Poochigian, Brown vary on goals
Candidates differ in their view of state attorney general’s role,
personal objectives.
By E.J. Schultz
Fresno Bee Capitol Bureau

October 15, SACRAMENTO

2006 Strip away the inflammatory rhetoric, the attack ads and the
hyped-up allegations surrounding the campaign for state attorney
general, and a real choice emerges.

Chuck Poochigian, a Republican state senator from Fresno, views the
position as the state’s "top cop" and vows to use the office to defend
the death penalty and to push for greater use of DNA in solving
crimes.

Jerry Brown, the Democratic mayor of Oakland and former governor, says
his "vast experience" will help him use the office to protect the
environment, control assault weapons and give good legal advice to
state agencies.

Brown, a three-time presidential candidate and son of a former
governor, is the favorite in the race. He has a double-digit lead in
most polls and had $5 million campaign cash on hand as of Sept. 30,
compared with Poochigian’s $1.7 million.

Poochigian has tried to gain ground by running an aggressive, dogged
campaign with a tough-on-crime message.

"I’m running for attorney general to bring a fresh approach and
aggressive action against the criminal element in society," he said
during a recent debate.

He has pounded Brown’s record as mayor and governor, suggesting Brown
that who in the past has made public statements criticizing the
penalty death is not committed to capital punishment.

He also cites Oakland’s rising homicide rate, saying that Brown is
partly to blame.

Brown returns the fire by pointing to Poochigian’s environmental
voting record, which conservationist groups criticize.

And he defends his record as mayor of Oakland by saying it has given
him hands-on experience fighting crime.

"I talk to felons virtually every day and I know what is needed," he
said at the debate, hosted Oct. 5 by the San Francisco Chronicle.

"I’m running for attorney general because I want to bring some common
sense and a practical approach to that office."

For Brown, who served as governor in the late 1970s and early 1980s, a
win would mark a return to the statewide political stage.

The 68-year-old says he would go back to Sacramento as a "seasoned
statesman: wiser, battle tested."

Brown says his eight-year run as Oakland mayor has given him a better
appreciation for law enforcement.

He lives in a tough neighborhood downtown and says the experience has
been invaluable.

"You get kind of a sense, wow, we better have a strong police
department," he said in an interview.

"I’m going to be a much tougher attorney general than if I had run 30
years ago, without question."

As attorney general he says he would form "strike forces" to help
local police departments fight crime.

He also vows to defend stem cell research funding laws endorsed by
voters under Proposition 71.

Brown says he won’t let his personal views affect enforcement of the
death penalty, much like Poochigian, who is anti-abortion, says he
would defend abortion rights laws.

Poochigian, 57, who grew up on a Fresno County farm, made his mark in
the Legislature by carrying the 2004 workers compensation overhaul
bill credited with saving employers billions of dollars.

He has written many crime bills, recently focusing on strengthening
identity theft laws.

He speaks passionately about upholding strong laws sentencing such as
the state’s three law strikes and says he would use the attorney
general office to "more efficiently" process death penalty cases.

The attorney general is the lead prosecutor on death penalty appeals.

Other responsibilities include serving as legal counsel to state
agencies, safeguarding the state’s natural resources, preventing
fraudulent business practices and enforcing gun control and gambling
laws.

As head of the Department of Justice, the attorney general oversees
5,000 lawyers, peace officers and civil servants.

In legal circles, there is a debate over how aggressive the attorney
general should be, especially when it comes to corporate and consumer
protection lawsuits.

Tort reform organizations deplore the "activist" model made famous by
the likes of New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer, who used the
job to take on Wall Street.

California Attorney General Bill Lockyer has shown his own activist
streak.

For instance, he recently filed a lawsuit against automakers, charging
that vehicle emissions contribute significantly to global warming.

Poochigian, in a statement, called that lawsuit the "wrong approach
and quite troubling."

Brown spokesman Ace Smith said Brown believes that it’s "way too
complex litigation to be taking political positions on it before you
actually spend a huge amount of time reviewing it."

Both candidates say they would be careful in how they wield power.

Brown said he is not interested in filing suits to get attention.

"I’m not interested in headline grabbing," he said.

Some politicians use the job as a stepping stone for a run for
governor, he said, but "I’m not running for governor."

Yet he appears ready to assume a high-profile role in environmental
enforcement.

For instance, he said during the debate that he wants to "staff up"
state agencies to "beat down challenges" to the state’s new global
warming law, which caps greenhouse emissions.

The law, signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger last month, worries some farm
and business groups who fear costly regulations.

Poochigian, who voted against the global warming bill, has a solid
reputation among tort reform and business groups.

In the Legislature he routinely earned near perfect scores from the
California Chamber of Commerce.

Last year, he authored a bill aimed at reducing frivolous lawsuits
over Americans with Disabilities Act violations.

The bill, which was defeated in the Legislature, would have given
businesses time to fix violations before being sued for punitive
damages.

As attorney general, Poochigian promises to enforce the law whether
it’s "on the street corner or in a board room."

But "you can also anticipate that I’m going to be very thoughtful in
evaluating the facts that are brought to me and not willy-nilly be
filing lawsuits and issuing subpoenas for the sport of it."

The reporter can be reached at eschultz@fresnobee.com or (916)
326-5541.

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