Californians high on Biden’s lists
With the election of Kamala Harris as vice president and San Francisco’s Nancy Pelosi seeking another term as House speaker, Californians will already be playing an outsize role in Washington under Presidentelect Joe Biden.
But the state is also full of wealthy donors, business leaders, university professors and elected officials leading the “resistance” to President Trump that could help fill out Biden’s Cabinet and the thousands of other appointments that make up the federal government.
“There’s a rich diversity there, and for an administration that wants to reflect what America is all about, California provides a lot of opportunity,” said Leon Panetta, who was CIA director and defense secretary under former President Barack Obama.
Panetta said he likes being home in the Monterey Peninsula and was unlikely to join the Biden administration. But here are some top contenders to watch:
Karen Bass: The House member from Los Angeles would be an obvious pick for Biden — she was vetted this summer while he was looking for a running mate. Already a leader in Washington on policing and other racial justice issues as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Bass, a former physician’s assistant, reportedly is being considered to head
either the Department of Housing and Urban Development or the Department of Health and Human Services. Eric Garcetti: The mayor of Los Angeles was an early supporter of Biden and served as a national cochair for the campaign. While he is regarded as a strong candidate for transportation secretary, his chances recently took a hit when several men accused his top aide of sexual harassment. Garcetti said he had no knowledge of the alleged behavior. Meg Whitman: Presidents have historically reached across the aisle to include a Cabinet member from the other party. Politico reports that Biden, who stressed unity in his victory speech Saturday, is eyeing a return to that tradition, which Trump abandoned. Whitman, the former CEO of eBay, HP and Quibi who ran for California governor as a Republican in 2010, is believed to be on the list for commerce secretary. She raised money for Biden and spoke at the Democratic National Convention this summer. Xavier Becerra: California’s attorney general has been at the forefront of the Democratic fight against Trump’s environmental, immigration and health care policies, suing the federal government 100 times in the past four years and building a following in the process. A veteran of Washington who served 12 terms in the House, Becerra is being mentioned to potentially lead the Justice Department or the Department of Homeland Security. He declined to comment on speculation and said later in a statement, “I’m ready to do all I can to help our incoming president and vice president succeed for America.” Mary Nichols: The chair of the California Air Resources Board has pursued innovative and aggressive policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state. She is a liberal favorite for the Environmental Protection Agency — though that could make it difficult to be confirmed by the Senate if Republicans retain control. Nichols had no comment Monday, but former Gov. Jerry Brown touted her credentials in an interview with The Chronicle last week: “She’s been through all the fights.”
David Kessler: He is one of three UCSF doctors Biden selected for his transition advisory board to guide his response to the coronavirus pandemic, and he will play an especially important role as a cochair. A former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration under President Bill Clinton, Kessler did not respond to an email Monday about whether he might join the administration in a more permanent role.
Julie Su: The secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency could be tapped to run the Labor Department. With her early career advocacy against sweatshops and her experience enforcing workplace safety standards, she is wellliked by unions, which hope Biden will reorient the Labor Department around workers’ rights.
Jimmy Gomez: After serving as part of a House working group that negotiated with the Trump administration on a new trade deal with Canada and Mexico, Gomez is gaining traction as a potential U. S. trade representative. Like Bass, his Los Angeles district is heavily Democratic, so there is little chance it would flip control and further diminish the party’s narrowed House majority.
Others: Alejandro Mayorkas, who rose through the ranks of the U. S. Attorney’s Office in Los
Angeles, and Arun Majumdar, an engineering professor at Stanford University, reportedly are under consideration for homeland security and energy secretary, respectively, after holding highranking positions in those departments under Obama.
Biden could also turn to other Obama veterans like Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, the former president’s first labor secretary, who cochaired the Biden Latino Leadership Committee, and California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, who did a tour as ambassador to Hungary.
And a spokesperson for Tom Steyer, the billionaire environmental activist who briefly ran for president, said he wants to help the Biden administration any way he can on climate change or the economy.