He sued the Trump administration over 100 times. Now Biden wants Xavier Becerra in his Cabinet
President-elect Joe Biden has selected California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as his nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary, multiple outlets reported Sunday and confirmed to McClatchy by a source familiar with the decision.
Becerra was a surprise choice and only became the frontrunner in the past few days, according to The New York Times, which first reported the news. He will have to be confirmed by the Senate to get the position.
Becerra has become well-known for suing President Donald Trump’s administration on California’s behalf more than 100 times. He’s been on the front lines of trying to defend the Affordable Care Act, preserve environmental regulations and protecting undocumented immigrants.
The Department of Health and Human Services will be particularly important during the coronavirus pandemic. It oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has been providing guidance on COVID-19.
Becerra, 62, was appointed to his current position as California Attorney General in 2017 by Gov. Jerry Brown following the departure of Kamala Harris for the Senate. He is the first Latino to hold the job. Prior to serving as the state’s chief law enforcement officer, Becerra was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Downtown Los Angeles from 1993 to 2017.
Born in Sacramento, Becerra is the son of working-class parents and was the first in his family to receive a four-year degree, earning his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Stanford University.
He also attended Stanford Law School. His mother was born in Jalisco, Mexico and immigrated to the United States after marrying his father.
Becerra’s nomination shortens the list of possible candidates to fill Kamala Harris’ Senate seat. Many in the state have been pushing Gov. Gavin Newsom to select California’s first Latino senator, and Becerra was among the top contenders.
His confirmation and departure for the Biden Administration would give Newsom another high-powered seat to fill in the next few months.
“The implications may be as big in California... as it will be for representation and voice in D.C.,” said Mike Madrid, a California Republican consultant who campaigned for Joe Biden. “Now you’ve got an open AG spot as well as a Senate seat open. That’s going to create a tremendous political scramble here in the state.”
Other top contenders for Harris’ senate seat include Secretary of State Alex Padilla. If he’s chosen, Newsom will also get the chance to appoint a new Secretary of State.
“The game of musical chairs in California continues,” said Roger Salazar, a Sacramento-based Democratic media strategist. “For Gavin Newsom, it’s an enviable and unenviable position to be in at the same time, because you’ll have everybody storming your gates to get someone they’d like to see fill those positions.”
As far as Becerra’s replacement, Madrid said it could be any number of people, but the role of the California Attorney General is likely to change under Biden’s administration.
“The temperature has gone down significantly since you’re going to have a Democratic administration, and you’re not going to be somebody who has to be in constant war with Donald Trump,” Madrid said.
Newsom congratulated Becerra via Twitter on Sunday afternoon.
“You’ve spent your entire career fighting for equality and justice. You’ve spent the last four defending the (Affordable Care Act),” the governor said. “Now, you‘ll help lead our nation toward quality, affordable healthcare for ALL – and continue to make CA proud!”
This story was originally published December 6, 2020 at 3:29 PM.
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