What I learned fighting big banks with Kamala Harris

What kind of president would Kamala Harris be?

That’s a question many Americans are rightly asking themselves since the vice president became our presumptive Democratic nominee. As the only member of Congress who’s worked for Kamala Harris, I can provide some insight.

We’ve already seen Donald Trump’s record as president. He let the ultrawealthy off the hook for paying their fair share in taxes. He weakened our international alliances. He proposed cuts to Social Security. In a second Trump term, he would do all this again.

The Biden-Harris administration has cracked down on tax cheats, restored our global standing and protected Social Security. Vice President Harris would continue this work, while bringing her own leadership style. We can look to her record of public service — a record I have observed up close — to see how she works for the people.

Kamala Harris took office as California’s attorney general in 2011, during the long, painful aftermath of the Great Recession. At the time, attorneys general from 49 states were negotiating with the nation’s largest banks, demanding that these institutions take responsibility for their role in the foreclosure crisis.

Kamala spent months pushing for a better deal, channeling the pain she’d heard from families on the campaign trail. When the banks refused to do enough, she pulled out of the talks, which threatened to derail the compromise because of California’s size.

This angered the bankers. It annoyed other attorneys general, some of whom had been in office for decades. But it was the right thing for her constituents — and it worked. She got the banks to promise more than quadruple what they initially offered to help Californians. That’s someone who can’t be bought or bullied.

Now, think about Kamala bringing this tenacity to a high-level international meeting like the G7. She won’t go along to get along; she’ll do what’s right for Americans and for a safer, more peaceful world. Kamala knows that respect is not something one can petulantly demand, as Trump does. Respect comes from the moral authority of doing what’s right and speaking truth to power.

Kamala was savvy to press the big banks to do more, but her most remarkable insight guided her next move. She understood that the settlement depended on the banks’ promises to change their unlawful practices — and that given their illegal conduct, it wasn’t enough just to hope that they shaped up. For Kamala, the victory wasn’t the words on the pages of the National Mortgage Settlement or the press conference announcing the deal. Families were counting on government to deliver actual help that improved their lives.

Over objections from the big banks, Kamala appointed me as an independent watchdog for the settlement. She empowered me to hold the banks’ feet to the fire and to get results for Californians. I had no formal legal authority, but I had Kamala’s force of will behind me.

With her backing, we halted hundreds of foreclosures and forced the banks to consider families for loan modifications. We were able to get one family a six-figure compensation check from one major bank for its flawed processes. We caught another major bank forcing consumers to sign away their right to sue for legal violations —breaking a promise it had made in the settlement — and we forced it to send out hundreds of thousands of correction letters. We successfully pressed the banks to work more to reach the hardest-hit communities, and we held workshops for service members and seniors.

We changed lives on the ground. That’s how Kamala is: She sees things through, not stopping until people get help, because she cares about our families.

When she called me to offer me the job as California monitor, I had a 2-month-old. Like many working moms, I had to bring my infant to work because she had nowhere else to go. I remember being embarrassed on the call, worrying if Betsy would cry or fuss while I was talking to the attorney general. I nervously confessed that I had my baby with me.

Kamala didn’t hesitate. She asked how my baby and I were doing and how her siblings were adjusting. She wasn’t making small talk; she genuinely wanted to know. And then she continued to tell me about how important it was that Californians have a watchdog and a place to report any continued bank misconduct.

I had a newborn, two other kids and a full-time job as a college professor. Kamala did not even blink; she expressed confidence in me to do the job and emphasized the importance of the work. This is how I know, very personally, that Americans can count on Kamala to fill her administration with the best, most qualified leaders from all walks of life to advocate for everyday Americans. There couldn’t be a clearer contrast with Donald Trump. As I exposed in congressional hearings, his appointees included a housing secretary who didn’t know basic real estate terms and a postmaster general who didn’t know how much it costs to mail a postcard.

I can assure Americans from personal experience: Kamala Harris’ vision for moving America forward will not just be words on a convention stage or at a press conference. Nor will it be the empty promises and lip service that we hear from too many politicians who pose as leaders. Kamala will do what’s right and go to the mat to get it done.