5 questions for Eric Early, Republican Candidate for California Attorney General 2018
PV’s Exclusive Newsmaker Interview:
Eric Early, Republican Candidate for California Attorney General 2018
Key Endorsements: Republican Senate Leader Pat Bates, Senator Joel Anderson
Question No. 1. What do you view the role of Attorney General to be?
Eric Early: I view the role of Attorney General to include several things:
The Attorney General is the state’s chief law officer – who honestly and fairly — protects and serves the people and interests of California, who oversees the California Department of Justice, and who supervises the state’s district and city attorneys as well as the state’s law enforcement officers.
The Attorney General’s paramount responsibility is protecting the health, safety and welfare of Californian’s citizens from crime and threats to their way of life. From crimes of violence to real property crimes including efforts to steal people’s homes, the Attorney General’s most solemn duty is to protect the citizens of our great State.
The Republican Attorney General’s role in my opinion, is also to be a steadfast voice in Sacramento to forcefully and regularly counter the devastating effects on our state of years-long Democratic one-party rule, which include rising crime rates, the financial undermining of the state, and the fostering of a culture of lack of respect and support for job creators, law enforcement, legal immigration and personal responsibility. Thus, the positions of the Attorney General on the entire range of issues facing California are, I believe very important, regardless of whether the Attorney General has direct responsibility for all such issues.
Question No. 2. What will be your priorities be if you win?
Eric Early: First and foremost, to take steps to protect the law abiding hardworking tax paying citizens of the State of California. It is time to take steps to stop emptying our prisons of felons years before their sentences end. It is time to include law enforcement more directly in the decision-making process of the AG’s office and to provide unconditional support for law enforcement. I will also prioritize trying to stop the influx of undocumented immigrants (our borders need to be secured), stop the protection of undocumented felons, focus time and resources on countering the three-headed scourge of mental illness, homelessness and drug abuse, and take steps to protect the state’s job creators from the ravages of regulatory abuse and over taxation.
Question No. 3. What is your view on the job the last two CA Attorneys Generals have done?
Eric Early: The last two CA Attorneys General have treated California’s citizens disingenuously, and have been and are, unrepentant social and political climbers of the worst sort. Most of their acts appear designed not with the best interests of Californian’s citizens in mind, but as ways to please their political enablers so that they can lay the groundwork to climb to the next highest political office. The present California Attorney General has become the equivalent of Nancy Pelosi in the Attorney General’s office – following the Democratic playbook and waging a one-man campaign against the Federal Government, using tens of millions of dollars of our taxpayer money in the process, based on his apparent belief that such conduct will take to him to the US Senate or the California Governor’s office.
Question No. 4. Many believe the current Attorney General has politicized the office. Do you think so and what, if anything, would you do differently than him?
Eric Early: As referenced in my preceding answers, the current Attorney General has manifestly overly-politicized the office. But what should we have expected? His entire professional life has been devoted to climbing the Democrat political ladder, and it is apparent that he is using his current office with the same goal in mind, regardless of what is in the best interests of his bosses – California’s citizens. Although the present Attorney General has a law degree, I do not consider him to be a real attorney. And thus, I would do just about everything differently than him. I want to use the office to protect Californian’s citizens, not grease the wheels of a political career. I am not a professional politician. I am a practicing attorney and businessman who has had a great life in the private sector. I meet payroll every two weeks. I am the only candidate for Attorney General who has not lived off the government till for decades. I jumped into this race to help my fellow citizens. Not just for our present generation, but for my kids’ generation and for generations that follow.
With respect to the present over-politicization of the office, and for starters, I would review every one of the approximately 20 lawsuits that the current Attorney General has filed against the Federal Government, and will look to dismiss as many of them as possible. As the plaintiff in these lawsuits, the People of the State of California have the right to dismiss the lawsuits that have been filed on their behalf. I would also look seriously at terminating the scores of Washington, D.C. attorneys that the present Attorney General is paying millions of our taxpayer dollars to employ. Among other things, and certainly without limitation, I would also make sure that the language on state ballot initiatives is truthful and not the misleading disingenuous politicized tripe that has been prepared by the present Attorney General and his predecessor.
Question No. 5. Many believe the Courts system in the state is underfunded. Do you think so and what, if anything, to you propose to do about?
Eric Early: I have been a practicing business litigation attorney for 25 years. I am Managing Partner of a firm that focuses approximately 90% on business litigation. (See www.earlysullivan.com.) We practice in Courts throughout the entire state of California. There is no question but that the state court system is critically underfunded. Cases are backlogged for years.
Judges do not have the time or resources to give cases the attention they require, which in certain instances leads to unjust and legally incorrect results. In many jurisdictions throughout the state, attorneys in my office (and thus, our clients) now regularly experience delays of at least six months in, for example, having an initial demurrer heard. And, if as regularly happens, a demurrer is granted but with leave to amend, it may take at least another 6 months to hear the next demurrer – and that is just the preliminary pleading stage of the case. As a result, attorneys’ fees are growing exponentially because of the years it takes to take a case from filing through resolution. Litigants are forced to settle simply to avoid the years of litigation in which the present system places them. I could go on and on, but the situation is just getting worse and not better.
If elected, I would want to form a task force within the Attorney General’s office to work with the state and local Bars, among others, to review and determine the best steps to take to begin countering the impact of large cuts on our Court system. The potential remedies would likely require frequent lobbying of the Legislature, and fundraising efforts, and may include a review of the possibilities of restructuring the entire state Court system to try to deal with the present problems.
About Eric Early
Why I’m Running
I am running for Attorney General because every day Californians need a voice in Sacramento that protects their rights first. I want to bring a common-sense Republican voice to our state government, focused on the rights of citizens of all races, religions, ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientation. Too often, the office of Attorney General has been used as a stepping stone to advance political careers.
We need to support and protect our law enforcement community. They are the frontline of our neighborhoods, communities and families.
We must stop releasing prisoners before their sentences end, have an open and honest discussion on the scourge of mental illness and opioid abuse that destroys lives, deport undocumented felons after they serve their time, stop this constant increase of taxes on the backs of hardworking Californians, fight against regulations that kill jobs and which send employers to other states, and we must make our government responsive and accountable to the people of our state, not special interests.
California, is being lead in the wrong direction by Sacramento. Many years of one-party rule has led to a dramatic rise in violent crime, early release of felons from prisons and almost no action on the issue of mental illness and homelessness.
I am not a politician, but the wrong way direction of our state and the over-politicization of the Attorney General’s office, have caused me to step up. We must stand against the constant attack on everyday Californians by the political elite and special interests. For twenty five years, I have been a practicing attorney fighting for my clients, and working hard to build a successful law firm. I now want to fight for all Californians.
The current “non-elected” Attorney General is a lifetime politician with almost no real legal experience. His career has focused on his own self-interest, and he is currently using taxpayer money to further his own goals.
I want to be an Attorney General for all Californians.
Connect with Eric Early at the sites below.
Campaign Website: EricEarly.com
FaceBook: EricEarlyforAG
Twitter: @EricEarlyforAG
