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State of California Department of Justice

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Company: State of California Department of Justice, Sacramento, CA USA
Company Description: The Attorney General represents the People of California in civil and criminal matters before trial courts, appellate courts and the supreme courts of California and the United States. The Attorney General also serves as legal counsel to state officers and, with few exceptions, to state agencies, boards and commissions.
Nomination Category: Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Female Executive of the Year – Government or Non-Profit –11 to 2,500 Employees

Nomination Title: Kamala Harris, Attorney General of California

Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated executive since the beginning of July last year (up to 525 words):

On January 3, 2011, Kamala D. Harris was sworn in as the 32nd Attorney General of the State of California. She is the first woman, the first African American, and the first South Asian to hold the office in the history of California. In a short time, Harris has made a difference in the lives of Californians and the country with an aggressive advocacy approach.

Attorney General Harris has focused on combating transnational gangs that are trafficking guns, drugs, and human beings. She has worked to increase the adoption of technology and data-driven policing, and has traveled to every region of California to expand partnerships with local law enforcement.

• In 2013 Harris launched JusticeMobile, an app that gives law enforcement agents, for the first time, immediate access to state and federal criminal justice information.

• Harris has been a bold leader in response to the state’s foreclosure crisis:

• She has expanded prosecutions of mortgage-related fraud and crime by establishing a multidivisional Mortgage Fraud Strike Force.

• She secured an estimated $18 billion from the nation’s banks as part of the recent national mortgage settlement, including $12 billion in principal reductions. Harris was a lone hold-out in the negotiations and, she walked away with far more than California was slated to receive.

• Harris wrote the nation’s most comprehensive package of foreclosure reforms—the California Homeowner Bill of Rights—and fought successfully for its passage.

• Harris has also aggressively defended the rights of consumers, improving privacy protections and strengthening online safety for consumers across the country.

Since July 2012

• Harris recovered $23.5 million in settlement with McKesson over inflated prescription drug prices, causing the states’ Medicaid programs to overpay millions of dollars.

• Harris joined a nationwide $3 billion settlement with GlaxoSmithKline to resolve fraud allegations, the largest healthcare fraud settlement in history.

• Harris announced the formation of a Privacy Enforcement and Protection Unit “to police the privacy practices of individuals and organizations to hold accountable those who misuse technology to invade the privacy of others.”

• Harris announced the passage of a bill to ensure that those convicted of human trafficking crimes involving minors will not be able to keep the financial benefits reaped from those crimes.

• Protecting veterans and active-duty military from financial scams has been a priority for AG Harris. She sued to remove directors and recover funds from a veterans charity.

• Harris announced a $750 million settlement with Powerex over claims arising from the 2000-2001 California energy crisis, with the money going to ratepayers of California’s largest utilities.

• Harris released a report which examines the state’s elementary truancy crisis and provides solutions.

She has also fought to preserve California’s natural resources, ensure marriage equality for all Californians, and defend the Affordable Care Act. Harris married the first California gay couple in June.
For her upcoming re-election:

Said Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley, "Kamala Harris has brought tremendous leadership to California in so many public safety areas, including combating mortgage fraud, human trafficking, and truancy.”

For her efforts and achievements, in 2013 Harris is being talked about for future roles as US Attorney General, a member of the Supreme Court, or possibly a political run. With her

Provide a brief biography of the nominated executive (up to 125 words):

A career prosecutor, Attorney General Harris served two terms as District Attorney of San Francisco. Defeating a two-term incumbent, she was first elected DA in 2003, and was overwhelmingly elected to a second term in November 2007.

Attorney General Harris began her career in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, where she specialized in prosecuting child sexual assault cases. In 1998, she joined the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, where she led the Career Criminal Unit. She also served as the head of the San Francisco City Attorney’s Division on Children and Families.

Harris is author of the book Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor's Plan to Make Us Safer.