Newsom Names Experienced Women As Top Two Staffers In New Administration

Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom has named a longtime senior Hillary Clinton aide and a former California budget director to the top two positions in his incoming administration.

His chief of staff will be Ann O’Leary, who held senior roles in the Clinton administration, Hillary Clinton’s Senate office, and her presidential campaign. She also led the Clinton-Kaine transition project, which as required by law began prior to the election. O’Leary was previously married to California Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu, but they are divorced, although they co-parent together.

And Newsom has named Ana Matosantos to be his cabinet secretary — that’s the No. 2 job in the governor’s office, which oversees all of the state’s executive branch agencies. Matosantos served as Director of Finance to two governors — first, Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, then Democrat Jerry Brown — from December 2009 until September 2013.

In making those selections, Newsom has picked a chief of staff with experience at the national level and a top deputy with experience at the state level. And like Brown, Newsom has also picked women for his top two positions.

The governor-elect has also switched his campaign website to a transition website, where he's inviting Californians to tell him their policy priorities — and apply for jobs in his administration.