Partnership for Public Service’s California Gubernatorial Transition Project outlines transition priorities for Governor-elect Becerra

SACRAMENTO — Californians have elected their next governor, and the gubernatorial transition has officially moved into its next phase.

Over the next sixty-one days before Governor-elect Xavier Becerra is sworn into office, the incoming administration will need to fill hundreds of critical appointed positions with qualified leaders, develop a state budget that is constitutionally required just days after the new administration begins and ensure continuity across public agencies and state programs that millions of Californians rely on each day.

“The election may be over, but the work of preparing to govern is just beginning,” said Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service. “The decisions made over the coming weeks will help prepare Governor-elect Becerra to lead California from day one. Our mission is to support the incoming and outgoing administrations, as well as the career workforce, to ensure continuity of government and give the incoming team the strongest possible foundation to govern effectively and best serve all Californians.”

The Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan, nonprofit with nearly two decades of experience supporting presidential transitions under Democratic and Republican administrations, recommends that the governor-elect focus first on three key priorities:

• Establish clear transition leadership and an effective operating structure. A successful transition requires clear responsibility for managing the process, coordinating across workstreams and making timely decisions. The governor-elect should quickly empower transition leadership and establish the processes needed to guide appointments, agency review, budget preparation and other critical work.

• Build a pipeline of qualified leaders and engage the career workforce. Personnel decisions made during the transition will have a direct impact on the new administration’s ability to execute its priorities. The incoming team should move quickly to identify and vet qualified candidates for critical appointments while drawing on the institutional knowledge and expertise of career public servants who understand the strengths, challenges and immediate needs of California’s state agencies.

• Prepare the first budget and translate campaign priorities into a governing plan. California’s next governor will need to propose a state budget within days of taking office. The transition provides a critical window to sequence budgetary priorities, understand the fiscal and operational decisions already underway and build the management structure needed to turn campaign commitments into effective governance.

The recommendations are informed by months of active engagement and listening sessions through the Partnership’s California Gubernatorial Transition Project. As part of that effort, the Partnership worked with a bipartisan advisory board of former governors, legislative leaders, judges and senior state officials, while drawing on nearly two decades of federal transition expertise. While administrations may differ significantly on policy, the operational challenges of taking over the reins of state government do not break along party lines.

“Transition planning is not about politics or telling an incoming governor what policy priorities to pursue,” said Keely Bosler, Director of the Partnership’s California Gubernatorial Transition Project. “It is about making sure the leader Californians elected has the people, information and operating structure needed to lead effectively. That preparation matters when a new administration is confronted with a fire, flood, budget challenge or any of the many challenges that do not wait for a new team to settle in.”

The Partnership for Public Service is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to building a better government and a stronger democracy.

Over the past 25 years and across five presidential administrations, we have offered government agencies and leaders crucial training and insights to better serve the public, championed legislation for effective government and shined a spotlight on the achievements of the federal workforce.

Now, building on our decades of experience, we engage the public about the value of government and how its erosion harms us all and advance reforms that seek to make our federal institutions more effective, responsive and accountable to the American people. We also strengthen leadership in federal, state and local government, help federal workers navigate an increasingly complex federal environment and provide former public servants with opportunities to shape efforts to transform government.

Visit ourpublicservice.org, follow us @PublicService and subscribe today to get the latest federal news, information on upcoming Partnership programs and events, and more.

###