Article Summary –
Kamala Harris, currently the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has a robust legal background as a former prosecutor, district attorney, and California attorney general, known for her tough stance on crime. During her career, she launched successful initiatives like “Back on Track” to reduce recidivism among young nonviolent drug offenders, secured a $25 billion foreclosure settlement from large banks, and sued Corinthian Colleges leading to its closure and subsequent loan forgiveness for students. Harris also established the Bureau of Children’s Justice to protect children’s rights and combat human trafficking.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, is a former prosecutor, district attorney, and California attorney general. She has built a reputation for being tough on crime throughout her career.
In Delaware on July 22 and Milwaukee on July 23, Harris emphasized her prosecutorial experience, contrasting herself with former President Donald Trump, who was convicted on 34 felony counts in May related to payments to Stormy Daniels.
“In those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds,” Harris said in Delaware. “Predators who abused women. Fraudsters who ripped off consumers. Cheaters who broke rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump’s type.”
Harris began her career as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County, San Francisco Bay Area during the 1990s, joining the San Francisco district attorney’s office in 1998 and becoming district attorney in 2004.
As San Francisco’s top prosecutor, she launched Back on Track, a program to prevent young nonviolent drug offenders from reoffending. According to a 2009 DOJ fact sheet, fewer than 10% of participants were charged with another crime within two years, compared to 53% of all California drug offenders.
Harris served as San Francisco’s district attorney until 2010 before being elected California attorney general. In 2012, she rejected a $2 billion settlement with big banks over the subprime mortgage crisis, eventually securing $25 billion for California in a foreclosure settlement.
As attorney general, she sued Corinthian Colleges for misrepresenting students’ employment prospects, leading to the chain’s closure in 2013. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Education canceled $5.8 billion in loans for 560,000 Corinthian students.
Harris also founded the Bureau of Children’s Justice in 2015 within the California Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Enforcement Section. The bureau focuses on protecting children’s rights in foster care and adoption, and combating human trafficking.
“As a career prosecutor specializing in crimes against children, Attorney General Harris has firsthand awareness of the need to protect vulnerable children,” the bureau said in an announcement. “Her goal is to ensure that every child knows their inherent value to society and the future of California.”
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