Candidate Endorsements

George Whitesides

Incumbent Congressmember for California’s 27th Congressional District (CA-27)

CDC Endorsement Interview Summary

Priorities: Confront corruption in the current administration and roll back tariffs.

Housing: Support federally backed, factory-built modular homes and large-scale federal purchases to help lower costs. Encourage modern timber construction and negotiate reductions in local fees.

Healthcare: Rescind the healthcare cuts enacted in H.R. 1, the “Big Beautiful Bill.”

Higher Education: Reverse funding cuts and protect the community college system.

Artificial Intelligence: Advocate for guardrails, address potential job losses, and ensure consumers do not bear the costs of data centers.

Environment: Support decarbonization and expanded clean energy production. Whitesides described an extensive background in environmental issues and noted that he was one of two junior representatives invited to join the Sustainability and Environment Caucus.

Science: Address the effects of budget and staffing reductions at NASA, including the cited $150 million cut to its education budget. Support community science education and environmental data programs.

Biography

George has spent his career solving problems. Over the past 20 years, he has helped lead NASA to new heights, created hundreds of quality jobs in the Antelope Valley, and supported front-line responders and public health through his work on the wildfire crisis.

Former Chief of Staff, NASA

George worked on President Obama’s transition team in 2008, and then served as Chief of Staff for NASA for the Obama administration. George was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the agency’s highest honor. George led reform of NASA to enable current U.S. space leadership.

Former CEO, Virgin Galactic

George was the first CEO of Virgin Galactic, the human spaceflight company founded by Richard Branson. He grew the company over a decade from a small team to the global aerospace firm it is today, creating 700 jobs in the Antelope Valley and flying the first woman to space on a commercial space vehicle.

Combating Our Wildfire Crisis

George co-founded Megafire Action, the first organization dedicated to solving our nation’s megafire crisis. He also initiated Caltech’s Keck Institute workshop on “Detecting and Tracking Fires that Matter” in 2021 and is an advisor to several philanthropic efforts working to make wildfire a manageable challenge through innovation and science policy.

Leader in Our Community

George co-chaired the Antelope Valley COVID-19 Task Force, an ad hoc group that brought together NASA, industry, local government and Antelope Valley College to support front-line nurses and doctors, for which George received NASA’s Exceptional Public Achievement Medal.

George serves as a board member of the Antelope Valley Economic Development and Growth Enterprise (AV EDGE), working to grow jobs and businesses in the AV.

George was awarded the Partners in Educational Excellence Award by the Antelope Valley Union High School District for his work supporting underprivileged students.