Calderon Officially Enters Race for State Attorney General

SACRAMENTO — Flanked by his two sons and several Latino lawmakers, state Sen. Charles Calderon formally jumped into the race for attorney general Tuesday, sounding law and order themes and saying he wants to help keep children off drugs and out of gangs.

Calderon (D-Whittier) grew up in East Los Angeles and represents parts of the San Gabriel Valley area. He said he believes that his moderate politics and his status as the race’s only Latino candidate will help him win the Democratic nomination June 2.

“They are the center of my universe,” Calderon said of his sons, Ian, 12, and Matthew, 10, and his second wife, Lisa. “I want my family to be safe, just like I want every family to be safe.”

Calderon was joined on the Capitol steps by eight other Latino legislators, including Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa. The speaker said Calderon understands “the pulse of the changing demographics of California.”

So far, the three Democratic candidates for attorney general have not made plans for joint appearances or debates, instead using much of their time to raise money to finance television advertising.

The Whittier legislator said he will have raised as much as $2 million by the end of March, enough to pay for some television time statewide.

Calderon, who turns 48 next week, is battling the far better financed Sen. Bill Lockyer of Hayward for the Democratic nomination, as well as former Rep. Lynn Schenk of San Diego. Lockyer entered the year with $3 million in the bank and has been raising money nonstop since.

The Republican candidates are Orange County Dist. Atty. Michael Capizzi and David Stirling, chief deputy to Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren, who is running for governor.

As Calderon sees it, money is only part of the equation. He figures he needs about 1 million votes to win the Democratic nomination and believes he will draw half that number from the fast-growing ranks of Latino voters.

“I’m the moderate,” Calderon said. “I’m the only candidate from Los Angeles, and the only candidate who enjoys a huge base among Latino voters. I believe that base alone puts me out in front.”

Calderon took a swipe at Lockyer, saying that his fellow state senator, though a lawyer, has virtually no courtroom experience.

Calderon, a graduate of the law school at UC Davis, was a deputy city attorney in Los Angeles before entering politics and says he prosecuted almost 100 cases, ranging from spousal abuse to drunk driving. The city attorney’s office handles misdemeanors.

Calderon was elected to the Assembly in 1982 and soon became part of the so-called Gang of Five, a group of moderates who tried to topple then-Speaker Willie Brown. Calderon was elected to the state Senate in 1990. Like Lockyer, he must leave the upper house this year because of term limits.

During his tenure, Calderon has carried a range of bills, including some to pare back environmental requirements and others to protect rights of divorced fathers.

In a bill aimed at tabloids, Calderon sought to make it a crime to knowingly publish or air lies and reap a profit from bogus reports. The Screen Actors Guild backed the measure, and actors Steven Seagal and Paul Reiser testified for it, but it died.

In announcing his candidacy for the state’s top law enforcement office, Calderon emphasized his anti-crime legislation and his support for the death penalty, something each candidate for the post endorses. Like the other Democratic candidates, Calderon supports limits on assault weapons.

He also carried a bill that now is law, prohibiting prisoners from making profits from their crimes. And he was a driving force behind efforts to limit other rights of prisoners. Under another Calderon measure that is now law, families can sue drug dealers if another family member suffers or dies from narcotics.

Unlike Lockyer and Schenk, Calderon did not talk about using the attorney general’s power to crack down on consumer fraud or environmental crimes. He focused instead on a more traditional definition of the office.

“As a parent and your next attorney general, I will wake up every morning thinking of ways to keep our families safe,” Calderon said.