The AgNet News Hour featured a high-energy conversation with California Attorney General candidate Michael Gates, who outlined his plans to combat fraud, restore law and order, and bring accountability back to state government—issues that directly impact farmers and rural communities.
Gates, a longtime attorney and former Huntington Beach city attorney, said California is facing widespread financial mismanagement and rising crime, with billions in taxpayer dollars lost through fraud and lack of oversight.
“We are currently a lawless state, but we need to be a law and order state,” Gates said.
A central focus of his campaign is cracking down on what he described as large-scale fraud tied to government spending and nonprofit organizations. Gates estimated that as much as $500 billion in taxpayer money has been lost to waste, fraud, and abuse over recent years—money he says should be recovered and returned to Californians.
“That money’s out there somewhere,” he said. “People are going to go to jail… and we’re going to claw back that money.”
For agriculture, those issues hit especially close to home. Gates noted that farmers are already dealing with rising costs, labor challenges, regulatory pressure, and water concerns, leaving little room to absorb the financial impacts of misused taxpayer funds.
“Farmers don’t have time to worry about fraud,” hosts noted during the discussion, pointing to the growing list of operational challenges across the industry.
Gates emphasized that addressing fraud and improving oversight could help relieve some of that pressure by ensuring resources are properly allocated and not diverted away from essential services and infrastructure.
In addition to financial accountability, Gates said public safety would be a top priority. Drawing on his experience in Huntington Beach—where he helped reduce crime and improve enforcement—he plans to take a more aggressive approach statewide.
“When there’s a new sheriff in town… we will return California back to the rule of law,” he said.
The conversation also touched on broader concerns about government transparency and proposed legislation that could limit public oversight. Gates strongly opposed efforts that would restrict citizen journalism or reduce accountability, arguing that Californians have a right to question how their government operates.
“We should be empowering them, not punishing them,” he said.
Gates also highlighted the importance of leadership in turning California around, expressing confidence that coordinated efforts across multiple offices—including governor, attorney general, and controller—could drive meaningful change.
“If we get the right leaders in office… we can turn California overnight,” he said.
As the election cycle continues, Gates is positioning himself as a candidate focused on enforcement, accountability, and restoring confidence in state government—priorities that many in agriculture say are long overdue.
Listen to the full interview below or on your favorite podcast app.
Listen to previous AgNet News Hour episodes…