California’s Attorney General Xavier Becerra ’80 J.D. ’84 discussed California police reforms including officer training, department data collection and use of force, in a conversation with law professor Robert Weisberg on Monday.

Becerra, who served 12 terms in the United States House of Representatives, told his audience at the Stanford Law School that he felt he could accomplish more as Attorney General than as a legislator by interpreting how to enforce federal law, especially immigration law, in California.

Becerra argued that by the end of his tenure, he “will have established the most robust policy [reform] that any Attorney General in California has ever established,” saying that “a whole bunch of attorneys [force lawmakers to] listen.”

Through his role overseeing California’s police reforms, Becerra plans to implement 272 changes in the San Francisco Police Department. He will then audit Sacramento’s Police Department for any changes they may need.

While he has significant control over policing in California, a softer approach is key to making appropriate agency reforms, according to Becerra.

“I’m not going to be in there patrolling, but I can enforce the law against [sheriffs],” he said. “I leave them to their own devices … but I’m watching.”

“Just because you [have] power, doesn’t mean you use it,” he added. “I get a lot more done with a carrot than I do with a stick.”