Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced the departure of his chief of staff Dana Williamson and tapped Nathan Barankin, a former aide to Vice President Kamala Harris, as the fourth person to fill the top job in six years.
The Democratic leader is making the switch from one seasoned Sacramento operator to another with added experience in Washington as he begins his final two-year stretch as California governor and speculation mounts about his political future.
“I greatly appreciate Dana’s counsel and her service to the state and the people of California over the last two years,” Newsom said in a statement. “I’m honored to welcome Nathan — his leadership and vision will ensure our administration continues delivering on our promise to create a more affordable, healthy, and prosperous California.”
Barankin, who is married to Newsom’s Cabinet secretary Ann Patterson, left his consulting firm and joined the governor’s office two months ago as a senior advisor in an elongated transition. He served as a senior advisor to Harris during her failed 2020 presidential bid, as her chief of staff in the U.S. Senate and worked as her right hand in the California attorney general’s office.
Compared to prior governors, Newsom has experienced particularly high staff turnover. Each of Barankin’s predecessors in Newsom’s office held the fast-paced and demanding role for about two years.
“It’s a high-burnout job,” said Rob Stutzman, a Republican strategist who worked for former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and described Barankin as a “well-experienced, even-keeled, steady hand.”
“I can’t think of who would have been a better choice,” he said.
The governor surprised California politicos in 2018 when he hired Ann O’Leary, a Washington, D.C., policy veteran and longtime aide to Hillary Clinton, as his first chief of staff despite her lack of familiarity with Sacramento. O’Leary stepped aside after lifting his administration off the ground, battling against then-President Trump and managing the state’s response through the first turbulent year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Newsom went in the opposite direction when he hired Jim DeBoo, a veteran political operative with experience working inside and outside California government, as O’Leary’s replacement at the end of 2020. DeBoo helped stabilize the governor’s relationships with lawmakers and interest groups and navigate the state’s path to post-pandemic normalcy. He guided Newsom’s team as the governor survived a GOP effort to recall him from office in 2021 and sailed through his 2022 reelection to a second term.
Williamson joined Newsom’s office in DeBoo’s stead in early 2023 with a reputation as a smart and tough Cabinet secretary to former Gov. Jerry Brown. She took over at a time when California’s budget outlook swiftly changed from surplus to shortage and Newsom was forced to cut programs and delay funding for some of his policy promises.
She led the governor’s political fight with the oil industry, facilitated deals between business and labor over fast-food workers’ wages and workplace lawsuits and provided a steady hand in Sacramento while Newsom traveled around the country during the 2024 presidential election.
“It’s always hard to leave this work, but in two short years, we’ve made a lasting impact,” Williamson said in a statement. “I’ve had the honor of serving under three governors and when asked what I will miss the most, my answer is always the same — the privilege of working with some of the smartest and most committed people I’ve ever known. I’m grateful for every day that I’ve had.”
Barankin takes the reins as Newsom braces for battle against the incoming Trump administration over abortion access, climate change programs and disaster assistance, among other anticipated tussles and the potential loss of billions in federal funding that threatens to worsen California’s grim future budget outlook.
The new chief of staff will also face the charge of cementing a positive legacy for the 40th governor of a state beset by homelessness, a housing crisis and other big-picture problems, while Newsom sets himself up for a possible run for president in 2028.
“I am deeply humbled to step into this role at a time of both challenge and opportunity,” Barankin said. “As chief of staff, my focus will be on serving the people of California by advancing the governor’s bold agenda to create jobs, ensure safe neighborhoods, and improve the health and well-being of every family in our state.”