s decision to focus on who replaces Becerra rests not only on finding a candidate who can ably prioritize and address the broad and complex range of legal issues all Californians face. The group says it is also motivated by the need to address the persisting concerns of criminal justice reform and police use of force in Black communities.

In the wake of George Floyd’s violent death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer and the continued unlawful killings of unarmed Black men and women by law enforcement around the country, the attorney general’s office and the California Dept. of Justice “need someone dedicated to criminal justice reform,” the Black lawyers’ organization stated.

“Californians need and deserve someone who can successfully implement the mandates of Assembly Bill 1506, which authorized the California Attorney General’s Office to investigate and prosecute cases of police use of force resulting in death and officer-involved shootings resulting in injury or death,” Murray stated.

The organization believes, Becton, Henderson and Wiley are all candidates with the experience to carry out those tasks. Gov. Newsom signed AB 1506 into law in September. Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) authored the legislation.

“Americans across the country took to the streets this summer rightfully demanding more and better of our criminal justice system – and of ourselves,” Newsom said. “We heard those calls for action loud and clear and today are advancing reforms to improve policing practices by ending the carotid hold and requiring independent investigations in officer-involved shootings.”

Becton has spent most of her professional career as a judge, lawyer and manager. In 2017, she was sworn in as the 25th District Attorney for Contra Costa County. Following her appointment by the county’s Board of Supervisors, she was elected to the position in June 2018.

For 22 years, Becton served as a judge in Contra Costa County. She is a former president of the National Association of Women Judges, the nation’s leading organization for women in the judiciary, and past chair of the State Bar Council on Access and Fairness.

Becton leads a prosecutorial office of approximately 222 lawyers, investigators, and staff. She is the first woman, the first African American, and the first person of color to serve as Contra Costa District Attorney since the office was established in 1850.

Henderson has spent his entire professional career working in public service for the city of San Francisco. He was recently appointed director of the Dept. of Police Accountability, where he and his legal team are tasked with investigating all complaints regarding police use of force and misconduct.

Prior to this appointment, Henderson, an openly gay man, spent seven years as the deputy chief of staff and public safety director to the late mayor of San Francisco, Edwin M. Lee.

Henderson served as chief of administration and prosecutor for former San Francisco D.A. Kamala Harris from 1995-2010. Handling all types of cases, ranging from nonviolent misdemeanors to serious felonies, Henderson became known as an expert in interpreting complex criminal justice public policy issues.

Henderson, who served under four elected district attorneys, was both the highest-ranking LGBT attorney and African American male attorney in the history of the San Francisco District Attorney’s office.

Terry Wiley is an Assistant II District Attorney and the third ranking prosecutor in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, located in Oakland. Wiley joined Oakland’s DA Office in 1990. He has supervised the felony trial team, the Juvenile Division and the Oakland Branch Courthouse.

Wiley has served in most assignments on the criminal side of the office and has prosecuted difficult and challenging felony cases, including the case against three Oakland police officers who called themselves “the Riders.”

In that case, the officers were accused of kidnapping, planting false evidence and assaulting citizens. Three of the four officers, eventually fired, were acquitted for criminal charges while the fourth cop fled the country. Civil lawsuits settled in the case totaled $10.9 million and led to police reform within the Oakland police department.

Wiley is currently a member of the American Bar Association Criminal Standards Committee, a past vice president of the National Bar Association, and a past member of the State Bar of California Board of Trustees.

CABL represents approximately 6,000 Black attorneys, judges, law professors and law students. According to its web site, the organization was founded in 1977 to eradicate the root causes of racism and to defend the legal and human rights of African Americans.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of July 2- 8, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 2 – 8, 2025

Published

on

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Continue Reading

#NNPA BlackPress

Trump Set to Sign Largest Cut to Medicaid After a Marathon Protest Speech by Leader Jeffries

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The bill also represents the biggest cut in Medicare in history and is a threat to the health care coverage of over 15 million people. The spending in Trump’s signature legislation also opens the door to a second era of over-incarceration in the U.S.

Published

on

By Lauren Burke

By a vote of 218 to 214, the GOP-controlled U.S. House passed President Trump’s massive budget and spending bill that will add $3.5 trillion to the national debt, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The bill also represents the biggest cut in Medicare in history and is a threat to the health care coverage of over 15 million people. The spending in Trump’s signature legislation also opens the door to a second era of over-incarceration in the U.S. With $175 billion allocated in spending for immigration enforcement, the money for more police officers eclipsed the 2026 budget for the U.S. Marines, which is $57 billion. Almost all of the policy focus from the Trump Administration has focused on deporting immigrants of color from Mexico and Haiti.

The vote occurred as members were pressed to complete their work before the arbitrary deadline of the July 4 holiday set by President Trump. It also occurred after Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries took the House floor for over 8 hours in protest. Leader Jeffries broke the record in the U.S. House for the longest floor speech in history on the House floor. The Senate passed the bill days before and was tied at 50-50, with Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski saying that, “my hope is that the House is gonna look at this and recognize that we’re not there yet.” There were no changes made to the Senate bill by the House. A series of overnight phone calls to Republicans voting against, not changes, was what won over enough Republicans to pass the legislation, even though it adds trillions to the debt. The Trump spending bill also cuts money to Pell grants.

“The Big Ugly Bill steals food out of the hands of starving children, steals medicine from the cabinets of cancer patients, and equips ICE with more funding and more weapons of war than the United States Marine Corps. Is there any question of who those agents will be going to war for, or who they will be going to war against? Beyond these sadistic provisions, Republicans just voted nearly unanimously to close urban and rural hospitals, cripple the child tax credit, and to top it all off, add $3.3 trillion to the ticking time bomb that is the federal deficit – all from a party that embarrassingly pretends to stand for fiscal responsibility and lowering costs,” wrote Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) in a statement on July 3.

“The Congressional Budget Office predicts that 17 million people will lose their health insurance, including over 322,000 Virginians. It will make college less affordable.  Three million people will lose access to food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). And up to 16 million students could lose access to free school meals. The Republican bill does all of this to fund tax breaks for millionaires, billionaires, and corporations,” wrote Education and Workforce Committee ranking member Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) in a statement. The bill’s passage has prompted Democrats to start thinking about 2026 and the next election cycle. With the margins of victory in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate being so narrow, many are convinced that the balance of power and the question of millions being able to enjoy health care come down to only several thousand votes in congressional elections. But currently, Republicans controlled by the MAGA movement control all three branches of government. That reality was never made more stark and more clear than the last seven days of activity in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.

Continue Reading

#NNPA BlackPress

WATCH: NNPA Publishers Pivot To Survive

7.2.25 via NBC 4 Washington

Published

on

7.2.25 via NBC 4 Washington

https://youtube.com/watch?v=9oZc5Sz0jQQ&feature=oembed

Continue Reading

Subscribe to receive news and updates from the Oakland Post

* indicates required

CHECK OUT THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE OAKLAND POST

ADVERTISEMENT

WORK FROM HOME

Home-based business with potential monthly income of $10K+ per month. A proven training system and website provided to maximize business effectiveness. Perfect job to earn side and primary income. Contact Lynne for more details: Lynne4npusa@gmail.com 800-334-0540

Facebook

Trending

Copyright ©2021 Post News Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.