Sacramento mayor says he may ‘seriously consider’ run for attorney general if Bonta seeks governorship

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said he will consider running for state attorney general if the current officeholder Rob Bonta decides to enter the race for California governor.

“I would seriously consider it, but Attorney General Bonta has not made that decision yet,” Steinberg told Inside California Politics co-host Nikki Laurenzo during an interview at the Democratic National Convention. “Of course, there’s a long way between now and November.”

Bonta has been state attorney general since 2021 and won a full term in 2022. The term ends in 2026 and he has not specified his plans for afterward.

A campaign for attorney general would be one option for Steinberg after his time as Sacramento’s mayor ends in January. Steinberg said a judgeship or a career in media, writing or teaching are other possible options.

The mayor also mentioned he’d like to spend more time working with his mental health foundation, the Steinberg Institute.

“One of the pieces of advice I recently got is that the best trapeze artists are those who let go of the first bar before they grab on to the next one,” Steinberg said. “In other words, don’t be so anxious to just leap into the next thing and let it sort of come to you a little bit and see what’s out there and that’s sort of where I’m at in life.”

During the interview, Steinberg addressed the city’s homelessness crisis, which he says has decreased by 41%, and discussed the closure of a longtime waterfront business, Rio City Café, and the city’s revitalization plan for the Old Sacramento Waterfront.

Steinberg also expressed his desire to put in plans for a soccer stadium for the local USL team, Republic FC, before the end of his term as mayor in December.

Watch the full interview with Darrell Steinberg in the video player above.

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