California Attorney General Kamala Harris. (California Attorney General Office)
California Attorney General Kamala Harris. (California Attorney General Office)

The California Asian & Pacific Islander (API) Legislative Caucus announced its endorsement of Attorney General Kamala Harris for Senate, in Sacramento, Calif. A Siliconeer report.

As chief law enforcement officer for the State of California, Attorney General Harris has focused on combating transnational gangs, increasing the adoption of technology and data-driven policing by law enforcement, and improving public safety by reducing recidivism. She has fought to reduce elementary school truancy in California, preserve the state’s natural resources, and ensure marriage equality for all Californians. She has also worked with the technology industry to improve online privacy and safety. Following the national mortgage crisis, Attorney General Harris secured more than $20 billion for struggling California homeowners from the nation’s banks and wrote the nation’s most comprehensive package of foreclosure reforms.

“The California API Legislative Caucus is proud to support Kamala Harris for Senate,” said Assemblymember Das Williams (D–Carpinteria), chair of the API Legislative Caucus. “As California’s Attorney General, Kamala has already proven to be an effective state and national leader. Washington D.C. needs her brand of inclusive and innovative leadership to get things done.”

“I am honored to receive the endorsement of the API Legislative Caucus,” stated Attorney General Kamala Harris. “Together, we are building a campaign that reaches every community and lifts up the voices of all Californians. I will continue to rely on the energy and council of these great California leaders as we build our grassroots campaign.”

Attorney General Harris is the first woman, the first African American, and the first South Asian to serve in her position. She began her career in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, where she specialized in prosecuting child sexual assault cases. In 1998, she joined the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, where she led the Career Criminal Unit. She also served as the head of the San Francisco City Attorney’s Division on Children and Families.

The API Legislative Caucus is made up of the nine Democratic Asian & Pacific Islander American (APIA) members of the California State Legislature.  The Caucus was established in 2001 with the mission of representing and advocating for the interests of the diverse APIA communities throughout California.  It seeks to increase APIA participation and representation in all levels of government.