On Tuesday, the Biden-Harris transition team released its agency review teams. These teams are responsible for understanding the operations of each agency, ensuring a smooth transfer of power, and preparing for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and their cabinet to hit the ground running on Day One. Members include volunteers, full-time transition employees, and detailees. Find the full list of agency review team members here.
Additionally, on Wednesday evening President-elect Biden named Ron Klain to be his White House Chief of Staff. Klain, a lawyer with deep experience on Capitol Hill, served as Biden’s Chief of Staff when he was Vice President and has been seen for months as the likeliest choice to manage his team in the White House. Notably, Klain also served as the “Ebola czar” under President Obama during an outbreak of the deadly disease and has been particularly critical of President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
As these transition teams grow and shift info a formal administration staff, Californians are expected to have a major footprint in critical roles. California’s biotech, alternative energy and environmental policy scenes previously had significant clout in both President Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama’s Administrations and are highly expected to regain this clout under a Biden Administration. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was re-elected as House Speaker this week, is also certain to put her fingerprints on the new Administration. Senator Dianne Feinstein and her husband Richard Blum can also leverage their influence to bend the new Administration's ear as it runs its talent search. Finally, the most notable Californian in the administration, Vice President-Elect Harris, is likely to significantly lean on the experience and knowledge of her home state and prior Senate staff both during the transition as well as throughout the Administrations’ tenure in office.