Dec 16, 2025

POLITICO: Governor Newsom Convening “California Innovation Council” Including Prof. Deirdre Mulligan

From POLITICO

California Playbook

FIRST IN POLITICO: CROWDSOURCING — Newsom is convening big-name Democrats, business leaders and academic powerhouses for a new "California Innovation Council” to further embrace AI within the state government and offer policy ideas, his office told POLITICO Pro’s California Decoded newsletter exclusively this morning.

Its membership features first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Joe Biden’s one-time Principal Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officer Deirdre Mulligan and former U.S. Sen. Laphonza Butler, now a political adviser whose clients include ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.

It’s the latest example of Newsom echoing the efficiency-through-innovation ethos of Trump’s now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency — albeit in the governor’s signature wonky style, without threats of broad government funding cuts or an Elon Musk-style chainsaw in hand.

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Professor Deirdre Mulligan, former Principal Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officer in the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, will serve on the Modernizing Government Service Delivery group on the California Innovation Council. 

Last updated: December 16, 2025