Gov. Newsom Names Rohit Chopra Head Of California Consumer Agency

India-West News Desk

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Governor Gavin Newsom has selected Rohit Chopra, the former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), to lead California’s newly established consumer watchdog agency.

The appointment brings a former top federal regulator to Sacramento after Chopra, a protege of Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and former Federal Trade Commission member, who was removed from his federal post last year by President Donald Trump.

Chopra is set to become the first secretary of the California Business and Consumer Services Agency when it officially launches on July 1. The move comes as Newsom seeks to strengthen California’s consumer protections amid changes at the federal level under the Trump administration.

Newsom described Chopra as a “strong and fearless” leader capable of maintaining consumer safeguards.

During his tenure at the CFPB, Chopra frequently clashed with banks and technology companies over “junk fees” and consumer payment regulations, drawing criticism from Republicans who characterized the bureau as an unaccountable regulator.

In a statement on his appointment, Chopra said California would continue efforts to protect families and small businesses despite shifting federal priorities.

“While federal agencies are making life more expensive and enriching special interests, California will be firing on all cylinders to make sure markets aren’t rigged against families and small businesses,” Chopra said.

The new agency is part of a state government reorganization announced by Newsom last summer, which split the former Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency into two separate entities.