Lesbian Leads Calif. Budget Office

Ana Matosantos, the first Latina and openly gay person to direct the California Department of Finance, stands by the side of Gov. Jerry Brown as he tries to close a $26 billion budget gap.

The New York Times profiled Matosantos, who at 35 is also the youngest person ever to lead the budget office. She was appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, in 2009, and colleagues quickly convinced Brown, a Democrat, to reappoint her to the position when he took over this year.

A Puerto Rico native and Stanford graduate, Matosantos "like to keep her matter-of-fact tone on any topic," according to the Times, but the newspaper does report some personal details.

"Government is so ingrained in Ms. Matosantos's life that she met her partner though her state work. When Ms. Matosantos was working on health care issues, she met Sally Espinoza, who was also working on similar issues as a staff member for a Democratic senator. The two have been together for nearly a decade and bought a house a few miles from the statehouse."