Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates, who worked to reorient the city’s political landscape and waged numerous legal battles in defiance of the state, announced Monday, Feb. 10, that he is leaving the city to take a job at the U.S. Department of Justice.
Gates, in a news release from the city, said he will become a deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s civil rights division.
“I am profoundly humbled and honored for this opportunity to serve the American people at a time like this — 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,” Gates said in a statement.
He recommended that chief assistant city attorney Mike Vigliotta replace him. Vigliotta has worked for the city for nearly two decades.
Gates said Vigliotta will be able to continue the city’s legal fights on voter ID, housing and the state’s “sanctuary law.”
“If anyone thinks that my leave from the city to fight at the national level means that somehow the fights of Huntington Beach will be lessened or weakened, they are mistaken,” Gates said. “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 has been with the city for more than a decade. The position is up for reelection in 2026.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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