Michael Gates announced his departure from his position as Huntington Beach city attorney to join President Donald Trump’s administration on Feb. 10. Gates took a position as the deputy assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Division under the United States Department of Justice.
“The City’s adversaries, including the State currently in our lawsuits should know, Huntington Beach will continue to fight aggressively, and the City will ultimately prevail,” Gates said in a statement regarding his departure amid ongoing lawsuits with the state.
The Civil Rights Division was created in 1957 and enforces laws protecting the civil rights of individuals and federal legislation prohibiting discrimination.
Gates will serve under Attorney General Pamela Bondi, who was sworn in on Feb. 5 by a 54-46 vote in the Senate. Gates will replace former President Joe Biden’s appointment for the position, Kristen Clarke.
Gates, elected to the city attorney position in 2014, recommended the Huntington Beach City Council appoint Chief Assistant City Attorney Mike Vigliotta to the now vacant position in his Feb. 10 statement. Gates outlined that Vigliotta will continue to “carry the City’s legal battles forward, including continuing with the City’s Voter ID law, the high-density housing fights, and the City’s important legal battle over the State’s Sanctuary Law.”
Gates is a vocal supporter of Trump on social media, displaying a “Make Huntington Beach Great Again” hat and a Trump collage portrait in posts on his Instagram. He stated that his intentions in his new federal position were to “advance President Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda, fight to restore law and order throughout the country, and fight to restore faith in the Nation’s justice system.”
The City of Huntington Beach may go back to court over the voter ID law that voters passed in a special election in March 2024 with a 53% majority, to the opposition of the state. If enacted, the measure will require extra monitoring at polling places and allow local officials to check voter IDs before casting an in-person ballot.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the city in April 2024 after the measure was first passed. The case was shot down in the Orange County Superior Court, stating that it was “not ripe for adjudication” as the city had not proposed rules for the implementation of the voter ID law, according to Voice of OC. Bonta filed a notice of appeal against the decision on Jan. 14.
“Secretary [of State Shirley] Weber and I continue to believe that Huntington Beach’s Measure A is unlawful … With preparations for the 2026 elections beginning late this year, time is of the essence,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a press release. “The right to vote is sacred, and we will not allow Huntington Beach to disenfranchise Californians at the polls.”
The city council voted to make Huntington Beach a non-sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants on Jan. 21. Gates filed a lawsuit on behalf of Huntington Beach against the state of California on Jan. 7, alleging that California Senate Bill 54, otherwise known as the Sanctuary State Law, is unconstitutional. The bill prevents local resources and authorities from being used to assist federal immigration enforcement agencies.
The city council has not decided whether a special election will be held to fill the city attorney position or if the position will be filled by appointment at this time, Mayor Pat Burns told Voice of OC.
Alyse Billiard is a News Staff Writer. She can be reached at abilliar@uci.edu.