That's the accusation being leveled at Xavier Becerra, former California Attorney General and now a front-runner in the gubernatorial race, by the family of Sean Monterrosa. Monterrosa was shot and killed by police, and his sister says Becerra's office failed to conduct a meaningful investigation into the killing.

Let's be clear about something. We're not anti-cop at The Dissent. We believe in public safety, and we believe the vast majority of officers do difficult, dangerous work in good faith. But the entire architecture of accountability — the reason we have attorneys general, oversight bodies, and investigative authority — exists precisely for the cases where something goes wrong. When that system fails, it erodes trust in everyone: the officers who play by the rules, the prosecutors who are supposed to enforce them, and the government institutions we're all paying for.

Becerra's track record on police shooting investigations was criticized from multiple angles during his tenure. The AG's office has the authority to step in when local investigations fall short, and families like the Monterrosas were told that authority would be exercised. It wasn't — at least not to any satisfying degree.

Now Becerra wants a promotion. And that's where this gets politically inconvenient. You can't campaign on justice and reform while your actual record suggests you looked the other way when the moment demanded courage. California voters handed the AG's office expanded powers over police misconduct investigations specifically because they wanted independent oversight. What's the point of giving government more power if it refuses to use it for its stated purpose?

This isn't a left-right issue. It's a government accountability issue. If you had one job — arguably the most important part of your job — and you punted, voters deserve to know that before they hand you the keys to the governor's mansion.

Power without accountability isn't leadership. It's just power.