Appointments and Resignations
Obama Nominating California Political Watchdog to Federal Election Commission
The commission has come under scrutiny and criticism in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizen’s United decision in 2010, which allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts of money advocating for and against candidates. The court made it clear that the commission could require disclosure of contributors to nonprofit organizations with political connections, but it has been deadlocked over the issue for years. read more
Democrats Lose Supermajority in State Senate before They Even Get Started
Democratic State Senator Michael J. Rubio surprised his party and the governor when he announced last Friday that he would be resigning his seat to take a job as the manager of California government affairs for Chevron Corporation. Rubio, 35, said he wanted to spend more time with his wife and two young children, one of whom as special needs. read more
Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: Who Is Jeffrey A. Beard?
Sentencing reform advocate and former Pennsylvania prisons chief Jeffrey A. Beard was named Secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Wednesday by Governor Jerry Brown. He replaces Matthew Cate, who left in October after four and a half years to head the California State Association of Cities. read more
Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation: Who Is Anthony L. Jackson?
Governor Jerry Brown, reaching outside the park service community, went career military instead and picked retired Major General Anthony L. Jackson, 63, as director of the troubled Department of Parks and Recreation on Tuesday.
Jackson replaces Ruth Coleman, who resigned in July after $54 million was found stashed in department accounts while 70 state parks faced closure because of budget cuts. read more
Director of the Governor’s Office of Economic and Business Development: Who Is Kish Rajan?
Kish Rajan dropped out of the re-election race for Walnut Creek City Council to accept Governor Jerry Brown’s appointment in September 2012 as the first director of the newly-created Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz).
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Chancellor of California State University: Who Is Timothy P. White?
There are no shortages of challenges for Timothy P. White, selected Thursday as the new chancellor of the 23-campus California State University (CSU). He succeeds Charles B. Reed, who retired after 14 years at the helm. read more
Chancellor of the California Community Colleges: Who Is Brice Harris?
Two months before voters will decide if the already-beleaguered state higher education system will absorb another budgetary body blow, Brice W. Harris has been selected to be the new chancellor of the 112-campus California Community Colleges. read more
Acting Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation: Who Is Janelle Beland?
Governor Jerry Brown announced the appointment of Janelle Beland as acting director of the Department of Parks and Recreation on the same day that her predecessor, Ruth Coleman, tendered her resignation amid two scandals. read more
Commissioner of the Department of Corporations: Who Is Jan Owen?
Governor Jerry Brown’s appointee to head the Department of Corporations, Jan Lynn Owen, has extensive experience in government and the financial industry, with strong ties to big banks that make some consumer advocates nervous. read more
Attorney General: Who Is Kamala Harris?
Elected Attorney General in the November 2010 election, Oakland-born Democrat Kamala Devi Harris wasted little time becoming a champion of gay rights and homeowner rights in the state. read more
Secretary of the Labor and Workforce Development Agency: Who Is Marty Morgenstern?
When Governor Jerry Brown appointed Marty Morgenstern secretary of the Labor and Workforce Development Agency in January 2011, he was tapping an old friend.
In 1975, Morgenstern was appointed director of the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations by Governor Jerry Brown. He twice served as director of California’s Department of Personnel Administration, once in the first Jerry Brown administration and again for Governor Gray Davis. read more
Director of the Department of Social Services: Who Is Will Lightbourne?
Jerry Brown’s director at the Department of Social Services, Will Lightbourne, landed in Sacramento in 2011 and was immediately immersed in controversy over his pay package, which topped that of the man who appointed him. read more
Director of Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control: Who Is Jacob Appelsmith?
A senior adviser to Governor Jerry Brown, Jacob Appelsmith was appointed Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control director in January 2011. read more
Air Resources Board Chair: Who Is Mary Nichols?
Mary D. Nichols, the two-time chair of the Air Resources Board, was born in Minneapolis, Minn., and grew up in Ithaca, N.Y. Her father was a professor at Cornell University and mayor of Ithaca. As a youth Nichols marched in protest against public school air-raid drills, worked with the American Friends Service Committee on peace issues and spent the Civil Rights summer of 1964 with fellow Cornell students helping to register voters in Fayette County, Tenn. read more
Chief Executive Officer of the High-Speed Rail Authority: Who Is Jeff Morales?
Facing federal deadlines and a skeptical public, the High-Speed Rail Authority reached out in May 2012 to former Caltrans Director Jeff Morales to be its chief executive officer.
Morales grew in the Washington, D.C., area after his father, George Morales, an anesthesiologist and native of Mexico, settled there in 1951. The elder Morales was part of the trauma team that attended to President Ronald Reagan after the 1981 attempt on his life. read more
California State University Chancellor to Retire
California State University has recently experienced unprecedented cuts in funding and now it is losing its leader. Embattled Chancellor Charles B. Reed announced that he is retiring after 14 years at the helm of the 23-campus system but is expected to stay in his post until the board of trustees picks a successor. read more