Appointments and Resignations
Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation : Who Is Scott Kernan?
Kernan grew up in San Quentin. His mother worked at the prison in his youth, and he spent around 10 of his formative years living on the grounds. He started out as a guard, worked his way up to warden and then joined the insiders running the department during tumultuous times. He was the Number 2 guy when he retired and became a consultant four years ago. Now he's back. read more
Influential Assemblyman Quitting to Join Pharmaceutical Lobbyists
Fresno Democrat Perea, 38, will be a senior director of state advocacy for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). That didn’t come as a huge shock to the Sacramento Bee, which noted when Perea announced his impending resignation that he was one of the top beneficiaries of Big Pharma contributions in 2013 and 2014 and a possible candidate for a job there. read more
California’s Chief Oil and Gas Regulator Resigns
Bohlen told the Chronicle the agency had “turned a corner” and the “future looks very bright.” Hollin Kretzmann, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, did not agree. He said in a statement that DOGGR was still “far too close to the industry it is supposed to regulate. . . . The next supervisor must address Californians’ concerns about water contamination and safety risks from drilling and fracking.” read more
Director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development: Who is Ben Metcalf?
Metcalf replaces Claudia Cappio, who left in April to become Oakland assistant city administrator. He has worked for nonprofits and government agencies concerned about affordable housing. President Obama appointed Metcalf as deputy assistant director at HUD for Multifamily Housing Programs in 2013 and that’s where he was when Governor Brown brought him back West. read more
Brown Appoints Oil Executive to Head Oil Oversight Office
On the same day last week that the state agency in charge of regulating the oil and gas industry in California released a critical internal review detailing how bad a job it was doing, Governor Brown appointed an oil executive to head one of its key offices. Bill Bartling, 61, is the new Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources’ (DOGGR) area district deputy for Bakersfield. read more
Secretary of California Department of Veterans Affairs: Who is Dr. Vito Imbasciani?
Vito Imbasciani, is a musicologist, LGBT activist, aspiring politician, former hospital administrator, surgeon and 27-year military veteran who deployed overseas four times in two wars. He speaks six languages: English, Spanish, German, Italian, French and Arabic. read more
Dems Name Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins’ Successor Sooner than Later
Democrats, who dominate the Assembly, named Anthony Rendon, 47, of Los Angeles speaker-elect on Thursday, changing the political calculus in the manic last few weeks of the legislative session. Atkins was sworn in as speaker in May 2014 after defeating Rendon. The next speaker is part of the first group of lawmakers governed by less restrictive term limits and can remain in the Assembly for eight more years. read more
Director of the California Conservation Corps: Who Is Bruce Saito?
Bruce Saito was part of the CCC team in 1976 that created the model for youth development and environmental enhancement programs at a time when there were few other 501 (c)(3) non-profits in existence. He was recruited by the L.A. Conservation Corps after former U.S Secretary of Commerce Mickey Kantor founded it in 1986. Saito was executive director emeritus and senior advisor at the L.A. Conservation Corps since 2014. read more
U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag, Scourge of Medical Marijuana, Is Quitting
President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder would periodically make sounds about lightening up on states where medical marijuana is legal despite federal laws banning the drug. And then U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag, a 2010 appointee of President Obama, would bust a bunch of dispensaries and give voice to a far less conciliatory policy. read more
Director of the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery: Who Is Scott Smithline?
Smithline is an environmental lawyer who has split his time between the private and public sectors.Governor Jerry Brown appointed him this month to replace Caroll Mortensen, who was director since October 2011. Mortensen is now senior environmental specialist in CalRecycle’s Legislative and External Affairs Office, agency spokesperson Mark Oldfield told Resource Recycling. read more
Housing Agency Head, Blasted for Evicting Tenants, Won’t Stick Around
The evictions by Jacobs became a hot topic about two months ago when consumer and renter advocacy groups, like Tenants Together (TT), started using him as the poster child for the state’s insincerity about affordable housing issues. The agency he heads, CalHFA, provides financial assistance for poor and working-class first-time home buyers and participates in the rental market through loans to developers building multifamily housing. read more
Director of the California Department of Conservation: Who is David Bunn?
David Bunn has worked in the private sector, the state Legislature, the executive branch and academia. He has participated in village poultry health and extension projects in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and Nepal since 2006. Bunn was a co-leader of the Global Livestock CRSP and USAID Flu School Program. He conducted avian flu workshops in eight African countries for health and agriculture ministry professionals. read more
Chairman of the California Gambling Control Commission: Who Is Jim Evans?
Evans replaces Richard J. Lopes, 50, who abruptly announced his “retirement” as chairman last month. Lopes reportedly did not mention the ongoing scandal, which includes accusations against former gambling enforcement chief Robert E. Lytle, who worked with him during his 30 years at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). His announcement came two weeks after Executive Director Tina Littleton announced she would take a lower-level position at the end of May. read more
State Department of Conservation Director Quits Days after Oil-Drilling RICO Suit Is Filed
Nechodom, the husband of former California Secretary of State Debra Bowen, was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in December 2011 after the dismissal of Acting Director Derek Chernow for taking a harder line on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) than his boss wanted. At the time, industry critic Dan Bacher called it “a move that reeks of political cronyism and demonstrates the inordinate power of the oil industry.” read more
Director of the Department of General Services: Who Is Daniel C. Kim?
Kim was chief deputy director of operations at the Department of Public Health. His new department oversees about $9 billion in procurements throughout the government each year. It manages tens of millions of square feet of office and warehouse space, buys and sells real estate, oversees 50,000 vehicles in the state’s vehicle fleet and purchases $3 billion worth of insurance annually. read more
Director of the California Research Bureau: Who Is Anne Neville?
Neville, 38, takes over the nonpartisan research service that assists the governor and his staff, the Legislature and other select state officials prepare reports and memoranda on policy issues. The bureau, which is part of the California State Library, also works on special projects, like the 2013 Women Veteran Survey, and regularly publishes “Studies in the News.” read more