Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed former Rep. Katie Porter to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors.
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The board sets policies and other guidance for the 116 colleges and 73 districts that are part of California Community Colleges. The position pays a $100 per diem, and Porter will need confirmation from the state Senate to join the board, according to the governor’s office.
The Irvine Democrat has also returned to teaching at the UC Irvine School of Law — instructing a bankruptcy law course — after losing in the gubernatorial primary earlier this year.
Porter spent nearly a decade in politics, a career that included a progressive and high-profile six years in the U.S. House.
The Yale University and Harvard Law School alumna opted to run for an open U.S. Senate seat in California in 2024, rather than run for reelection. Porter, who counts U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, as her mentor, lost in the primary to eventual winner Adam Schiff and former Dodgers star Steve Garvey.
She then jumped in early for the open race for California governor, with a campaign drawing on her congressional record of taking on corporate interests and President Donald Trump. Porter was briefly considered to be leading the pack of Democrats vying for governor but failed to gain traction, particularly after a pair of videos showing her interactions with a journalist and former staffer went viral. She then — and in later debates — said she’s apologized and taken responsibility.
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Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and former Fox News host Steve Hilton both advanced in the gubernatorial primary.
In June, after her election loss, Porter said the gubernatorial campaign only reinforced her interest in policymaking, and she said she planned to continue doing that sort of work in some capacity.
“I’m excited to be in my position as a law professor, where my job is to generate good ideas. I think this campaign was a real reminder of how much I like doing that,” Porter said then.
Lately, Porter has also been active on social media, where she has shared what’s on her reading list, some brutally honest book reviews, behind-the-scenes looks at local author talks and recommendations for younger readers, like her own kids.
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