IALI endorses Kamala Harris for California AG

NEW YORK: Picking up on the aggressive campaign for California Attorney General the Indian American Leadership Initiative (IALI) has endorsed the candidacy of San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Devi Harris who, if elected, will be the first Indian American State Attorney General in the United States.

Harris was elected San Francisco's District Attorney in 2003 and ran unopposed for reelection in 2007.  The daughter of an Indian American physician, Dr. Shyamala Gopalan, and a Jamaican American economist, Harris was born in Oakland, California, where she later began her career as a prosecutor.

"I am grateful and honored to have earned the support of IALI," said Harris in a message. "Your support will play a pivotal role in engaging and mobilizing the Indian American community around a public office whose role may seem unclear to many, but has the power to greatly influence and reform our state and national criminal justice system."

Harris said that many Californians, and by the same token most Americans, do not yet realize the ability of California's Attorney General to bring about change that sets the tone for the rest of the nation - "change in how we combat mortgage fraud and financial crimes, how we protect our environment, keep our streets safe and our children secure from online predators. Engaging the Indian American community on these issues and emphasizing the important work that can be done through the California Attorney General is key."

Harris further said, "I cannot stress enough how important civic and political engagement is in this current day and age. Our nation is a democracy, which is strongest when every experience and voice is represented. India, the world's largest democracy, serves as a model for us, proving that it is critical that we as a community have representation in elected office and full participation in the electoral process.

As evidenced by the level of participation of the South Asian Community in the election of President Barack Obama, it is clear that we as an electorate can make a visible and forceful difference."

As D.A. in San Francisco, Harris has focused foremost on serious and violent crime, raising conviction rates to their highest levels in 14 years.  She has been featured on the Oprah Show and in Newsweek as one of "America's 20 Most Powerful Women." 

In both 2004 and 2008, she was instrumental in developing the Democratic Party's national platform for criminal justice. Harris served as co-chair of Barack Obama's presidential campaign in California.

India Post News Service