CHICAGO — Nearing completion of his Cabinet, President-elect Barack Obama has selected California Rep. Hilda Solis as his labor secretary and former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk as U.S. trade representative, officials said yesterday.

Obama planned to formally announce those selections today along with that of Republican Rep. Ray LaHood of Illinois for transportation secretary and perhaps others.

Democratic officials also said Dennis Blair, a retired admiral and the former head of U.S. Pacific Command, is a leading contender to become director of national intelligence. And Oregon State University professor Jane Lubchenco, a marine biologist and a top expert on overfishing and climate change, is a leading contender to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, according to colleagues at the school.

Yesterday, Obama named three veteran regulators to help clean up financial debacles. Amid a year-old recession that's still deepening, Obama blamed much of the nation's economic troubles on government regulators who "dropped the ball," and he called for a return to ethics and tough enforcement.

The officials who talked about the selections spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss positions that had not yet been announced.

Solis, a Democratic congresswoman who is the daughter of Mexican and Nicaraguan immigrants, has focused on immigration and environment issues while in the House.

Unions expect Solis to be an advocate for them and for workers. They expect her to press for legislation that would force businesses to recognize union representation once more than 50 percent of a company's eligible workforce signs union cards, instead of waiting for secret-ballot elections.

Kirk, a partner in the Dallas office of the Houston-based powerhouse law and lobbying firm Vinson & Elkins, was the first black elected mayor of Dallas.

Obama is trying to get most of his major appointments out of the way before heading to Hawai'i for a holiday vacation, and has held a news conference each day this week to unveil top positions. He has yet to announce senior intelligence positions, and numerous sub-Cabinet posts remain unfilled.