POLITICO names Chris Cadelago California bureau chief

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Announcement from Executive Editor Dafna Linzer, Executive Editor, Platforms and Operations, Joe Schatz and Editor-in-Chief Matt Kaminski:

Our expansion in California is among the most exciting and ambitious journalistic ventures POLITICO has embarked on since Brussels. We have already begun building out our reporting and now it’s time to increase our ranks in the nation’s largest state — and in Sacramento in particular.

We didn’t need to look far to find the exact right person to kick us off and so, with that, we’re thrilled to announce the first major move of our California expansion: Chris Cadelago, a stellar member of our White House team, is returning to Sacramento to take on a major role as California bureau chief. Chris will be our lead politics reporter and partner with Katy Murphy and our entire team to drive our California reporting and take our coverage to the next level, on everything from the Statehouse to ballot initiatives to water policy.

This is a big move for POLITICO and for Chris but also a natural one. A San Francisco native and Berkeley graduate, Chris came to POLITICO’s Washington team in 2018 after distinguishing himself as the lead political writer for the Sacramento Bee. There, he chronicled Vice President Kamala Harris’ rise from California Attorney General to the U.S. Senate, and then moved to Washington for POLITICO, where his coverage of Harris’ presidential campaign and selection as Joe Biden’s Vice President was far and away the best in the country. Before the Bee, Chris covered politics for the San Diego Union Tribune and became their capitol correspondent.

Chris’s ties to Sacramento haven’t wavered during his time in Washington — he is well sourced across the state, from the governor’s mansion to the power brokers of Los Angeles. When Chris approached us about playing a role in the California expansion, the answer was clear: His passion for California is deep and he’s bursting with ideas on how we can distinguish ourselves in an urgent and sophisticated way.

Chris and his family will return to Sacramento early this summer as we grow our team, including the hiring of a new California expansion editor, to tell the stories that aren’t currently being told and to hold power there to account. We are approaching California’s capitol with the same rigor we do Washington, but with its own unique flavor and approach. We want to cover California not from Washington or for Washington, but on its own terms. We’ve already increased our policy coverage with the introduction of California legislative analysis, and we’re mobilizing teams throughout the newsroom, from graphics to interactives to engagement, to support the expansion. Chris’ new role is an exciting next step for us.

Please join us in congratulating Chris.

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