Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Are They Qualified to be Attorney General?

Steve Cooley (Republican) and Kamala Harris (Democrat) have both been prosecutors. Both have both worked in local district attorneys' offices. But that is all they have done. Neither Cooley nor Harris has experience in civil litigation, neither of them have worked in the private or non-profit sector, neither have them have worked on energy or environmental issues, neither of them has been a judge or administrative law judge, neither of them have worked for a state agency, and neither of them have even worked in the other half of the state.

Given the broad responsibilities of the California Attorney General, their lack of relevant experience is striking. By comparison, I have significantly broader experience. I have worked for law firms, a non-profit, a state agency, and a major city. I have lived and worked in both Northern and Southern California. The following chart (based on information from the candidates' websites) shows the difference in experience between me, Cooley and Harris:


Candidates’ Experience


Peter Allen


Steve Cooley


Kamala Harris

Civil Litigation

X

Consumer Advocacy

X

Criminal Prosecution

X

X

X

Energy Law

X

Environmental Law

X

Financial/Securities Fraud Litigation

X

?

?

Judge or Administrative Law Judge

X

Telecommunications Law

X



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