Gov.-elect Newsom names two top aides

Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom announced his first two appointments Friday, naming Ann O’Leary, a former top aide to Hillary Clinton, as his chief of staff and Ana Matosantos, one-time director of the state Department of Finance, as his Cabinet secretary.

“I pledged an administration that would ... draw on the talents of some of the most capable public servants in America,” Newsom said in a statement. “That’s what Ann and Ana represent — lives of unrivaled professional accomplishment paired with a personal determination to serve the public good.”

Both women will have plenty to do before Newsom, the current lieutenant governor, is sworn in Jan. 7.

O’Leary will be helping to lead Newsom’s transition effort. It’s not a new position for her. O’Leary, an attorney and senior policy adviser for President Bill Clinton, led Hillary Clinton’s prospective transition team during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Matosantos will probably be using her financial expertise to help prepare Newsom’s first state budget, which he must present by Jan. 10, three days after he takes office. Named the state’s finance director by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009, she stayed on under Gov. Jerry Brown until September 2015. The Puerto Rican native was then appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Board.

These are just the first of many appointments for the new administration. One way the former San Francisco mayor plans to find candidates for openings is through a new “All in California” website (gavinnewsom.com/ get_involved), where people can apply for jobs in the administration. They can also list their policy priorities there and make suggestions about how the state can handle its problems.

“It’s time for California’s state Capitol to engage more of California’s diverse voices and talents, beginning with this transition,” Newsom said.