California Attorney General Xavier Becerra testifies in Washington in September. Credit: Diego M. Radzinschi/ ALM

State attorney general candidates teed off on rival Xavier Becerra during a debate Tuesday night, accusing the current officeholder of focusing on legal fights with the Trump administration to the detriment of other duties.

Fellow Democrat Dave Jones, California's insurance commissioner, said Becerra has been slow to seize guns from about 10,000 residents barred from possessing firearms because of felony convictions or mental illness. He also criticized state Department of Justice delays in launching a statewide database to track opioid prescriptions.

“As a progressive Democrat I'll resist President Trump,” Jones told an audience gathered at the UC Riverside School of Public Policy. “But there's more to the office of attorney general than just suing President Trump.”