By admin 
Gov.-elect Xavier Becerra announced he had hired a slate of staffers, some of whom have ties to his predecessor, Gov. Gavin Newsom, to ease his transition when he assumes office in early January.
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Becerra tapped Liz Saldivar, a longtime confidante, to lead the transition team. Saldivar previously worked for him as district director when Becerra served as a Los Angeles congressman, and later as his director of external affairs when Becerra was state attorney general.
The incoming governor said affordability would be top of mind in his transition, a nod to the issue that Democrats nationwide seized upon in their blowout wins on election night. Becerra will be sworn into office on Jan. 4, 2027.
“This transition has one job: to ensure my administration is ready to deliver on day one,” he said in a statement. “Together, we aim to make California a place people can afford, with results they can see and feel in their everyday lives. Our work starts now, to build a California we can afford and protect the California we can’t afford to lose.”
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Political strategist Nicole Elliott, a former director of the Department of Cannabis Control, will lead the team selecting agency directors. Elliott is married to Jason Elliott, a top Newsom aide who has advised the outgoing governor since his time in San Francisco City Hall. Lindsey Cobia, another longtime Newsom aide, and Kyle Layman, Becerra’s chief campaign strategist, will serve as senior advisers.
Arsenio Mataka will serve as policy director. Mataka previously served as Becerra’s senior counselor when Becerra was Health and Human Services secretary under former President Joe Biden, and as his environmental policy adviser when Becerra was attorney general.
Courtni Pugh, a labor strategist who advised Newsom’s successful Proposition 50 redistricting initiative, will serve as co-director of external affairs, along with Kenneth Maxey II, who is president and chief executive of the Urban League of San Francisco.
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