By Laurel Rosenhall, CALmatters
In the 1970s, an ethnically diverse high school in Sacramento sought to quell tensions by training a mix of specially selected students how to resolve conflicts. Among the chosen was a son of Mexican immigrants named Xavier Becerra — a teenager who excelled academically, spent lunch hours playing poker and seemed to possess a knack for defusing fights.
Forty years later, an ethnically diverse state — anticipating a new wave of conflict with the federal government — has turned to Becerra as well. This time, the goal is not so much to avoid conflicts as to make sure they are resolved in California’s favor.
Read the complete story at CALmatters.