Appointments and Resignations
CalHR Director Retires as Negative Little Hoover Commission Report Is Released
The report said that the form of the reorganization had been properly implemented, but not much else. “While the physical logistics of the reorganization have been successful, the service improvements and big-picture changes that represent the plan’s promise of reinvention remain unfinished.” Those “changes” include revamping the state’s hiring system. read more
Director of the Department of Developmental Services: Who Is Santi J. Rogers?
Rogers, 68, appointed last month by Governor Jerry Brown, replaced Therese "Terri" Delgadillo, who retired. The department he now heads has received an onslaught of criticism for its stewardship of the state’s five board-and-care institutions, where 1,500 patients with developmental disabilities, such as mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and autism, are cared for. read more
Head of Los Angeles DWP Abruptly Resigns Under Fire
Nichols announced his resignation Thursday after three years on the job. The head of the nation’s largest public water and electric utility has been under fire since the Los Angeles Times began raising questions about the trusts he co-manages with Brian D’Arcy, leader of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 18, the DWP’s largest union. Nichols can’t tell investigators what happened to $40 million in the trust funds. read more
Top Two Officials at State Workers Comp Insurer Abruptly Resign without Explanation
Rowe joined the State Fund in August 2010 after it had experienced some rough years. References to the State Fund in news stories throughout the decade were routinely preceded by the phrase “scandal-plagued.” “Certainly many people were surprised in the room when the board chair made that announcement,” Jennifer Vargen, senior vice president of marketing and communications for the State Fund, told the Insurance Journal. read more
Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Agency: Who Is David Lanier?
David Lanier, who has worked extensively in the state Legislature since 1995, took over as Governor Jerry Brown’s chief labor negotiator earlier this month after Marty Morgenstern announced his retirement as secretary. Morgenstern is a 50-year veteran of labor and workplace issues who has served in key positions in Brown administrations new and old. read more
Director of Department of Alcoholic Beverages Control: Who Is Timothy Gorsuch?
The new director of the Department of Alcoholic Beverages Control (ABC), Timothy Gorsuch, has spent most of his professional life working for the agency. As the new chief regulator of the state’s alcoholic beverage industry and its 85,000 licensees, he directs more than 200 special agents in criminal investigations and enforcement matters. read more
Director of the Department of Managed Health Care: Who Is Shelley Rouillard?
Amid the rollout of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act and its implementation as Covered California, Governor Jerry Brown has named a new director of the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC).
Michelle “Shelley” Rouillard, with three decades in consumer health and human services advocacy, will take over as the new director on December 1. She has been the department’s chief deputy director since 2011. read more
Chairwoman of the State Water Resources Control Board: Who Is Felicia Marcus?
Felicia A. Marcus has been an environmental leader, inside and outside of government, since the 1980s, co-founding Heal the Bay and working for the Los Angeles Board of Public Works. She was appointed chair of the State Water Resources Control Board in April by Governor Jerry Brown. read more
Executive Director of the Delta Protection Commission: Who Is Erik Vink?
A 25-year veteran of land and water conservation in California, Erik Vink, is the new executive director of the Delta Protection Commission. He succeeds former state Senator Michael Machado, who led the commission from 2010 until his retirement in July of this year. read more
State’s Developmental Services Director Announces Resignation from Beleaguered Agency
The department she heads has received an onslaught of criticism this past year for its stewardship of the state’s five board-and-care institutions, where 1,500 patients with developmental disabilities, such as mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and autism, are cared for. A scathing report in July from the California State Auditor said the department’s in-house police force, called the Office of Protective Services (OPS), was underfunded, ill-prepared and did a lousy job. read more
President of the State Bar: Who is Luis J. Rodriguez?
The next president of the California State Bar, Luis J. Rodriguez, will be the first Latino and the first public defender elected to the position. The 46-year-old Rodriguez was born in the United States, but moved to Cuidad Juarez with his family when he was an infant and spent his first 10 years in Mexico. read more
President of the University of California: Who Is Janet Napolitano?
Janet Napolitano’s career has been marked by high-profile appearances in situations of an especially challenging nature, and the Homeland Security chief’s decision last week to leave government to become president at the University of California (UC) probably won’t break the pattern.
Napolitano is coming to a state with a large number of undocumented residents after presiding over the federal government’s aggressive deportation of illegal immigrants. read more
Director of the Department of Human Resources: Who Is Julie Chapman?
She was prematurely outed as the future director of the proposed Department of Human Resources by DPA Director Ron Yank in February 2012. Yank sent out a memo announcing Chapman would replace him as director while the reorganization plan that would rename the department was still in the works. read more
Secretary of the California Transportation Agency: Who Is Brian P. Kelly?
Kelly made Capitol Weekly’s 2010 Top 100 List of major players in California politics, checking in at No. 62. The mini-profile that year said, “Brian Kelly is at or near the top of everybody’s list. The detail-driven Kelly used to handle transportation issues specifically, but he has since branched out to become the Senate leader’s top policy person.” The “super staffer” moved up to No. 44 the next year. read more
Secretary of the Government Operations Agency: Who Is Marybel Batjer?
Marybel Batjer will be the first secretary of the new Government Operations Agency (CalGovOps). She has a long history of government service, but her most recent job was vice president of public policy and corporate social responsibility at Caesars Entertainment Corporation. read more
California Department of Finance Director: Who Is Michael Cohen?
The governor announced last week that Ana Matosantos is leaving the administration in September and is being replaced by her deputy, Michael Cohen. She was the youngest, the first Latina and the first openly gay person to hold the position. She was also the first finance director to serve two governors of different parties. read more