The Inland political landscape and the face of federal justice in Southern California changed Wednesday, April 2, when Bill Essayli left the state legislature to become a U.S. attorney.
RELATED: Inland Assemblymember Bill Essayli named U.S. attorney for Southern California
In the wake of the Corona Republican and conservative firebrand’s departure from Sacramento, there are questions about who replaces Essayli in the Assembly, why the Trump administration picked him and what roadblocks might stand in his way in his new role.
Here are some possible answers.
How will Essayli be replaced in the Assembly?
By law, Gov. Gavin Newsom has until mid-April to call a special election in Essayli’s 63rd Assembly District, which represents Norco, Menifee, Lake Elsinore and Canyon Lake and parts of Eastvale, Riverside and Corona.
Essayli’s current term runs through the end of 2026.
It’s not yet clear how much an election will cost. Elizabeth Florer, spokesperson for the Riverside County Registrar of Voters, said via email that her office is waiting for the governor’s proclamation to determine whether the election will be to serve the remainder of Essayli’s term or to serve out that term, plus another full two-year term.
RELATED: Lake Elsinore Councilmember Natasha Johnson seeks Bill Essayli’s Assembly seat
Who wants to fill Essayli’s shoes?
The 63rd is an attractive opportunity for Republican candidates. The GOP currently holds a six percentage point edge in the district’s voter registration.
Republican and Lake Elsinore City Councilmember Natasha Johnson wasted little time in declaring her candidacy for the 63rd. She also moved quickly to consolidate GOP support for her bid, touting endorsements from Essayli, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and other prominent Inland Republicans.
Other candidates could announce in the days ahead.
How did Essayli get his new job?
Essayli, 39, replaces an interim attorney who filled in after the U.S. attorney appointed by President Joe Biden resigned shortly before President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The Trump administration hasn’t publicly commented about why it picked Essayli, who was sworn in as U.S. attorney for the Central District of California on Wednesday.
That said, Essayli, who was an assistant U.S. attorney from 2014 to 2018, fits the mold of what Trump looks for. He’s fiercely loyal to the president and has a history of high-profile clashes with Democrats.
Essayli also might bring an aggressive approach to his new role, perhaps targeting California laws shielding undocumented immigrants from deportation.
In a Fox News interview, he said his top priorities as U.S. attorney include “prosecuting violent criminal illegal immigrants and those that aid and support them. The days of sanctuary protections for criminals are over in California.”
What might the U.S. Senate do?
Published reports indicate Essayli, as an interim appointee, will eventually need U.S. Senate confirmation. If so, that leaves open the possibility of Senate Democrats holding up Essayli’s permanent appointment.
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California, on Tuesday, April 1, placed a hold on Ed Martin’s nomination to be the U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C.
Martin “has demolished the firewalls between the White House and his own office within the Department of Justice,” Schiff, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a news release.
The offices of Schiff and California’s other U.S. senator, Democrat Alex Padilla, did not respond to requests for comment on whether they’d place a hold on Essayli’s nomination.
What will Essayli’s legacy be in Sacramento?
First elected in 2022, Essayli became known for a confrontational approach and a focus on lighting-rod culture war issues, including efforts to require schools to tell parents if their children identify as transgender and banning trans athletes from girls’ sports.
Conservatives hailed Essayli as a courageous fighter taking on a leftist state government.
“He’s courageous and does not do things for credit or acknowledgment,” Sonja Shaw, Chino Valley school board president and a Republican candidate for state superintendent of public instruction, said in summer.
“We need more leaders like Bill Essayli who prioritize the well-being of families and the future of our children over political gamesmanship.”
For his part, Essayli said in a news release when he joined the Assembly that “parental rights, illegal immigration, and voter ID were peripheral issues; we’ve made them centerpieces of our Party.”
Democrats will likely remember Essayli as someone more interested in scoring political points than accomplishing anything of note.
Democrat and Northern California Assemblymember Marc Berman told POLITICO that a social media photo of Esssayli waving from the Assembly podium “perfectly sums up his approach to his job.”
“He looks like he’s presiding over session and waving to adoring fans in the gallery,” Berman was quoted as saying.
“But if you look at the message above his head, it states that the Assembly is not in session, the chambers are empty, and he is waving to no one. That is how I will remember Bill Essayli.”
